Phew... I've only been here a week and a half and It's already been fairly eventful, some of which I'll go into here... some of which I won't :-\ Well, firstly the journey here... tiring but hitch free! After a rather sleepy goodbye to Mum and Dad, I jumped in a taxi and was sped swiftly to Terminal 3 at Heathrow to board a flight to Hong Kong. Traffic was pretty heavy on the way to the airport (So I hear... I was fast asleep!) but I was there in plenty of time to check in, and spend some time in Departures mulling over what I was leaving behind, and where I was going. Reality still hadn't really set in, and it felt rather odd to be waiting in that clinical retail pasture known as Duty Free! Despite the tiredness I fought through, and thankfully managed not to doze off on those comfy Heathrow benches (Ha!) and boarded the first plane in a state of what can only be described as autopilot. The flight was good, only about half full so I had a seat and a half to relax into, and finally get a little sleep. Thankfully the in-flight entertainment was little to write home about, so there were no distraction from the snoozy task in hand. After a rather broken session of dozing, and with about an hour till landing in Hong Kong, I was gazing out at the sun rising over the solid blanket of cloud beneath us. I'd like to say that with such a tranquil scene in front of me I had some sort of revelations, or perfect moment, I didn't, but what I did have, was a stupid grin on my face! The grin slowly melted as we made our final approach into Hong Kong, I was looking forward to seeing a sprawling cityscape as we came into land... what I got what a yellow smog that made it almost impossible to see the wing-tip, let alone anything further... oh well, at least I knew that I had a beautiful continent waiting for me at the end of the next flight. Speaking of the next flight, that also ran to time, and despite my resolve to stay awake and beat the jet lad upon arriving in Oz, the in-flight entertainment sent me once again into the land of nod! I woke up with about 3 hours to go until landing, and although reality was still far from setting in, my heart rate slowly but surely went from relaxed to racing as I got closer and closer to Sydney, and everything the next year is going to offer! It was a weary, but excited Adrian that was dumbstruck on the way to Manly where I'd be staying first. It isn't often that an image that you've seen a thousand times, on TV, postcard, Holiday brochures and more, can send a tingle down your spine and a tear to your eye, but being driven to a roundabout by the harbour giving me my first full view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House managed it. There is nothing that can prepare you for seeing places in the flesh; photos are great, but not a patch on the real thing!
My first night of sleeping wasn't too bad, but I was awake at 7.30 in the morning and ready to jump out of bed and start seeing a bit of the Land of Upside Down! I was treated to a blind-folded (Well... sort of!) reveal of Manly beach which, despite being under a rather grey sky that started to rain just after the big reveal, was utterly beautiful. A golden arc of sand with the Pacific Ocean lapping at its shores... let's just say the grin was back! After a lovely breakfast at a cafe with a fantastic beach view, it was time to have a look at the city itself.
Now the journey into the city in itself was a joy, when jumping on a ferry that takes a relaxing 30 minutes to take you into the City is considered commuting, you know you're somewhere pretty special! The ferry journey was great if a little chilly, and as it turns the corner on the last leg of its journey, that spectacular vision of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the city skyline rising majestically above it comes into sight... dare I say this reveal was just as good, if not better than the night before! The afternoon was spent strolling round the city, sorting out an Oz SIM card for my mobile phone, and more importantly the essential Sunnies!
Have to say it's difficult to gauge the CBD on a single trip, in the same way I don't think the Centre of London really gives up its charms until you spend some time socialising and absorbing the vibe, I didn't get in instant "feel" of the mainly business focused part of Sydney, but I was taken to Darling Harbour, which was about the most relaxing "city centre" coffee I've indulged in for quite some time! I'm sure having access to the waterfront in your lunchbreak must be such a relief on those stressful days in the office! Jetlag started to kick in quickly and it was time to return to Manly for a chilled evening with a drink and some take-away!
The Jet lag continued for another day or so, slowly easing up, and letting a little bit of reality set in, I stress a little bit, as I'm still finding my feet even now! The next couple of days allowed for time relaxing in the beach, watching a ferry race on Australia day, and wandering through the Botanic gardens on the south shore of the harbour. Sadly one of the highlights of Australia day for me had nothing to do with the land down under, but a little car from Italy! As part of the celebrations they had dedicated some of the area of closed off roads to classic car clubs, and buried amongst them, found just by chance, was a collection of beautiful Fiat 500s, I swear if the wind had changed the grin would have been permanent!
Saturday was filled with more fun at the beach (I'm actually starting to get some colour... no not sunburn red!), and then a trip to the Sydney Opera house to see "Kaidan - A Japanese Ghost Story". This was a fantastic mixture of Dance and Taiko drumming, telling a ghost story based on Japanese Haiku, truly fantastic stuff, and on the off chance hat it tours I would recommend you go see it!
