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We woke up and went for an early morning boat tour of the harbor, courtesy of Bev's foray to the Sydney Park Hyatt our last time in Sydney. A Sydney native we met in Vietnam, Peter Gubanyi, met us for a custom tour of Sydney. He took us to Bondi Beach, where we had breakfast at a little diner/bakery that he loves. He told us stories of growing up in Bondi, where apparently there was a big Jewish community in the 1960's and 70's. There had been some big storms on the East Coast, and Bondi's boardwalk took a beating. There was so much sand covering it that it almost looked like snow.
The weather was just about perfect, and Peter drove us around a bit and we ended up taking a walk to a breathtaking overlook where you can see both the north and south heads of Sydney Harbour, as the water works its way out to the Tasman Sea. We spent a little time hitting spots around the Sydney Harbor Bridge, before Peter's daughter Jackie met up with us and we grabbed a final cup of coffee (a bit of a tradition for Peter and me, after our time in Vietnam together).
We had talked about possibly going to dinner, but because of our new found interest in Rugby, the second match of the State of Origin, and Al and Denise's decision to see us one last time in Sydney (along with Peter's general dislike of Pubs and sports...what kind of Aussie is he? :) ), we ended up parting ways in the evening and meeting up with Al and Denise back at the hotel.
The Star City is a casino in Darling Harbor, and Al thought it might be a good spot to watch the game (in the sports book area). We landed there, grabbed a quick dinner and some drinks, and watched the game. It was Queensland vs. New South Wales, and after discussing the rules of rugby with Al earlier in the trip, we were finally getting the hang of how to root for our team, NSW. It was actually a close match, and we had a great time.
We went back to the hotel, where we really and truly had to finally say goodbye to Al and Denise. Denise was really cute and got pretty teary-eyed. I could tell that even after all these years, there is a strong bond between Bev and Denise, and with my new friendship with Al, we'll all be friends for years to come.
Peter had told me that he would be up for going out late after the game if I was up for it. I gave him a shout, and sure enough, he decided to come out. We ended up going to...Star City. He wanted to go there (and seemed excited about it), and I didn't have the heart to tell him I was just there. Apparently, he is a frequent guest and member of the casino, so he got me a guest card, gave me a tour of the casino, and we landed in a lounge, where we drank, got a bite, and chatted to the wee hours. Peter and I talked politics for a while, shared political philosophies, and generally had a great time. I rolled home to the hotel at around 4AM. Tomorrow is going to be rough!
Next up - last day in Australia. :(
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