Te Anau

I made it to New Zealand. Over a week ago. I'm a little behind on my posts. It was questionable for a hot minute whether I was going to be allowed into the country. I had an immigration snafu a few years ago and this is the first time it has come up since then. I did expect some questions, and I did get them.  Fortunately after a couple of hours of hanging around, I was allowed into the country. The story behind this will come some another time. Maybe. 

So I made it to Queenstown. Unfortunately accommodation has been a problem and has hindered my planning a little bit. So I only had one night. I will come back to my time in Queenstown in my next post since I did have a 2nd night after visiting Te Anau. So on my 2nd day in New Zealand, I got on an early bus to the closest town to Milford Sound. Here I could figure out my plan for visiting Milford.

Apparently the ride out to Te Anau is very pretty, but I fell sleep since I didn't get much sleep the night before. I arrived in town and headed to my accommodation, which consisted of a bed in a large room with camping and a motel attached. Which is called a holiday park. Really not much different from most places, but there was a fee to use the kitchenware. I thought that was a bit odd, but good thing I had a few things on hand like a collapsible bowl. I couldn't check in yet, so I went in search of wifi. Fortunately the town library offers free wifi, so planted myself there for a bit to do some South America planning. I'm currently trying to coordinate some visits from family and friends in Argentina and Peru. Which is very exciting. Except I've barely planned what I'm doing in New Zealand. Since everyone needs to buy plane tickets, I want to be sure we are in agreement on dates. It will all work out and I'm thrilled I get to see more friends, but more importantly some of my family on this trip.

So far my time in Te Anau isn't very exciting. And doesn't get much better that day. I eventually checked in, headed out to explore a bit around town and Lake Te Anau. I had another another wifi session at a cafe on the lake where I enjoyed some tea.

Lake Te Anau.

At this point, I needed to decide on how I was going to explore Milford Sound. I researched what it would cost to take a bus and then a cruise around the bus, renting my own car and the cruise, or doing a tour. Obviously a tour is the easiest, but would it be the cheapest? It wasn't, but it would allow for some stops along the way at various viewpoints. After stopping at a few places, I was able to secure a spot on a small bus for the following morning at a discounted backpacker price. Excellent. I then enjoyed my venison meat pie as I walked along the lake for a bit.

Venison pie.

On my way back to the holiday park, I got a few groceries and hit up a bar to enjoy some local Shiraz. It was a low key night and I needed to get some sleep, so I made my way back to get comfortable and get to bed.

The following morning, I got picked up by the minibus and we went around to pick up the remaining tourists. It was a small group of 4 Americans (including myself) and one German, and our tour guide, who was also German. Her accent was an interesting mix of German and Kiwi. Hard to place at first, but then she explained how she came to live in New Zealand.

We hit the road and drove along Lake Te Anau for a while, which is the largest freshwater lake in Australasia (inclusive of Australia, New Zealand, and other Pacific islands). We stopped for our first viewpoint at Te Anau Downs.

Lake Te Anau.

We continued on our way and made some more stops, including dropping off some packages at a few farms. There's only one road that goes to Milford and it's not very populated, well except for all the tourist buses. Our guide has multiple roles, including package delivery service. As we continued on the road, we checked out Knobs Flat and saw a few mountains in the distance. It was looking like a very promising day for the tour.

Knobs Flat.

At some point we had entered Fiordland National Park, the biggest in New Zealand. I wish we could have stopped more times to see additional sights, but I was also anxious to see Milford Sound. The views were so beautiful as we drove up and back down the mountains. We reached Homer Tunnel and got another picture opportunity since we had a few minutes for the tunnel to open up for traffic.

Outside Homer Tunnel.

We made it back down the mountain and reached Milford Sound for our 10:30am cruise. The boat wasn't actually that full, which made the 2 1/2 hours way more pleasant. We made a loop around Milford Sound, which included going out to Tasman Sea. The last time I was at Tasman Sea was in Australia and was slightly different weather and conditions. All along the cruise, we saw some beautiful sights.

The start of the cruise.

Tasman Sea in the distance.

Apparently it's very beautiful when it rains since there are thousands of waterfalls off the cliff faces, but I am kind of glad that it didn't rain. It made being outside way better. Although at various points, I did get sprayed on by the waves, so it was almost like it was raining. It was also way windier than I anticipated. I was ok with my layers, but one more wouldn't have hurt. Good thing for the unlimited tea and hot chocolate.

Milford Sound.

Falls.

Hanging out on a boat.

