Australia & New Zealand

We were up at 4:am this morning so we could leave for the airport by 5:00. After our massage, we both slept really great. It didn't hurt that we had to finish off all our store bought alcohol before we left 😉 Once we got to the airport we easily found our Trilogy mates Australian for friends). It Turned out the Fiji rugby team was also here, and I'm sorry I didn't get a picture with them! You'll have to take my word for it--they were huge! The Fiji team is called Drua and they shocked the rugby world by getting to the semi-finals their first year (2023)! My guess is, the team was heading out to a 2024 pregame.
Some of my observations about the Fijian culture is they are far more friendly and tolerant than any I've ever met. They treat everyone as their equals, they are incredibly humble, and they are very happy and kind. You are always greeted with a joyous "bula" by everyone you come in contact with. English is the national language, but we were told most villages have their own dialect. It seems no one really leaves the island, and most people have multiple children and large families. The children start school at five years old and they go to school in very clean uniforms. Best I can tell their college is equivalent to our US high school. Most jobs are service oriented, and as you work your way up, you stay until you are at the retirement age of 60. There are many happy cows, horses, and dogs everywhere. Most are wondering in fields and by the sides of the roads. This morning as we drove to the airport in the dark, we suddenly slowed down to avoid cows lounging in the middle of the road!
Next, we're on a short four hour flight to Sydney, where we'll be for the next three days.
This is a long post so I'll keep it short now. We made it to Sydney! Another bucket list destination for me. What a change from Fiji! We are settled into a quirky hotel right next to a beautiful park with a cool museum we'll check out tomorrow 😎. It is much cooler here and my traveling sweats have finally come in handy. We're all almost here, which will be fun! We've checked into a local hotel right across the street from Hyde Park. I'm super excited to start our hop on and hop off bus tour tomorrow. The food here so far is fantastic! We're back in a big city with many options--and I love it! When we arrived we started with an Argentinian pub and tonight we're on to Japanese! My kind of city!Читать далее