Off to Sydney

Christmas morning arrived and Hannah was relieved to discover Santa had received the change of address she had submitted. She was also very pleased to learn that she had been visited by Santa 18 hours before he would make it to Maple Ridge. She was thrilled with her snorkelling gear and new swimsuits the elves had fashioned for her.


Later that afternoon we were off to Brisbane to catch the one hour flight to Sydney. Friends of Jo and Phil kindly offered to take us to the airport as they were heading to Brisbane to spend the day with family. Our flight was uneventful and we soon found ourselves walking the streets of Sydney. After such a short time away from Canada, it felt somewhat surreal to be exploring a new city and seeing sights that previously you had only seen on television or in travel brochures.






We stayed in a very nice apartment near Chinatown which enabled us to cook our own meals and be in close proximity to transit and shopping. We went out to look for Christmas dinner and as we wandered through some of the streets, we quickly realized that since it was Christmas Day there would not be a lot of options for dinner. We entered an alley filled with Chinese restuarants. All of the proprietors were out soliciting customers. We were snagged by the first one and quickly ushered to a table. Hannah wanted noodles so the decision was made and drinks were ordered. We were now committed. The menus were quickly whisked in front of us and after a quick perusal, Jodi and I realized we had just made the classic rookie traveller mistake-namely not looking at the menu and prices before sitting down. After a very expensive dinner, we walked back to the the apartment, stopping only to visit an ATM.