After the cruise, we met back up with our guide and made our way back to Te Anau, but not before a few hikes. First up was a short hike to the Chasm. It was only about 15 minutes or so, but saw some gushing water over some cool rocks.

The Chasm.

Next up, was the Gertrude Saddle hike. This is meant for more experienced hikers since it's not very well marked, but we had our guide to lead us. This was a little bit of a longer hike and up into the mountain valley. We saw a lot of alpine flowers and had some nice views of the mountains. We actually saw the mountain where Sir Edmund Hillary practiced for his historical Mount Everest climb. No climbing for me though. 

Alpine hiking.

From there, we headed onto the Lake Gunn Nature Walk, where it felt like we were walking through an enchanted forest. There was moss and fallen trees everywhere you looked. The beach trees rot from the inside and since they have shallow roots, they fall over consistently. And then moss and other trees grow on top of them. It makes for a very surreal walk through the forest.

Looking for fairy tales.

New Zealand is known for a few things and the our last stop included a photo opportunity of sheep. I know boring. But I had to do it since there are so many more sheep than people in this country. Possibly the highest density of sheep in the world. This tidbit would need to be fact-checked of course.

Sheep.

We arrived back in Te Anau and  relaxed a bit.I found some wifi, hit up the grocery store, and made dinner back at the holiday park. I also sorted out my accommodation and was headed back to Queenstown the following morning. From there, off to Wanaka for a few days.

Anna Bay

I left the mountains and headed to the beach and hoped for better weather. And that is what I got. For the most part. After 2 trains and a bus, I arrived at my hostel in Anna Bay. The hostel was tucked away and not really close to anything. Since it was the only option I really had within my budget, I'm glad it was a nice place. Very reminiscent of Southeast Asia. They had structures throughout the property with paths through the jungle, or bush I should say. They also had the mosquitos. I thought I had escaped them for a bit. But due to all the rain and flooding in the area, they were out in full force. Fortunately all toilets were flushable.

Path to my room.

After settling in, I walked to the nearby Samurai Beach, about a mile away. I cut through a campsite and made my way through the bush, and eventually over lots of sand dunes to the beach. Unfortunately the sun was setting not on the water, so I didn't actually see the sunset. But I did see a naked guy. Yes, I did. The beach was pretty deserted and a guy had driven by me to one end of the beach. I was walking around taking photos and happen to glance over at one point and saw nakedness. I had to look again to be sure, very quickly, and definitely saw tan lines. It was getting a little late, and the sun was going down, so I wasn't sure the purpose of being naked at that time of day, but I won't judge. I decided it was time to head back before it got too dark, or before I got caught staring. As I was exiting the beach area, I did see a sign that said it was a nude beach. Hence the nakedness.

Clothing optional.

I met some people at the hostel and found that this was a popular place for Australians as well. There were people away for the weekend and on vacation with their families. I met an Australian guy who actually had a car and offered to drive me around the next day to check out the Nelson Bay area. In true Australian hospitality. We got some breakfast in Shoal Bay, hiked a little in Fingal Bay to check out the views of Fingal Split and Island, made our way back to One Mile Beach to swim for a bit, and then lastly to check out Soldier's Point and Salamander Bay. A pretty good day exploring the area. 

Checking out Fingal Bay.

For dinner, I hopped on the bus with a couple of girls from Scotland, and got some fish and chips in Nelson Bay. We hung out and had a couple of drinks, including some hipster beer. I called it an early night and headed back to the hostel via the last bus. They are pretty infrequent, I was tired, and I wasn't prepared to pay for a taxi back to the hostel. 

Fish, chips, and hipster beer.

The following day, I mixed up the day with some beach time and some exploration. This German girl was staying in my room, and we headed to One Mile Beach together. The day was gorgeous and as we made our way through the sand dunes, we could see it would be an incredible day. The day before was a good day for exploring since it was a bit overcast, but this particular day was a great beach day.

Sand dunes in Anna Bay.

And the water was clearing up. After all that rain, the water was a bit murky, But not so much any more. The water was a bit cold at first, but once you were in, it was so refreshing. The beach and water reminded me a lot of home. Just the landscape was different. I'm used to long stretches of beach. Here, the coastline is full of small bays, most of them with sand, but not all. The various points between the bays are typically pretty rocky and depending on the tide, could be a bit dangerous. The waves were a lot of fun, but the bay is pretty shallow, about waist high, for a good ways and where the waves broke.

The Tasman Sea.

