Sisters vacation down under

My previous blog was a bit rushed as I only had limited time for free internet. There were some final thoughts I had about Australia. First of all the cost of things is astounding. We heard it was expensive there but you really don't know it until you go and have to spend $20.00 on your lunch. My other thought was that it really is a great place to vacation and there are lots to do in many different areas. We left on a good note having a great seafood dinner at a place called Kanis in Cairns (totally recommend) as well as having tried their famous dessert "Pavlova" which in my vocabulary is the equivalent to two words: Holy crap! This dessert was SO DELICIOUS! Anyhow, we left feeling satisfied with our adventures and ready to move onto....HONG KONG.
So, now this is completely different world. Lots of haze due to the smog and very small streets with large buses and many people. We are staying on the Island which is a bit more english speaking so that makes it easier but I am really enjoying the surrounding culture. Our first day we travelled to Lantau Island where you take a very long cable car ride to Ngong Ping Village. There sits the largest Buddha ever as well as a Monestary. There are also a number of little souvenir and specialty shops. Quite a place. We walked to stairs up to Buddha and even though you get a sense of the importance of the figure there are so many other tourists around that it is difficult to really breathe it in. BUt if you make the trip to Hong KOng it is worth your $ to go. Speaking of $ Hong Kong is definitely a lesser expense than Australia so that has been a nice change. Tonight we shall visit some markets to hopefully get some deals and then looking forward to seeing Macau Island, the view from The Peak and the amazing nightly light show of the downtown area.

Today is our last day in Australia and it is also the first day in basically this entire trip that we had nothing to do or anywhere to go. Let me catch up on on our time in Cairns.
We arrived pretty early in the afternoon to a hot, hot day! I didn't know exactly what to expect here but quickly found out how different it is from Sydney and Melbourne. It is a total beach city and the place to be for Aussies on summer vacation. Sadly it is Jellyfish season so any swimming in the Ocean is out of the picture (unless you are covered from head-to-toe) but we did get to dive and snorkel (more about that later).
We immediately went to the information Centre to look into booking what we wanted to do in Cairns. OUr list included White Water Rafting, Diving/Snorkelling, and the Daintree Rainforest. The woman there was great though everything did cost a little bit it was all worth it.
We then just spent the evening touring the night market down from our hotel which had jewellery as well as some really sketchy massages...no we did not purchase massages.
Our first adventure was a drive out to the Tully River for a full day of rafting grade 3 and 4 rapids which are on the high side. Of course there was concern about crocs in the River however they tend not to like rough water so that wasin our favour. It was so much fun. We were split into groups of 5, 6 or 7. Got some great pics from the rafting guys but was completely exhausted by the end.
The next day was our diving (for Jenn) and snorkelling for me. I was somewhat concerned about being out on a boat with my previous experience of seasickness but the water was very calm so that made it easier to handle. They made everyone wear sting suits (again referring to the nasty jellyfish). These sting suits had hoods and strirupped around your feet. They also had mitten like covers for your hands but mine were ripped so not super useful. Didn;t matter anyhow as there was not a jellyfish in sight. So Off Jenn went on her first dive and then all of us snorkellers got in and wow was it amazing. I can totally see the appeal of diving down deeper to get a better look but still not interested in becoming certified. I could see everything I needed to just from using my mask and snorkel and floating overtop. Got to see some beautiful coral, clown fish (NEMO) and even some amazingly coloured fish called parrot fish. We went to two different sites during the day so it was cool to some some different fish throughout. Jenn had some great dives as well but sadly did not yet fulfill her dream to see a sea turtle....one day!
Our final "trip" day was spent in the Rainforest. We went on a crocodile cruise and go to see a crocodile just laying in the water really just chilling. Not everyone gets to see one so we were very lucky as we also saw a baby sitting on the log. We then travelled deeper in the rainforest and ended up at a cafe to get some lunch and also we got to hand feed kangaroos while we wated for lunch. These were the most docile kangaroos and even liked hugging....this is due to the fact that they have been raised in captivity. We then contuinued on to have a swim in a very cold creek, tried some really exotic fruit that we had never heard of and some daintree tea. A really fun day. We also got to see a very rare bird called a cassowary that are hard to spot and are very rare.
Today we FINALLY got to do what I have wanted to do since beginning this trip....hold a Koala bear! Awesome! Truly awesome. We veen got to take 2 photos with our own camera since the camera at the wildlife place broke. This is usually restricted so lucky for us we can print as many copies as we want. the Koala's name was Harvey and he was very sweet.
So that was Cairns! Tomorrow we are off to Hong Kong before we head back home. We are looking forward to a really big feast of seafood tonight to celebrate our last day in Australia. Still deciding if the price of the mud crab is worth it though!

