Well it was an early start to pick up the visiting family to head out for a spot of whale watching and we were blessed with an amazing day for it! I’d conducted some research and found that’s Awesome looked like the craft to suit my needs; discount for locals, 3 hour trip, low numbers, up close viewing, maximum speed 50knots(100km per hour) and 4 x 300ph 4 stroke motors making that’s Awesome the fastest whale watch boat in the world!

I was up the front with my Aunty Gaye and cousins Stephen and Cheryl from Tasmania and we were all impressed with the 30min trip sitting on 30knots and instant spotting of whales that were within five metres of the boat on arrival! Once I was over the initial shock of their size and close proximity I got down to some serious photo snapping.

I was impressed with our skipper Sarah Perry who is 21 and the youngest female skipper in Queensland and the only woman driver in Hervey Bay (Kinda makes you feel safer with a lady behind the wheel!). I was even more impressed when we returned back near the harbour, opened up the throttle and did some figure of eights and donuts!!! After we finished squealing my aunty stated ‘That’s Awesome”, I replied yes that is the name of the vessel!  

  
Then it was a delicious lunch with the family who are always up for a get together and way too much dessert! We did three plus three candles to strategically create my age.

I was going to step out to Hoolihan’s my favourite restaurant for dinner and my free birthday meal but feel alittle tired and think I will stay in and watch Sixty Minutes on the plasma instead….OMG I am getting old! 

 

Today started off with a trip on the mono rail to check out Paddy’s Market’s then a walk and lunch in the Chinese Garden of Friendship which is located in the heart of the city in Sydney.

The Gardens are so tranquil and relaxing, I enjoy a visit to them every time I come to Sydney with their beautiful sheltered pavillions, graceful bridges and enchanting landscapes. This trip I decided to get right in mood and was dressed up as a very sexy geisha!!! (pictured here practising my geisha lips) I even had a Japanese tourist take my photo thinking I was employed by the Chinese Gardens! How funny!

There was also a beautiful family of ducklings as I fed the carp some bread. They were not afraid to swim above the carp that were quite considerably larger!

Wish I had my fishing line!

After lunch it was off to check out the Powerhouse Museum and the Zero Gravity Space Lab. This is a fun interactive that created the illusion of being in a weightless environment, where I found out what it is like to live and work in space. You stood in a chamber while the outside moved creating a feeling of weightlessness (I got abit dizzy!).

I also found this beautiful image of Princess Diana at the museum.

Tonight it’s off for some Salsa dancing at Vivas on the Rocks! 
Oh My Gosh, I had the time of my life. 
We met up with some friends from a Sydney dance club called Salsa Live and the fun begun.

I’ve never been swung around like a rag doll by so many hot men in my entire life! What a treat to actually dance with professionally trained dancers, with excellent technique and for once I wasn’t trying to lead!

The live band had your hips swinging and the whole atmosphere was absolutely electric and extremely saucy!

It was nice to be in a licenced venue where the people were not rude and drunk but fun, friendly, could hold a conversation and move on the dance floor!

I didn’t know I was so flexible!

Yesterday I flew into Sydney with a girlfriend for a working holiday.

Upon checking in to our 2 bedroom apartment we were advised we were on level P?
As there was no explanation as to what P meant on the lift buttons we decided to confer with others in the lift and came up with, pretty foxy level, princess’s level, but on a trip in a different lift it clearly stated Penthouse. I like this booking through wotif, I never know what sort of surprise accommodation I’ll be staying in! Very prestigious!

This morning we were up early to do a Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. The systems in place with the climb were meticulously thought out and made for a smooth climb and an extremely successful business due to this obviously in depth strategic planning. The view was sensational!!!! I was pleased to find out I’m not scared of heights.

I did find a few negatives on my experience:

1. I should have worn gloves as the air was cold and I know how cold my fingers get on my motorbike! But I was unassertive and didn’t ask for gloves though I felt the guides may have offered them as it was very cold and the hand rails were freezing.

2. The trip was way too long, 3hrs without a toilet break! OMG after two and a half hours, I spoke to the guide and my friend and I were unleashed from the group, shuffled into an emergency lift, escorted through walkways and chambers of a pylon to find a secret restroom. The strapping male tour guide was extremely professional and swift in undoing al our equipment and suits. We found this very amusing!

3. There was also alot of stopping for no reason and long delays without commentary which I found unnecessary. Without this the climb would have been at least half an hour shorter and maybe just doable without feeling like having an embarrassing accident.

4. I noticed our tour guide had a nice sun protective hat on. I wish I had this option! Even though I had applied suncream before the climb I still ended up with wind and sun burn to my face. I was surprised sun cream was not on the list of what to bring or supplied as we all know the high dangers of sun cancer in Australia.

I’m glad I did the climb but I would not do it again. I was alittle disappointed as I expected to feel some sort of exuberance / accomplishment and as if I’d faced a fear when at the top but all I felt was irritation with the delays and my face getting sunburnt!

After lunch we decided to check out the Museum of Contemporary Art and view Sydney’s international festival of contemporary art the “2008 Biennale of Sydney” exhibition. This was very interesting though we were alittle worn out from the climb.

The high light of the exhibition was an exhibit by Helio Oiticica who was born in 1937 in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil.  The room was full of coloured hammocks with pictures of Jimmy Hendrix projected on all the walls plus his music playing quite loudly. We relaxed in the hammocks for a few minutes and decided to get out before we dozed off!

Oiticica believed in liberating the viewer and saw his installations of sound, mattresses, live animals, rubber and sand as spaces of emancipation.

This evening we attended the Phantom at of the Opera at the Lyric Theatre at Star City Casino.
This was the high light of the day!!!
Ana Marina played Christine and Roy Weissensteiner was the Phantom. Their voices and performances were amazing, the orchestra was dramatic, the costumes were elaborate, the props beautiful and quite creative. The whole combination was magnificent and absolutely spectacular!! 

Now this experience I would definitely recommend!