A Very MANLY Day...

man·ly  

/ˈmanlē/

Adjective Having or denoting those good qualities traditionally associated with men, such as courage and strength. (of an activity) Befitting a man, esp. in a traditional sense: "the manly art of knife-throwing".

Synonyms manful - masculine - virile - male - manlike - brave Or....a beach in Sydney. Our first morning waking up in Sydney, we woke to torrential rain.  Not what we were hoping for, but fortunately the radar showed it was only a small blip that would last about an hour.

One thing we did learn...don't trust the Australian Weather Service.  "2 to 5 mm", my ass!

The bad weather cleared quickly and we were on our way to Manly Beach, via the Manly Ferry.  Now that the rain had cleared away, it turned out the be quite a beautiful day!  Blue skies, sailboats out everywhere, and a nice breeze to whisk away the heat.

After about 20-30 minutes out on the water, we arrived!  Just about everything at Manly beach is named after the beach itself.  Manly Wharf, Manly Life Saving Club, Manly Dress Shop...etc.  

Unfortunately, Ken forgot his sunscreen back at the hotel.  Not wearing sunscreen in Australia is a big no-no, due to the hole in the ozone layer.  Much like his camera with beauty shot mode he bought during the 2010 trip, the discount sunscreen he bought also came with additional special features.  What is the amazing special feature of this purchase, you ask?  It turns you into a sad clown, and NEVER soaks in.

Well over an hour later

After a tasty lunch at the aptly named Manly Grill,  we started our walk from Manly beach south, along the shoreline.

These little "Dragons" are protected here in Australia.  Get caught just touching one, and you could find yourself paying a $6000 AUD fine!

Along the way, we noticed this little sign.  And we though Lake Michigan water was bad...

Halfway through the days walk, we found a small rain pool of rain and decided to take a break.  Brad played with his new filter while Ken reminisced about the last time we were in Australia with Michael.

We made our way back to Manly Wharf and hopped on the ferry back to downtown Sydney.  Time to get back to the hotel, pack, and get ready to head to the airport.  Tomorrow we fly up to Port Douglas for five days of Queensland fun, including Great Barrier Reef diving, Daintree rain forest exploring, and getting in some R&R!  

One last thing we noticed on our trip back to Manly Wharf was that most mailboxes had this little sticker on it.

If only it were that easy in the States!!