Well, it's been almost two months since we came home from Australia. It's been such a busy time for us that I haven't had the chance to sit down and put up some pictures of our trip. We had an amazing time in Australia. It was the trip of a lifetime.
We started off in Sydney after about 22 hours of travel by way of Los Angeles. We arrived at 9:00am Sydney time, and the airport lost my bag, which meant that I got to spend the first day in the clothes I'd been wearing for two and a half days. We started off by seeing the big sights, like the impressive Sydney Opera House.
We also had some amazing views of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, which connects both halves of the city.
We also stopped by some of the major highlights of Sydney, like the Zoo and the Aquarium. We made it to the aquarium in time for the penguin feeding, since there are apparently penguins that live in the harbor.
We also took a train to a suburb of Sydney called Katoomba to see the local rain forest. There's also an impressive rock formation there known as the Three Sisters. Apparently, before an impending battle between two tribes of Aborigines, a medicine man turned three sisters to stone to keep them safe. He then died in the ensuing battle and no one knew how to turn them back.
We also did a little hiking in the Blue Mountains nearby. They're blue because of the way the light reflects off of the Eucalyptus trees.
After that we headed out to the Outback, specifically Ayers Rock right in the middle of Australia. Since it was the height of summer there, it was pretty warm, but that didn't keep us from doing a lot of hiking.
On one of our hikes we stumbled upon a couple of kangaroos, who didn't seem to mind us too much. This one even had a joey sticking out of her pouch.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was getting to throw my own stuff on the grill in the Outback. That night we cooked emu, crocodile, kangaroo, and buffalo. The kangaroo was surprisingly tasty.
We suffered only one casualty on our trip. Sarah caught a piece of dirt that scratched her cornea. Fortunately, she was right as rain after a quick trip to the doctor.
Once we had our fill of the Outback, we flew to Cairns to visit the Great Barrier Reef. We took a boat out to the reef and had a great time snorkeling.
We went to several wild animal parks around Australia. The one in Cairns was our favorite, however, as they allowed us to feed the kangaroos and wallabies. We also went to a crocodile park, which was pretty fascinating.
We also made a trip to the Kuranda Rain Forest while in Cairns. We had to take an old train that had been carved out of the forest, with some stops at waterfalls along the way.
After all that, we finally made our way back to Sydney for a few days. We spent most of our time at Bondi Beach, primarily so we could learn how to surf.
We enjoyed surfing so much, we went back to do it a second day. I'm hoping this becomes our new hobby.
We also made another trip to the Sydney Opera House, this time so we could see a ballet of Romeo & Juliet. It was apparently a "modern interpretation," meaning part of it was set in ancient Egypt, but it was interesting nonetheless.
People in Sydney (or "Sydneysiders" as they call themselves) are crazy about their pies, and there are pie shops on every corner. One of the best is Harry's Cafe de Wheels, which serves a beef pie topped with mashed potatoes, topped with mashed peas, topped with gravy. It may sound nasty, but it's pretty amazing.
And last but not least, Sarah's dream came true when she finally got to hold a koala. Sadly, he wouldn't fit in our luggage, and had to stay here when we made our trek back to the States. We'll come back for you, little guy.
We started off in Sydney after about 22 hours of travel by way of Los Angeles. We arrived at 9:00am Sydney time, and the airport lost my bag, which meant that I got to spend the first day in the clothes I'd been wearing for two and a half days. We started off by seeing the big sights, like the impressive Sydney Opera House.
We also had some amazing views of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, which connects both halves of the city.
We also stopped by some of the major highlights of Sydney, like the Zoo and the Aquarium. We made it to the aquarium in time for the penguin feeding, since there are apparently penguins that live in the harbor.
We also took a train to a suburb of Sydney called Katoomba to see the local rain forest. There's also an impressive rock formation there known as the Three Sisters. Apparently, before an impending battle between two tribes of Aborigines, a medicine man turned three sisters to stone to keep them safe. He then died in the ensuing battle and no one knew how to turn them back.
We also did a little hiking in the Blue Mountains nearby. They're blue because of the way the light reflects off of the Eucalyptus trees.
After that we headed out to the Outback, specifically Ayers Rock right in the middle of Australia. Since it was the height of summer there, it was pretty warm, but that didn't keep us from doing a lot of hiking.
On one of our hikes we stumbled upon a couple of kangaroos, who didn't seem to mind us too much. This one even had a joey sticking out of her pouch.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was getting to throw my own stuff on the grill in the Outback. That night we cooked emu, crocodile, kangaroo, and buffalo. The kangaroo was surprisingly tasty.
We suffered only one casualty on our trip. Sarah caught a piece of dirt that scratched her cornea. Fortunately, she was right as rain after a quick trip to the doctor.
Once we had our fill of the Outback, we flew to Cairns to visit the Great Barrier Reef. We took a boat out to the reef and had a great time snorkeling.
We went to several wild animal parks around Australia. The one in Cairns was our favorite, however, as they allowed us to feed the kangaroos and wallabies. We also went to a crocodile park, which was pretty fascinating.
We also made a trip to the Kuranda Rain Forest while in Cairns. We had to take an old train that had been carved out of the forest, with some stops at waterfalls along the way.
After all that, we finally made our way back to Sydney for a few days. We spent most of our time at Bondi Beach, primarily so we could learn how to surf.
We enjoyed surfing so much, we went back to do it a second day. I'm hoping this becomes our new hobby.
We also made another trip to the Sydney Opera House, this time so we could see a ballet of Romeo & Juliet. It was apparently a "modern interpretation," meaning part of it was set in ancient Egypt, but it was interesting nonetheless.
People in Sydney (or "Sydneysiders" as they call themselves) are crazy about their pies, and there are pie shops on every corner. One of the best is Harry's Cafe de Wheels, which serves a beef pie topped with mashed potatoes, topped with mashed peas, topped with gravy. It may sound nasty, but it's pretty amazing.
And last but not least, Sarah's dream came true when she finally got to hold a koala. Sadly, he wouldn't fit in our luggage, and had to stay here when we made our trek back to the States. We'll come back for you, little guy.
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