the globe rover

33 Sydney Waratahs vs 34 New Zealand Crusaders
Aussie Stadium, Sydney

Footy is a word synonymous with Australia and I have now added to the sporting events I’ve seen in Australia a Rugby Union game. A group of us went to the game last night and although the crowd was much calmer than I anticipated the game was good fun and ambience exciting.

Attendance at the game was 25k (which doesn’t compare to the 87k+ at Auburn games but who’s comparing?). Somewhat disappointing to see empty seats. Turns out the Waratahs are having a losing season already although they did give a great challenge to the favored Crusaders. It looked at the beginning like a runaway for the Crusaders but Sydney came back and gave them a good challenge (and could have actually won if they hadn’t missed the conversion).

The most facinating part of the game was seeing the incredibly long beer line (only four beers per person allowed so they buy all four to last them the 40 minute half) and brilliant pours. Check this out…four beers poured at a time! There’s something to be learned.

PS…who names their footy team after a flower?

Sydney Harbour Dinner Cruise

Another excursion and must do before leaving Sydney! And what better way to get together with some local friends who had not done a dinner cruise either.

We booked a Sunset Dinner cruise with Captain Cook Cruises for Friday night. Fall has begun in Sydney and thus, we had to arrive at 4:30 pm in order to enjoy the sunset during our 5 pm sailing.

Once we checked in on the boat, they sat us at our table (top deck, front corner window for us…score!) and immediately started what seemed like a very mundane process. We were given a glass of champagne while the appetizers were already on the table (mezze platter and bread). Our orders were placed before we left the wharf and served just after leaving.

The food was pretty good (options for meals included salmon, beef, and chicken) and the meal included appetizers, main, and dessert (lemon tart or plate of petit fours). The wine and champagne were decent which you expect on an excursion like this. The service was lacking as there was very little interaction (definitely not experienced waiters) and no checking to see how the table was doing.

Food and service aside, the dinner cruise was great. It was wonderful to enjoy time with friends and to cruise through the Sydney Harbour one last time. The sunset over the bridge (another magnificent day) was beautiful and enjoyable from the top outside deck of the boat.

A great way to enjoy what Sydney has to offer - just don’t expect super service or food.

Where else in the world they do eat their coat of arms?

According to a local Sydneysider, only in Australia. After our BridgeClimb, we were given a recommendation to go to The Australian Hotel in the Rocks for some gourmet pizza.

First three pizza options:

• Pepper Kangaroo
• BBQ Emu
• Salt Water Crocodile

Given that John and Michael had eaten Kangaroo the night before and we had a dinner cruise to come, we opted to share a half and half pizza with Emu and Croc. Experience is the key, right?

The BBQ Emu was quite good and tasted a bit like a barbequed beef pizza (the meat was sliced thinly and was tender and flavorful). On the other hand, I wasn’t a fan of the Salt Water Croc. The flavor was a bit fishy and the consistency chewy, which didn’t make for an enjoyable experience for my pallette. Chalk one up for another different food experience.

Thank goodness the Aussie’s don’t eat their Koalas!

Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Synonymous with visiting Sydney is an adventure on the Sydney BridgeClimb. And with less than a week left in Sydney, my chance had finally arrived to embark upon the climb with some friends visiting from the States.

The climb starts with paperwork, an alcohol breath-test, some “sexy” grey suits, and all kinds of accessories (and not the kind you’d find in fashion magazines). Everything has to be removed from your person including wallets, watches, bracelets, cameras, mobile phones, etc. Then belts, latches (the most important part of the gear and the safety hook), radios, handkerchiefs, hats, glasses hooks, hair bands, and fleece are all added. And after a quick demonstration on a “mock” bridge and a couple of briefings, we set out for the real thing.

First of all, if you haven’t seen the bridge up close and in person, it is truly amazing. I won’t go through the full history (you can find it here at Wiki or here at the 75th Anniversary site), but two interesting facts are that it is the widest long-span bridge and largest steel arch bridge in the world. Enough on it’s own but from the BridgeClimb perspective even better. It is a site to behold and amazing to cross through the tunnel and enter onto the catwalks that take you under the street to the ladders. There are a set of five very step ladders that then lead you to the arch where you begin the most amazing ascent on a man-made piece of steel.

