Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A Sandy Paradise
An island made of sand, the largest in the world, where ancient trees of staggering height tower over smaller palms and luscious jungle ferns whose roots somehow grasp onto the soft sand floor and thrive off of the rich nutrients which are returned to the sand from their fellow plants. Crystal clear fresh water streams flow from equally pristine lakes located in the center of the island whose basins were filled by thousands of years of rainfall. Miles of uninhabited beaches are bordered by the soft turquoise blue water of the southern Pacific Ocean and guarded by hundreds of sharks and jellyfish waiting just off shore. The beauty that exists on this island seems to magically float on a bed of sand. This place seems impossible.
Accessible only by ferry and 4x4 vehicles, Fraser Island is a world of its own. The public is allowed access to this wonder, but the best way to get around this world of sand is with a well-trained guide. Mine was Johnny. Johnny was a crazy little bottle rocket of a man, dressed in board shorts and a jackaroo hat, full of wild energy and freckles. It was obvious that he was the product of a lifetime of the outdoors with his knowledge of the island, ability to drive a 4x4 like a grand prix driver and, not to mention, tanned skin and naturally muscular body.
Johnny's vehicle of choice was Gabby, a Toyota Land Cruiser born and breed for 4x4-ing: brush guard, above engine air intake, roof rack, ladder and bench seating for the seven group members, naively at the will of Johnny. I wouldn't say that Johnny was a bad driver (I've never been driven around on a sand island in a 4x4 vehicle before,) but I firmly believe that all Aussie tour guides believe that they are race car drivers and therefore subject all their passengers to a test of their bodies' limits. The backseat of a Land Cruiser traveling at 110 km/hour down a sand highway is not exactly shock proof and traversing through the interior "road ways" is more like sinkhole dodging than driving. But it was an adventure.
Five minutes after Gabby hopped the ferry, we were on an island that was vaguely reminiscent of one of our barrier islands on the east coast of The States. It was low tide and small waves were crashing on long wide beaches whose border was head high sand dunes guarding a forest, the interior. The fluffy white clouds that dotted the morning sky, the warm humid air and the strong smell of salt and fish only heightened my sense of deja vu.
As we were flying down 75 Mile Beach, the main “highway” of Fraser Island, we passed 4x4 vehicles by the dozens; Land Cruisers similar to Gabby were in the masses but also present were trucks with beds full of fishing gear, the monstrous tour bus sized 4x4's that looked like military salamander vehicles and also the occasional moped.
Since Fraser Island is accessible to the public, any idiot with a rented 4x4, a slew of camping gear, a cooler full of beer and $20 to get on the island can come join in on the fun. And rental companies in Australia will rent a 4x4 vehicle to any idiot, whether they have knowledge on how to drive one or not. Just to point out this fact, our group had to help push out three others bogged in the sand on one "road."
Half way to our first stop, Johnny threw on the brakes and reversed 100 yards down the beach. He hopped out and began digging in the sand. He came back with a handful of small clams, or Pippys. He ensured us that they were safe to eat right off the beach and cracked open their shells on Gabby’s bumper. The soft shellfish inside resembled a clam but its taste was sweeter and combined with a hint of saltwater still on the shell, they made a delicious snack.
Our first stop on Day 1 was Wabby Creek, one of the fresh water creeks that snaked through the island. The water flowing towards us on the beach was clear and cool and the creek’s shallow depth allowed us to see through to the rippled white sand on the bottom. Along its borders were tropical plants whose branches hung over the flowing water and roots grew down into the banks. Although this place was gorgeous, the reason we stopped at this creek was to float down the natural lazy-river. With the coaxing of a doggie-paddle, there was a current that gently swept you along the 300 yard stretch. The sensation of flowing with the clear and cool water surrounding you was indescribable. I allowed myself a few floats downstream, although it was necessary to steer around the fellows floaters walking up stream past me.
Lunch for the day was dished up by Johnny, picnic style, out the back of Gabby; sandwiches, fruit, cookies, all served on metal camping plates. Standing with a half eaten sandwich in one hand while still dripping with fresh water from the creek brought me back to my summer days at the pool as a kid. I couldn’t help but smile.
