This last weekend the man and I have challenged ourselves to a hike!
So Sunday, when the day dawned with spectacular weather - sunny but not HOT - (perfect hiking weather) we decided to hit the famous Many to Spit Bridge trail.
Although our guide book recommended walking the route the other direction...from spit bridge to manly!
So we parked the car at the spit bridge and set off with our day packs and a camera.
First observation...the route is BUSY...lots of people of every kind and description...the serious hikers, the meanderers...the whole family groups with tiny tots on tow.....and the runners who come charging round the corner like rhino's from the underbush!
I would definately recommend the route as the views are great and varied! Everything from a peek onto a pristine little piece of paradise (beautiful beaches) too extravagant city and harbour vista's.
For the average hiker the route is actually undemanding. We made the walk in under 2 hours and all the area's with difficult footing have been concreted or have boardwalks.....no bundu-bashing necessary....the hills were never extreme and the descends always seemed to come at the right time!
After a lunch in Manly, we decided we would actually rather walk back. So we retraced our steps and along the way met some very bemused expressions of people we had passed and overtaken. Some thought we were mad to redo the walk, others were doing the same!
I must admit that I wasn't watching the scenery as much the return trip. For me the return trip was for the exersize aspect of hiking! But we still enjoyed it and managed a creditable time back to the car!
The hike is definately on my list of things to do with guests anytime we have people of reasonable fitness visiting!
So if you're in Sydney, take the time and do the hike.
If you're planning to visit.....add it to your to-do list!
Thats all for now.....
ADIOS...
PS: My thoughts are with the poor baby whale, Colin, who was put down today...poor tike!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
A day at sea
So another weekend of being a tourist in the city that I live in!
Its quiet strange, have you ever seen the city you live in from a tourist’s point of view?
I know when I lived in Johannesburg, I made a concerted effort to know what was around (in terms of activities or attraction that Johannesburg offered to visitors!) and I was continually amazed at the variety of things on offer. What was even more amazing was the lack in interest from other residents in JHB. They didn’t care and had never taken the time to explore!
After settling-in the man and I started really looking at Sydney for things to do! When we had been here for our honeymoon, we had done the most common tourist things (mostly around the CBD) but now we try to do one thing around Sydney out of the ordinary!
Yesterday it was Whale-watching!
And what a day it was! The swell on the ocean was relatively large, the wind was cold and the whales were shy! But all in all, I would do it again in a heartbeat! I loved the boat’s wild motions and the whales quiet swimming. The whales we spotted (and the subsequently hounded like irritating blowflies) were so large and graceful. They really did nothing spectacular besides surface, breathe two or three times and then submerge again.
They managed to continually surprise our tour guides in their ability to make the forecast of where the whale would surface again! To my irritation and subsequent humour the whales were always just out of camera range.
In the end I learnt to be better with my camera and more relaxed about the whole thing. Maybe the fact I didn’t get the perfect picture is what will drive me to do it again! Maybe it was the fact that these huge water leviathans tolerated our presence and maybe it was that watching them swim was inspiring! These creatures were on a mission. They knew where they wanted to be and why. Watching them made me realise that maybe I should have a look at where I was going and why.
At the end of the day I found three things
1. I don’t get sea sick
2. I was freezing
3. I love whale watching
Its quiet strange, have you ever seen the city you live in from a tourist’s point of view?
I know when I lived in Johannesburg, I made a concerted effort to know what was around (in terms of activities or attraction that Johannesburg offered to visitors!) and I was continually amazed at the variety of things on offer. What was even more amazing was the lack in interest from other residents in JHB. They didn’t care and had never taken the time to explore!
After settling-in the man and I started really looking at Sydney for things to do! When we had been here for our honeymoon, we had done the most common tourist things (mostly around the CBD) but now we try to do one thing around Sydney out of the ordinary!
Yesterday it was Whale-watching!
And what a day it was! The swell on the ocean was relatively large, the wind was cold and the whales were shy! But all in all, I would do it again in a heartbeat! I loved the boat’s wild motions and the whales quiet swimming. The whales we spotted (and the subsequently hounded like irritating blowflies) were so large and graceful. They really did nothing spectacular besides surface, breathe two or three times and then submerge again.
