Lizzin' the life!

Since leaving Cairns, we've had amazing weather. We got lucky because it is the wet season right now, and usually there are cyclones all around Australia, which is exactly what bid us adieu from Cairns. We returned just in time for the Mardi Gras parade--which people travel from all over the world to attend--and we just happened to be here!! What great timing. But before that happened, we made time to go to Toronga zoo, which overlooks the entire city and the harbor. Every animal picture we took was backed with the Sydney skyline. We saw kangaroos, koalas and baby gorillas-loved every minute of it. 

That night we attended the Mardi Gras--it was insane!! The entire day the people of Sydney prepared for it by setting up barricades and rails on the street sides. The parade was filled with the most flamboyant of people. To say the least, it was very entertaining. 

The next day it poured and we had a bit of a movie day. It was good to spend a day relaxing. Yesterday we spent the day at the Sydney botanical gardens. We made a picnic lunch and fed the exotic birds, only later to read signs that instructed against feeding the birds because they would bite...whoops. It's crazy because where we would have pigeons and geese they have lorikeets and cockatoos--and bats, oh my! That night we gave ourself a tour of Darling harbor. When we got back to Coogee later that night we decided to take a dip. Rachel and Beth came out of the water with the stings of a jelly fish--but they both decided that it's not quite as bad as one would expect. 

We decided to go out with a bang in true aussie style by attending surf camp all day. One of the girls who lives in the house we are staying in, from Jesuit no less, is teaching surf camps and private lessons here, so we went out with her crew. It was the best way to go out. Today was a gorgeous day. All of us were able to stand at least once and will probably be surfing with the locals soon...We've had amazing hosts--Sydney would not have been the same without them.

Tomorrow we're off to Thailand... ready for our next adventures!