I’ve been to two Mardi Gras festivals outside the U.S., one was accidental and another was a spontaneous excursion, albeit a failure.
2007
We drove into downtown Ensenada, Mexico to buy our friend Dutch a Mexican surfboard. I don’t remember the exact details, but without warning the entire city closed down and swarms of locals began parading down the street. I have absolutely no idea where they were going. We somehow found our way out of the city after spending hours waiting it out in a Papas n Beer.
2010
Hayley and I boarded a public bus that was shuttling at least thirty drunk high school kids over the Harbour Bridge to the Mardi Gras parade. People crowded around the street, standing on crates, propping themselves on windowsills or climbing trees and lamp posts to get a view. We didn’t have crates and there were no trees or lamp posts left. After a half hour we tried to escape the crowds, but we got stuck for twenty minutes in a human traffic jam. It was very claustrophobic.
People trying to get a view of the jumbotron that is setup in central Darlinghurst. The street is in the center of the photo, and you can see all the people standing on crates to watch the parade.
We’ve had a busy week with Hayley’s parents in town. In preparation for Andy and Jackie’s arrival, Hayley drew up a full itinerary for the week.
Beginning Friday at five sharp, I met Andy on Park Avenue in downtown Sydney. We quickly began our journey via public transport to meet Hayley and Jackie at Balmoral Beach on the north shore. Around the half way point we were nearly flattened by oncoming traffic while running to catch a bus. Luckily we made out alright and within 45 minutes, we were eating fish and chips and relaxing on middle-head peninsula.
The weekend was just as crammed. On Saturday we strolled through the Royal Botanic Gardens with Andy, Jackie, and their friends, and had tea and scones in the Rocks.
Then on Sunday morning Freddy and I surfed Bungan. Yes, I am a horrible person for ditching family, but who can resist a perfect left? Apologies to Andy and Jackie!
While Hayley and her parents explored the city and its surroundings, I worked a short three-day work week. On Thursday, we drove up to the Blue Mountains, an expansive region of cloud-clipping mountains and dense eucalyptus forest within the Great Dividing Range, or the continental divide, of Australia. As a UNESCO World Heritage site I was expecting to be impressed, and boy did it deliver. Our first stop was Echo Point, home to the Three Sisters rock formation.
The Three Sisters in all their glory, each over 900 meters in height.
For perspective, note the people in the bottom left corner. They are less than 25% of the way down the first Sister.
We walked around the park and feasted our eyes on the enormous eucalyptus forest that distantly bends with the curvature of the horizon. Down on the first Sister, we noticed a crowd of people collecting on a small walking bridge. Later in the day, we came back and walked down “The Great Stairway” to the first Sister. A journey in itself, the stairway hugs the cliff in scary fashion. I held the railings tight on our way back up, watching the cliff slowly erode from underneath the steel steps.
Hayley and I under the first entrance to The Great Stairway.
We walked back to Echo Point to have another look at the region. The Blue Mountains are surreal, easily one of the most amazing places that I have been. The forest and cliffs are massive, and to say I that was feeling insignificant would be an understatement.
Jackie and Hayley enjoying the view.
In the middle of the day, we checked into our room at the Chalet Blue Mountains. After resting for a bit, we got up again and drove a few kilometers to Govett’s Leap, which offered another sweeping expanse of plateaus, dramatic cliffs and valleys of eucalyptus forest. While Echo Point has the Three Sisters, Govett’s offers a waterfall that rivals the best in Hawaii.
The waterfall (to the right) sways with the wind, drenching the rocks and forest below.
Before sunset, we walked out to the Chalet’s garden and enjoyed a fine Shiraz (and what a steal it was) while watching the unique Australian bird life fly overhead.
The main hallway in the Chalet Blue Mountains.
For dinner, we drove into town and ate at Common Ground Café, a restaurant that could be easily mistaken for a commune. A folk band played music while we ate delicious, organic food. We later heard that the restaurant was owned and operated by The Exclusive Brethren. I seriously felt like we had stepped into a scene from a fantasy novel and I loved every minute of it.
The next day we ate a hearty breakfast at the B&B before checking out and driving out to Anvil Rock and Wind Eroded Cave, passing a hopping wallaby on our way. A short walk from the trailhead, Anvil Rock hangs over an enormous drop off:
Don’t jump! Those enormous trees aren’t as forgiving as they look.
About ten minutes in the opposite direction is Wind Eroded Cave, an enormous concave rock covered with small pockets and exposed rock layers. We climbed inside the so-called cave and took a few photos.
Hayley and I inside the rock.
Andy resting inside a smaller cave, which is inside the bigger cave.
On our way back to Sydney we stopped off at the Mt. Tomah Botanic Gardens. We walked around for an hour and saw many cool trees and plants, including the rare and ancient Wollemi Pine, which you can now buy for your garden. We also spotted some great birdlife, including this Eastern Spinebill:
Notice that the plant’s petals are perfectly shaped for the bird’s bill.
