Spent 7 hours at the Taronga Zoo today. It was tough work, but by the end I think Chloe and I saw every square inch. ;-) It was awesome! Again, we lucked out with gorgeous weather. We got to take a ferry across the harbour again, over to the zoo and back. Jason -- thanks so much for the recommendation to see the bird show. The show was impressive enough, but being set against the backdrop of a full panorama of the Sydney harbour was just breath-takin...

Today our luck continued with another beautiful, clear, sunny day -- perfect for hiking around in the Blue Mountains! I'll let my photos do most of the talking for this day. With a night of rest, a compression bandage, and much advil, my right knee was still loudly complaining, but not enough to keep me out of this beautiful rainforest. I found that as long as I went down steps or inclines kinda sideways, my knee was fine. So I was a funny-looking hiker...

THE FIRST ANNUAL SYDNEY SALSA CONGRESS The Sydney Salsa Congress wrapped up last night, and I am DRAINED! 3 nights of incredible performances followed by dancing all night long, plus all-day workshops Saturday and Sunday, all broken up only by a little sleep, many showers, and some quick meals. While this event definitely factored into my planning for this trip, I didn't realize that this was the FIRST salsa congress ever held in Australia! (in 2004...

Hi everyone! I arrived in Sydney yesterday morning. After somehow managing to sleep for nearly 8 hours of the 15 hour flight, I actually felt rather refreshed! No personal entertainment center on the seat back, but the guy next to me returning home to Melbourne was rather entertaining, with stories of Australian rules football (crazy!) and Cricket (games last for days!). Chloe, who arrived from Taipei the day before, and her friend Chantelle, who live...