Travel report #23

Australia - Sydney

Thursday June 21, 2001

Arrived in Sydney at noon and found a really nice hostel in Kings Cross called Jolly Swagman. We only later realized what sort of area Kings Cross is... (Sydney's red light district!)
Spend hours in at an internet cafe, unlimeted access for only A$3!

Friday June 22, 2001

Our first real views of Sydney on a lovely Friday. We walked down through the Royal Botanic Gardens and got fantastic views of the famous sights; the Opera house, the Bridge and the city!

(First day in Sydney, perfect conditions for the obligatory photo!)
Made contact with a fellow traveller we met in Peru, Sharon from Newcastle just north of Sydney. She was in town with another friend and we came with her to another friend, Emma, that worked in a film crew. Emma was a sound technican for the casting of a TV series called FarCast (similar to StarWars...)! We got to see it all from the inside, very interesting!

Saturday June 23, 2001

As we waited for Ingrid and Odd Arne to arrive, we spent the day doing laundry, relaxing and walking in the city. Did not want to start on all the sightseeing before they arrived...

Sunday June 24, 2001

Early start as we had promised to meet them at the airport with arrival 6am! Reunion at the airport, really nice to meet family again. (At time of writing we can't wait to get home now...)
We arranged ourselves a fantastic lunch; got all we needed from the supermaket and found a bench in the Royal Botanic Gardens with views of the city, the Opera house and the Bridge!! And the lovely sunshine was still with us!

(Ingrid and Odd Arne have just arrived)

(OA in good company :-)
And plenty to chat about, all the gosship from home :-) The rest of the day we hanged around the hostel, I&OA too tired to do anything...

Monday June 25, 2001

Early start again (I&OA went to bed 7pm, no wonder they got up early...) and another fantastic day with sunshine in Sydney. We walked around the city, past the Opera house and the Bridge to Darling Harbour. Visited the worlds largest IMAX screen and a shopping center for the girls while the boys visited a SEGA center :-)

(The girls having a go at the boy's favorite place :-)
On the way home later in the evening, B was offered free food from a nice gentleman on the street that obviously wanted to help hungry people; unshaved and clothes that has been around the world has funny effects :-) (B declined the offer politely;-)

(Hyde park at night)

Tuesday June 26, 2001

Time for BridgeClimb! Yet another perfect day as we got dressed up in grey climbing suits and lots of equipment and was taken on a 3 hour climb of the Sydney Harbour Bridge!! Fantastic experience!!!
For safety (and commersial?) reasons we could not bring our cameras, so we have no other photoes than the expencive ones we could by... The climb itself was also very expencive, but worth it! The climb was not that much of a climb, rather a pleasant walk with unbelievable views. Even B that has a bit scare of heights had no problems...
Relaxing evening, saw the Australian Moulin Rouge on cinema.

Wednesday June 27, 2001

Jumped on the ferry to Manly. Had to see it fram all possible angles, from the sea also very spectacluar! Manly was nice, but a bit to cold for a swim at the fantastic beach. OA&B went on a "bushwalk" and got almost lost :-) Very nice arrival to the harbour as well as we returned.

(The city, the operahouse and the bridge seen from the Manly beach ferry)

(Lovely Manly beach, but a bit cold for swimming)

(The boys went on a bush walk, Manly in the background)

(Returning from Manly - fantastic views)
This was to be the evening of style. I&OA had given B a 30th birthday present, a dinner for two in the revolving AMP tower restaurant!! We all dressed up, the two of us in our new and tailor made outfits from Bangkok! The dinner was fantastic and the views spectacular! Sydney by night!! And the food good as well, the girls ordered Australian game; Emu, Kenguroo and Crocodile! Many thanks to Ingrid and Odd Arne from us!! :-)

(I&OA invited us on a 30th birthday dinner in the AMP tower)

(Hyde park at night seen from the AMP tower)

(The city towards Darling Harbour)
The night was completed with a play in the Opera House. A comedy called "Noises Off", very funny. (Not so funny that we were late and had to wait outside the first 15 minutes...)

(Smiling lot after the comedy)

Thursday June 28, 2001

Bus, train and boat day as we got ourselves Day Tripper tickets. First stop Bondi beach, another fantastic beach close to the city. Went for a walk along the cliffs and other fantastic beaches. Then the disaster: OA lost his video camera! We searched with no luck and reported it to the police... Hopefully the insurance will cover for the camera, but the almost full 60 minute tape is probably forever lost :-(
We got to our senses and continued the sightseeing, returned to the harbour and took the CityCat to Parramatta. Lovely boat ride, so many fantastic houses along the shore, and a nice sunset over Parramatta as well. Got a train back from Parramatta (not that much to see there, went on a short, nice walk) and wanted to try the pram and light rail to wrap up the day! Took a ride with the pram, but later learned that it was with invalid tickets. Then I&OA tried the light rail, also on other tickets...