They managed to continually surprise our tour guides in their ability to make the forecast of where the whale would surface again! To my irritation and subsequent humour the whales were always just out of camera range.
In the end I learnt to be better with my camera and more relaxed about the whole thing. Maybe the fact I didn’t get the perfect picture is what will drive me to do it again! Maybe it was the fact that these huge water leviathans tolerated our presence and maybe it was that watching them swim was inspiring! These creatures were on a mission. They knew where they wanted to be and why. Watching them made me realise that maybe I should have a look at where I was going and why.
At the end of the day I found three things
1. I don’t get sea sick
2. I was freezing
3. I love whale watching
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Its the little things in life
Let’s just get this straight…
I say down under and I mean Australia.
Although to be fair, It’s not like I moved much in latitude.
South Africa and Australia are both considered to be on the wrong end of the globe by the northerners.
So there is the big ugly true! I am a SAFFA (and a newbie too)
I am a new South African living in Australia.
The man (or husband) and I have been living here since Jan 2008 and so far so good! The whole why we are here and why we left story is just to boring and ordinary! So onto the fun stuff, the random things you never knew about living in Australia.
As it is my first blog I will take the easy road and just illustrate a couple of items:
1.They stock the shelves in the supermarket strangely (sometime unlogical?). In a general supermarket the olive oil and balsamic vinegar are not in the same aisle. Neither is the baking powder and flour. Bizarrely, common neighbours on South African shelves, have now moved great distances apart. It’s a small thing, but it really threw me on my first major shopping expedition.
2.There is no haze. Ever been in Johannesburg on a crisp winter day? Next time you are , take a good look at the horizon, and you a see a brown smudge? (a bit like a dirty ring in the sink when you’ve let the water out) Well not in Sydney!
3.They have the coolest birds here! No sparrows and doves in my neighbourhood. Instead I have flocks of loud (and stupid) cockatoos! Not to mention the rainbow parakeets. In Baulkham Hills I often also see Galea’s (pink and grey version of the cockatoo). Even the few doves I have seen are strange, they have domes on their heads! Oh yes…don’t forget the "white" ibis, the grey ones are know in South Africa as a ha-de-da! I have even had owls and kookaburras in my yard. I admit though, I totally LOVE the cockatoos. They are always doing something bizarre and un-bird like!
Its funny how when you move countries, you prepare yourself for the big changes (such as lifestyle and language). You can accept that there will be big changes and yet it’s the littlest things that can make or break your everyday existence so far from home!
I say down under and I mean Australia.
Although to be fair, It’s not like I moved much in latitude.
South Africa and Australia are both considered to be on the wrong end of the globe by the northerners.
So there is the big ugly true! I am a SAFFA (and a newbie too)
I am a new South African living in Australia.
The man (or husband) and I have been living here since Jan 2008 and so far so good! The whole why we are here and why we left story is just to boring and ordinary! So onto the fun stuff, the random things you never knew about living in Australia.
As it is my first blog I will take the easy road and just illustrate a couple of items:
1.They stock the shelves in the supermarket strangely (sometime unlogical?). In a general supermarket the olive oil and balsamic vinegar are not in the same aisle. Neither is the baking powder and flour. Bizarrely, common neighbours on South African shelves, have now moved great distances apart. It’s a small thing, but it really threw me on my first major shopping expedition.
2.There is no haze. Ever been in Johannesburg on a crisp winter day? Next time you are , take a good look at the horizon, and you a see a brown smudge? (a bit like a dirty ring in the sink when you’ve let the water out) Well not in Sydney!
3.They have the coolest birds here! No sparrows and doves in my neighbourhood. Instead I have flocks of loud (and stupid) cockatoos! Not to mention the rainbow parakeets. In Baulkham Hills I often also see Galea’s (pink and grey version of the cockatoo). Even the few doves I have seen are strange, they have domes on their heads! Oh yes…don’t forget the "white" ibis, the grey ones are know in South Africa as a ha-de-da! I have even had owls and kookaburras in my yard. I admit though, I totally LOVE the cockatoos. They are always doing something bizarre and un-bird like!
Its funny how when you move countries, you prepare yourself for the big changes (such as lifestyle and language). You can accept that there will be big changes and yet it’s the littlest things that can make or break your everyday existence so far from home!
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