Chaps, Rox, Ian and I safely arrived here in Sydney with our bikes intact (or so I believe, we still haven't assembled them yet). I'm writing you from the Australian Museum where they display all the deadly animals and insects that we'll be facing for the next 2 weeks on the road. I think Ian's probability of dying is much higher since he's staying for 2 months and has a freakish desire to go into the outback (as in the real desert in the middle of the damn continent/ country). We won't see any true outback, only bush, as we're traveling south along the coast from Sydney where we'll hopefully end up at Albury (in the Snowy Mountains) where Rox and I will catch a train back and come home.

The weather is gorgeous, the coffee is the best I've ever had, and the people are just as stereotypically laid-back and witty as we hoped for. Damn, the flight was long (13.5 hours), but I was expecting 18 when we first boarded so I guess I should be grateful. Oh, and shit, FREE BEER on the plane. That ruled. I sampled all the Aussie favorites (Tooheys New, Victoria Bitter, Fosters). Mmmm...
We're sleep at this hostel called the Original Backpackers. Place rules (an old victorian mansion) and nice n cheapy cheap. Today we're loafing around the city and adjusting the time change (we lost a whole day when we crossed the international date line... how freaking strange... it's Tuesday here). Tomorrow morning we take off on the left side of the road and hopefully won't forget when turning right. It's tough enough to cross the streets.

Alright, we're off to check out the box jellyfish and green taipan, the two most venomous creatures on the planet. Over n out.