Another Sunset in Manly

When my mom came to visit me, I tried to put together the best 10-day itinerary, which would hit the essential sights without being over touristy and would let her see the many sides of Sydney. I had a great plan for most of the week, but the hardest part was figuring out what to do the first day when I figured she’d be pretty exhausted.

Then came the New York Times to the rescue. (Has it ever done me wrong?) I found an old article I’d bookmarked, “Fighting Jet Lag in Manly.” I remembered the first time I went to Manly, I sat next to two Americans who were also fresh off the double-digit flight.


It was perfect. We caught the ferry at Circular Quay, which offers up-close views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The ride is a leisurely half hour and you can sit inside or out.


Once in Manly, you can stroll in and out of shops on the Corso, eat kebabs by the beach and get attacked by seagulls, take a dip in the rock pool, walk to neighboring Shelly Beach or take a bushwalk up the North Head.


Stay for sunset.

Summer, I Miss You

Our Coogee-to-Bondi walk made me long for a warm beach day again, but at this point, the only way to get in the water is in a wetsuit, like the surfers we watched at Bronte Beach.

Though I’m not ready for my semester abroad to come to an end, as it will in less than three weeks, at least I have summer back home to look forward to.


Side note: Bronte has the nicest looking rock pool of all the beaches I’ve seen here.

A Long Day of Exploring Part II

After a few hours hiking in Palm Beach, I wanted to jump in the water, but decided to wait until Part II of my excursion so I wouldn’t be sandy and saltwatery on the bus. (Sweaty was ok for some reason.) So when I got to Avalon, which is about 5 or 6 km from Palm Beach, it was time for a dip. I swam a few laps in the rock pool to cool off before my next hike.


A 10-15 minute walk from the beach is the Angophora Reserve, named for angophora trees, which are related to eucalyptus. The reserve comprises about 45 acres of vegetation and walking trails. Actually, I learned about it after looking at the city bus map and wondering what that section of green was. After some googling, I found out Avalon is one of the only suburbs in Sydney where koalas are still found naturally so I knew I had to go. Unfortunately I saw more signs warning of koalas than actual critters, but I figured it’d be a long shot I’d actually see one in the wild.


Even without koalas, the walk was incredible. It felt like a rainforest — dark and humid with palms and fern growing below trees filled with cackling kookaburra and squalling cockatoo.



But when I set out on the trail in the late afternoon, I forgot to make any efforts to find out where the hike would go and how long I’d be on it. I ended up in a residential area and decided to take to the streets instead of wandering the isolated nature path. It was about the time the thunder started to roll that I admitted I didn’t know where I was or where I was going. When the drizzle began, I realized I was on the opposite side of the valley I needed to be.


I kept walking, declining a ride offer from two guys in a truck and finding a stray dog who followed me to the convenience store I eventually found to confirm my way back to the bus stop. It turned into a 35-minute walk in light rain, but I made it. And hey, the whole premise of this blog was for me to get a little lost, so the day was a success. (I then came home, passed out by 9ish and slept for 12 hours.)

Land of the Free

I love free stuff the way a fat kid I love cake.

I like to sift through newspapers and magazines in search of festivals, shows and other events gratis. On my second day in Sydney, I hit up the Chinese New Year Dragon Boat Races, exhibits at the Maritime Museum, Gay Mardi Gras and a short film festival at The Domain — all for free.

The best part of free festivals is that they usually involve more free stuff. I’ve accumulated seven free beach bags, five tins of orange Eclipse mints, four Schick Quattro razors, Vitamin Water, green iced tea, a ball, a Frisbee and a medley of pens. But best yet, surfing lessons.


This week (in my free copy of Time Out Sydney) I heard about a free surf class in honor of International Women’s Day. This Southern California girl has never tried to surf before, believe it or not, so I called up and reserved the last free spot.

We got an hour of instruction and surf time, with boards and wetsuits provided, at Dee Why Beach. Saturday was my first time on the other side of the Harbour Bridge. I liked the atmosphere better at Dee Why than Bondi or Coogee, but they each offer something different.

After our surf lesson and a good hour of recovery, we explored the tide pools, where we spotted two octopi.


We also found a dead blowfish, which was interesting, but hardly aesthetically pleasing. I’ll spare you and offer this starfish photo instead.



Then we took a short walk through the Dee Why Wildlife Reserve along the lagoon. And who doesn’t love lagoons?

Summer in Sydney

It’s no secret I love the New York Times. It’s a less known fact that the Times loves me. A prime example being the time the food section provided a pinup of supernatural brownies. This weekend the NYT did a travel feature on rock pools at Sydney beaches. How convenient.



Back in the day, aristocrats and convicts alike created baths by enclosing corners of the beach with rocks. The writer called them the “original infinity pools.” People swim in them for the scenery and feel of the ocean without the threat of sharks or rough surf. There are lap pools you usually have to pay for or be a member of to use, like Wylies Baths at the south end of Coogee, but I took a dip at Giles Baths, which was at the opposite edge and free.



The baths were first known as the Bogey Hole. From the 1850s and into the early 1900s, men swam at the north end of the beach, and women kept to the south.



Apparently five years ago some people thought they saw the Virgin Mary in shadows on the cliff and it became a pilgrimage site for a while. I didn’t see her, but I thought it was cool the clouds seemed to imitate the rocks.



That same year, the northern headland was renamed Dolphin Point to honor the six members of the Coogee Dolphins rugby team, who died in a bombing in Bali in 2002. A sculpture serves as a memorial for the 91 Australian victims in the attack.



Of course, I wouldn’t have known all this if it weren’t for the good ol’ Times.