Oh, Hey Australia!

I am sitting in an internet cafe in Sydney.  Australia.  What??!  I feel like I'm on another planet...the trees have no leaves, people are walking around in winter coats (it's freaking cold), and all the salads seem to have something called "rocket" on them.  WHERE AM I.  Today is my first full day in Sydney; my flight from Auckland, NZ arrived yesterday around noon. At that point, I was delerious from exhaustion (I barely slept a wink on the plane from LA to New Zealand), and my brain was in "if you do anything else but sleep, I will make your life very difficult" mode.  I barely even remember my layover in the Auckland airport...apparently, I bought a small kiwi bird stuffed animal and a coke.  Despite being in a debilitating fog, I do remember being completely taken with New Zealand just from my two hour experience.  Maybe it's just becase I could barely walk upright, but from the moment I stepped off the plane, I was mystified and enchanted.  There were panoramic posters of breathtaking landscapes lining the walkways, shops filled with merino wool clothing and abalone pendants, and maori and nature-insipired influences throughout the airport.  I have wanted to visit New Zealand for years, and I was surprised ro find myself overtaken by a desire to stay there intead of boarding my plane to Sydney.  Needless to say, when I have recovered a bit, I am going to tentatively consider adding NZ to my itinerary (if I can find a reasonible flight, that is). 

Onward to Sydney.  After spending a large part of today taking in areas surrounding Kings Cross (where my hostel is located), I can safely say I am a fan of this city.  It's clean, people are very friendly, and the layout is perfect for on-foot exploration.  This morning, I visited the Australian Museum -- a kind of Sydney version of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.  In short, I loved it.  The special exhibition on deep ocean life and exploration was extremely informative, and I was thrilled by the green tree frogs in the Australian wildlife section of the museum (I took a video...it will be up shortly!).  I was also very  impressed with the Indigenous Australia part of the museum, which is where I spent most of my time.  I came to Australia hoping to learn as much as possible about Aboriginal life, and I certainly left the museum knowing more than I had before.  I perused artifacts, read panels about the historically tense (to say the least) relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, and listened to interviews about dreamtime stories and vanishing languages. 

Bolstered by the excitement of new knowledge, I continued my exploration by attending the opening celebrations for NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Week).  This was a completely unexpected and welcome coincidence, both in terms of date and location; the celebration was located in Hyde Park, which is adjacent to the Australian Museum.  I had seen banners advertising the event in the morning and picked up a brochure at the museum...I had no idea I would get to attend the festival this afternoon!  I got to taste several diffeent bush fruits as part of a traditional medicine panel, and I saw a ceremonial dance demonstration, compelte with didgeridoo.  I really, really loved it.  I took several pictures and videos, which I will post as soon as I am able (forgot to bring my USB cord to the internet cafe. Like I said...jet-lagged).  My plan for this evening was to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens, but as I sit here, I feel like I need to acknowledge and address the fact that my eyes are burning and my ability to form coherent sentences is quickly fading. I am feeling MUCH better than yesterday, but I'm still clearly struggling with the drastic time-change. Sorry for the lack of pics, but I wanted to check in to let you all know that I am alive and (mostly) well.  I am missing home, but for now, the excitment of being in a new place is carrying me through.  I will write again soon!