Australian Winter

June 10 - Arrival in Sydney Harbor and Other Ferry Games

The driving continues. From the Blue Mountains, we headed toward the metropolis of Sydney. On the way, we discovered that our Australian hosts had a certain affinity for Krispy Kreme donuts. We all pretended to loath them, but we remember the times when we waited in line for warm ones. So, we ate them all while complaining about how greasy they were. Ah well.

We shacked up in the Manley Cove Guest House, which is an old 1920's hospital. It has charm coming out of its ears and you can see the ocean from the veranda. We arrived at the Guest House and barely had time to freshen up before we immediately departed for the ferry to take us to downtown Sydney. We had to run for the ferry (not the last time). The ride was beautiful and peaceful and we were all in high spirits. We rounded the corner out of Manley Cove and saw the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge all lit up in the night's sky. It was like a postcard and was the first time that I felt like I was really in a foreign country. It is odd when you see a site that you recognize but know you've never been to. Finally I knew I was in Sydney, because I knew THAT building and THAT bridge belonged THERE. After landing we found the club where Rob's son was playing in a jazz band for the evening. Rob's son, Tim, is studying the saxophone at the Conservatory, and he was playing in a large band (17 members) that night downtown. They were really good, but Scott is right - jazz is musical masturbation. It was a great scene though, and they were really talented musicians. Plus, the soup at the club was really good.

The following day the ferry workers were going on strike (of COURSE they were). So, we had to get up early to get into Sydney before they stopped working for most of the day. It wasn't really a problem to make the ferry, but it did involve running again. We had breakfast downtown and then proceeded to go on a tour of the Opera House. There is quite a saga behind that beast. The main shell of the house is actually for the symphony and the opera is relegated to a space that is too small for operas to be comfortably performed. The symphony was practicing, and we were allowed in briefly to listen to them.

We also went to the aquarium, which had a brilliant Finding Nemo exhibit. It was so cute to listen to these little kids exclaim, "Look, it's Dory!!" Actually, the shark exhibit involved you walking through a hollow tube in the bay and the sharks swam around you. It was really creepy, but I think they should've played the Jaws theme music while you were in there - just to spice things up.

I got food poisoning that evening, so I spent the rest of my time in Sydney sitting quietly on the beach. The temperature was lovely, and I needed to use my solar power battery charger anyway. So, I sat and read on one of the harbor beaches. It is so strange to be in a busy city and still manage to find quiet time on the sand.

It was sad to say goodbye to Janne and Rob, who were our Australian hosts for the southern half of our journey. We missed the group hug before we boarded the shuttle to the airport, and it makes me sad. They are really, really great people. We boarded the plane in Sydney for Hervey Bay (via Brisbane and Marychydore).

Aussie Culture: Drinking and driving. When I first arrived, you could buy a beer from the faculty fridge at CSU "on your honor." You just open the door, pull out a stubbie, and throw a dollar into the bin. It's crazy. But, there is such a campaign against drunk driving, that no one really considers even having 1 beer if they need to drive later. There are random stops on the road with breathalyzer tests, lots of commercial and billboard ads against it, and a general awareness that it is a bad idea. This manifests itself in adults having sleepovers if they are going to have a beer. On two separate occasions I packed an overnight bag for a sleepover because the driver wanted to have a beer. It isn't as though we proceeded to get wasted, I think maybe we had 2 drinks on those nights. I think this is awesome.