Eating in Sydney and Surfing at Bondi Beach

Trip Start Mar 23, 2009
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Trip End Jun 03, 2009


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Flag of Australia  , New South Wales,
Saturday, May 2, 2009

I was so excited to head to Sydney, not only to see the famous Opera House, Harbor Bridge and beaches, but to meet my friend Melissa, who flew from Florida to travel the Australian East Coast with me. It has been a great experience to travel solo, and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to meet new people from around the world and explore new places and activities on my own schedule and at my own whim - but it is also great to have a travel companion and friend to share the experiences!

I landed in Sydney on Friday evening, and Melissa had arrived that morning. She was feelin' 2 days of travel and jet lag, and I'd had 3 days of hiking and camping, so we were both happy to catch up, relax and recuperate at the hotel. Some wine, appetizers and a celebratory champagne cocktails, and we called it a night by 9 p.m.
Before heading Down Under, Melissa had connected via email with a colleague's brother who lived in Sydney, named Paul. He shared tips about the area and surf breaks with her and then volunteered to guide us around for the morning. He picked us up at the hotel and drove the scenic route around Sydney's coastal suburbs and beaches so we were able to see the amazing views and avoid the tourist's bus - score! Even better, Paul offered to take us surfing at Bondi Beach, how classic is that? Melissa rented a long board, and I opted to body board. I'd decided to relieve the pressure of not catching a single wave - I could just kick around the surf with my body board and flippers and at least look like I knew what I was doing. To top it off, Melissa and I sat on our boards in the sand during a break from being in the waves, and a bus of Japanese tourists unloaded on the beach to take pictures of Bondi's famous vistas. Two groups then proceeded to ask for photos WITH us as "authentic" Australian surfer girls! Ha!
The morning had been sunny and warm, but clouds started rolling in, so after a couple hours, we wrapped up surfing and grabbed lunch with Paul. It was great of him to spend his day with and show us around, it gives you such a better perspective of a place when you can visit with locals and make new friends, I hope I can repay the favor or at least pay it forward when visitors come to my town.
Unfortunately, though, tragedy struck for me after surfing because my camera broke! Fortunately Melissa has hers so we can capture the rest of the trip, but it may be a while before I can add any more to the blog. Such a bummer!
That evening Melissa and I walked down to the harbor to enjoy sunset views of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge. We stopped for drinks and apps and chatted with another solo traveler from Melbourne, Dave. The harbor area not only has amazing views but tons of great restaurants, so we invited Dave to join us for dinner and we all enjoyed great steaks, wine and conversation. I think we spent most of the time talking about the difference in Australian and American lingo and habits, which could definitely occupy a few wine-filled hours!
After spending the day enjoying the beaches and the night living it up at the harbor in Sydney, we decided that we were ok with moving on to our next destination the following afternoon. We woke up early and walked the classic trail around the city to Mrs McQuaries Chair to enjoy the rest of the city and harbor views. We then headed to the airport to fly to Byron Bay and continue our quest to savor Australia's best beaches!
Till then!Stephanie
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