The Gap and Watsons Bay

Home and Away.....

The last journey I took was up north towards Palm beach where they film the aussie soapie "Home and away". Here are some pics...

Smelling the fumes....

So here I am, sitting outside Starbucks drinking hot chocolate just so I can use some dudes wifi. Starbucks doesn't have it. And the so-called Telstra CBD wireless requires you to login as a Telstra customer, if not, pay up! So yea, here I am, smelling all the bus fumes (it's just outside the major bus stop)and getting my face covered with black smoke (grrreeeaat).

I'm desparate you say? Yea, imagine this, my virus definition file has expired, and i really really want to keep it up to date (anal? yes). So, having checked the list of available hotspots around the CBD, i took my laptop with me and ran around searching for one that i could connect to without having to *&^%^* sign in.

So here I am, and my virus scan happily downloaded all the updates it required to function, and seriously.. since i'm using some unsecured wifi, my laptop is probably being infected as we speak.

Sigh... that's me and my obsessive compulsive impulse (not behaviour). I just want my antivirus to be up to date damn it!

Harbour Bridge - the climb!

I did it! The bridge climb cost me a fortune, but it's definately worth it. It's one of those things that you'll do it once and that's it.

The walk started with 10 of us sitting in the waiting room. After a brief chat with the couple that sat next to me - Mr. and Mrs. Algeria (They are from Algeria, I can't remember their names), we were called into a room where we had to sign a declaration that we die at our own risk (not in those words) and did our alcohol breath test. All clear! We were then moved into another room where we all stood in a circle and handed our bridge climb jump suits. While we were waiting, we each had to say where we're from and why we are doing this climb.

Moving along, the next station is where we change into our suits (we were not allow to wear any long pants under the suit, only shorts if you have them on, or down to your underwear, and they assured us the suit is clean and freshly pressed). Next, moving along, we locked our things in a locker and walked through a metal detector (yours truly for some reason did not pass the beep test and had to do a second one, no i did not have anything harmful on me, must have been my ring). All accessories except rings must be taken off.

Here is the interesting bit, each of us were moved into this section that looks like a horse stable, we each were given a workman lookalike belt. The belt had so many hooks that it's confusing! we each were than hooked on a rain coat, fleece jacket, sunny clip, hat clip, a tractor ball to hook on the safety line as we walk on the bridge and a hanky, just in case the view was so beautiful that we start crying. After that, i swear i weight a few tons heavier!

We were then given a trial run of climbing up the stairs, the cat walk and how to put on and take off the tractor ball from the safety line. Lastly, we were fitted with a radio headset so we could hear our leader, with a pat on the back, off we go!

The view was magnificant! It was cold and windy, but my goodness I was so thrown away with the view! The climb itself was challenging when we had to climb up 4 sets of a 80 deg stairs. I hit my knee on it so many times that i went numb at one stage. It was probably the most challenging part of the whole walk. After that, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it was a breeze.

I'll have to take a shot of the group photo that i was given and post it here. At the end of the walk, we all gave each other a hug, a clap and a quick YIPeee - we did it! The group I had was fun. A mix of old and young people from all over the world. Mr. and Mrs Algeria were here with the FINA team, they were in the panel for drug testing. Both lawyers and speak only French and little English, it was fun trying to communicate with them. They were lovely people, telling me about their trips around the world as laywers living in Algeria and Paris. What a life! And the family from Bristol?! What a laugh! Their kid kept asking whether we were going to fall off the railings. We had to yell at him "stop saying that!" and he just would not stop!

So did I have fun? HEAPS! If you're thinking of doing it, please do. It's a pinch to your pocket if you're as poor as me, but definately worth it.

xoxo,
L.

Hyde Park - this is where i have my lunch on sunny days

Darling Harbour HooPla celebration; Went up 200 steps to the top of the Pylon

Coogee to Bondi Walk

Easter was great – had a couple of friends came over to Sydney, but unfortunately it rained and rained and rained. Back in Melbourne, the weather was beautiful! Made me wonder - I should have gone back to Melbourne instead and saved a whole lot of money for them and have a great weekend of sunshine!