After a few hours, we decided to go check out Worimi Regional Park, a crazy landscape of just sand. It was pretty incredible. You felt like you were in the desert. Until you look off to the left and see the Tasman Sea. They do camel rides and sand boarding. I already rode a camel, so didn't need to do it again. I thought about doing the sand boarding, but we really didn't have time. I was on the fence about doing it, so was ok either way.

Endless sand.

We hit up the grocery store and got on the next bus to Nelson Bay. Since I arrived in Sydney, I've been using my Opal card, which sometimes is pretty expensive getting around, and other times not so much. I was able to use that to get to the Blue Mountains and Nelson Bay which is good. But traveling around Sydney, you can quickly use up the daily max of $15. But on Sundays, you pay $2.50 AUD, and get to ride as many times as you want. We were strategic in planning our day this way.

We got to Nelson Bay and walked through the marina and walked along the water to Inner Light, a lighthouse according to my map. The walk was pretty nice and we shared an Australian golden ale we we hiked along. After some beaches and a pretty steep hill, we reached the lighthouse. Or I should say light cottage. It wasn't what we expected at all. 

Light cottage.

But we got some great views of the surrounding area, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Yacaaba Headland in the distance.

We headed back to the bus stop, grabbed some Australian shiraz, and went back to the hostel. The hostel hosted ice cream night, so I chatted with some of the other guests. A lot of them were there with their children, which is a little different from the last hostel's vibe, but nice. It's a good place to camp out for a week. I stayed up a bit too late chatting, but got in a quick phone call to my sister and dad before heading to bed since they were just waking up. 

The following morning I spent a couple of hours at the beach swimming and climbing sand dunes. I then had to leave and head back to Sydney. But not before I met a guy and his cute daughter named Nirvana. Yes, Nirvana. But apparently not after the band. 

Climbing sand dunes.

My trip back was pretty uneventful and I took one last ferry ride across to North Sydney to stay with Brian and his family. I got to meet his wife and kids, and watch some of the Golden Globes (but after I already knew who won). The next morning I headed to the airport to hit up the next country. But no worries, I'll be going back to Australia soon enough to explore Melbourne and visit an old high school friend. 

Very helpful departure signs at the Sydney airport.

Off to New Zealand for a couple of weeks.

Katoomba

Not too far from Sydney, were the Blue Mountains. I decided I was ready for some hiking a caught a 2-hour train west to Katoomba. Unfortunately it started raining on the train ride up there and really didn't stop for 2 days, and continues to persist a little bit on the 3rd day. 

After arriving to town, I covered up my new bag with the waterproof cover, which would come in handy over the next few days, and headed towards the hostel. I couldn't check in, and wasn't going to be doing any hiking, so after leaving my big backpack, I headed out into the rain to find lunch. I camped out at the Elephant Cafe for a couple of hours with the hope the rain would eventually stop. It did not. However, I took this opportunity to catch up on a few things, so no worries. 

Trying to stay warm.

After checking into the hostel and organizing my things a bit, I camped out in the common area for a while. Unfortunately the wifi was an issue. I've been having trouble with wifi since I arrived in Australia and I'm a little surprised that, one, it's not in more places like restaurants, and two, why it's so slow and inconsistent. The hostel was really bad and it didn't help that everyone else staying there was also trying to stay dry and entertained. 

I eventually got hungry so went in search for food. I grabbed some pizza nearby and hit up the grocery store. So far my stay has been super exciting. Given that it's more expensive to eat out here (this isn't Southeast Asia) and that most places I'll be staying in will have full kitchens, I may as well save some money by getting a few essentials. 

The following morning I woke up to more rain. So I hung out at the hostel to uploaded photos, worked on my blog, and other things. In the afternoon, I finally decided that I had to get out and do something. Even with the rain and fog, you are apparently able to see one thing, which are the Katoomba Falls. So I got my raincoat and bag, and headed out for a hike. The walk through the outskirts of town was pretty nice and may have been more enjoyable if the rain wasn't coming down. But I did try to capture a few photos.

Rainy scenes.

I reached the trail and made my way through some forest area before reaching a picnic area. After walking around for a few minutes, I finally found the trail to the actual falls. There were a few other folks out, so glad I wasn't the only one that had decided to do a rainy hike. The fog everywhere was kind of incredible and there were views that I'm sure would have been amazing if not for the mist. I reached the falls and was happy to see them. 

Foggy Katoomba Falls.

From the falls, I got on another path to check out a viewpoint nearby. I knew I wouldn't be able to see much, but figured it wasn't too far, so decided to check it out. And of course, I couldn't see anything. I know I'm in the Blue Mountains, but so far hadn't see any mountains.

