Australia

We were greeted in Sydney by glorious sunshine and brand familiarity (namely, Starbucks). Though Lee had been to Sydney before, this was my first visit and I was instantly impressed by everything it had to offer. Admittedly, I was also relived to find some comforts of home (those of you recalling the Buenos Aires blog know of what I speak).

Sydney Harbour is spectacular. In addition to the magnificent Opera House - where I persuaded Lee to see a Danish version of 'The Little Match Girl by Hans Christan Andersen' - there lies an incredible steel bridge that was celebrating 75 years while we were there. We did the infamous "bridge climb," where tourists are strapped in and walk alongside the top of the hanger-shaped bridge. It was intensely high, but a total thrill.

We loved the beautiful beaches and headed further north to the Gold Coast to see a bit more. The Gold Coast gets a bad wrap. Many compare it to Miami or Waikiki Beach (the cheesy side) but the beaches were incredible and the people were the nicest people we have ever met. We rented a car (yes, driving on the opposite side of a road can be challenging) and drove an hour south to Byron Bay, a quaint sleepy town adjacent to the most easterly point of the Australian continent. We differed on this but I actually felt that particular view was more dramaticly beautiful than anything else we had seen. I could have spent all day by that lighthouse, overlooking clear turquoise water.

One fellow traveler said you can spent a lifetime exploring the entirety of Australia. There really is so much to see and every city/town is different from the next. Our last stop was to the tropical northern town of Cairns (pronounced cans). Though it rained throughout our time there, it was the kind of warm rain that is soothing and unobtrusive. When traveling as we have since November, it's easy to feel as though you must see everything there is to see - after all, how many times do you have an opportunity to travel around the world? In Cairns, however, we made an effort to spend time being relatively inactive. Australia, in short, is one of my favorites and since we barely scratched the surface, we will be back.

Shanghai

Ah Shanghai... Now THIS is China! By contrast to Hong Kong, few people speak English and the weather was quite a bit cooler (OK, freezing!). We had made it almost all the way around the world without needing cold-weather clothes – until Shanghai. While Hong Kong was 80% West and 20% East – Shanghai was 100% Eastern Asia. We explored the city’s museums and galleries and were extremely impressed by the vibrant art scene. One of the neighborhoods we visited had a block of lofts all showcasing young and up-and-coming Chinese contemporary artists. We found one gallery that stood out from the others and purchased a beautiful Miro-esque oil painting by an extremely talented local artist. We loved the food as well. One thing I’ll take with me is that it’s so easy to overlook the rich Chinese culture we have in our America-based Chinatowns. We wish we had more time to explore some of the other cities in China, but it’s time to keep moving around the globe. Perhaps we’ll head to Beijing for the next Olympics. Next stop, down under!

Hong Kong

We stopped through India (Trivandrum in the south) for a night before taking an overnight flight to Hong Kong via Seoul. The first thing I noticed about Hong Kong was that it was an incredibly clean country – quite a difference from India. The airport was immaculate and it was as if we walked through a giant gate marked, “This way to the First World.” We had just a few nights in Hong Kong and even extended our stay by a night to enjoy it further (plus I was just exhausted from all the moving around). The city skyline lit up beautifully. We didn’t expect to find such a modern technologically forward city in Hong Kong but it was just that- with a generous helping of Chinese culture on the side. Most of the population speaks English fluently and you can locate just about any European/American brand there is to buy – all duty free (the entire country is duty-free port). Hong Kong really doesn’t seem like China. It’s often compared to New York and is very livable for Westerners. I think we could live there for a year or two should an opportunity spring up. But absent that, I would definitely return to see how much further they will move ahead in the coming decades.

Maldives

Simply put, this place is heaven on earth. I'll keep this entry short and sweet. We spent five relaxing days in the Maldives and recharged our batteries. Though we loved Seychelles, this is our favorite island spot. It beats Hawaii by a landslide, too. Basically, you stay on one of the 1200 islands or so that make up this country. Most resorts own the entire island. We took a sea plane to the resort and spent all of our time on or near the water. We took a sea kayake around the island (which took only an hour), and went snorkeling.

We also met Peter and Tomke from Germany (see photo below). We shared dinner, drinks, and a great deal of laughs with our new friends. If the stars align, we may have an opportunity to spend time with them over the summer while we are in Europe. Great people, great times.