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Published: March 26th 2010
Hello everyone, from Sydney, Australia! We've been here for 4 days and it's been amazing! Time to catch you all up on what we've been up to since we left Vancouver.
Our flights here were excellent. Air New Zealand doesn't skimp on the leg room and the food was actually edible. Also the flight wasn't full, and we had an empty seat next to us... WIN! I managed to catch a little sleep (3 patchy hours) but TJ wasn't so lucky. We arrived at 830am local time in Sydney and immediately felt comfortable here. It's very much a tourism-based economy and tourists are treated well. We easily found an affordable shuttle to take us from the airport to our hostel, Wake Up Sydney. Thanks to pete/andrew/chelsea for the recommendation, it is excellent!
We took a much-needed shower and explored the city, feeling quite wired despite the sleep deprivation. We walked to Circular Quay, home of the famous Sydney Opera House and the Rocks, a historical district. I attempted to take some photos but unfortunately they were all coming out pink, a problem I've been having with my camera lately. Frustrating! We walked through the botanical gardens and along the very well-used seawall. Apparently 26 degrees isn't considered hot for the locals because hundreds of runners were booking it along the seawall as the sun beat down. Opting not to join them, we camped out under a tree and watched the wild cockatoos fight with each other. That night we crashed at 8pm... can you blame us?
Day 2 we took advantage of our private room and slept in until around 8, before joining a walking tour put on by the hostel to Bondi and Coogees beaches. There is a very scenic 5km track between Coogee and Bondi, and our guide filled us in on the history and some interesting facts about the area. We saw the house that Heath Ledger built and lived in for only a month before constant paparazzi attention drove him back to the states. I got sunburned. TJ managed to walk away with only a bronze tan.... lucky guy! On the tour we made friends with a couple from Toronto and joined them in the bar that night for some drinks.
On day 3 we met up with Nikki and Matt, our friends from the walking tour, and caught the ferry to Manly beach. Manly is about a half-hour ferry ride from Circular Quay and I enjoyed it a lot. We stood out on the deck the whole way, but didn't catch any glimpses of sharks. (the bay is apparently shark infested but they are a bit shy). Manly beach is touristy and fabulous. We walked down the Corso, a shop-lined pedestrian boulevard, and tried not to be tempted by touristy crap. TJ bought a great new beach towel (yellow, australia themed). We lounged on the beach for the afternoon. Nikki, Matt and TJ soaked in the sun, I hid under a beach wrap lol. We went for a great swim in the rough surf, body surfing, etc. before the blue-bottle jellyfish came in and there was a risk of being stung.
Today we covered some old ground and retook some of the photographs we attempted from the first day with my NEW CAMERA! That's right, I had to do it... apparently the censors in my old one were busted, making all pictures pink with no way to solve the problem. We went back to the botanical garden and saw flying foxes that look like bats! They hang from the trees and squawk at each other and apparently are ruining the foliage in the garden. We went to a nice free museum in the Rocks and learned about the history of the district in Sydney. TJ drew pictures in the children's guest signing book.... he is very talented and people were impressed. We also went to the Sydney Aquarium, at my request. TJ wasn't so into it, but I managed to tempt him with a 25% discount card we got from the hostel. Luck was with us, and the girl who sold us our ticket definitely gave us more than a 25% discount.... more like half price! The aquarium was excellent! Clownfish, jellyfish, seahorses, stingrays and SHARKS! Some of the exhibits had clear tunnels that allowed us to walk through the tanks and have the fish swimming all around us. It was fantastic!
So that's Sydney! Tonight we're catching an overnighter greyhound bus to Coffs Harbour, about 8 hours drive to the north. For now we're bumming around the hostel like we're still paying to be here lol.... using the showers, sitting in the cafe, and now going on the internet... next we will drink their beer! lovely!
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Glynnis
non-member comment
Hey guys!
I'm so glad you're having fun! The beaches sound awesome...take care of that sunburn Teija! :)