Day 5 in Syndey

Katie's last day in Sydney! I don't think either one of us slept well last night, so when Daren got up early for work, we were both already awake. He turned to us and said, "I bet you all hate me now," we assured him otherwise :-) Then Katie used one of her signature lines -- "Have a great day at work, Daren. I hope it's everything you imagined and more."

Daren stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "Oh gosh I hope not, I imagine it to be terrible." :-) Katie and I have been laughing a lot during this trip, and when you add Daren to the mix, our giggles sometimes get a bit out of control.

After we got up and ready, we were so excited to see clear skies -- well, cloudy, but it wasn't raining! We headed to Oxford Street to take city transportation to Bondi Beach. Before we arrived in OZ, we had planned on buying the Sydney Pass to get around to places like Bondi and to get ferries and cruises. When we arrived, we realized the pass would be a huge waste of money! The bus out to Bondi was only $2.70, but we got out at Bondi Junction, not realizing we could keep riding to the beach -- oops! Still, that just meant Katie and I got more exercise -- we've literally walked hours every day! When we got to the end of Bondi Road and started down Campbell Parade, we had spectacular views! The sky was getting really dark and threatening rain, but we got to take a lot of pictures of the beach and the gorgeous waters around the rocks. A surfer and one of his mates stopped by and asked if we wanted them to take a picture of the two of us, and I somewhat reluctantly handed over my camera. As we smiled for the camera, the surfer said, "Hey, you could photoshop the sun in later!" When his friend couldn't figure out how to use my camera and we kept smiling, the surfer added, "You look better in front of the camera!" Keep piling on the charm, fellas!

After the photos, we started up the path to the Coastal Walk -- a walk along the coast from Bondi Beach down to Coogee Beach. Within minutes it started to pour, and we ducked under a rock and held up our tiny umbrellas to shield us from the rain and spray from the ocean. When it hadn't let up after 15 minutes, we reluctantly (well, me much more than Katie ;-)) headed back up to Campbell Parade to catch a bus back to Circular Quay (only $3.70 -- take that Sydney and Bondi Explorer buses!). After seeing the beauty of Bondi and what the Coastal Walk looked like at the beginning, I decided to skip on booking a tour of Hunter Valley (wine country) upon my return and to head to Bondi if I catch a sunny day.

Once in Circular Quay, the rain had subsided and it was actually sunny!! We had lunch in front of the Opera House, and when we accidently dropped a few Pringles on the ground, seagulls chased us all over the place! By the time we dropped a crumb for the third time, we had *at least* 20 seagulls following us, and it took a minute or so before they gave up. I wish I could have taken a video with my camera, because it was hilarious!

Before I came to OZ, I thought about seeing a show at the Opera House. Today, Daren and I decided to see the Wizard of Oz with the Sydney Symphony, and I purchased tickets for my last night in Australia (it's also the first of only several performances).

After that, it was back up George Street to do some price comparisons at souvenir shops and grab a salad at Sumo Salads. We're getting ready to pack our bags for tomorrow morning and then see what we might do with the rest of our evening. Katie flies back home, so prayers for her safety would be greatly appreciated. I'll be in Brisbane tomorrow night and should have access to the net.

Cheers!