Hello everyone!
My office was closed for three days for Chinese New Year so Zack and I took the opportunity to plan a trip out of town. We originally wanted to go somewhere in Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand) but it proved difficult to get good flights and we were concerned that everything in those countries would be closed for Lunar New Year. So we decided to head south instead and booked a trip to Sydney, Australia.
Since I was a little girl, I have loved koalas. One of my favorite Christmas gifts when I was young, was a stuffed koala from FAO Schwartz. I was so happy when I got that. (PS I still have it!). There is a small zoo located in Darling Harbor called Sydney Wildlife Park. They only have creatures that are native to Australia. On weekends, they have Breakfast with Koalas. You arrive at the park at 7:15 AM and get a tour of the zoo before it opens. They have a rooftop cafe where you have breakfast and then you get to pet a koala and have your picture taken with them. This was awesome.
Here's a few more koala pictures for you to enjoy before I move on to other things :)
We got to see two Tasmanian devils, a wombat, a bunch of kangaroos and wallabies, the largest crocodile in captivity, kookaburras and a variety of lizards, birds and snakes. We were particularly fond of the wombat and the Tasmanian devils.
It was a beautiful summer day and we spent the afternoon walking around Sydney and taking in the beautiful sights.
That evening, we had signed up to do the Sydney Bridge Climb at sunset. This is an experience where you get to climb up on the top of the Sydney Bridge (attached of course) and see the city from the top. It sounded a little scary but also really cool. We arrived at the center for our 5:45 climb. It takes about an hour to go through the safety rules, sign the requisite waiver and get geared up for the climb. You've got a jumpsuit (very attractive - NOT), headset/radio, gear belt, and head lamp. It had started to drizzle a bit, so we were fitted with rain gear as well. Off we went...
You start by walking along the underneath of the bridge for quite a while.
You then reach the stone pylons and start up the ladder to get to the arch. Climbing the ladder was a little scary - it's straight up and switches from side to side - so you have to transition back and forth several times and if you look down, you see the water.
I was happy when I got to the top of the ladder! You then find your self at the base of the arch which is really cool. By this point, the rain had picked up and it was quite windy. As we waited for the rest of our group to get up the ladder, I saw lightning off in the distance. Shortly after that, they announced that we needed to head back down and seek shelter in the pylons until the storm passed. We waited for about 45 minutes, during which time, the storm got worse and ultimately, we were not allowed to go back out. So unfortunately, our Bridge Climb was not completed. We were lucky that we at least got to get out onto the arch, even if it was only for a few minutes. We did get a full refund though since we were not able to reschedule.
See the people in the picture below - This is about as far as we got... but imagine, dark, rainy sky with occasional flashes of lightning behind us instead.
This should have been us :(
The second day, we set out to explore more of the city. Sydney is a beautiful city that has a lot of historical buildings alongside new modern buildings. Our first stop was The Strand. This is a Victorian style shopping arcade that was built in 1891. It now includes high-end stores selling goods from local Australian fashion designers.
The next stop was the Queen Victoria Building. This building, built in 1898 also includes many fashion stores and cafes. There are two large clocks inside that have diorama scenes depicting events from Australian history. The architectural details were really beautiful in this building.
There was a large hobby store that Zack was loving! You really don't see this type of store anymore and it was a hobbyist's dream come true. I was quite taken with the Yoda hat.
Since the weather wasn't that great, we thought we'd visit the aquarium to see the platypus. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea! We got there and it was mobbed so we decided to pass. Maybe next time...
Plan B:
On our last day, we took a taxi out to Bronte Beach. There is a cliff walk along the Tasman Sea that we wanted to do. We did a two mile section of the walk from Bronte Beach to Bondi Beach. It was spectacular. The weather wasn't that great - intermittent showers - but it was totally worth it.
On our last night, we went back down to the harbor to get some more pictures.
We are now back in Hong Kong and counting down our last two weeks. I am done with work and will now use up my vacation carryover from last year before we head home. My parents arrived on the 14th and will be here for a week. The four of us are heading to Beijing next week for a few days to see the highlights of the city. The smog there has been tremendously bad for quite a while so I'm a bit concerned about that. My first task upon landing there will be to get a bedazzled mask to wear to protect my lungs!
