Day 120 (Wednesday Dec 19)
Arriving in Sydney, I first went to my Airbnb in Elizabeth Bay. Situated within walking distance of downtown, the opera house, and Oxford Street (the LGBT area of town), it was a perfect homebase for me as I prepared for grad school applications and ended 2018.
My Airbnb wasn’t perfect, we had a rat problem the first several days I was there. But the owner was responsive and called in an exterminator, and the rat never re-appeared. I also saw exactly 1 cockroach as well, but I was told those are very common in all areas of Sydney. So, all-in-all, I really did luck out with finding this place. The room had the “trust your journey” painting, and I took that as a good omen for my time in Sydney.
I then picked up some groceries. Since I was staying in one place for an entire month, I could finally cook myself a few meals, so I stocked up on some supplies.
That afternoon, I went to the Aquarium. It was the only time I actually saw a manta ray on my trip (and I didn’t get a good pic in the aquarium), even with all my scuba diving in NZ and OZ. But, hopefully I will rectify that in 2019!
Penguins! 
Seahorse 
Tropical Reef Fish 
A sawfish 
A dugong – akin to a manatee
That night, I went out to Stonewall Hotel, an iconic gay bar in Sydney. It was entertaining to people watch, and soak in the warmer weather.
Days 121-124 (Thursday Dec 20 through Sunday Dec 23)
The next four days I explored Sydney on foot, by train, and by car. I circumnavigated the botanical gardens, I shopped in downtown, I ran across the Harbor bridge, and I found a church I liked (Pitt Street Uniting Church)
Far 
Near 
TrinityDreamer 
Chain-link Dragon that I passed most days walking into Sydney’s CBD
Opera House again? 
the CBD 
A peacock 
My koala grin 
Happy at the Gardens 
My favorite sculpture 😉
An art piece 
On the North Side 
of Sydney Harbor Bridge 
If you haven’t seen Zumbo’s Just Desserts on Netflix, you should watch it!
I also met a really nice guy on Grindr named Ben, and he took me on a tour of several of Syndey’s iconic beaches (both clothed and nude) that ended with a massive hailstorm! I also attended the Carols in the Domain, a televised, star-studded caroling event held in the Domain (a big grassy area south of the botanical gardens).
I ended up running a lot downtown on Saturday, December 22nd, and I earned some shiny new achievements. I also went through a Christmas street fair, got some kangaroo and alligator skewers, and enjoyed Christmas down-under.
Carols in the Domain occurred Saturday night. I met Louisa there, another single traveler who came to experience the carols. It was a fun night of singing, candles, and fireworks.
Sunday morning was spent at Pitt Street church as well as preparing the final 3 episodes for my podcast, which was set to conclude on January 1, 2019. Sunday night I attended church at Hillsong Sydney, as I wanted to get a taste of the church that created “Shout to the Lord”. It was their anointing service, and so I was anointed for 2019, to have God move in my life. In many ways, my true anointing was on Miracle Sunday though.
Pitt Street Uniting Church 
Pitt St. Rainbow Candle 
Hillsong Church
Days 125-126 (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2018)
Pitt Street had a Christmas Eve service that I attended, as well as a Christmas morning service. On Christmas Eve, I went to a dozen different bakeries and dessert shops looking for a cinnamon roll in Sydney. Every Christmas since I can remember has been celebrated with cinnamon rolls. I had been set to bake them myself, but then my Airbnb had no oven. And when I couldn’t find them anywhere in the city, I decided to take God’s hint and fast for Christmas. So, rather than indulging in all manner of food and sweets, I abstained and had a day of worship, sun, and a new friend named Boat!
And here are two Christmas gifts I gave to everyone on my social media channels: My 28th podcast episode & a special !REMIXED! playlist on Spotify!
Days 127-131 (Wednesday Dec 26th to Sunday Dec 30)
The lead-up to the end of the year was full of meeting new people. The two most profound meetings were with Will, an American who works in Australia and attends Pitt Street Church, and Alex, an Aussie-born, American educated gay pastor at a Metropolitan Community Church. Will took me on the Coogee to Bondi Beach walk, and Alex was very nice to take me to some other beaches, visited the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and show me a good time over several days.
