Sydney -> next stop Cairns

Hello Mates . . . and welcome to our "Land Down Under" site! (Just so you know, while I am typing this, Michael is on a computer playing some war game against six other Asian boys. He goes out EVERY night to play this stupid game.)

I think that we chose the best time ever to visit Sydney - that is during the Paralympic Games. It really is such an exciting time to be here. Everywhere you look you see Olympic and Paralympic athletes proudly wearing their country's uniforms, fans waving flags, and souvenir shops selling everything and anything related to the Olympics. Michael and I were even able to attend the Paralympic Games one day. We witnessed an American athlete win the gold metal (and also get the world record) for the 4000 meter run. VIDEO CLIP OF OLYMPICS Joy and Mike at the Paralympic Games Even if the 2000 Olympic Games would not have been in Sydney, we still would have had an amazing time here. Sydney is absolutely incredible! We stayed at a great hotel, "Merchant Court," which is located right in the heart of the city. Even though the city is only 150 years old, there is so much to do! The shopping and restaurants are incredible. The people are so bloody friendly. The public transportation (subways, ferries, and buses) is easy. What more can you want!?! Michael and I were in Sydney for ten days, so we were able to accomplish a lot. The weather was pretty nice, so we were able to walk mostly everywhere. Of coarse, we visited the World famous Sydney Opera House. It is so cool! We tried to purchase tickets for a play called, "Bare," but unfortunately, it was sold our every night.

The World famous Sydney Opera House

We also spent one afternoon climbing the world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. This bridge is the largest single span arch bridge in the world! It is 1,650 feet long, 440 feet high, and 160 feet wide. We were put in a group with ten other people and climbed all the way to the top. The Sydney Harbour Bridge

The bridge climb

We were told that a trip to Sydney without visiting Bondi Beach is not really a trip to Sydney. So, we hopped on the subway, and then took a bus to Bondi Beach. There are tons of restaurants along this beach, so we had lunch at a great place called "Lamrock." The surfing is incredible here as well. The waves are huge! After sun-bathing for awhile, we walked along a path on the cliff to Tamarama Beach and then to Bronte Beach. Joy and Mike at Bondi Beach One part of Sydney that we went to a lot is called "Darling Harbor." One look at this place and it is clear how the harbor got its name. Again, there are tons of cafes and shops here. There is also an IMAX theater here with the world's largest movie screen. We saw a 3-D film on the Galapogos Islands" one night. It is also possible to take lunch, dinner, and harbor cruises here, so Michael and I took a harbor cruise one afternoon. Right in the middle of Darling Harbor is a huge TV screen that showed the Paralympic Games(and I am sure that it also showed the Olympic Games when they were taking place, too.) Tons of people would crowd around the screen daily to watch the games. Darling Harbo Sydney has one of the best zoos (with some of the most exotic animals) that Michael and I have ever seeing! We had to take a ferry (from Circular Quay) to get there! Of coarse the zoo had the usual animals such as lions and tigers and bears, but it also had adorable koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles, platypuses, echidnas, and kookaburras! (I know - I never heard of the last two either, but for some reason, they are really popular here!) Michael caught a Kangaroo! What an adorable Koala!       In addition to all these places, Michael and I took a self-guided walking tour one day through Chinatown, the Royal Botanic Gardens, many memorials such as the Anzac Memorial, many museums such as Hyde Park, beautiful fountains, spectacular cathedrals, libraries, etc. One afternoon we visited the Sydney Jewish Museum which had great exhibits. At night we ventured into other areas for dinner such as "King's Cross" and "The Rocks." We had our Halloween dinner at "Planet Hollywood." And . . . that's about it! Over all, we had a wonderful time in Sydney and definitely recommend it to everyone! We are now off to Cairns, which is in Queensland. We hope that we haveas much fun there as we have had here!

Sydney -> next stop Cairns
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