Coming out of the mist.

At that point, I decided I was too wet and cold to do anything else. And it wouldn't have been worth it. I turned around and headed back to town. I reached the Yellow Deli to sit by the fire and warm up with a cup of chili. This would totally be normal back home this time of year. Since it's summer here, it did seem a bit weird. But I was cold. 

Chili in summer.

The next day was more promising. And since it was my last full day in Katoomba, I was going for a hike regardless. I just hoped I wouldn't get too wet. After talking to my friend about the possibility of meeting up in South America, I headed out with a packed lunch, snacks, and water. I reached Echo Point in some drizzles, but I was finally able to see the Blue Mountains. And they were impressive. I hung out for a bit and also checked out the Three Sisters, these rock formations close by. 

The Three Sisters.

I then started my 3.5 hour hike by going down the Giant Stairway, which consisted of about 800 stairs. Once at the bottom, I decided to go the long way to Leura Cascades. So I headed towards Katoomba Falls, but then veered onto Federal Pass, which took me through the forest at the bottom of the mountains. 

Federal Pass.

It was actually a pretty nice hike, with the exception of the rain that came a few times and the leeches. Yes, the leeches. After the leeches in Sri Lanka, I thought I was done. The funny thing was, I was actually more nervous about other creatures, like snakes. I actually have no idea whether there were any snakes in the forest, but I saw so many branches on the ground that were shiny from the rainwater, that I had to keep looking to be sure it wouldn't move. I'm good with the birds and other animals, just no snakes. And no leeches. I happen to look down at my ankle since it stung a bit and I see a leech had been latched on for a little bit. And then I freaked out. I noticed more of them and they were trying to get into my running sneakers. So I'm all by myself in the forest, trying to get the leeches out of my shoes, trying to balance on one foot as I do this. What a sight that must have been. I finally got them all out, or at least I hoped so, and started to jog a little to get away from them. Of course, rationally, they were probably more of them where I was headed, but decided being on the move was better. Then I was paranoid that I missed one, or more got inside my shoes. So I kept checking. Once I found a picnic table, I sat down (after inspecting it closely), and took my shoes off again to thoroughly check. It looked like I was in the clear. I decided to warn some of the other hikers and it turns out that one of them also had leeches when she inspected her shoes. I'm glad I wasn't the only one, but also glad I mentioned it to them. I continued to inform other hikers, even after I safely made it out of what I believe was the leech-zone. Man they creep me out. They are like little mini, blood-sucking snakes. 

I continued on my hike, at a little bit of a quicker pace, and made it to the bottom of the Leura Cascades. And the sun had come out at that point, for a few minutes that is. It was really beautiful and a different perspective than the Katoomba Falls. I continued up a bunch of stairs and made it to the top of the cascades. You really couldn't get a good view of them up high, so I'm glad I saw them from the bottom. 

Leura Cascades.

I was getting a little wet and chilly, and decided I was ready to go rest. So I exited the trail and made my way back to town. I made a stop at the Paragon Cafe on my way back to the hostel to reward myself of successful hike and escaping the leeches. I enjoyed some shiraz, burnt caramel ice cream (probably not the best idea since I got cold, but I love ice cream no matter the temperature), and some caramel chocolates. I stayed until they were closing up. Which is very early by the way. So many cafes and stores close around 5:30-6pm. I do wish they stayed open longer. I had laundry to do, so I need to get going anyway, but for other days, it would be nice to linger. 

Shiraz, ice cream, and chocolates.

My nights in Katoomba haven't been too exciting, but I needed a little bit of a rest anyway. And obviously time to do laundry. I think it took a few hours, but I lost track. And of course wifi wasn't working, and I finished my book. So didn't get too much done while I waited. I let myself be entertained by the young kids getting wasted. For the most part I've somehow managed to avoid too much of a young party scene, but have a feeling I may be seeing more of it in various hostels. At least the common area is quiet in the morning while I enjoy my breakfast. 

I headed out of town the next morning and of course it was blue sky as far as they eye could see. Definitely a great hiking day. Too bad, but I wanted to spend a few days at the beach. So I headed to Anna Bay, which is north of Sydney along the Eastern coast. And the weather looked perfect for the beach. 

Sydney

I made it to Australia, my next continent. I have now been to 4 out of the 7 world continents. I'm making my way around the world and checking things off. My week in Sydney was amazing. Such a beautiful city and I had such a good time. It being summer, actual summer, also helped (for the most part). I will warn you that this post is long.

