Summer 2k16-Australia

Summer break has passed, and that means a new vacation has as well.

This year, we've gone on a 50 day cruise from Sydney, Australia ending in San Francisco and I have written the details of our journey along the way.   

It took two hours for us to fly from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Dallas, Texas and then another 16, almost 17 hours to get to Sydney from there.  The day we got to Sydney, we flew in early in the morning and checked into our hotel.  Since it was the first time in Australia, we wanted to stay in an area with great views, and Sydney Harbor Marriott fit the bill.  From our room,  you could see the bridge.  Father wanted to check out Chinatown so we decided to have lunch there as well.  We returned to our hotel in the afternoon since everyone decided they needed a nap.  

At the airport

Leaving the airport in our Maxi Taxi

Our view from the hotel

The jet lag didn't really get to me though, so I stayed up the whole day. Jet leg hit the baby and Mother the worst; they immediately fell asleep when we got back to the hotel.   When the rest of my family decided to finally wake up, we walked around to see Vivid Sydney.  We were lucky to have made our trip during the fun festival.  

The next day we actually got to do things.  I was woken up by my Mother at seven, who had been up since three a.m.  I suppose the rest of my family was sick of waiting for me to wake up.  The weather was a little gloomy, but the sky opened up by the time I was done getting ready for the day.  Father had bought an all day hop on and off ferry pass, so we could take the ferry to different areas.

The ferry ride

Our first stop was Watsons Bay.  We spent a little time at Robertsons Park, but the main event was Doyles on the Beach Restaurant.  We decided to go there for lunch.  I got fish and chips and calamari.  Everyone had some sort of seafood which was recommended by the locals and Yelp.  The food was really good in my opinion and according to Father, so was the beer. The best thing though was the view.

Next up the roster was Manly.  Of course, while there we went to Manly Beach.  By now the weather was warming up, making the beach more inviting. The Brothers and I took a walk by the shore.  

Me posing by the ocean

Me and the Brothers at the beach

We took the ferry back to Darling Harbour and walked to Chinatown for dinner.   Mother had read on Tripadvisor that Mamak, a Mayalysian restaurant, is rated the #1 restaurant in Chinatown.  We're not usually the kind of family to seek out top ranked restaurants, but I guess there's a first time for everything.  When we found the restaurant, we found a line already forming 30 minutes before the restaurant even opened. 

Waiting in line

Mother was introduced to Malayasian food on her trip to NYC with her best friend in April and really enjoyed it, so we decided to wait.  This was also the first time I had Malaysian food, which I now know is very delicious.  The food was definitely worth the 20 minute wait we had to endure until the restaurant opened.

By then, time was tight.  We hurried to the hotel where Mother stayed with the Baby.  The rest of us had to walk to the Sydney Opera House to watch our show.  Earlier that day, Father had bought tickets to Hollywood Rhapsody.

Our seats had a wonderful view of the inside.  I was grateful that I got to see the inside of the opera house rather than just the outside. It was my first symphony show and where better to watch it than at the famed Sydney Opera House?   Although I will admit, the jet lag was getting to me and I might've slept for a portion of the two hour performance.  It seems I wasn't alone though; I caught Father and the Brothers dozing off as well.

The Brothers waiting for the performance to begin

The inside of the Sydney Opera House

That night, the owner of the tour operator we booked our tour of Blue Mountain called and recommended that we cancel our tour for the next day since it would be too rainy and foggy to see anything.   Mother and Father appreciated how honest the tour operators were.  They aren't ranked #1 tour operator to Blue Mountain for nothing.  

In retrospect, it was a good thing we had a lazy day.  We stayed in the hotel, only leaving to grab lunch.  We had Japanese ramen and hotpot at Condor Japanese Noodle Restaurant. Everyone had various dishes of ramen and hot pot that was delicious.  

My food

The day after that was a little more jam packed.  We went to the Sydney Eye, which offered great panoramic views of Sydney.

Lastly, to wrap up our last full day in Sydney, we ate at the Sydney Opera House.  The food was delicious, but I think the portions were a little small for the Brothers.

Our last day in Sydney was also our embarkation day.  Mother and I took one last walk to the Sydney Opera House before taking a taxi to the White Bay Cruise Terminal.  

Sail away wasn't was loud and party-like as the Carribean cruises, but it was still amazing.  As we pulled away, we got great views of the Sydney Opera House from the water.

I was a little sad to leave.  It was never in our plans to visit Sydney until this cruise, but I think all of us were pleasently surpried by how much we enjoyed it.

However, this didn't mean we were done with Australia yet.  Our first stop was Darwin, which is on the northern part of the continent.  While at Darwin, we went to the Territory Wildlife Park, where we got to pet wallabies and look at other animals native to Australia.