Day 1 in Sydney

Day 1 is coming to a close! Katie and I are *so* tired, but our roomie Daren is right, we need to stay up til 10 or 11. Right now we're at the internet cafe that's just 30 yards or less from our hostel.

Last night: First, the 14 hour flight here was *not* bad at all. I watched a movie and a half, read over our Sydney travel books again, slept off and on, and before you knew it, we were there! I had a window seat, Katie was beside me, and a really nice and funny gentleman Ken sat beside Katie. Ken made us laugh so much before the plane took off and he really helped us feel at ease. Ken, if you're reading this, thanks for helping make the flight so enjoyable!

There were only 2 immigration officials for all of us with passports for a country other than OZ and NZ. After waiting our turns ever so graciously, we were through to baggage claim, and then on to declare the little bit of food we had with us -- they took my apple away! :-( After waiting 30 minutes or so for the shuttle to get started, we were off to our hostel where we kind of woke up our roommates O:-) They've been great roomies so far, totally laidback, easy going, and with the "No worries" attitude that defines Australia. If I had $1 for every time someone said "No worries" while I was here, I'd be doing quite well :-)

Katie and I were up for good by 4am or so, and at 5 we made our way downstairs to check email on the one free machine at the hostel and then ate breakfast around 7 (mom, you'll be shocked, because I had white bread for the first time in YEARS -- it's what they had), before getting ready to head out for the day. We planned on going to Bondi Beach today, but the guy at reception mentioned that there was a food and wine festival in Manly, and Manly Beach is a place we wanted to go anyway. We started up Elizabeth Street, made our way to George Street, and then went down to Circular Quay (pronounced "Key" by people we've met so far), the wharf where ferries and cruises depart. Roundtrip to Manly was just over $12, and the ride over was so enjoyable. We took lots of pictures of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge along the way. The waters grew rough as we approached the waters between the North and South Heads, the areas of land that kind of mark the harbor from the ocean, I believe. The ferry was rocking back and forth -- I took a video I'll have to post when I get home!

Manly was *beautiful*. We walked amidst the vendors for the fair, who were selling plates with samples of food from their restaurant for $10-11. Wine was $2 per sample, after you purchased the $5 glass. After strolling through the festival and shops, we walked the length of Manly Beach and marveled at the number of surfers in the water. It is *so* cold here right now! I know it's winter, but usually it's not this rainy, dreary, windy, and cold. Katie and I actually bought a scarf for $1.99, the cheapest thing we've bought so far ;-) After listening to some live music (bagpipes and then a local band), we took the ferry back to Sydney. The waves again proved to be strong, and the unlucky people sitting outside for the views got drenched when a wave washed up on the ferry!

When we returned to Sydney, we walked down Pitt Street for ages, trying to find Coles, the grocery store we had been told about. Bananas are $11/kg!!! Just four bananas cost us over $8 tonight, but hey, we need and love our fruit! Mom, you wouldn't believe the gluten free bread I bought. It's so moist and delicious, not like the cardboard back home! Katie and I think we got enough food to have a more healthy breakfast than the hostel provides, and we still have plenty of money we sat aside for meals to enjoy a meal a day out of the hostel.

Well, we had dinner, talked with our Kiwi roomie (Daren), met a really sweet guy named John who's from Perth while Katie got her pizza from Dominos (beside the internet cafe), and now we're heading back to the hostel to watch TV in the lounge, shower, relax with our roomies, and learn the name of the one from the Netherlands :-)

Til tomorrow!
Cheers :-)