After lunch, we jumped back in Gabby and drove a few more miles up the beach, destination: a 2.5k walk through the rainforest towards a fresh water lake. One of the thrills of hanging out on a sand island is the freedom to run around barefoot, which I did on our walk to the lake. Our barefoot trek through the forest took us through palms, ferns and the occasional giant Satin Wood Gum Tree. These trees easily stand 100 feet high and have a girth of at least 10 feet. They stand impressively straight and tall despite their root in the soft sand below.
At the other end of the path, expecting that lake, we came to a hill of sand about 300 yards long. Ever so slowly, we climbed the rolling hills of the sand wall and looked down the other side. The wall of sand we were standing on was a natural dam that created the lake on the other side. Thousands of years of wind blown sand had piled up and blocked a creek, forming this beautiful blue green lake. After Johnny assured me that the color of the lake was from plant matter and there were nothing but a few catfish and turtles floating in the tinted lake, I went for a swim to the other side. The water felt amazing. The idea of pure fresh water surrounding you while you float is so refreshing and relaxing.
Our first day ended with dinner and drinks at the Eulong Resort, our accommodation for the night. It was more dorm style rooms, unfortunately, but the short stay made up for the arrangement. After dinner, we were entertained by warnings of the dingos that roamed the island. The dogs on Fraser are the most pure bred of the species and are very smart and aware of humans and were known to walk about the resort at night. Not surprisingly enough, we didn’t see any while we sat on the benches outside talking loudly over a few evening beers. After a heated discussion of where the phrase, “A dingo ate my baby!” originated from (a newspaper headline from the 1980’s about a missing baby in Australia and a woman who blamed it on a dingo,) we called it a night and got what sleep we could before our early morning wake up call.
The next morning, we packed our things, had a small breakfast and jumped back into Gabby. We headed into the interior of the island on our second day via sand roads that truly tested the capabilities of any 4x4 driver. We went up and down sand hills, around sand pot holes and through sand traps. This island was treacherous and Johnny didn’t seem to blink and eye. We just bounded down the path, us fateful followers of the dynamic duo of Johnny and his Valiant Gabby, grasping to anything we could to brace ourselves in the back seat. As we went up and down through sand, we were thrown into the ceiling and tossed into each others’ laps, but we were grinning the entire time.
We finally ended up at Central Station, the hub of the logging community while it was still occurring on the island. The wood of those enormous satin wood figs was used to build the Suez Canal and logging was prevalent on the island until the 1980’s when Fraser Island was declared a World Heritage Site. From Central Station, Johnny sent us on another 2k walk that followed a small stream through the forest. Walking in amongst the trees and plants, hearing the exotic sounds and breathing the strange smells of the forest was fantastic. There is a constant melody of birds and insects, wind gently moving the leaves of the canopy high above your head and the occasional rustle of brush off to your side. The stream that runs to your right makes no sound at all; there are no rocks to create the bubbling noise you are used to hearing, just perfectly clear water gently flowing through groves of trees and ferns. Your bare feet walk along a cool sand path without fear of stepping on anything rough. You feel free and in total awe of this amazing place.
Our last stop on Fraser was at Lake Birrabeen, a crystal clear lake filled by ancient rainfall. Brilliant white sand was lightly lapped by the cool clear water. The white sand quickly turned into hues of blue and the water deepened. The dark mud that covered the bottom of the lake reflected back deep blue. The dark color tricked us into thinking that the lake was much deeper than its 2.5 meters. Swimming out over the color divide only proved this. The clear shallow water allowed us to see through to the bottom, mud.
According to Johnny, The All Knowing, the mud was considered therapeutic and he dove to the bottom to retrieve a handful of the fluffy stuff. Demonstrating its capabilities, he spread the mud over his skin and its dark color “painted” him brown. I was unable to turn down the chance to paint myself any color and smoothed the soft mud all over myself. After a few minutes of laughing from picture taking fun, the mud quickly dried into a difficult stain on my skin, I guess The All Knowing forgot to inform me of that, and I had to scrub off the coloring it left behind. It was not without benefit though; the mud left my skin incredibly soft! I was surprised!
