The Name is Bondi, Bondi Beach

On my second trip to Sydney and the last day that I was there, I journeyed out to Bondi Beach.  Bondi is a around a twenty minute train ride and ten minute bus ride from Sydney.   Like most of my trip, I was fighting the weather.  It was a bit cool, raining a bit.

I wanted to go when the weather was nice, but I was not disappointed with the photo opportunity.   There were lots of great subjects for the few hours I was there.

 Bondi is famous for its beach, surf and pop culture.  It also has a significant Jewish population.  I can equate it a bit to Brighten Beach near New York city, but quite a bit smaller.    There was a wonderful Hungarian bakery that I bought a few pieces of excellent strudel.  Other shops include lots of swim and surf stores.

 

In general, I thought that Sydney lacked a culture or a general vibe.   I really did not feel this any place in Australia, until I visited Bondi.

 

Besides the large waves and surf culture.  There is a also a culture of physical fitness, swimming, volleyball and lifesaving.

It boasts the worlds first  lifesaving club.  There are also swim clubs including a winter swimming club that they call "The Icebergs."

On my way out I passed several cafes but nothing jumped out at me.  Then I passed on old fashioned fish market, bingo, that was my place.  I often do this at a stop, I walk around until a place calls out and I was not disappointed.

I had a dozen oysters and then they cooked up a huge piece of Tuna, that I thing was around $4 dollars.  The bun was a dollar extra.  I really enjoyed the meal and sat at a counter next to a medical researcher from Boston.

On my way out, I saw that the sky was turning a bit, so I went back for a few more photos. A slight rainbow was peaking out through the clouds.   This was my second rainbow of my trip.  The last one was on the first cruise.

I hung out the beach for a bit and then when I turned to go, I saw the most magnificent sky.  The skies in Australia and New Zealand have been amazing and I have never seen anything like them.

One note, is it is very easy to get sunburned in these countries, they say there is a hole in the Ozone layer, and you can feel the suns heat like nowhere else.  Even hotter than the equator.

No Need For Rolaids in Adelaide

I took the ferry back to the mainland and drove to Adelaide.  Adelaide is in the south of Australia and since Australia is about the same size as the US.  It would be located at the tip of Texas vs. Melbourne which would be like where New Orleans is and Sydney around where Charleston, South Carolina would be.
I stayed at a hotel that has self check in so it is like going to a cash machine to check in.  They have no desk or desk clerk.  I checked in late and stumbled upon a Yakatori bar that was still open.
Yakatori is Japanese meet on skewers. I remembered ordering chicken and cheese.  The food was excellent.

The next day I checked out and went for breakfast.  I would say the pancakes I had where the best since my Grandma Jeans.

It was obvious that Adelaide was a culinary city.  I checked into another hotel, a really old one.  They had the most beautiful restaurant that had a bay area overlooking the street.  The special was salt and pepper squid for $10, another great meal.

I walked the streets of the city a bit and Adelaide has a small but very nice section of shops and restaurants.

This another vintage arcade that they seem to have in each large Australian city. You can see to the left there is a chocolate store and restaurant which are also prevalent in the Australian cities.

Gelato is very big there too. Food is taken seriously in Australia, much to my surprise. 










 Please Note:  All Photos taken by my BlackBerry

Island Hopping

I arrived at Kangaroo Island late and had trouble finding a hotel room.  For $110 I stayed in a dump but it had free internet.

I did not know much about Kangaroo Island but I figured they would have kangaroos and I am bit obsessed with them.  Kangaroo Island is a 45 minute ferry ride from the mainland and is near Adelaide.

My first stop in the morning was an animal sanctuary.  Where they keep local wildlife.  I specifically went to feed the Kangaroos and was not disappointed.  In a huge pen are around 20 small Kangaroos.

For a dollar you can buy a bag of feed made up of corn and sunflower seeds.  The Kangaroos gather around you like small children.  They grab your hand while they eat and they have sharp claws.

They look like a combination of humans, dinosours and rats.  They do not seem real and resemble creatures from a movie.  Special effects guys must have studied them to create imaginary animals.

In another pen I saw a mother with the baby in the pouch.  I forgot to mention that most of these kangaroos were abandoned or injured and that is how the sanctuary receives them.

kookaburra

After feeding the kangaroos I walked around and saw other animals and birds.That include the Kookaburra made famous by a children's song and also known by its call which sound like laughter.

Emu

There were also emus which are like ostrichs.

Remarkable Rocks In The Distance

The next stop was almost an hour drive all the way across the Island and is called Remarkable Rocks.

This is a rock formation on the edge of a cliff.  From a far and up close you would have thought that this site was a commissioned sculpture.

 The formation was created by the sudden cooling of lava thousands of years ago.

The next stop was Admiral's Arch very close by.  It is a natural arch in the rocks that is also a seal colony.  You can smell the seals from far away.  They enjoy frolicking in the water.  An interesting thing I have found that the seals always seem to be near an incredibly beautiful place.  Not sure if this is a coincidense.

