Australia Day
Saturday, January 26th was Australia Day - Australia's version of the 4th of July. Aussie's love their heritage; they absolutely love the fact that they're Aussie. Lots of painted faces, Aussie flags printed on limbs, and flags hanging patriotically from their shoulders were commonsight. I spent the day at Manly Beach (a 40 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay), then joined up with some friends in the arvo to catch some live shows in The Rocks (the area near the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House). Capped the perfect day with a classic fireworks display over Darling Harbour.
Blue Mountains
A couple weeks ago, I took a weekend trip up to the Blue Mountains. This is Australia's version of the Grand Canyon. The views are excellent, and the mountains really are blue - from the sun rays reflecting off evaporating water droplets on the eucalyptus trees. There's a lot of hiking to be had in the mountains. I didn't hike nearly enough - only a few hours - but there will be plenty left to explore when I go back another day.
Bondi to Coogee Walk
A beautiful day calls for a nice long walk. The Bondi to Coogee walk is a must-do while in Sydney. Breathtaking views along the coast. I've done it a handful of times now, and can picture myself doing this a couple times a month if I lived here permanently. You start at Bondi Beach, the most famous of the Sydney beaches. It's clearly the breast implant capital of Sydney, where fashion is ultra cool and a hairy beast like me feels awkward for not having a smooth waxy chest. You walk past abandoned hippie caves, lots of turquoise water and sexy beaches on your way to Coogee, a hip little beach town. The total trip takes about 3 hours (if you're swimming and taking pictures along the way), so a beer at the Coogee Bay Hotel is a refreshing way to celebrate the finish line. I've also continued an hour or so past Coogee, with a slight buzz, down to Maroubra Beach, the less visited by tourists surfer dude beach.
Allergic to Sydney?
Apparently I'm allergic to something in the air here in Sydney! Never thought I'd be the allergy-type, but I've spent the first 2 months with a runny nose, puffy eyes, and the constant urge to sneeze! It ain't attractive, especially when I take a big puff of my inhaler at the beach. Luckily, the people are nice enough here that when I meet someone and say, "Don't worry, it's not contagious," they don't avoid me like the plague. Good things, all good things.
Surf Camp! A couple weekends ago, I joined a crazy bunch of backpackers and headed up the coast on a 7hr bus ride to Crescent Head for a weekend surf camp. Met some great people, caught some serious waves and finally saw wild kangaroos and even goannas!
Wildlife World & Centerpoint
Last weekend I held butterflies, touched beetles and cockroaches, squeezed the tail of a python, pretended I was a wallaby and admired the sleepy koalas at Sydney Wildlife World. Even though it's a complete tourist trap, I enjoyed every minute of it! With snake goo on my hands, we headed up to Centerpoint, the highest spot in Sydney, for some great views of the city.
