To the Land of Oz

Our flight from Ngurah Rai International to Sydney may have been fairly uneventful once we were actually on the plane, but it was quite a big to-do to reach that point. First, the drive from Ubud to the airport is only like 35 km, but took 1 hour and 40 minutes. Then we began the check-in process which required waiting in line behind everyone checking bags. When we finally reached the counter, we were simply told that there were not a lot of seats, so they couldn't release them until 9:00pm. It was now 8:00. We finally had tickets in hand around 9:45pm, just 15 mins prior to door close. And we still had to go through customs, security, another bag check, and discover that there was a gate change, before finally getting into our very tight Qantas seats in the very back row of the plane.

We landed in Sydney around 7am. We got a few winks in on the flight, but due to the cramped seats, our various body parts also fell asleep and it took some time for me to regain blood flow to my right arm and leg. We took a train to Circular Quay where we took a ferry, then an Uber the rest of the way to our Air BnB in Mosman, a beach community that seems to consist of older wealthy folk. We have a nice view over the water from our elevated position in the hills.

 The situation is made slightly easier by an inclinator, that a lot of the homes in the area seem to have installed. Here you see Nicole slowly making her way up the hill. While it is a very nice place, it took a while for us to get in because we were so early. Jet-lagged and beaten, we had breakfast at a small cafe by the beach and ended up falling asleep for a bit on the steps leading up to our Air BnB before we were given a key. We enjoyed a few more winks before waking up again at 2pm do begin our day. We walked into downtown Mosman, a collection of shops, cafes, and small town charm. After walking up and down the length of the area a few times, we ended up getting burgers at a place called Burger Shed. I think we were both craving something that was a bit more familiar, or at least not chicken. After our burgers, we caught a ride to Cremorne Point, a spot I had calculated (based on google maps) would have decent views of downtown Sydney and the Opera House.

There was also a nearby trail that led to a lighthouse. We have noticed that Sydney is a very active city. There are runners everywhere and while Nicole and I perceived the weather as a bit chilly, there was no shortage of people swimming either. 0_0 

I shot some timelapse footage in the area as the sun went down and the lights began to illuminate the various buildings across the way.

As the sun went down, it got even cooler. In many ways, the weather here is similar to LA. Warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and impossible to dress for. After taking some more pictures, we went back to our area in Mosman and called it an early night. We had been through a lot with all the traveling and were eager for a full night's rest.