Sydney day 4-the bondi ‘burn’

 

And I was so pleased with myself yesterday too! Alas, today, despite vast amounts of suncream, I didn’t cover up or stay in the shade enough, and am now a very fetching shade of red.

Tho I reckon sand burn as much as sun burn is to blame.

Bondi beach was great-this time better than expectation, everyone reckons its too touristy, but it was quiet today, and seemed very atmospheric, the thirties buildings and the local kids having life saving/surfing lessons  very Oz like to me.

I’m adjusting to the basic necessity of having to get trains, and, unfortunately, buses, as this is a city not a town, but Bondi is actually a suburb, feels odd, like London having Cornwall instead of Camden .

Trekked the coastal path along the surf beaches to Clovelly, up and down headlands and, bizarrely, through a cliff top cemetery…and then trekked it back-seemed like a good idea at the time……..

I was so hot when I got back to Bondi I stripped off and ran into the water-only to find out the hard way (again) why locals only surf in the waves and swim in the fenced off tidal pools at either end of the beach.

My feet were swept out from under me by the current in only about 6 inches of water! So I cooled off rather quicker than anticipated.

Now I know what they mean by dangerous rips-I just thought they were further out, not by the sand, no wonder every beach has a life saving school for local kids as its main building.

I made my way back to the city in the most beautiful skies, and walked back from the station through the suburbs-very attractive colonial style avenues and leafy boulevards, and joined the Friday families watching the red sunset over the city (the hostel is at the top of the hill, looking down-good spot for views, bad for the legs, mine are killing me!

The heat is also a killer-if it stays this hot I’ll ferry hop tomorrow, otherwise I’ll go to the markets –there is so much to do and so little time now I’ve got a feel for everything!

The long days are also tiring-it gets light by 6am and isn’t dark until 9pm , which is weird without a spring preview, but I don’t want to stop!! I’m going with early nights and hoping my body can keep up!!

Tis great here though, I was chatting to an English woman on the train who has emigrated here, and she said it takes a while to adjust but the Oz culture is so laid back it kicks in and takes you over, and I understand now what she means.

 

 

Day 5

 

Another day, another beach, but this time I got the ferry out to Watson’s Bay, one of the two ‘Heads’ which frame the harbour, and a very different sea-no surf, just gentle waves and sandy little covers, hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes-the Oz weekend pastime of the rich.

The ferry rides are fantastic, I’ve seen the city skyline/bridge from so many angles this way, and, like the private vessels, and they come in different varieties-from the old steamer boats to the fast catamaran shuttle.

The weather is bizarre. I wandered round the Saturday markets at The Rocks this morning to avoid the heat-think Camden lock in a historic setting (The Rocks is the part of circular quays where the original settlers settled), great fun-and very British.

Then took the ferry at lunchtime, when quieter, and cooler on the water…set off to explore the bay, only to get caught in the massive thunderstorm.

I took shelter in the only place, under a rock overhang on some steps down to a nudist beach-luckily, another tourist, a very friendly US traveller joined me, and we passed a pleasant hour chatting and gazing out through the overhang/waterfall/palm trees, whilst the storm raged!! It felt as if I was in the south pacific.

But eventually the black clouds cleared as suddenly as they arrived, and the sun shone even brighter, and the evening was glorious.

The city in the setting sun is so spectacular. I wandered around the gardens (the bats were swooping, amazing) and the quays watching the skies and the view, and the city lights go on. I can now see why people fall in love with this city.