The next few days were a little more low-key, with lots of beach and cafe related goodness, and a couple of films (Wedding Crashers and Deja-Vu - Reviews to follow!!). Tuesday however was a lot of fun, around 5 hours of wandering around Taronga Zoo, getting my first exposure to Antipodean wildlife such a Kangaroos, Koalas, platypuses and much more beside. Its been a long time since I've enjoyed going to the zoo quite so much... mainly due to the presence of a little bundle of 19 month old joy that was just as entertaining as the animals!
And that just leaves today! This-morning I went into the City to do a few touristy bits like wandering through The Rocks, and area around the Harbour Bridge where Europeans first settled, and having a wander up to the Sydney Observatory for some more fantastic views of the Harbour... and a little education!
Phew... other than a bit of planning for the travelling I intend to do over the next couple of months that's about it! Not bad for my first few days... I just hoped the rest of my year is going to be just as packed!
Much love to everyone, and If you've got this far and haven’t fallen asleep... well done, and thank-you!
Adrian
My first night of sleeping wasn't too bad, but I was awake at 7.30 in the morning and ready to jump out of bed and start seeing a bit of the Land of Upside Down! I was treated to a blind-folded (Well... sort of!) reveal of Manly beach which, despite being under a rather grey sky that started to rain just after the big reveal, was utterly beautiful. A golden arc of sand with the Pacific Ocean lapping at its shores... let's just say the grin was back! After a lovely breakfast at a cafe with a fantastic beach view, it was time to have a look at the city itself.
Now the journey into the city in itself was a joy, when jumping on a ferry that takes a relaxing 30 minutes to take you into the City is considered commuting, you know you're somewhere pretty special! The ferry journey was great if a little chilly, and as it turns the corner on the last leg of its journey, that spectacular vision of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the city skyline rising majestically above it comes into sight... dare I say this reveal was just as good, if not better than the night before! The afternoon was spent strolling round the city, sorting out an Oz SIM card for my mobile phone, and more importantly the essential Sunnies!
Have to say it's difficult to gauge the CBD on a single trip, in the same way I don't think the Centre of London really gives up its charms until you spend some time socialising and absorbing the vibe, I didn't get in instant "feel" of the mainly business focused part of Sydney, but I was taken to Darling Harbour, which was about the most relaxing "city centre" coffee I've indulged in for quite some time! I'm sure having access to the waterfront in your lunchbreak must be such a relief on those stressful days in the office! Jetlag started to kick in quickly and it was time to return to Manly for a chilled evening with a drink and some take-away!
The Jet lag continued for another day or so, slowly easing up, and letting a little bit of reality set in, I stress a little bit, as I'm still finding my feet even now! The next couple of days allowed for time relaxing in the beach, watching a ferry race on Australia day, and wandering through the Botanic gardens on the south shore of the harbour. Sadly one of the highlights of Australia day for me had nothing to do with the land down under, but a little car from Italy! As part of the celebrations they had dedicated some of the area of closed off roads to classic car clubs, and buried amongst them, found just by chance, was a collection of beautiful Fiat 500s, I swear if the wind had changed the grin would have been permanent!
Saturday was filled with more fun at the beach (I'm actually starting to get some colour... no not sunburn red!), and then a trip to the Sydney Opera house to see "Kaidan - A Japanese Ghost Story". This was a fantastic mixture of Dance and Taiko drumming, telling a ghost story based on Japanese Haiku, truly fantastic stuff, and on the off chance hat it tours I would recommend you go see it!
The next few days were a little more low-key, with lots of beach and cafe related goodness, and a couple of films (Wedding Crashers and Deja-Vu - Reviews to follow!!). Tuesday however was a lot of fun, around 5 hours of wandering around Taronga Zoo, getting my first exposure to Antipodean wildlife such a Kangaroos, Koalas, platypuses and much more beside. Its been a long time since I've enjoyed going to the zoo quite so much... mainly due to the presence of a little bundle of 19 month old joy that was just as entertaining as the animals!
And that just leaves today! This-morning I went into the City to do a few touristy bits like wandering through The Rocks, and area around the Harbour Bridge where Europeans first settled, and having a wander up to the Sydney Observatory for some more fantastic views of the Harbour... and a little education!
Phew... other than a bit of planning for the travelling I intend to do over the next couple of months that's about it! Not bad for my first few days... I just hoped the rest of my year is going to be just as packed!
Much love to everyone, and If you've got this far and haven’t fallen asleep... well done, and thank-you!
Adrian
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