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Published: December 19th 2015
Dancing Dave asked me why I chose Sydney. I said "Because I've never been to Australia before" and "I want to see the great cities of the world!" Then I thought about it some more. Why do I choose big cities in wealthy countries? I guess it's because we all want what we don't have. I live in a poor country so I want to see wealthy countries to experience what life is like there. Although it often just makes me envious of the things that they have that I can never have. Traveling to wealthy countries is also a form of escape for me. Even just for a few weeks a year I want to live my fantasy of living in a city that's clean, safe, and beautiful. I'm not saying that it's not safe and beautiful in my country, but the city where I live which is Manila, is a lot like Gotham city.
When I stepped out of the train, it looked like a scene from a movie. A perfect summer day, though it was Spring. The grass was so green, the buildings all new and shiny, and beautiful people lied down on the grass of Hyde
NOT THE HAND!
Featherdale zoopark while having their picnic. All that was missing was a bunch of butterflies and I would not have believed it was real. Instantly, I knew that it was money well spent. So yes I took a few wrong turns before I finally found my hostel, but I didn't mind! I was mesmerized by the sights and sounds and smell of everything! That fresh first world smell. It reminded me a lot about San Francisco. Only I felt safer. A mix of old and new. There's a world famous bridge and instead of Alcatraz you have the opera house.
I heard that Australian fashion is very relaxed. Like the jeans and T-shirts kind of people. Then I saw a few ladies wearing cocktail dresses and high heels. I thought they must be going to a party. Then I saw more women and men who looked like they walked out of a fashion magazine! So I thought "Okay, this must be their everyday office look". Lots of beautiful women everywhere.
I joined two free walking tours on my first day. I realized I should have brought shorts instead of jeans. The forecast that I looked at a week before
my trip said it would be in the low to mid twenties. However it turned out to be high thirties to low forties most days. But staying in my hostel would be a waste of time so I did my walks anyway. Bondi to Cooggee walk was beautiful, but not stunning. I'm from a tropical country so I have very high standards when it comes to beaches. Although of course unlike the Philippines, public beaches in Sydney have first world amenities. Lifeguards, toilets, showers, etc. Lots of people jogged in the morning. I remember seeing a signboard in Vegas promoting a show for Australian male strippers. I thought, why Australian? Why do they have to import men from Australia to dance in mankinis? When I did the Bondi to Coogee walk I realized why. If you're into shirtless guys running around with their glistening six pack abs, then Bondi to Coogee walk should be on top of your list. I only saw one girl who had a knock out body. But she made up for the dearth of sexy women.
There was an old miserable lady on the bus going to Bondi who was rude to me and everyone
else on the bus. She yelled at the girl who helped her get on the bus, had a fight with an old man who almost hit her with his cane, and called me a waste of space for interrupting her conversation with the bus driver when I had to ask the driver if the next stop was my stop. I would have fired back if she wasn't as frail looking and we were in Manila. I tried my best to let it slide and just forget about it so it won't ruin my day. Oh and I tried fish and chips as a cultural immersion even though I'm vegetarian. That's as far as I can go though. No way I'm eating steak or vegemite!
This trip made me feel old. The majority of the people in my hostel were teenagers so I wasn't really able to connect with anyone there. The demographic of the hostel might also be because it's one of the cheapest you can find in Sydney. I guess I should now move on to staying in hotels now that I'm in my 30's. I did make friends with a few people in the coach tour that
I booked. Wherever I go I find that it's easier to make friends with other travellers in group tours. Yes travelling solo is still fun but it's more fun if you have other people there to share those memories with. I find that it can get more expensive when you socialize though. At night we'd meet up after our tours and have dinner in a restaurant, then have drinks in a bar, then onto a club to dance. I could have easily done without those extra expenses. It makes you think if reaching out and making friends with other travelers is worth the extra cost. Or maybe that's just me, but these are people you will only interact with for a day or two while on the road. I was even hesitant to give my number so they can contact me where to meet up so I gave my Twitter instead. I didn't want to give my facebook because it felt too personal, like my mobile number; although I really did like them. But I already have way too many "friends" on facebook. Im not sure what it is. Maybe I just want to compartamentalize. It's like how I don't
want to be facebook friends with my family because I'm a different person to different people. I'm a different person when I'm travelling. I do have facebook friends from all over the world who I met while traveling and only spent a day or two with. Even though we don't talk much I still have very fond memories of them. The bond that people develop while traveling together is very strong and develops way faster than normal. So I guess making friends with other travelers is not really a waste of energy, time, and emotion. Even if the relationship lasts only a few days and you need to make compromises. I wanted to do some bushwalking but the guys wanted to ride the cable car in Scenic World. So I ended up spending $35 for the cable car rides that I didn't care for.
Met up with a high school classmate in Parramatta. I said I wanted to take a walk around town. She took me for a walk inside a mall. We were there for about an hour until I said I wanted to see the town. I didn't spend all that money to go to Australia to
see a mall. So we walked around town for a bit and talked about life and our other classmates who are now living in Australia. Everyone seems to have it all together; career, family, life in Australia. Made me feel like I'm being left out again. I just have a very slow pace I guess. Though I am trying to get it together. Or maybe I already have it together because I am comfortable where I am.
I met up with a travel blogger for the first time! I'm not really a big fan of surprises but Dave did not tell me where he was taking me. It turned out to be the highlight of my trip! First we went to Mrs. Mcquarie's point which has the best view of the harbor. My photo there is now my profile picture on Facebook. We visited Palm Beach before going to his house which is right on the edge of Berowra. That's where the highlight of my trip happened! I wanted to include bush walking in my itinerary to see wild Australian animals but I didn't know where to go and didn't have enough time. I didn't have to worry about
that after all since Dave's backyard is the wild Australian bush. I can imagine growing up there must have been magical for his kids. To have access to a forest so big with such diverse wildlife. I saw three kangaroos! I forget which kind but seeing them in the wild completed my Australian experience. Thousands of cuckatoos cover the sky before sunset when they go back home after their day job. Though I only saw a handful because we had to leave just when they were starting to arrive. We then went to this artsy cabaret to see a show. Apparently Dave's a big music geek with an eclectic taste that included world music. The singer and the band played gypsy music which I did not understand because they were either French or Romanian or something else, but it was definitely interesting as I've never experienced anything like that.
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
What a pleasure
When you contacted me from the Philippines that you were coming to Sydney I was excited thinking how I could make your visit memorable. Thank you for embracing our full day & night together with fun & enthusiasm. And you were lucky. Lady Macquarie's Chair for the best views of Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Through heavy traffic to Sydney's most northern beach I was a tad concerned our destination would be packed out. But as we walked along Pittwater towards Lion Island then over the dunes to Palm Beach...no one else was there. Unheard of!!! Off the track bush-bashing behind my place into Berowra Valley National Park listening to a bird chorus with swamp wallabies hopping by. A shaggy brown one nearly collided with us! Then as sulphur crested cockatoos squarked overhead as they headed for home in the valley we headed to Camelot Lounge for front row seats for Nadya & the 101 Candles. You appeared in awe as gypsy swing in many tongues and musical instruments captured your soul. Got you back to your hostel at 10 after midnight for a kip before your flight back to Manilla the next day. Thanks for contacting me you were coming to Sydney, Harold. You are one of TBs true gentlemen...and we had a truly memorable time together. Keep in touch.