Bright Lights, New City

Well, I will finally be leaving Sydney tonight, on a flight to the warmer climes of Cairns. Sydney's been really cool, but I think I'm ready to be out of the big city -- and off to the Great Barrier Reef!

Over the last several days, I checked out some local beach towns (Bondi and Manly), and went on a tour of the Blue Mountains (beautiful -- not really moutains, though; more of a vast plateau really, carved up like a canyon). I also checked out a local wildlife park, which inspired the post below. I got to pet koalas, wallabies, shingleback lizards, and yes, even kangaroos. It was really cool... all of the animals were just walking around amongst the people in the park. Kookaburras, Peacocks, Black Swans... even wombats. I like wombats. The one I saw looked like a nimble pig and was pacing back and forth in his pen; ostensibly either in worry or in an elaborate, formal defensive routine. Who knows...I may have just missed the Changing of the Wombat Guard.

Another highlight: Being out in the Sydney Harbour at night, coming in to Sydney on the ferry from Manly. Panoramically aglow, this city is even more beautiful when the sun goes down. When I got to the dock, I just walked around it for a while, listening to the buskers play, and took in all of the twinkling lights of this town.