Day Fourteen Another Travel Day

Clothes washed, dried and ironed! 

Morning spent in Flight Centre trying to organise the Melbourne part of the journey. Eventually got  a flight from Sydney and managed to get an apartment but not for Saturday 13th. Seems that everyone celebrates Valentines Day here with a weekend away. After much stressing and Internet searching (by me!) have found an apartment somewhere under 700 AUD! 

Caught the train to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.  On the train for two hours for the princely sum of 5.81 AUD - £2.40!!   Change in temperatures from 34 degrees to 14. Stepped off the train, dived into suitcase and put on the duvet jacket! 

Staying in our first Airbnb. Sharing a house with a lady called Cressida, an author.  Very welcoming and informative, greeted us with birthday cake! Nice one! We have our own part of the house with bedroom, bathroom and sitting room. Good to get a bit of space after hotel living. 

No photos today.   However have booked a tour tomorrow so should be plenty opportunities then!  

Have explored the town, Howard already worked out where tonight's burger is coming from.  

Happy days! 

Day Thirteen Travel Day

Goodbye Uluru, you have been amazing!  

Good bye desert,  you have been frikkin hot!

Back to Sydney to a serviced apartment close to Central Station - booked specifically because it has a washing machine!! One night stop before going to the Blue Mountains, staying in our first Airbnb there!  

Hard to believe that we've been away for two weeks. In some ways it feels like we've been way ages and in other ways like we've just left. Panicking a little as we are heading to Melbourne and there doesn't seem to be any accommodation at any price! 

Only 3018 steps today but both knackered! 

Day Twelve Uluru

Caught the bus at 7.30 to take us to Uluru - about 20 minutes drive. Sun not up and definitely not hot. 

Amazing watching the sun coming up over the top of the rock!

We did a two hour walk with ranger, Mick, who explained the culture of the Anangu people and the spiritual significance of Uluru. 

Sun up by now and the flies awake, we were left to wander around ourselves.  We met an English orthodontist who had recently retired from working in Aberdeen and was now travelling with her grandson for 2-3 years in Oz! They had bought an old van and were making their way slowly to the South Pole. She was fascinated to hear Howard's geological take on Uluru!  It was her fifth visit.

We went on ourselves for 2km through what seemed like uncharted territory, the sun getting hotter and hotter and the flies more and more annoying.  Delerium started to take over ...

At last, we reached the bus pick up point. Back to the hotel and it wasn't even 1pm! Phew! 

Rest of the day lazy in the resort - chilling in the air conditioned room! Tomorrow back to Sydney en route to the Blue Mountains.  

Day Eleven (continued)

Had an amazing evening and the dingoes didn't get us. Got taken by coach to the outback, equidistant between Uluru and Kata Tjuta. 

Kangaroo canapies - a bit tough!

Got served sparkling wine and canapies, listening to a guy playing the didgeridoo, while watching the sun set over Kata Tjuta.

Amazing! Then a walk along a path where tables were set out with white tablecloths, napkins etc and served a lovely three course dinner - had our first taste of kangaroo and barramundi but declined the crocodile!

After dinner all the lights were switched off and we were in total darkness.  We were given a fantastic talk about the stars by a young Aussie girl, using a laser torch to point out the different stars we were looking at. Fabulous!  No photos of the stars, sorry. Shiraz got in the way! 

Back to the hotel full of bush tucker and wine, alarms set for 6.30am to catch the bus to do the Uluru walk in the morning. An awesome day - again!

Day Eleven Ayers Rock Resort (Uluru)

Up with lark to get the airport shuttle bus to take us to Uluru (that was a story in itself - Suffice to say we will not be getting it on the way back!). Travelled by Virgin Australia, flight took 3 and a half hours, with a time difference of one and a half hours from Sydney. Looking from the plane window all you could see was miles and miles of red sand. Great excitement all round when Uluru came in sight, promptly dampened when the pilot started the descent and made a 180 turn while the plane bounced up and down like an excited kangaroo!  

