Today is our last day of fun in Australia. Tomorrow begins the journey home.

We started off the day bright and early with a hike to watch the sun rise over Uluru and Kata Tjuta – the spiritual icons for the Anangu, the aboriginals who live here.  The sunrise and hike were great, but the amazing number of flies that constantly buzz around your head – they seem to LIKE bug repellant – made it a necessity to constantly swat around your head.  Many of our pictures feature people swatting around their heads!

An afternoon of relaxation and pampering at the hotel spa, and we were ready to head out to the Sounds of Silence dinner and Fields of Light art exhibit.  Great dinner – we tried kangaroo and crocodile! – and a fantastic astronomy talk and beautiful walk through the art exhibit. What a way to end our trip!!

It’s been an amazing trip to this proud, diverse, friendly country.  But we’re definitely ready to go home. See you all soon!

No, we didn’t see a dingo today. But we ARE in the Outback, the great red center of Australia. Where Meryl Streep famously lost her baby to a dingo. This area is also home to 4 of the 10 deadliest snakes in the world and the second largest lizard in the world. No, we didn’t see any of those either, and let’s hope it stays that way.

Today, we traveled to Ayers Rock, home of Uluru, the spiritual center of the Australian Aboriginals. Ulura is a massive red rock rising off the desert floor; it’s the second largest monolith in the world (the largest is somewhere west of here). We checked into our very nice hotel and rested up a bit. It’s hot here, but “it’s a dry heat so it’s not as bad.” Why do people say that? It’s still freaking hot. Our room is really nice, with a beautiful balcony. I’m not sure when we’re going to use it (see previous comment about it being hot). Supposed to be 104 tomorrow.

We took in the massive monolith and a few other local sights via a sunset tour on camels. So, riding a camel is basically like riding a bigger horse. They’re pretty docile, just plodding along in a line since they’re tied to each other. Mine was named Nicko and mom’s was Kahn. The sunset was pretty, but I’ve seen better in OK and TX. Of course, riding through the Outback adds a certain mystique.

We have an early morning tomorrow, so that’s it for tonight. Yawo.

Today we visited the Kuranda Rainforest, and we got there and back through a variety of modes of transportation.

On the way up, we rode the Kuranda Scenic Railway, a narrow gauge train that winds up through the rainforest to the little village of Kuranda. Along the way, there’s a little waterfall that’s pretty impressive and (what’s supposed to be) a big waterfall that’s not so impressive. In any case, the ride is pleasant and the scenery beautiful and peaceful.

The little village of Kuranda is a bit of a tourist trap, but we had fun wandering the shops. Until I didn’t feel so well. It was so flippin’ hot up there – 95-degrees with high humidity – and not an air conditioner in sight. We chatted with the local artists, and bought a few of their wares. Then it was time to head back down the mountain by gondola. We were HIGH above the treetops.

A fun but hot day and another great experience Down Under.

My mom has always been full of advice delivered in idioms. A few of her favorites:

• If it’s meant to be, it will be.
• That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
• If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Today, she was the embodiment of this third one. We spent the day on the Great Barrier Reef. First of all, can I just say — amazing. I’ve snorkeled in several places in this big ole world, and this is by far the most amazing, vibrant, lush experience ever. Yes, some of the reef is dying and it’s noticeable. I’d say it’s about 25% or less. The dive guides explained this is a natural part of the life of the reef, although it has sped up in recent years. Still, most of the reef is full of life. It’s colorful – the coral is bright yellow, electric blue, hot pink, white, lime green, and purple. There are plenty of beautiful fish, including all of the Finding Nemo fish. We saw HUGE clams, along with turtles and reef sharks. The tiniest little minnow-like fish and really big grouper-looking fish.

Our guides were fantastic. We made two stops to snorkel at different parts of the refund went on a glass-bottom boat tour to see yet a third part of the reef. But the real story of the day is mom’s courage to try again even after her first snorkeling experience ever – at 70 (go mom!) – wasn’t the best. I was so proud of her for getting right back out there at the second stop and this time, getting. It. Done.

A note about the pics – we had to wear stinger suits cause box jellyfish, which are apparently very dangerous, are out this time of year. We didn’t run into any that we know of, but if we had, our suits would have saved us!

