Sun-shine Aquatics: A gorgeous and sunny day in Sydney...

I guess we really brought sunshine from home to Sydney because weather today is exceptionally warm at approximately 70F! Last night it was raining and quite cold, but today is completely different. Zack arrived safe and sound tonight, and now the circle is completed. The boys requested to go to Starbucks already for the traditional picture, but I told them tomorrow. They specifically emphasized that "girls" are not allowed to be in their picture. Oh well...

Anyway, let's start from our morning. We walked to the Central Station, which is about 5 mins from our apartment, and took the train to the Olympic Park. We got great discounted fare because apparently it dropped 50% after 9 am (which starts the non-peak hours), and the kids got another 50% off the discounted rate for only $2.70 for a RT ride. What a steal! Another reason to remind you that being young is good. The train was pretty much empty and there were probably 7 people on it. The ride to the park was quiet but interesting, and the suburb areas reminded me China somehow because it looked no difference at all along the train rails. Jarrell spent $5 on a small bottle of Powerade and we laughed at him "being ripped off". Albert was too excited on the train and he decided to put his goggle on while we were still on the train (still don't know where he got the idea). We had a good laugh all the way until we arrived at the Olympic Park.

After 20 mins of keeping going to the wrong directions, we finally made to the front door of the Aquatic Center. Man... it is pretty and can't believe the 2000 Olympic Games was 11 years ago already! I remembered seeing my teammates getting medals on the podium that year (too bad I wasn't here), and this morning we finally made to the natatorium. The front-desk ladies were so nice and they gave us a discounted family rate of only $4/each person (rather than the $7), and we learned that the Australian SCM National Champs is going on tonight. We were planning to go back and watch it, but too bad the session time was in conflict of Zack's arrival time, so we decided to pass.

We had fun swimming in the pool and I hope the kids still felt the vibe from 11 years ago. We were swimming in the designated "Fast Lane". Other people came and left, as our speed was too intimidating to them. They thought they were fast, but today was just their unlucky day. We were amazed by how popular swimming is in Australia and why the sport itself is the national icon sport. During our training session of 1.5 hours, there were at least 15 groups of young children (most of them, surprisingly, seem to be muslim ethnicity) coming in for swim lessons, as well as many other people using the facility as members. There are pools for lap swims, swim school lessons, leisure swim, spa, sauna, a gym, an outdoor terrace, and a food court and a water park inside the facility. The boys spent quite a bit time playing at the water park and they almost forgot that we needed to return to the city.

We walked through the Central Business District in the afternoon and went onto the observation deck atop the famous Sydney Tower. The view is 360 degree and the sunset is very much different from that at home on the beach. The only thing that we didn't get to experience was the OzTrek ride to go through Australia's history, geographical significance and modern charm because it has been closed down for necessary renovation since May.

The boys ate at a delicious pizza place and the girls ate at a Malaysian/Chinese restaurant for dinner. The food was very tasty and the prices were actually reasonable. Since it is a weekend, there are so many more people on the street and many more cars on the road.

Tomorrow we have another day of fun ahead of us. We will tour the Opera House, walk on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, stop by the weekend market at the Rocks for local souvenirs (not to mention that the boys started shopping gifts for their sisters already), take a ferry ride and finally visit the Sydney Aquarium, where we can see the largest collection of Sharks and the Great Barrier Reef habitats. They also have two of the only six Dugongs on display in the world!

I am asking the kids just now if they have anything to say about their trip so far, but they all decided to hang out together instead and don't even care if I make up funny things about them. I have to say that seeing them really bonding and building up friendship outside the pool has already made my trip worth it, and hanging out with these fun kids really is a plus. We miss all of you and will share more tomorrow. Hi from all of us...