Adventures of a Land Down Under
- Mar 7, 2016
- 11 min read
Location:
Sydney, NSW, Australia
After what turned out to be a not so bad week at Tina’s, we quickly found ourselves back with Airbnb. This time we found somewhere really nice to stay with a newly married Indian couple Tejas and Nina who, like ourselves, left their homeland for something different. We loved staying with them. It was so handy for me for work. Being able to walk each morning to work was ‘Fantastic, Just Fantastic!’ Of course the best part was all the amazing Indian snacks Nina would cook for us and the incredible meals we had together over the coming months. After a couple of weeks, it was time to go back to Tina’s as a friend from home was coming to stay with them. Leaving our lovely new home was hard. But at least our second experience in Tina’s was a lot more enjoyable, well, kind of!
If you’re going to be grounded in the one place for a number of months, at least make sure you see it properly. Do you really want to be one of those people that go home after a year of travelling only to be asked what you saw, with a quick, under your breath comment of, ‘Well, I worked and that was it!’ We didn’t dream of travelling to miss out on some of the most beautiful places in the world that would take your breath away. No, no! We want to see it all. This is our ‘Big Adventure.’ This is our story!
What’s my favourite thing about Sydney? It’s simple, it has to be the wonderful ‘Bounce Crew’ to share it with. From the easy going Leeroy who would do anything for you, to the crazy Alex who always provides us with a laugh, to everyone’s mate, Ashley! Life would be boring if we didn’t have anyone to experience it with. It would be even more boring if we were all the same. One thing we all have in common, is our thirst to see more of the world we live in. We’re not going to sit home each weekend on our fat bottoms, we are going to drag ourselves out of the bed and out that door for adventures within an adventure.
Can you imagine coming to Sydney, no, Australia, and not seeing Bondi beach. Yes, the Aussies may not rate it that high, but for all of us foreigners, Kangaroo’s, The Sydney Opera House and Bondi Beach with shrimp on the barbie are what sums up Australia for us. Our first experience on one of the world’s most famous beaches was rather enjoyable. The water was incredible with big, massive waves crashing into you that would toss you around like a massive tumble washing machine. For the sea does not excuse any man, no matter who they are. They do allow one’s inner child to finally come out. Like every child in the world, there is always someone that wants to ‘Terminate’ your fun. Mine is my Jay Jay, who just can’t stay still in the one place for long enough. ‘Can we get out now? I want to get out!’ It’s rather annoying to say the least. Maybe I should be the parent and put him on ‘The naughty step!’
If there is one thing Australia and Sydney have in abundance, it has to be miles and miles of some of the most incredible coast line you will ever see. It’s even more special on a glorious day. Bondi may provide you with a nice day out relaxing on the beach, enjoying the water, but the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee would take your breath away. It’s simply a feast for the eyes. The rugged cliff edge with the roar of the sea and the endless amount of beaches in between makes this one of the more impressive walks one can enjoy. Of course, it’s not the only coastal walk Sydney has to offer. Let’s not forget about the Manly to Spit Bridge walk. While it may be quite a long trek, it does provide some beautiful, picturesque, picture perfect scenes. With Ash in work and Lee busy at the gym, myself, Jay and Alex got to enjoy a nice, fun day out. Along the way we stopped off for a picnic topped off by a mouth-watering fresh fruit salad with the most divine fruits you can only imagine. However, the happy moment soon came to an end when Alex quickly discovered my plot to kill her with almonds in the salad. After all, there is only room for one diva. Of course, my plan for total control didn’t work, and not even a small reaction occurred as the devil’s fruit and nuts touched her lips. One must not give up hope. Another opportunity presented itself later on in the day when Jay and Alex found themselves dangling off a rock edge (Or at least pretending to). Could I really watch my darling Jay Jay being sacrificed just because of my jealousy for Alex? Not only would I lose my darling Jay, that mad bitch would probably haunt me for the rest of my life! My desire to terminate the girl from Essex was thankfully short lived and an enjoyable day was had. With so many peaceful, beautiful places that a stone throw to the coast can offer, it certainly makes me want to stop taking mother Ireland for granted. When we do go home, we are going to appreciate all the amazing things that living on an island can provide.