So… I took a day off from the blog yesterday.  We flew from Sydney to Cairns (3-hour flight), checked into our hotel, walked down the boardwalk to get a late lunch and, exhausted from our go-go-go schedule and the 100-degree heat, took a nap and ordered room service for dinner.

Cue today.

Our first full day in Cairns was filled with highs and culture. We so fancy.

We started off the day super early – we got up with a 3 at the front of the number on the clock to make our 4:30 pickup for a hot air balloon ride. An hour ride north up a winding mountain road, and we came to a field where four huge balloons were being inflated. Ours, we were told, was the second-largest balloon in the Southern Hemisphere. So there’s that.

The balloon ride itself was amazing. Beautiful views, watching the sun rise over the mountains, and kangaroos – who are plentiful, like deer at home – hopping across the fields and woods. After the balloon ride we went to a gorgeous resort called Palm Cove for a champagne breakfast as part of our tour. Wonderful meal with a beautiful view. I fell in love with coconut jam.

Our next stop was the Tjupakai Cultural Center, which was kind of like the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. There were shows and demonstrations, and we got to throw spears and boomerangs. I ruled at both; maybe I was a warrior in a previous life? Mom was not so good at either (although I was pretty proud that she got in and out of the balloon basket on her own – a rule they have, and she aced it both ways! Go mom!).

Our final stop was back at the hotel, where we put our pinkies in the air for high tea. The service was awful, but the food and drinks were pretty darn good. I had a champagne high tea (natch) while mom opted for the traditional with actual tea. Our favorite high tea food was the scone with jam and clotted cream. Yum!

A bit of shopping – including grabbing bread, cheese, salami and wine again for dinner in our room – and we’re back in the room for the night. It’s so darn HOT here – heat index hovering around 100 degrees – that we are exhausted by mid-late afternoon.

Another day, another snotty comment about Donald Trump by a non-American. I mean, I understand the comments at home, but c’mon people! The US isn’t your country or Trump your president, and many world leaders have their own issues and baggage (I’m lookin’ at you, Canada). I’m trying to enjoy my vacation and don’t need you making snide comments about MY president. So far, I’ve managed to hold my tongue, and my intention is to continue to do so.

Oh, one final thing – they use GPS to fly balloons now. Where’s the romance in that?

Yawo.
(our Tjupakai guide’s aboriginal language word for goodbye)

Today, our last day in Sydney, we just chilled out. Breakfast outside in a small cafe in Hyde Park, a wander through the Hyde Park Barracks Museum and St. Mary’s Cathedral, and a bit of shopping.  Now, we’re getting ready to head to the opera house for a tour, a sampling menu in the Opera Bar overlooking Sydney Harbour, and then the main event — La Boheme in the main hall at the iconic Sydney Opera House.

A couple of highlights from today:

First, I tried vegemite at breakfast. It’s OK. Consistency of Nutella. Color of, well, shit. Salty and really not a lot of taste, in my opinion. It won’t be a regular thing on my plate.

Hyde Park Barracks Museum is great. It’s where every convict sent from Great Britain had to land in order to be given a job and a living arrangement, and be tried and sentenced if they commit a crime while in Australia. It’s also where women who traveled here – to meet husbands or parents sent here, or just to seek a new life — had to stay for a while until a proper place could be found for them (cause, you know, they couldn’t be trusted to handle themselves, apparently). In later years, it became an asylum and then a home for old women and then a public office complex. It’s been lovingly restored and tells the stories of the tens of thousands of people who came to Sydney in the 1800s, either by choice or not. The stories of those who passed through here are told so well and, as you’re given a chance to lie in their beds and hammocks and try on their clothes (I mean, I get that they’re not their REAL clothes, but still…), you can feel their stories and spirits throughout the barracks. Like phantoms.

St. Mary’s Cathedral is beautiful. Serene. Gorgeous grounds.

Opera was amazing. I DID NOT fall asleep this time.  Here we are just before it started.

First, get your minds out of the gutter. I try to come up with catchy titles that describe our day and maybe have double meanings. I know you and what you’re thinking with today’s title. Totally what I was going for. 🙂

Random pub we walked by.

Today, we took a tour up to the Hunter Valley Wine Region. The first stop for our merry band of 14, including driver Sam, was the Walkabout Wildlife Park. This was how I found out about this tour, actually. I googled where I could pet a koala, and this park came up. Being about 1.5 hours out of Sydney, my next quest was how to get there. Which led me to this fantastic tour — petting koalas, wine and chocolate tasting, being driven around all day. I’m in!

