Sydney

We couch surfed with a wonderful woman named Ann who lives with her 25 year old son, Brenden. She has 2 spare bedrooms, so Jayson and I had a really nice place to stay and it was perfect because we were a little tired by this time of our trip. We rented a car, which was interesting because they drive on the opposite side. So, Jayson and I worked together when he was driving. I would say, “Ok, Jayson you are turning left remember stay on the left side.” Which, most of you would think sounds annoying, but he appreciated it. Remember, we haven’t driven for over a year and here he is driving on the opposite side of the road.

So, the first day we arrived at Ann’s and she advised us to use the car to drive to the Blue Mountain and then return it because it is cheaper and easier to use public transportation. So, that is what we did. The Blue mountains were beautiful. At first we thought, we have mountains in California and wondered what could be so different. Once we got there we were speechless. We got there right before sunset and the view was breathtaking. We went out to Echo Point and saw the Three Sisters plateaus that stood above a valley of forest. The colorful layers of the surrounding plateaus were beautiful. So, we hiked around and waited for the sun to set.

The rest of our stay we traveled around Sydney. We went to Bondi Beach one day. The next day we took a ferry to Manly Beach and traveled past the Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It was nice to relax at the beaches before the rain came at about 4 o’clock. We ate the most delicious Italian food in Darling Harbor. We did so much in Australia, but still no Kangaroos. So, on our last day we caved and bought tickets to the Sydney zoo. We were able to pet the koalas, see a crocodile feeding and observe Red Kangaroos. I guess it’s not safe to see those guys in the wild, but we were willing. And kangaroos don’t just hop around on the side of the street. Who knew?Australian laughed when we thought that.

By the last day, we were sad to leave and sad that our travels have come to an end. But, we have so much to look forward to at home.....