Sydney

What a city. What a country.

First a word on the flight here: in Singapore we unexpectedly boarded the biggest flying passenger jet in the world, the A380. This plane was so exciting we chose not to sleep and instead watched movies and marveled at the spectacular two-story "steel bird" that carried us. This was not a wise decision. But it was fun.

Landing in Australia early in the morning, we checked into our hotel in the allegedly sketchy, in reality chic, King's Cross neighborhood, took a nap and walked straight to Circular Quay, home of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House, the international landmarks of Australia. Surrounded by water and divided in two halves, Sydney has an an extraordinary number of scenic viewpoints. Walking from King's Cross to Circular Quay we could not help but marvel at how beautiful the city was - in every direction we stood speechless. On our walk we passed the Domain (a large park where we later saw a wonderful open-air opera), and the Botanical Gardens that were our first glimpse of the weird flora and fauna of this continent - alongside the pigeons and the seagulls are these semi-scary long-beaked, big-bodied and skinny-legged birds; in the trees hang fruit bats in the hundreds, resting before flying over the city at sunset; cockatoos fly around willy-nilly. Sydney is wonderful.

Alongside the astonishing natural beauty is the culture and hip neighborhoods that exist in the dozens. We walked through the Saturday markets of Paddington and Surry Hills, full of twenty- and thirty-something hipsters and artists reminiscent of New York, London and San Francisco. The museums are plentiful and many are free. The aquarium and zoo are fantastic. Coffee shops abound. The food is excellent. People are friendly, ecologically-conscious (taking plastic bags from the grocery store draws ugly looks from fellow shoppers), outdoorsy and international. If it weren't for the weakness of the dollar, and the fact that you, dear readers, are all on another continent, we would stay here in a heartbeat (and doing so wouldn't be a problem considering that the government gives work permits quite readily, as can be seen from the hundreds of German high-school students tending the organic strawberry-fields in the South).

As if the heart of Sydney weren't enough, the periphery holds more treasures. We ventured to the Blue Mountains a couple of hours east of Sydney for a quick jaunt amongst the green hills and sandstone cliffs that offer weeks of hiking and climbing. We lazed about on Bondi Beach, about fifteen minutes from the city center that is Sydney's version of Southern California with tan, buff blokes and sheilas (men and women in Australia speak - side-note: the soccer team in Australia are called the Socceroos - no joke). Bondi Beach is so much like LA that there is even a show called "Bondi Rescue" that is a copy of "Bay Watch."

Also, the city is walkable!
The city is beautiful!
What a city! (Yes, we are delirious with excitement!!!)

Tomorrow we are off to Cairns, a diving hub on the Great Barrier Reef. We will write you more from there.
We miss you all and if you all decide to move to Sydney, be sure to get a room for visitors.

PS - We will try to upload pictures from Oz as soon as possible. Here are the links for a few pictures from Laos and Thailand.

Luang Prabang and the Mekong: http://www.flickr.com/gp/19264950@N00/938c5T
Chiang Rai: http://www.flickr.com/gp/19264950@N00/7JR1NV
Cooking course, Chiang Mai: http://www.flickr.com/gp/19264950@N00/39E5di