We were left to sunbathe (bake) on the white sand before we enjoyed our last picnic lunch on the island. After more sandwiches and the best cantaloupe I’ve ever tasted, Gabby was making her way back out of the island’s interior. It was the bumpiest ride yet and we were held up by amateurs who repeatedly got bogged in the sand, but Gabby and her relentless driver managed to get us back to 75 Mile Beach, the highway that would take us back to reality. Another ferry hop and a sad look back and we were gone.
My time on Fraser Island wasn't nearly long enough. This place is a natural wonder, a mystery as to how the environment thrives, and I could explore it for weeks. But, my short two day venture would have to suffice. I think I'll just have to come back one day...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Crossing the Gates of Hell, I mean... Brisbane
Ever get that feeling when you meet someone new that the relationship just isn't going to go any where? Like you don't see the world in the same way, so why bother? And from that point forward, everything they did annoyed you immensely?
Welcome to Brisbane, Australia.
We got off on the wrong foot and have been club-footing it down the street ever since.
When I got to Brisbane, I had my first run-in with the unfortunate repercussions of being a solo female traveler. I won't go into it, just remember that I am a smart, ex-bartender, female with confidence and "balls" and I was in no danger.
The hostel I chose is a large one, resembling the size of a normal college dorm. In the world of hostels, what does that mean? No personality. It’s very hard to find your place in an accommodation this large. It’s never the same faces and everyone seems to have their own agenda. There are 30 people in the kitchen at any given time, as opposed to 3. The crowd is young, for the most part, there isn't as much eclectic ness and people aren’t as friendly.
I just wasn't feeling this place.
Next day, I did what I normally do when I get to a new destination, walk. I walked for only a short while, this is the littlest biggest city I've ever been in. Brisbane is situated on the banks of the Brisbane River. Stuffed suffocatingly on it's banks are a small botanical gardens, lots of bike and walking paths, some tall buildings that house mostly shopping and offices and, that's about it.
There is nothing "special" about this city. There is no character to it. You don't walk out on to the streets of Brisbane and feel the city. It’s just blah...not interesting. Sorry to all those I'm about to insult but, here is another SAT question:
Q: Sydney is to Charleston as Brisbane is to __________ ?
A: Columbia.
Brisbane, the armpit of Australia.
I think I've demonstrated my discontent with this city. The only reason I even came to Brisbane was for a rendezvous point for a tour of Fraser Island which turned out to be the root of my contempt of this place.
Since I decided to airport hop my way up the east coast as opposed to bus stop hop, I had to pick and choose my stops around the cheapest, therefore largest, airports. Fraser Island, one of the reasons I'm on this continent, is closest to Brisbane airport. You can tour it on 1, 2, 3, etc. day trips that leave the city of Brisbane and return. I booked myself on one of the 2 day, one night tours, got myself to Brisbane via bus from Byron Bay, planned to go on the tour, spend one night on Fraser, come back and spend one more day in B-Vegas, then fly from here to Cairns.
Sounds simple, well thought out, fool proof even. Right... It's day 13 on my solo trip and I hadn't had one hiccup yet. (The brief 2 minutes where I thought I lost my passport in the Jo'Burg airport doesn't count...) I was due for one.
The tour was leaving at 7:30 am from the bus station about 8 blocks away. I had made that walk already (see the first aforementioned paragraph above about why I hate this city) and knew it would take me about 30 minutes. So, I was awake early (habit of hostel sleeping,) ate breakfast, checked out of the hostel and was headed to the bus station ahead of schedule. Good. Great. No problems. I get to the station, go to where I need to wait and do so for about 30 minutes (remember, I was early.) I'm sitting, waiting, looking at the clock and realizing that its now 8 o'clock. These guys are 30 minutes late! I look at my notes I have written down to see if I got something wrong.
"Meeting time, 7:30 am... place, Roma Street bus station... date,
Wednesday, October 24th... Wednesday the 24th. Is today Wednesday?
(So, I look at the calendar on my cel phone...) Hmm... today is Tuesday the
23rd? Really? I could have sworn it was Wednesday today! Silly
me, I must be traveling too hard, getting my days mixed up! I'll just act
like nothing happened and go back to the hostel and figure out what to do today
here in Brisbane. I can't believe I got up so early today for
nothing!!! That's ok, tomorrow it’s Fraser Island!!!"
