Sydney, New South Wales

note: this was written back when I was leaving Sydney a couple days ago

Sydney is a beautiful place. There are a bunch of peninsulas that create uniquely large harbors and bays, as well as some areas that overlook rocky ocean on one side and tranquil waters on the other. The Blue Mountains right outside of town is like a smaller Grand Canyon—if it were completely covered in rain forest with a hanging blue hue draping the canopy. There are also “exotic” birds such as giant parrots, big white cockatoos, and various other cawing, vibrantly feathered avian creatures gracing the sky.

Speaking of animals, they are no where to be seen in Sydney itself, but man are they cute. George Lucas must have gotten his inspiration for ewoks (and maybe Yoda a little too) from koalas. How can you not like the little guys that just slowly munch on eucalyptus leaves while hugging the branches with their little paws? Kangaroos and wallabies too are pleasant enough, at least as babies.

Sudden revelation on this trip—platypuses and bats are seriously like hybrid animals. If they can exist, why can’t mermaids?

The major downfall to traveling in Australia—everything is expensive. A McChicken costs $4.75! I saw that and was heartbroken for Yibs. Regular bottled sodas in machines are like $2.50 or $3. Considering that an American dollar is about 90 Australian cents, it’s not like the conversion rate is the reason. Apparently, the Australian minimum wage is around $15.

I feel like Australia is Europe-lite (tried to find an unoffensive way of saying this… half-hearted, poor man’s…). People drive on the other side of the road, and have accents that if you try to imitate, sometimes turn into British accents (I know this from experience). There are a bunch of school kids dressed like Madeline running around, and people watch rugby and cricket on TV. [[A side note on Cricket: this must be the most boring sport ever. It makes baseball seem like a fast paced endeavor. I’m sure me not knowing the rules has something to do with it, but all I see is a pitcher running about 20 yards down the field before he pitches this bouncing thing that the batter awkwardly tries to make contact with. I think runs are scored when the ball goes foul. If there is even a foul. Sigh. I miss intramural softball.]]

Some of the Australian terms I’ve picked up on: in the queue instead of “in line,” take away instead of “to-go,” and Hungry Jack’s instead of “Burger King.”
I would say the population is about 50% Australian, and 50% immigrant. I’m sure being in Sydney has to do with this, but it’s definitely not a different sight for natives to see Chinese people in Australia. Along these lines, I think I’ve seen something like 3,482 white guys with Asian girls. I digress. Definitely a melting pot of culture here, arguably even more so than in America.

It’s nice to get a breath of winter air. Not that it’s terribly cold. It’s usually around 16 Celsius which I believe is around the low 60’s during the day. Cairns, the next city we’re going to, is up north, and so it’s a lot warmer. More to come! And yes, I “miss you guys or something.”

Quote of the stay:
"Now that's a cheeky smile!"- random Australian guy commenting on my smile during a picture... still not sure what he means.