The Entrance - Giant Pelicans, Almost Drowning, & Failed Hiking Attempts

Let me start off by saying how much I love Sydney. Can't get enough of this city, however, repeating the same routine every day can get boring. I'm lucky that my work is consistently giving me off Thursdays and Fridays in a row so I can plan little mini-holidays! Last week I went to Cronulla and this week I decided on The Entrance.

I didn't really know much about this place before heading out on the train, besides that there was a beach and a coastal walk, but I was sold. I downloaded a couple new books on my kindle, and I was off! The view alone to The Entrance was incredible..lots of water and hills. I stayed at The Entrance Backpackers, which was a really, really, nice hostel. Small, but very friendly and you get free breakfast (took full advantage of that both days). 

I got there later on Wednesday night but decided to take a look around as the sun was setting. I was blown away as soon as I got to the beach. It's truly beautiful there...puts Cronulla to shame. The Entrance has a channel because it links the sea and a lake (to the best of my knowledge lol). There would be shallow pools of water, then sand pits, then more water, then more sand, and it just kept going forever! Not to mention all the rock cliffs and intense splashing waves. It was seriously so pretty! I was occupied taking pictures, wondering if the flash going off was bothering the fishermen or scaring away the fish. This area did not have a lot of backpackers or travelers, it seemed much more like a summer getaway place for Australians. For everyone who knows the charm of Northern Michigan, picture that. Families doing cute activities together in their summer, enjoying one another's company and just hanging out and having the best time in a small, cute, town. Fishing seemed to be a big part of their culture as there were people fishing every couple of steps! I sat on the rocks for a while listening to my music and thinking about UD and everything that's happened in the past year..I can't believe it's nearly been a year since graduating..I simply don't understand how time could pass so quickly! It was super relaxing just hanging out, and then I noticed I wasn't alone down by the water. Around ten at night the water became FILLED with people. I'm talking like hundreds of people. I left my rock to go up to the pier to investigate. People of all ages were in the water with head lights and flash lights and giant nets. I finally asked someone what in the world they were looking for and found out they were prawn hunting. It was truly a sight to see, never seen something quite like it before! It seemed so normal for them too..nothing out of the ordinary. Some people take their kids putt putt golfing..others take them prawn hunting. Go figure. There was also a carnival in town to just top off the cuteness of this place.

Thursday I walked up and down the beaches, read my book, laid out (with sun cream, no worries) and then went to the Pelican Feeding at 3:30. The Entrance is apparently the Pelican Capital of Australia...with reason. These pelicans are MASSIVE. Literally up to my waist, if not taller. They're so important to this town's culture they have a feeding show for them every single day. They use this time to not only get the pelicans fish, but also to inspect them to make sure they're healthy and haven't been caught in any rubbish or are hurt. This show attracted dozens of people and I somehow managed to get in the front row. I was sitting, so these pelicans were towering over me at this point. They are very bold and will go right up to you which was quite interesting. May or may not have been slapped by a pelican wing once or twice. If you have me on snap story you saw my over snapping of these birds..but honestly such a cool experience watching them get fed! I even got to throw a fish head to the pelicans!

Afterwards I went and bought groceries aka fruit and successfully figured out kg again! Then headed back to the beach with my kindle and fruit in tow, hoping to catch the sun going down. Being prissy and high maintenance I couldn't settle for having my back facing the sun...I needed to be facing both the water and the sun. So I decided I would get to the other side of the Channel and sit there. Easier said than done. The water looked shallow enough..I had seen babies playing in it earlier, so I thought no problem I'll just cross here and be across. Wrong. Keep in mind I'm wearing a dress and have my giant long champ bag with my phone, kindle, and Nikon camera inside...aka things I can't afford to break. I'm trekking across the water no problems, until the water goes from my ankles to my knees. I try and hike up my dress but then give up. Okay no problem dress will get wet. The water is about waist high now but I'm already half way across, so we will be fine right? Next thing I know the sea floor is suddenly gone and I'm treading water. The only thing is my dress has fallen to my ankles and both my arms are holding my bag above my head so my precious electronics don't get wet. I couldn't exactly use my hands for paddling and I probably was making faces that looked like I was going to die. I somehow managed to swim the rest of the way and did a walk of shame out of the water and plopped on the sand (dress still around ankles). Remember when I said fishermen seemed to be every couple of feet? Oh yeah, they were ALL around..witnessed the whole thing. I've honestly never been quite so embarrassed...but then couldn't stop laughing at myself. I kept picturing how this strange foreigner would look if I saw this all go down and then hoped I at least made a few people laugh at my expense. After finally enjoying my fruit and book (the sun had already set too, of course my luck), I had to figure out how in the world I was going to get back to the hostel. I had two options, to either go back through the unknown, miserable, deceiving water, or to find an alternate route through this random island land I had stumbled upon. I got advice from a local fisherman who told me I should NEVER cross the water where I did because the currents drag you out there, and instead he pointed to a better area to cross. I stared at this area for a good 30 minutes before chickening out. It was dark out now, and I really didn't want to look like a drowning puppy in the water while children went out to prawn hunt. So I tried Google Maps (life saver) and found the alternate route. By taking this way I actually discovered another beach, more land area, and also was able to walk across the big bridge I had seen the day before! Took me about an hour out of my way, but was well worth avoiding the damn Channel.