As we were driving north through Sydney to start our tour, our driver asked us to fill out a form with a bit of information, and then awkwardly began talking about how the tour company had experienced some trouble recently with tourists discussing a certain subject, and how with wine and beer involved during the day, a few of the discussions had become heated and almost led to fistfights. He asked us to read this form (shown at right) he would pass around and follow the request.

The wildlife park was amazing. We were about 10 steps in when we spotted our first free-roaming kangaroos. Our guide told us we were free to pet them, but that we should always approach from the side or back.

We took lots of photos of ourselves petting the kangaroos, and even a photo of a mom nursing a Joey, although her warning look was enough to keep me about 10 feet away to take my photos! And we saw a Joey in the pouch. We also got to pet a cute little koala bear, which was so stinkin’ cute and looked just like a teddy bear, and was very patient as we all took turns petting her and taking pictures. I wanted to see the Tasmaninan Devils, as I’ve never seen one in real life. We wandered over to their enclosure and got lucky to see them in the daylight as they are nocturnal creatures.

Our next stops were all about sampling – in order – chocolate, wine, cheese, wine and beer. All fantastic and fun stops. The people here are very genuine and kind, and always want to make sure you’re having a good time.

Mom and I bought a bottle of wine, bread, cheese, salami, olives and chocolate along the way, and had a nice dinner in our hotel room while watching a movie. Great end to a great day!

Bonus – terrible cheese and beer jokes courtesy of our driver, Sam:

• Why didn’t the cheese want to be sliced? Because he had grater plans.
• I’ll tell you a beer joke when you yeast expect it.
• What did the magician say when he completed his trick? Chedd-ah!
• Be careful. The more you eat, the feta you get.

My mom used to wake up me and my sister by saying “rise and shine” in a sing-songy voice that was like fingernails on a chalkboard to my teenage ears. Fast forward 20 years, and I did the same – with glee – to my kids. This morning, I had the pleasure of saying it to my mom to wake her up. Ah, karma.

Anyhoo, speaking of “shine,” today mom and I did the Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach walk. About 5 miles of beautiful coastline. We had lots of shine – and more rain than we would have liked. There were moments on this path that we were struggling against a strong wind, and moments where the sun came out and made the rocky landscape around us absolutely gorgeous. And then there was the moment we were walking through a cemetery and it started raining HARD. The wind was blowing the rain sideways, so we sought shelter next to a mausoleum with a bunch of German tourists. We were all in it together and had a good laugh. They didn’t seem to speak much English but one proudly said “all done” when the rain slowed to a sprinkle.

There is a “thing” here where they build seawater swimming pools right next to the coastline at just above sea level. These swimming clubs are incredibly popular. We saw several along the walk, and most were filled with people doing laps and little children learning to swim. Given that the ocean along this stretch is fearsome – mom asked it, “why are you so angry?” – I can see why they choose to swim close to the ocean, but not in it.

We had dinner again with Susie and Krysten. Italian this time. Absolutely fantastic food and a fun conversation.

As gift to our tired feet, today we did the hop on/hop off bus that took us all around Sydney and out to Bondi Beach.  The weather was gorgeous so sitting on the top of the double decker bus was a treat!  We saw many beautiful sights along the way, and decided to get off here and there. Our most notable stop was the

famous Bondi Beach, where we saw insanely tall waves and, owing to the high winds, ate some sand and got a Bondi Beach-style microdermabrasion treatment! We grabbed a bite to eat and a glass of wine at The Bucket List, which cracked us up.  THAT’s checked off our list!

We topped off the day with a dinner with Susie Howey and her daughter, Krysten. Susie and I worked together for many years. Imagine  our surprise when we learned we’d be in Sydney at exactly the same time! Japanese food, and plenty of wine and laughs, topped off by a nitrogen cooled “dragon’s egg” for dessert – fun!

After 19 hours on two planes and a harrowing plane change in LA, Mom and I spent our first full day in Australia wandering Sydney. We walked nearly 8 miles, wandering the Royal Botanical Gardens and taking in the iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Our feet hurt, we’re exhausted and we’re pretty sure we’ll be sore tomorrow, but we’re super excited to be here.

I’m trying out Instagram for the first time on this trip. Follow me at thebikerswife for instant Sydney photo gratification.