Sydney day 2

Since Brooke and Scott are still sleeping (they are way more adjusted to the time difference)I figured I would blog about yesterday. We began the day by walking to Paddington Market. There are a lot of markets here, especially on the weekends. They are just local street vendors selling all kinds of stuff like jewelry, clothes, art, and all sorts of other randomness. I saw some cute things but everything in Sydney is soooo expensive! You can't eat for less than 10 dollars and a beer can be 5-8 dollars!

After the market we took a bus down to the harbor to catch a ferry to Manly Beach. The beaches are nothing like we have at home. They are very small (you can walk from one end to the other in just a few minutes) and full of surfers. They aren't a lot of people laying out in bathing suits since it is Winter here but lots of people just hanging out. We sat and watched the surfers for a little bit and then walked around the streets where there are so many shops and all kinds of food. They have some normal restaurants but mostly just little to-go places where you can get food from every culture. I ate Thai for lunch and it might have been the best thing I have ever eaten! It was something called Pad Mee that had Singapore noodles, chicken, vegetables, curry, and peanuts. Sooo good! We took the ferry back which has great views and dropped us off right by the Opera House.

The Opera House is pretty amazing and has cute restaurants and bars with live music overlooking the harbor. I would have liked to hang out there for a mid-day cocktail but it was like 15 dollars for a drink. No thank you. In front of the Opera House are beautiful botanical gardens that we walked through for a long time. There were all sorts of trees and animals. There were "water birds" that walk around everywhere which have this long skinny black beak. In one part of the gardens there were hundreds of giant bats (also known as flying foxes) hanging upside down. They were even wild cockatoos flying all around. I really loved these gardens and might need to go back.

After the gardens we went back to our room and cooked dinner and then headed out to some of the bars. Everyone is really into rugby and footy and were watching the games. I have no idea what footy is or how it differs from rugby but it is apparently very popular. I was exhausted and didn't last very long out before I had to come back and go to bed. Ready for today!

Finally in Australia!!

After several days of trying to get here- I finally made it to Australia to visit Brooke and Scott! I left Raleigh on Tuesday and got here on Friday (time difference and  a LOT of delays) still in the same clothes and a bit of a hot mess. My body has no idea what day it is or time it is and my sleeping schedule is extremely off. Its 7 am now and I've been up since 4:30 but I went to sleep really early last night because I was so tired.

Sydney is a lot like NYC- extremely busy and crowded. Yesterday we went on a double decker bus tour to see the different areas including the famous Bondi beach. We are not really sure why it's so famous...it's pretty small but very nice. It's shaped like a horseshoe which has something to do with a volcanic eruption. There were lots of surfers and people laying on the beach. We also saw the Opera house, the Sydney harbor bridge which we might climb at some point, and lots of other interesting places. I really liked looking at the houses. Some were really nice and big but they are extremely close together and have no yard. People dress weird here. It's winter so they are in winter clothes...but it's like 75 degrees. Brooke and I are in tank tops and the local people are in boots, sweaters, and coats. Aren't they hot??

So I think the plan for today is to to visit some of the local markets they have on the weekends, walk around the opera house and botanical gardens, and maybe take a harbor cruise.  I have not seen any koalas or kangaroos. Loving the accents! Pics soon.




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Feather update

I am still currently obsessed with feather hair extensions although I was totally ripped off by going to the salon to have them put in. I am ashamed to even admit how much I spent. I have now learned that you can order feathers online for wayyy cheaper and they are really easy to put in. Lots of people on Etsy sell them as well as Amazon and Ebay. I just got 6 feathers for about $20 and put them in myself. Some places might try to sell you the little hook but you don't need it. You just need feathers, microlinks (the bead that holds it to your hair), and a piece of fishing wire. They are lots of tutorials on YouTube that show you how. It's really easy and takes like 2 minutes. Anyway, I just returned from Montana where everyone has feathers in their hair! Fly fishing is huge there so there are lots of feathers around. Feathers are used to make the little flys in case you arent familiar with fly fishing. There was even a tent set up at the local farmers market where you could get them put in your hair. I went into one of the fly fishing stores and the feathers were sooo cheap. I bought a couple bags of small feathers because I wanted to make my own feather earrings. One bag was $1.80 and I can probably make 50+ earrings out of it! Ive made a few pair (again by watching YouTube tutorials) but still need some practice and to get creative by adding different colors and charms. Here are a few I have made so far (hanging on the earring holder I crafted up a few weeks ago).