Australia in 72 Hours!!!

Yeah I know it sounds crazy, but over Labor Day weekend I decided to board a flight to Sydney, Australia from LAX for yes only three days! Why only three days? Well because if you plan it right, you can see and do everything you need to.

So I took a Delta flight from LAX that departed at 11:00PM on Thursday night and arrived in Sydney at 6:00AM on Saturday. After a brief interview with customs I hit the ground running! I didn't bother to exchange money as ATMs are plentiful, so I figured I'd just take out what I needed. The exchange rate in Australia is somewhat favorable to the USD so there was no worry there.

After purchasing a single trip ticket on the Metro (please note: a singe trip costs $18, where is you purchase a Opal Card and load it with $10, the ride is only $2) I rode for 10 mins to my hostel. Yes, hostel. No shame. They're cheap (mine was $18 a night) and it does the job, plus you can meet some really cool people. I digress. After dropping my items off, I met up with friends I made on the plane and we caught a tour bus that took us all around the city. From Bondi Beach, the Opera House, Sydney Tower, Chinatown and more the tour hit every spot in Sydney for a cost of $50 Australian Dollars.

The tours took us well into the evening, which left time for dinner before heading out to a few pubs near the Circular Quay (it's a pretty popular neighborhood). When out and about, I strongly suggest you buy beer, as hard liquor drinks are poured minimally and charged maximally. I ended my night at a place called the The Carter Room which was like an unofficial 40-40 club.

On Sunday I took a tour of the Sydney Towers which has the most amazing views of the city, went to the local wildlife park and spent time frolicking throughout the city. All in all, by Sunday, I was able to see most of the popular attractions in Sydney. Done.

On my last day I took a day trip out to the Blue Mountains, which is one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the country. A two hour ride from Sydney, this range has waterfalls and requires a bit of a hike, but it's totally worth it. There's even the opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal Australians on site and their history via a performance and movie that is presented on site.

All in all, my Australian adventure was jam packed and fun. It's a long trip no doubt, but totally worth it, if you find reasonable tickets which tend to be reasonably priced in the off season (US summer time).