and picking up our bags, we got in line to go through customs. Both Suzanne and I had our bags searched. The customs officer swore that I had a box of cereal in my suitcase (I didn't), and Suzanne was scolded for carrying spreadable cheese and a box of granola bars that we had purchased in Dunedin. Neither item was confiscated, but the cheese was labeled as a biohazard. After making it through customs, we paid for a taxi from the airport to our hostel, Sydney Harbour YHA. It is the only hostel located in The Rocks, the main tourist section of Sydney. It was incredibly upscale for a hostel, and was built around an archaeological dig site. You can read about the history of the site and view part of its previous structure in its foyer. Suzanne and I stayed in a 6-person female dorm, but most days we only had 2-3 roommates. The room was very clean, and it had its own shower. During our first evening in Australia, we visited the Sydney Observatory. Afterward, we relaxed on Observatory Hill, which offered great views of the city. This soon became my favorite spot in Sydney.
The next next, we went on a boutique wine tour in the Hunter Valley. Although I'm not a big fan of wine, the day was very fun. There were only five other women in our tour group, and our guide Rowan was very friendly and knowledgeable. Lunch was included in the tour, and after we ate we had some time to check out a bunch of fun shops, including a British "lolly" shop, a chocolate shop, and a shop that sold only cheese and various types of olive oil. I didn't end up buying any wine, but I did pick up a postcard and a Christmas gift for Ali. By the end of the day we had visited four boutiques and were quite ready to return to Sydney.
On Tuesday, Suzanne and I went on a second day tour. Stops included the Featherdale Wildlife park outside of Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the small township of Leura, and the site of the 2000 Olympic Games. At the Featherdale Wildlife park, we hung out with a bunch of kangaroos (and emus!) and took pictures with a koala. It was very fun, and I wish we could have stayed longer. Soon after leaving the park, we stopped briefly for a boomerang throwing lesson (I failed miserably). In the Blue Mountains we enjoyed a 2-course country club lunch, rode the Katoomba Scenic Railway (which is said to be the steepest cable-driven funicular railway in the world), took a short walk through the rain forest, and admired the Three Sisters rock formation in the Jamison Valley. We also had the opportunity to feed wild king parrots. At the end of the day, we took a ferry from Homebush Bay back to the city. Although it wasn't one of Sydney's famous river cruises, it was still an enjoyable trip, and I got some great pictures of Sydney Harbour at sunset. That night, we decided to be adventurous and ordered crocodile and kangaroo meat at dinner. The crocodile was surprisingly delicious (its taste was very similar to chicken chicken), but I wasn't a fan of the kangaroo (which reminded me of steak).We didn't have tours schedule for our final 2 days in Sydney, so we just played it by ear. On Wednesday, we went to the Sydney Sky Tower where we participated in a "Skywalk." We got to wear funny-looking suits and walk around the top of the tower. Later, we took a jet boat ride in Sydney Harbour. That night, Suzanne climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Thursday (our last day in Sydney) was full of wildlife. We visited Oceanworld in Manly Harbour and Sydney Wildlife World and the Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour. Our main motivation behind visiting these places was to use up vouchers that we had purchased as part of a package deal at the beginning of the week, but I'm glad we did. At the aquarium we took a $5 boat ride that allowed us to see the shark tank from above the surface of the water instead of through the glass of the exhibit, which was quite cool.
It was a good day and the perfect end to our adventure in Sydney.
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