Sydney

View of Sydney skyline from Watson's Bay
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Wow! I'm on another continent! I guess I am a bit shocked as I am not jet lagged yet I am aware of how far away from the U.S. I am at this point. It's strange that it's only a 3 hour flight from Auckland yet it's another world, similar to New Zealand but with a whole lot more people.

I may not be jet lagged but I am really tired as I was up at 3 AM in order to catch my 5:30 flight. Ouch! Leah has provided me with great directions to her place and I arrive via bus and have no problems finding the key to let myself in to her very nice apartment at Bondi Beach. I met Leah while traveling in Rajasthan in India. Gotta love your travel mates! My first day is kind of a bust as I decided to go back to sleep. After rising I hit a local cafe and ate a yummy salad and sat and people watched, always a fun activity.

The amazing coastline
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The next day Leah was off for a family vacation at the beach but she graciously offered me the use of her place while she was away - Thanks Leah! It was so strange to come "home" to a place and not have to share a room with 5 other people and a kitchen with 30 other people. I am definitely enjoying this change!

Leah took me out to Watson's Bay before she left to show me some great views of the city. I took advantage of a warm sunny day to take a walk along the coast from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. I was captivated by the swarms of surfers bobbing around out in the waters. It's amazing how the surfers who are riding the waves don't hit the other surfers who are paddling back out to catch the next wave. I spent a lot of time standing there watching them surf and each beach had some talented (or at least to me) surfers out in the waters.

Surfers at Bondi Beach
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The next day I jumped on the bus to hit the Saturday Paddington Market that Leah recommended I see. There were some interesting art works but a lot of it was quite pricey!Wish I could afford to buy some artwork but alas, I am on a tight travel budget! From Paddington I headed into the heart of the downtown and I did a little window shopping at Pitt Street Mall. From here I walked over to Chinatown were I had a great cheap lunch and then walked over to Circular Quay (somehow pronounced "key") where I had great views of the iconic Sydney Opera House. I was excited to find out that there were still tickets available for the evenings performance in the concert hall and I bought a ticket to see Taik Oz, a really fascinating and talented group of Taiko Drummers, 7 total. You should do a search online to find out more information as it is worth it to see although I'm not sure if they are touring in the states. The opera house was much more impressive from the exterior. The inside seemed a bit dated.

I almost shouldn't post a photo of this, but can't help myself!
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Sunday I hit the Bondi Market in the morning and then headed back to the city to the Art Museum where they screen a free japanese animae movie every Sunday, Leah told me about this or I would have never known. I was excited to see a movie but they were showing Spirited Away, which I have already seen. The art museum was good and from here I took the time to walk around the Botanic Gardens, well worth the stroll. I was fascinated by the huge numbers of bats (and really large bats at that) hanging from upper tree branches all over the park. I was also overwhelmed by the swooping white cockatoos that were so loud it was amazing. They really do have a high pitched squawk. It started to rain but not until after I was able to get a good photo of the opera house and bridge from the vantage point in the park.

Cockatoo in the botanic garden
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Monday I slept in and purchased my bus ticket to Melbourne for Tuesday. I'm trying to leave some things to see for when I return to Sydney to fly out. I walked around Bondi a bit more and did a little shopping at Bondi Junction. I was excited to find a Target store here but it wasn't quite the same as home. Leah and I went out for dinner at a Thai restaurant and then had some drinks at some bars around Bondi. I really didn't expect her to get up and drive me to the bus station in the morning , but it was so nice not to have to cram on a bus with my bags! On to Melbourne!