G'day mate!

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I am FINALLY here in Australia!

Arrived on Thursday and my friend Alf picked me up at the airport. I was thoroughly amused that I had not heard about the riots in Sydney shortly before (but after all, I was in LA and on a Fijian island...). At any rate, he lives in Cronulla a few blocks away from where it all took place. As he and his flatmate said, never before has Cronulla been so famous!

After we went into the city, I wandered around for hours in the scorching heat. After dinner, I took the train out to his house because he had a work function. His flatmate Paul is equally nice and they have both told me to make myself completely at home. On Friday, I spent the day with Karen, Alf's girlfriend who is British and has been in Sydney for a few months now. She quite obviously has seen pretty much everything, so she played tour guide. We walked a fair amount but the highlight of the day was taking a ferry out to Watsons Bay. From there we had an incredible view of the city. Despite the heat, it was nice to relax and eat lunch while admiring the scenery. Later I went back to catch up some more with Alf but afterward met Karen in the city to go out with her and her friends. I was so tired that it was hard to truly enjoy myself, especially when going "home" meant nearly an hour on the train to Cronulla....

So thus far, here are some things I love about Oz (in no particular order):

how nice everyone is

how laid back everyone is

how hospitable everyone has been to me (and I am virtually a complete stranger to most of them)

the beaches

the restaurants along the water

the men

some chocolate coconut cake thing of which I cannot remember the name

free museums

the men dressed up in the pubs after work

the lack of humidity

the colorful currency (yes, I am a dork)

the kangaroos and koalas



I am sure I will add more later!!!!!!

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Comments

[Iris]

It all sounds amazing and wonderful. :) You are going to New Zealand too? I can't wait to see your photos and read more about this experience.

[Eggs on Legs]

Lamingtons?
Hi there - the choc coconut things might be Lamingtons... I also thinkthey are fabbo! Totally agree with your comments on how friendly Aus is - we've been here for about 5 weeks and its fantastic. We're currently on the West coast which is stunning, but are heading to Sydney for New Year. Enjoy your travels - from fellow bloggers! :-)