Qantas 747 LAX to SYDNEY (1st class)

The way we got there... (Sher in the cabin in pink of course). When we boarded the QA 747, flight #008, in L.A., we were given the usual shaving / make up kit that you use at the end of trans-oceanic flights to freshen up with before reaching your destination. But then they also gave us black Qantas pajamas to change into for the flight. It was my first flight on a 747 in first class, and it was just weird to look out of the front of the aircraft and not see a pilot. Of course he was there, but up on the second level where the other part of business class section is. (Half of business class was upstairs) and the other half was in the section behind our first class area. The first class area on the plane had seating (or should I say bedding because they went out flat when reclined) for 14 people. All but one of those seats was full of passengers. I really expected to see nothing but movie stars in there (who would be the only ones who could afford to pay for that kind of flight). But they just seemed to be mostly Australian business people going back home after a trip to the states. When we got off of the plane, a lady who identified herself as a Qantas Customers Relations Representative greeted us. She said; "Mr. & Mrs. B_, please follow me". She took us to the baggage claim area, loaded our bags on a cart, literally drug us through customs without the customs people doing anything other than looking at and stamping our passports, (which she had taken to them) and then she hailed us a cab and told the cab driver to take us to the Marriott Sydney Harbour at Circular Quay and we were off. This was not just a lucky guess on her part, she obviuosly knew exactly what she had planned on doing from the first moment she found out it was out first trip to Australia, and was very deliberate in her questions to us as we left the plane and she hurried us through the whole process of making sure that we were thrilled with Qantas' First Class service!

The Opera House & Harbour Bridge in the Background

We did a lot of guided bus tours while in all of these places and never even had to rent a car (which I was really happy about). I was not happy with that wheel on the wrong side of the car and driving on the wrong side of the road thing. And even though I have done it in other British colonies before, I was not wild about doing it in such heavily populated areas (as Sydney, Surfers, Brisbane and Auckland) As for the hotel there. . .

A BOOMERANG

One of the tourist items I just had to have! A real Australian Outback made Boomerang! The markings are those of the Aboriginal people. But the purchase was actually made at the Market City in Sydney. Market City was quite an expierence just in and of itself. It was truly the best place that we found anywhere in Australia for buying every torurist item you woulfd ever want to buy for the friends and relatives that you left at home.

Coins of the realm

Here are the coins that they use in Australia. No PENNYS, no Quarters. No dollar bills, but they had both $1 and $2 coins. As you can see from this picture, the 2 dollar coin was actually smaller that the one dollar coin. The paper bills started at $5 and were differnt sizes and colors. They all had something that looked like a cellophane window in them to help stop counterfeiting. I really liked how some of their money there was structured. The bills were larger if the amount was larger, which I am sure would be helpful to those raised in U.S. public schools. The 5 cent pieces (I don't think they call them nickles there) were about the size of our dimes and the 10 cent pieces were more the size of our quarters. Their 20 cent piece was about about the size of our half dollars and the 50 cent piece was the size of a silver dollar only with 12 sides on the edges. I never really knew how much money I had in my change pocket. But the Aussie's were for the most part understnding of my dilemma with figuring it all out.

Market City in Sydney

Market City in Sydney (like a giant Australian swap meet). With everything in there you could think of from groceries to furs. And of course as I mentioned earlier, the BEST place for "tourist junk" in all of Australia!

View from Marriott Circular Quay, Sydney

The view from our room looking west out over Sydney Harbour toward the sunset. It always surprised me to see the soon come up in the east. I guess it is the growing up in Southern California that has swayed my reality of where the sun should come up and where it should set.

Bondi Beach in Sydney

The surfers were out catching some waves as we walked along Bondi Beach in Sydney, NSW, Australia. We thought that there was only two two beaches in the Sydney area, but there are really 12 beaches, it is just that 2 of them Bondi and Manly are very well known.

