Time for some urban exploration...

I'm glad we based ourselves in the Darlinghurst neighborhood of Sydney, or I think Tiffany and I would have felt we had spent the past three days in a city with no blemishes whatsoever. If a group of urban planners were to get together to create the ultimate family city, I don't think they could have done any better than the Aussies have done with this town. Darlinghurst, however, is the teeming underbelly of the city, much like Soho is to New York City or Bucktown is to our native Chicago. We stayed at two ultra-hip hotels in this area, Medusa Hotel and The Kirketon, and loved every minute of it. If we had to pick a favorite unique aspect of these two hotels it would have to be the awesome shower at the Kirketon - there's a bright spotlight on the front wall of the shower that's aimed up at your body (while showering), a jet black shower curtain and water pours over your entire body through tiny openings directly overhead in the ceiling. It was kind of like standing beneath a modernist waterfall. I think Tiff and I must have taken four showers a day!

But, getting back to Sydney itself, we have been amazed at both the man made and natural beauty evident throughout this city. We spent an entire day walking along the boardwalk, which follows Sydney's meandering coastline, and in so doing were treated to magnificent views of the famous Opera House and the historic Rocks neighborhood. The streets are clean, the people friendly and the attractions easy to enjoy.

Which brings us back to the Darlinghurst neighborhood. It offers a stark contrast to the rest of this G-rated city. "You want a woman?" I was asked no more than five minutes after I had left Tiffany's side to get some money out of a cash machine. "I'm recently married" I offered, thinking this would certainly put her proposal to rest, to which she responded "You want a woman?" Darlinghurst is a maze of sex shops, dance parlors, trendy restaurants, hip hotels and Internet cafes (one of which I am currently in). It's a wonderfully eclectic place to be, and far more urban feeling than the rest of Sydney. After spending weeks in the African bush, we have really enjoyed the contrasts of big city life.

As a side note, last night Tiffany walked into a "chemist" shop (the Aussie name for a pharmacy) and asked if they sold books. Huh? This would have seemed like an even more unusual question had she not recently asked one of the ticket agents at the Skukuza Airport in South Africa to point her toward the airport museum. I was just as puzzled by these odd questions as the chemist and the ticketing agent. No real point to conveying these tidbits, except to note that (a) I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these little encounters, and (b) we have been on our honeymoon for quite some time now!

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