For those of you that don't have Facebook, here are some pictures from my adventure...
Cattle Station Trail Coober Pedy, South Australia
The Breakaways Coober Pedy, South Australia
Sunset Coober Pedy, South Australia
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Trip Down South: Adelaide and Coober Pedy
All good things have to come to an end, and so was the case with my trip to southern Australia. The last leg consisted of Adelaide and Coober Pedy. Here is what happened:
I got to Adelaide Saturday night and headed to the hostel. Sunday morning Stacia and I went to the city markets. Apparently, I am now obsessed with markets. After the market I got to cycle (take a bike ride) around Adelaide. The city has a great thinks called City Bikes which you can hire for the day for FREE! So of course, I jumped at the chance. I cycled all around Adelaide, not really knowing where I was headed. I just wanted to see the city. I went by the South Australia Museum, down to the Yarra River, through the botanical garden, and all over. Just like Melbourne, the buildings in Adelaide were just beautiful. Old, and rustic and full of history I am sure.
We only had one day in Adelaide, and Sunday night we got on a greyhound bus headed to Coober Pedy. Sleeping on a greyhound bus, is not so great but we survived. We arrived in Coober Pedy 13 hours after leaving Adelaide at 5:15 in the morning. Dead tired, we were picked up by our hostel, got checked into our hostel and crashed for about an hour.
The first glimpse of Coober Pedy came at 8:15 AM or so and it was a sight to see. This tiny tiny town has a population of about 3,500 people but most live underground. They do this because it can get extremely hot in the summers and cold in the winters. By living underground, the temperature only changes by three or four degrees. We also stayed underground at our hostel and it was really cool. Rock walls, and little caves with beds made for quite the experience.
Monday morning (the morning we arrived) we met our tour group at the local bookstore for the Mail Run Tour. There were 13 of us and we piled into a 4WD and took the mail around to 5 different cattle stations and two small towns. Starting in Coober Pedy we drove out past the Dingo Fence towards William Creek. The Dingo Fence was built to keep the wild dingos, which can be very dangerous, away from the large cities. It is the longest man made structure (longer than the Great Wall of China) and it goes through Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. From William Creek we traveled along the Old Ghan Railway towards Oodnadatta and then back around to Coober Pedy. It was a long day, full of lots of beautiful scenery. Surprisingly, there was a lot of vegetation growing because of a several rain storms in the last month. As we were driving back the sun was setting and the stars were beginning to show. It was so flat and with no lights around, there were hundreds of thousands of stars. It was like a huge dome on top of us. It was absolutely stunning.
Tuesday was our second day in Coober Pedy. After spending the morning roaming around the town, we went on another tour, just around the town though. We got to see the historic sights of the town like the underground churches, bookstores, and the desert gold course. Then we drove out to the opal mining fields. We got to see lots of mines, and we even got to do some fossicking-- looking for opals in the dirt mounds. After the mines we drove around to Crocodile Harry's house which has now become a tourist attraction and then we made it to the breakaways. These are the plateaus and cliffs that were made by the ocean when there was still an ocean in the prehistoric times. We ended our tour at the dingo fence again, and then made it back to Coober Pedy.
Unfortunately, by that time, our trip was pretty much over. We went back to the bus station and took the greyhound back to Adelaide. Wednesday morning we arrived in Adelaide, and caught our plane back to Brisbane.
It's not much longer now until the end of the semester and the trip back home. It truly has been a one of a kind experience.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The Trip Down South: Melbourne
After my trip to Hobart, Tasmania I got to spend a week in Melbourne. It is a great city that is very artsy and modern. That being said, there is a lot of Victorian history that is in Melbourne and I had a lot of fun being a total tourist for a week.
I arrived in Melbourne on Saturday night, October 22nd. I got checked into my hostel, and bedded down for the night in a very squeaky bed. On Sunday I just wandered about the city getting my bearings. After using the free internet at the good ol’ McDonalds, I got on the free City Circle tram and went to the Flagstaff Gardens. It was a beautiful day so I sat in the park and soaked in the sunshine. It is starting to get very hot here as summer is just around the corner. I am probably the only odd-ball that is craving cold weather, snow, and a pair of skies.
