Saturday, August 7, 2010
Australia!
A few weeks ago I got a call from Rob. He was making final plans for a business trip to Sydney. He asked if i wanted to go along and explore Sydney while he was at the Boat Show. I don't normally accompany him on his business trips because boat shows start in the morning, and then the guys are always out late with vendors and customers until way past my pillow time. However, when he mentioned Sydney, I was all over going, as we had met some very fun people on our Milford Track trek last December who hailed from Sydney. A quick call to Galini and Charles to confirm that they would be available to get together was all it took for m to get online and book my ticket. Also...I had never been to Australia, and the relatively short flight across the ditch seemed much more appealing than the long haul it is when we go back to the states.
So what is it about leaving to go on a trip...why am I always up later than the stars to make sure everything is in order? One good way to make sure the house gets cleaned...plan a trip. We left Devonport at a respectable time thinking that we would miss the morning commute...we must not have gotten the memo from theroadworks that they had closed down two of the four lanes on the Harbour Bridge and were mucking up traffic all the way through Victoria Park. So...a slow start to get out to the airport.After parking out as far away from the airport as we could find, Rob mentioned that he hoped it wouldn't be raining when we got back late on Sunday night. Hmmmn...well it is winter, and it does do that thing called rain...
The flight was easy as...I nodded off with my head rolling around...wish I would have brought my trusty flight pillow...it keeps my neck from strain. The landing was a bit rough as we reached Sydney...the rain was bucketing here. It was hard to make out much on the way from the airport as the taxi was so steamed up from the condensation on our wet clothes. We shared a taxi with two guys that work with Rob, and off we were to Darling Harbour. Our hotel was located just three block from the Convention Center so it was a quick walk for Rob to the show.
Thursday morning I woke up early and made my way down to the gym...and the pool! They had a salt water pool, and I was thrilled. It could have been longer, but hey, I was not complaining. Swimming in a salt water pool is such a gift to me. I get the opportunity in Auckland every so often to join my girlfriend, Beth, in the salt water pool in her apartment building.Lucky me! After my swim and workout in the small gym, I joined Rob for breakfast and a cuppa. Cuppa = tea/coffee. Then I walked him down to the Convention Center and bid him a good day. Now I was off on my own, exploring the city. My goal for the morning was to walk to the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Galini was trying to convince me that I must do the walk over the bridge...it looked a little too high for my noodle knees, so I just enjoyed the view from underneath. I wove my way through the hustle and bustle on the streets. This city is huge in comparisson to little Auckland. There were masses of people on every street...I had to walk strategically along the street to avoid being bumped into. Finally, I made it to Circular Quay and had my first sight of the brige and the Opera House. The Ferry Wharf was there along with the train station, and a huge bus terminal. Great public transport here! The weather was actually quite nice as it was not raining...overcast, but a pleasant temperature. I had made plans to meet up with my friend Jeanette back at the hotel, so I started heading back in that direction. Good thing I had my reading glasses and a map...just a map would have been impossible for me. My eyes can not read the fine print anymore without my powerful lenses. Scary. It took a while for me to connect with Jeanette due to cell phone failures, but eventually we met in Darling Harbour. Jeanette had discovered the Monorail, and had purchased a day pass. She wanted to take the Monorail to a special market called Paddy's Market. I was game, so off to the Monorail we went. Paid for a ticket, got on, and waited, and waited and waited. Finally the ticket agent came to our car, and told us that due to someone who was about to jump off a bridge near the Monorail line, the Monorail could not proceed until the police had cleared the area. Hmmmn...so now I had a Monorail ticket, and if I wanted a refund I would have to stand in a long queque. We decided to walk to this market. We arrived around 4:45, and Jeanette found the things she was looking for. There were aisles and aisles of the same sort of things...just different vendors...and it was all very cheap. I am not much of a shopper, so i was just fine when the doors closed at 5pm. We had an hour to kill before Galini & Charles were going to meet us at the hotel...so we decided to ride the Monorail, as the earlier problem had been sussed out. Not sure if the jumper jumped, but the Monorail was running. So we went around the whole track thattook us through the Sydney CBD. We barely made it back to the hotel before meeting up with our mates from OZ.
