Mozzarella on the MOOOOve.... Travel Journal
- Thread starter hazelnut
- Start date
Hello everyone! This is Mozzarella checking in after a few horribly rainy days in Australia. Apparently, they've been in a terrible drought and the recent rain is the worst since the 1960's!! Oy... I guess we are just... lucky. But I am getting ahead of myself.
On June 13 we waited at SFO airport for our Quantas flight... I was super excited as I've never been to Australia before!
and after a quick nap there was dinner -- salmon! I must say, I was quite impressed with the quality of food on Quantas!
I won't bore you with the other details of the 14 hr flight... let's just say... I was very excited to see the skyline of Sydney from my window!!!
On June 13 we waited at SFO airport for our Quantas flight... I was super excited as I've never been to Australia before!
and after a quick nap there was dinner -- salmon! I must say, I was quite impressed with the quality of food on Quantas!
I won't bore you with the other details of the 14 hr flight... let's just say... I was very excited to see the skyline of Sydney from my window!!!
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After waiting through customs and getting our yummy coconut bread (all the way from Ranch 99 in CA) inspected multiple times by sniffing dogs and other official persons, we finally arrived at the Hilton Sydney. Whew! We had a nice view.
The room was very modern. Apparently the hotel is only 2 yrs old, so everything is very shiny and lots of glass. Can you see where I am in these photos? (And what bag hazelnut brought with her to Australia?)
The room was very modern. Apparently the hotel is only 2 yrs old, so everything is very shiny and lots of glass. Can you see where I am in these photos? (And what bag hazelnut brought with her to Australia?)
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So... my wonderful hazelnut FORGOT 
to take me on her walk on the Sydney bridge, with these fantastic views of the Sydney Opera House. I was very sad. But she showed me a photo of what it looked like, and promised we could get a better look when we stop at Sydney again later on.
When hazelnut got back from her walk, we were all so wiped out from our long flight that we just went to sleep!!
The next day we walked around Sydney. Right across from the hotel is the QVB. The Australians love to use acronyms for everything. QVB is the Queen Victoria Building. It is quite beautiful, and is now used as a mall. At one of the stores... we saw something reallllllyyy interesting... apparently here they sell kangaroo ah.... male parts. as can openers.
For $30 AUD no less!
to take me on her walk on the Sydney bridge, with these fantastic views of the Sydney Opera House. I was very sad. But she showed me a photo of what it looked like, and promised we could get a better look when we stop at Sydney again later on. When hazelnut got back from her walk, we were all so wiped out from our long flight that we just went to sleep!!
The next day we walked around Sydney. Right across from the hotel is the QVB. The Australians love to use acronyms for everything. QVB is the Queen Victoria Building. It is quite beautiful, and is now used as a mall. At one of the stores... we saw something reallllllyyy interesting... apparently here they sell kangaroo ah.... male parts. as can openers.
For $30 AUD no less!Attachments
There was also an entire replica set of the crown jewels (same as the ones in the Tower of London in UK)... and hazelnut likes bling bling so we had to take some photos.
also we stopped briefly at the cathedral... very beautiful stained glass!!
Right before lunch, we stopped at a very peaceful Chinese Garden. I even saw a very cool looking bird - but none of us knew what kind it is!!
also we stopped briefly at the cathedral... very beautiful stained glass!!
Right before lunch, we stopped at a very peaceful Chinese Garden. I even saw a very cool looking bird - but none of us knew what kind it is!!
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After following the CHinese theme and going to Chinatown for lunch, we went to Darling Harbour and visited the Sydney Aquarium.
There were all kinds of intersting animals at the aquarium. Can you tell which one this is? The first pic is what it appears like from the top of the water. THe second is under the water!!
Next we saw some very pretty seahorses and cute sea lions!!
There were all kinds of intersting animals at the aquarium. Can you tell which one this is? The first pic is what it appears like from the top of the water. THe second is under the water!!
Next we saw some very pretty seahorses and cute sea lions!!
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One of the neatest things at the aquarium are underwater walkways where you can see the wildlife swimming around and over you!! I saw an enourmous turtle ... and many other fish and sharks!
And finally, we rested at a pretty viewing area... we were very tired!
And finally, we rested at a pretty viewing area... we were very tired!
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Yesterday, we took a very very early flight out to Cairns. It is quite surprising to me how big Australia is. It was 3 hours! When we got here, it was ALSO rainy and wet. Thankfully, it was much warmer!
Unfortunately, hazelnut is not in Australia just for vacation, she is at Cairns for a very big, very important stem cell conference, so I've just been hanging out at the hotel for the last two days... she tells me that I wouldn't want to go to the conference anyway, because it is very boring... ppl talking away all day about a lot of stuff I don't know anything about...
ush: I tried to beg mr. hazelnut to take me along with him to tour around today (since HE doesn't have to go to that conference) but he very much hurt my feelings and said it was too much trouble and it would only make mrs.hazelnut jealous. 
Tomorrow though, we are going to an Aboriginal Culture Center dinner and show, and I am very excited to get out and do something fun!!
