Our trip back to the States would be just as epic as the trip to OZ. We had four legs to get from Perth to Denver. The first leg was a red-eye flight from Perth to Sydney. Mom was also flying on that leg so we were able to sit together until parting ways in Sydney. Mom was continuing to Los Angeles on QANTAS while Jo and I were switching to Air Pacific Airlines via Nadi, Fiji to LAX, but first we had a 5 hour lay over in Sydney.
Leaving Perth
Sydney Control Tower
My friend Anthony, who I go all the way back to flight school with, met us in Sydney. He moved back to his home town a few years after we graduated and happened to have the morning off. He suggested that the best and cheapest way to see Sydney in our limited time was to take the ferry from Downtown to Manly Beach in the North. After meeting us at the airport we enjoyed a brief drive through empty early morning streets to the ferry terminal. Sydney was a beautiful city and much more "American" than Perth, it reminded me a lot of San Francisco. The ferry terminal borders the northern edge of Downtown with the huge Harbour Bridge spanning the harbor on the West. The Sydney Opera House reaches out into the bay from the tip of Bennelong Point to the East.
Sydney
The Ferry Terminal
The Harbour Bridge
A & J
Anthony dropped us off at the ferry terminal and we enjoyed a flat white while watching ferries converge on the terminal from all directions. Our ferry to Manly was called Narrabeen. It was a large 3 level ship with a bow, wheel house and propeller on each end. After hordes of morning commuters disembarked, we boarded a relatively empty boat to Manly. The route took us past the Harbour Bridge, directly in front of the Sydney Opera House, up the straight past the harbor opening to the North Shore and Manly.
The Route to Manly
The Narrabeen
(our ferry)
Front Row Seat
Downtown Sydney
The Opera House
Sydney Skyline
Panoramic
(click to enlarge)
Anthony met us at Manly with his daughter Arabella and we strolled through the beach shops to the Pacific Ocean. Manly was a picturesque beach with clear blue waters and perfect surf. The morning sun was warm and the water looked inviting. I really wanted to jump in, but the thought of sitting on a plane for the next 30 hours without a shower afterwards kept me dry. Instead we strolled along the beach catching up and telling stories. Arabella was simply adorable!
Manly Beach
Arabella, Anthony, & Jo
At the southern edge of the beach there was a rocky point which I hopped down on to look for wildlife. Hundreds of small crabs were in the cracks between the rocks. I tried to time gaps in the surf to catch one, but didn't have enough time between the crashing waves. As I was walking back to the path I nearly stepped on a 3 foot long Australian Water Dragon basking in the sun. He was an impressive lizard that watched me intently as I eased in for some close ups. I once witnessed an old man get attacked by a startled water dragon so I gave him plenty of respect.
Crab
(can you see him)
Australian Water Dragon
Our Crew
After our stroll Anthony took us out for breakfast and another flat white at a quaint coffee shop in Manly. We were fading from being up all night and soon it was time to head back to the airport. As we got close to the airport Arabella was fascinated with all the planes, it reminded me of myself when I was her age. It was great seeing Anthony and Arabella, his friendship is one that separate continents and hemispheres can't come between.
A Flat White
Air Pacific didn't have its own gate agents so the line to the ticket counter and the QANTAS agents working the flight was looooooong. It took so long that plane was already boarding by the time we got the gate. Our ship home would be a Boeing 747-400, it was a two class set up and the coach seat was roomy and comfortable, even featuring its own foot rest. The flight to Nadi was only about 4 hours, of which I slept most of after our inflight meal. When we landed it was dark and other than a few brush fires near the airport we didn't see much of Fiji. We had a 3 hour layover in Nadi that seemed like an eternity. The airport consisted of a large room surrounded by small shops with a food stand in the center. In the background hypnotic cultural music played constantly, it was different, but I enjoyed it. Finally at 11pm local time, we re-boarded the same 747-400 and scored an exit row. I slept for most of the 9 hour flight to LAX, although I did catch most of the movie Iron Man when I woke up to eat.
Our Ship Home
(Air Pacific 747-400)
Our Layover in LAX
It was 1pm Pacific time when we arrived in Los Angeles and we had another 4 hour layover. After lunch at Chili's (ugh) we reconnected to the world returning cell phone messages and checking emails. We landed in Denver at 11:00pm mountain time a full 40 hours after we boarded the plane in Perth. It was a mission getting home, but as all of my long-winded Australia posts below show it was an epic and wonderful trip. Rather than write another long-winded conslusionary post, I'll just thank everyone who made it that way.
Thanks to Dunc and Beth, my Mom, Peggy, all of her wonderful friends, Shaun the hang gliding instructor, Anthony for waking up super early only to spend a few hours with us, and finally Jo who put up with me for 10 days straight with no breaks!
