Friday, Feb 26, 2016
It was very warm and humid when I got up.
I had a morning flight to Sydney, so I was up at 5:30 am, in order to get to the airport in time for my flight. I checked out of the resort and waited for the shuttle to pick me up. The shuttle was a little late, but the driver was still able to pick up some more passengers and make it to the airport in the morning rush hour, with time to spare. I even had some good luck. During the check-in process, the agent offered me an exit row seat, without any extra cost. This seat had a lot more leg-room, which made the flight much more comfortable.
The flight was uneventful and we arrived in Sydney 3 hours after takeoff, however, there was also a 1 hour time change and now it is 16 hours later in Sydney than New York time.
I took a cab to the motel and checked in, before going to a cafe for lunch.
The motel is not in the best neighbourhood and it isn’t all that nice, but its clean and it has everything I need. It is also close to a railway station, so I picked up an ” OPAL ” card that allows me to use the rail, bus and ferry transportation, without using cash or buying tickets. All I have to do is keep a balance on the card to pay for the rides.
The OPAL card will come in very hand for the activities I have planned while I am in Sydney.
Ralf Hamm 
Sydney is a great city to wander about in. Take the ferry to Manley Beach if you get the chance. Great views of the harbor and Manley is an old town….