The Outback Experience

Well we both survived the outback experience which consisted of many different absolutely stunning views, a couple of very demanding hikes up some very rocky and steep paths and roughing it by sleeping in tents with outside bathroom facilities (Sue, no luxury tent accommodations as in Kenya which I am sure Shelly would love to have had here). Each site had very different scenery. Ayers Rock (Uluru) was very stunning as was the Olgas but my favourite was King's Canyon .. Wow!!! The drives were very long between each site we visited. Mornings were up by 5:30, quick breakfast and packing in the dark. The stars were incredible. The last night we sat by the fire (about 20 of us) and of all things roasted marshmallows (very small ones ... had to put at least two on what I would call a very sad looking stick. Would love to have seen more kangaroos (only saw a few) and saw more wild camels and brombies (wild horses). Overall we very much enjoyed our outback experience but are both very happy to be back in Sydney. Alice Springs was nothing special. Very desolate. Alcohol and drugs are a big problem with the aboriginals. In fact, we couldn't purchase any alcohol without showing photo ID which they scanned. Well one more day in Sydney and then we fly home on Tuesday a.m. The time has definitely flown and there are still so many places and things to do but they will have to wait for my next visit. I hope you have all enjoyed my blog. See you all when I am back home. Cheers!

Great Barrier Reef/Daintree Rainforest

Shelly and I are finally back in Sydney after visiting the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest and surving the Outback experience. The Great Barrier Reef was amazing with lots of beautiful fish. It took about an 1 1/2 by boat to get to the reef. It was Shelly's first time snorkelling and she absolutely loved it. I took lots of underwater photos but not sure how good they will turn out as it was a little rough. We snorkelled in three different spots of the reef. The Daintree Rainforest was very lush and interesting. We were in a 4x4 SUV with a family of 3. The driver who was very British was very knowledgeable and passionate about protecting the environment. It was a very full day of seeing many things and places. I would like to have spent more time enjoying these places but there is only so much you can do in a day. Port Douglas where we stayed was a lovely resort town an hour from Cairns. We stayed in a lovely resort not far from the main drag. Anne, the manager was very helpful and organized our airport shuttles, tours of the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest and recommended some restaurants for dinner where we enjoyed some very good meals. Would love to have stayed a little longer.

August 15 - Next Flight

Bright and early tomorrow morning Shelly and I are off to Port Douglas to experience the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Wednesday we continue on to Alice Springs to enjoy a three day outback experience tent and all. Not sure if I will have access to internet so you may not have any updates and/or pictures until we are back on Sunday evening. The days are going to fast. So many more things and places to see but running out of time. Bye for now.

Friday the 13th - Bridge Climb Success

We successfully climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge on of all days Friday the 13th. The day was perfect - blue sky and sunshine but windy. First we walked over the bridge and then we walked through The Rocks to the Bridge Climb office. There we were outfitted with a full suit, wind pants, gloves, hats, fleece jacket (if you needed them). Everything was fastened so that nothing could come loose. Watches and certain earings had to be removed. We each had our own radio set so that we could hear our guide at all times. What a great experience. IT WAS A BREEZE. The view at the top was amazing. You could see the Blue Mountains and Pacific Ocean. We started at 10:15 with an information session and then got dressed for the climb, did the climb and were back down by 2/2:15 p.m. By then we were both starved and stopped to have lunch in the sun by the harbour with the Sydney Opera House in front of us and the Sydney Harbour Bridge behind us. We had some delicious Sydney rock oysters, salt and pepper calamari and chips (as in fries) for Shelly and of course a nice white wine. After lunch we walked around the harbour passed the Opera House through part of the Royal Botanical Gardens. By now it was starting to get dark so we sat down on some rocks to watch the sunset go down behind the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Another beautiful day in paradise.

Trip to Melbourne

Well I’m back after 3 days in Melbourne. The weather is definitely better in Sydney (sunny at least and not raining). I arrived late morning in Melbourne (flew Virgin Blue), checked in to my hotel, rested a bit (dead tired as I was worried I wouldn’t wake up in time to catch my early morning shuttle to the airport so needless to say I woke up hourly) and then caught the free tram to my pickup point for my tour to Phillip Island to see the fairy penguins. Sorry no pictures – we weren’t allowed to take any as they found out that they were going blind from all the camera flashes. You did get to see them up close and they were very cute. It was very cool and windy sitting in the stands waiting for them to walk out of the crashing waves. It was a good thing that Dawn had given me a fleece blanket for my legs and I had also bought a fleece hoodie on the market the other day. The next day (The Great Ocean Road Tour) was amazing as you can see by the pictures. Overall the weather was pretty good until the end when it started to get really stormy and raining. I would love to drive this road again … maybe my next visit back. This morning I lucked out with the weather and had a couple of hours to wonder around Melbourne and check out the sites. Melbourne has some absolutely beautiful buildings. Tomorrow my friend Shelly flies in and I’m really excited. I am going to pick her up at the airport and hopefully the weather is good and we can do a hike around the harbour.

Thanks for all your comments.

Bondi Beach

Well I sure can't complain about the weather. It was too nice of a day to sit around so I met up with Dawn and we took the bus to Bondi Beach, the most famous beach in Sydney and maybe even in Australia. The waves were awesome, some areas of the beach were considered dangerous due to the strong undercurrants and other parts were okay 'surf at your own risk'. Checked out the Paddington market (clothes, jewellery, paintings, etc.) on the way back to Circular Quay. Got back to the apartment in time to see the cruise ship leave the harbour. Tomorrow I have to get ready for my trip to Melbourne.

Blue Mountains

I had an early start to the morning (up at 6 pickup around 7:30) which was good as I just happened to see a cruise ship come in to the harbour. Lucky for me I was able to catch a shuttle for the Blue Moutain tour just ten minutes from the apartment. I picked a perfect day – sunny and blue skies. It took a while before we were actually on our way around 9 a.m. (long story..). Stopped at an awesome lookout, stopped for an early lunch and then went to the Three Sisters Lookout, the start of the climb down. Only 3 of us decided to walk down and then take either the cable car, train or skytrain back up (no way was I climbing back up). It was a very very steep walk down and then we had a 45 minute bushwalk which had some ups and flat (yeah) walking. The views were incredible. You could see for miles. Unfortunately the tour did not include the Olympic Park, Aboriginal rock engravings or a river cruise. It was still a great day. It was the first day I didn’t wear shorts or sandals. It was cooler up in the mountains. Today is another beautiful day and I am going to meet up with Dawn and check out the surfers on Bondi Beach.