So little time, so many adventures. When one puts Lee in charge of picking us all up in our rental for the day, lots of time is something that one simply is not blessed with. We may have started off late, but we still got to enjoy the sheer beauty of the ‘Blue Mountains.’ They are absolutely stunning. Myself, Jay, Lee and Rodrigo had many laughs and ‘OMG’ moments. If there is on person that I can always rely on to satisfy my belly, it’s definitely Lee’s better half, Rodrigo. No matter where we go, he always has food for me. You gotta love him! We really enjoyed our little adventure, even if we spent most of the time in the car, sorry our beast of a 4x4, driving from one location to the next. Not that we can talk! Poor Lee was stuck behind the wheel for most of the day. Without even a single moan or complaint ushered from his lips, a most enjoyable day we all had, topped off with a glorious setting of the sun as it tucks itself into bed for the night as we watched against a backdrop of a picturesque cliff edge surrounded by beautiful rocks. Later on, back in civilisation, Rodrigo got to enjoy his very first curry infused with aromatic Indian spices. Indian food! Mmmmmmm! Wake up, stop drooling! Mmmmmmm.
If there was one thing that I really wanted to see, it has to be the Opera House lit up in fancy designs. It’s probably one of the most photographed landmarks of the world, so having the opportunity to get a photo that not most people would recognise is something that I was very happy with. Some of the projections during ‘Vivid Sydney,’ not only on the Opera House, but other landmark buildings in the city were simply breathtaking. It’s such a great time to visit the city. And to think we nearly missed out by planning to leave the city too early. While the Harbour Bridge may be an impressive feat of engineering, it’s even nicer when it’s lit up in different colours. The city really comes alive for the couple of days the festival runs for. While the best part is the Circular Quay creations, the Botanic Gardens definitely offers a feast for the eyes to, with the highlight being a canopy walkaway with thousands of golden fairy lights that twinkle in the night. Up a bit further, light is shined on the old tree with what appears to be with what my little sister would describe only as a ‘Nightmare,’ hundreds of snakes slithering their way through the branches and down the thick bark of the tree that has witnessed its fair share of interesting moments that our race can create. While the light show at darling harbour was rather discotheque with neon beams, the best place to enjoy Vivid Sydney has to be at Circular Quay enjoying the atmosphere and beauty of the Opera House lit up in all its glory with the Harbour Bridge in the background. Sheer amaze balls darling!
With Alex and Ash missing from our last couple of adventures, this time, we all decided to get into a car and head out of the city for the day. We originally decided we wanted to visit these incredible ‘Figure 8 pools’ found in the ‘Royal National Park.’ After a bit of a drive and a hike there, time was not on our side and with the tide slowly coming back in, we simply could not make them out. Nevertheless, it was not going to put a damper on our day out. No, no! We still managed to have a really nice day out with the Bounce Crew!
‘Parramatta, are you Watta?’ We’re so strange! Parramatta may be a bit of a distance from the city, but it still has plenty to offer. From acres upon acres of green parkland space nestled along the banks of the Parramatta river, it is a haven for peace and tranquillity as one loses themselves in a place that nature controls. It is a stunning place for a stroll to help you forget about the troubles of the day. Cleansing the mind and soul is something most of us don’t get enough of. I was very impressed with the amount of wildlife on offer. All along the river, trees that line its banks are filled with thousands upon thousands of big bats. What an impressive thing to see! At least these one’s didn’t wee on me like the ones in Angkor Wat! Rather than getting the usual train into the city, we thought we would get ferry along the river instead. It’s by far, a more enjoyable way travel. Fair enough, it may have been a tad bit too cold, but it’s still an enjoyable journey that offers another side of Sydney, not rarely seen.
Darling Harbour is definitely one of the nicest places to visit in Sydney, if only for a drink or two. It’s one of those places that you visit and you want to visit again. Not only does it have lots of really nice bars and restaurants, it also provides you with views of a harbour with boats constantly coming and going. With a firework display on every Saturday night, it is something I did not want to miss out on. After a couple of seconds enjoying the display, we thought that must be it, after all it is on every week, there hardly going to spend thousands of dollars on it, are they? How wrong we were! They were only getting warmed up! The show must go on, and what a feast it was!
