Sydney

It takes a certain balance between organized and "go-with-the-flow" to be an efficient backpacker. Although we each have our personal strengths as travelers, the three of us are still tweeking that balance.
We got off the plane in Sydney, collected our bags and hopped into a taxicab. "To the Blue Parrot hostel!" we announced to the driver.
"There's heaps of hostels in Sydney, what's the address?" he answered, slightly annoyed at the cliché.
The three of us looked at each other hoping that the other would blurt out the specifics of our destination. After a 5 second pause, our eyes widened as we realized that none of us has any idea where we were going. Erin told the driver that it was in Potts Point on a street that started with an 'M'.
"Maceay Street is the only 'M' street in Potts Point; it's gotta be that," the driver said with confidence. Hesitantly, Erin agreed and we allowed the cabbie to take us to Macleay Street, all the while watching the numbers on the dashboard climb steadily. We got to the "M" street and the driver pointed toward an area with "heaps" of hostels so we decided to get out and take our chances before our fare got any higher.
As we were unloading our bags on the sidewalk, a scruffy blond hair, blue-eyed surfer dude stopped and asked us if we were going to the Blue Parrot. Amazed at this boy's psychic capabilities, we followed him to the hostel about a block away. We arrived, finally, at the hostel in one piece, but the fiascos were not over. Erin and I went to the ATM to get cash, but for some reason neither our PIN's would work. After (stupidly) typing in my PIN incorrectly three times, I was locked out of the system, when I remembered that my number was changed after my card was stolen. Erin and I both only had enough cash to pay for one night at the hostel so we paid and vowed that we would sort out our money issues in the morning. With Erin and I fresh out of cash, and Julie down to her last $10, we were in a serious pickle. Luckily, we were able to straighten things out at the bank the next morning while Julie went to the US embassy to apply for a new passport (that’s actually why we were in Sydney).
For the rest of the day, the three of us trolled around the city and then had a picnic lunch in the Botanic Gardens overlooking the opera house and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
On Saturday we went to Bondi Beach, which is easily the coolest, most beautiful part of Sydney. Enormous waves, stunning cliffs, and a cute beach town make Bondi a must-see for anyone traveling to the Sydney area.
Sunday was basically the same drill: wake up, get coffee and do some people-watching, walk around, picnic at the gardens.
Although the weather was slightly on the freezing side (we had no appropriate clothes in this unexpectedly chilly and overly trendy city), we had a spectacular time and can't wait to go back!