So, I do just that. I go back to the hostel to talk with check-in and explain to them why I was checking back in. While walking those 8 blocks, 30 minutes, back to the hostel, I am thinking over the past few days in my head.
"See, I left Sydney on a Saturday, got to Byron that evening... stayed at
Byron on Sunday, but left Monday instead of Tuesday because there was
nothing to do in Byron... mailed my package on Monday from Byron, that was
the 22nd... so if Monday was the 22nd, then Tuesday was the 23rd,
then... HOLY SHIT!!! TODAY IS WEDNESDAY the 24th!!! Oh my
god, Lindsey you idiot!!!"
Yes. Somehow I managed to *%@! up my days and missed the rendezvous!!! I couldn't believe myself, I was so upset. Not only did I miss one tour I was looking forward to the most on this trip, but now I had to spend one extra day in this damned city of Brisbane!
That's not the worst, though.
I get back to the hostel, explain why I'm there again only 2 hours after I checked out and got a room for the night. Then, I figured I should explain myself to the tour operators and plead for a refund. I call the number I had for the company and when I say my name and why I'm calling, the man tells me that they've been looking for me all morning! Apparently, I didn't leave a phone number on my order form, so they couldn't call me. The tour was, at this point, too far away to come back to get me and he also regretted to inform me that he would be unable to give me a refund. While I'm fighting back tears of self-frustration and anger, I apologized to this man for my inconvience to his tour and said thanks anyways. I hung up the phone and lost it. I guess the stress of the morning, my (at this point) sheer hatred for the city of Brisbane and everything associated with it, and a few other things on my mind had gotten to me and I just cried. I told myself that at least it wasn't a plane ride to another country and that things could be worse, somehow.
I calmed myself down after a while and went inside to the "Things to Do" desk and spoke to the very nice woman behind the counter about what happened this morning and how I was looking for something to do in this god forsaken city of hers (with more or less words.) I suggested bike riding along the river (to release some of my stress,) she suggested the zoo. As I kept returning to the fact that I had missed a tour of Fraser Island, the only reason I'm in this city, she mentioned that they book Fraser Island tours too. I told her I wasn't here long enough for another tour, I leave Friday.
"Friday? wait...that's two days away, and my flight doesn't leave
Brisbane until 9:30 at night, the tour will be back before then! I can
still go!!!"
So, I bit the bullet, accepted my f*@! up and bought another tour to Fraser Island, after a very detailed inspection of my schedule next to a real calendar. Now that I was all set up for tomorrow, I still had to plan my day today. The city of Brisbane doesn't offer much of "lets just walk around and see what we can see today" kind of possibilities. I did all of those yesterday. So, the only other thing that Brisbane has to offer is the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It's sort of a petting zoo of Aussie animals for all ages. And their claim to fame? You guessed it! You can hold koalas! And get your picture taken with them, no less! So, if I didn't feel like a tourist signing myself up for this event, then I didn't know what a tourist was.
The hostel runs a shuttle to the park once a day and I signed myself up for it. I figured, if I was in a crappy mood, then holding a koala while smiling like a goon for the camera would only cheer me up. The only other people going from the hostel were a French kid who spoke almost no English and his mom who spoke very broken English. She was a chatty lady and I ended up walking around with them and talking about koalas, kangaroos and travel around the world while laughing with her and correcting her broken English. Turns out she's been to most places I've only dreamed of going and mentioned places I've never even considered.
So, I was able to hold a koala, get quasi-attacked by an emu, feed a kangaroo and get over my bad mood all in an afternoon spent in a big kid petting zoo in the company of a French lady and her son. Not what I expected when I woke up. I had a great time.
"A dingo ate my baby!!!" (This is a dingo, everyone.)
Now, you may be thinking that I softened up a bit to the city after my koala encounter. Not true. Still at annoyed as ever with the place. I got back to the hostel and was trying to find a tapas bar/restaurant where I could eat a little food, drink a glass of wine or two and put Brisbane behind me. I found one in a part of the city I hadn't been to yet, The Valley (short for Fortitude Valley,) that just so happened to be a few blocks behind the hostel. Directly behind the hostel is Brisbane's version of Chinatown (about one block worth of Asian cuisine) and hadn't appealed to me since my initial exploration of it, so I never ventured past it. The Valley is Brisbane's "artsy" district. There are loads of trendy restaurants and bars, small boutiques with up-and-coming fashion and furniture designers, art galleries and (a personal fav of mine) graffiti that could be deemed as art.
