Last Day in Sydney

Well, our old friend, rain, returned to wish us farewell and put a damper on our last day in Sydney. But we had a plan in our back pocket for today - the last attraction from the sightseeing combo pack we purchased on the first rain day. So after breakfast we headed straight for the wildlife park. The best part about it was that it was A. Indoors and B. had one of the largest crocodiles in Australia - or so they say. It was rather large (looked about 8 or 10 feet long) and was in a water tank right next to the glass for added effect and intrigue. Besides the croc (and the nice shot I got of the kookaburra), it was pretty unremarkable. I had already been to a wildlife park in Currumbin in the Gold Coast recently and (besides the huge croc) felt that the previous park was much better. What can beat petting and feeding kangaroos?
















There was supposed to be an Indonesian festival in a nearby park, but I guess it was cancelled due to the rain, because we couldn't find it anywhere. We did stumble upon a skateboarding competition, though, and that held our interest for a few minutes anyway.

We had planned on visiting some local Saturday markets, but that would have required some walking and bus riding, so we were afraid we'd run out of time doing that one, so we basically just needed to kill some time before heading to the airport. So for the first time since we've been here, we actually went to a Starbucks. They are pretty few and far between here, but for us it was a nice change of pace from the usual coffee shops here, which don't seem to be as comfy and inviting as the coffee shops back in the States. They're not usually set up for long-term visitors, don't have internet access, and have basically a fast food sort of comfort level. So since we needed to just chill for awhile, Starbucks was the best choice. They appear to be almost exactly the same as we're used to, only better food snack choices, such as the local fare of sausage rolls, yum!

Then we headed to the airport and decided to eat lunch there for convenience. There wasn't much to choose from, of course - it is an airport, but I found one of my new fast food favorites - kebabs (of course pronounced kah-babs - like crab, not kah-bobs). And they are not meat on a stick, as you would think. They're actually gyro meat and you choose your toppings, whether salad (lettuce, tomato, onions, etc) and sauces (tahini, hummus, chili, etc.). My favorite combo is donor kebab (beef and lamb) with hummus and garlic sauce (no salad of course). Then they fold them up like an open-ended burrito and toast them. They come out warm and wonderful and the donor kebabs are very flavorful with distinct lamb flavor. They've almost replaced my Chipotle burrito cravings - almost! They are at least a decent substitute, but lack the free range, hormone-free consciousness of Chipotle.

Overall I really liked Sydney. I thought the people there were surprising friendly and I loved the multiculturalism, history, and culture missing in the Gold Coast. If I had visited earlier, I might have even been looking for a job there this whole time!

Sydney Day 4

Undoubtedly, the highlight of our 4th day in Sydney was visiting Bondi Beach. It's apparently one of the most famous beaches in the world, and definitely the most famous Australian beach. Plus, when we're really bored at home, we often watch this TV show that follows actual Bondi Beach lifeguards as they save lives, find parents of lost kids, or just goof off. So I had to see it in real life, being this close. I was surprised that it's actually much nicer than it looks on the TV show. I guess it's hard to see its beauty between the shots of overcrowded beach sand and recently saved tourists puking. Since it's the off-season and a little chilly, there wasn't a huge number of people around and many of them looked like locals. The beach is surrounded by beautiful rock escarpments and hills of really nice apartments, which are reminiscent of European or Mediterranean beach towns. There were supposed to be some Aboriginal rock carvings near the beach, but we couldn't find them. But we were able to get some warmth and sunshine, so it was a nice relaxing retreat from the city.

We went up to North Sydney and stopped by Luna Park on the way back home. It's just a little open (free entry) Theme Park, kinda like Coney Island, only much nicer. I love the entrance because it looks kinda creepy. Must be short for Lunatic Park.



I was hoping to see the Sydney Opera House all lit up at night, but I guess they reserve the really bright lights for nights when there are events there, which I don't blame them for, really. It would be a total waste of electricity to light it up every night. But it was still pretty!

Sydney Day 3

Our third day in Sydney was pretty cruisey. The rain stayed away for the most part; we only got drizzled on a couple of times. We started off with a relaxing ferry ride from Darling Harbour to the Circular Quay, which is just by the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the magnificent Sydney Opera House. (I can’t wait to see it all lit up at night now)



Then we did a lot of walking around the central business district, through a really cool shopping mall – which if you know me, must have been really cool because I don’t use those words ever in conjunction with the words “shopping mall.” The mall is inside this really old building – must be historic – with mosaic floors, beautiful staircases, and ancient looking elevators. It was fun just to walk through it.