It was so great to meet up again with Charles an Galini! It was like we were on the Milford track again...literally, as it was raining once again. Brought back some fond memories of the real meaning of being wet...as in saturated. Now, we had the locals taking us out...and boy were we lucky! They took us to lovely Chinese restaurant called the Golden Century. I have not had any Chinese food here in NZ, as it tends to react badly with my stomach. this food was beautiful, and fresh! The company was the best as well, and after dinner, Charles took us on a tour of Chinatown. We parted around 9pm, as Jeanette and her partner, Chris were heading out to Vietnam early the next day. I was set up to meet Galini the next day for a tour of Bondi Beach to Coogie Bay.
Friday morning was gorgeous weather...at least there was a little blue sky peeking through the clouds. Rob was able to work until the afternoon, and come along with me & Galini for a tour of the bays/beaches outside of the central city. It was a great tour of Watson's bay, Bondi, Bronte, Coogie Bay, and other bays and beaches. We were hoping to walk this stretch as it is well known for it's footpath, but Galini was not able to join us as she was recovering from knee surgery. Oh, how I know that pain! We thought we would makle it back out that way before we left on Sunday, but there were other things to see and do. We met up with Charles and his partner, Grant back at the hotel, and then headed off to North Sydney for dinner. It was such a gorgeous night! We were at a restaurant right under the Harbour Bridge looking across to the Opera House with the city skyline behind it. Wow! What a colourful sight! The restaurant was also right next to a place called Luna Park...reminded me and Rob of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk...
Saturday morning we met up with Charles, and he gave us an amazing walking tour of historical buildings in Downtown Sydney. We went through the Queen Victoria Building that had thankfully been sved from demolition, and renovated beautifully. The Post Office was still original, with a modern Westin Hotel connected to it. He took us out to the Art Museum, and then we walked along the outside of the Botanical Gardens out to the Harbour, and the Opera House. We met Galini at the Opera Bar, and she took over the touring for the day as Charles had a birthday party to attend. Galini took us out to Manly, on the Manly Ferry, from Circular Quay. You can drive out to Manly, but it is much more beautiful to get there by ferry. Once we got to Manly, we found a really great spot to share some yummy pizza. It wasn't quite as good as The Red Grape, but it was the closest so far! We strolled out to Manly Beach and walked along the Esplanade. The ocean was flat as, and the light was changing from daylight to dusk. On the ferry back we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset behind the Harbour Bridge. When we got back to Circular Quay, we hopped on a bus out to Newtown to met up with Charles and Grant. Another great meal at an authentic Thai Restaurant with our great hosts, Charles, Galini and Grant. We capped off the evening strolling around Newtown, and stopping for an amazing raspberry sorbet.
Sunday we had to pack up and check out. Because our flight was not until 6:30pm, the hotel kept our luggage so we could go out and explore. We had come across St. Mary's Cathedral earlier in the week, so I decided to attend 7am mass there. It was a cool, crisp morning...and thankfully it was sunny again. As it was 7am, the Cathedral was not very full. It was quite peaceful and beautiful being there. Brought me back to the days of going to mass at the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco as a child. After mass I made my way back to the hotel to meet up with Rob. We packed, and checked out, and went off to find some hot coffee. Then, we walked to the Botanical Gardens. We had walked around the Botanical gardens with Charles, but I wanted to go inside and have a look around. we were on a path in the Australian Rainforest part of the park when we heard this shrieking sound. When we looked up, there were heaps of bats hanging upside down in the tree above us. We thought that was a rarity...but very soon we would see tree loads of them. They were fruit bats, and it appeared that there was some mating going on...baby fruit bats on the way! When you look at the photos, I have included a photo of the bats in one of the trees. The plants/flowers in the gardens were all so gorgeous! Rob got some nice shots. We had a nice picnic looking out to the Harbour, and then we walked, and walked, and walked along the waterfront all the way back to Darling Harbour. We met up again with Galini, who kindly drove us out to the airport. As it was...we could have been late to the airport because our flight came into Sydney from Auckland late. Then the weather mucked everything up, and by the time we were on the plane, the pilot informed us that they would only be using one runway, so we were 20th in the queque. Another hour on the tarmack...and then I think we got off the ground. And...just like Rob had predicted...we were met with hosing down rain when we got out of customs. Needless to say, we were very, very wet by the time we searched out the parking lot for the car. Another fogged up trip home...and on the pillow by 2:30am. That alarm clock was not welcome on Monday morning!
