Autumn in Sydney for Spring Break!

We decided to have a post-chemo trip planned. It gave us something to look forward to for the dark months. Lady Hiva has always wanted to go to Japan to see the Sakura blossoms in March. We took the time off of work to do that. But when we looked at tickets it was SOOO expensive. We looked at June and the tickets for all four of us were less that one ticket in March. So we scratched going to Japan until a later date. We then had time off and nowhere to go...cue Google Flights. I was so shocked to find tickets to Australia for so cheap. We bought them and off we planned. 

I have wanted to take Lady Hiva to Australia and New Zealand since we got married. I have been before, but she never had. So I started looking and figured if we were that close, we might as well go to New Zealand too! Why not, right?! haha

We were all excited for the trip as the day got closer and closer. 

We had a layover in Singapore (another place we have learned to love). All four of us were looking forward to this layover. And as expected, we had some delicious food! We filled up on our favorite Asian foods. Ramen and gyoza/momo/dumpling/mandu are right up there in our favorites! 

We made our next leg of the trip with happy stomachs. It was so great to land in Sydney. The air was clear, it had just rained. The streets were clean and the whole area is amazing. 

Not wasting any time, we went to the hotel to change and get ready for the day. It was fun to admire our view outside our hotel (both hotels in Sydney were beautiful). One we had a view over Hyde Park and could watch people exercise and meander. The other had a view of the Harbour and the Famous Sydney Opera House. 

We were so excited to bring home some of our favorite foods from the trip. Chocolate was one of those items on the list (right next to butter and meat pies). Lady Hiva ended up bringing home one whole suitcase full of chocolate. When we went to check out at the grocery store, the cashier said, "Are you traveling somewhere?" I laughed and asked how she knew. She pointed to the conveyer belt full of chocolate! She then realized that we were American and said, "Do you like our chocolate?" I told her that we do, always have. Once we knew that, she said, "Yeah, American chocolate is not as good. Hersey Kisses are sour!" HAHA. I would never call them sour, but I would say that American chocolate is "waxy" compared to other chocolates. 

One evening after visiting family we made it to the nearby beach. It was so good for us to be there! We all loved it. We had not planned on being at the beach that day, so we did not have a change of clothes. Lady Hiva told the Muggles to not get wet. HAHA. She has jokes! I remember my parents telling Trevor and I the same thing...put two water loving Muggles near a clean beach and expect them to stay dry...the epitome of laugh out loud! We had so much fun. We stayed until it was pitch dark and both of them were suitably wet and sandy for a fun time at the beach. 

Since we had no change of clothes, I made due for a moment. Thanks to all my Project Runway binging during chemo, I made a avant-garde challenge with unconventional materials found in my bag. I was able to make a t-shirt and shorts for Lucky Dragon and a top and skirt for Koala Bear! All with grocery bags and hair gators. I was proud of them, but they refused to go into the hotel dressed like that! HAHA. So I stopped at the only store still open--a grocery store--they happened to have a sale on Pokemon adult panchos they had not sold, so I bought two and they went into the hotel like overdressed Pokemon loving sherpas. HAHA. It was worth it. 

We rode the water ferry around the Harbour and then stopped at the Taronga Zoo. That was a perfect stop for us. We did not have time to make it out to the bush to see animals so, the zoo provided a way for us to get up close and personal with some of Australia's famous animals! 

The ride there also gave us time to see iconic architecture like the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. 

The Zoo is REALLY well done. We all enjoyed it. We have been to many zoos and we have a ranking in our family of the ones we feel are good and animals well cared for. The Sydney Zoo is right up there at the top. It is not for the physical faint of heart though. It is built on a hill rising up from the Harbour so it is steep ups and downs. I pushed all three of them in a wheelchair at different points. Made for a food workout. HAHA

We were able to score a Koala Encounter and get up close and personal with some Koalas! It was amazing. We were hoping to touch them but as the keeper said, "Koalas are cute, but they are not cuddly." He and other keepers showed us some of their scars from the Koalas. They have these vicious talons to hold on to trees!

Koala with a Koala

It was so evident how much all four of us miss nature. We could not stop taking photos of plants and just wanted to be outside all the time. 

Our room with a view!! 

There were several areas were you could get close to Kangaroos. Several different varieties of them. Kind of cool to walk among them. (No, none of them tried to box us) 

Australia was a win! We loved being there. It was fun to be around family and 

Cousins taught Lucky Dragon and Koala Bear how to play "hand-ball" The rest of the trip they would get so excited when they saw other kids playing it. 

Then they taught some of them some card games that we like to play. 

Turtle joined us on this trip too! You will see him make appearances throughout the trip!