The journey begins
Trip Start
Sep 02, 2005
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Trip End
Sep 02, 2006
Sydney, Australia
Sunday, September 11, 2005
For the most part, things have gone smoothly, just a couple of minor glitches (that had the potential for major disaster)... As I gathered my things to head out of the airport in Sydney I couldn't find my wallet. After an extensive search, I had airline personnel go back in the plane to look for it (credit cards and all). Chris sat patiently repeating our mantra, "In travel there are no inconveniences, it's all part of the journey". So as I tried to maintain calm I went one more time through my pack and found it where I was sure it wasn't just moments ago. Whew!
Then it was off to the subway (great train system in Sydney) to meet up with a friend of my brother-in-law's. After a nice visit and great suggestions on places to explore and stay, we landed in Manly at the Manly Lodge. Great location, a bit over budget for the first night but we were thankful for a nice bed away from noise. We awoke to a walk along the beach and are now heading to meet our first Servas host who is picking us up at noon to take us back her home (Google Servas for more info on this great organization).
We still have not posted pictures to this site because we just got our camera (bought from our daughter Megan who wanted to upgrade)figured out. Next step is to load the pics from the comera to the web site. One of those small tasks that we neglected to do before we left. Oh well... we should have some time on our hands :)
sc
OK, I can place blame on the weather Gods for bringing too much wind to the Gorge this year. There just is no competition between shopping and windsurfing. I'm grateful the wind was off as much as it was or I would be sitting in this internet cafe stark naked. I did manage to buy 3 pairs of skivvies, a few t-shirts, some shoes, and a pack. I thought I did pretty well. I have to admit I am glad we are starting in Australia rather than Namibia, as I should be able put the final touches on the travel clothes without too much of an ordeal (even though it does apparently require actually going in stores to make the purchase).
cs
Highlights to date for future travelers:
Packs are less than 20 pounds! Yea, but still feel heavy. Will see what we dump in the next couple of weeks. It doesn't help that I selected the largest book possible (A Suitable Boy - 1500 pages) probably weighing 5 pounds! Will let you know if it was worth lugging it around!!
Subways are great and the one week pass seems to be the way to go. For $40 AUD you can use ferry, bus and subways.
Manly is awesome. Worth a visit and great cafes. Hotels are pricey though.
