August 12, 2004

Day four in Australia was not too busy, but great just the same. As a team, we didn't have much planned, so it was up to us to choose what we wanted to do before our second game in Syndey against the Junior National team. The coaches and Hokie Club members went to "The Market," a shopping area just outside of town, while several of the players stayed in the hotel to relax before leaving for the game. However, I decided to go out and absorb as much as I could of my last full day in Sydney before departing for Brisbane tomorrow morning.

I left the hotel with no real mission at all, simply to enjoy the sites and look in expensive shops like Gucci, Armani, Burberry, etc. Although things over here in the city are expensive, it was neat to see the locals' fashion and the different things that they had to offer. I walked around for almost three hours, finally finding a few things worth purchasing. Soon, I realized that it was time to get back to the hotel and prepare for the game. After I found the exit from the mall, I realized I had no clue as to how to get back to the hotel. I had a map but that really wasn't helping me too much. After walking around for about 15 minutes and really thinking about breaking down to flag a taxi, I decided to stop and ask for directions. Apparrently, I was only three blocks away, which made me look like a true tourist.

After finally getting back to the hotel, we left the game. The game was much better than the previous one, probably because we have begun to adjust to the time change and get our legs back under us. This allowed us to apply enough pressure on our opponents to jump out with an early lead, and never relinquish it. After winning the game, the team decided we needed to go out one last time together for dinner. We went to a little restaurant that overlooked the Sydney Harbour. This was the first time we had seen the Harbour at night with all of the lights, and it was absolutely beautiful. I must note that I think we overwhelmed our waitress, because after giving her our refill orders, we looked over towards the kitchen and there she lays, passed out. She did get up, but we decided not to bother her again for a refill on our drinks.

Well, Sydney was beautiful and an overall great experience, but now we are getting ready to pack up and move on to the next local, Brisbane.