That is what finally softened me up to Brisbane. I finally found something in this city that I could relate to and I felt a little more comfortable in this place. I had tried to give Brisbane the benefit of the doubt earlier, but with all the things going wrong, I wasn't able to muster the strength. Even though I decided against the tapas bar, I was happy I decided to walk out of the box and into the Valley.
Tomorrow I leave for Fraser Island (for real this time) and eventually on Friday, I'm off to Cairns. I think I got the f*@! up out of my system, so I'll be ok the rest of the time in Oz. (Cross those fingers...) I get to start over again in South America, new set of rules. By the way, 10 days until I touch the 5th continent of my travel career. I'm stoked! Soloman better be knocking on my door when I get back to the states!!!
So, now that I have spent some time with Brisbane, got the conversation started and found a few things in common, I've come to the conclusion that even though Brisbane and I's relationship is not going to go anywhere, it isn't all that annoying and I could probably put up with it for a while, just a little while.
Linds
Ps – My beloved Silversun Pickups have also visited the Koala Sanctuary.
PS- There is a picture of me holding a koala floating around out there on the internet. When I find it, I'll post it.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
A little bit of fun on the moon
I have a certian love for amusement parks, especially ones from the turn of the century. I jumped at the opportunity to takes some pictures while here. Since the park is right on the harbor, I was able to get a few great pictures of the bridge at night. There was a man taking pictures next to me with a professional set-up. He saw I was struggling to keep my camera steady on one of the dock pylons, and he offered me his tripod for a few shots. I couldn't believe the kind guesture! Who ever that friendly Aussie man is, thank you!
Enjoy guys, I had a great time taking these!
Linds
The Shire Of Byron
A puddle jump of a town. Laid back, chilled out, alternative suburbs.
I checked into my accommodation here, Byron Springs Guesthouse, and immediately got a feel for the atmosphere here. The guesthouse was a big house, chopped up into about a dozen rooms of either eight-bed dorm style or singles. It housed the usual bunk beds, hallway shared bathrooms, common kitchen and friendly dog, this one named Cairo. Outside there were picnic tables around a BBQ, lawn chairs for sunbathing and a hammock for napping. And all was in the middle of suburbia.
After I got settled in my room, I took a walk into town to go explore. The woman who owned the guesthouse told me it was a short walk into town. About 2 miles later, I was seeing signs of life. A few shops here, a hostel there, an internet cafe or two and a couple of restaurants and bars dotted the main street that ended at a beach. It was a cozy little beach side town that I could tell gets crazy in the busy months and houses beach-going holiday-ers both foreign and Australian.
Mixed in along the streets were backpackers like myself, families on holiday and locals, and by locals, I mean hippies. The area of Byron Bay, I'm told, "tolerates" certain activities. So, the tye-dye, patchouli, dreads and vintage VW buses explained themselves. This place reminded me of Folly Beach meets upper King Street meets Bonnaroo then add in a little bit of suburbia and you've got Byron Bay. It’s a completely different place than where I just left in Sydney.
On my walk back from town, I ran into some fellow backpackers, sort of. Two guys literally rolled out of the bushes in front of me on the sidewalk. It was 8 o'clock at night and these guys had been partying all day. One had a fresh tattoo and the other had a fresh wound, apparently from an episode the night before. Although seeming a little sketchy, they started talking to me and ended up being really funny. They were lost looking for the place they were staying. They were walking the same direction I was and we eventually came to their lodge which from the street seemed to be filled with people that had been partying all day too. I stopped in for a drink and ended up talking to a Swedish guy for a while. After a few beers and games of Uno, I had met a couple of Aussies, English girls and a French guy, and this wasn't even where I was staying! When the cops came because of a noise complaint, I figured it was my time to go. I thanked the kids for the drinks, said farewell and headed back to where I was staying.