Marriott Surfers Paradise Resort

The view from our balconey ~

It seemed like in spite of ourselves, we just fell into good things on the whole trip. When we flew into Coolangatta, (via Jet Star) we took a bus that dropped us off at the Marriott Resort in Surfers Paradise and they (Marriott) told us that they had upgraded our room to one with not only an ocean view, but also with a balcony that over-looked the huge pool (which was almost like a snorkeling water park with its own mini-coral reefs). Spectacular. . . really! After that week in Surfers Paradise was over, we went up to Brisbane, we checked in at the Hilton Brisbane (with a reservation for the Conrad Brisbane).

All I had was a confirmation number and the certificates for the room (neither of which helped them sort it all out [until the NEXT day]). They were somewhat concerned that the error could have been on Hilton's part so they upgraded us to an Executive Suite (which included free pre-dinner drinks and a free breakfast brunch in the morning). This was really nice and the Executive Lounge Brunches actually had two Concierges there, which served you tea and juices and then cleaned up after you as you finished each course. I have been to expensive brunches before that were nowhere as nice as this one was! The lounge was a three-story area that covered 21, 22 & 23 floors. This looked like they took two sets of rooms on top of each other on those floors and turned them into the lounge and then staffed it from the center one. Even though NOT the Conrad Brisbane, it was a place I would certainly recommend to anyone traveling in Brisbane.

MAN MADE LAGOON (Surfers Paradise) QLD, Australia

This is the man made lagoon at our hotel (the Marriott Surfers Paradise Resort). Complete with a reef sand beaches and hidden caves that had a bar inside of them.

Sydney here we come!

Sher and Jer start the trip of a lifetime! Qantas Flight # 008 LAX - Sydney

~ AUSTRALIA ~ NEW ZEALAND ~ TAHITI ~
Let me share some highs and lows (seriously there were none to speak of) and my thoughts of our trip to Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti this summer. Highs: Qantas First Class service (sitting with Dakota Fanning and her mom, Aunt, tutor and manager in the LAX Admirals Club) All the Normal Sydney area tourist traps: The Opera House, The Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks Area, The Sydney Arboretum, The Blue Mountains, Manly Beach, Bondi Beach, Darling Harbor, The Chinese Friendship Gardens, Chinatown, Paddy Market, the Paddington Area. Cruising up the Sydney Harbour out to Manly Beach. Not having to explain why you were ordering tea with a meal (or anytime for that matter). Finding a little sidewalk cafe right in Sydney Harbour that we could walk to in the morning from the Marriott and have breakfast.

Surfers Paradise Sunrise

A shot I took about two weeks into the trip of sunrise on the Pacific Ocean at Surfers Paradise.

- The Marriott Resort in Surfers Paradise, QLD - The Brisbane Hilton, QLD. The 65 kilometers of pristine beach from Coolangatta to Brisbane. The Australian Zoo (Steve Erwin's) in Beerwah, QLD (cleanest Zoo I've ever seen). The Green Mountains (up north). Cruising up the Brisbane River in a ferryboat. The fact that the level of service on Air Tahiti Nui is EVEN BETTER than the first class service on Qantas (which was World Class). Finding Opal cuff links for me. Australian Opals are the one jewel thing that Australia is famous for. Having a "XXXX GOLD" at a 150-year-old beer garden where they still use wooden casks to serve beer from. Things that blew my mind: Driving on the wrong side of the road with a car that had the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. Car companies that I have never heard of before (Holden) [which is really GM marketed for AUS market].

Sher & Jer with Opera House & Harbour Bridge

More things that blew my mind!



