We've arrived in Sydney, Australia! For the first week of our OZ trip, we were incredibly lucky and got to stay at our friends Jessica and Chris's apartment in Bondi Beach. We were welcomed with a nice sign on the window, Tim Tams cookies, and a 6 pack of Aussie beers. They cooked up some delicious spicy chicken burgers our first night. We were able to see quite a bit of the city, and had a great first week...
Bondi Beach: Probably one of the most famous beaches in the world, and it's not hard to see why. Its got gorgeous sand, water, surfers, lifeguards, and hundreds of people laying out to get a tan. The apartment is literally across the street, so it was fun to head to the beach as well as people watch from the window. The lifeguards are also famous, and are featured often on the TV show Bondi Rescue. We saw the film crew and a rescue from the beach. The beach time was great, although it was 108 degrees so we spent more time in the water than on the sand. We also spent some time on a rooftop pool overlooking the bay, went to several Bondi shops, cafes, and bars, and a really good Tapas resteraunt called Mojos.
Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk: Mike and I spent one day making the trek along the coast through several beachs, and went snorkeling at one too. There are so many beautiful cliffs, bays, clear water, and parks for miles.
Downtown Sydney: We explored Circular Quay, the famous spot that holds Sydney's Opera house, the bridge, and ferry terminal. We took a ferry ride and also walked to the opera house. Pretty cool to see in person! We also spent a night out on the town and got to see another old friend from WWU - Laura who also moved to OZ and her boyfriend Grant. Great to see some familiar faces and remember the fun times we all had in college. Mike and I spent a day exploring the botanic gardens, palace, and Hyde Park. It was also really neat to go see the Munich Re building, which is the parent company of Sterling where I worked in B-ham.
The Rocks Market by Moonlight: The Rocks is a district in Sydney that has a really nice night market on summer weekends. We spent an evening eating some really good food - for Ray and I: chicken kebabs and pork gyozas, and for Mike: a kangaroo sausage. Then, we went over to an outdoor stage and watched a great guitarist and live band called Tails in Space.
Darling Harbour: We met Jess and Chris after work for some beers one day at a nice pub on the water, and walked around the harbour. This is where there is Wildlife World, the Aquarium, and lots of shops and resteraunts. Had a nice chat with them and then returned to the apt for some spicy peri-peri chicken pizza, (delicious!) and watched Bondi Rescue.
Wildlife: There is wildlife all over Australia, and we've already seen quite a bit. In the park at night, we've seen lots of cute possums (not like the ones at home), and some mice and rats. We also saw hundreds of wild bats (they are called flying foxes here). Lots of fish swimming in the beachs, but no sharks or jellyfish thank goodness. We spent a day at the Wildlife World - and saw the biggest croc in the world, most dangerous spider in the world, and most venomous snake in the world. We got lucky and were picked to hand feed some bright birds. Saw lots of kangaroos and wallabies, And of course the highlight for me, The Koala Sanctuary! Here, we got to see an 8 month old baby koala, and the best part was getting to pet a darling little guy up in a eucalyptus tree - so cool!
Chinese New Year: Sydney's Chinatown hosts the biggest Chinese New Year celebration outside of Asia. We had a great time celebrating with a bright and festive parade full of dragons, floats for the year of the rabbit, fire dancers, and musicians. They also handed out red rabbit masks and light up noise makers to the crowd. After the parade we had dinner in Chinatown (sweet chili shrimp and vegetable soup and flame grilled pork). Then, we made our way over to Darling Harbor to see an elaborate firework display.
Today we're watching the superbowl, which doesn't quite feel right since it is Monday, and they are showing standard Australian commercials instead of the superbowl ones. It's been a great first week, and we're looking forward to exploring outside of Sydney next week and then heading to our new WWOOF job after that. Hope all is well at home!
If you would like to see pictures from Sydney, go to:
Sounds like Sydney is amazing...and sounds like you are enjoying every minute of your trip! Love reading about your adventures!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenny! I've enjoyed yours as well, we're hoping to get to Italy someday too :)
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