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They’re “upgrading” the Internet access at the hotel. Sigh… will try to post again this evening.

We left Bali a little late, but we arrived in Sydney only a little late after our five our flight. Emerson slept through the entire flight (and well before too). In contrast, Libby and I had relatively little sleep. It seemed to take surprisingly long to get through immigration, baggage claim, and customs, which meant we left the airport around 9am.

We took a taxi into the city (about $50AUD). Fortunately, we were able to immediately check into our hotel, the Radisson Blu Plaza, which is located in the Central Business District. This enabled us to take a brief nap before heading out for lunch and to explore the immediate surroundings.

We walked down to the Circular Quay on Sydney Harbour to see the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, which are clearly the city’s most iconic structures. We then returned to the city center ad walked around for a few hours just getting a “feel” of the city. Our first impression: aside from the aforementioned structural icons, I can’t say that the city has a very distinctive vibe. It mostly just feels like a large city in the English-speaking world… neither especially foreign nor unique.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Emerson and the Sydney Opera House

Emerson and the Sydney Opera House

We had dinner at a take-out Mexican place – sort of Australia’s answer to Chipotle. But, it was even better: very fresh with spot on flavors. Mexican is the ideal cuisine for Emerson, as she’s most willing to eat a balanced meal there with lots veggies. I also learned another important lesson: Sydney is a surprisingly expensive city! I spent almost $40 on a meal that would have cost less than $20 at home. I mean it’s not Scandinavia, but it’s up there with London and New York. It’s also especially startling given the low-cost of even 5-star resort living in SE Asia.

Today, Libby and I reached all seven continents. That’s a major travel goal achieved. But, we’re not done yet!

Today’s box score: +1 country, +1 continent (Australia)

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