Australia Day 2, July 7, 2009

Day 2, July 7, 2009

WOW! We awoke at 6:45 this morning to… wait a minute…wait a minute, this can’t be, but it is. A BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW stretched across fluffy white clouds crowning Sydney! This has to be the foreshadowing of a blockbuster day ahead. By the time we meet in the hotel lobby, it is raining steadily. We revamp our plans and decide to grab a quick brekkie (breakfast/in Aussie lingo) Playing it safe, we head to the nearby Micky “D’s”…after all we know what McDonald’s combo’s taste like. Wrong! The breakfast on a roll is actually ground beef, egg, swiss cheese and catsup on a chewy coney bun. Never mind, there’s a subway a few feet away, so I wind up there afterward and find solace with a ½ doz. chocolate chip & macadamia nut cookies. My posse and I will reward ourselves throughout what would prove o be a very adventurous day.

Acting on the advice of an Aussie friend of Kim’s we purchased a commuter pass for the week to avoid standing on queue (in line) and having to taxi or purchase passes. This tidbit of info was priceless as our pass allowed us to ride the ferry, train & bus with on & off privileges. This saved us time & money as we were able to get on & off at different harbors to view the major tourist attractions with ease. Our destination however was Manly Beach. I know it’s called Manly and while some may think the name narcissistic, the beach is really about the girls, shopping (No $$ Stores here), surfing and in places snorkeling & canoeing. Manly Beach appears to be very, very upscale. The beach is lined with lovely bungalows poised in the cliffs and granite boulders. Many of which appear to be vacant (during what is their winter) The flora & fauna is incredible and lushly flourishing succulents and tropicals line the beach front properties. The tropical plants have brilliant colors and showy well hydrated foliage. The envy of parched city lawns back home.

Did I mention eating? You bet there were rows of eateries along the square which looks much like its1815 photo posted near the promenade or Manly Corso (the outdoor mall that you walk down from the harbor to the beach.) Just as our Aussie friend said, there really are no traditionally Aussie meals because there is a rich cultural mixture of people who make food that is unique to their country of origin. We have found little Mexican food but lots of Asian eats from Korean to Indonesian to Chinese, etc. The pizza from a chain called Kabobs is wonderful; the dough is the best I’ve had, thick like pan pizza, but light & airy. I had a veggie slice (see I haven’t been all bad) spinach, tomatoes, black olives, onions and ricotta cheese. With a side of chips (fries) Yum! Shola and I turned getting ice cream into an adventure since we had the shop all to ourselves. We started with a chocolate dipped waffle cone and proceeded down the toppings buffet line…really. We must have tried every topping, sprinkle, or syrup on our cone. We’d lick them off then add another one. Of course we were licking the spillage off our fingers as we went along. We were surprised when we looked up and saw that we had an audience of patrons watching & snickering at us. It was like we were doing a commercial for the shop because afterward, people were lining up to get the ice cream cones.
A merchant told us to walk up the embankment ¾ mile or so to where he said you could see Miami on a clear day. We did it. Whether we were looking at Miami or not I’ll never know but we did see dolphin fins in the amazingly translucent teal colored Indian Ocean. Incredible! I never imagined I’d be peering into the Indian Ocean…ever. God has truly blessed me. The beach was sandy. Of course it was sandy, but the sand was not coarse but very fine. Although the sun was shining, it was about 65 degrees most of the day so swimming was not an option for most, however there were dozens who donned wet suits and went for it. Kim and I were wrapped up like newborn babies, skull caps, head wraps and scarves. A German fellow on the ferry ride back asked me if I were Muslim. I was wrapped I’m telling you. Keep in mind we had just left 105 degree temps in H-town, so the night time chill was to the bone. We retired after viewing our superb photos, taken over the past couple of days and playing a trash talking game of Uno in our room. Shola & I kicked butt! Kim & Tokes….let’s just say they were good sports. LOSERS! Ha!