Well...it is now Sunday, and we are seeing some sun today, so I must sign off and sieze the sunny moment! Cheers to you all!! :)
So what is it about leaving to go on a trip...why am I always up later than the stars to make sure everything is in order? One good way to make sure the house gets cleaned...plan a trip. We left Devonport at a respectable time thinking that we would miss the morning commute...we must not have gotten the memo from theroadworks that they had closed down two of the four lanes on the Harbour Bridge and were mucking up traffic all the way through Victoria Park. So...a slow start to get out to the airport.After parking out as far away from the airport as we could find, Rob mentioned that he hoped it wouldn't be raining when we got back late on Sunday night. Hmmmn...well it is winter, and it does do that thing called rain...
The flight was easy as...I nodded off with my head rolling around...wish I would have brought my trusty flight pillow...it keeps my neck from strain. The landing was a bit rough as we reached Sydney...the rain was bucketing here. It was hard to make out much on the way from the airport as the taxi was so steamed up from the condensation on our wet clothes. We shared a taxi with two guys that work with Rob, and off we were to Darling Harbour. Our hotel was located just three block from the Convention Center so it was a quick walk for Rob to the show.
Thursday morning I woke up early and made my way down to the gym...and the pool! They had a salt water pool, and I was thrilled. It could have been longer, but hey, I was not complaining. Swimming in a salt water pool is such a gift to me. I get the opportunity in Auckland every so often to join my girlfriend, Beth, in the salt water pool in her apartment building.Lucky me! After my swim and workout in the small gym, I joined Rob for breakfast and a cuppa. Cuppa = tea/coffee. Then I walked him down to the Convention Center and bid him a good day. Now I was off on my own, exploring the city. My goal for the morning was to walk to the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Galini was trying to convince me that I must do the walk over the bridge...it looked a little too high for my noodle knees, so I just enjoyed the view from underneath. I wove my way through the hustle and bustle on the streets. This city is huge in comparisson to little Auckland. There were masses of people on every street...I had to walk strategically along the street to avoid being bumped into. Finally, I made it to Circular Quay and had my first sight of the brige and the Opera House. The Ferry Wharf was there along with the train station, and a huge bus terminal. Great public transport here! The weather was actually quite nice as it was not raining...overcast, but a pleasant temperature. I had made plans to meet up with my friend Jeanette back at the hotel, so I started heading back in that direction. Good thing I had my reading glasses and a map...just a map would have been impossible for me. My eyes can not read the fine print anymore without my powerful lenses. Scary. It took a while for me to connect with Jeanette due to cell phone failures, but eventually we met in Darling Harbour. Jeanette had discovered the Monorail, and had purchased a day pass. She wanted to take the Monorail to a special market called Paddy's Market. I was game, so off to the Monorail we went. Paid for a ticket, got on, and waited, and waited and waited. Finally the ticket agent came to our car, and told us that due to someone who was about to jump off a bridge near the Monorail line, the Monorail could not proceed until the police had cleared the area. Hmmmn...so now I had a Monorail ticket, and if I wanted a refund I would have to stand in a long queque. We decided to walk to this market. We arrived around 4:45, and Jeanette found the things she was looking for. There were aisles and aisles of the same sort of things...just different vendors...and it was all very cheap. I am not much of a shopper, so i was just fine when the doors closed at 5pm. We had an hour to kill before Galini & Charles were going to meet us at the hotel...so we decided to ride the Monorail, as the earlier problem had been sussed out. Not sure if the jumper jumped, but the Monorail was running. So we went around the whole track thattook us through the Sydney CBD. We barely made it back to the hotel before meeting up with our mates from OZ.
It was so great to meet up again with Charles an Galini! It was like we were on the Milford track again...literally, as it was raining once again. Brought back some fond memories of the real meaning of being wet...as in saturated. Now, we had the locals taking us out...and boy were we lucky! They took us to lovely Chinese restaurant called the Golden Century. I have not had any Chinese food here in NZ, as it tends to react badly with my stomach. this food was beautiful, and fresh! The company was the best as well, and after dinner, Charles took us on a tour of Chinatown. We parted around 9pm, as Jeanette and her partner, Chris were heading out to Vietnam early the next day. I was set up to meet Galini the next day for a tour of Bondi Beach to Coogie Bay.
