Skipping down memory lane to a more recent past

A little after the unfortunate weather patterns in Port Stephens a few of us rented a car and drove all the way down to Canberra. It took a while to get there, since the roads are in a pretty bad condition and the speed limits are low even in the highways. They were no autobahns, as the Germans in our group would point out on several occasions (not just during this trip). Neither did it help that it took us close to an hour to get out of Sydney to begin with, believe me, it isn't as easy as you might think. 

Once we got to the ACT we were attacked by a sudden urge to go through each and every one of the roundabouts built in the area, because the hostel we were supposed to be staying in was hidden in one of the side streets we just couldn't seem to find, no matter how hard we tried. Eventually we did, though, and the place was pleasant enough.

On the way back we got lost again, but this time it was after we got out of Canberra (that was easy, no thanks to the roundabouts), because we were trying to find Jervis Bay and the whitest beach on the continent (maybe even the world). The way there took us up a side of what seemed like a mountain behind a slow-moving tanker and down again on the other side, it was almost like a rollercoaster, but with actual cars. The beach was awesome by the way, well worth the effort. Below is some photographic evidence on both places, enjoy!

In the War Memorial they have listed
all the Australians that have died in the wars.

Australian War Memorial

The Parliament House where they actually elected the first female prime minister of Australia.
Didn't catch a glimpse of her though, only of her opponent.

A kangaroo and an emu greeted us at the entrance
to the Parliament House.

My attempt at being artistic with MS Paint. It was fun, actually. Might do it again, so beware.

Honestly, Jervis Bay was amazing!

The sand is actually white like snow. Walking on it made a funny sound,
almost like walking on snow when it's -20 degrees and sunny.
All you northerners know what I'm talking about.

Let's take a trip down memory lane...no, now you've gone too far. Here, let me show you:

About two years ago I had just returned from a five month stint at trying to pass as an Aussie (failed, and quite splendidly, I might add. I just loved being a tourist too much.), and was swept away by all the normal hoopla that consists of working and studying and trying to find some free time to do anything worth mentioning. So. That's the long and short of it why I didn't get around to posting the rest of the photos here. Two years is a long hiatus for a blog, but that's how long it took me to graduate (little over one and a half years), quit my part-time, soon-to-be-permanent-if-I-didn't-do-something-quick job, start and quit another part-time job, and finally find a for-real job (one that I'll be starting next week), and maybe breathe a bit (about five months) before I felt time was right to start writing about my travels, past and present, again.

And, because they (they who?) say a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some that don't even come to close to the fun I had with a friend of mine on a rainy (and it wasn't a drizzle, mind) weekend in Port Stephens, NSW. It consisted of shamelessly befriending the only two guests (they had a car; well, and old ambulance turned into a winnebago) apart from us that were staying at the hostel and having the best time you could imagine. Here, look! Not even close.

Possum that almost bit my friend.
They were hiding in the outdoor toilets.

Tawny Frogmouth named Froggy.

Josephine! The nicest kangaroo living
in a hostel I've ever met. 

The hostel resembled a tree house more than anything else.

What to do on a rainy day in Port Stephens, I hear you ask?
Go and feed stingrays and sharks, of course. 

That's where we were. No, not the first one, the second one.