9 posts tagged “sydney”
Radica thought me how to escape mentally every now and then, by planning a little virtual getaway... the fastest way to day dreaming about past travels, adventures or those yet to come. This one takes me back to Sydney, Australia!
Time flies, it's already been over a year since I visited my friends Radica & JJ in Sydney.
I loved the city. The bushwalks were an adventure as you can read on my previous posts... but hey, can't wait to do it all over! I loved the feel of the city, the skyline, the people and the spectacular view from my bedroom!
I miss my friends. I have just decided I will most certainly go visit them again as soon as possible.
So, oil people, stop making those prices so ridiculously high so that airlines can give us better rates again asap!
Ok, back to work...
Ok, I do not like it when people try to get me on video camera. Absolutely no ambitions there. The last person I did this for was for Radica right before she left for Australia. Since she was moving to the other side of the world, I had to accept to be on her short video, taped outside the Pastis after a nice, goodbye lunch.
This video however, is different. I didn't have to talk, did not have to try and make any sense and am hard to recognize. And since I was underwater, I have a perfect excuse for the now legendary Sydney Bad Hair :-)
Check it out, a short video of my sharkdive at Oceanworld in Manly, 23 April 2007.
Depth: 4 m
Visibility: as good as you can expect in an aquarium
Temperature: way too cold
Woohoo, I still get excited!! It was awesome. Worth the money. And cute instructor Simon ;-)
Hallelujah, yesterday we had sun! I jumped out of bed, jogged my way over the bridge (love that bridge!) and took the bus to Bondi Beach. So cool, people with surfboards on the bus!
It was quite windy there and not real bikini weather. Although there were some brave souls in the water, swimming and surfing. Not me. Passed the brave-test cum magna laude when I went swimming with the sharks :-) I sat on the beach and read Bill Bryson's book about his Australian adventures.
Everybody warned me about the sun being much more powerful here in Australia. Yeah yeah I believe you and all but it might be the only day I still get to see the sun.... so I didn't quite follow the slip, slap, slop rules.
Slip on a t-shirt, slap on a hat and slop on the sunscreen. It took me a Brit to find out what this means...;-)
I did wear a shirt. I forgot my hat. And I did not put on enough sunscreen or on time even. So only 1 out of 3. Consequence: my arms, shoulders, hands, neck, chest and face all reddish pinkish purple... and it burns!!
I'm off to Darling Harbour again today, where the aquarium and reptile park is, I hope they will not mistake me for a new species and put me in a tank there.
No sun today, but no rain either... yet. It is however very humid again. I swear by the time I get over that bridge I will have miraculously turned into the modern version of Shirley Temple again.
Off we go...
ps Stefanie, I'll show you the curls in private if you buy me enough beers ;-)
You know when you sometimes have bad hair days. Right, we all have those.
I have been having a bad hair vacation ever since I arrived in Sydney. The air is so humid that every morning I wake up resembling a small sheep with red cheeks.
But to make matters worse, this country has been having the worst weather in 5 years. Good news for the Ozzies since they have been facing drought in certain areas. Bad news for me cause it has been pouring down on us for 3 full days now. No small drops, no refreshing drizzle no, just a constant shower. Sometimes so bad we can not even see the Opera House across the water. So bad my new waterproof jacket gave up being waterproof. And this weather is not going to change untill sunday, the day I leave :-)
Tomorrow is Anzac day, the day when Australia and New Zealand remember members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who landed at Galipoli in Turkey during WW I. It's a public holiday and there's a big parade in town. The newsreader said: bring your 'brellies. (seriously, they don't pronounce a single word entirely here, abbreviations everywhere).
So tomorrow we will be in the rain...again. I have started resembling Shirley Temple now. Mom, I got more curls now than you and my brother together.
Maybe I should look for a solarium tomorrow, to stay dry, warm and get a tan. In the meantime I am going to have another glass of wine and get used to these bloody curls. Cheers mates....
Now that I am absolutely comfortable playing the shameless tourist, I decided to treat myself to one of the main tourist attractions here, well for the brave ones that is (so I keep telling myself): Shark Dive Extreme at Ocean World in Manly.