Unfortunately, hazelnut is not in Australia just for vacation, she is at Cairns for a very big, very important stem cell conference, so I've just been hanging out at the hotel for the last two days... she tells me that I wouldn't want to go to the conference anyway, because it is very boring... ppl talking away all day about a lot of stuff I don't know anything about...
ush: I tried to beg mr. hazelnut to take me along with him to tour around today (since HE doesn't have to go to that conference) but he very much hurt my feelings and said it was too much trouble and it would only make mrs.hazelnut jealous. Tomorrow though, we are going to an Aboriginal Culture Center dinner and show, and I am very excited to get out and do something fun!!
ooh Mozzarella .. your travels with hazelnut seem very fun and exciting so far! Too bad Mr. Hazelnut wouldn't let you go out with him. Maybe sometime during the trip he'll change his mind. Can't wait to see what you guys do next! 
aww! it looks like Mozzarella is having an AWESOME time down under! Too bad he can't come to Tokyo with me! (unless I acquire one of his cousins before I leave!)
aaaahhhh hazelnut finally has free internet again at the westin in sydney so here we go.
hazelnut snuck a pic for me at the conference she was at... she told me they weren't allowed to take photos bc of copyright... !! looks pretty boring to me!
luckily she took me out for dinner that night.. and we had some realllllyy interesting stuff!!! kangaroo, crocodile, emu sausage, and something else... I forget!! (and yes, the crocodile tasted similar to chicken... kinda of dry chicken, at that!!)
the next day we braved the beach, even though it was cloudy and rather cold... it was an hour bus ride!! not very impressive, hazelnut says.... she says the beaches in LA are just as good!! I dont know... I'll have to see because I think she was just upset because the weather was bad!
that night we went to the aboriginal show, and they had some neat art that I checked out.
also they had some performers in traditional dress, and we learned some chants... very neat!
hazelnut snuck a pic for me at the conference she was at... she told me they weren't allowed to take photos bc of copyright... !! looks pretty boring to me!
luckily she took me out for dinner that night.. and we had some realllllyy interesting stuff!!! kangaroo, crocodile, emu sausage, and something else... I forget!! (and yes, the crocodile tasted similar to chicken... kinda of dry chicken, at that!!)
the next day we braved the beach, even though it was cloudy and rather cold... it was an hour bus ride!! not very impressive, hazelnut says.... she says the beaches in LA are just as good!! I dont know... I'll have to see because I think she was just upset because the weather was bad!
that night we went to the aboriginal show, and they had some neat art that I checked out.
also they had some performers in traditional dress, and we learned some chants... very neat!
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on wednesday, hazelnut was very naughty and snuck off from the conference and we went on a day trip to green island, and on the way she got soooooo excited that we saw some blue sky she had to take a few pics.
we finally got to the island, about a 2 hr ferry away from cairns, and hazelnut got all suited up for some snorkeling... not liking the water much myself I stayed on safe, dry land.... but hazelnut told me afterwards it was so neat and she saw TWO turtles!!!!
when hazelnut got tired of snorkeling we went and checked out the beach. .. they had some chairs and umbrellas for hire... but... this is quite embarassing but hazelnut did not feel like paying $30AUD to sit on the chairs, so we got (very nicely) asked to leave after a half hour.
on the way back they fed the fish, and there was one that looked like a little shark!!
we finally got to the island, about a 2 hr ferry away from cairns, and hazelnut got all suited up for some snorkeling... not liking the water much myself I stayed on safe, dry land.... but hazelnut told me afterwards it was so neat and she saw TWO turtles!!!!
when hazelnut got tired of snorkeling we went and checked out the beach. .. they had some chairs and umbrellas for hire... but... this is quite embarassing but hazelnut did not feel like paying $30AUD to sit on the chairs, so we got (very nicely) asked to leave after a half hour.
on the way back they fed the fish, and there was one that looked like a little shark!!
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it was our last day in cairns, and so we tooks some nice pics from the view of our hotel. hazelnut was STILL lamenting the weather. 
that day we got to go on another reef trip, this time to a pontoon out on the middle of the ocean, right where the reef was!! we even got to see a helicopter land on a tiny floating thing... very neat! hazelnut did a lot of scuba and snorkeling... but she left me safe and dry again, but she told me she saw some amazing coral and fish!!!
that day we got to go on another reef trip, this time to a pontoon out on the middle of the ocean, right where the reef was!! we even got to see a helicopter land on a tiny floating thing... very neat! hazelnut did a lot of scuba and snorkeling... but she left me safe and dry again, but she told me she saw some amazing coral and fish!!!
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that night we traveled to port douglas, an hour north of cairns, near the rain forest. we had a most yummy dinner of calamari!!
the next morning hazelnut took me around the sheraton to check it out ... they had some cool pools!
hazelnut tells me that the plant is a staghorn fern. and we also saw a weird bird around the hotel!
the next morning hazelnut took me around the sheraton to check it out ... they had some cool pools!
hazelnut tells me that the plant is a staghorn fern. and we also saw a weird bird around the hotel!
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there is a very nice beach next to the hotel, the 4 mile beach... there were coconuts everywhere! and very interesting little balls of sand.. hazelnut was fascinated by them and took way too many pictures. later we found out they were small sand crabs that were digging homes in the beach!!! they rolled the sand out in little balls!! 
