Day 50. Our last full day in Sydney. Sydney has been great – relaxed and laid back and we spent enough time that we could afford to transform into slugs for part of the day and still see everything we wanted.  Well almost everything – we didn’t get to the beach (Bondi or Manly) but I can also justify that since it’s winter in Sydney and we live near the beach back home.

It’s time to shed more stuff, crap, dead weight, unused stuff and stuff that sounded cool when we bought it but have lugged it 18,000 miles and not used it yet.  We have a box all filled up that I have to take to the Australian Post Office (APO) to see if I can get shipped back home.  I spent the last 20 years ensconced in the mailing and shipping industry and am well versed in what it’s like to get an international package shipped from a retail US Post Office.  The after effects of the China visa still linger and I’m mentally preparing myself to do battle with the APO.  I’m doing stretching exercises and calisthenics just in case.  I steel myself for battle, pick up the box and announce I’m off. Leanne looks at me and says “well, at least you get some good fodder for your blog.” I break out in a wide smile and my eyes gleam like the Grinch at Christmastime. 

The APO is located in the lobby of a swanky high rise building.  As I approach, there is no door, the whole store is open entry way to nicely designed, crisp layout.  This takes me by surprise and I must admit I’m impressed.  One display on the wall has a layout of wireless printers for sale and I realize they have the printer I bought in Port Douglas for ½ the price. I walk up to the counter and you’ll never believe this.  There are 5 employee and 2 customers.  No seriously, there were.  In a US Post Office, there would be 30 angry, disgruntled, near-rioting customers who had been waiting for an hour for every 1 employee.  

I walk up to a clerk who is resting in a chair behind the counter looking like he’s half taking a nap. He hops up and after letting him know I need to ship package to the US, he springs into action.  He re-tapes my box (which I pathetically had tried to tape shut with white medical tape in the absence of real packing tape), weighs the package, gives me the price, hands me the form and says he can assist in helping me fill it all out.  

I am seized by a moment of panic.  This is all going way to too smooth and I’m not going to have any material for the blog. I contemplate listing the contents of the box as TNT, liquid nitrogen, enclose and other parts for making a bomb as a joke just to ensure something interesting happens.  But my more rationale side wins out and I complete the form with the real contents listed and walk out amazed.  Score Australian Post Office 1, US Post Office 0.

Next, Justin, Corey, Ashlynn & I head off the Sydney Aquarium while Leanne, John & Ashley head back to the Australian Museum.  John wasn’t with Leanne yesterday and Leanne is infatuated with the museum resulting in round 2.  The Aquarium is pretty solid.  They do a really good job of highlighting that if all the deadly insects, wildlife and plants of Australia don’t kill you on land, then one of the deadly jellyfish, sharks, eels, fish, etc will most assuredly kill you in the water.   

Justin had researched ahead of time that the aquarium offers scuba diving with sharks.  Justin is always on the lookout for adventure sport type experiences and this one fits the bill.  He says “dad, I read the reviews and no one mentions getting eaten by a shark.” I respond “if someone gotten eaten by a shark, they would probably have a hard time writing an online review from the afterlife.”  

Justin, Corey, Ashlynn & I are now in the behind the scenes area of the aquarium getting briefed for our shark dive.  I have to admit, it was not what I was expecting.  I was expecting little 3 foot, cute, cuddly nurse sharks.  Instead, these are  7 – 10 feet sharks that either are Great Whites or are dead ringer, doppelgangers for Great Whites.  Either way, I’m feeling entirely less sure about this adventure and can’t figure out why the kids look so non-plussed.

Leanne tells me later that the guide who was with her in the tunnel while she took pictures said that if they feed the sharks too much, they aren’t as active so they only feed them Mon, Wed and Fri and somethings skip Fri if they are too lethargic. As my luck would have it, today is Monday.  Leanne asks him “if today is Mon, they haven’t eaten since last wed, don’t you think you should feed them?”  The guide deadpans back, “what do you think your husbands doing in the tank?”

Suffice to say, that no one got eaten allowing our trip to continue on.  It was supercool though.  The sharks got within a foot or two of you and you can stare right into its mouth and teeth.  Those pictures are definelty making the Christmas card this year.

The day finishes with Leanne, John and I going to the performance of Opera’s Greatest Hits at the Sydney Opera House.  When we tell the taxi driver our destination is “Sydney Opera House,” it occurs to me that I can probably just say “The Opera House” as he presumably already knows he’s in Sydney. The performance was a wonderful mix of arias from the Barber of Seville, Carmen and others.  

The accompanist on the piano also doubles as the host and he gives us an explanation of the upcoming Opera aria.  For example, for a Puchinni aria, he says that the count dresses up as a poor student when courting his lady to ensure that she loves him for him and not for his money. Ok, I get that, makes sense.  Then the 65 year-old accompianist host addes in “you know, like Trump did when he was courting Meliania.”  The audience (presumably non-Americans) roars out their laughter.  Oh great, can’t even get away from the Trump jokes 15,000 miles away in the land down under at the prestigious Sydney Opera House.  The couple sitting next to me looks European and I think they might be eyeing me for my reaction.  I’m tempted to lean over and say “Eh, were from Canada, eh, we don’t like the chap either.” And that is how we wrap-up our Sydney visit.