Yet
another belated blog post. I really do want to write all these
episodes and adventures down, my own private journal writing has been
equally as sporadic and lacking. It's not that I think I'll forget
these experiences, but there is something about the written word that
can perhaps at times capture more than just pictures – despite the
age old adage.
So
here are the tales of my final week in fair Sydney.
I
decided for the last week to move to Bondi Beach, some good friends
that I'd made at Kings Cross had moved there a few weeks prior and
they had been pestering myself, amongst others, to come and join
them. So with our old hostel rapidly emptying of the long termers, I
thought I'd take them up on the idea, after all who would really want
to pass up the opportunity to live at one of the world's most iconic
beaches.
The
day I arrived the sun was shining beautifully and the beach looked
like so many idyllic postcards. After depositing my rather weighty
bags at the hostel, bags that would be decidedly slimmed down before
I left for Melbourne, I sauntered down to the beach and enjoyed an
afternoon of swimming, sun-bathing and reading a book – perfection.
Perfection until l got back to discover that either I hadn't applied
enough suncream or that it hadn't worked, I was glowing, and not in
that healthy way. Though it did soon turn to tan so it wasn't so
disastrous I guess.
However,
my dreams of a week of sun and sea were somewhat quashed by the
unpredictable Sydney weather, and as the pictures above and below
suggest, the weather really did change quite rapidly from one day to
the next. But a little rain and cloud between friends is nothing, and
after my old friends from the cross joined me at my backpackers we
were soon up to our usual escapades.
The
weather did fortunately pick up, meaning that I could cross off one
more thing from my 'final things to do in Sydney' checklist: the
Eastern Coastal Walk. A walk that began at Bondi and continues round
the coast, past Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee beaches and,
if you're feeling adventurous, round to Maroubra. I had some fabulous
company on the walk in the form of some old friends from my
Aberystwyth Uni days, the lovely Kay and Al.
With
packed lunches in our bags and suncream slathered on we set off. It
was a sunny and warm day that offered glorious views as we walked
along. We spotted all sorts of wild life and had fun clambering about
in any rock pools we found, playing at children's parks and reading
fun facts that the helpful tourist information signs provided us. As
we came upon Clovelly it was decided that a lunch break was in
order, we found a good spot in the shelter of some rocks and began
to dine.
There
were a number of seagulls nearby and one in particular seemed to take
a real liking to us. He (I'm just guessing at a gender here) marched
a perimeter a couple of feet from us, angrily squawking and scaring
off any others that sought to get close. The message was clear:
'these humans and their food are mine, as soon as they drop some food
that is'. It kept us fairly amused as we munched our grub.
The
walk continued and many more beautiful beaches were seen. We found
some great rock pools to explore, though the ocean did occasionally
decide to lull us into false states of security and send freak waves
to come and swamp our feet!
Another
particularly memorable adventure of my time on Bondi was seeing the
sunrise. Yep, 6am saw myself, Ryan and Charles (the other girls
having apparently been impossible to wake up) setting out from the
hostel clad in our swim wear with towels in hand. The beach was not
nearly as quiet as we may have supposed; fitness classes, joggers and
fellow swimmers were dotted about the place. Still, the boys set off
for a run as I plodded to the space between the flags that denoted
the safe spot to swim. Hoodies were removed and we cavorted into the
ocean.
Surprisingly
it wasn't as chilly as we may have supposed. The water was fairly
calm and the sunrise was absolutely stunning. I'm so glad that i got
to do this, and in the company of wonderful friends as well!
There
are a few things that if you're in Sydney then you should probably
do, one of them is almost certainly catch a show at the Opera House.
Now I didn't go and see a big fancy show in the main theatre, mainly
due to funds and a lack of interest in the shows playing that week
(something to do should I return to Sydney maybe). However I did
catch a performance in the studio...after treating myself to dinner and a scrumpy pudding at the Guylian cafe on the side of Circular Quay. (Chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, hot chocolate, summer berry couli type thing, yogurt, then melted praline at the bottom = heaven for Keira!)
The studio had been transformed to a
cabaret style theatre crossed with a circus, with small round tables
and their chairs occupying one corner, chairs in a circle forming the
ring, a central performance space, a piano at one side and another
small stage in one corner. Dim lighting completed the atmosphere as
we bustled into our spaces.
The
show featured a contortionist squeezing himself through tennis
rackets and dislocating limbs in a rather disturbing fashion, a hula
hoop-er with an exuberant personality, a Freddie Mercury
impersonator, a comedic cross dressing juggler and various acrobatics
with some rather stunning/sexy performances – after all this was a
burlesque and cabaret inspired circus show. The man in the full
bathtub that emerged topless and in rather tight jeans spinning
around and sending water about the place seemed rather popular...can't think why! (Pics from their web page)
Overall
the acts were incredible, it was funny, sexy, fast paced and I don't
think anyone in the audience stopped smiling and cheering throughout.
I was not disappointed with my Sydney Opera House show choice.
Shortly
after this I set off for Melbourne, but that's a tale for another
blog. I loved my time at Bondi, living by the beach was amazing. The
only down sides were that on a rainy day you weren't left with much
to do, and getting to the city centre could be a bit off a mission.
The night life was also a little more limited than life in the CBD,
and especially compared to life on the Cross. But hey, sometimes you
need a bit of peace and quiet and to by surrounded by the ocean,
beautiful in all it's forms. It was a good way to wind down my trip
to Sydney.