Homebound

This is it, the end of the trip.  We finished up our packing in the morning, checked out of the hotel by 10am and headed off for one last meal in Sydney.  Unfortunately, the restaurant we had chosen was inexplicably closed, so Eric and I headed off to Chat Thai.  Brad opted to eat at the small cafe that was connected to the hotel, since he wasn't feeling well enough for the walk to the other restaurant.

After lunch, Eric had to stop off for one last Golden Gaytime.  I'll miss you, GG!  Actually, Eric was about 2 feet out of the restaurant and had his hands in the freezer of the convenience store next door to the restaurant.

The three of us packed into a cab, and off to the airport we went.  We enjoyed a couple relaxing hours in the Air New Zealand lounge before heading off to our gate.  

                                      

We crammed ourselves in to our tiny little first-class seats, and away we went!  How we ever survived such cramped quarters is beyond me!  This time around, Ken and I were at the very front, in the nose of the plane, which was a neat experience.  

Brad wasn't feeling well and his cold was really starting to kick in. We told him that even in first class we could quarantine him...

The flight back east is shorter than the flight out to Sydney.  After only twelve and a half hours, we were on the ground at SFO.  Upon arrival, we saw that most flights from SFO to ORD were canceled for the day.  Fortunately for us, our flight was one of the few remaining on-schedule flights.  Had we not made it out on that flight, chances are good that we would have had to stay in San Francisco until Wednesday, due to the winter storm due to hit Chicago. We landed and there was no snow and not even a hint of snow. Strange..they cancelled all those flights and the snow didn't even begin until after midnight in Chicago.

We all made it back home, safe and sound.  The end of another great Australian adventure.  Thank you all for following along with us through this blog!  Until next time...

Last Full Day in Sydney

Today was the day for any last minute tasks that we wanted to take care of before we catch our flight back home.  Souviner shopping for family, packing, one last Emu/Kangaroo pizza, one last visit to Tandori Palace (or as Brad calls it, Tandori Grill), and the last few cocktails (as we try to spend all our extra coins, of course).

It was a sunny, warm day and a perfect way to end our trip to Sydney.  We had some cocktails and said our goodbyes to new friends, favorite foods, and Sydney sights.

Mardi Gras!!!

Rain.  Yes, again.  This time we had a plan.  Paddy's Market!

We grabbed our umbrellas and headed out to the market to see what knick-knacks we could find!  We wandered through the market, eyeing all the merchandise that was just BEGGING to be purchased.  T-shirts, clip-on koala bears, wigs, hair extensions, cheap didgeridoos, boomerangs, glitzy/shiny outfits that were just calling out for someone to wear to Mardi Gras, Opals, and more!  I'm sure that anything purchased at Paddy's comes with a 2-hour warranty and will last a (flies) lifetime!

After the market, we split up.  Brad when off to Darling Harbour to meet up with friends that had just arrived on the Atlantis Cruise, while Ken and I went over to Chat Thai for some incredible thai food!  Not only is Internet getting cheaper and cheaper, but Australia is also emulating the United States in other ways.  We saw this along the harbour.

Not ready to head back to the hotel, and wanting to take advantage of a break in the rain, Ken and I walked over to Darling Harbour to catch the ferry over to Circular Quay.  We needed to make our pilgrimage to the Sydney Opera house.  We had seen it several times throughout the trip, but hadn't taken the time to pay it a proper visit.  The Sydney Opera house is a beautiful building, with a tiled facade that you don't notice until you get up close to it.  It's certainly one of the most iconic buildings in Sydney, and perhaps even the world

Finally, it was time for the main event.  The Mardi Gras parade!  We had purchased tickets to the GLAMBAR, which is an area at the very end of the parade route.  GLAMBAR includes drinks, food, bathrooms, and a small viewing area that is limited to a small group of ticket holders.  Across the street is the GLAMSTAND, which is are a set of bleachers with reserved seating.  Another special feature of GLAMBAR is the GLAM-FX.  If you followed our blog the last time we were in Sydney, you may remember the Beauty Shot mode on Ken's replacement camera.  When it was turned on, any pictures taken automatically made the people in the picture look like superstars!  Well, we've come to find out that Australia has improved on this technology one hundred-fold!  GLAM-FX is the newest iteration of Beauty Shot.  Just look at the amazing effect it had on Ken and Brad!

Before GLAM-FX

After GLAM-FX

Before GLAM-FX

After GLAM-FX

Unfortunately, GLAM-FX was the only part of GLAMBAR that held up to its promise.  The drink service was terribly slow and ran out of all the good stuff before the parade started, the food was decent (but infrequent), and the viewing area was uninspired.  Fortunately, the parade itself was fantastic!  While pride parades in the USA are full of politicians and corporations, the Mardi Gras parade was full of fun, fabulousness and choreography!  Just take a look at some of our pictures and videos and see for yourself (and yes...it seems like everybody in Sydney is in INCREDIBLE shape.  Bastards.)

Jim Beam in a can.  So...tasty?

Eric at-the-ready with his camera

GLAMBAR before everyone arrived

GLAMSTAND across from GLAMBAR

The people behind the scenes of the parade

When the parade ended around 11pm, we did what any reasonable person would do...go out for cocktails!  Or...at least we tried.  Apparently, due to the influx of people in town for Mardi Gras and the lack of bars in Sydney, you're not allowed in unless you bought a ticket and watched the parade from that venue.  Even if you DO buy a ticket, they apparently kick you out for a little bit, and make you queue up to get back in.  We couldn't get in anywhere that evening, and the Sydney police are lined up along all of Oxford Street to prevent you from even trying to cross!  Ridiculous!  I guess Sydney doesn't care about the tourist dollars it could have raked in that evening.

We came, we saw, we did, we had a lot of fun, and it was certainly worth doing once, however, I think we all agree that once was enough.