Days 5 & 6 Sydney & Cairns

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Days 5 and 6

Monday October 31, 2011 - Day 5

The Quantas work stoppage has been terminated. We hope our flight tomorrow will be available. They expect it will take hours before they can get the planes back in the air and they still have to deal with the backlog. We received a confirmation email this morning but it had 3 different airlines listed on the confirmation so it is a bit confusing. We have been told to call in 24 hours before our flight which is 1:30 in the afternoon. Since we cannot do anything about it right now, we head out for our fun adventure.

We had reservations for the Sydney Bridge Climb at 10:00 am. Lisa dragged Jim along even though it was not exactly on the top of his list of things to do. What an awesome experience!!! Jim thinks so too. It takes almost an hour to get through all the safety training and gearing up. They provide a bodysuit, jackets (which we carry in a pack attached to our waist), radios and headphones to hear the guide, and many other miscellaneous items that are optional. Everything must be attached by tethers to the bodysuit including the cap which is a souvenir. Fall protection was provided by a cable system attached the length of the bridge and connected to our waist belt, hard to explain how it works but it made us feel safe from falling off the bridge.

The beginning of the climb was walking through a small tunnel and then rounding a corner with a narrow catwalk which provided a very clear view of the ground and then water below. The catwalk was made of a metal grate so we could see everything below our feet. It was also temporary so it had some give when we walked. There were some very narrow places and points where we had to duck and step over a threshold at the same time. This was not a problem for Lisa because she was able to duck easily. Jim's knees would almost hit his chest as he ducked and stepped over the threshold. Luckily this only happened at the beginning and end of the climb.

We climbed to the peak of the bridge which was 440 feet above the water. While we were at the peak, a helicopter came pretty close to us. Words cannot describe how much fun this was. Jim asked where they launched the fireworks from on New Years Eve and our guide, Cass, described how there are only 2 days a year the bridge is closed to the climb - Dec 30 and 31. On January 1, the guides are picking up tubing and such along the climb because there has not been enough time to clean up the mess before the sunrise climb. Who would climb the bridge first thing in the morning on New Years Day?

Climbers are not allowed to take cameras or anything else on the climb. We purchased a couple of photos and Jim took a photo of the photo so that we can place one here. You cannot even wear a watch or bring chapstick. Cars and trains cross the bridge below so everything has to be tethered so it will not fall into traffic. When we were at the peak of the bridge Cass pointed out the various areas. She pointed out Bondi and Manly beaches which we had previously visited. It was amazing as we knew it took us 30 minutes by fairy and 40 minutes by bus to reach these beaches but they seemed to be right at the end of our reach while we were on the bridge. Once at the top of the bridge the feeling is very comfortable and fear disappears because of the great view. What can we say exept WOW!

The total time for the tour was 3 1/2 hours and we were ready for lunch. Jim had not yet had his fish and chips which are very popular here. One of the guides at the bridge recommended a place and we decided to stop there before heading back the hotel to find out whether or not we have our flight tomorrow. Good news, it appears our flight is supposed to be on schedule and the fish and chips were wonderful.. Let's hope that is the case.

We went back to the Rocks to hang out for a bit. During our walk home, we went through the shopping area again. We have estimated there are thousands upon thousands of stores. It would be interesting to see how many stores there are in Sydney. We have never seen anything like it, makes our malls and shopping districts seem very small. We remembered there was a small specialty foods shop in the food court area so we stopped and picked up a couple of good cheeses, loaf of bread, and a good bottle of wine, our dinner for the night while we packed for our trip to Cairns on Tuesday.

Interesting note, we only saw a couple of places that any display or reference to Halloween. If it is celebrated it must be more prevalent in the suburbs and not in the downtown area.

Aussie Translation

Water fountain = bubbler
Store hours = trade hours
Pitcher of beer = jug of beer
Baby's diaper = nappy

Day 6 November 1 , 2011 Sydney/Cairns

It was our travel day to fly to Cairns and everything was on schedule for our flight so we made arrangements for our transport to the airport from the hotel. We had some time in the morning so we walked to a local cafe for brekky before gathering up our bags and checking out of the hotel. We stayed at the Radisson Blue in downtown Sydney and recommended it highly. The staff is very friendly and willing to help you in anyway they can. One thing that is hard to get used to is not tipping at most places. It is just not part of the culture as most service jobs are paid well in comparison to the US where tips make up a good portion of income for service workers. Wayne the concierge was very helpful and did us a lot of favors, printing boarding passes, arranging for transport to the airport, giving us bottles of water for the trip, and making sure our luggage was put in the van. Sydney is a great destination but the one downside is it is very expensive. We purchased a Snickers bar before we got back to the hotel and it cost $3.20 AUD which is about $3.50 US.

The flight to Cairns was uneventful and we arrived on time. Once we got off the plane we arranged for a shuttle to our hotel. The weather in Cairns was warm and humid, makes sense because it is in a rain forest. Once we unpacked and did some laundry at a local Laundromat we walked around town and found a restaurant on the Esplanade for dinner and a few beers. Most restaurants require customers to order and pay for food and drink at a small counter and then pick it up once ready at another counter. Made us wonder why the wait staff is paid so much since they really do not do much, I guess that is why tipping is not common in Australia. On our way back to the hotel we saw an amazing sight, the same flying foxes (bats) like we saw in Sydney were flying all over the place even to the point where they came close to us. It was kind of scary to be in the middle of all the bats flying around but at the same time good to know they were eating all the big bugs flying around. Australia does have some big bugs, and for those of you that know Jim has an issue with ants, his nose itches a lot here in Australia.

Aussie Translation

Small ice chest = Esky
Babysitting = Child Minding
Food to go = Take Away

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Photos

Bridge Climb
Here we are at the top of the bridge overlooking Circular Quay

Bridge Climb
Top of the bridge with the Opera House in the background

Street Artist
Chalk drawing being done by a street artist, up to this point had been working on the drawing for two months

Our Favorite Pie Shop
This is the shop we had our first Aussie meat pie and was our favorite

Room with a View
Shot from our hotel room in Cairns overlooking the pool, complete with a swim up bar!

Comments

[Laurie Stillmaker]

Your Vacation
Thanks for sending the blog! I'm enjoying your vacation right along with you two! I haven't seen any smoke, so I believe your house is still standing... The Halloween Parade was a bit bigger than last year's. Cute costumes...didn't miss too much. We had about 7 trick or treaters all night. I ate more than I handed out. Continue to enjoy your travels! Laurie