On our walk, we also went up the Sydney tower to take in the view from above. That always puts things in perspective – Sydney is huge, but really well laid out.



We ate out twice today, once at an awesome and inexpensive Indian Pakistani restaurant and once at a Greek one, where I had my beloved lamb shanks yet again! Haha! Yes, I’m obsessed.

But the best part of the day was finally getting feedback from a phone interview I had a few weeks ago. Apparently, I didn’t get the job I interviewed for, but I was the second choice and they have a very similar job I’m merit listed for. So apparently, they’ll be flying me up to Gladstone (where the boats take off for the Great Barrier Reef dives) for a sort of second interview. This is very exciting and I’m glad my Buddhist-like job-hunting patience may actually be paying off!

Sydney Day 2

Unfortunately, the forecast was accurate and we woke up to massive rain. So we spent the better part of the morning making breakfast and researching indoor activities. Thanks to my favorite Lonely Planet guide, I found tons of stuff to do. This one I found entertaining to read… of the trio of types of persons visiting the baths, I thought the last was interesting!! Funny!

McIvers Baths
Perched against the cliffs at the southern end of Coogee is the womens only McIvers Baths. Well screened from passers-by, this spot has been popular for women's bathing since before 1876. Its strictly women-only policy has made it popular with an unlikely mixture of nuns, Muslim women and lesbians. Entry is via the honesty/donation system and small children are permitted.

The first thing we did was head to the Sydney Fish Market, which was really close to the apartment. It was full of wonderfully beautiful and relatively inexpensive fresh seafood. We were drooling over it and by this time it was lunchtime anyway, so we had lunch there. I got the battered snapper fish n chips and Theo got the whole grilled snapper, yum!



Then we walked around the neighborhood to get a lay of the land and find a coffee shop. We had a relaxing coffee and debated what to do next because it made the most sense to see the nearby aquarium and “Wildlife World” even though Theo and I aren’t huge fans of the animals in captivity circuit. We got combo tickets so we could do the aquarium today and the wildlife part the next time it rains. It was nice and relaxing, and most importantly, dry.



When we got out, it was still pouring down rain, so we strolled around a shopping complex and finally decided to dry out our clothes at the apartment. For dinner, we went to an Irish pub in the Haymarket district where I had some delicious lamb shanks. Oh how I love my lamb. On the way home we strolled through Chinatown for a little while, found some cheap yummy desserts and proceeded to get soaked once again on the walk home. Here's a funny area we found with all these custom-type photo booths... every single one of these...and there were tons more... haha!



All in all it was a good day, but could have been much dryer! I’m drying out again and Theo’s watching the State of Origin rugby league game right now (Queensland versus New South Wales), so he’s a pretty happy camper as well ☺

It looks like the weather may clear up by Friday, but in the meantime, back to indoor sightseeing...

Sydney Day 1

We decided to spend a few days in Sydney this week, for multiple reasons, but mainly because we’re meeting up with a friend of Theo’s that he hasn’t seen in awhile. It was the perfect excuse for an excursion, since we haven’t really been anywhere since we arrived in Australia. We found really cheap tickets with Virgin Blue Airlines, which seems like a good airline, except for maybe their questionable airplane art.



So we hit the skies today and this was the first time I’ve seen the Gold Coast Airport since I got here. Thanks to Theo’s foresight, we packed everything in backpacks instead of suitcases, that way we could actually walk to the airport since we live so close. It only takes about 15 minutes. It’s a cute little airport, the sort where the waiting area is at ground level. There are floor-to-ceiling windows, giving a nice view of the adjacent tropical-tree covered hills, which is relaxing in between the fleeting thoughts of the planes possibly forgetting to brake, coming straight through the glass. But I’m sure that never happens. ☺

It was a short one-hour flight to Sydney. Even though I had looked at the public transportation maps ahead of time on the internet, it was still pretty confusing figuring out the Airport Train, versus the regular trains, then there’s monorail and trams. But we finally found our hotel, with the help of a nice stranger who recognized our lost tourist look. We can see the downtown Sydney skyline from our hotel room, as well as Darling Harbour.

My first impression of Sydney is that I’m really going to like it. It has lots of old brick buildings, which is almost enough to satisfy me alone (I don’t know what it is, but brick buildings are like a big warm hug to me)… and just that big city funkiness that is just in the air. With my super-sleuth travel planning skills, I had found an awesome hotel deal near Darling Harbour. The hotel is fantastic, much more so than I expected. It looks like it was warehouse in its former life and has a floor plan similar to some loft apartments I’ve seen in Kansas City. I had booked a “studio” which was supposed to have a “kitchenette” (so we could save a little on breakfasts) and when we arrived, we found out it’s an actual one-bedroom apartment with the bedroom separate, a full bathroom with tub AND washer and dryer, and a kitchen/living room combo with couch and kitchen table. The kitchen has pretty much everything you’d need: cooking supplies, dishes, a full size refrigerator, microwave, stove/oven, even a dishwasher. My sweet internet deal was even sweeter than I imagined!



