Sydney - Leg Two (the short haul)

The second leg of our Sydney tour was all about the beach. We even booked at the Bondi YHA instead of The Rocks so we could be close to the beach.

some rather colourful murals at the YHA

We woke up early to catch the sunrise and avoid 'extreme UV' on the beach that was being promised after 10 in the morning.

The walk to Bondi from our Hostel

... and some er... interesting outfits

This cute little sculpture along the way

A pool with a view

beautiful Bondi

The kids went absolutely nuts at the beach, hopping in and out of the water and basically wallowing in the sand.
Me, I was constantly amazed by the sheer number of people swimming, surfing, jogging, yoga-ing and being supremely fit. Made you want to jump up and join the gym the next day, out of unmitigated shame.

see what I mean?

more surfers

...and some more surfers

By half nine, however, the sun got a bit too harsh and we dragged two very reluctant kids to do other activities. After a shower, we made out way to the Chinese Garden of Friendship - a tranquil oasis of green near the Diamond Harbour. The kids burnt off the excess energy with a clue map for locating the 12 signs of the Zodiac as we walk through the garden.

And I loved finding real dragons as opposed to the imaginary ones.

Lunch was at a Thai place that we discovered via Groupon - Plern Thai. Interesting decor and the food wasn't half bad either.

We made our way to Bondi again after the sun got a bit less harsh, and it was still delightful.

My little beach bums

After sunset we did the short walk from Bondi to Bryant Park along the shoreline. An absolute delight, I regretted not having done this during daylight.

an Aussie Christmas tree at the airport. We love giant Christmas Trees

Yup. Almost picked up these postcards.

Tomorrow begins our long-ish trip. First, back to Auckland and then to Los Angeles...this time, fingers crossed, our entertainment system should work.