The guesthouse was quiet when I got back, quiet enough for me to question if anyone else was staying here. It was a far cry from the crazed college-lodge I was just visiting. I took advantage of it and did some reading and emailing. Getting to sleep here was no problem, the bed was super comfy and the only sounds outside my window was crickets, birds and the ocean, way off in the distance, a world away from my accommodation in the city.
I woke up and went for a walk on the beach. The path to the beach reminded me of the paths at home, long, flanked by trees and bushes, ending at a dune that dumps you down to the beach, except when I got to the beach, the water was bluer and the sand whiter. The beach itself was beautiful. Anytime I see water that isn't brown, I think it’s beautiful. There were strange things washed up on shore, either a jellyfish or a sea anemone of some sort. The one in the picture was alive and moving side to side slowly. It was kind of creepy, it reminded me of that movie "Abyss."
Although I’m enjoying my relaxing here, Byron Bay isn’t really a place for the solo traveler. The town is small and doesn’t leave much to do at night by yourself. And my guesthouse is quite a walk away. I cut one night from my stay here and added it to Brisbane. I figured, I would add in the Koala Park. I’m taking a train out of here tonight and will be in Brisbane at 10:30. Until then, its beach time!
Next report comes from further north.
Linds
Friday, October 19, 2007
Sydney, The Second Half
Monday, October 15, 2007
Ascent to the Sails
Australia was no exception. I boarded the enormous 747 jet in the Johannesburg airport and walked to my economy seat (no first class this time) I prepared for the long flight ahead. Jacket, iPod, book, notebook, gum and that fun little goodie bag Qantas gives you with airplane socks and a sleep mask. I was seated at a window, usually the coveted seat on a normal flight. On a 12 hour trans-oceanic flight where tight quarters breed leg cramps, it’s an equivalent of a Chinese finger trap, the more you move back and forth between the arm rest and the window, the worse the cramps get. Add in over 3 feet worth of legs and its torture.
Needless to say, I didn't attain much sleep on this agonizing flight. To make everything a little more uncomfortable, the time change stripped away any energy I had left. I lost a full night's sleep and also jumped ahead another 8 hours. I sucked up the loss and prepared for a landing in Sydney. It was mid-afternoon when we flew over the south end of the city and my 11 hour wait to use the window paid off. The coastline was amazing. In the span if 10 minutes, I saw cliffs, yellow sand, blue water, coves, surf and then the harbor, and finally, the Opera House and Harbor Bridge. That was another moment in the History of Linds. I was flying over Sydney Harbor, a place I can honestly say that I thought I would never see.
To those who don't know, Australia has one of the toughest entry restrictions when it comes to customs. It seems that they want to keep their little island as "clean" as possible. No plants, seeds, fruits, vegetables, animals, anything that is living, was living a short while ago or has a chance of living if it is brought into the country. So in other words, unless it was processed into some form of clothing or other material, nothing that came from the earth or feeds off the earth or has the potential to do either can enter Australia. And they make you very nervous about it. As soon as we were out of the plane and into the terminal, staff members were in our face asking us if we took any of the "snacks" given to us on the plane with us in our bags. It's that serious and violation means being quarantined.
I made it through customs unscathed and made my way from the airport to The Blue Parrot, the hostel I had myself booked in. It’s a small hostel in a backpackers' area of Sydney called Potts Point, know for its restaurants, bars, shops and sometimes shady weekend night life. (Sounds like King Street Charleston to me!) I checked into an 8 person all-girl dorm; bunk beds, ensuite bathroom, constant coming and going, lights almost always on, lockers banging not to mention the street traffic outside. I didn't live in a dorm in college, but I can imagine that life is something similar to this.
This leg of the trip I decided to do my best to save cash. I figured, I'm traveling solo, there are no obligations to do anything, I can save my money by not eating out for every meal. So, I went grocery shopping. A few bucks at the Woolworths supermarket down the road from the hostel and I had coffee, breakfast and sandwiches for a week. Here's the best part: I had to label all my food and put it in the community fridge. Is this really what dorm life is like?
I arrived on Thursday afternoon but was useless. I checked in, grocery shopped, did a quick loop around some of the streets near the hostel, then crashed. I woke up early on Friday morning to start my first real day in Sydney. Sydney is a major city but it’s not unmanageable on foot, everything is in walking distance. And that's what I did, I walked for 7 hours straight.
