Departure & Arrival in Sydney

The next few posts will be about my trip to Australia with Brian. First time ever out of the country without our children. First time apart for more than three days. . . We miss you guys!!!

Tuesday night: Flight to Sydney
We boarded the plane at LAX with heavy hearts. Eva had begun vomiting one hour before we left for the airport and we did not relish the thought of being out of contact with Mimi and Papa for the 15 hours that were to come. Our flight on Qantas was quite nice—not plentiful leg room but adequate, in-seat entertainment, fairly comfortable sleeping conditions (we slept nearly 8 hours) and a large crew of Aussie flight attendants, nearly all of them men!

Toward the end of our flight, while waiting for the bathroom, we met a native Australian named Deb—who now lives in Bend, Oregon! She was very sweet and even came back to our seat to hand us her business card, asking us to look her and her husband up next time we’re in Bend! What a surprise she’ll have when we’re there next—with our four children!

Thursday morning: Arrival in Sydney
We arrived at 7:30 AM Australia time and disembarked with phone in hand, hoping to call home ASAP. We were able to get in touch with Mimi, who said that Eva was still vomiting occasionally but not yet listless and still taking ice chips, some drinks, and complaining of hunger. Those were all promising signs—even great ones—but my mother’s heart rebelled at being 6000 miles away from our baby.

After a mixup with the rental cars for our party from Klamath Falls (they were downtown), we finally had our baggage through customs and our car—a Toyota of sorts. We headed off to the Aquarium with good directions but nevertheless managed to become lost in inner-city traffic moving the “wrong” way. Darling Harbour in Sydney is extensive, with fingers into what seems like every part of the city. My favorite quote (Brian): “All we need to do is to find the Harbour and we’ll be there.” We found the harbour—several times. We even found the Ian Thorpe Swimming Center. By the time we arrived at the Aquarium, I was well-versed in the terrors of turning right in a drive-on-left country, apparently into oncoming traffic. Brian’s least favorite quote (Cara, shrieked while turning right): “Aaaaaahh!!!!!!”



The Aquarium was nicely set up, with displays and aquariums for each of the wetland and ocean regions of Australia. We were able to observe a platypus, a snake neck turtle (just like it sounds), a behemoth saltwater croc, myriad eels, and a psychedelic assortment of Great Barrier Reef fish and organisms.



After the Aquarium we wound our way (all driving in New South Wales feels like winding) up the coast to Newcastle, where we had a meal at Brian’s favorite restaurant, Goldberg’s. This place was amazing to an American but actually quite typical of Australia. It’s a coffee shop that serves real food and real atmosphere in equal proportion. Water was “serve yourself.” Brian had a healthy portion of pasta with real veggies and meat. I had a generous bowl of dahl with raita and rice. Well-filled chalkboards and antique playbills filled the walls of the place. Baked goods were stacked high. Prices were very reasonable by Australian dining standards—around $15 each for lunch.



Post-Newcastle, we drove past several farms to our resort—more on the model of corporate apartments surrounding a giant circular pool. Our little apartment at the Oaks Pacific Blue Resort Salamander Bay is so pleasant--very clean and comfortable with somewhat-central heat (it is chilly), an outfitted kitchen, a living room, bedroom, closets, and bath. Even the bed is comfortable. Apparently many of these units are privately owned and rented when not in use. Compared to lodging prices in Sydney and Blue Mountains, the overnight price is stellar—a bit over $100 per night and the ability to cook in your own place. We were in bed and asleep by 7:00.