After diving in some very so-called shark infested waters in Hawaii and not seeing any sharks, after missing the whale shark at Racer Rock in Thailand, while every other diver there seemed to have seen it every single day....I decided to go for the guaranteed sighting in this big aquarium. Yeah yeah some of my diving friends may not consider this as a real dive. Yes let's discuss this next week thursday evening at the bar in the Bauhaus ;-)
Anyways...took the ferry to Manly. Treated myself to a very nice Thai lunch. Felt a tad bit nervous. Visited Ocean World, it's a pretty old and shabby aquarium to be honest, but the shark tunnel was quite impressive. 7 adult grey nurse sharks, all measuring around 4 meters, giant stingrays, sea turtles, wobbegong sharks and a vast array of marine life. And I was going in there!
Met the cute dive instructor, my 3 fellow divers and off we went. The water was cold, but the giant sea turtle in the entry bassin made me forget about the cold, as did the cute cuttlefish around me. Then we went in the first area where normally the sharks don't go in. Except for today...as soon as we glided in the water, we got up very close and personal with a huge female grey nurse shark. I didn't feel afraid at all, such a gracious and calmly moving animal, extraordinary. Then we went to the part where all the sharks hang out, and the giant rays and sea turtles. It was amazing, cannot even begin to describe it, They just glided past us maybe 5 cm away, we had to duck for the clumsy sea turtle, the stingray brushed the top of our heads.
I am so glad I did this dive. 30 minutes with these beautiful animals...one of the hightlights of my trip.
Then I spent a small fortune buying the 3 minutes movie they made in the aquarium, but hey it was worth it. And as a bonus the cute instructor gave me all the pictures they took, instead of just the 2 I was initially going to buy.
So yeah, the lucky ones among you will get to see them all and the little movie ;-)
After the dive I shared my enthousiasm on the phone with my friend, got back on the ferry and even the pouring rain couldn't bother me. I finally got to swim with sharks, yay!
13625, that is the number of steps I took today, according to the step counter I borrowed from Radica. Pretty impressive I must say. I have done so much walking here. The walk I like most is in the morning, in the sunshine, over the Harbour Bridge. The view is amazing. A good song on the mp3 player. That is the kind of walking I like. No bush, no spiders, no rocks... lattes available everywhere. And the promise of shops at the other side of the bridge :-)
I was just by myself today. Went to Circular Quay, the Rocks, George Street, Pitt Street, the Opera House, the Botanical Gardens... I had to duck there to avoid a full frontal collision with an angry Cockatoo. What's up with birds in this country, they do not seem to like me very much.
And then it happened... couldn't really identify the feeling at first, but yes...for the first time in my life I am feeling a little homesick. In all my years of travelling I have never felt homesick. Not that I can remember anyway. But yes, I miss home, my friends, family. My grandmother took a nasty fall and broke her shoulder. I worry about her.
Maybe we need to get older or travel a lot to be able to fully appreciate the beauty and the simplicity of the place we call home. Brugge is home right now. It took an Australian friend, Jodey, to show me just how pretty my little town is. Jodey, she was a great friend and unfortunately I do not know how to get in touch with her now that I am here. Anyways, I miss home. I look forward to going home and the adventures that await me.
I will keep you posted on the number of steps I will still take here.
There's all sorts of animals here. We are located right in the centre of the city and yet there is so much animal 'noise' here.
The birds are amazing: the screeching of the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, the laughing of the Kookaburra, the Noisy Miner etc. Check this site: http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/animals.cfm
No, for those among you who wonder, I did not all of a sudden turn into a bird expert, if it flies, is bigger than a mosquito and it's not motorized I call it a bird.... :-)
What I did and saw over the past few days:
I got to play with koalas - unbelievable cute! I want one.
I got to play with kangooroos and wallabies.
We saw snakes, the most venomous in the world!
Saw a few spiders, and that is all I have to say about that ;-)
Saw wombats, emus, dingoes, echidnas, a big crocodile, Tasmanian devils and much more.
Oh yes, I also saw the Wedge-tailed Eagle.
Amazing Animal Fact: The Wedge-tailed Eagle is Australia's largest bird of prey.
Did you know? The Wedge-tailed Eagle is the fauna emblem of Australia's Northern Territory.
And what Nathalie found out: when they poo do not stand under them! Bloody bird ruined my brand new top, vest, jeans and mood for a minute. And no, it is not the same size of poo as from a tiny little pigeon...
