The weekend in Sydney was pretty low key. It rained off and on most of the time (our lucky weather streak had to end some time). Went on the one-hour Opera House tour. The concert hall (the one with the tallest exterior "sail") is truly stunning. There are 5 separate theatres in the opera house, hosting some 6,000 people every night, making it the busiest opera house in the world. And it ain't cheap. A non-obstructed seat in the opera hall costs > $200! Also spent a lot of time at the Australian Museum, which was fascinating and unique among museums I've visited because of its focus on marsupials and other animals & plants only found in Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, & nearby). I learned that it's very easy to tell masupials by their skeletons -- just look for the pouch bones! They also had an oustanding exhibit hall on human evolution as well as a temporary exhibit on Egyptian burial ceremonies, complete with lots of long-dead bodies and body parts. Also during these two weeks Sydney is hosting the Bacardi Latino Festival, outdoors and right on the waterfront of Darling Harbour. The Festival itself was a little disappointing just because they played very little Salsa and there was little room to dance anyway because of the throngs of people, but the setting was spectacular. Darling Harbor is small and ringed by upscale restaurants, bars, shops, and theatres -- truly alive and energized at night time. Unfortunately, the week's hiking followed by long days of standing at the museum & meandering around Sydney have caused an eruption of low back pain like I have not had since, well, the last time I hiked a city and went to museums (Toronto). I am now truly a sight to behold -- limping sideways down staircases because of my continuing knee pain and getting up from chairs like an old hunch-back because of my back pain. Thank god I have a desk job to return to next week. ;-) Monday night (last night) Chloe, Chantelle, and I went to see a play at the Opera House called "The Three Furies: Scenes from the Life of Francis Bacon." The story was captivating enough, following Bacon's dark, self-destructive, yet artistically brilliant life, but the actors made it extraordinary. Because I bought the tickets a month ago and it was a preview night, we had middle seats in the front row, and every wrinkle of every expression was right there for us to see (at the price of enduring some passionate spittle every now and then). After the show I bid a sad farewell to my companions. Chantelle did such a wonderful job planning most of our trips and activities for the week -- I owe her a big thanks. And Chloe is, well, just plain wonderful. This morning I flew from Sydney (New South Wales) to Hobart (Tasmania). I've walked around the city a bit -- a beautiful, old, small town on the water. I'm staying at the Pickled Frog backpacker hostel, which is less than half the price of my hostel in Sydney, and it shows! ;-) But that's alright -- I'm not here for the accomodations. I'm slowly assembling a sightseeing plan for the next few days. It may well involve some massage and soaking at a spa (stupid sore body parts).