Friday I went on the Coast to Lake walk ( Coast to Lake Walk ). The entire hike is supposed to take about three hours if you're 'casually strolling'. I don't know how anyone could possibly do it in that time unless they sprinted and never took a break. I consider myself to be a fast walker as well, but I took several breaks- in parks, in the woods, on piers, on beaches, in the city, all over essentially, and it took me about seven hours to do the entire thing. For everyone back home who knows me, I clearly don't exercise so I hope you realize what an accomplishment 7.6k is for me LOL. Quite sad how long it took though. On the bright side though, I managed to not get lost! The walk was actually incredible, took you through all different kinds of nature and really showed you the entire area. I could have spent days in those parks and on those piers..but I had to catch a train home and leave. But before that I finally treated myself to a restaurant experience in The Entrance, and let me just tell you how good that fully loaded jacket potato was. Damn. That's all. Oh and I remembered to pay this time, so that's an improvement.

Caught my bus around 8pm, made it to the train station at 9 and was confused because my train wasn't supposed to be there until 9:40 but a train happened to be there at the time I arrived, so I just hopped on, realizing later I forgot to tap on with my Opal Card (here you have to pre load money onto your Opal Card, then tap on and off as you get on and off public transport). Got called out by the security for not paying but he let it go because I was traveling alone. Not sure how solo traveling versus if I was with someone else makes a difference, but I am quite happy I got away with a warning because the fine for that is a couple hundred of dollars! And then finally made it home around midnight and crashed hard. 

The Entrance honestly put Cronulla to shame. It was probably one of my favorite vacations ever. IT WAS JUST SO PRETTY. I'm honestly looking forward to the next time I can revisit.

But as of now, I've planned a solo trip to the woods for a couple days. All I know is they said pack light (HA), don't bring rolling luggage (all I have), and to bring my own food (so two-minute pasta and pb&j). Should be interesting. Also have to get on a couple ferries to get there which I have not yet navigated while being here. Fingers crossed. 

ON ANOTHER NOTE I HAVE A BABY BROTHER!!!! Welcome to the world Baby George!!!

Taking on Cronulla!

Before coming to Australia I had imagined myself traveling throughout the country quite frequently, and as soon as I got here. I somehow forgot that I would be working practically every day, which doesn't really allow me the time for travel. I was lucky enough to get two days off this week (in a row!) and decided to plan my first trip in Australia.

Cronulla Beach in the early morning

I knew I couldn't go too far since I had to be back Friday night for work early Saturday, so I decided on a cute beach town called Cronulla and booked two nights in a hostel there. Wednesday came, I overpacked (a huge duffel bag) per my usual ways, and headed off to the train station a couple blocks away. I was lucky in how easy it was to get there...Cronulla was the last stop for this train, so all the signs said Cronulla...hard to mess up. I arrived Wednesday night, met some German girls in my room, and called it a night.

The great thing about how early I work is that my body is used to waking up early. Both days I was up by 7 and managed to be on the beach/in town by 8 in the morning. Thursday I spent 12 hours exploring this little beach town and my red skin is the result of all that time in the sun. I can't even describe how peaceful it was sitting on the rocks staring into the sea. The sun had a way of sparkling on the water, it was really really beautiful (trying not to sound too much like a sap). It was seriously so nice though just relaxing, and having time to reflect and think about everything. There's no better feeling than spending some time alone and having your mind wander to the thought, 'I am completely happy where I am in life.'

