So we hopped on another flight for our last antipodean stop...Sydney in New South Wales. I was so excited!

We arrived in sweltering heat and headed for our hostel at Glebe Point on the west side of the city.

The first evening we walked down to circular quay and along the domain, a beautiful park area with botanical gardens along the water's edge. The sun was setting and a band was playing across the water while the Sydney locals gathered in the harbour wine bars, all very atmospheric. As I looked back I had another 'pinch myself' moment. There it was, that amazing iconic sight, The Sydney Opera house in all its glory, illuminated in red in recognition of World Aids Day, it looked spectacular. It really is a strange but beautiful building and just behind it The Sydney Harbour Bridge, again lit beautifully with ships of all shapes and sizes sailing underneath it leaving little white trails in their wakes adding to the classic Sydney photograph. I had a bit of a moment. I could not believe I was there!!

We walked back to the harbour and sat opposite the oldest and first building to be built in Sydney and there we had the most expensive fish and chips ever, very scrummy but cost us £35!!!

The day next day we woke up to torrential rain. When there was a lull in the downpour we decided to walk down to Darling Harbour taking in the famous fish market where we watched an amazing chef create a delish Thai salmon curry. By the time we reached the main shopping centre we were completely drenched so we ran into the Victoria building and I had to dry my jeans and raincoat using the hand dryers in the loo. We decided to stay dry and browse the shops and I was happy to see that the Christmas had not bypassed Australia. Every shop competing with the next for the best deckies in town with a beautiful 90 ft. Swarovski crystal Christmas tree as a center piece.

To shelter from the rain we decided to go to Sydney's Madame Tussauds and had fun with all of the celebs there from Gandhi to Hitchcock and of course Rolf Harris, Dame Edna and Captain Cook. Ray did the moonwalk behind the waxwork of Michael Jackson as I took some video footage...yeh we got a few strange looks!!

Then on to the Sydney aquarium which totally blew me away. We walked through a huge underwater glass tunnel with the sting rays, sharks and a kaleidoscope of tropical fish swimming over our heads and although it was a spectacular display, it still didn't beat the real thing...the Barrier Reef!...although we did see a massive smily faced Dugong!

In the afternoon the rain stopped and we walked along Macquarie Street to Hyde Park Barracks museum. Built in 1819, this was the first port of call for convicts who had received sentences of transportation from the UK to Australia as punishment, mainly for petty crimes. The convicts were mustered daily and marched to worksites around town. In gangs, they built the docks, roads, churches, hospitals, quarries, bridges and fortifications of early Sydney. What was so interesting about this place was that once a convict had 'done his time' , he/she was given a piece of Sydney land, 'free man' status and was encouraged to continue his/her life as a godly and good citizen. The new , growing population of Sydney prided itself on an extremely low crime rate. Amazing to think that subsequent families inherited their land in this way and many of their predecesors are probably quite wealthy and successful all because their ancestors 'nicked' a loaf of bread!!!....hee hee sometimes crime does pay!!!

On our last day we took the ferry to Manly across the water from the circular quay harbour and the place where Ray lived about 15 years ago. Such a beautiful place, again blue waters and stunning surroundings, can totally understand why he was depressed when his visa ran out and he had to leave. We bought a picnic lunch and sat on the beach in the blazing sun feeling totally inadequate whilst surrounded by people with the most beautifully toned and suntanned bodies.....all had faces like aged sunburnt walnuts though!!....Oooh harsh!!

That evening we had been invited for a meal with an art college friend of Rays. In those days Kev gave Ray the name 'Leg Beard', because he had long legs and a beard..(obvious really!) Anyway as we got off the ferry at Woolwich I noticed a bloke standing on top of his car holding up a big hand painted placard with rock music blarring out of the stereo. As we got closer I realized it read 'Leg Beard and Laura'...yay...it was Kev and he was a looney...excellent!!

We had a fantastic evening with Kevan and Leslie his wife. They made a gorgeous chili and we sat, surrounded by Kev's amazing paintings, mostly famous celebs, (his Keith Richards was incredible!) and their crazy dogs who happily gnawed on their doggie chews (which turned out to be a dried bulls willy???) while we drank wine (we bought a bottle of wine which turned out to be Port...oops , sorry about that but happy Christmas Leslie and Kev!) , jammed with the guitars and reminisced about old times, our adventures and Leslies wonderful memories of Koh Chang, Thailand.....We had a great evening with some really lovely people, who succeeded in making me toy with the idea of working in Australia.....ya never know, one day.....maybe???

Australia was a fantastic place (and now my new favourite!). From Melbourne, along the Great Ocean Road, to the Gold Coast, Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays, The Great Barrier Reef to the Queensland jungle, everything we did was totally brilliant but it was proving to be the most expensive leg of the whole trip. We ended up spending nearly £7000 in 6 weeks so reluctantly we made the decision to head to Thailand sooner than we had originally planned and not spend Christmas in Oz...

Next day....we boarded a flight to South East Asia, mystical, busy, beautiful, smoggy and smelly and the city where lady boys are made...... Bangkok!!!