Well, Melbourne has not been as slow as I expected. It has been nice to stay with the locals though as they are excellent tour guides and had plans set for us to make sure we did and saw everything we wanted. Of course one of my main goals (still yet to be fulfilled) is to hold a koala but I came one step closer this week by seeing many of them in the gum trees. We are staying just outside Melbourne in a town called Rowville but it is very easy via train to get onto the main city. We spent our first day driving up the mountains to Healesville (pronounced Hillsville) sanctuary so that we could see true Australian wildlife up close. Although the areas are roped off you can still get very close to an animal and they really are cool to see. The koalas are just awesome and super lazy, though we were corrected in that they are not so much lazy but just have a really low energy diet so they sleep for about 20 hours a day. But just seeing how they get themselves cuddled onto a branch and are actually comfortable is something else. NExt we visited the dingos which really do look like the common dog. Of course all the jokes about dingos eating babies were in abundance among the crowd. We saw some kangaroos and while we tried to get one to hop, again they just seemed like they wanted to lay down and rest. The platypus was as active as ever swimming so you can't take a photo and the tasmanian devil and wombat were in their homes not wanting to be bothered. BUt I was completely satisfied with seeing the koalas it did not matter.
The following day we had plans to go to the "penguin parade" on Phillip Island where little penguins come out of the water and head up to the grassy areas to have a rest before going back into the water 4 or 5 days later. But to get there we were taken on a day long drive around the Bay which really was incredible with some white sandy beaches and small towns to tour. It was a long drive but something I would never see from a hotel stay in Melbourne. We went to the koala reserve on Phillip Island where again we saw many sleeping/eating koalas but also saw two joeys with their mommies so cute! Oh and did I mention the roadkill? Not like home where we might see a raccoon on the road...oh no this was a large wombat who actually more looked like he was sleeping rather than dead. We went back to get a photo thinking no one would believe the size of this animal but it had disappeared so either it was actually sleeping and just walked away or it had gotten picked up.
Now to the penguin parade. IT actually ended up being a very cold night and we had to dress super warm. The penguins wait until its dark and all of the sudden these little groupings appear and waddle across the sand and up the hill. They are called little penguins as they only weigh about 2 pounds. Unfortunately they do not allow photos of this event so nothing to post but it really is fun tot watch if you ever get the chance to come to the area to see it.
2 more days in Melbourne then off to Cairns for some diving/snorkelling. rafting and rainforests.

We spent our final day in Sydney on a tour of the Blue Mountains. Its sweeping canyons and rain forests are very peaceful and serene. We visited Scenic World which is exactly as it sounds a tourists paradise in which they get you to pay to ride a cable car and/or a very steep train into the rainforest to walkabout. Not that I am complaining as it was very interesting and the steep train ride is actually pretty scary as it pulls you up while you face the deep depths below. BUt really its all about the gift shop and the people clamoring to get the cheesiest souvenirs possible. We then travelled to a small town called Leura for lunch and a bit of a break then off to the waterfall lookout. Sadly we saw it form a distance but even from this far we could still appreciate its beauty. The worst part was climbing the 238 steps to get back up to the top in the sweltering heat. Now I know all you Canadians in the cold are angry with me right now for talking about hot weather so I am sorry but it was hot. At this point I was begging for rain and thankfully it came when we got to the next lookout though it wasn't great for our cameras but nice to cool off. By the end of the tour we were ready to just crash but of course, like all tourist trips we had to do the boat ride back to the wharf. Not that I mind seeing the Opera House again as it is a beautiful building but it was already a long day and now a boat. With it being our last day in Sydney we decided to walk to the OPera HOuse since we had really only seen it from afar at this point. So grab some shots up close then head back for some pizza....well as soon as we got close to the House, the thunder and lightning started and so that ended or quest for artistic photos. A short cab ride, and an expensive pizza later and we finally got to crash.
We arrived this morning in MElbourne and are staying with a lovely couple Jenn met on one of her other travels. Kind of nice to be in a home setting especially for meals.
So on these next few days we plan to take it easy after our non-stop adventures in Sydney and see some marching penguins as well as some other native animals that we have yet to see.
We are also trying to find a good place to watch the Canadians win Gold at the World Juniors so we can cheer alongside the rest of you back home.
I added some pictures so check them out!

OUr first day was spent walking around this amaxzing ROCKS district where we are staying, though we found out pretty quickly why it was called "the Rocks" as you have to take stairs to get to everywhere We decided it would be a good day to go to the aquarium as we were both feleing a bit jet lagged and htough being inside would be best. The problem is so did everyone else. While it was cool to walk through glass tunnels under sharks and giant manta rays it was very difficult to look into the invidual tanks as there were children smooshed up against almost every piece of glass. One thing I found ver fascinating was how many species of sea horses actually exist.
It was an ealry night for us as we ate at the hostel where they had a BBQ on the rooftop...and not to brag but we have an amazing view of the Opera Hiouse from up there...great way to spend dinner. Oh and we did try Kangaroo steak...not too bad but I still think I prefer Canadian steak.
Day 2 was spent at Bondi Beach....now this is a beach!! We booked a 2 hour surfin lesson which was totally awesome and fun. We both were able to stand up a couple times which can definately give anybody a boost of confidence but wow, those waves come at you so hard and you get thrown so quikcly under water. Though, I only got water up the nose once.
THis was also New Years Eve....we had plans to meet up with some Canadian friends who were travelling and go to a dinner/dance in the Royal Botanical Gardens and watch the $5 million firework display. COuldn;t have bee more beautiful. Though it was a long and hilly walk in our 4 inch heels and both Jenn and I are paying for it now but it was all worth it. Perfect view of the Opera House and Bridge and two displays of fireorks at 9:00pm and 12:00am.
So far the only differences we have really noticed is the cost of things here is astronimically higher and you actually have to pay for sides like kethup and tartar sauce. Great weather so far and tomorrow we are off to the the Blue MOuntains to explore some caves....photos to follow soon!