11: Fast and Furious Turns to Fluffy and Familiar
7 June 2002
Now that I’ve landed in the ‘Land Down Under’ my life has taken on a turn for the ‘normal’. Sydney encompasses everything that I left behind in London – the 9-5, the trains, Western social conduct, the tangible stress thronging between the people in a city dedicated to capitalism, the frustration of waiting for the little man on the traffic light to flash green before crossing a deserted intersection, the necessity of the first coffee of the morning and all those simple things replaced by the big picture to a traveller on the road. But it has to be said that it is far more picturesque, bright and sunny, and just as cosmopolitan.
At first, the shock of leaving the chaos of the third world was like going from sleeping on a grass mat to a waterbed with silk sheets – sounds like heaven, but your body takes a while to adjust and appreciate this newfound luxury. Everyday in Asia brought a new face, a new home and something out of this world to see or do. The flux has been replaced by the familiar, and I have felt like a deer caught in headlights until just recently.
So with all the job-hunting I have done of late (a bad idea I had to fund this leg of my trip), I’ve had plenty time to contemplate whether I have succeeded in achieving what I set out to do so far. Not overlooking my steadfast resolve to perfect the ‘loll’, of which I am sure nobody can contest my outstanding success in this area, I will use the following quote as my measure for success:
“To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
– inaccurately attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson
Okay, okay… so I’ve laughed quite a fair bit anyway. Consider it to be my ‘Work in Progress’. So even though it may seem like I haven’t seen and done a whole lot since my arrival a few weeks ago, you need to note that the above task is not an easy one to accomplish and utilises many resources.
Most importantly, I have caught up with friends I have made around the world who now live in Sydney. After years of promising that Australia was on the list of destinations I would be seeing, I have finally made it. The harbour, the bridge and the opera house are postcard-perfect, and I followed this by a tour of their magnificent botanical gardens. I am still trying to forget how I was attacked by a bird as I sat on a bench having my lunch. Eventually a hysterical passerby pointed out that he was flying at the shiny clips in my hair, so I yanked them out (sacrificing handfuls of hair) to spare myself from further bird attacks. I was caught up in my own Hitchcock thriller for a while there.
Sydney is actually a beautiful city in a beautiful setting, and easy to navigate. Everything is relatively close together, and you can see most of it in one day. I did an amazing walk with my friends from Spit to Manly Beach; it’s approximately 13kms of the most beautiful scenery along the water. Too cold to swim at the moment – and yes it does get rather chilly out here in Oz. We rewarded ourselves with yummy fish and chips on the beach in the fabulous town of Manly.
Last weekend I went up to the Blue Mountains with some friends. There were six of us, and I did a ‘Thelma and Louise’ on the road with Mandy in her little red Honda called Holly. Mandy’s an old friend I met on a broken-down bus in Wales, UK, 3 years ago now.
We stayed in a double converted garage – which was a lot cosier and plusher than it sounds. If it had had a raging fire going – that would have been the cherry on top but to keep warm, we made our way into Katoomba town to grab the biggest and juiciest steak I’ve seen in a long time. Actually I haven’t had steak since I was home at Christmas time, so I literally drooled over the menu as I ordered and then scoffed my half-alive steak down when it arrived (hmmmm… I think I should have put a warning at the top for squeamish vegetarians!).
I was the only one not to have been there before, so I had 5 of my very own tour guides showing me the ‘Three Sisters’ and ‘Serenity Point’, which are near a quaint little town of coffee shops called Leura. Naturally we taste tested tidbits at a fair few of them whilst roosting at nearby Katoomba for the Saturday night. More than walking, we exercised our jaws on the eating side of things. It was a lazy weekend out in the mountains, and a good time was had by all.
These past two weeks, I have been working at an IT software company as a cover receptionist… but alas my working days are over until another good samaritan throws some honest work my way. Off to enjoy a long weekend thanks to the Queen getting old… thanks Lizzy!
