As we mentioned earlier, Australia is Bizarro America in many ways. On the first leg of our journey, Cairns reminded me of Florida in some ways, but not until we arrived in Sydney did I believe I was truly in another dimension. Upon arriving at King’s Cross Station M and I found ourselves doing a double take as we walked to our hotel. If you were to pluck someone off the streets of Seattle and drop them in this corner of Sydney, I guarantee they wouldn’t know the difference until they spoke to someone.

M Notes – They would eventually look up an notice the blue sky but the feel of the city is indeed very similar.

Thing is, this wasn’t a bad thing. In fact it proved rather comforting to us over the span of the three days we spent in the city. On paper Sydney stretches out forever, but for tourists the area of downtown is the heart of the action. The area spanning from the Rocks to the Opera House and surrounding gardens proved entertaining for the better part of our first day following our journey up and down the Bridge.

Day Two we took the ferry to Manly Beach to visit an area an old colleague of ours recommended we visit.

Unfortunately Day Three the weather really didn’t cooperate, so we opted to pass in visiting the Taronga Zoo and instead revisited the Rocks to pick up some souvenirs.

Is Sydney an amazing city in terms of culture, heritage, and historical sites?

Ummm, not really…

There are no ancient temples, imperial palaces, or any magical/mystical whatnot.

For us it was a refreshing change of pace as we found Sydney a rather enjoyable/livable city with some beautiful greenery, stunning sites, and friendly people.

All in all it was a great trip. Chickens 1 and 2 challenged themselves quite a bit, ate some excellent food and really enjoyed the feel of Sydney.  If you ever get the chance be sure to go!

Our first morning in Sydney we ventured downtown to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Following a brief orientation that included signing a waiver and taking a breathalyzer test we were outfitted with jumpsuits where everything is strapped or clipped on to you so nothing falls off the bridge. Aside from a fleece, rain-shell, a beanie cap, and gloves, everyone is fitted with a harness to keep you on the bridge. After that you get to climb a few ladders and walkways inside to give you a feel for what you’ll be facing outside, but to be honest nothing prepares you for the reality of the actual climb.

So after 45 minutes of preparation we faced the point of no return as we stepped out on to the underbelly of the bridge. Oddly enough this, for me, was the scariest part. Basically you walk along two narrow planks with nothing but the harbour beneath you while ducking through girders and beams to get to the ladders that take you up. This portion of the climb lasted roughly 10-15 minutes. Following that you have to ascend several flights of ladders as cars and busses rush by.

One step at a time…

It reminded me of what my father told me when he served in the Navy on a helicopter carrier with the stairs leading up to a noisy flight deck and down into the water. But I followed the instructor up and didn’t look back until I was secure with Chicken #2 on the upper level as she followed behind me.

Once we were actually on the upper part of the bridge the rest of the climb was relatively easy. From this vantage point the views were stunning as the entire city unfolded before our eyes. Unfortunately it was at this time the rain really started to pick up. Initially the weather looked promising, but we wisely chose to take along protective gear and were glad as we would have been soaked otherwise.

For roughly an hour we walked up the bridge to the top and then back down all while getting a brief history lesson, some great exercise, and having some photos taken of us.

All in all it was great and we really enjoyed it. Our guide was very entertaining and helpful throughout the entire process; thus making something very scary fairly manageable.

Would we do it again? Sure, but hopefully we’ll get better weather next time!

-T

Next up – Exploring Sydney

Nemo has been found. He was frolicking in a reef about 90 minutes off of Port Douglas, Australia named Playground. He was also spotted later in the Dark Reef. The little guy gets around.

Anyway.

When we first started planning our trip to Australia I put my foot down and demanded a trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

After we were certified in scuba last year, it seemed sacrilegious to be in the area of some of the best diving the world over and not go. So chickens #1 and #2 signed up for two days of scuba diving…then spent two months preparing our wills and gizmo’s custodian ship just in case. Needless to say, we were a little nervous.

Also, apologies for some of the photos – it’s hard to take pictures while floating/breathing underwater/trying to capture moving objects.

For our trip out to the reef we were picked up at 7am and driven about an hour and a half north of Cairns to Port Douglas in order to board the high speed boat that would take us out to the reef. Full of snorkelers, divers and one woman who boarded the boat already holding a sick bag, the Poseidon was a great boat.

T says – Only Meg would book us on a boat called the Poseidon…?!?

M replies – I still have no idea what you are talking about.

A few Dramamine later – for precaution sake – and we were zipping up our wetsuits and strapping on our airtanks.

