sydney weekend 2.0

Just got back from another whirlwind trip to Sydney and it pains me that it is over. On Australia day we had a BBQ at the apartment with some of my bosses' friends and then I took the red eye flight to Sydney after watching a few minutes of the fireworks from our amazing balcony view. Had a few complimentary drinks at the Qantas lounge and then woke up in Sydney, what could be better? Friday we just did a lot of walking around and taking in some of the local sights before making our way to Chinatown for dim sum where they happened to be having a Chinese New Year celebration. There was a huge dragon being carried around by about 20 people and it was kind of cool because one of my friends and I were both born in the year of the dragon, so it was kind of like a celebration for us, right? "Welcome to Sydney!" Anyway, we went out that night and all felt the repercussions the next morning, so it was a slow start on Saturday. (There's more to that story but i'll save that for my personal memory) Despite feeling worse for the wear, we did a LOT of walking on Saturday. Im talking, a LOT. We don't plan things well apparently when deciding copious amounts of Patron Cafe is a good idea the night before taking walking tours. Either way, we weren't going to let some foolish decisions ruin our visit. After all, it was day two of only a two day trip. Anywho, we began the day by riding out to Coogee beach and walking the beach path all the way to Bondi beach. It's a really nice walk with great views and I highly recommend it. But wear sunscreen, always wear sunscreen. And be prepared to dodge runners at every turn. After we got back to the apartment and underwent several waves on nausea on all our parts, we made our way to embark on the legendary Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. If you are ever in Sydney, DO THIS. (http://www.bridgeclimb.com/) I may or may not have been shaking the entire walk back down the bridge, but it was so worth it. Seriously, it is something I will never forget. Apparently there have been over 4,000 marriage proposals at the top of the bridge. (Which if you ask your guide about, you will find out is a complicated endeavor) Out of the 4,000, there have been two "no"'s. Awkward. I found that tidbit interesting. Unfortunately there were no proposals on our climb, but we did sing "happy Birthday" to one member of the group. I bet he'll never forget that. Anyway, we went out once again on Saturday night and then decided it was not worth it to sleep since we had early flights on Sunday morning. And that would be the reason it has taken 2 days to write this post.

Sydney, touche.

thought

facebook convo revelation from today:

-i just wrote on your wall
-btw, that a very weird thing that we say now that is normal
-if you said "i wrote on your wall" in the 90's, ppl would be like WTF! why did you do that?? what did you write?!



just another lesson in context, people.

Kings Park

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure (not really) of walking up a San Francisco worthy hill in 100 degree weather en route to Kings Park in Perth. Had I known the terrain I would be traversing, I would have picked a better day, but hindsight is always 20/20 right? Despite the sweat dripping down my back, I really enjoyed Kings Park (that is before the heat stroke set in). Okay, okay I'll stop complaining now because it really is beautiful. The park is a huge area containing botanical gardens, monuments, trails, and the most amazing views of the city. In fact, most of the postcards you see with the Perth skyline are taken from Kings Park. I spent a couple hours just walking around and reading a bit about the history of the city and it's aboriginal origins. Anyway, there's not really much to tell, just pictures to be seen. So here you go, internet friends:

I know I said there are botanical gardens, but it's the dry season so not worth being photographed.

random thought

Traveling is really a funny thing because i've just started to realize that I will never be in some of these places ever again. So, I try to really take it all in in the moment because I know I will never be back. I'm not saying this about every place; of course I will return to some places, others I will make a serious effort to visit again, but some you just know you will never see again. And when you recognize that, it's a really weird feeling almost like living in a memory.


Alright, random thought over.

Christmas and New Year's Eve

Sorry it's been a while, but you can blame that on the holidays and numerous "public holidays" over here in Perth. Even after Christmas, they take extra days off because Christmas was on a Sunday and apparently they deserve more days off which leaves me without access to internet since everything is closed. I feel like that was a run-on sentence, sorry. Anyway, hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Mine was great especially considering how far away from home I am.

On Christmas day I got to see the boat for the first time! The interior still isn’t finished but it should be ready for us to move on in a week or so. It was so exciting to finally see it since I sit at home with the baby all day and everyone from home keeps asking me what the boat is like. Now I have answers!

After we stopped by the boat we had Christmas lunch at the dad’s parents’ house, which was really nice. They even had a couple of presents for me which was an unexpected and really nice surprise. Our next stop for the day was the mom’s parents’ house for Christmas dinner. Basically on Christmas we did a lot of eating. I even had presents waiting for me at the second stop as well so I think cumulatively I had a more profitable Christmas than I would’ve had at home. Sorry mom and dad. Although, mom did send my stocking from home so I had two stockings this year thanks to her and my wonderful bosses. It’s weird to call them “bosses” though since it is more like a family situation.

We ended up coming home earlier than expected from dinner since all the commotion was too much for the baby, but once we got home it was even more presents. And candy. Lots and lots of Christmas candy. The chocolate here is so good, gaining 20 lbs (I don’t know what that is in kilos) is a real threat.

New Years Eve was even more eventful as we spent the day at Perth Cup which is basically the Kentucky Derby equivalent here. We got all dressed up and I even wore a “fastenator” (fascinator?) I don’t know how to spell it, but you google it since your internet connection is arguably faster than mine, wherever and whoever you are. Or just think what Princess Beatrice wore on her head at the royal wedding, but not as intense. Whatever the case, the champagne was popped around 10:30 am so that should give you a clue as to how the rest of the day/night turned out. Another clue- by the end of the races instead of betting a measly $2 on a horse, I was up to $30. I know that’s still pathetic for most of you, but for me that’s like throwing away gold bars. Anyway, we went to the races VIP in a hummer limo so I guess that made me feel like a baller, hence the high roller gambling. (jokes)

After the races, we took the limo to Burswood Casino where the debauchery continued. This is also where the night gets hazy. (Once again, sorry mom and dad) Basically the summarized version is: drink, gamble, drink, gamble, drink, drink, drink, in bed at 10:30.

The surprise ending is that I somehow had no money by the end of the night (not really a surprise since I was throwing money away at the blackjack and roulette tables) and a kind Irishman gave me a $50 note for a cab home. Thank you, Irishman in the Australian casino. Also, thank you Jesus.

*Sidenote: apparently I was close enough to the apartment that I could’ve walked home. Whoops.