Australians don't have pennies

My first day in Sydney I noticed that everything I bought was sold to me at a rounded-off price. $3.96 for a train ticket only cost me $3.95. Or $9.43 for some food, and they only asked for $9.40. I sort of noticed it, but just thought people were being generous.

Nope, it turns out that Australians don't have pennies.

If you're paying cash, you're paying by some increment of 5 cents. That is their smallest coin. I even asked the bank. (Not really, but I forgot to take a picture of their money)



My Sydneysider sis informs me, though, that if you're paying by credit card, you can expect to pay the actual (cent-derived) price.

Moreover, their money bills are not only the brightest colors you've ever seen (hot pink, lime green, purple, etc.) but they come in various sizes. Makes it very easy to pick out a $5 bill versus a $20 bill!

You can check out the entire slideshow of my week as a Sydneysider (yes, that's the actual term for Sydney residents) in which my sister and I tried to pack as many things into 5 days as humanly possible.

My trip started with an unexpected 24-hour layover in San Francisco. Plus side was that I got to visit Mandy and Justin! Cousin and highschool classmate, respectively.



After a (sigh) ...long... 15 hour flight straight to Sydney, Moke and I

hit up Sydney Harbour to see Harbour Bridge at sunset...



...and do a tour of the famous Opera House



And even though it was winter, we made it to Sydney's famous Bondi ("Bond-eye") Beach, where signs that warned "Dangerous Currents... no swimming" didn't deter dozens of surfers from hitting the frigid water.



Other Sydney highlights can be seen in the slideshow!