Adventure Down Under

Here's the 'standard' Sydney view:
the Opera House under the bridge.

Debated what to wear for a while, settled on something basic: cargo pants and a T-shirt. Walked down to Oxford Street to the Stonewall Hotel. Turns out that on Wednesdays they have an event called "Malebox" where you get a printed number to stick on your chest as you walk in, then people can write out messages to a specific number which they hand in, then the numbers of people who have messages show up on TV monitors, and you go and collect your message(s).

The place was pretty crowded to start with, so I just grabbed a drink and picked a spot to stand. Really had to fight the urge to leave, given how much I love being at a bar by myself, but hey, there were lots of cute guys around, so I figured I'd hang out for a while longer, then maybe check out the other club. After about an hour it was getting really crowded and I had made mental notes of the numbers on a few really cute guys. Then I noticed a guy looking at me, and after a few glances he came over and introduced himself as Charles.

He was from New Zealand (Auckland). We talked about how the island he's from is the first place that will go into the new millennium, so this tiny little sheep herding village is being inundated with requests for hotel rooms and TV crew support facilities. Then I noticed that my number was up on the TV, so he took me upstairs to get my message.

Not a bad pickup line, eh?

Interestingly, it turned out to be from one of the guys whose number I had noted! I told Charles that I was going to get another drink and go have a chat with the message's sender. Yeah, I admit it, I'm a dog, sorry Charles.

His name was Paul, a very cute young guy from Sydney with short black hair and a great accent (only 23, I later found out). We chatted for a while about a short film that he and a friend were working on and he introduced me to his friend Jason, who had directed. He'd done some stage work before, but this was his first movie experience. Around midnight we headed back to my hotel room for a bit of fun.

Day 7: Sydney Wednesday, November 3, 1999
Didn't wake up until 9:30am, definitely needed a good solid night of sleep. Turns out that I have a really nice view from my hotel room! (30th floor) The view out my window. Headed down to the hotel restaurant for a quick breakfast, and then walked down towards Oxford Street to do some shopping. There were lots of great little shops (too many, I'm running out of room in my suitcase!). They had names like "Guys and Dolls", "Urban Edge", "Aussie Boys" and "Hound Dog". The clerks were very friendly and helpful. Even found some of the silver-glitter hair gel that one of Matthew's friends had brought on Saturday night which looked so cool. Picked up several shirts and a couple of pairs of pants, as well as a rugby jersey from the local Sydney team. This is Paddington, one of the primarily gay areas. I asked several of the clerks where the "happening" place was on a Wednesday night, and they said there wasn't much going on, but one suggested the "Lizard Lounge" and another suggested the "Stonewall Hotel", so I figured I'd have to give those a try later on. Went back to the hotel and puttered around for a while, grabbed a sandwich at a local deli and basically waited for the evening to roll around. Also decided that it's a bad idea to let me walk around a shopping area alone (or with Matt for that matter); now I have to figure out how to make my suitcase bigger!	Here's the 'standard' Sydney view: the Opera House under the bridge. Debated what to wear for a while, settled on something basic: cargo pants and a T-shirt. Walked down to Oxford Street to the Stonewall Hotel. Turns out that on Wednesdays they have an event called "Malebox" where you get a printed number to stick on your chest as you walk in, then people can write out messages to a specific number which they hand in, then the numbers of people who have messages show up on TV monitors, and you go and collect your message(s). The place was pretty crowded to start with, so I just grabbed a drink and picked a spot to stand. Really had to fight the urge to leave, given how much I love being at a bar by myself, but hey, there were lots of cute guys around, so I figured I'd hang out for a while longer, then maybe check out the other club. After about an hour it was getting really crowded and I had made mental notes of the numbers on a few really cute guys. Then I noticed a guy looking at me, and after a few glances he came over and introduced himself as Charles. He was from New Zealand (Auckland). We talked about how the island he's from is the first place that will go into the new millennium, so this tiny little sheep herding village is being inundated with requests for hotel rooms and TV crew support facilities. Then I noticed that my number was up on the TV, so he took me upstairs to get my message. Not a bad pickup line, eh? Interestingly, it turned out to be from one of the guys whose number I had noted! I told Charles that I was going to get another drink and go have a chat with the message's sender. Yeah, I admit it, I'm a dog, sorry Charles. His name was Paul, a very cute young guy from Sydney with short black hair and a great accent (only 23, I later found out). We chatted for a while about a short film that he and a friend were working on and he introduced me to his friend Jason, who had directed. He'd done some stage work before, but this was his first movie experience. Around midnight we headed back to my hotel room for a bit of fun.
The view of Sydney from my hotel room. Note the Sydney Opera House at the upper left (white spot by the bridge).
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