Monday was much more of a productive day. It started with another trip to McDonalds for internet so that I could catch up on emails, facebook and things like that. Next I went to the Immigration Museum. It was really interesting and a very good museum. They had true stories and accounts of immigrates dating back to the 1800s. After the museum I went to the very famous, Federation Square next to the Flinders Street Railway Station. Federation Square is a very scaled down Times Square, but the same idea. It is a basic meeting place and open lounge area in the middle of the city. It is surrounded by little galleries, cafes, restaurants and things like that. One exhibit on display was ABBAWORLD. For those of you who know me and my love of Mamma Mia! there was no way that I was going to pass this up. It was a little hokey, and cheeky, but still fabulous. They had the original costumes from Abba’s touring years as well as records, albums, and lots of pictures. I had a ball. To wrap up the day I walked to Town Hall. It really is just a beautiful building that stands in the middle of the city. Lots of the buildings in Melbourne are old, rustic, historic and really breath taking.
Tuesday was another very busy day. This time is started with going to the Victoria State Library rather than the very classy McDonalds. After the library I went to the Old Melbourne Gaol, which is the old prison. It is most famous for being the execution sight of the bush walker Ned Kelly in the late 1880s. After the Gaol, I went to the Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition building. One of the exhibits in the museum was “The Melbourne Story”. It was a detailed history of the first landing in Melbourne all the way up to present day. It was really interested and very fun to see all of artifacts. I spent the rest of the day there before grabbing sushi for dinner.
On Wednesday, I switched hostels because I was meeting a friend. That afternoon I went to the Australian Museum for the Moving Image. It was very interested, but all of the lights and images started to make you go dizzy after too long. Thursday we were supposed to go on a tour of the Great Ocean Road, but it was full so we pushed that to Friday instead. So on Thursday, we took the City Circle Tram to the Parliament building and walked around the many churches there. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. It was so regal with its gothic architecture, and tons of blooming flowers surrounding the grounds. I will have to post pictures. Thursday afternoon I walked around the theater district and saw some of the most beautiful theaters in the world I think. Princess Theatre was where Hairspray was playing and it really looked more like a mansion or a palace than a theatre. Pictures will come soon for that too.
Friday was the long awaited Great Ocean Road tour. It was an early morning; we were picked up from our hostel at 7:30 AM. Our day started off with an hour or so drive to Bells Beach. It is a famous surfing spot and I guess there was Patrick Swayze film made about it, but they filmed it in Portland Oregon. It was a beautiful spot and that is where we had morning tea. Unfortunately, there were not huge waves so there were not attractive surfer boys roaming around.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Starting the Trip: Hobart
Elizabeth's tour of Southern Australia has begun! I left Brisbane last Wednesday night and flew to Melbourne. I had a flight to Hobart early Thursday morning so I didn't want to get a hostel for the night. I stayed the night in the airport which turned out to be better than I expected. I found a very comfy couch to set up camp at, and just read my book most of the night. I managed to sleep on and off, for about two hours total. At 4:30 AM I checked in for my flight to Hobart.
I was getting pretty tired so I slept very well on my flight to Hobart. I was lucky enough to have Kat (a friend from the orientation in Cairns) come and pick me up. We went back to her house where she treated me to homemade french toast. Turns out that Thursday happened to be Hobart Show Day and a public holiday. It basically is like Ekka in Brisbane but in a much smaller scale. So we met up with our friends (more from the Cairns orientation and others) and headed to the show. It was a very fun day walking around the carnival grounds and taking in the sights of Hobart. We left the show at about 5:00 PM and headed back to Ian's house where we made pizzas for dinner. We even made the dough from scratch. It was getting to be pretty late, so Kat and I went back up to her house and went straight to sleep.
Friday was a bit of a chill day. I was so tired that I slept in and had a leisurely morning. Then we walked around the town before going to a friends house for dinner. After dinner we all went to the International Party where you had to dress like the country that you are from. I just went with red, white and blue. I wasn't prepared for a theme dance party.
Saturday we woke up early and went to the very famous Salamanca Markets. Right by the wharf are tons of shops and stalls that are fun to walk through. They have everything imaginable from Opera singers, to Aboriginal art, and clothing. You could spend all day there, and we basically did. We walked all throughout the city which involved lots of hills. Unfortunately, I had a plane to catch so we had to return back to the houses and I had to pack up.
Saturday night I flew into Melbourne where I am now. Thanks to McDonald's, on free internet. The trip is just beginning and pictures will come once I return to Brisbane.
Cheers!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Semester's End
It's hard to believe that the end of the semester down under is coming to a close. Next week is the last week of classes, then I get to travel for a couple weeks, return to Brisbane to take an exam, finally get to see my parents and brother and then I will be back in the good ol' U.S. of A.
