G'day from Australia

View of Sydney from the plane...

Two wayward explorers enjoying the big city

The first leg of our extended Southeast Asian tour is underway.  It’s actually not in Asia that we begin, however.  It’s Australia – in the city of Sydney.  Originally, we’d hoped to do a longer stint in Oz, but it just wasn’t possible due to our strict budget.  We had reservations about even adding Sydney because we knew it would be one of the most expensive places we’d travel to, but who knows when we’d be back this way?  Besides, it didn’t cost any more in terms of flights (you pretty much have to go through Australia from NZ to Asia) and the city is filled with so much to do, much of it free and low-cost.  

Sunset and the Sydney Harbour Bridge as seen from the Darling Harbour Ferry.

For just $41, we got an weekly pass good for buses, trains and (most importantly) ferries. These boats aren’t just transportation. They are also splendid entertainment for tourists, taking you all over the harbour for fantastic views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, North Head, and Fort Denison before depositing you at places like Manly Beach and Darling Harbour. We’ve done a lot of exploring on foot (blisters to prove it) but have finally begun to master the buses, which is essential if you want to explore the inner city neighborhoods.

 Chinatown in Sydney provides a glimpse of our future...

There are such awesome neighborhoods to explore in Sydney, too!  Each has its own character, quirks and flavours. The big gay area is King’s Cross and Darlinghurst.  Surrey Hill and Paddington are a bit gentrified and upscale. Newtown is an eclectic mix, while Glebe is overrun with uni students and hippies.  Then there’s the beach ‘hoods like Bondi and Manly (which is where I got the Los Angeles / Santa Monica feel) which boast the most amazing public beaches. Walk a short distance from the main centres and you find even more hidden beaches like Bronte with pure white sand and turquoise blue water. Amazing. It made me want to go swimming sooooo bad.  A quick dip of my bare feet into the cold water reminded me that it is techically winter here, so swimming will have to wait until we get to warmer climes.

 The view of Sydney Opera House taken from the Manly Ferry

We swear we had nothing to do with this...

Sydney is truly one of the world’s great cities. I simply don’t have the time (internet cafe rates) or eloquence (writing so fast) to express the energy and excitement that seems to radiate from this metropolis.  It’s like a cross between New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles – all in one – with all of the best (and worst) that humanity has to offer. If ever you get down to Australia, you must see it for yourself.   I am so glad that we came, even despite the slightly lighter wallet.

 One of many beautiful beaches on the Manly Scenic Walkway

 Australian wildlife is weird and wonderful, even in the big city. These are flying foxes (giant fruit bats!) hanging in the trees in Sydney Botanic Garden. There is a population of 20,000 there now!

Tomorrow, we travel to the Blue Mountains, about two hours away from Sydney, to see some of the New South Wales interior and do a bit of nature walking.  Thursday we depart Australia (sadly – too soon) for Kuala Lumpur.  We still have to work out exactly what we are doing in Malaysia while we’re there!  Stay tuned for more...