My final stop is a bit of a drive and is called "Little Sahara.". Down a dirt road with huge puddles I come upon huge sand dunes out of a movie.  Incidentally, I am crazy for sand dunes and visited a bunch when I lived in California.

There were a bunch of kids who were sledding and surfing down the dunes like snow.  I hiked them up and down barefooted taking pics on my trek.

This was a pretty incredible day.

The Great Ocean Road

I rented a car in Melbourne and drove the Great Ocean Rd. to Adelaide.  The Great Ocean Rd.  Is famous for its rock formations and the most famous called the Twelve Apostles.

On my way I saw people stopped by the side of the road so I stopped.  There in the trees was a koala Bear. The koalas pretty much only eat eucalyptus leaves and are stagnant around 16 hours a day as eucalyptus leaves do not have much protein.  Now all I need to see is a kangaroo.

That night I had trouble finding a hotel. I stopped at a gas station right before a huge installation of a lobster.  The gas station served food and lobster sandwich  was on the menu.  It was the  best gas station food I have ever had.

The next day  I head to the Grampians, it is a mountian area but when I get there it is closed due to flooding.  They showed me pictures and entire roads were washed out.

The lady at the information center gives me an alternative route to Adelaide.

On the trip I see waterfalls, a pink lake blue lake ate a Vegemite sandwich with cheese.

Vegemite is a salty spread that it is a staple in Australian homes.  I guess the equivalent in the US would be peanut butter.

The pink lake is right by the road and looks very shallow.   The pink color comes from carotene producing algea. Carotene is used as a pink dye.

The blue lake is at Mount Gambier and resides in a dormant volcanic crater. They are not sure exactly why it is so blue.  It is a combination of calcium and the pitch of the sun.  In winter time the lake turns grey.  The water is the reservior for the town, adjacent to the lake.

There are also beautiful views of the ocean and lots of beach life, including para surfing.

Melbourne to Run

View of Pedestrian Bridge to Strain Station

I arrived in Melbourne by train and stayed withing walking distance of the train station. My hotel was very nice and I arrived at around 7:30 PM.  I asked the hotel clerk where I could go to get something to eat and he said around the corner.  Around the corner was a huge stadium with a lit up video screen.  It looked like a rugby game going on.  I asked someone and they said, it was an Australian football game.  There was no stopping me.  For 16 dollars I bought a general admission and sat on the fifty yard line.  The field is twice as big as an NFL field and it is almost as long as it is wide.

Hari Krishna Girls On Street

Please note, I did not have my camera much on me in Melbourne and most of the pics are taken with my cell phone, which is an old blackberry.  Incidentally,  I have an international cell phone plan.  Where I get email and internet.  Instead of using the Verizon plan to make calls, both in Australia and New Zealand I bought pre paid plans with SIM cards.  I am able to take the Verizon card out of the phone and put in the host countries card.  So it is like having two phones in one.

Melbourne Looking Very Chicago Lik

Melbourne is like Chicago.  It is clean, modern on a river and you can tell the city cares for its people.

Federation Square

There is a huge gathering are called Federation Square, which has shops and restaurants and an open area to hang out. 

Melbourne is vibrant.  There are a lot of people moving about and big change from bucolic New Zealand.  It is a fun city to just hang out and walk around. 

The old train station handles the city trains as well as has shops and is place to hang out.

Melbourne offers a free vintage cable car ride around a good part of the city.  It is interesting that in Christchurch the same ride was $20 a person.

On the outskirts of Melbourne is a flea and fruit market called Victoria Market with clothes, souvenirs and crafts.

The Australians love to eat anything, and treat food is very in.  Including our own American donuts.  There was a line 30 deep of people waiting in line for donuts.

In the middle of the city is China Town and I happened to be there during Chinese New Years.  There are lots of Asians in both Australia and New Zealand.  In fact you will see a lot of Cleveland, Indians caps.  The Koreans follow cleveland outfielder Sin Soo Choo.

Kendell New Zealand Model

In one of the shopping malls near the trains station, I see a familiar face.  The girl in the window is Kendell, the model I shot in New Zealand.  Melbourne has a number of amazing shopping malls.

View From My Train Window Sydney To Melbourn

 I was in Melbourne twice.  Both times I arrived by train.  The first trip from Sydney I booked a first class ticket and had a cabin all to myself.  It was a bit "daggy," (Australian slang for dingy).

 I was able to lie down and sleep as it was a 12 hour train ride.  My second trip in to Melbourne was from Adelaide.  I went normal fare and had a bunch of seats to myself.  On that train they had tea time and I was treated to one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. I bought from the food car a hot scone and tea.  I put cream and a package of jam on the schone and it was absolutely delightful.

I was in heaven on my train ride to Melbourne.  The little unexpected treats and happenings is what have really made this trip special.