But I am getting ahead of myself, how about a little catch up first:
A few weeks ago we had our Mid Semester Break. It was a pretty relaxed and low key week off from school. I took a trip one day to the local XXXX Brewery to learn and taste the beer that they make there. It was a very fun afternoon, the tour took you all throughout the factory and we got to see the assembly lines, and how everything works. At the end, you get to taste the beers on tap, which include the Summer Lager. It's the only place in the world that you can get that beer on tap.
The rest of the week was spent outdoors, doing different things around Brisbane. The final weekend of the break we took a trip to Noosa on the sunshine coast which was lovely and relaxing. Unfortunately, it is rainy season here so the weather hasn't been too friendly, but it didn't affect us too badly.
The past two weeks have been pretty busy because of school work. Sadly, I couldn't convince my lecturers and tutors that I was on a four month long vacation and therefore had to write some essays and study for a test. I did however get the royal treatment for my fashion article. I am writing about all of the "hotspots" in Brisbane, and because of that, I got to go get a manicure and a day at the spa, all for free! I just have to write about it. I enjoyed an hour long massage, and a 45 minute hot tub session with champagne and dark chocolate. I tell you, I have had such a hard hard semester down here. I have no idea how I am supposed to renter the real world.
Next week is the final leg of school. The classes are wrapping up and the semester's end is very very close. After classes on Monday and Wednesday I will be done, and I will be leaving Wednesday night for a two week trip down south. I am starting in Melbourne, but only staying there one night before going to Hobart, Tasmania. I will spend three days there catching up with a few friends from the Orientation way back in June. Then it's back to Melbourne for 5 days. Then I will be taking the train from Melbourne to Adelaide. I will have one day in Adelaide before I get a bus for 11 hours into the outback to Coober Pedy. After two days in the outback its back to Adelaide and then right back to Brisbane. The best part of this two week trip is that I will be living out of a backpack. And mark my words, I will be able to do it. I can pack light despite popular belief :).
After my trip I have to study and take my one history final. Then I have a week to pack and get things in order before my parents get to Australia. I am so beyond excited to see them. After a week traveling around in Australia, we start the journey home but stop first for a week in New Zealand where Joey (my brother) is meeting up with us. I am so excited to see everyone. Then it will be back home.
I can't believe that it is all coming to an end so quickly. Here's to livin' it up for the last few weeks!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Wild Dolphins of Tangalooma
Last weekend, I had the joy of embarking on a little day trip to Tangalooma on Moreton Island. Moreton is the third largest sand island in the world behind Fraser and Stradbroke Islands. Tangalooma is a famous area on the island as it is home to the Wild Dolphin Resort. I'll get to the dolphins in a little bit, but first we must talk about the whales.
Actually, I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start the very beginning... a very good place to start... Sorry, I'm a musical theater major. Getting back on topic: First I took a ferry ride from Brisbane to Moreton Island. It took about forty-five minutes once we really started going. I was traveling with two friends, Ashley and Ivana. The weather was cloudy that day which made it breezy on the ferry but the conditions were very very calm which made for smooth sailing.
Once we reached the Tangalooma most people got off the boat. There were a lot of families with small children going to the resort. Tangalooma is like the Aussie version of Disney World. You can stay overnight at the resort, and there are lots of activities to participate in. Our first activity was whale watching. I had never been before so I was extremely excited.
The boat took us out to the tip of the island; about a half hour ride. All the time we were scanning the ocean for footprints of the whales, and the whales themselves. Our marine biologist on board knew where to go and he pointed out lots of pods of whales. We saw mamas and babies as well as males chasing after females. The whales that we saw were South Pacific Humpback whales. They migrate every year from Antarctica to Australia from June to October. We were able to see lots and lots of whales and they got fairly close to our boat. I was able to get some pictures but they don't come very far out of the water, so the pictures just look like black blobs. But it was so cool to see them come up to the surface for air, and then dive back down under water. I tried to take a page out of Dory's book and speak to them, but they didn't get it... (Finding Nemo anyone?)
We were served a light lunch on board the whale watching boat and after about three hours on the boat we headed back to the resort. We had some time to kill so we just hung out on the beach and watched the sunset.
