G'day, Mates! We have arrived back in Sydney as of yesterday and we are happy to be back in the sunshine. Our last full day in Auckland it rained but we walked to the Auckland Museum anyway. It contained many native Maori artifacts and they were interesting. However, it made me realize how fortunate we were to have seen the Maori cultural centers first. It all felt much more real while we were with the Maori people. We also went up to the observation decks of the Sky Tower which was very interesting. We could see the whole city in a panoramic view as we walked around the Sky Tower. We stayed up there for quite some time enjoying the view, even in the cloudy, drizzly conditions.
Our travel from Auckland to Sydney was uneventful, just as we like it. The flight attendant even gave me a second Hokey Pokey ice cream treat! Hokey Pokey seems to be a favorite around here. It is yummy vanilla ice cream with little, puffy toffee and caramel treats in it. I'm sure I could eat several of the little cups at a sitting given the opportunity!
We are staying at a Holiday Inn near the airport here in Sydney this time. There isn't much to do within walking distance so we bought an unlimited train, bus, ferry ticket for the few days we'll be here. We went to the Haymarket district where we shopped a little in the market which had all kinds of things to be purchased or eaten. It was so crowded with people doing their Saturday shopping, especially in the produce and fish and meat section. The Haymarket district is very close to Chinatown so we felt a bit like we were in Hong Kong. We decided to eat in Chinatown which was a good experience. The food was delicious. Then we stood in line for and "Emperor's Cream Puff" which is exactly what it is -- an egg custard filled cream puff. They were yummy so we understood why so many people were standing in line for them.
By the way, we've noticed at breakfast that Rice Krispees are called Rice Bubbles and Raisin Bran is called Sultana Bran. I'm getting a kick out of finding words, spellings, and phrases that are different from ours. I guess it's the librarian in me. I've also noticed that books are so much more expensive here than at home, especially kids' books.
Will sign off for now. We're in the last stretch of the trip and we are ready to get home. It has been a wonderful experience and we have a few more days to experience more. We'll let you know what we're up to in the next couple of days.
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