I arrived a couple of days before the end of the year and settled into the city quite quickly. As much as I loved Southeast Asia, it's a nice break to be in a more modern part of the world. Toilets that flush are everywhere. No buckets or squatters in sight. But there is still time. I fortunately was staying with a friend of a friend in Sydney and his place was very close to the water. My primary form of transport was the ferry, which I loved. Even when it was raining. Brian was great and on my first day invited me to drinks and dinner with one of his friends at a nearby restaurant. It was outdoors, still light out, and summer. I was all about it. And I got to try some Australian beer.

What to choose?

The other great thing about Sydney, was that I had friends who were overlapping their trips there. I got to spend a lot of time exploring and catching up with them. My first morning, I met up with Emily and Ari in Watson's Bay, 2 ferry rides away. We took a walk along the coast to check out the South Head and had lunch. The coast is beautiful, and I love all the little beaches all scattered throughout.

The South Head.

I made my way back to the city proper and did a little shopping. Of course my shopping is a little different than what everyone was expecting. My splurges included an Australian/New Zealand converter (apparently my converter doesn't work here), face lotion, new flip flops, and a new dress. The dress was tough. I wanted something to wear for New Year's Eve, but also on my travels. Something nice, but not too nice. And I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. Finally after checking out a number of stores, I finally found a simple black dress on sale at Uniqlo. It was a success. I celebrated with some bubbly on the harbor. 

Drink with a view.

On New Year's Eve, Emily and Ari came over and we did a bit of walking around North Sydney. We checked out Kirribilli House (the 2nd home of the Prime Minister), Admiralty House (official home of the Governor-General of Australia), and all the areas around the Sydney Harbour Bridge that people were claiming for the fireworks. I had gone for a run that morning (one last one of 2015) over the bridge and to the Sydney Opera House. Just like in NYC, people get going pretty early in the morning to claim the good spot to ring in the new year. However, it's summer here and everyone was wearing their swimsuits since they planned to sunbathe all day. No winter coats in sight. Because of this, and the anticipation of the fireworks, it definitely had more of a 4th of July vibe than a New Year's Eve one.

Staking claim.

Ari's friend Brian (who I was staying with) had our NYE plans all sorted out. We got to do a little bit of party hopping in a building with some great views. We ate, drank, talked, hung out on the balcony, and watched the NYE celebrations as the sun went down. We saw some air displays and a tug boat water display. At 9pm, there were the pre-fireworks show. So we got a little bit of a tease of what was to come at midnight. This was followed by some boats all lit up parading around the harbor. 

Harbour of Light Parade.

Right before midnight, we headed up to the roof to get the primary viewing location. And at midnight, we were given the most spectacular fireworks show I've ever seen. There were fireworks going off on 4 different barges in the water and we could see all of them. But the center of attention was the bridge. Fireworks were coming off the bridge from all different locations. It was amazing. I had questioned whether Sydney's NYE was a lot of hype and if I should actually attend. And boy, I am glad I did. This is one of those things you have to do and I was so fortunate to spend it with friends and have such a great night.

Fireworks at midnight.

Back home, New Year's Day usually consists of a run, maybe brunch, and a little hibernation to recover. Not this year. We headed to the beach. After my run of course. We spent some time at Balmoral Beach, went swimming, and got some seafood. It was my first time going into the harbor water and it was a bit chilly from what I was used to. But comparable to home. It was very nice and refreshing.

Balmoral Beach.

The Sydney Harbor Bridge is such a central part of the city. I've seen it from the ferry, had a drink near it, ran over it, and watched fireworks shooting off it it. It was now time to climb it. Right before the climb, I walked over it first to meet Emily and Ari. We checked in and then went through a pretty strict process of preparation. We first had to sign a waiver and take a breathalyzer. They don't want to take any chances. We then changed into our jumpsuits, and got our belts and headsets all strapped on properly. When that was all done, we had to do one test climb on a short indoor course. Once we were all ready, we headed out to the bridge. We started out on the catwalk under the bridge, which may have been the scariest part since you could actually see the ground below through the grating. But we weren't that high up, so it actually wasn't bad. We eventually made it to the Pylon Lookout Tower, where we then emerged from under the bridge. From there, we made a steady climb along the top arch. We made stops here and there to take photos, learn some information about the bridge, and soak up the views. We really lucked out on the weather. It was a little cloudy, but that was good since it wasn't too sunny and hot. I could tell the jumpsuit could heat up quickly. 

