The Last Days In Sydney

I went away to Auckland and came back with a cold. It was raining hard when I landed in Sydney. My nose was completely blocked and I can't taste anything. So disappointing as I hoped to have a final binge of Sydney food before returning to the UK.

The rain went on for days and I kept warm and toasty with my baby niece. Two of the days I had to go out to the city to meet friends but was so glad to come home to her. She is my little ray of sunshine. Every time I see her I just want to scoop her up and smother her with kisses!

I spent a whole day packing and running errands. I wish I started organising sooner. I had an incredible urge to stay in Sydney. It took an hour figuring out how much longer I can be out of the UK and calling to defer my flight. It however cost £385 so I said no. 

On the last day I was still considering forking out the cash even though it was a stupid amount to pay for an three extra days in Sydney. After realising I was procrastinating, I didn't give my "dilemma" a second thought.

To make the most of my last day, I decided not to see friends. I spent it doing what I love. First it was a Zumba class then a bike ride in Olympic Park.

Blue sky and pretty clouds-how I will miss you.

The sky was spectacular. I could sit here and watch it all day. But couldn't as I was hungry. 

For lunch I had my last pho at Toan Thang in Flemington. Thankfully I recovered the use of my taste buds. This restaurant is known for it's long queues on weekends. I was seated straight away although I had to share the table. It's rare to find decent pho for $10 or less and from a place that's close to me. I happily slurped away after taking the obligatory food pic.

Then I had family dinner at Mori Japanese Cafe in Glebe. It was all-you-can-eat. It was yummy but I was yearning to eat cooked vegetables. There were hardly any except edamame on the menu. On the upside the variety of seafood was amazing and I ate my money's worth.

My sister must have told Lillee I was leaving. She asked me to pick her up when crossing the road to the car. Maybe it was because I said that's what I'd do when I walked her to preschool. But she said intently to me with huge eyes,  "I need you. You must stay here." 

You must picture her saying this with a cute toddler voice. It was the most heart warming and heart wrenching thing to hear.

I went to bed feeling overwhelmingly grateful for my time in Sydney. Home is the best place in the world. The next morning on the day I flew out, I got up early to fill up my car to have it garaged. It was sad taking off my still-fresh number plates. I love my jellybean car and in ways it's loved me back as it still runs after 10 years of loyal service. 

Every time I depart Sydney airport it gets harder and harder. I wasn't looking forward to going back to London. This time is different, I no longer felt like being an intrepid traveller and just wanted to stay in my home country.