I left the Potts Point area and walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens, a huge park with walking paths that weave through enormous native fig and gum trees and native plants that eventually brings you down to the rocks that border the water. The path follows along the edge of the bay and takes you to the tip of the park called Mrs. Macquarie's Chair (where there is actually a bench carved into a huge boulder.) It's here that I got my first glimpse of the pair of Australian icons, the Opera House and the Bridge. It was unreal. I was stunned. The smooth sail-like arches of the Sydney Opera House point upwards toward the backdrop of the massive iron structure that is the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Despite their obvious clash of textures and styles, the two structures unite as one image that welcomes you into this city.
I spent the rest of the day walking, everywhere. I went to the Opera House and viewed this interesting edification up close. Sitting up on the edge of the harbor, it's surrounded by massive stairs on all sides. I climbed to the top and once underneath the curves of white, I realized they were made of tiles. Standing underneath the eaves of what seems to be impossible curvature gives you a further appreciation for its architecture.
The Opera House is flanked on one side by Circular Quay, the hub for all things transportation; buses, trains, ferries. Sydney is located on one of the largest natural harbors in the world so, many parts of the city are accessible by boat. The ferry wharfs are a constant flow of ships moving in and out, blaring horns and a show of impressive in-water maneuvers by the captains who can squeeze these 80 foot vessels into a just slightly larger slip in the dock.
On the other side of Circular Quay is one of the bridge pylons. Not until you are standing underneath this almost 100 year old display of masonry do you get a true sense of how large it really is. The bridge's early 20th century design of massive brick pylons and dense iron work makes our bridge in Charleston look toothpicks.
The afternoon threatened us tourists with clouding gray skies and just as I thought it was going to rain, I ducked into the free Museum of Contemporary art. I figured I could get some of my cultural experience out of the way. It didn't rain, in fact it was hot and sunny again, a phenomenon that I've come to realize is very familiar in Sydney, coastal weather. Not soon afterwards, it was raining. I wasn't ready to end my afternoon so, I hopped the tube toward the markets in Sydney's version of Chinatown, an area known as the Haymarket. The markets are basically full of cheap Asia knock-offs of various useless items. But, way in the back, there is a fresh fruit and vegetable market. I love markets. Tons of yummy fruits and veggies, and here, only a few I haven't seen before. Outside, there really is a Chinatown, a few blocks of concentrated Asian restaurants, stores and culture.
There is an enormous Asian population in Sydney and it shows in their Chinatown and all the other parts of the city. You are also reminded that Asia is only a short plane ride away by the flock of Asian tourists passing through the city by the bus loads, literally. There are tour buses full of Asians at every major tourist attraction. If you ever wanted to make a killing, buy a bus, learn Japanese and come to Sydney. There are also many Indians amongst the population and tourists. It’s a type of culture shock in and of its own. Sydney is a town of tourists and foreigners. Not until you make your way outside the central part of the city do you begin to really get a feel for real Aussies.
It was here that I got my first glimpse of the Sydney Tower, in my opinion, a tacky attempt to modernize the city's skyline. It adds a sort of Vegas-theme park element to the city. It clashes with the other architecture you can see from the park, St. Mary's Cathedral, a gothic cathedral in the center of the city. The main walkway of the park hosted an art exhibition with huge 8x10 foot canvases of local photography. The walkway was lit by huge round lanterns that hung from the trees. In a different place and time, this park might be considered magical.
On Sunday, I decided to get out of the central city and visit Sydney's most famous beach, Bondi Beach. I hopped the bus for this one and rode about 10k outside the city. Bondi is a smaller beach nestled in between the rocks of the surrounding cliffs. There is a coastal walk a few miles long that starts at Bondi and takes you up and down cliffs and in an out of small cove beaches. I took the walk and got a feel for Sydney beach life.
Weekends are time for Sydneyers to let loose, so I'm told, and the beach is the place they do it. Bondi was full of locals and tourists alike, walking up and down its main street full of shops and restaurants or sprawled out on a beach towel in the sand. No beach chairs here guys! Surfers, still donning wetsuits, crowded the line up just off the beach. Volleyball was in full swing on every beach.