Beautiful Cronulla Beach

Once it turned about 11 I decided it would be a good time to check out the cute cafes and grab some brunch. This was my first official restaurant style meal eating alone. I'm not going to lie, I was a tad nervous beforehand about people judging, but it was totally fine. The fruit was so fresh and perfect, and I read my book while looking out at the water. All was well, and then I left the restaurant and started wandering around taking in my surroundings. ...Until a man tapped my shoulder looking angry. He yelled at me saying, "YOU FORGOT TO PAY!" I had never been so embarrassed....I just dined and dashed and had an employee chase me down the pavilion to bring me back to the restaurant. I felt like I was doing a walk of shame. I apologized over and over and over and over again telling them my brain is mush (I wonder if they understood that phrase) and that in no way was that my intention. I honestly have never been so embarrassed, especially with the looks the customers in the restaurant were giving me. I was THAT backpacker. From working in food and beverage, I absolutely despise when people try to steal a meal, so in no way was that what I was trying to do! Sometimes I'm seriously such an airhead. To my defense though, every other restaurant/food place I've been to in Sydney you pay at the counter, then they bring you out your food. I've never been brought a bill to the table after eating the meal...guess two months being away from that made me forget normal procedures! At least it's something to laugh about now!

After that hoopla, I went to find somewhere to lay out on the beach. I was on my way to the perfect spot when I heard someone call my name (weird, I had only met three people the night before and knew no one else here). One of the German guys who I had talked to maybe 3 minutes the previous night was waving me over and invited me to lay out with him and his friends. Score, I made a friend! It was nice being invited over, but then everyone talked in German the rest of the day, so I just read my book. The waves at Cronulla Beach were absolutely insane and I was taken out quite a few times. It was also extremely windy on Thursday, which was nice because it kept the beach cool! Sun was super hot, and as mentioned before, I am still recovering from the heat that day lolz I am currently in the peeling process! Overall, it was a wonderful day at the beach!

Relaxing in the park

Then I decided to spoil myself and treat myself to a fancy dinner for one. At this point my phone was on 10% and I needed to charge it so I could keep posting to Snap Story (of course). The only outlet in the restaurant was next to an 8 person table, so I was that annoying customer who took up one of the largest tables...just for myself. This time I didn't feel awkward at all dining alone. My mindset was that people are going to stare, let them I'm happy! The waitress recommended a meal; not quite sure what to choose I agreed, especially when I heard crab meat in pasta. When it came out my jaw dropped. There were literal crab legs on my pasta. The plate also came with a set of tools that you apparently should know how to use to crack open the crab legs and scrape the meat out. I had had no previous experience in using these tools, and am sure was causing quite the scene. The worst part is every time I attempted to crack a leg, you never knew where the parts of the leg would fly! The table was a mess, my hands were a mess, I was a mess. Definitely felt myself being judged, but once again, Whatever I'm on vacation! I'm learning! I ate every last bite on my plate and it was incredible. I still think all that work to get the crab meat out though is terribly overrated. I like the simplicity of crab cakes, all ready for you to eat.

Nothing better than eating fresh
strawberries under palm trees!

After 12 hours in the sun, I headed back to the hostel. So exhausted after being in the sun all day, I fell asleep by 8:30 pm, still in my bathing suit.
Friday, I woke up early and headed into town. Knowing how burnt I was, I planned to avoid laying out on the beach. I walked around all the shops and parks. I bought some fruit at a market and ate strawberries under a palm tree. I went to another park that overlooked the sea and people watched and read my kindle. Had a wonderful, relaxing, peaceful day. There was a bed bug incident in the hostel, but luckily I got away scotch free! Can't say the same for the other girls in my room....red bumps all over their bodies...not too pretty. The owner of the hostel was super friendly and told me about his travels in southeast Asia and couldn't stop raving. He was so nice and helpful and it was great how open he was!

Hopped on the train back, and the vacation was over. Even though it was only a couple of days, it was SO needed. As much as I love Sydney, I needed something new. I hate getting settled into a routine and needed to switch it up a little bit. It was also super nice traveling on my own. It just reinforces for me that I came out here alone, and I can manage things alone. I've been lucky that I've made and been with friends since Day 1 out here, but I don't want to have to rely on that. I want to keep pushing myself into new challenges and experiences. Every little thing I do on my own is another achievement for me, like 'see you can eat alone in a restaurant and not feel embarrassed', or 'you found the hostel all on your own without relying on someone else to do it for you'. Lots of great feelings!

Also side note, I finished my book and it was incredible. Highly recommend it. It's called 'What I was doing while you were Breeding' and its a travel memoir of an American comedy writer (writes for How I Met Your Mother, That 70's show, The Neighbors) who travels on her off time all around the world. She's hilarious and tells about her foreign love affairs, and talks about how she'd rather travel than get married young. This book just reinforced for me there is not a 'right' age in life to do things, just do what makes you happy and the rest will work it self out! No reason to go through life not ecstatic about everything, right?

Now I'm back in the city back to the normal life. I have two days off in a row again this week and may just have myself another adventure! Cheers!

OH ALSO HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO MY BROTHER PETER AND HIS NOW FIANCE SHERYL ON THE ENGAGEMENT!!!! So excited for you two!!!!

Couldn't resist a palm tree selfie..