Sydney, Australia

We arrived in Sydney early in the morning and were disappointed that our first glimpses of the city were through rain that persisted the entire day. Not exactly what you think of or expect from Down Under. We spent our first day adjusting to the new time zone and the "normalcy" of being back in a Western country.

One of the main attractions in Sydney is the harbour area with its impressive Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Needless to say we were impressed and tended to end up in that area when we went in to the city. We also took a ferry from the city to Manly to ensure we got to see the bridge and opera house from all angles.

Many of Jo's friends have returned to Australia after spending time in Europe and we caught up with a lot of people while we were there. Jo's good friend, Faith, acted as our host for our time as well as tour guide for many trips around the city. We toured the south of the city stopping at Bondi Beach, one of the most famous in Australia and possibly the world, for lunch and a walk along the coastline.

Being back in a western country was refreshing, although it was not as cheap as we were used to in our previous destinations. Unfortunately, we reached the outer limits of our budget before we reached Australia and so had to shorten our stay to make sure we didn't break the bank completely. In the end, we spent ten days in Australia and vowed to come back with more time and money (and hopefully a stronger US dollar). After a few days in Sydney, headed out to the Blue Mountains to explore the back-country.