Botany Bay

Planning a 6 month round-the-world trip actually requires a lot of …well…planning. Something I’m not generally great at doing and have been waiting for the day when I realize - oops I booked the wrong flight; oops I forgot to have gotten a hostel/hotel for the right day so we’re shelterless, etc. but thankfully - I’m not quite there yet!

That said, scheduling only 36 hours in a large city like Sydney after traveling for 20+ hours with huge time zone change/ jet lag (16 hours ahead of EST) and then hopping on a plane that requires us getting up at 430 am - not the best move. That said, we did it! Maddie and Katie rocked it! I, on the other hand, well you can see the picture Brian took of me in our hotel. 🤣

After 36 hours, we are back at Sydney airport and are on our way to Cairns, Australia, the jumping off point to the Great Barrier reef.

A couple of key points here:
1) When I originally planned this trip, the Galapagos and Ecuador were NOT part of the plan. We never planned to go to the Galapagos AND the Great Barrier Reef. We were supposed to be spending 3 weeks in the mountains of Peru but the impeachment of Peru’s president and subsequent violent protests changed our itinerary and here we are…

2) Originally I thought we could drive up or take a bus to Cairns from Sydney - only to quickly realize Australia is about the size of the US and that Cairns is 1500 miles away. Moving around daily or every few days is exhausting and thus, I made the decision to fly. We have to be in a stable place to do home/world school every day - which other than getting from place to place and immersing ourselves in the cultures, is our main priority. We’ll be up in Cairns for a week and a half our so - Finally staying put for a bit (relaxed sigh).

Sydney was quick but wonderful for all of us. I don’t know how to describe our experience - we all felt the city was like a more relaxed version of New York. Tall buildings but not so tall. Lots of people but not so many people. People seemed calm, happy even though it’s bustling. Amazing food with tucked away chic food courts tucked between or along the bottom level of buildings. Amazing gardens (royal botanic and Chinese Friendship Gardens high on my “adore and want to sit here all day and revel in its splendor” list) and parks. Sydney Opera House - stunning! So all in all - it’s been great for us while being completely exhausted.

We’re almost a third of the way through this trip - how is that possible? I’m so grateful for every experience and watching all of this through the eyes of Maddie and Katie is just the best. There is awe, apprehension, appreciation, wonder…and also an attempt to try Vegemite about 10 minutes ago. I don’t think this family will ever be spreading that on our toast in the morning. 🥴

Looking forward to the next part of this trip - and what adventures await. I’m pretty sure at some point you’ll see a post starting with “OOPS - I forgot to…(fill in the blank)” but we’re not there yet thankfully!

Our best wishes and love headed to all of you and your families!! ❤️❤️

The Sellers Fam
Next stop: Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef!Read more