Sydney, Australia

Sydney is like Washington DC with beautiful beaches minus the crazy politicians. There are a multitude of places that one can appreciate the beautiful Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. Even though highly recommended, I found the bridge climb quite boring and not worth the money ($198 AUD) or time (3 hours). Shows at the Opera House are definitely worthwhile, especially given the 50% discount ppl under 30 enjoys to encourage young ppl to go. I watched the Aria Co in a beautiful balcony room, with an intimate setting and overlooking the sunset over Sydney Harbor during the songs

There's enough to do for a week, but even if you only have a few days, you can hit all the highlights given all the major spots are at one place at Circular Quay. The one thing that should not be missed is a surfing lesson at Bondi or Manly. Only 30 minutes away, Manly is a whole different world with its beach town atmosphere and lazy boardwalk. I went to the Manly Surf School, where it offers small classes and encouraging instructors. Not a surprise, I was very bad at it and inky managed to stand up for half a second with the help of the instructors. The feeling of catching waves though, it's a feeling vie never felt before. Even the smallest wave feels so exerlerating as you are riding on it. Definitely the best thing I did in Sydney by a mile.