Did you know that the skeleton of a sperm whale has been hanging in the foyer of the Australian Museum in Sydney since 1910? And did you know that 20 of the world's 25 deadliest snakes live in Australia? And did you know that Cadbury's make Caramel Koalas? Thanks to our informative day yesterday, we know these things, and now you, dear reader, do too.

Our primary activity in Sydney this week has of course been job hunting, something which neither of us have had much success with. We're applied for many, many a CV has been sent out, the Marrickville Library Service has had to order in more low-quality A4 paper because of the reems of letters and resumes that have been churning out of their little printer, but still the search for active employment goes on. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful, because somewhere down the line there's bound to be a job for one of us. If all else fails they're looking for people at a poster company to 'roll and pack posters'. Apparently you get 15c a poster, which is great if you can roll 200 in an hour but not so great if you have the wrists of a feeble ant.

Yesterday we took a break from all of this hullabaloo, however, and decided to do what Sydneysiders do best, which is to take a day off and do something nice. Actually, we wanted to go to Bondi, but at lunchtime as we were ready to go - as if on cue - the skies filled with grey clouds and it started looking decidedly unsuitible beach weather. This never would have happened in Langkawi. Instead, we took a trip to the Australian Museum.

Howie is very wise, as you know, so his suggestion of 'let's cycle into the city centre' seemed like a good one. Let me be the first to inform you of this:
Australian Lesson No. 2: Sydney is completely rubbish for cyclists.
Actually I wouldn't say rubbish. I would say 'a deathtrap'. There are pretty much zero cycle lanes and the ones they do have are 'shared with pedestrians', ie. the pavement. Particularly silly at rush hour when there are lots of people around. The chances of running someone over is high.

We got there. Eventually. The Museum itself was ace - one of the best laid-out museums I've ever been in. It had lots of exciting exhibits and we had a good look at the spiders to look out for. Half way through our visit, Howie got hungry so we had to leave the museum to try to find something to eat (not an easy task. The Museum must be the only place in Sydney not near a food outlet). In the end, Howie had some kind of flappyjack and I discovered Caramello Koalas, so it actually turned out productively.

The cycle back during rush hour was not something I would be willing to repeat. Not in a million years. Cycling back through that city centre leaves you with a difficult choice. Either you a) cycle on the road and get shunted by a taxi, or b) cycle on the pavement and have to go painfully slowly behind a slow-walking, overweight businesswoman wearing too-tight trousers. Mmm.... I chose life. Pavement cycling is the worst, but then it started raining a bit. And the wind was howling. And my helmet doesn't fit me properly and it kept falling off backwards. And my neck hurt. And Howie was probably frustrated that I wasn't cycling fast enough. And to be honest I just wanted to go home. The tears shed when we finally got home were real.

For poor Howie, however, it wasn't over. We needed some bits from the supermarket and as I am - quite frankly - a handicap when it comes to cycling, it was thought best that Howie go solo. What we forgot was that Howie didn't have 'the nose' with him, thus was bound to get a little bit lost. And get lost he did, in the dark, carryring the world's heaviest rucksack full of tins and milk.
Australia Lesson Number 3: Carry a map or a Jen with you at all times. All the streets in the suburbs look the same.
But he still managed to get home in time for tea.What a hero.