Sutherland. ie. Caringba (suburb) to Wollongong and Kiama

Okay, this will be a short blog entry but I have time to write some. Today, me and Holly took a day trip to Wollongong and Kiama. Roughly a 2 + hour trip but took us all day because we stopped at different site scening events. The first stop we made was at Bald Hill CarPark. This was a well known area for fixed wing gliders. This spot was where Lawrence Hargrave observed birds and made the first fixed wing glider that worked. He later sent his info to the Wright Bros which later helped in making the first aeroplane. We watched people jump off this huge cliff and fly for hours, it was pretty fun but wished I was doing it. My mom would have done this in a heartbeat. This cliff overlooked incredible scenery and the SeaCliff Bridge. This bridge curves around the rock cliffs and on top of the ocean. Pretty cool site to see. After that we headed south towards Holly's University that she graduated (sorry but I forget what the college was called). We walked around there, checked out the campus and then walked next door to the botanical gardens of Wollongong. The park consisted of some amazing trees, flowers and ponds. The pond was filled with eels and ducks. Weird combination but kinda cool. The other trees were mainly gum and eucalyptus trees and another rad tree I still have no idea what it is but I got pictures of it. It looked like two palm trees that morphed into one another but still left that crease imprint of what it would look like if they were stuck to each other (if that makes since).

After that we got back into the car and drove towards Kiama (K-eye-ama). This town was filled with great food and shops and of course a lighthouse. I've yet to really mention it yet but each town I have gone to has a famous lighthouse that everyone stands around and takes pictures. I mean one lighthouse really looks all the same. Especially today, it was cloudy and super flat light, but that didn't stop butt loads of Asians to take family photos next to it. We walked around for a bit and then got some lunch at this cafe. Oh yea, every restaurant is a cafe. Even if they sell fish and chips or pizza, its a cafe. This one was a fantastic pita joint that sold the old school coke a cola drinks in the glass bottle. The weird part about Australia is that you don't have to tip for anything, ever. So in this case you tend to notice the poor or lack of service. You get your drinks and food and the service is over. Typically, if you finish your drink the waitress is there to top off your drink immediately, but not in OZ. I wouldn't if I wasn't getting tips.

We ate and then left the cozy town to Kiama. Great town. Got back home (Holly's house) and ate dinner with the family. Talked about American ways, like drivers licenses, snow, traveling, people, culture, etc. you name it. It was a long and tasteful dinner. Holly's family has been over the top kind. Each house I go to, I feel restricted on what to do in the house. But each family treats me like family. They wonder why I'm not raiding the kitchen or lounging on the couch. This family was like that. I've warmed up to them tonight and have done those things at mild tone in my standards. I mean, I could easily eat the whole kitchen tonight.

Tomorrow I'll leave back to Sydney. Really I'm "in Sydney" but its the suburbs. I'm gonna go meet up with Claire for the last time until she comes to the states or I go visit in England. One night in Sydney and then off to Melbourne. I'm pretty excited for Melbourne. Everyone compares it to Portland, Oregon. There's a huge art and music scene out here, not to mention its on a river with tons of bridges. I'll be the judge of this town.

I'm out