One thing I've noticed about Sydneyers is their enjoyment of being outside. There are always people lying on the grass, in parks, at the beach, where ever. Weekends are time spent with friends and family with picnics and grilling out. The parks at the beach have outdoor grills and small picnic pavilions that were packed with families and young people alike grilling a Sunday lunch maybe with a beer or a bottle of wine. Dogs running around catching a frisbee, a friendly game of footie or rugby dotted the picnic grounds. Everybody was out today! And they stayed out all day. Back and forth between the beach and the picnic. It looked like an awesome way to spend a weekend day.
Another fun event I encountered on the walk was "bowling." Not the Kingpin version of bowling, this version more resembled bocce ball, except its played on a flat lawn outside at a "bowling club." At first, I just thought old people played it (think shuffle board on cruise ships with the actual sticks,) but then I saw groups of people my age with pitchers of beer on the benches behind them. Yet another concept I could see taking off back in the states!
I read that Aussies are a very athletic and health conscience group of people. They are! You can see it everywhere you go. People are jogging or walking the paths along the water, exercising in the park, or at the lap pools that dot the coastline. Some are just normal chlorine pools built on the hill over the water, but some are built into the rocks on the shore and use sea water. And people are always swimming laps in them. All this physical activity around the city is making me want to join in and go for a jog!
Although, I don’t really need to. I'm getting plenty of exercise as it is. I figure, I'm walking at least, at least 10k a day, probably more like 15k. And I'm feeling it! I wanted to go jog this morning with all the other Aussies in the park, but my legs are in shock from all this work I've made them do recently. Sydney isn't flat! There are huge stairwells and inclines all over the place and even though they are hating it now, my legs will be thanking me later. The Salomons are keeping my feet happy. I still want to try to get an endorsement from them, I've taken their shoes to 4 continents and 7 countries now. I think I deserve a check!
Now it’s Monday and I decided to make my way to the Sydney Fish Market and eat some just off the boat fish. You can buy the fish from a stall, walk to the counter, buy some chopsticks and soy for your sashimi or have them cook up for you and eat it right there. Speaking of sushi, I ate at a very interesting sushi restaurant last night. It was one of those places where they make individual rolls of sushi, put it on a tiny color-coded plate and sit it on the sushi train that loops through a counter where you and many others are seated. What ever roll looks yummy, you pluck from the sushi train and eat. Stack your plates, take them to the register and you pay by the color, anywhere from $2 to $6. It’s brilliant and fun, we need one back home! Back at the fish market, I decided to try some Tiger Prawns and Oysters. The prawns were huge delish. No cocktail sauce here, only chili sauce. The oysters were alright, bigger than the oysters in South Africa, but not better than the oysters back home. How is oyster season going back there in Chucktown? I’m missin some big time oyster roasts this year! You guys better eat some tasty ones for me!
As of now, I have 3 days and 2 nights left in Sydney. I may stay one more day before I head north in order to fit in all the stuff I want to do. There are day trips to the Hunter Valley (wine country!) that I wanted to try to make and also a day trip to the Blue Mountains, Australia's version of the Grand Canyon. I also was going to try to climb the bridge, yes I'll be on top another bridge, just not jumping off this one!
For all those wondering what its like traveling solo, here, its no problem. This place is so much like America that you don't have to worry about much. Everyone here speaks English and everything is written in English. As I said earlier, everything is within walking distance, more or less, so getting around is easy. I've come to the conclusion that Australia, at least Sydney, is very "user friendly," a good stop for first time, beginner travelers. Any apprehension I had about being by myself here has virtually disappeared. I feel perfectly safe everywhere I go. Aussies for the most part are very friendly people, thank-you's and your-welcome's are abound. I've talked with some people in the hostel and as the theory goes, most travelers are friendly, fun and respectful of other travelers.
I'm enjoying this city more than I thought I would and loving being by myself. I've got my notebook, iPod, laptop and as of tomorrow, a phone. I feel almost too in touch! If it weren’t for Gara's wedding, I honestly think I would be staying here longer. And once I head north to the beaches, I know I'll want to stick around.
Thanks for reading guys, make sure to leave me a note. Miss ya but not missin ya...
Linds