RAIN…on VACATION?!!!!
By
Stephen A. Dantzig, Psy.D.
Photography by Stephen and Joan Dantzig
Tours by Daily Sydney Tours
Joan and I had planned my “bucket list” trip to Australia for 2020, but everyone knows what happened then. We were able to go in 2023 and Australia did not disappoint! We went to Sydney for 10 days and had 9 days of spectacular weather…and one day of pouring down rain. That is a pretty lucky ratio for a vacation—except that the rainy day was on one of our scheduled 3 days of private tours with Sydney Daily Tours (which received a “beyond 5-star review from us!) OH NOOOOO!!!!! RAIN on a tour day!
Wait, let’s back up! The rain was on our third tour day, so we already had two incredible days with Korhan—just Korhan and us—for a full Sydney city tour and then a trip to the Blue Mountains coupled with a stop at Featherdale Wildlife Preserve. We were scheduled to visit the South Coast and Highlands tours on the day it poured.
The weather—and the first two tours—were amazing. Korhan was the ultimate host and conversationalist while showing us the wonders of the area. Here is some of what we saw during those first two days:
The very famous Opera House and Harbour Bridge were obvious highlights of the tour—and look at that “picture perfect” weather!
We fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams to see wallabies, kangaroos, and koala bears during our next tour. I even got to see a momma wallaby carrying her Joey!
The weather continued to be spectacular for the incredible Blue Mountains (Korhan even saved the day by finding a hardware store to get a bolt to fix my broken wheelchair). The visit to an area rich in Aboriginal history was unforgettable…and we still had the South Coast waiting for us.
We woke up the day of the South Coast tour to sound of pouring rain. The trip was scheduled and paid for, so we got dressed and went to the hotel lobby more than a little disappointed. Korhan showed up at the exact time with his broad smile and said something like: “No worries, we have umbrellas!” We drove in the pouring rain to our first of many stops. The point of this article is that the scenery and photographs from that day are among our favorites! The mist…or fog…or whatever you want to call it created scenes that we so different from the “typical” beautiful weather that we all “hope” for on vacation. The truth is that it rains everywhere and we were treated to a vastly different, but equally beautiful Australia…and Korhan set the stage with a “never say no” upbeat attitude.
The moral of the story is simple: Rain happens. Grab your camera and capture some amazing images!
To Korhan and Leisa: “Good on ya” and Mahalo!