Whitsundays

So we took a ferry to Long Island in the Whitsundays, which are lots of little islands that basically all look the same - which is to say, beautiful.

The beach at sunrise

It was exactly what you'd expect a beach resort to be: large patio, nice buffet, poolside bar.

Me, Sara, Rachel & Katie

The next day, while some of our group were on a two-day live-aboard sail, the rest of us went on the Carina day sail. The cloudy (sometimes rainy) weather didn't slow us down much; we just lounged on a huge catamaran all day, stopping on a pristine beach to snorkel and also to refrain from playing beach cricket. Honestly.

A little karaoke and pool-time later, and our three days in the Whitsundays were quickly over. Some of us, like Rob, could have used a little more time to recuperate, I guess.

Beer: part of Dodgy Rob's breakfast of champions

Sydney

After seventeen really boring hours on a plane, I landed in Sydney last night. I took a really cool ferry ride through Sydney Harbor to Manly, a peninsula to the northwest, and spent most of the time on Manly Beach, on the ocean side.

on the ferry from Sydney's Circular Quay to Manly

I swam in the Pacific for the first time!

Sydney's Manly Beach

The sand is very fine here, which makes it soft, and it's a warm golden color. There was a surfing exposition going on, including a small clinic. I'll be gracefully wiping out on the waves soon enough, so I decided to pass on this surf class.

Sydney's Manly Beach

Manly has a big promenade that's a lot like Miami Beach's own Lincoln Road. The Wharf starts at the small harbor-side beach and looks onto Sydney Harbor, which was filled with sailboats and yachts. I saw a almost-collisions and one capsized monohull - the people on-board flipped it back and kept right on sailing, so no worries.

Sydney Harbor from Manly Wharf

Sydney Harbor

On the ride back, I had to get a shot of me in front of the Opera House.

Sydney Opera House