Turning light switches down to turn them on. Toilets with no visible sign of a refill bowl (and bathrooms with a drain in the middle of the floor) that allows you to drain a full tube or sink in about two milliseconds. 240-volt systems (nice for warming water for teapots though) - not good on hair dryers brought from the US (with an adapter) that doesn't change the voltage. Not having one-dollar bills, but having $2 dollar coins that were smaller than their one-dollar coins. Not having pennies or quarters, but having 20-cent pieces that look like half dollars and half dollars that look like silver dollars with scalloped edges. Having nickels that look like dimes and dimes that look like quarters. Not paying tax on food (and a lot of other stuff). Sticker shock (even with the exchange rate) for certain things like petrol and meals. People who are pleasantly shocked when you try and tip them. Realizing that a weather forecast of 30 degrees is actually warm. And that a FAIR weather forecast means that have NO CLUE what the weather will be.

Sydney Harbour Bridge from Circular Quay at dusk

Shot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from Circular Quay at dusk
Sydney (as well as Brisbane) is actually a very Business like city and that Surfers Paradise is where the Japanese, New Zealanders and Australians go on holiday. It was like 45 miles of Miami Beach and Honolulu strung out together. Realizing that Australia is made up of six States and that most of the Australians don't care about how many there are and only care about their own state. When they talk about the AFL, they are NOT talking about US! But rather about footy as they call it. ("State of Origin") is like the Super Bowl competition in Australia.

Where it all started

The Rocks Area (Sydney) is where the British Penal Colony first started and where the prisoners built the housing for the officers and men. This was actually the beginning of Australia.

Lows: Not realizing that flying from Sydney to Coolangatta is NOT an international flight (and therefore) Jet Star (Qantas' version of Southwest Airlines) charges you for luggage for everything OVER 50 kilos. Making reservations at the Conrad Hotel in Brisbane and then showing up at the Hilton Brisbane without a reservation. Not being able to find a restaurant with Morten Bay Bugs (really sweet small lobsters) on the menu. The fact that the First Class level of service on Air Tahiti Nui is EVEN better than the first class service on Qantas. UNLIKE Qantas, they do not have a reciprocal agreement to use the Admirals Club at LAX when flying First Class. NOT finding any Opal jewellery (sic) that Sherry liked (but did find non-opal stuff she liked). Trying out Vegemite. This stuff tasted like well salted axle grease. (Well. . . maybe NOT THAT GOOD)! It must be an aquired taste.

The Blue Mountains (Australia's Grand Canyon)

Sher & Jer in the Blue Mountains (Australia's Grand Canyon)

The Greater Blue Mountains Area was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 24th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Cairns from 27 November to 2 December 2000.
It is an area of breathtaking views, rugged tablelands, sheer cliffs, deep, inaccessible valleys and swamps teeming with life. The unique plants and animals that live in this outstanding natural place relate an extraordinary story of Australia's antiquity, its diversity of life and its superlative beauty. This is the story of the evolution of Australia's unique eucalypt vegetation and its associated communities, plants and animals.
The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 1.03 million hectares of mostly forested landscape on a sandstone plateau 60 to 180 kilometres inland from central Sydney, New South Wales. The property includes vast expanses of wilderness and is equivalent in area to almost one third of Belgium, or twice the size of Brunei.
The property, which includes eight protected areas in two blocks separated by a transportation and urban development corridor, is made up of seven outstanding national parks as well as the famous Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve. These are the Blue Mountains, Wollemi, Yengo, Nattai, Kanangra-Boyd, Gardens of Stone and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks.

A morning at Featherdale Wildlife Park

A cute little Koala

These guys sleep most of the day away and only eat the leaves from eucalyptus trees. They have very little nutritional value, which is also the reason they sleep so much. We caught this guy awake! By the way the are NOT Bears. Just plain Koalas.

The High rises of Circular Quay behind me.

Jerry At the Harbour at Circular Quay

Circular Quay, Sydney

A Transport Hub, a Meeting Place, a Starting Point
Circular Quay in Sydney is the harbourside transportation hub of the city's central business district. It is a major city terminal for buses, trains and ferries.
Actually it's hardly circular, despite its name, and is more like a horseshoe that opens out to the harbour where the ferries ply.
For the first-time visitor to Sydney, Circular Quay is a convenient starting point for a discovery tour of the city.
You can see one of the many jet ferrys that are a popular way for people to commute around the Sydney Harbour Area.

