MARDI GRAS!!!

Mardi Gars in Sydney is nothing like Mardi Gras back in the States. That's all I gotta say!

Jess, one of Courtney's roommates, Me, and Courtney 

Even St. Louis's Mardi Gras, which is one of the biggest in the country, is NOTHING like how it is in Sydney. Here Mardi Gras is all about gays, lesbians, and transgenders and everything in between. It is flamboyant, outrageous, revealing, scarring, fun, crazy, and loud. It's just super-duper gay. And I don't mean it in a derogatory way like we sometimes use in America, but honestly, that's the best way to describe it. Men were walking around in butt-less chaps, or were dressed up as drag queens, but it wasn't just the men either, women wore tight leather or barely anything at all. It was a very different Mardi Gras experience!

Me, Courtney, and Kristin

The day started out with us taking a taxi cab to Oxford Street since Kristin couldn't catch a bus, so we were right near the parade spot were Kylie Minogue was going to perform after the parade. Once I bought my boa and gold mask, we headed down the block to grab some Thai food for late lunch/early breakfast. We just chilled and talked for almost three hours there until we had to grab a spot along the parade blockade. We were right next to a bakery... As you can imagine, I bought not only one, but TWO pastries... one croissant-ish thing stuffed with apples and the other stuffed with chocolate ricotta. For two bucks each, you just couldn't beat it. Finally the parade started!

Verena, Courtney's German roommate,  and I

One of the many scantily dressed men

Some random chick that wanted a hug lol

One of the many crazy floats, everyone was dancing!

Now here's the God story. Once we headed out of the parade area which was a very big hike for Kristin, I thought she was about to kill everyone, we caught a cab for her and Courtney to take back home. Unsure of where Verena, Jess, and I were, I started heading down random streets away from the parade hoping to find some bus stop. As we headed around a corner, I spotted a bus marked for Randwick; Somehow we had managed to find the right bus to take us back home! As we ran to the bus stop, I couldn't help but think how lucky we were. But, when I got on the bus, I had completely forgotten that my bus pass had expired! The bus ticket machine made this awful buzzing noise, but rather than make me pay the bus driver just said, "Don't worry about it". Someone was looking out for me. 

It was a long day, and we stood for hours, but it was an experience that I'll always remember :)