First Week in Oz

After a few days of recovering from Tokyo and a trip to Dr. Lee to make sure Riley was okay to travel we arrived in Darling Harbor, Sydney. It was a long flight but Cameron had a new movie, A Bugs Life on the Iphone and the flight was showing Monster's versus Aliens. We watched them both several times. Riley slept and enjoyed having Turtle in the row next to us. When we arrived everyone was tired and Cameron was complaining about her ear hurting but we didn't want everyone to go right to sleep since it was only 7am. Cameron felt better after eating something and we headed out to explore Darling Harbor. Our first stop was the new (at least to us, it wasn't here the last time mommy and daddy were here) WildlifeWorld next to the aquarium.

We barely got out of the hotel before Riley fell asleep in the stroller. The first section was filled with bugs. The entire cast of "A Bugs Life" was there so it was really fun for Cameron to see Flik, Manny, and Hopper. It was fun for us to because Turtle got to hold a really cool stick bug and it crawled up his arm and on his shoulder. Cameron would not hold it. After making it through half the exhibits and getting to meet the koalas Cameron traded places with Riley and slept while Riley got to meet the Kangaroos and wild birds. We had lunch and realized it was too long of trip to do any more exploring.

The next day Mommy had to work, so Daddy and Turtle headed out to explore Sydney with the kids. They took the ferry over to Circular Quay and explored the Opera House and the Royal Botanical Gardens. There was lots of chasing of birds and Cameron enjoyed finding the "Castle" (or the Government House). After they took the ferry back, mom met them for dinner and a trip the aquarium. We quickly discovered that with the jet lag and a full day of adventure, it was not going to be possible to have a second excursion that included mom. So the rest of the week mom would only get to have dinner with the family and put them to bed, after all, it was technically a work trip.

After taking a day of rest, the gang was off to the Taronga Zoo. This is a beautiful zoo and you have to be jealous of the view the giraffe's have. After getting separated from Turtle because one took the tram which dropped off at the top of the zoo, the two groups finally met us and got to enjoy meeting all of the Australian animals and some non-native animals. There was a great bird show and the elephants were awesome, especially the baby.

Although it was technically winter the sun came out and it was perfect because that is when the family was off to Bondi Beach. This is a beautiful beach and was just a bus ride away. The surf was perfect if you like to watch surfers, which Turtle did for sure! Cameron and Riley enjoyed getting in the sand and running along the beach.

On Friday the family decided to stay closer to the hotel. A week of inconsistent naps was taking its toll on everyone so it was a half-day trip to the Chinese Gardens. There is a photo shop that will allow you to dress in royal costumes so Cameron and Daddy dressed up for photos. Cameron made for a beautiful chinese princess, while Riley explored the interesting architecture.