One thing I didn’t know about Australia before we left – time travel is involved in getting there. Sleeping Beauty and I boarded the United 747 in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, flew for fourteen hours, and arrived in Sydney on… Friday morning?

Does this mean I’m even older now? Ugh.

Dan met us at the airport, and soon the three of us were on a whirlwind tour of downtown Sydney.

Dan and I on the ferry. Somehow, Dan looks younger than he did in California, and I look three months pregnant. Must be the new camera.

After stuffing ourselves with meat pies, our second-to-last mission of the day was to head over to Bikescape and pick up my rented ride – a newly painted 2005 FJR.

Newly painted? A rental bike? What could that mean? Freshly crashed? Why else paint a rental bike? Well, crashed or not, this bike looks pretty sweet! It reminded me of a bike I used to own; the sweet motorcycle I traded in to get Rain Cloud Follows.

I dubbed this Aussie rental bike the Yama-busa!

Driving on the wrong side of the road in the opposite hemisphere presents a certain set of challenges; challenges I was ready for after last year’s foray into Scotland. Despite a few close calls, I made it back to Dan and Maxine’s house without the need to re-repaint the Yama-busa. I could only hope to keep this bike in the same tip-top condition for the next five days.

Out the window, we watched as the sun slowly slipped below the horizon in Sydney harbor. There was just one thing left to do before our official Australian Education began – toast the Best Day Ever with some great friends.

Dan, Maxine, Sleeping Beauty and Yours Truly

Click here to read about the fun, the riding, and the education, Aussie style!

Author: frenchy