Ah well, it gave us an excuse to stop at the mall and shop for new clothes ;-)
Saturday I'm off to Taronga Zoo for more animals.
And monday it's shark dive day! Stay tuned......
Pics will follow.
I have travelled quite a lot so far. When I was younger and did my first solo trips I wanted to be cooler than your average tourist. In fact, I was a traveller, not a tourist. Many many trips to the Bauhaus made me aware of the big difference. You would never but never catch me walking around with my camera in plain sight, oh no that was for the tourists, not the backpacking cool traveller like me...;-) Yeah yeah I know....
Now a few years ago I discovered the perks of being a 'tourist': jump on hop on-hop off busses, use the reduction coupons in the tourist guides, take a zillion pictures, yes in plain sight, ask locals to pose for me... and it pays off!!
Anyway, this brings me back to my current trip, today Radica and I went on the hop on-hop off bus to the city centre and also the Bondi Beach loop. Taking pictures of anything worthwile, of eachother making funny faces (no will not be displayed on here, you gotta give me many gifts to see those) etc. Saw most of the city, Darling Harbour, the Chinese garden, Chinatown, the western suburbs...
Bondi Beach is Sydney's most famous beach. It was nice, great waves...but not all that spectacular (sorry Sydneysiders). But I liked the feel of it, relaxed people, surfers. We had a way too expensive lunch near the ocean, shopped at the tourist shops. I gotta admit it felt great to play the tourist and take in the sights, sounds, smells (frangipane hmm) and impressions.
Tomorrow we are off to Shelley Beach and Manly, to shop, eat, snorkel, swim...Next week I am going diving with sharks at Oceanworld in Manly, made all the arrangements today. Dun dun dun dun dun dun... Check it out here. I hope I will have pictures of this to post!
I was not sure if I should accept to take this entire trip a few weeks ago for a few reasons. Well for one big reason actually. Now I am glad my friends talked sense into me. I did deserve this and should not feel guilty about enjoying my life, hell I work enough for it...
I love being a shameless tourist. In fact I am going to buy myself a sweater with kangooroos on it... :-)
Long flights, sleep deprivation, and romantic movies...a guaranteed success recipe for red eyes upon arrival and a look that makes the customs officer want to put you in quarantine for a few weeks. Ladies, remember to get some sleep on the plane and don't watch any movies that will make you cry if you want to arrive looking good...
I was just on 3 flights with what seemed all the crying babies and screaming kids in the western hemisphere. Thank god for inflight entertainment and my mp3 player. With the volume on maximum I couldn't hear them anymore. Couldn't sleep either.
Flight 1: tried to sleep but my Nepalese neighbour decided she'd talk me through the entire flight. I did not really understand her, so did a lot of polite nodding my head and uh-huhs.
Pre Flight 2: tried to get a nap in the airport terminal, but then a friendly slightly hyperactive Limburger discovered we speak the same language (well kinda the same language) and decided to be my new best friend.
Flight 2: Not being able to sleep, decided to watch 'The holiday', romantic movie. Apparently I was in a rather emotional mood. Those who know me and have seen the movie will understand why. So at the end and climax of the movie, really crying now...the Limburger finds me trapped in my seat.... (imagine the Jaws theme now) and starts talking about his recent girlfriend from the Philippines and why it is his second trip there in a month.. Ahh he was friendly and sweet and all but wrong time, wrong place and righ at the end of my movie. Watched another movie then, 'Freedom writers'. Again pretty emotional. Later on I managed to avoid the Limburger a few times by hiding out at the back of the plane near the lavatories. Finaly fell asleep while landing.
Pre Flight 3: hung out at the very nice Kuala Lumpur airport with the Limburger. Didn't want to sleep then or cry shamelessly for romantic movie so it was okay. Thanks for the noodles Pino.
Flight 3: ssssht sleeping finally... only to have the steward wake me for something resembling breakfast.
But in the end, I arrived well and found my friends waiting for me at the airport. Very weird, it felt like I had just seen Radica the other day, and yet she's been gone since september 2006.
So far Sydney seems like my cup of tea, the sights reminds me a bit of Vancouver really. But more on that later.
I'm in my bed now and have the most amazing view of the Opera House, absolutely breathtaking.
Strange, I'm at the other side of the world. Hopefully I will find some time here to think things through.
For now...g'night mates.