Friday morning was gorgeous weather...at least there was a little blue sky peeking through the clouds. Rob was able to work until the afternoon, and come along with me & Galini for a tour of the bays/beaches outside of the central city. It was a great tour of Watson's bay, Bondi, Bronte, Coogie Bay, and other bays and beaches. We were hoping to walk this stretch as it is well known for it's footpath, but Galini was not able to join us as she was recovering from knee surgery. Oh, how I know that pain! We thought we would makle it back out that way before we left on Sunday, but there were other things to see and do. We met up with Charles and his partner, Grant back at the hotel, and then headed off to North Sydney for dinner. It was such a gorgeous night! We were at a restaurant right under the Harbour Bridge looking across to the Opera House with the city skyline behind it. Wow! What a colourful sight! The restaurant was also right next to a place called Luna Park...reminded me and Rob of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk...
Saturday morning we met up with Charles, and he gave us an amazing walking tour of historical buildings in Downtown Sydney. We went through the Queen Victoria Building that had thankfully been sved from demolition, and renovated beautifully. The Post Office was still original, with a modern Westin Hotel connected to it. He took us out to the Art Museum, and then we walked along the outside of the Botanical Gardens out to the Harbour, and the Opera House. We met Galini at the Opera Bar, and she took over the touring for the day as Charles had a birthday party to attend. Galini took us out to Manly, on the Manly Ferry, from Circular Quay. You can drive out to Manly, but it is much more beautiful to get there by ferry. Once we got to Manly, we found a really great spot to share some yummy pizza. It wasn't quite as good as The Red Grape, but it was the closest so far! We strolled out to Manly Beach and walked along the Esplanade. The ocean was flat as, and the light was changing from daylight to dusk. On the ferry back we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset behind the Harbour Bridge. When we got back to Circular Quay, we hopped on a bus out to Newtown to met up with Charles and Grant. Another great meal at an authentic Thai Restaurant with our great hosts, Charles, Galini and Grant. We capped off the evening strolling around Newtown, and stopping for an amazing raspberry sorbet.
Sunday we had to pack up and check out. Because our flight was not until 6:30pm, the hotel kept our luggage so we could go out and explore. We had come across St. Mary's Cathedral earlier in the week, so I decided to attend 7am mass there. It was a cool, crisp morning...and thankfully it was sunny again. As it was 7am, the Cathedral was not very full. It was quite peaceful and beautiful being there. Brought me back to the days of going to mass at the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco as a child. After mass I made my way back to the hotel to meet up with Rob. We packed, and checked out, and went off to find some hot coffee. Then, we walked to the Botanical Gardens. We had walked around the Botanical gardens with Charles, but I wanted to go inside and have a look around. we were on a path in the Australian Rainforest part of the park when we heard this shrieking sound. When we looked up, there were heaps of bats hanging upside down in the tree above us. We thought that was a rarity...but very soon we would see tree loads of them. They were fruit bats, and it appeared that there was some mating going on...baby fruit bats on the way! When you look at the photos, I have included a photo of the bats in one of the trees. The plants/flowers in the gardens were all so gorgeous! Rob got some nice shots. We had a nice picnic looking out to the Harbour, and then we walked, and walked, and walked along the waterfront all the way back to Darling Harbour. We met up again with Galini, who kindly drove us out to the airport. As it was...we could have been late to the airport because our flight came into Sydney from Auckland late. Then the weather mucked everything up, and by the time we were on the plane, the pilot informed us that they would only be using one runway, so we were 20th in the queque. Another hour on the tarmack...and then I think we got off the ground. And...just like Rob had predicted...we were met with hosing down rain when we got out of customs. Needless to say, we were very, very wet by the time we searched out the parking lot for the car. Another fogged up trip home...and on the pillow by 2:30am. That alarm clock was not welcome on Monday morning!
Well...it is now Sunday, and we are seeing some sun today, so I must sign off and sieze the sunny moment! Cheers to you all!! :)
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