Wow! It's hot here and very red!  A resort in the middle of nowhere - restaurants, cafes, swimming pool, ATM machine and a supermarket. (No photos so far cos can't get the wifi connected to camera.)

People walking around with hats on and covered with mozzie nets. Gave them weird looks but have now looked out our hats and nets and will be wearing them when we go out! The flies  go straight for the eyes!

Have got a dinner tour booked tonight - Sounds of Silence - a dining experience under the stars.   More about that to follow - unless the dingoes get us ...

Day Ten Sydney

What better way to start the day than with a pumpkin salad and flat white in the 'book'cafe across the road from the hotel.  Feet recharged and ready for the day ahead, set off to check out Central Station.  

Getting familiar now with the areas and reading the map, found it easily and worked out the next part of the journey, once we come back from Uluru. Walked through Thai Town and headed for Darling Harbour, planning to take a ferry to Manly Beach only to discover the ferry went from Circular Quay! Jumped on the first ferry that looked like it might be somewhere interesting to go and got off at Cockatoo Island. Thought it would be a romantic place, full of swooping cockatoos, we soon discovered it was the Alcatraz of Sydney! 

Criminals sent here in the 1800s living in horrendous conditions. 

500 people sleeping in quarters designed to house half that. The prison was shut down and changed into a home for wayward girls aged 5-18! (A touch of Cranley?).  World war 2 brought changes and it became an island for building war ships 

Great views all round, no cockatoos but lots of seagulls - not all friendly 

Delights for geologists: 

And delights for the less discerning: 

Managed to wing a bus home to save the feet. Back to the hotel. Going to eat locally (next door!) this evening. Plan to pack and get ready for pick up tomorrow at 7.15 am. 13972 steps today - wimps!! 

Tomorrow Uluru!  

Day Nine Sydney

Both knackered after yesterday's energetic outings. Out later than normal and headed for the 'shopping area'. Big malls and all the usual chain stores didn't do it for us but bought a straw hat in anticipation for going to the desert on Friday. Walked round the botanical gardens - cooler walking today with a hint of rain in the air. Beautiful gardens, enormous trees, lovely flowers and some very tame birds. 

Begging to catch a bus and moaning of sore feet had no effect so continued to cover miles of ground again on foot - nearly 18000 steps today!  However it seemed too dangerous to take a nap in the park

. 

                Killer birds!

(Not sure what these birds are called (Pat?) but they are everywhere. Round your feet in cafes and very tame in the parks.)

Back to the hotel earlyish to try to organise accommodation for next week - proving to be not as easy as we had thought.   Feels like everyone is on holiday! 

Last full day in Sydney tomorrow so want to be out bright and early. 

Day Eight Sydney

Happy Australia Day, possums!  Decided to get away from the celebrating crowds in town by doing the Bondi Beach Coastal Walk. Took the bus to Bondi as the rain gradually changed to sunshine. Our first real day of sun.  Beach mobbed as everyone is off work today.  

Amazing coastal walk, about 5 km long, easy underfoot, apart from the stairs. Stopped to watched surfers, crashing waves and generally just taking in the views. 

Covered five beaches and bays in the 5 kilometres under the beating sun so there was only one thing for it - Head for the beer shop. 

Well earned!  Back to the hotel late afternoon to get ready for the celebrations in the evening. 

Four hours later ....

Another 2 mile walk down the road and, by chance, and the best view ever. 

Amazing!  Night, night - 23000 steps today - v sare feet!

Day Seven Sydney

G'day Possums

An amazing day - or should I say a day full of 'awesomeness'!  Arriving here a day before Australia Day, how privileged did we feel to be sitting outside the Sydney Opera House on the steps, listening to the bands practising for tomorrow's celebrations?

As they say 'a picture paints a thousand words ...' 

