Big Trip Part 2: Sydney

The kids didn't really sleep as much as I wanted them to on the plane, but they did okay. We had some additional activity books to drag out. There were also a couple of channels of kids shows for the kids to watch. I guess it is a little like a kid fantasy to ride on an airplane like that. You get to watch endless TV with your mom and dad while people bring you snacks and sodas. The only problem is that your mom makes you wear shoes when you go to the toilet.

When we landed, we took a taxi to the hotel. BabyP is obsessed with calling everyone poopypants. Of course, peanut thinks it is funny as well. On our way to the hotel, the kids started up about who is poopy pants. Peanut said very loudly about our Indian driver “The brown man in the car is mr. Poopypants.” I told her she was rude. Mr. T. tipped the man who didn't drop us off at the right location 8 dollars in a country where tipping is not necessary.

The hotel in Sydney was great. We stayed in a small apartment with a kitchenette. It also had a washer and dryer which was a plus to me. We really tried to pack light, so having a machine to do the washing is a real blessing. My SIL and BIL came into the city to hang around with us through out the trip.

The second day we were there I met up with a guy I went to high school with and his family. We weren't close, but we ran in similar circles. I went to a really small high school so everyone knew everyone. We had a really nice time and rode a ferry to one of the famous beaches of Sydney, Manly. We ate dim sum by the water. It was very very nice.

The next day we lazed around then had dinner with Mr. T.'s friend. We went to Bronte for Fish and Chips after slowly destroying his house.  It is a funny thing to meet up with people as they start to have kids.

The next day we took a train down the coast to my BIL new house. We had dinner by the ocean and kicked around in the sand a bit before calling it a day.

Sydney is really nice. It is also very crowded and expensive. My husband's friend had a hard time finding a house to rent for 2K a week! My BIL wanted a house so he now commutes 2 hours a day each way to get to work. I think it is a lot like San Fransisco. If you live there, you live pretty far out and rarely get into the city unless you work there. It is a little overwhelming to feel the pulse of the city for days on end. There is a certain tempo that I don't know that I could maintain. It seems like a lot of people have a love/hate relationship with the city. It is funny to hear Sydneysiders talk about what they like and what they don't. I guess it is a little like the LA area where everyone talks about the traffic. In Sydney, everyone is obsessed with real estate prices.

The kids spent a good deal of our trip in Sydney tired. BabyP also spent part of it feeling ill. He vomited on the way to my BIL house, which left me more than a bit concerned. I wish that fellow would just get better magically. I don't think the kids really cared that much about being in Sydney. I think, in a way, their anticipation was all about going to Disneyland. BabyP seems a little lost and Peanut just wants to see her Granny.

It was fun seeing this kids with their aunt and uncle. She has a special bond with her aunt, who always gives her 100% of her attention. On the train ride to my BIL's house, Peanut sat with her aunty the whole way. On other parts of our trip, she has told random people about her aunt and how her aunt is named after peanut.

There are a lot of things in Australia that just seem to make a whole lot of sense. For example, metric! Another example is that they don't use pennies. Things are never 4.99 or any of that nonsense. A penny doesn't buy anything, and there really isn't any use in having them. The tax is included in the price so you know when you are going to buy something how much you will need to pay. I like how you are expected to recycle, and I like how the airlines give you snacks and treat you like humans. I really like public transport.