Visiting Bondi Beach and Other Outlying Areas in Sydney
Day 2 began with many options on things to do. However, my legs felt like they needed some rest, and it was alternating between rain, drizzle, and no rain. So I opted to get on the Explorer buses that go on two different routes and that allow you to pay one fare and get on and off the bus at any of the designated stops along the way. This is a great way to get acquainted with the city so I decided it would be worth it. In addition, one of the 2 routes went all the way to Bondi beach (THE beach you always see when a beach in Australia is shown on TV) which was a must-see. The bus has a recording which highlights key city sights/sites along with some history and such things so one really does get good value from taking them (the bus drivers usually add more commentary as well). For me, the Explorer bus rides helped me identify areas of town that I definitely would want to explore more during my stay. The bus tours also allowed me to get out of the rain for a good bit of time (each route runs a 2-hr circuit)!
Along the way, I stopped at Watson’s Bay to have lunch at Doyle’s, a famous fish and chips place on the waterfront. It was very good and I had been hungry for a bit so the combination was a success. I did a short hike from there along the cliffs in that part of the coast which was good because 1. it was not raining, and 2. I got off the bus and got to stretch my legs…
Bondi Beach and Surfers
Bondi Beach
Once I got to Bondi beach, we were told there was a scenic trail connecting it to the next beach town over so I again decided to get off the bus though it was drizzling (I was wearing a rain jacket). The coastline was beautiful and the waves were roaring due to the weather. Of course, surfers were out in full force. I have never really paid attention to surfing but first, it seems a lot of fun if you don’t mind waves thrashing you about but, also, I realized surfers spend a lot of time just hanging out waiting for the right wave. As I was trying to take some action pix, it seemed to take forever for them to get on a wave. I stood on the roadside above one of the beaches (like 50 – 75 feet high) and I noticed how cars would slow down as they approached where I was standing. After a few of those, I realized those were surfers checking out the conditions of that beach to see if they would surf there. Some parked and changed right by their cars and some just kept going (I assume the conditions weren’t up to par for them). It was about 2 PM on Thursday so I wondered if these guys just take a break from work to surf, if they are on vacation, or if they just don’t work.
Typical homes in The Rocks area
So it’s the end of day 2 and my impressions of Sydney have gone from awe at the Opera House and the Bridge as unique structures to awe at the beauty of the city. The architecture can range from ultra-modern (Renzo Piano’s famous building) to the quaint buildings of the late 19th and early 20th century that you see not only in The Rocks area but elsewhere. The neighborhoods due east of the Central Business District all the way to the beaches all have distinct characters and unique charm. How would one choose where to live?? (Of course, property prices would take care of that as many of these seaside areas are quite pricey, precisely due to the seaside location and charm”.) I was expecting Sydney to be a modern city that was made pretty by its seaside location but my perspective changed dramatically today as I got a broader view at the different parts of town and realized there is a lot more to the beauty of the city than the seaside aspect to it.
Hello world!
We thought we’d keep the default title for the first blog entry on this blog as it is very appropriate to what we intend this blog to be.
We are two friends who share a passion to travel and want to share our experiences with, well, the world. We travel for work or pleasure but, regardless, we agree that traveling exposes us not only to new things but to interesting unexpected experiences.
In this blog, we want to share our thoughts and experiences as they come to us. This is not intended to be a travel guide, a fact reference guide, etc. In fact, because we are sharing thoughts and experiences, we may not do full justice to the places we talk about, we may have only seen ”one side of the coin”, or we may not give you all the details that perhaps you seek. But, being a blog, the good news is you can follow up, ask or add to what we share.
To get this going we will be attempting to go back to some of our prior travels’ writings that each of us has done to build some content. But the intent is that we will be writing almost real-time going forward as we embark on new trips.
We want to hear from you, as your experience will enrichen what others get out of what we share. Heck, perhaps if we like how you contribute, maybe you can become a guest writer!
So, bear with us as we build and tweak this blog and in the meantime, travel and see the world!
Cheers
Chris and Raúl
About
Part of the fun of traveling, besides the travel itself, is the experiences that happen along the way. Getting hopelessly lost in eastern France, getting stuck in a public restroom in Versailles, finding a tucked away neighborhood park in touristy Venice, being tossed into a stranger’s car in the Sinai peninsula, discovering the most mouth-watering wines in Mendoza, etc. all enhance the travel experience.
I have a passion for travel and seek to share the experiences and sights with others via this blog. And I hope it also gives others ideas of places to go or dream about going to someday! Other passions include dark chocolate and red wine – for the record!
Follow me on twitter @ilivetotravel or in Facebook www.facebook.com/ilivetotravel and drop me a note about your own travels any time – I love discovering new jewels for future travel opportunities!
My friend Chris, who also loves to travel, and others contribute on occasion to this blog to share their own experiences!