Top of the bridge.

We climbed all the way to the top of the bridge where the Australian flag waved in the air. Here we each took a short video to share with friends and family. And here's mine.

And here's one more of Emily, Ari, and I wishing everyone a Happy 2016.

The climb, including preparation and descent, took about 3.5 hours. It didn't seem to take that long and since you had to remove all accessories (including my fitbit, so no steps or flights were recorded), I wasn't keeping track of time. And no cameras were allowed, so we bought a package of photos on a USB. The one time I felt like I had to buy the photos. But it was worth it.

After all that climbing, we needed food and got lunch nearby at the Australian Hotel (not a hotel by the way). We tried some kangaroo and emu pizza and it was pretty good. I've actually had kangaroo before, but it was good to have it again. I do hope to see one on this trip. Which probably sounds weird since I ate one. But oh well. 

Kangaroo and emu pizza.

To celebrate getting to the top of the bridge we grabbed a drink at the Opera Bar. It was pretty crowded but we managed to find a seat near the water with the bridge behind us and enjoyed a drink amongst locals and tourists.

Drink with a view.

Sydney is famous for all the beaches and walks around the city. Emily, Ari, and I met up one morning in Coogee to do the walk to Bondi Beach. It was a great 2-hour walk along the coast. We passed by cliffs, beaches, a cemetery, and some fabulous houses. There were also a bunch of runners out, but the later it got, the more crowded it was. It's definitely a place to enjoy a slightly hilly run, but early morning is probably best. 

Coogee to Bondi walk.

When we completed our walk, it decided to rain. Which was perfect timing as we were getting some fish and chips for lunch. So not quite a beach afternoon and no swimming at Bondi. But we got to see it at least. 

Fish and chips.

My other friend Donna had arrived in Sydney while I was there. She was in New Zealand with some other friends and we got to overlap in Australia. We finally met up after some coordinating. Sydney is a great city, but it does take time to get from one side to another. We walked around Rushcutters and King's Cross, and caught up.

Catching up with Donna.

It was a quick visit with her, but I had the following day to hang out as well. On my way back to catch my ferry, I wandered the Royal Botanical Gardens for a bit. I would have loved to hang out for hours, but it was getting a bit late. But I got to check out the roses, the succulents, and some ferns. You could tell summer is here though. Some flowers that may have been in full bloom in the spring are no longer. But there were still quite a few flowers to enjoy.

Roses.

The following day, Donna, her friend Ash, and I had plans to head to Manly and enjoy the beach. However, the rain persisted and foiled our plans slightly. Instead, I did a little shopping first thing (I got a new day backpack that's way better than the one I was using). We then met up and did a tour of the Sydney Opera House. The tour was good, however, for what is was, I think it was a bit overpriced. We learned more about the history of the building of it and the architect. One interesting fact was an American had joined the selection process and had helped bring the design back from the reject pile. We got to see the inside of the different theaters for symphonies, concerts, plays, and other performances. They did play 2 videos for us, but I thought the tour guide should have relayed most of the information to us. Some visuals were nice to have though. A running joke throughout the tour was the number of noise disturbances we got, construction, announcements, etc. I enjoyed it the tour, but I think it could have been a bit cheaper for what it was. It would be really cool to go to a performance there. I do have one more night in Sydney next week so I may take a look at the schedule.

Inside the Sydney Opera House.

After the tour, we got on the ferry to Manly. We were able to take a few pictures of the harbor before it started raining on the ferry ride. Since we were hungry and the rain kept coming down, we stopped at Hugo's, which is right in the Manly harbor, for lunch. After some pizza and rose sangria, we walked to the beach. But there was no swimming. I'll have to get some more beach time in soon, since I didn't get to swim at Manly or Bondi Beach. 

A very rainy Manly Beach.

Later on, both friends merged together in the Rocks for a quick drink. It was nice to have both Donna and Emily together, even if it was a quick visit. I said goodbye to both friends since I was leaving the next morning. I was really glad I was able to see them both halfway around the world and it was a little crazy to think we made it happen. I'll get to see Emily again next month when I head to Denver for a friend's wedding, but it may be a while before I see Donna again. Most likely back in NYC whenever I make it back. But so good to spend time with them in Sydney. 

Loved seeing these ladies.

I had such a great time in Sydney. Such a good time that I didn't have time to update my journals or anything. I had great company throughout my visit, tried some new beers, saw the bridge and Opera House from all angles, went swimming, and one of the highlights, watching the fireworks display. I could definitely see myself living in Sydney.