After the gardens, we drove back to Sydney and spent the next morning with Andy and Jackie before saying our goodbyes. We had a great time and it was sad to see them go, but we reminded ourselves that we will be seeing them again soon.
And so here we are, one week of work to go before we depart on our road trip to Melbourne. I will definitely write again when we return.
It has been raining for over a week, but it began after a sunny and warm Australia Day. Andrew and Elsja invited us to their friend Alex’s house for an authentic Aussie barbie on the harbor. We swam in the pool, jumped in the harbor, fished, ate shrimp on the barbie, tattooed ourselves with Aussie flags and shouted Aussie catch phrases like “Crikey” and “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!” To be honest, I only personally did half of these things but it was an epic day regardless.
Last weekend, Hayley and I took a ferry to the Darling Harbour Maritime Museum. The museum has a large collection of nautical treasures on display, including a sailboat made of beer cans and a few large models of mythical sea creatures such as the Kraken and a half-monkey mermaid. More interesting though was the collection of century old whale bone crafts- including whale bone bones (dominoes) and a chair made from a whale vertebra. My favorite item by far was an old captain’s journal from the late 1700s. Old journals rule.
Afterward we walked about a hundred kilometers (or at least it felt like it) to the Rocks and collapsed at a table in an Irish tea shop. I had the raisin scones with my tea, and they were damn fine scones.
Hayley, Elsja, Andrew, Ben and I met at the Bondi swimming club, Icebergs, to start our Saturday afternoon Bondi-to-Coogee trek. The well maintained trail hugs the coastline for six kilometers, all of which sport breathtaking views of the eastern Sydney beaches. Dividing the crowded beaches, rocky cliffs drop off into coves of crystal clear water, offering snorkelers and scuba divers secluded- relatively speaking- access to some of the most spectacular underwater life in the world.
So that was my sales pitch. Did I do well? Perhaps this was all I needed to show you?
Gordon’s Bay, Sydney’s premium snorkeling location.
The walk passes through many amazing sites, none more unexpected and remarkable than Waverley Cemetery, final resting place of many Australian politicians, poets and athletes.
Not a bad place to spend eternity.
The McMurray grave, containing a small child-sized coffin, looks away from the ocean but is nothing short of spectacular.
Is that paint splattered on the side or something else entirely…?
Of course no Australian walk would be complete without seeing unique Australian wildlife. I present to you the Golden Silk Orb-Weaver, a toxic widow spider that spins webs strong enough to be used as fish nets.
One of three that were roasting in the sun near the trail.
The walk ends at Coogee Beach, where we went for a dip and ate yummy toasted sandwiches.
Coogee beach, definitely worth the walk on a weekday…
Afterward, Hayley and I split off from the group, riding forty minutes on a bus to Circular Quay. We watched a street performance and then boarded a harbour ferry back to Neutral Bay.
I woke up bored and peevish. I will dub today “Blue Saturday” (a rip-off of “Blue Monday”), the most depressing Saturday of the year, when the holidays have passed and endless work awaits us on Monday.
Well, I was not going to succumb to the depression. I got dressed, tied my shoe laces and ran out the door, leaving my iPod on the counter. I ran west- inland- towards Crow’s Nest and cut north. I ran over the highway and passed an old World War II monument and a stone clock tower. Shortly after I came to the most remarkable monument, Long Gully Suspension Bridge.
Before Tunks Park was created, Long Gully Bridge (aka Cammeray Suspension Bridge) crossed over the Sydney Harbour.
I walked across the bridge, then continued down to Tunks Park. The view in all directions is stunning, the harbour lies to the east, Jungle surrounds the entire park and to the west is that stunning stone bridge. It just so happens that this park is situated in the middle of Northbridge, a beautiful community that is rich with Aboriginal and European history.
I realized at this point I was lost. That can happen easily when trotting aimlessly around the meandering Sydney harbour without a map. I hiked up a hill to the south and back down a side street. It terminated in the back of Green Park, where I regularly play tennis- very lucky, indeed.
On the way back to our studio, I picked up a Frangipani flower for Hayley. It seemed like the perfect souvenir from such a wonderful place.
Hopefully Hayley won’t mind that I share her gift with the world.
And so that was the start to my day and my weekend. So much for “Blue Saturday.”
Last weekend wasn’t bad either. Hayley and I opened our Christmas presents and did Christmassy things. We packed up around 11 am, took the bus across the Harbour Bridge to the Sheraton on the Park in downtown Sydney and checked in to our new home for the next 24 hours. We spent the entire day relaxing and using the facilities, and at night we ordered room service, cracked open some champagne and watched a movie. The next morning we enjoyed a free buffet breakfast. The short vacation was just what we needed after several months of hard work.
Somethings never change, no matter where you are.
New Years Eve was also a success. We claimed our spot at St. Leonards Park around 4 PM. We relaxed, read books and drank champagne until midnight. The fireworks show spanned five different barges, not including the spectacular Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Cheers to a great year and another excellent one to come!
