Daily Life in the Down Under: Week 5 Recap

Hey, y'all! So, here's the last recap of my time in Sydney. This one is based on our last week there.

Day 26: This Thursday morning, we had finished class, and then rushed to the airport in the rain to catch our flight to Cairns, Australia, where we planned to see the Great Barrier Reef. We arrived at 6pm, made garlic bread, and then went to bed for an early day.

Day 27: We woke up and made it down the docks at 8:30am. After a few hours on the boat, we had a lunch buffet, and by noon, we were able to swim in two different parts of the Great Barrier Reef. We ended up finding Dory, and a sea turtle. We ended up docking at 5pm and got Korean food for dinner.

Day 28: After an exhausting day yesterday, we slept in and spent the rest of the day exploring the little town of Cairns. We got lunch at Grill'd. The Cairns Eye had just opened, so there was an old car show, and a live band playing by the Ferris wheel, and we checked out the lagoon.

Day 29: We flew back to Sydney, and spent the rest of the day writing our final essays. For a dinner break, I went to get ramen and bao buns nearby with a friend.

Day 30: After class, I went to Mr. Bao with some friends to try their bao buns. I also went to Bubble Nini to try their Four Seasons Oolong Milk Tea. When we got home, I got the famous Purple RicexYogurt to share with friends. Apparently, this dessert is so popular and in limited quantities that people will buy this rice and yogurt concoction and then cross the street to sell it for more.

Day 31: We finished our group project and submitted it to the professor. We wandered around the city that night and tried donuts at ShortStop. That night, I went to watch West Side Story at the Sydney Opera House.

Day 32: We went to Down N Out for dinner. I also got to try Yakult flavored ice cream.

Day 33: On our second to last night, we made friendship bracelets, took photos together, and went to Frankie's Pizza for the very last time.

Day 33: The last day was the most eventful day of them all. My friends and I wanted to make our last day in Sydney count. We got up at 9am and took the trolley to the Sydney Fish Market to try Oysters. We rode the ferry from there to Luna Park. After our expedition at Luna Park, we went to the Opera House and bought souvenirs. We walked home, and I stopped by Bubble Nini to get my favorite drink, The Sun and the Moon. I also got two for $7 boba at 10.14 with no ice for the trip to the airport. We had our goodbye dinner buffet at the Star Hotel and took photos with our professor.

Day 34: After waking up at 6am and two train rides, we finally made it to the airport. However, security took a while, and we made it through to the plane 15 minutes after boarding was called. We lifted off at 10 am, and in just the blink of an eye, my trip to Sydney was over and I landed home before I knew it. We went back in time for 4 hours, arriving at 5:50 am! I'm entirely grateful for all the people I've met, and the journey we've been on together. If I could live this trip all over again, I would in a heartbeat.

                                                                                                                                                            

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain