Small world -- more from Coogee

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  Coogee, Australia
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Let's see...it was a great weekend.  Hung out with Yuka and Emily.  We hit the Paddington Market, Centennial Park, and walked back to Coogee.  Good fun, lots of walking, lots of talking.  Saturday was Emily's last night in Coogee before her parents arrived, so we hit the town -- pizza, wine, and then on to one of the two bars in Coogee, the Coogee Bay Hotel.  Another interesting evening.  Beer, dancing, and funny foreign blokes.  We were first approached by a lovely Irish gentleman.  Yuka told him we are all from Japan.  Good stuff.  Oddly enough, he didn't believe us...Next a group of Aussies were convinced we were either Scottish or Irish (I decided to go for Scottish this time and told him I was from Loch Ness). We ended the night with a Tim Tam Slammer. Believe it or not folks, this has nothing to do with alcohol...ok, picture it -- a Tim Tam is a two inch long chocolate covered crunchy chocolate cookie. Bite off opposite ends and suck tea, yes TEA, through like the Tim Tam is a straw (think red vines and pop).  The tea melts the inside of the Tim Tam, so you have what's comparable to molten chocolate, and you have to eat it really really fast before it melts

Anne, Emily, and Yuka

. Heaven, heaven, I tell you...Chocolate Bread Pudding, step aside!  

Sunday was nuts.  We went with Emily to check into the hotel near the Rocks, where she and her parents are staying, and then on to Hyde Park for theWine Festival, where we met Josh.  After lots of time on the mobile wandering around, we finally found each other and a lovely spot under a tree to commence tasting of Aussie wine.  You could not ask for a more beautiful afternoon.  Josh and I told stories of how we each know our fabulous friend, Andrew.  Turns out Josh is from Tempe and went to NYU.  To make what is truly a long and convaluted story short, Josh also knows Brody, with whom I was put in touch through my friend Candice.  No AZ connection whatsoever.  Josh and Brody met in the Phillipines - long story, but the world is SO completely small again.  We all had a ridiculous, wine induced laugh, and kept talking.  I was attacked TWICE by a slimy Australian caterpillar, probably poisonous, as are all  things creepy and crawly here.  We moved onto Josh's where we drank a little more wine and were going to hit a local gay bar, when Josh's friend Gemma called (Gemma is THE most common name in these parts, everyone is named Gemma.  It's truly outrageous).  She had a car for the next hour and 15 minutes so she right quick, picked us up and we were off to Watson's Bay -- location of the most romantic date spot in all of Sydney

Josh, Emily, Anne, and Yuka - wine at Hyde Park

.  Picture the sun setting over Sydney Harbour.  Oysters, champagne, a cool breeze, three women, and one gay man.  Our hour was short.  Gemma drove us back into the city and we said our goodbyes.

I was supposed to catch the bus (it was about 8pm), but I did what I tend to do entirely too often.  I walked back to Coogee -- all the way back.  It took about an hour and a half.  I knew the way and love doing this.  It's probably not the safest thing to do, but I keep my wits about me (and was ever the more paranoid by my heightened sense of drunken awareness). Plus, I really think I'm more likely to be prey to some scumbag standing at a bus stop than I am on the move.   

I also had an awful lot to think about.  I've had an absolutely wonderful week, I'm going to be so sad to see it end.  The closer I got to Coogee, the more stars appeared. I wish I had a tape recorded into which to speak my thoughts.  It would be much easier to do than to write things down while walking.  So many thoughts.  I am really glad I am here.  It feels right, as though I am really going to discover things not only about myself, but about the world, people, my purpose.  I know this maybe all sounds ridiculous.  I guess this is more than just "vacation" to me.  I hate saying "finding myself" because that's not quite it either

Tim Tam Slammer

.  A wise Chilean man, when I told him I was about to travel, he said to me, "Travel is the school of life."  What I'm looking for I wasn't finding where I was, in what I was doing, which is why I wasn't finding it, maybe.  I needed to start my search over, elsewhere. 

We watch a lot of movies around here because Yuka bought a bunch cheap in Thailand. Last night's feature was "The Pursuit of Happyness."  I guess we are all in that pursuit.  Great movie.  Will Smith's  personality, the way he carries himself, talks, cracks jokes, reminds me of my brother. .  It was neat to watch Will Smith with his son in the movie.  Reminded me again of how my brother is so wonderful with his three daughters and how tremendous that kind of love can be. 

So, I've mentioned how ridiculously strong the sun is here...well, I have burned HELL into my front torso.  It looks and feels like hell. Absolutely no sleeping position is comfortable. I hope I'm not scarred for life.  I"m not even kidding.  It's pretty bad.  A few years ago, my dermatologist told me to keep my shirt on.  Man, I should have listened!  For various reasons, I couldn't sleep, got up early this morning, took my book and my journal to the beach at about 7am after tossing and turning for too long.  Sat on the beach in my jammies and fleece and wrote and read until it was time for brekky

Watsons Bay

.  So peaceful.  Ok, so back to hell, only because I think this is funny.  I realize I probably need to stay out of the sun, or at least cover up my tummy today.  I have only a few days left at Coogee and want to take full advantage of being on the beach, so I go down to the beach wearing bikini bottoms and a tank top, except the one I pick to wear is of the current fashion...  After getting dressed, I felt like I looked kind of like an expectant mother, minus that whole baby bump thing. 

I just started reading "Don Quixote" - trading one adventure for another.  

Oh, one last thing...every morning Yuka and I watch CNN Australia or the BBC while we have breakfast.  It's a little ritual we have here now.  Funny thing about world news...if you are an American politician and you are accused of being part of a  prostitution ring, yeah, it's world news.  There is apparently NOTHING newsworthy going on right now besides the actions of our fine NY governor. It was even featured on the local evening news!  We couldn't believe how much they were showing it!

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Another view of Watsons Bay

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