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We will look back on our Australian adventure
with many, many fond memories. The flight from Los Angeles to Sydney started out
on the right foot when Michael sat down next to us. His quick wit and not
so quiet charm dazzled us. It was, in typical LA fashion, apparent that we
three would be fast friends.
December 21, 2000, our day of departure & the first night of Chanukah. Tom
made sure that we were prepared with a homemade battery operated menorah.
Appropriately, we lit the first night on the plane with two women from San
Francisco.
Our next flight from Sydney to Cairns was, shall we say, the ride of a lifetime. With our new friend Michael and his abundance of people skills we found ourselves with a constant stream of vodka being personally delivered to our seats in the back row of the plane. At the request of the flight attendants we led Ansett Airlines Flight #911 in festive rounds of Rudolph and the Copacabana.
Our first full day (12/24) in Australia was spent on the Great Barrier Reef. After an early breakfast at the resort we headed into Port Douglas where we boarded the boat that would take us to the reef. Tom went diving and I snorkeled (they wouldn't let me dive because of a head cold). It was a magnificent day.
Part of what makes these trips so magnificent are the people that we meet. This trip was no exception. We met Jan & Gerard (from London). We have dubbed them our Aunties and look forward to visiting them in the UK.
Christmas Down Under, a very different experience. My gift to Tom this year was 50 gay men singing White Christmas, Silent Night and Hava Nagila at the edge of an Australian rainforest while listening to the sound of crashing ocean waves. It truly was a memorable evening.
Here we are enjoying the majesty & beauty of the outdoors. The grueling hikes were a highlight of our vacation.
Koalas & Kangaroos - we made friends wherever we went.
And then, before we knew it, we were off to Sydney. We traded the great outdoors, the sand & the sea for the bustle of the city and of course, shopping. Getting there was the first challenge.
We arrived in Sydney on the evening of December 28th, went out for dinner & drinks and called it an early night. Friday, December 29th, our first order of business was to scope out the city. Tom, Michael and I headed out for a stroll through Hyde Park & our first glimpse of Sydney Harbor.
The afternoon was spent in the retail district re-stocking our wardrobe.
With the American dollar so strong and the Boxing Day sales so abundant we couldn't help but do some damage. Michael and I bought Versace suits, Tom bought three pairs of Bally shoes. Need I say more?
After some wonderful afternoons with our new friends, some fabulous meals and some outrageous clubbing. It was time to say good-bye to the year 2000. Personally, I was glad to see it go! To mark the occasion, Tom and I went out and bought these beautiful sequin shirts. After dining on room service we headed out (without the camera) to see the fireworks off the Harbor bridge. From there it was on to the party of a lifetime with 15,000 people. We Americans were terribly over dressed.
New Year's Day was also Australia's Centennial Celebration. We brunched, watched the parade and met up with friends later for yet another incredible meal - this time at Morgan's on Darlinghurst.
Epilogue - And so ended our little Australian Adventure. When asked if two weeks was long enough in Australia? or Was it worth the plane ride for such a short time? Both of us answer unequivocally No! We wanted and wished that we could have stayed longer. The plane ride was worth any time in Australia. It was a wonderful vacation and once again Tom and I are eternally grateful for being blessed with a wonderful life. We love to share it with our friends and our family and as always and forever, we look forward to sharing our journey with you.
