3 weeks in..

 Well it has been over a week since I last wrote. I can’t believe it is only 3 weeks since I left! The next door neighbour Krishnas are still ringing their bells at daft o’clock I the morning, the beaches are still amazing and a novel feature (I don’t think I’ll ever tire of them), my mother has joined facebook *gasp!* and I am a whole year older.

Last weekend, I worked as a marshal (steward) for The Sydney Festival.

The good: I was earning money by working on a huge festival with a great atmosphere, stood in the sunshine all day, during my lunch and dinner breaks I watched Norman Jay and Manu Chao and I did a lot of people watching.

The not so good: I was positioned next to the toilets and I had to wear a bright pink baseball cap. BRIGHT pink. I looked like an enthusiastic tourist.

'As The World Tipped', initial setting, Sydney Festival

Manu Chao!

Seriously, it was great gig and I’m glad I got the opportunity to work on it. It’s just about a month since I last had a job, so felt good to be slightly reconnected with the world of employment again.

Things I have done/seen:

Iced coffee on Darling Harbour: I know it is the cheesey tourist hotspot, but there’s something about sitting next to the water, chatting with a friend and sipping cold caffeine drinks that makes it OK to be a tourist.

Paddys Market: Need somewhere to find a psychic? How about kangaroo balls as a souvenir? Or a neon yellow wig? Then head to Paddys market next to China Town. It’s amazing- it has everything and anything, whether you need it or not! LOVE IT!

Australian Tourist crap in Paddys Market

Manly Beach: One of the best beaches in the Sydney area (so far!). I took the ferry out last week- the trip alone is beautiful- you pass rugged cliffs, sandy beaches and beautiful architecture. I had grand plans of exploring all things described in my guidebook like museums and monuments.

 I actually just got onto the beach and lay in the sun reading my book and got nowhere near anything ‘cultural’. It’ll still be there next week.

Manly Beach Kit

Manly Beach (name, not description)

Ferry back from Manly

 Interesting Manly fact: according to the Rough Guide, Captain Arthur Philip named the area in 1788 when he was exploring and saw a group of “..well built Aboriginal men ashore, proclaimed them to be Manly and named the cove in the process”.

Sadly, I saw no such thing, but the waters are clear, the sand is white and there is a great buzz to the place.

Watsons Bay: Myself and Loz took the ferry from Parramatta all the way out to Watsons Bay and admired the grand houses and boats. It is on the South Head with a sheltered Bay on one side and high jagged cliffs facing out to the Pacific Ocean on the other. It is also the home of the beautiful but tragic spot known as ‘The Gap’, well known for the crash of 'The Dunbar' in 1857 where 121 people died when the captain mistook 'The Gap' for the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Sadly, due to the beauty of the location, it is also popular with suicide revellers.

Ferry to Watsons Bay, Sydney Harbour

'The Gap', Watsons Bay

'The Gap' Watsons Bay 

 Luckily, we spotted no form of the latter. We ate fish and chips on the harbour, strolled the cliffs, took silly photos and sang Westlife at each other.  

Our next trip was a bus to Bondi for afternoon tea with her aunt and a train home. If only there had been a plane involved in the day, it would have been a complete public transport geek day. 

Surry Hills and Paddington: Met up with a new friend over here called Becs, who very kindly invited me over for a glass of wine and a spot of dinner out in Surry Hills. It is a great place, she is lovely and I went back over last Saturday for a party and met some very funny people. There was a drinking game called ‘Cups’, a man climbing over a wall, an Asian man wearing a t-shirt proclaiming, ‘Once You’ve Gone Asian, You Can’t Go Caucasian’, French man pretending to be Scottish.. a lot of things were, ‘I suppose you had to be there’, but it was great craic. I also met a man who wants to buy a parrot and take it to parties.

Yesterday I was out in Paddington meeting up with a lovely friend from Ireland – in the words of Annie (yes, the musical), ‘I know I’m going to like it here’. Already plotting for Paddies Day..

'Dirty Granny' Cider in Surry Hills

Getting Older: Last Friday (yes, it was Friday 13^th..) I woke up thinking, ‘OK, I’m a year older, eeek!’ *shudder*. Then I thought, ‘Hang on, it’s my birthday, I’m in Australia - sweeeet!’. It’s better to go with the glass half full on this occasion I think.

Myself and the lovely Loz went for breakfast in the beautiful Parramatta Park (it’s a bit like Richmond Park) and headed out to Dee Why Beach, listening to the sweet tunes of Kylie on the way. The beach itself is long, with gorgeous sand dunes and crashing waves. We swam, we lay in the sun, we went for ice cream – very different to the beach experiences I’ve had on 13^th January in UK… (Southport in the snow- fun but cold!).

Dee Why Beach

That evening we met up with friends for Thai food in Newtown. Newtown is known for its Thai restaurants – there’s a disproportionate amount of them on one street (about 45 on Kings Street alone?). Newtown also has some great places to sip cocktails on roof gardens and laugh away your birthday. Loved it!

 So, my plans have shifted. Rather than staying here and trying to get more work (in the quiet summer period) I am going to head over to New Zealand while it is still summer there in February then come back in March and restart the job hunt then. There are people and places I definitely want to see in NZ, so I am currently in the process of trying to sort it out. My research was going really well, but spiralled into looking at ‘Flight Of The Conchord’ clips on YouTube. Hence I’ve taken a break to write the blog..

 Before I go, we are heading to Canberra tomorrow to visit some friends of Loz, then Orient Point near Jervis Bay. Canberra hasn’t got a great reputation for being interesting. I’ve been warned that people die of boredom there, but I’ve researched it and we’re going with friends so my objective is to come back with a great review of the place! Jervis Bay has a great legacy so doesn’t need any favours from me. Beautiful Beach- done!

The weekend after I’m heading out onto the Hawkesbury River with the fabulous Catherine and friends. I’m not entirely sure of what I’ve signed up for, but I imagine there will be some element of tomfoolery involved..

Recent culinary delights: fresh mangos, peaches, fresh seafood, Josh’s home made pesto, Laurens sorbet, White chocolate Tim Tams.. and chips on a stick. Yes, here in Sydney, they have a whole potato, carved into a spiral, on a stick and deep fried. Not only that, you can choose a range of flavours in which to enjoy your chips on a stick – chicken salt, barbeque… Amazing…!

Chips... On a stick..

… Don’t start me on the Cone Pizza (yes, that’s pizza, in a cone)…

There have been moments of home sickness in the last few weeks where I’ve missed people to bits, but I was expecting it and I just need to plough through with these things and realise what an advantageous position I have over here. If it was there when I left it, it will be there when I get back. The more people I catch up with, the more places I go, the better it is getting.