There are stops along the route to pause and breathe in the fresh air and magnificent views (and did I mention that it was the most perfect Sydney blue sky during our climb?). From the summit or highest point (134 metres above the harbour), it is truly stunning. There is a 360-degree view in all directions allowing you to see 50 miles out to sea in one direction and 60 miles out to the mountains of Sydney in another. And have I mentioned yet the spectacular view of the Opera House? Awe-inspiring! If only I had my camera..

Our luck struck double when a huge oil tanker being pulled by four tugboats (at $2500 per hour per boat) crossed under the bridge just as we were at the summit. The size struck us as we watched it from both sides of the bridge. John, our knowledgebase of a guide, told us that was unusual and quite unique to see.

The climb is three hours in duration and most of that time is actually spent on the bridge. The guides are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable - John truly could answer all of our questions about both the bridge and Sydney. The climb is a bit pricey at $169 for the cheapest daytime/weekday climb. It’s worth it to do (save for the prices they charge you for the pictures on top of the climb fee) if cash is available.

I was struck today by another amazing experience in this city of Sydney. I am more and more convinced that Sydney is in my top five cities to live!

Some good old fashioned TLC (and yummy food) from my flatmates

After fighting the flu epidemic in Sydney for the last three weeks, my body finally gave in (wonder if it had anything to do with the birthday weekend of wine drinking…). But being sick sure has had its advantages at #12 Milford Street.

Three nights straight of home cooked meals (spaghetti bolognese, lamb chops with mint sauce, and chorizo pasta) combined with plenty of calls and checking in to make sure I’m okay. I think the TLC may have had something to do with my quick recovery. But on second thought, maybe I’m still not feeling too well ;)…

Tony & James have created some pretty hefty shoes to be filled. Or maybe I’ll have to take the fast flight (as if) to Sydney the next time I’m not feeling too well.

I usually try and read at least one book about a new country before traveling there. So when searching for travelogues about my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia, this one caught my eye. I had not heard of the book but thought it sounded interesting and a great way to gain some insight into Vietnam from a foreigner’s perspective.

No doubt this book did provide that perspective as well as great detail into some of the cultural ways of life in both Vietnam and Hanoi. Pam Scott is a “mature” Australian woman that moves to Hanoi for eight years and engrains herself in the local life. She shares many different traditions from Tet to weddings to eating to traveling to opening a business as well as daily life. Although the writing was not the most riveting, the stories are great and Pam Scott provides plenty of personal information that helps an “outsider” get a picture of what living in Hanoi must be like. She personalizes the city through her experiences and friendships and those are passed on the reader with ease.

Thoroughly enjoyable and I feel that much more equipped for my trip to Vietnam having a little bit more insight into some of the nuances of the Vietnamese. Definitely recommended for anyone planning a trip to Vietnam for the first time. And thanks to Pam Scott for sharing so much of her personal life! More after the trip on my parallels with Pam Scott’s obersvations…

Cairns, Australia

Twenty meters underwater and a whole different world exists. Taking the time to “stop and smell the roses” while you’re underwater truly allows a great appreciation of the enormity of life underwater.

My trip to Cairns afforded me six dives (three from Port Douglas and the same from Cairns) to the ever popular and famous Great Barrier Reef. And from someone who hasn’t had any spectacular dives in the last few years, the trend has changed.

Remove the image of all the vast colors most photos depict of fish and coral in the GBR (there are lots of factors that impact the colors sometimes including photoshop) and what remains is the picturesque scene I explored in the GBR. The coral was astounding in so many shapes, sizes and variations and the plants growing on and around the coral add to the canvass. But for me the fascination was with the fish and animals living around the reef.

There is definitely a surge of adrenaline when you look about 10 feet away and see a shark swimming by (it may have only been a smallish white tip reef shark but it is still a shark). Or how about the excitement swimming right up to a large green sea turtle nibbling on some coral. And who would think a giant cod could become a finger biting pet? When it’s Axel the 40 kilo flowering cod that eats out of the hands of the instructors and lets you pet him like a dog, that’s when. You have to watch your fingers though as he’s been known to munch on some instructor digits mistaking them for fish food. Although I have mixed thoughts on interfering with nature and hand feeding wild fish, it was a unique experience.