The cemetery 
Looking back over the entire walk
Adeela Suleman – “After all it’s always someone else who dies” 
Roy de Maistre – “Rhythmic composition in yellow green minor” 
Richard Larter – “Untitled” 
Judy Watson – “Big Blue World with 3 Stupas” 
Eugene Von Guerard – “Milford Sound, NZ” 
Frederic Leighton – “An athlete wrestling with a python”
Alex took me south of Sydney to visit another nude beach. Here you get to meet Alex and you get some candid photos. Don’t worry, it’s just my butt. The final picture is on the 2 hour train ride back to Sydney. Alex had to meet his mom so I had a quiet, and long, train ride back to homebase.
I received two Christmas cards this year, one from Sebastian, one of Ali’s kids from Christchurch. The other (not pictured) was from my younger brother and his daughter, my niece, Freya. The other pic is an amazing backpack I saw while I was out at a coffee shop on these days.
I also was preparing for Celebration, my LGBT New Years’ event on the top of the Museum of Contemporary Art. You had to wear at least 80% white, so I went shopping over these days to assemble an outfit. I also had to pick-up my ticket package. I got a spiffy new haircut! And I attended the evening service at the Sydney MCC church, which was nice, but I wanted to keep attending Pitt Street Uniting church, so it was only a one-time visit. Please note – several more rainbows in these pictures!
Days 132 (Monday December 31st / New Years Eve 2018)
The final day of 2018. Crazy to think that I had spent 132 days traveling, living in lots of cities, meeting tons of new people, and having some amazing experiences. New Year’s Eve 2018 would be no different. I was headed to a swanky LGBT party for 300 people on top of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Here’s a few pics of my outfit and pre-party poses.
I couldn’t get into the museum until 8pm, but I wanted to be there right from the start, so I went to a neighboring bar to get a drink and some food. And soon, I was waiting inline for the museum. Rain was coming down, but one of the other people standing in line graciously shared her umbrella with me.
Upstairs, the party started right away with drinks, appetizers, and music. The ticket cost included beer, wine, and sparkling, so I quickly got tipsy and had lots of fun chatting, meeting people (like Tarim & Jaime from Texas and Cebil & Justin from Colorado). It was a little interesting to meet more non-Australians than Australians at the party. But Sydney is a very international destination.
Lots of yummy apps! 
The view was amazing! 
Avoiding the crowds by being on the roof!
Soon it was dark, and fireworks started at 9pm (the Children’s fireworks). A full firework display, but another would occur at midnight. I was floored. Lots of fireworks this night. Overall, it was my best new years EVER, and I had so much fun experiencing Sydney like this. I’ve also made some good friends, as my current plans are to move to Denver, Colorado, so I would still see Cebil and Justin if that happens.
What an amazing way to end 2018, and I was in such a different place than a year prior. In 2017, I was headed to ending my relationship, quitting my job, and moving back to my hometown to figure out my life. Now, I was a world traveler, surviving over 130 days abroad and having the time of my life. What a different a year can make!
And that’s a great place to stop, so you now get your reward! Yup, a song! This comes from the current monthly playlist – Transcendence. Today is March 16th, and the 16th song on the playlist is called Foolish by Meghan Trainor. I hope you like it. The message is a little crypic, but it makes sense in my situation…oh, if you only knew the full story!
I said I knew, I knew, I knew, I knew, I knew (hey)
Knew I had to lock it down
Lock it down, lock it down
Uh, they say that fools rush in
But I, oh I, I wanna be foolish with you
I wanna be foolish with you
They say that fools rush in
But I, oh I (hey), I wanna be foolish with you
I wanna be foolish with you (woo!)
You’re gonna regret not buying that unicorn backpack….
Ha! 😉
haha, i would have had to steal it from the little girl who had it. 😉