Arriving in Sydney was a bit of a homecoming. It’s the first part of our trip that is similar to the one we did ten years ago. So arriving at Sydney airport was very familiar, and we weren’t at all worried that we were arriving with nowhere booked to stay. Well, actually I will admit to a mild moment of panic two days ago when somebody misled us by saying that today was the day of the opening match of the Rugby World Cup in Sydney, and we’d never get a room. Fortunately they were 10 days wrong. Phew.

Anyway, we headed into Kings Cross, the same district we stayed in last time. And we ended up in a small backpackers hostel two doors away from the one that we stayed in last time. Its on a small side road off the main Kings Cross strip, which is handy because Kings Cross in Sydney is a bit of a cross between Kings Cross and Soho in London – sleazy, neon lit ‘adult entertainment’ joints alongside nice coffee shops and small eateries, and in the evenings quite a few women in mini skirts hanging around the streets. It doesn’t really bother us, because evenings are when we get the girls their dinner and to bed, so we’re not wandering the streets. It keeps the hostel room rates low though!

This hostel (Sydney Central Hostel) has got a rooftop eating area, with a few trestle tables, laundry facilities and a barbecue. And, most importantly, a view. It was quite exciting when we arrived, coming up to the roof and gazing out over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. We’re paying $50 (Ozzie dollars) for the room, which is a 6 bed dormitory exclusively for our use. That’s about £20. I wonder how much you’d pay elsewhere for a view of the Opera House (I know there’s a hotel on the harbour front where you can get a view for $550 – mind you they probably don’t have bunk beds, a shared bathroom and a carpet that smells as if a camel sleeps on it). But we’re here, we’re feeling at home, and we’re putting some distance between us and our memories of American food.