My office was closed for three days for Chinese New Year so Zack and I took the opportunity to plan a trip out of town. We originally wanted to go somewhere in Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand) but it proved difficult to get good flights and we were concerned that everything in those countries would be closed for Lunar New Year. So we decided to head south instead and booked a trip to Sydney, Australia.
Since I was a little girl, I have loved koalas. One of my favorite Christmas gifts when I was young, was a stuffed koala from FAO Schwartz. I was so happy when I got that. (PS I still have it!). There is a small zoo located in Darling Harbor called Sydney Wildlife Park. They only have creatures that are native to Australia. On weekends, they have Breakfast with Koalas. You arrive at the park at 7:15 AM and get a tour of the zoo before it opens. They have a rooftop cafe where you have breakfast and then you get to pet a koala and have your picture taken with them. This was awesome.
Here's a few more koala pictures for you to enjoy before I move on to other things :)
We got to see two Tasmanian devils, a wombat, a bunch of kangaroos and wallabies, the largest crocodile in captivity, kookaburras and a variety of lizards, birds and snakes. We were particularly fond of the wombat and the Tasmanian devils.
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| Tasmanian Devil!! |
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| Wallaby |
 |
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| Kookaburra |
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| Wombat - he was really fun to watch! |
It was a beautiful summer day and we spent the afternoon walking around Sydney and taking in the beautiful sights.
That evening, we had signed up to do the Sydney Bridge Climb at sunset. This is an experience where you get to climb up on the top of the Sydney Bridge (attached of course) and see the city from the top. It sounded a little scary but also really cool. We arrived at the center for our 5:45 climb. It takes about an hour to go through the safety rules, sign the requisite waiver and get geared up for the climb. You've got a jumpsuit (very attractive - NOT), headset/radio, gear belt, and head lamp. It had started to drizzle a bit, so we were fitted with rain gear as well. Off we went...
You start by walking along the underneath of the bridge for quite a while.
You then reach the stone pylons and start up the ladder to get to the arch. Climbing the ladder was a little scary - it's straight up and switches from side to side - so you have to transition back and forth several times and if you look down, you see the water.
I was happy when I got to the top of the ladder! You then find your self at the base of the arch which is really cool. By this point, the rain had picked up and it was quite windy. As we waited for the rest of our group to get up the ladder, I saw lightning off in the distance. Shortly after that, they announced that we needed to head back down and seek shelter in the pylons until the storm passed. We waited for about 45 minutes, during which time, the storm got worse and ultimately, we were not allowed to go back out. So unfortunately, our Bridge Climb was not completed. We were lucky that we at least got to get out onto the arch, even if it was only for a few minutes. We did get a full refund though since we were not able to reschedule.
See the people in the picture below - This is about as far as we got... but imagine, dark, rainy sky with occasional flashes of lightning behind us instead.
This should have been us :(
The second day, we set out to explore more of the city. Sydney is a beautiful city that has a lot of historical buildings alongside new modern buildings. Our first stop was The Strand. This is a Victorian style shopping arcade that was built in 1891. It now includes high-end stores selling goods from local Australian fashion designers.
 |
| I want a Dame Edna cake for my next birthday please!! |
The next stop was the Queen Victoria Building. This building, built in 1898 also includes many fashion stores and cafes. There are two large clocks inside that have diorama scenes depicting events from Australian history. The architectural details were really beautiful in this building.
 |
| Cool dragon display for Chinese New Year |
There was a large hobby store that Zack was loving! You really don't see this type of store anymore and it was a hobbyist's dream come true. I was quite taken with the Yoda hat.
Since the weather wasn't that great, we thought we'd visit the aquarium to see the platypus. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea! We got there and it was mobbed so we decided to pass. Maybe next time...
Plan B:
On our last day, we took a taxi out to Bronte Beach. There is a cliff walk along the Tasman Sea that we wanted to do. We did a two mile section of the walk from Bronte Beach to Bondi Beach. It was spectacular. The weather wasn't that great - intermittent showers - but it was totally worth it.
On our last night, we went back down to the harbor to get some more pictures.
We are now back in Hong Kong and counting down our last two weeks. I am done with work and will now use up my vacation carryover from last year before we head home. My parents arrived on the 14th and will be here for a week. The four of us are heading to Beijing next week for a few days to see the highlights of the city. The smog there has been tremendously bad for quite a while so I'm a bit concerned about that. My first task upon landing there will be to get a bedazzled mask to wear to protect my lungs!
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