Never Made it to Those Damn Blue Mountains

I’ve been pining for Australia since my plane lifted off the ground. While I couldn't have asked for a more captivating and vibrant yet perfectly livable city, I have to admit that my time here was made by the people I met. It's a beautiful thing that strangers can become family over the course of just a few months. The people I lived, traveled, and grew with are sure to be friends for more than just our time abroad. And the things we did together, well, we could think of them as once in a lifetime experiences... or, we could think of them a little differently... Cheers to that, mates, and until next time, Oz!

My last Sydney post:

Well, this is perfect... Taronga Zoo

Roos at the Taronga Zoo

Sydney, Australia

It became the running joke in my house -- every weekend I would make tentative plans for a trip to the Blue Mountains, a beautiful mountain region a mere 75 kilometers from Sydney. I had big plans for a trip the Monday before I left Sydney... but as usual, I became distracted doing other things and they never materialized.

However, I was able to check a few last minute things of my Sydney to do list:

• Pancakes on the Rocks, THE breakfast place in the Rocks - While my stomach was still reeling from my jaunt to Cambodia, the few bites I could manage from this Sydney-must were delicious.
• The Taronga Zoo is on an island in the Sydney harbour, meaning we had to take the "Zoo Express" ferry to get there. As with any Sydney ferry, the views of the city were lovely... and in this case, an added bonus to the zoo admission ticket. The highlight of the zoo was the silverback gorilla. We saw him at feeding time and he was very impressive.
• The Harbor Bridge- I didn't "climb" it but I did walk across part of it... a magnificent display of architecture and some of the best views in Sydney.

People always say that everything comes full circle. This week, I would have to agree... my stay in Sydney ended exactly where it started: at the Coogee Bay Hotel.