Oh well, it was the company that counts. It’s funny how you feel so much more relax and alive when you’re around people that you know from back home. It kind of makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside – and the fact that Easter is all about celebration – you would want to celebrate with people that you know and not strangers.

The next day, as soon as the Melbournians went back (and brought the rain back with them), it was sunny and hot! So I went on a walking trail from Coogee to Bondi.

Estimated time was 2 hours walk, but it took me under an hour – and I wasn’t even running! I stopped to take photos too. Oh well, they must have measured the walking time for oldies (no offence!). The funny part of the trail was walking past the cemetery (Waverley Cemetery: see picture above), it wasn’t scary, but just amazed that they actually allowed a trail for people to walk through the cemetery. Isn’t that disrespectful though? I was literally less than 10cm away from the tomb stone. I had to be a busybody, I read a couple of the head stone, most of them are family members side by side, and a lot of them were born in the 1800!!

I took a bus to Coogee and started walking from there. The walk was great. It was hot and by the time I reached Gordons Bay, I was sweating. As I walked along the coast, there were heaps of people running along the trail, with or without their dogs. At each beach, the view gets more magnificent than the previous, and finally when I arrived at Bondi, it was… WOW!

I’m definitely going back there, and this time, I’ll head straight to Bondi for a swim and some sunbaking. Even if it’s cold, the sea rock pool (see pictures in previous post) is always warm! Even better is, if I could create a scene so I could be on “Bondi Rescue” on channel 10. HAH!

Wish you were here; we would have had so much fun!

Beaches

Bondi Beach - Sea water swimming pool; Rock pool - warm sea water!

Bronte Beach

Coogee Beach Gordons Bay

Marine Time Museum

Lights out please

Global warming is the hot topic on everyone’s lips, but seriously, if it’s all part of God’s plan, and all part of how the earth will end, we can’t stop it. Ok, for all the green peace troopers out there, don’t stone me. I do support green peace too; I don’t litter (I do yell at this person who often throws his chewed gum out of his car window *smack*, I’m going to dob him in to the EPA one day), I’m a huge recycle fan, and I choose appliances with 6 star ratings.

That aside, over the weekend, I took part in the 60 minute Earth Hour at the quay. It was amazing seeing the bridge and the city go dark with no lights. It was even more interesting to see everyone out at the quay waiting for the lights to come back on after an hour - clapping shouting “Yay!” I wasn’t sure if they were happy to see the lights back on or they were just relief that their beautiful bridge and opera house is again, the standout architecture in the dark. I took some shots of course! Will post it up when I get the chance.

How did I contribute to that day? Well, I left the air-con on at exactly 22 deg so that when I get home, the apartment is nice and cool. Oh, I also left my clothes in the dryer to dry. I’m a hypocrite.

Lights out..... Lights on.....

Excuse me, where is George St?

It’s week 2 in Sydney, and I have yet to upload any photos due to 1. I forgot to pack my camera cable and 2. I have yet to set up my Internet connection at the apartment.

I’m amazed at how much fun I’m having; considering the fact that I’m here to work and not to enjoy too much. It’s been a while since I was last dump in a foreign land, but then again, Sydney isn’t exactly a different country, it’s just…. Different.

I’m still trying to get used to the street names and the layout of the city. When I’m not heading to work or at work, I switch on my Tourist mode. With my handy map and camera, I take shots of things that I find intriguing – and I’m almost always in my tourist mode as soon as I step out of the building. Lunch breaks are the best to roam around the parks. The parks are GREEN - big difference as compared to the dying yellow hay-grass back there.

I lost count of the amount of time I stand in the middle of the cross roads looking up and down trying to figure out which way did I come from. I don’t keep track of where I’ve walked to, I just walk – into every single alley way and into any shops that I feel like visiting. And when I’m lost, I just have to go “excuse me, which way to George St?” Then, I’m home.