After Walking over the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Jerry in North Sydney in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the Sydney Skyline in the background.

Our dollar is worth more than theirs (.77-.82 per A$1 for the time we were there), but their prices seemed higher. Typical breakfast in the hotel was A$30 for one, so if you take 30 X .77 that comes out to $23.10 U.S. but then you don't have to tip and you don't have to pay taxes on it. If it says A$30, the price is a TOTAL of A$30. Ithink the ferry boat trip back to Circular Quay from this point was A$4.20, but much better than the walk or the swim back from North Sydney.

Sher and the Opera House.

Getting ready to go in the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

The Harbour at Circular Quay

The Opera House photo taken from the Harbour Bridge.

Other comments about the trip: To start off when we got to LA and went to First Class on Qantas from American Airlines, the change was VERY obvious. When we checked in with Qantas, they asked us to wait for the boarding announcement in the LAX AA Admirals Club (which I don't get to go in when flying first class on American [does that seem weird or is it just ME]). While up there, we were sitting with Dakota Fanning and her family. (Actually her mom, tutor and aunt.) She was treated just like a movie star (go figure) and finally her agent (or PR guy) arrived and they took off. I really thought they might be on our flight to Sydney, but retrospectively, they must have been doing pre-release promos for "War Of The Worlds". It must be difficult to be a kid and have the whole world treat you not only as an adult, but also as someone with celebrity status. Sherry had no idea who she was, (but she knew that she was someone special because of the treatment Dakota was receiving), but I recognized her right away.

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON!

The Oprea House lite up in blue for the State of Origin Games playoffs.

Cruising down the Parrametta river to Sydney Harbour at night (after a day spent visiting the Blue Mountains) and seeing the Opera House illuminated in blue in honor of the "State of Origin" (game being played for the championship) between the Cockroaches of NSW (the Blues) and the Queensland's team (the Maroons). The Hotels we stayed in Sydney was the Marriott Circular Quay, NSW.

When they talk about the AFL, they are NOT talking about US or our AFL! But rather, they are talking about footy as they call it. ("State of Origin") is like the Super Bowl competition for Australia. The above shot shows how serious they are about it there.

Sydney is actually a very Business like city, but realizing that Australia is made up of Eight States and that most of the Australians don't care about how many there are and only care about there own state was something I found interesting.

Going on the ferry out to Manly Beach

The Sydney Opera House from our ferry.

This was the view from our jet ferry looking back at the dock
area at Circular Quay (on the right side of photo) in front of
the Sydney skyline.

Sydney Harbourside Cafe

One of the many Harbourside Cafes we enjoyed eating in. Most of which seemed to always have Pumpkin Soup on the Menu.

On to Auckland New Zealnd then Papeete,Tahiti

The Auckland Grand Chancellor Hotel was memorable, but not in a positive way. (Realizing that this hotel has NO elevator and your room is on the second floor.) I do have my photo album done, as well as my website is now online so that these pictures can be seen there so you can check into my electronic album. I really got carried away this time though, with the photos, but like I tell everyone, it took me 35 years to get there the first time, and if I waited that long again, I would be 95 and not feel like taking too many photos then. People have said; "Are you glad you did it, and would you do it again?" My answer to both is YES!!!

Flight Crew from Air Tahiti Nui This was our Flight Crew from Air Tahiti Nui on the trip from Auckland, New Zealand to Papeete, Tahiti on an Airbus 340. Very good crew and their service was exceptional!

The return trip was long and somewhat tedious, (4.5 hrs from Auckland, New Zealand to Papeete, Tahiti and then another 8 hrs from Papeete to LAX) but it also had several highlights, but the two days in Auckland was NOT one of them.

HOME after three weeks down under!

A Monarch butterfly on our butterfly bushes today. It is always nice to be HOME!