Wollongong Bike Tour

Sunday morning I woke up to a beautiful blue sky and warm weather. Part of my study abroad program includes various events that the program plans for us. As an introduction to the city, our program planned a guided bike tour. After the hiking incident, the guide was pre-warned to watch out for me. No worries, she had a kit for the "special" riders. We started off biking to uni for a closer look at the campus as none of us really know where we are going except for how to get to our classes. It sure made me wish I had a bike here instead of the 45 minute walk! After that we headed to a location just adjacent to uni called the botanical gardens. It was a beautiful park full of birds eager to share in the picnic lunch that we stopped to have. Just shortly into the ride after lunch someone behind me yells "uhh, Matt, I think you forgot to put your kickstand back up." Rookie mistake. It was embarrassing that I actually lived up to their taunting after ensuring the guide I would not be problematic. We then road through the heart of the city which is a combination indoor and outdoor mall. Don't worry, we only road through the outdoor part. :) Even though I'm not one to shop much, it was nice to see all the little shops available to us. After that we made our way up to the Wollongong Stadium which hosts rugby, soccer, Aussie Rules Footy etc. FINALLY, sports back in my life! Next on the trip was a path along the beach. Right as we got to the destination point of this part (the lighthouses) it started to sprinkle. No worries, though the clouds had an ominous color. It slowly starts to rain a little harder and we decide it's time to get back. On the way back we passed fellow bikers who yelled "you're going the wrong way!" And right they were! We headed right into a hailstorm! Unfortunately it was unavoidable as we had to get back home and this was our only path. It's a good thing it's mandatory to wear helmets in Australia when you bike ride!