When it got to be dark (around 6:30 PM) we made our way to the jetty, or the dock in order to see the Wild Dolphins of Tangalooma. This is what Tangalooma is famous for. A family of dolphins has been visiting the resort for more than 20 years. It is hard to explain, so here is the story:
During 1977, 78, 79, and 1980, the Osborne Family visited Tangalooma as Resort Guests. During that time we enjoyed watching the dolphins visit the Resort jetty at night. Lights had recently been installed on the jetty and they were attracting bait fish for the Dolphins to hunt. In December 1980, the Osborne family purchased the Resort property. At that time Tangalooma Resort employed 27 staff in total. This is a little different to the 325 staff now employed by Tangalooma.
During the 80's, we continued we continued to visit the jetty at night to look out for the dolphins that arrived at all different times after sunset. The most regular dolphin at the jetty was a dolphin that had been named Eric. Eric became a much more regular dolphin in 1986 when he arrived with a new calf that we named Bobo. It was then obvious that Eric was a female. We then thought it was wise to change Eric's name. Betty said that because she had such a beautiful nature she would be named Beauty.
During that time, Resort guests fishing on the jetty at night started throwing their reject fish and bait to Beauty, and she slowly began to accept them. She also began to raise her eyes above the water and look for our guests. This only encouraged the guests more and more to feed her. Betty became concerned about the quality of the fish being cast to the dolphins, so we arranged for a bucket of fresh fish to be left on the jetty each night for guests to cast to Beauty when she arrived. During late 1990 Beauty arrived with a new baby that we named Tinkerbell, and Beauty became a very regular visitor during 1991.
In January 1992 Betty decided that it was time to try to hand feed Beauty as she was becoming very friendly and showed no signs of stress when near Betty on the jetty loading platform. Betty found two other interested staff members and commenced entering the water and casting fish closer and closer. Beauty came close enough in 1992 to take her first fish from Betty's hand. Bobo and Tinkerbell hung back and watched from a safe distance. The jetty lighting was poor and the water was gloomy and quite scary to enter, particularly as Beauty would not come in closer than shoulder deep water to hand feed.
Throughout 1991 and the winter of 1992, Betty, myself and our poodle Yoplait, spent every night sitting on the patio waiting patiently for the dolphins to arrive. Yoplait was always the first to hear or smell them when they arrived, and would run along the beach and out onto the jetty barking and looking into the water to greet them.
Once Beauty became comfortable being close to us, she began to encourage her siblings Bobo and Tinkerbell to hand feed. Soon after, Bess and Karma started to come in closer to take fish from Betty, and other Resort staff members.
It soon became apparent that Beauty and Betty had an affinity together, as Beauty would always swim straight to Betty whenever she was present in the water. Beauty was also very comfortable bringing Tinkerbell close to Betty.
In August 1992, we decided that we could not continue sitting around up until 2.00am to feed dolphins. We therefore made a decision that if they had not arrived by 9.00pm we would pack up and go to bed. It did not take long for the dolphins to learn that lesson and arrive earlier.
1992 was a big year for the dolphin program. By years end we had 6 regular dolphins with all except with all except Rani hand feeding. We had established our Dolphin Care Protocols, and had them approved by the Marine Park Authority. We installed better lighting on the jetty and in December 92 we tentatively commenced to allow Resort Guests into the water to feed dolphins. We also announced the program to the media and soon became well known around the world for our program.
During 1993 and old male dolphin that we had named Blind Freddie arrived (later reduced to Fred). Fred used to bump into all of us in the water and could not grab the fish properly. We assumed that he was nearly blind. After Beauty, Fred became our second favorite dolphin. For a male, he was just so calm and contented around all of us. Echo arrived in July. His mother brought him in over a period of 3 nights. She stayed out the back, and allowed Echo to investigate. Then they both disappeared for 3 nights and on the fourth night Echo came charging in and commenced feeding greedily. He was only about 8 months old and in very poor condition. It was obvious by then that he had become an orphan. We decided to break our protocol and for the next 2 years, we fed Echo until he was satisfied. He was still too young to survive on his own. Fred took Echo into his charge and they arrived and departed together. At around 2 years old, Echo was observed chasing and eventually catching a fish. We then decided to slowly reduce his feeding intake back down to 20% of his daily requirement like all the other dolphins. Echo is now one of the best and fastest fish hunters in the group. Rani began to feed and with the addition of Fred, Echo and and other arrival Nick, we were up to 9 dolphins feeding on a regular basis.