So we ran up the street to the supermarket, bought a bunch of supplies, and Theo cooked dinner for us, his friend and his wife. It was really nice to have a relaxing dinner at “home” with them. It was much cozier (and cheaper!) than if we went out to a restaurant.

Tomorrow, off to see the sights!

Currumbin Wildlife

I had been wanting to got the local Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary since we touched down and I realized it existed. We pass it all the time, going up and down the Gold Coast. So our friend Ruana invited me to go last Friday with her and her two extremely cute daughters.

The sanctuary had everything, an aviary, crocodiles, koalas, emus, kangaroos, tasmanian devils, dingoes, lizards, turtles, fish, you name it! Even things I'd never heard of...




They had lots of animal shows - bird shows, croc shows, aboriginal dance shows and tons more. The only one we made it to was the bird show. Many of them swooped down over the audience, causing nearly everyone to duck every time. The most impressive was the eagle, which had a ginormous wingspan. I was kinda too busy to get a good look at it, as I was holding on to one of our little girls, afraid she might get carried off by the beast!! ha! I'll definitely have to go back and see more shows.

Of course there were the usual photo traps... Just take a picture with the animal!! (only it will cost you an arm and a leg to buy one...) The only one I took was with the eagle... I just wanted to get close to it. I left the picture for someone else to buy. They had koala photos, croc photos, and lorikeet photos... did anyone else know there are "lorikeets"? I had only heard of parakeets. I guess they're all in the parrot family.

Huge lizards live there (as they live everywhere I suppose), just roaming around as they please. One crossed our walking path at one point. I had to be 2 or 3 feet long. Ruana told me a story about she brought Leilani there for a birthday party once. They were sitting at the picnic table eating and the lizards came out of the woodwork and gathered under the table waiting for food. She said everyone was freaked out, lifted their feet off the ground the whole time. I'm glad I'm as freaked out by them as the locals are!



The best part was the kangaroo feeding! You can buy the familiar little bags of pelletized food and walk into a large area where the kangaroos live. I couldn't believe they'd actually let you get that close to them. But after a while, I realized that they must be the 'roos that have lived with humans all their lives, because they were so docile! They were like that ancient family dog that has been through so many kids crawling all over it, it just sleeps right through everything. That's how the kangaroos were. They're very soft and there actually were little kids all over them and hugging them. It was so cute. They were mostly just snoozing in the sun, bellies full from tourists feeding them. The only ones that were actually hungry were the nursing mom 'roos. It was really cool to see the joeys in their pouches so close up!

When life gives you lambs, make... um... lamb-everything!!!

I've been a huge fan of lamb since I first tried it as a kid at a fancy dinner my Mom took me to at Spiro's Greek restaurant in St Louis. It was some kind of work-related dinner for a doctor she worked with. The doctor suggested the restaurant's specialty lamb shank dish. I had never tried lamb before, but became instantly obsessed with it. From then on out, when asked, it was the restaurant I always requested for birthday dinners and other special events.

So when we moved to the land of plentiful lamb, I was unbelievably excited! Here lamb costs the same or less than beef, so we now make it 2 or 3 times a week. My favorite cut is still the shank, but roasts are also nice and cost-effective. I've never liked the chops - too fatty, or the rack - too dry, but I suppose if you make them right, they could be nice.

I'm still working on my own lamb cooking techniques myself. For the roasts, we usually do a honey mustard marinade, or just salt/pepper/rosemary combo. I've only tried cooking the shanks once, even though I love them so much. Most of the time we just forget to stop by the butchery (which is silly since there are butcheries everywhere here, even the nicest of shopping malls). When I did attempt the shanks, I followed a lovely recipe calling for basics such as garlic, white wine, tomatoes, chicken stock and orzo. Instead of orzo, I used brown rice, which was perfect really. I must have set the initial temp too high, because the lamb was a little burnt on the outside, but it was actually moist on the inside, so I nearly nailed this one. I think I'll get it right next time.



The roasts nearly always turn out awesome and since Theo is a natural curry guru, it can be the gift that keeps on giving. He'll either make one of his awesome curries with the leftovers or just throw them into a stir-fry the next day. So when one door closes (i.e. Mexican food), often another opens!