Walkabout

So, I was hoping to post some pictures, but the computers in this internet cafe are quite slow. Better luck next cafe!

And before I begin to update you on our adventures, let me just say that there is NO way that bringing the chicken sandwiches along was my idea. Ask AJ who's carrying his precious iPhone right now, and you'll know he's been too lazy to carry anything! ;-)

On day two in Sydney, our walking adventure continued. We again started our day at Roys Famous because we're nothing if not loyal brunchers! After another delicious meal, we jumped on the train to Bondi Beach. Bondi is a cute little beach town, with a small beach lined with cafes and stores. I'm a sucker for beach towns, so this was right up my alley. We walked around the bend to the northern most point of the beach, walking along the rocks and watching the waves splash up as we went. We were again lucky to find amazing weather, which was perfect for what we had planned for the day.

We decided to do the Coastal Walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach, which is a 6.4 km trail up and down the cliffs of these beach towns. This was quite an a task considering the previous day we had spent on foot throughout all of Sydney, but we figured we were up for it. So we began our walk, and walk we did.

One of the unique things we found about these little beaches along the coast is that most have man-made pools that become filled with ocean water. There were folks doing laps or wading in the pools, and it was such an interesting concept. As we were walking, we also were keenly aware of a squaking animal in the trees. After our bat experience the day before, we stopped to check out from where the sounds were coming and found very colorful birds (parakeets, maybe?) flying about above. It was funny to see an animal that we typically only see in a cage flying free in the trees. AJ tried to get a picture, but the birds kept running away from him (Can you blame them?)

At approximately 3/4 of the way through the walk, we found ourselves wandering through a cemetery in Waverly before hitting the final stretch to Coogee. And once we got to Coogee, we were so proud of ourselves for finishing the walk that we hugged in excitement before finding a place to eat.

After our meal, some gelato and a coffee, we jumped on the bus back to the city. We rested up at the hostel before heading out to dinner. On the suggestion of Mandy (our friend at the front desk of the hostel), we headed into Darling Harbour and found a noodle bar for dinner. On the way back, we again found ourselves walking under a cloud of bats, but this time felt a bit more comfortable in their presence.

Today, we are headed to Melbourne. We spent the morning at Roys one last time before heading down to Pitt St. to check out the retail district in search of a belt for AJ. On the way there, we strolled through Hyde Park, and saw a rainbow while taking pictures at the fountain. We also saw a huge chess board where some gentlemen were engaged in a game. On this, our third day of massive walking, our feet are beginning to adjust, which is good since we're headed to a new city to explore.