DOWN UNDER IS OVER THE TOP (July 17 - August 6, 2017)

After a good month in Indiana we found ourselves stepping off a Delta jet in Sydney, Australia.  This was the beginning of a long anticipated "bucket list" adventure.  The Wyndham Resort was right in the center of town and made for a great place to start our exploration of a lovely city.  Sydney has done a great job of blending the old with the new and of maintaining many manicured parks.  We walked through Hyde Park on our way to the Circular Quay and saw the famous Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  We learned the history of "old Sydney" and walked on Bondi Beach.  It was winter in Australia but the weather in Sydney was sunny and 60ish.

After four days we caught a flight north to the Gold Coast and Coolangotta.  Coolangotta is a friendly beach town on the Pacific Ocean.  Here we spent a full week enjoying the warm (75 degree), sunny weather, the sandy beach, and the walkways with outstanding ocean views around every corner.  We admired the surfers, petted kangaroos, watched whales, and hugged a Koala.  Like everywhere we went the people were friendly and helpful.  The week was a perfect mix of relaxing and touring.

After a twenty four hour train ride we, next, found ourselves even further north in the town of Cairns. Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and one of the world's most pristine rain forests.  The Wyndham Resort was tropical and well kept and the room was a huge two bedroom with a spacious deck.  Temperatures now ranged into the eighties as we explored both the reef and the forest.  We only had three days to enjoy this port city but enjoyed every minute.

Finally, it was back to Sydney for a couple of more days before stepping back on a plane for the 24 hour trip back to Indianapolis.

REFLECTIONS

Half way around the world is Australia.  It is a 16 hour flight from L.A. to Sydney.  I really wasn't excited about going.  As a matter of fact I had fought going for a long time.  What could be worth the agony of a plane ride that long?  What could be worth a fourteen hour time swing?  I won't say that I went kicking and screaming but I will say that I went primarily because someone I love very much wanted to go.

Surprise!  It was worth it all!  Sometimes it is when we fight through all the difficulties that we discover a beauty and adventure that we really weren't expecting.  Sometimes you have to go through painful places and change to get to the blessing out there on the other side.  Many times it takes a long, hard journey to get to a place where you are amazed by how beautiful it is where you have landed.  The problem is that too many times we refuse to accept the challenges to get to where the blessings are.  We refuse to endure the difficult circumstances and chose to just remain where we are ; where we are comfortable.

Sometimes your "Down Under" can become your "Over The Top"!