track our trek

after a long overnight flight from bangkok, we landed safely in sydney. we felt a bit nostalgic about leaving southeast asia, not the least because of the difference in cost of living...arriving in sydney just before new year's having booked accommodations only 2 days in advance left us paying $75/night! yikes!!! so it was destined to be a short visit in sydney while we made plans to head as far outside the city as possible to try and ease the impact on our wallets! it feels a bit surreal to be back in a place that feels familiar...by that we mean that everything is in english; and the city is expansive, clean and modern; and drivers and pedestrians obey traffic laws. we were flabbergasted the first day when a driver stopped to let us cross in the crosswalk! we're still looking in the wrong direction occasionally when it's time to cross the street though...heaven help us if we decide to rent a car while we're here!
sydney is quite a pretty city! there are lots of parks and charming neighborhoods that remind us of parts of san fransisco and brooklyn and philadelphia...we walked all day our first day, down to the harbour to see the sydney opera house and the botanic gardens. we took a ferry ride around the city & visited the aquarium. we relaxed by the pool at our hotel and explored a few sydney neighborhoods like glebe, newtown, and kings cross. all in all, it's a pretty sleek city! we'd love to come back, when we've got more money to spend. lol! alas, after 2 nights and 3 days, we have to press on.