Tom:

Another day, another continent - another customs official looking at me suspiciously. It was actually a really confusing journey regarding flight times and the general time differences. We began on the morning of the 2nd flying from Balikpapan, Borneo to Jakarta, Java (which is an hour behind Borneo), and expected a 8 hour wait at the main airport in Jakarta before our 7 hour flight to Sydney. Qantas airlines - the airline we've been flying with - has been having some difficulties in the last two weeks, so what we actually got was a 12 hour wait thanks to a metal object smashing through the walls of the cargo-hold of the plane we were originally going to fly on. When we landed in Sydney (3 hours ahead of Jakarta) the next day we were soon to discover that the Aussie clocks fall back an hour on the 4th for daylight saving time (which is odd for us as in the UK it "springs" forward). All in all we had no idea what time it was, or how far ahead of the UK we were! Furthermore, the humour of the Aussie customs officials rounded the whole experience off wonderfully. The conversation went thus:

Customs official #1: (looks at my passport) Are you guys from England?

Tom: Yes.

Customs official #1: Oh, sorry about that!

Customs official #2: (semi-overhearing the conversation) Oh are you guys from England?

Tom: Yes.

Customs official #2: Oh, sorry about that!

Customs official #1: I just made that joke!

Customs official #2: It was my joke first. (Tom looks dispairingly at the pair of them) etc.

Anyway after spending 10 weeks in South East Asia - among a population not generally known for their sense of humour... or their manners... or general common sense - we weren't ready for "witty" banter, and this knocked us for six. 'Twas certainly a nice introduction to Australia though! We arrived at a mate's (Ben Croft's) appartment and he's been awesome, driving us around the city and putting up with our travel-related smells, generally being a great host. Anyway, i'll let Nil talk about Sydney itself...

Nil:

Hey all! I'm really pleased to be in Sydney. This city is like a different type of home. Even the money looks familiar, and I find that Queen Elizabeth's profile is a welcomed sight after 10 weeks of not understanding anything, let alone the currency! Yesterday Ben kindly picked us up from the airport and then showed us around the city by car which was very much appreciated. Today we woke up to explore Circular Quays by public transport and foot. It was incredibly impressive. Sydney Opera House is better than the postcards portray it, and Sydney Harbour Bridge is an impressive sight which also offers a superb view of the Opera House. We awent for a stroll in the Botanic Gardens next to the Opera House and were surprised to discover that the gardens double up as a zoo because of Autralia's diverse wildlife. Huge, wild bats the size of my backpack flew above us or screeched whilst roosting in the trees. Massive birds that looked like pretty boy versions of vultures wandered past us picking up leftovers from the tourists. So, I only have lots of praise to give Sydney and urge everybody I know to come here! Lots of love to everyone back home.

xxxxxx