Going to Australia in 2001 was a dream come true. Isn’t it everybody’s dream to go to Australia? And then I got to go back again in 2002! Sydney the first time. Melbourne and Sydney the second time. Even better! Both times were for work, so I squeezed in as much sightseeing as I could. Sydney Harbour is unabashedly gorgeous, with the Sydney Opera House its crown jewel. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is just majestic. The food is also great, as is Melbourne’s food. As a matter of fact, I had 2 of my most memorable meals ever in Melbourne. The first was an extravagant Vietnamese lunch. Melbourne has a significant Vietnamese-Australian population, and there are many restaurants to pick from. The second was a fantastic lunch at the Grand Hyatt.
Yes, the flight is very long. But it wasn’t so bad. Of course, I was flying business class. 747, upper deck. But since then, I’ve flown round-trip across the Pacific twice in coach (to Singapore in 2012 and to China in 2015), and I survived. You can too! And it’s worth it. After all, it’s Australia!
Until I do an “official” comprehensive sightseeing trip of Australia–including other cities like Perth, on Australia’s remote west coast–I still have my pictures from my first trip to Sydney. I’ll get them posted as soon as I can find them in a box somewhere.