During 1994 Lefty arrived and Karma stopped attending, but are still often sighted around the area. We opened and staffed our Dolphin Education Centre, and we set up the Tangalooma Research Grant Program to help fund Marine Research in conjunction with the University of Queensland.
Our best news in 1994 was the arrival of Beauty on the 10th October with a new born calf we named Shadow.
The second half of 1995 was a devastating time for us. Beauty suffered an infectious tumor on her rostrum that degenerated to a point where she could not swim fast enough to catch fish. We had Sea World Veterinarians observe her and they concluded that nothing could be done to save her. We then urned our minds to Shadow. She was only 9 months old, and not capable of surviving on her own. Our experience with Echo had taught us a lot, and we knew that we had to try and keep Beauty around for as long as possible to give Shadow a chance at survival. We gain decided to break from our protocol, and we lifted Beauty's feeding allowance and started to encourage Shadow with small fish.
Sadly, Beauty last visited us on 24th December, 95. We searched for her for several days without success. Then on 27th December Shadow arrived on her own and we knew then that Beauty was gone forever.
The next 14 years (1996 to 2010) have seen many changes to the program. A new jetty and grandstand, a new Dolphin Education Centre managed by Trevor Hassard and staffed by out extremely dedicated Marine Biologists and other team members, and an extensive Marine Education Program which provides free programs to all South East Queensland Schools.
We have lost Freddie and Bess to natural causes. Bess has left behind her 2 boys, Nari and Rani. Freddie has left us with some great memories and many smiles and laughs.
Beauty has left us with some wonderful memories of how she started it all but more importantly, she has left us with her 3 children, Bobo, Tinkerbell and Shadow, Tinkerbell's 3 children, Tangles, Storm and Pheonix, and Shadow's 2 children Silhouette and Zephyr. What a family it is. All gentle and well mannered like their mother and grandmother Beauty. With 5 females in the list of offspring, we can hp[e for many more arrivals and generations to come from beauty.
When we visit the jetty now to watch the program, I know that Betty's mind always goes back to remember Beauty as she watches the antics of the young dolphins at play. What an incredible legacy Beauty has left us.
-Brian Osborne (March 2010)
I know that pictures are blurry, but it was dark and as though I did ask nicely, the dolphins would not stay still!
So we got to wade out into the water, with a guide, and we got to hand feed the dolphins. We just put our hands under the water with a fish and they came up and ate it right out of our hands! It was one of the coolest experiences ever.
After a long day I was pretty tired. We spent the ferry ride back to Brisbane with our eyes shut and when we got back we just chilled the rest of the night, watching Earth. There was a special part about Humpback Whales. We thought it was very fitting.
Next week is our spring holiday, yes it is spring time here. So trips and things to do are in the works. The parental units made their plans for coming down so it is all coming together now. And in ten short weeks I will be back state side. Crazy!
Until next time, Cheers!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sydney
Last weekend I went on a little holiday to Sydney. And I have to say, it was one of the best little get away trips I have ever been on. I have been very blessed in my life to see a lot of very astonishing things... And seeing the sights in Sydney completely on par with seeing the Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Sistine Chapel, and all of the other great sights.
I landed in Sydney late on Thursday evening. I was supposed to get a shuttle to the hostel I was staying at, but because it was so late at night the shuttle had stopped running. So instead, I took the train. The hostel was located in Kings Cross, not the nicest part of town, but I felt safe all of the time. Since I had class that morning, and had traveled I was fairly tired, so after checking in, getting my linens and making my bed, I crashed for the night.
Friday morning I got up early and met up with the other two girls that I had planned the trip with. They got in on Wednesday and were staying in a different room. Our plan was to head into the Blue Mountains for the day. So we had an early start in order to catch an early train ride up into the mountain town of Katoomba. Now, the fun thing about hostels, or backpackers, is that you meet so many other travelers. So two German girls and a guy from Jersey City made the trip with us. After and hour train ride we arrived in Katoomba. We went straight to the Trolley Tours office and booked out tickets for the Trolley Tour and for Scenic World.
The Trolley Tour started off in the city of Katoomba and showed us different spots like the Carrington Hotel which is the highest point of Katoomba, and other shops in the town. You can hop on and off of the Trolley whenever you like, so we decided to get off at Gordon Falls because we wanted to hike around the mountain range a little. The first thing that we saw when we got onto the hiking trail was Mt. Solitary which is the picture above. Gorgeous right? The Blue Mountains is really a big canyon, like the Grand Canyon but nowhere near as deep. We walked from the Gordon Falls all the way to Echo Point. It was a beautiful hike with lots of lookouts and breath-taking scenery. The whole hike took about 2 and a half hours and we got to Echo Point just as the rain started. We walked through the Prince Henry Cliffs, the Leura Cascades and The Three Sisters which is the most famous thing of the Blue Mountains. Really The Three Sisters are three small "peaks" off of the side of a cliff. The cool thing about The Three Sisters is the legend about them:
The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle. As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.
After we took lots and lots of pictures at Echo Point we got back on the trolley and headed to Scenic World. Scenic World is a series of rides that takes you around the canyons. First you take the Skyway which is a cable car across the canyon. The car also has a glass bottom so your can look down the entire way across. Once across, we took the steepest and oldest railway down the canyon. No joke, it is in the Guinness Book of World Records. The ride isn't very long, it only takes about 2 minutes, it is 415 meters long with a 52 degree incline at the steepest point. The guy driving was so nice that he gave our group a few free rides on it was well.
At the bottom of the canyon after the railway ride there is a boardwalk that leads you through the canyon and tells about the history, and the old coal mine that was in the canyon. To get back up to the top of the canyon, we took a cable car. And thus ended the rides at Scenic World. We got back on the Trolley and drove back to the Katoomba train station.
We caught the train back to Sydney and all of us were so tired that everyone passed out on the ride back into the city. Back at the hostel we had an Australian Sausage Sizzle and chilled with some new friends before calling it a night.
Saturday was another early morning, this time we took the train to Circular Quay. From the train station as soon as we got off the train, the Sydney Harbour (Aussie Spelling) Bridge was to our left, the Opera House to our left, and in the middle was the harbour with boats and cruises and the most beautiful glistening blue water. I felt like a kid at a candy store, or at Disney World and immediately started snapping pictures. I was truly in awe. We walked over to the Opera House first where I could not stop taking pictures. You have no idea how magnificent it is until you are standing there looking at one of the most complicated piece of architecture in the world. The weather was brilliant and the sun reflected of the tile roof onto the water.
Tearing ourselves away from the Opera House was hard but we had lots to do. Next we ventured to the opposite side of the harbour to The Rocks. The Rocks is a historic area, the first place that was settled in Sydney. The entire area has so much character in the buildings and layout and it is so much fun to walk around. They also have lots of markets and shops to stroll through.
We were then planning on hoping on a ferry to sail around the harbour when my cell phone beeped from a text message. Now I do have some friends, so receiving texts is not entirely uncomon. However, when the number starts with 303 and 045 that is something to make you think twice. It turned out that non other than Mr. Giancola (neighbor from home) had just landed in Sydney on business and was having lunch on the Opera House Promenade. He had texted my father telling him he had just landed in Sydney and my dad had told him that I was there. Talk about a small world indeed. So I ventured over and had a lovely chat with Mr. G. It was wonderful to see a familar face so far away from home. A little bizarre, but wonderful.
Next, we made our way to the Sydney Tower. Basically, think of the Seattle Space Needle, but in Sydney Australia. You can see for miles from the top and the weather was totally clear so we got some great shots from the top. By the time we left it was time to start getting ready for the big rugby game that night, so we headed back to our hostel, changed and got ready and headed to the stadium.
The biggest rivalery game, the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies took place at the ANZ Stadium in Olympic Park. Yes we got to see a rugby match at the same place that the Opening Ceremonies took place in 2000. It was very cool. And the game was even better. It started with the most intimidating two minutes of my entire life when the All Blacks took the field for the haka. For those of you who don't know what it is, YouTube it. It will terrify you. The game was just as epic. The Wallabies were leading most of the game but it ended in the last 15 minutes when the All Blacks scored two TRYs (kinda like touchdowns). The final score was 23 to 22 All Blacks. We lost by one point. It was sad, but still, to be at that game was amazing.
Again, it was a long night, so falling into bed that night felt really good.
Sunday was my last day in Sydney. I spent most of the day lying on the ever famous, Bondi Beach watching the Festival of the Winds. Tons of kites filled the sky and it was lovely to watch. Finishing the day off with a walk around Paddington, and then it was time to head back to the airport.
I had the best weekend ever and saw some of the most incredible sights. I can not wait to go back and play tour guide for my parents. Hope everything is well back home. Until next time, Cheers!
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