Bangkok Week 477 August 17, 2017 Have I ever mentioned - we <3 Sydney? View fullsize My trusty Chatuchak pineapple came all the way to the Sydney tarmac with me. View fullsize Above the sheet of clouds. View fullsize And below. View fullsize It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood - and a new view for me. View fullsize Fast forward to evening: when it's Time for a Thai! View fullsize We headed to this hipster vegan burger joint. View fullsize Over a dozen different burgers to choose from! View fullsize Yums-a-plenty. View fullsize Back at Coles, Lindor has invested in a very creative display. View fullsize But I'm here for my cereal! Nom nom nom. View fullsize Off on an adventure the next morning. First challenge: taking the ferry from Cronulla to Bundeena. View fullsize Too chilly to be sitting outside! View fullsize This brave kayaker is not deterred. View fullsize A giant tree in Bundeena, a small town of 2000 residents with a distinctly 'Bracebridge' vibe. View fullsize Perhaps because it's surrounded on all sides by a national park, new cars have a hard time getting in. View fullsize Despite the small-town feel, there's still some funky architecture. View fullsize Repeating silhouettes. View fullsize At the start of our loop - still looking fresh! View fullsize We begin on an inland trail cutting through the interior of Royal National Park. View fullsize Royal National Park foliage will prove to be very diverse. View fullsize Like this conifer. View fullsize Are these cat tails? View fullsize Like a long, slender mic. View fullsize Blending right in with the locals. View fullsize Some color in a sea of grey. View fullsize You have to look closely to find the color. View fullsize Uh oh. Are we lost? View fullsize More unique foliage. View fullsize And more! View fullsize Colorful trees (that look more like fall than spring) and a cliff on the horizon. View fullsize The outback. View fullsize If you're stranded and you forgot your bread knife, you're in luck! View fullsize We also took a side trip to the moon. View fullsize But wait - why is there gravity? View fullsize We finally reach Marley Head, overlooking Marley Beach (as seen from above at the end of Bangkok Week 475). View fullsize Marley Beach. View fullsize Living life on the edge. View fullsize Group shot, in Australia's great nature. View fullsize A gorilla face in the side of the cliff? View fullsize Suddenly a group of school kids on a mission materialized out of nowhere! View fullsize Darth Vader? View fullsize Can't say they didn't warn him. View fullsize The famous Wedding Cake Rock (technical fenced off and off-limits, but that doesn't seem to deter most visitors). View fullsize More cliff-side view. View fullsize Who said Eastern Australia isn't as beautiful as WA? View fullsize How daring! View fullsize Nothing but water below... View fullsize ... and a comfortable cushion of rocks. View fullsize More creepy rocks. View fullsize More beautiful backdrops. View fullsize More Royal National Park. View fullsize And on we go. View fullsize Some people, for a sense of scale. View fullsize Over a small brook, that eventually flows over the edge. View fullsize A stone staircase! Doesn't look so natural though. View fullsize Rocks, green, and people. View fullsize Some slightly different rocks! View fullsize Waves, frozen in space. View fullsize More cliff. View fullsize "The Balconies." View fullsize The end of the cliff-side walk - and back inland we go. View fullsize I was assured that this looked like I was surfing on waves... View fullsize Back in Bundeena, we spot a cockatoo! View fullsize And a cockathree, cockafour, cockafive... View fullsize And a bunch of lorikeet! View fullsize The lorikeet seem to love those conifers. View fullsize I see you! View fullsize And this is it! Bundeena town center! Makes Bracebridge look like an urban metropolis. View fullsize One of Bundeena's beautiful beaches. View fullsize So many types of fish! View fullsize Here's our ferry! Right on time. View fullsize Seating with a view. View fullsize How unnaturally blue is the water! View fullsize Enjoying the ride. View fullsize These properties aren't too shabby! View fullsize Yup, I could live here. With my yacht and my sailboat. View fullsize Watch out behind you, Team Cronulla! View fullsize A harbour straight out of Finding Nemo. View fullsize A quick stop in downtown Cronulla for lunch, before hopping on a train back to town. View fullsize Catching up on some valuable R&R on the hour-long ride back. View fullsize Last stop for the evening - the chocolate festival! View fullsize Seems to have attracted a large chunk of Sydney. View fullsize No way to walk ... so must stop and eat desserts. View fullsize And us? Going with a classic. View fullsize A gem glowing in the evening light. View fullsize Not a bad view for an evening dessert. Mind you, it's probably not much past 5pm. View fullsize The next morning, writing in the sky - not sure the meaning, but probably in relation to the big "City to Surf" 14km run that was happening. View fullsize And us? We're off to the zoo! View fullsize This captain has one of the better office views in town. View fullsize The opera house looks nice under the sunny spring sky. View fullsize The opera house seal! It's my first time seeing him in person - albeit from afar. View fullsize Great view of the interior structure (which is independent of the shell, as we learned last year) thanks to the angle of the sun. View fullsize Beautiful CBD silhouette. View fullsize Nice morning for a sail. View fullsize Following the leader! View fullsize Clear waters at the Taronga Zoo pier. View fullsize A warm welcome from the Taronga Zoo's most famous attraction. View fullsize The uber-cute Red Panda! View fullsize Who has a mighty fine view from his home. View fullsize The daily sea lion show! View fullsize It was educational and entertaining. View fullsize What a strong boy! View fullsize This guy was jealous that he wasn't in the show. View fullsize A great Australian pelican! View fullsize The famous headless Australian Penguin. View fullsize Oh, wait. Nevermind. That's not this guy. View fullsize Pygmy Hippos! Mum and baby. View fullsize Mum is actually quite cute... View fullsize But my, what big teeth she has! View fullsize Gibbon on the run. View fullsize Colorful fowl. View fullsize Baby Jai Dee (3 months old), and his mom, Pak Boong. View fullsize Nong Jai Dee learns what mom's poop tastes like. View fullsize The zebras, catching up on the latest goss. View fullsize And the most bored animals in the entire zoo. View fullsize This fellow enjoys some of the best real estate in Sydney. View fullsize Yes? Can I help you? View fullsize Curious about what's happening on the other side of the fence. View fullsize Peak-a-boo. View fullsize Another pelican. View fullsize Harassing his ducky friends on a frantic search for fish. Poke-poke-poke! View fullsize This emu is standing right in place. View fullsize Just a 'roo, enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon. View fullsize A wallaby! My first wallaby. View fullsize Ethel's long-lost cousins! They've been living on the East Coast all along! View fullsize The Common Wombat. So common. View fullsize The sleepiest man in town. Doesn't he look comfortable? View fullsize "I feel like I'm being watched." View fullsize "Leaves. I want my leaves." View fullsize And back to Circualr Quay we go. View fullsize The Australian sun is strong! View fullsize Sunset spotters in Mrs Macquarie's Point. View fullsize I see why they come for the view! View fullsize Finally found Mrs. Macquarie's chair. View fullsize Posh Sydney Cove and Woolloomoloo. View fullsize The lounge already!? Bye, Sydney! View fullsize Spotted the source of the haze! Controlled burns. (Looks like it's coming from inside Royal National Park!) View fullsize Another one North of Sydney, too. View fullsize Beautiful 747-400 sunset. View fullsize Meanwhile, back in Bangkok...!
