Be advised that I may not respond as quickly as before for a while--I'm on a tour of Australia and New Zealand and don't spend as much time on the Internet.



flashguy

Watch out for the salties.

I'm now done with my 2nd full day in Sydney. I arrived on a Monday morning and the main activity that day was a welcoming dinner cruise around the harbor. We're staying in the Park Royal Darling Harbor hotel. I slept very well last night. My room is almost directly above a multilane divided highway system and I love it--I can hear all the Harleys passing by, even on the 10th floor! Today we had a city tour by coach and a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House. Two meals today as part of the trip--both excellent. Looking forward to another night's sleep. We have a busy day set for tomorrow. I'll report on it later.



flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
Watch out for the salties.

[Aussie Accent] Naaaah, the salties won't bother ya unless you go poking 'em. Now the drop bears, they're the ones ya gotta watch out for. [/Aussie Accent]

When we were there in October, Mrs.BurtonRW and I actually had dinner in Yulara with a bloke from Sydney - a recently retired general contractor - who was the quintessential Dundee-type. Every time we mentioned a deadly thing, he would respond basically as I did just there.

We learned that we shouldn't worry about the Red Back Spider because it was the Funnel Web that would ruin our day. Also, the Death Adder is nothing compared to the Eastern Brown.

He was hilarious - completely genuine.

Anyway - I was serious about the Drop Bears. Those things are trouble.

-Rob

Had to google "drop bears". Don't see your concern, they look kind of cuddlely.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
Had to google "drop bears". Don't see your concern, they look kind of cuddlely.

Google "wet drop bear"

edited to add, not a joke or Rick Roll. Wet koalas look evil!

I imagine learning how to walk upside down could be tricky...

Good luck and have a great trip!

Joke time.

Q: What's an Australian kiss?
A: Just like a French kiss except it's down under.

Have fun and enjoy your trip!

... will you get a ferry to Manly?

That's where I grew up, along the northern beaches.



From this pic I can see my parent's house and where I went to school. Take the North Head scenic drive and stop at the Bella Vista cafe; but watch out for the thieving' kookas, they'll pinch your food right off the plate. Right next door is the Aussie Army museum and guided walking tour.

And if you're walking down The Corso, I recommend the Ivanhoe for food or a libation.

Enjoy - great time of year to be in Aus!

Ahhh ... memories ...

So, let me get this straight...you are not down under, but up over the highway.

quote:

Originally posted by cjevans:
... will you get a ferry to Manly?

That's where I grew up, along the northern beaches..

I went to high school there back in 1999 - 2000 and lived in Mosman. It was the best. I would like to go back someday. Enjoy your travels.

Not sure about Manly--we're doing Sydney, Melbourne, Ayers Rock, Cairns, the Kuranda Scenic Rail, and the Great Barrier Reef. I suspect Manly is in there somewhere.

Today we visited the Featherdale Wildlife Park west of Sydney, and saw a lot of native Australian animals and birds. I even got to pet a Wallaby! Then at nice lunch at a teapot museum, and then to the Blue Mountains National Park, to view the vista at Echo Point and then to the Scenic World there to ride the Scenic Railway down into the canyon and the Scenic Cableway back up, eventually meeting back at our coach. Unfortunately, although the Echo Point experience was sunny, we had rain for the rest of the afternoon, and it kind of spoiled things. Buffet dinner at the hotel.

flashguy

OK, So basically we're watching for intermittent flashes.

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
OK, So basically we're watching for intermittent flashes.

Could be a detached retina.

-Rob