Bubbles are fun to photograph. And bubbles are pretty much the only thing I got pictures of the first dive as I had to reorient myself into surviving underwater adventures. I should also add, I am making it sound a lot worse then it is but I am, afterall, chicken #2.

Here is a shot of chicken #1 underwater. He asked that i post this lovely photo so no one will doubt he did it.

Here is chicken #2 – confirming that no one looks attractive cold, wet and underwater.

The second dive was much easier and a lot more fun as we quickly remembered what we were doing and I figured out how to use the rental camera.

An important note on the GBR – The big ol’ sharks that eat people don’t hang out there. Prior to taking the plunge we were assured that the only sharks in the reef were the reef sharks who were likely to be under six feet and are most likely to be seen swimming vigorously away as they were the only things more nervous underwater then the two of us.

Lucky for them (us? T’s heart?) we didn’t see any of them. We did see quite a few types of clown fish, coral and all sorts of other fish. If I were a more diligent diver I would be able to name them for you but homework was never really my strength.

Overall, we had a great dive experience and I’d love to go back to a different section and see some sea turtles.

Sadly, we only got the chance to go one day as the morning of our second dive all of our adventures and travel caught up with us. As we were both exhausted we decided a car ride and bumpy boat ride wasn’t the best idea so instead we napped and walked the beach.

Next Up – Sydney and yet another death defying feat (perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you’ll have to wait and see until tomorrow.)

So. Australia. Loved it. Am contemplating moving there.

I suppose the best place to start would be at the beginning and thus, it is from there I shall begin.

We took off on a south bound plane a little over a week ago and after the Qantas safety brochure indicated furbies were not allowed on the plane we immediately knew we were in for an adventure. Seven short hours later (seriously, we consider any air travel under 12 hours to be a quick jaunt these days) we touched down in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. After the second fastest trip through customs ever – South Korea’s 10 minutes from the plane to the curb remains the winner – T ran immediately to the nearest sink to watch the water swirl the other direction. I wish I was kidding but we weren’t through the quarantine zone yet.

Having elected to try something a little different on this trip, we’d elected to stay in a bed and breakfast and were excited to see Julie – one of the owners – patiently waiting for us at the lovely hour of 6am. A short nap later, we were off to a last minute activity – a scenic train ride to a wildlife preserve.

We went over the rivers, through the rainforests and past the waterfalls.

In short, if in Cairns, the scenic tour to Kuranda is a must.

Also a must? The wildlife center in Kuranda.

Now, for those who are planning on going to OZ and have some wildlife cuddling in mind it’s important to note that one can only molest the koalas of Queensland. New South Wales does not allow tourists to handle koalas at all. In Queensland the Koalas on the perserves can be handled 30 minutes a day for three days a week. The other four days they are allowed to do as they wish…a work schedule I could get on board with.

Situated in the middle of a rain forest, Kuranda has three wildlife areas – Butterflies, Birds and creatures you may actually want to touch and a few you might not want to…

Given that I’m not a huge fan of birds and T ran squealing from a butterfly we opted to start with the more approachable animals.

After ample time spent feeding kangaroos and holding a sweet baby koala named prue we also decided to be brave and visited the birds and butterflies. Minimal squealing ensued.

On the way back we opted to take the cable car back through the rain forest. Again, it was beautiful.

Although we were completely exhausted (squealing at harmless butterflies and taking a red eye will do that to you) our first day in Cairns was great! Once we had our feet firmly back on the ground we headed back to the B&B to prepare for our trip to the reef.

Coming Tomorrow – Sharks, Nemo and Dramamine!

Just back from Oz and have lots to share…

First we will clarify who and what we didn’t see:

Olivia Newton John, Crocodile Dundee, Mad Max, the Pope, the Taronga Zoo, Darling Harbour, Bondi Beach, large sea turtles, and sharks.

On the bright side, we did manage to see:

Kangaroos, koalas, crocodiles, the rainforest, lots of coral, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the Rocks, Manly Beach, the Coriolis effect, and tons upon tons of pilgrims from World Youth Day.

We discovered the wonders of ginger beer, passion fruit, custard apples, feeding wallabies, underwater photography, and better understand the dangers of bringing a furby on a Qantas flight.

In summary it was Bizarro World, America upside down both good and bad. Australia is filled with delightful fun loving people who enjoy rugby in the winter, put bacon on everything, somehow afford $3 candy bars, and enjoy watching choir competitions on TV.

If any of this seems interesting or amusing, keep reading as we will provide you all the details in the coming days.