My father has had a life dream to visit Australia and thru the blessings of my job, this year, we were able to fulfill that life dream. The timing was perfect as we were celebrating his birthday and my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.
I do need to preface as we almost didn't make the trip; I didn't realize that we needed visas to enter Australia. I thought passports were sufficient. But praise God for the excellent customer services of Hawaiian Airlines; a very patient customer service rep took all of our info (7 passengers to be exact) and applied for our visas on our behalf. By the time she was done, passed thru security and rushed to our gate, they were calling our name to board. Whew!!! There are benefits to arriving way in advance before your flight.
After our uneventful flight, we arrived in our apartment on the 74th floor of the World Tower in the heart of Sydney. The views were spectacular!!
 |
| Our 3bd, 2ba with full kitchen and dining room. |
 |
| View from the 74th floor |
Our first full day, we took a short stroll down to Chinatown where we met up with my cousin Gen and her family; they moved to Australia several years ago.
 |
| Papa, Mama and Kk in Chinatown |
 |
| Reunited after 20 years! |
 |
| Our kids finally meet; so adorable! |
After lunch they took us to Darling Harbor; this has got to be one of my favorite places to go. Australia is big on family, and in Darling Harbor, they constructed this elaborate playground filled with apparatuses, slides, water toys, etc. We could have spent the whole day there. Within this area, the "world's largest IMAX" theater is there for family entertainment. A small nominal fee of $30 per person is required to enjoy this luxury.
 |
| These girls are brave! |
 |
| Called these birds Aussie pigeons, although you can't tell from this pic, these birds were huge! |
 |
| At Darling Harbor |
In the afternoon, we were joined by Gen's husband Mike and he took us to his former employer to; Mike was one of the chef's at the W and treated us to an aussie tradition: high tea.
 |
| Mike, meet Mike :) |
 |
| Delicious |