The sea life was endless and included some rare spottings such as the hairy ghost pipefish (which to the untrained eye could be mistaken for seaweed). Other fishes we saw included plenty of sea anemone fish (picture Nemo… just as cute and colorful), flatworms (much like a leaf rippling through water), varieties of parrotfish, bannerfish, angelfish, eels, blue spotted stingrays, goby, shrimp, a huge lobster, and plenty of others.

Truly swimming through, over, and around the reef was spectacular. And there was so much to discover by stopping and watching closely. I think I know more about barrier fish now than any other type after studying the books to identify all our spottings.

And not to disappoint, there are always eccentrics on dive trips which make for interesting companions and buddies. On my first dive, an older lady managed to get lost from our extremely small group of three. It’s the first time that’s ever happened but everything worked out find thanks to her experience and knowing what to do (although the others in our group did have a split moment of thinking about “Open Water” where the two divers got left behind…).

Definitely in my top five dive sites for sure! A must do for diving enthusiasts.

Very interesting and witty view of a Sydneysider’s return to New Delhi to be with her boyfriend during his assignement with the Australian Broadcasting Company. In her adventures around India Sarah discovers spirituality encounters with Islam, Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhs, Parsis, Sufis, and Christians. She also discovers herself and the Indian within.

Easy read and great insight for anyone getting ready to travel to India – explores the many contrasts in a huge country.

The interesting stories of Kelly’s rise in the surfing world and journey to become the best surfer. The writing is not fantastic but if you’re a fan of surfing this book will get you excited. Even if you’re not a fan of surfing, it’ll get you excited about the sport.

Interesting insight into the ins and outs of the surfing world and the views from a little boy to a grown man. He’s definitely led an interesting life and lets readers get a small view of his personal life as well as a recollection of his struggles and triumphs. A bit heavy on the recollection of each surfing event he attended and his placement. Nonetheless, good entertainment.

Taxi Talk in Sydney, Australia

“I make it through the day by starting with a couple of Zoloft. Then I can drive and talk to my customers…”

And my flatmates and I thought that our innocent game of “10 questions to get to know your cabbie” was fun! So much for sitting back and relaxing with the cabbie.

I started asking cabbies a while ago in London a few basic questions to pass the quiet drive time…
Start off easy with “how long have you been driving?” Then ease into, “what’s been your most memorable driving experience?” Follow that with “who was your most famous passenger?” Then follow with a big, “what was your biggest tip?” By this time, the cabbies have loosened up and are chatting a mile a minute. Unprompted even.

The real tales start when they begin talking about where they are from and their families and why they do this job.

One cabbie, on the way to my web design class in the middle of rush hour on a Wednesday night, led into my favorite topic of travel. This guy drove a cab nine months out of the year every day of the week to earn enough money to pay for a three-month holiday. Not a fancy one, but one where he could drive his “fixed up” van around Australia visiting places he could only dream of. He told me stories of off the beaten places that no one had heard of and the only stop for gas was one little shop where you could buy meat pies and veggies. It was the only shop for miles and the pies were whatever was leftover from that day or the day before. And the owner had no electricity as he cut corners to save for travel selling what he grew and making a dime however he could then traveling with the proceeds. If that isn’t paying it forward – a cabbie on holiday stopping for gas and a pie to support a shop owner earning money for his next adventure!

Needless to say, tonight was quite different. It started with the comments about Zoloft. Sam (from Afghanistan) was “depressed” and hating talking to his customers until he started popping the magjical two pills in the morning. Hmmm, seemed like Sam went from angry and anti-social to flying high willing to talk your ear off. Granted his driving was pretty good for someone flying on anti-depressants. He’s been in Oz since he was seven never having been back to Afghanistan. Memories call him and draw his desire to return.

We had another cabbie from Russia who wouldn’t play our questions game. At first. Before we knew it, he was on fire and had stories galore. This cabbie had been held at gun point, had multiple people sick in his car, driven royalty, and ended up at the police station multiple times for things he happened to be a part of for doing his job. And all this from a guy who said he didn’t have anything interesting ever happen to him.

So if you are ever in need of an adventure or learning fabulous tales from someone else’s life, hop in a cab. And take the time to ask a few questions!