Day Six Sydney

Not feeling quite so clever this morning, arriving in Sydney at 06:50 (3:50 Singapore time)!  Worked out how to get into town by train but disruptions on line meant a bus journey too, followed by a LONG walk to the hotel -8000+ steps.  Initial impressions of Sydney are - just like home! Weather a bit cloudy, looks like rain in the air, however temperature 22 degrees.  Our hotel is on Oxford Street, Paddington - an arty area with cute (expensive) shops and little cafes. Quaint houses. 

Not much activity from the Fraser/Rhodes team today (and a bit of a rest for the overworked camera) as both knackered.  Did manage to get the statutory beers in though and practise the selfie skills. 

Early to bed to recharge the batteries, ready to take in the sights tomorrow

Day Five - Part Two

What I didn't say yesterday was, when we tried to check in to our BA flight 24 hours prior to departure there were only 2 seats lefts on the plane 20 rows away from each other. Two very unhappy, sweaty  travellers went to the airport ready for an almighty fight but the woman at the desk was very pleasant and gave us two boarding passes sitting next to each other. It was only when we got to board the plane we realised that we had been upgraded to Club class - not premium economy but Club class! Two beautiful pods next to each other, a glass of Tattinger handed to us as we entered, menus etc etc etc.

So, in case it never happens again, here is the evidence:

We could hardly move when we arrived in Sydney as no sooner had we finished eating dinner breakfast arrived. BA, we love you (and I forgive you that my inflight entertainment screen wasn't working)! 

Day Five Farewell Singapore

Pouring rain so headed up to Orchad Road in hotel shuttle bus. Road for the wealthy! Full of shopping malls and frenetic shoppers. Designer gear floor to ceiling in some shops and single goods sitting alone in the middle of others. Needless to say the only money spent was on food.  Again amazing delicacies on offer in practically every mall. Lunched on black pepper fish with rice and green vegs served on a banana leaf.  £3!!!

Singapore Chiangi airport very efficient. No security checks, no getting rid of liquids as you enter, no big queues and again very smiley people being ultra helpful. (Security is done at the gate as you board, hopefully.). Bye bye, Singers. Next stop Sydney

Day Four Singapore

First stop Chinatown. A sea of red and gold. Hustle and bustle with hawkers plying their wares from every stall.

Found the food market and breakfasted on banana fritter and fresh mango juice - beats Special K that's for sure! 

Biggest queue in the place was a stall that Gordon Ramsay had endorsed when doing a TV programme on street food in Singapore. 

Went hunting for the Duck Tour station to do a land/sea tour in an old Vietnamese amphibious landing craft but were using an out of date map so that never happened. Instead had to take shelter from a downpour. The deluge lasted for .... one pint of Tiger. 

Watched the litter collectors gathering debris during the rain storms.

Back to hotel for swim and spruce up for going to Raffles for that world famous Singapore Sling.

Very sweet and very expensive was the verdict! 

Bucketing (hot) rain, thunder and lightning all the way back to the hotel. 

15567 steps today. Sare feet! 

Day Three Singapore

Up not bright and early but jet lag gone. Headed on foot to Little India.  The glamour of downtown Singers replaced with street life India. Hustle and bustle of traders and exotic smells - not all good! 

Stopped for breakfast of banana prata and cheese and tomato prata washed down with coconut water and lychee syrup.  Amazing!

Certainly a make do and mend philosophy still exists with pile on pile of old computers lying in the streets with recycling going on as we watched.

No signs of wool anywhere to feed my addiction so had to settle for looking at the amazing selection of silk fabrics. 

Continued onto the Arab quarter, stopping at the Sultan Mosque, the oldest Mosque in Singapore. Again lots of shops and restaurants AND massage parlours. Stopped for 45 minutes of pleasure (or was it pain?) and had a foot massage while Howard sat in the cafe next door nursing a Coke! 

Time to head home, passed Raffles again but too sweaty to stop for the Singapore Sling. 

Beer stop, followed by swim back at hotel, followed by dinner - Vietnamese tonight - still not brave enough for the chilli crab!  

18118 steps on pedometer!!!