Manly Beach Bed And Breakfast

... Eventually we end up back at the jetty where we were dropped the day before and we pick up the rest of the group. We did a role call and finally set off on our first day of the trip. It was at this point we found out our guide was called Karl and that one of the things he picked up at a previous stop was his personality, because as soon as we were off and running he was like a different person. All of a sudden he was cracking jokes and full of all kinds of information. Those of us ...

As I sit here contemplating the travel injections I'm going to receive in 12 hours time I think it's safe to say that the holiday of a lifetime (yes the one that has been six months in the planning) is fast becoming a reality. The suitcases have been purchased and although I'm tempted to ...

... a good job. I had never seen anything like it. Also there was a bird of prey show where eagles would be flying around the audience inches from their heads, breaking into emu eggs.

I have done most of the attractions here in Sydney so I spend most of my days finding something new to do. I went to the Sydney fish market yesterday, I had a platter of fresh fish such as scallops, octopus, oysters, calamari and ...

... of Australia. The War Memorial has a "Roll of Honor" wall where the names of soldiers killed during the 1st and 2nd World Wars are engraved upon it. On display are thousands of items that were used during the wars, from uniforms and diaries to weapons and vehicles . We spent hours at The National Museum with so many displays and features the histories and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We also got to see the 1st FJ Holden car ...

... compare asked if someone would do it. Well being shy as I am I was on stage before he'd finished the sentence lol. Anyway it seemed to go down well and then after the next few people sang he announced that he didn't need to get everyone on stage to know who the winner was and announced I'd won hahaha. Next thing I'm given an envelope with 10 free drinks vouchers in it. The vouchers said you could have wine/ beer/ spirit or ...

... and it was an extremely welcome rest, in the evening we were meant to go out for dinner to say farewell to Hoken, Mike and Ze German but, we were too tired and couldn't justify working that hard and then blowing $70 on pizza and drinks so we opted out. Unfortunately for Hoken, most of the house followed suit. He was a bit disappointed but, he got over it. We waited up for him and when he got back we all had a few drinks on the balcony and reminisced about the ...

... her arm. What's twenty minutes of discomfort anyway? Especially if it means Katie's all fixed up for her big day. Not much is the answer. What we were't banking on was the fact that they intended to leave the drip attachment thingy stuck in her vein for the next five days! Every day, a nurse would come to the Big Brother house and plug in a new bag of drugs. If this was unsuccsesful, surgery was to follow! The next five days were an absolute nightmare. All sorts of hilarious and ...

... high, i.e double the height of Sydney Harbor Bridge and the same height as the Eiffel Tower. Stepping out onto the clouds was quite sickening especially when we ventured across the glass-floored viewing platform,(which we jumped up and down on! Arghh!) for the 360-degree views over Sydney and beyond. So there you have it. I'm sure we've done alot more in January than described but at least it keeps you updated. We are still very happy and having a wonderful time! Love you lots xxxxx

... lunch with a little glass of Sauvignon Blank, I was ready for a lie down or even get a cab back home. But we roused ourselves and tromped along the cliffside path past some envy-inducing homes to Dee Why Head. Then it was down onto Curl Curl Beach and another energy sapping walk along the sands watching surfers on the huge rollers. Over the next head we came accross a statue of Duke Kahanamoku ...

... right next to the water so you can watch the boats come in without anyone walking in front of your view.

If you walk down the left of Sydney Cove you can see it, the Opera House and it's not white like all the photo's make out! It's like a pale baige colour and it's the best thing you've ever seen. If you continue past the Opera House you are greeted by the gate to the Botanical Gardens.

I highly recommend going ...