Imagine coming to Australia and not visiting the famous beach where ‘Home & Away’ is set. Yes, it may be quite a trek out to Palm Beach, but you have to visit the one place that had you dreaming of Australia each night as a kid. Don’t get me wrong, it would have been better in the summer, but at least we made it out. And no, it’s not always Summer in ‘Summer Bay.’ To be fair, we did pick a perfect day to come out. The best part of the day were the views of the beach from the top of ‘Barrenjoey Headland’ and the lighthouse on top of the hill, are quite impressive. Myself, Jay and Lee had fun with taking pictures of each other. When you are with beautiful people against an incredible backdrop, it would simply be rude not to.
Since leaving our ‘Fair City’ the one thing I have gotten into, is the appreciation of being able to take a photo of the truly incredible things we find along our way. While some of us may speak different languages and come from different clans with our worlds apart from each other, the one thing that all of us can relate to, is the story one photo can tell. I certainly dragged my poor darling Jay out with me on my photography excursions, whether it was a ferry over to Watson’s Bay where we enjoyed a short walk along the coast, apart from being grossed out with views of something nobody wants to see on a nudist beach. If you don’t have it, please don’t flaunt it! Moving on with our eyes and minds truly scarred for life, we somehow managed to enjoy what was left of the day. I suppose these horrible, nightmarish experiences make us stronger. We often found ourselves in places around the city such as ‘Blues Point Reserve’ and ‘Milsons Point’ that offers views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House together, as well as views of the city skyline against a dark sky dazzled with stars that twinkle in the night. With always wanting to see more and the desire to take even more impressive photos, my search continued, this time to ‘Observatory Hill Park’ for amazing views of the bridge and the harbour during the day.
I’m not a complete asshole to my darling Jay, we did go for ‘Pancakes on the Rocks.’ Mind you it was far too heavy on our shrunken little tummies. Since arriving in Sydney, we have both worked really hard to become healthier and fitter. I’ve been enjoying regular PT sessions with my instructor Daniel, while Jay has been very good by going to the gym each week. He did enjoy his free ‘F45’ sessions with Lee, but when it came to getting his wallet out and paying for more sessions, he simply could not do it! Not only have we been training hard, we’ve also been careful what we’ve put into our bodies. One of the things we did cut out is carbs, and boy, do we feel so much better for it! It’s the new slimmer, better us!
While we have been in Sydney, we have both been really lucky with work. I’ve had weeks and weeks of over time. It was hard, especially when you’re in the gym for 7AM in the morning, straight into work after it and finishing at 7PM! Very long days, but worth it! Jason thought he was great working for the ‘Lord Mayor of Sydney’ at Town Hall! What a big head he got himself. He really enjoyed the banter he had with the girls in the office. If one starts to crave sourdough bread and vegemite, does that make them a true Aussie? Jason, whatever your into! If any of you ever visit the ‘Land Down Under,’ never, ever speak a bad word about vegemite as it is a national institution. For me personally, I’d rather have a ‘Tim Tam.’ They may look like ‘Penguin Bars’ but there so much nicer!
While it’s been great having our own space in Tina’s House at Boronia Street, South Wentworthville, and being able to enjoy cooking again, let’s just say our landlord is not the easiest of people to live with. Constant interfering and complaining about the strong smells from our food. An Italian complaining about red wine, garlic and other ingredients infusing her house, ‘Far out!’ It was not all bad, we do have lots of happy memories in our little ‘Granny Flat.’ It has been our home for the last number of months.
As we prepare to leave Sydney, it’s only right that we go out with a bang. With a home cooked meal with our lovely Indian friends where we laughed the night away, to pizza and drinks with the Bounce Crew and more laughs to be had. To top it all off, we lived it up with Champagne and a selection of fine cheeses and meats at the ‘Opera House Bar.’ We thought we were kings. The views and the company were spectacular. Come on, what more could you want, enjoying a nice evening with views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. It was really nice to reflect on our time in Sydney. What a truly special night we had. A night we will never forget!
Most people either prefer Melbourne or Sydney, never both. While Melbourne will always have a special place in our hearts, we have loved our time in Sydney with our Bounce Crew. You cannot compare the two cities. They are both so different, but equally, they have so much to offer. We leave Australia’s most famous city with many happy memories and experiences. I never thought it was possible, but Sydney, you have touched our hearts!
By Andrew
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