What a visit! My parents are back home after a jam-packed 10 days in Sydney. I’ve been going through all the photos and videos we have of the trip, postponing the task of compiling a video, and am in awe of how much we did in such a short period of time. I also can’t believe the amount of documentation done. I have over 14GB of pictures and video from their trip. It doesn’t surprise me much though, as we didn’t even let them rest on the day they arrived. We sat them back in seats and drove downtown to the wildlife world. Then walked around Darling harbor looking for a nice place to eat. This took a while because no one stopped gazing to take a look at a menu. I couldn’t decide if my parents were awe struck by the people and harbor or in a daze from the anti desynchronosis (jet lag) drugs.
The visit was wonderful and I’m so glad they made it over here to hang out. My parents left on Monday and we were expecting Tyler to arrive Tuesday morning at 10am but his coveted free flights have a down side. He’s been to the airport, gone through customs, sat waiting, three nights in a row, rejected each time leaving him and us disappointed. Hopefully tonight is his lucky night, suit up!
C.
Our roommates Mike and Drew got back last night from an extensive tour of New Zealand. I’m pretty sure they took off on Jan. 5th and I know they got back on the 27th. We hung out last night in the living room, ambient fans swirling in the background, as they retold stories. Apparently, Milford Sound, and Queenstown, where highlights of their trip. In Milford Sound they found a glacier fed stream, with a nice looking cliff to jump off of. One by one each of the guys (5) jumped into the icy cold water. As Drew was climbing up for a second jump he looked up to see Mike take one too many steps, planting his bare foot on some loose gravel. His foot slipped out and he plummeted down, thinking to himself "this is it", he flailed sideways down to the water, landing on his side. He came up to the surface with a relieved gasp and extended two thumbs on upheld arms, to the on looking panicked faces. I’m glad he’s ok and here to tell the story, as is everyone else, who loves Mike.
I just got word from my sister that my parents are off! I’m in an uproar of excitement for their arrival. It’s a different experience knowing someone’s in route to visit you, but won’t be here for another day. Evelyn and I still have one more night in our room, before we move back out to our tent in the garage. I’ve planned out the trip and I know they’re in for a great time here in Sydney. They probably won’t want to leave just like our last visitors. It’s just that nice.
C.
The last two days for me have been beach days. It’s a lot of work to get out to the beach. The first thing that needs to be done is beach investigation. I go to this website and look at the conditions, swell report, and watch live cams before I decide which beach to venture out to. It’s pretty much a waste of time because the three beaches I know how to get to are so close the report for one is as good as the other.
Evelyn had yesterday off so she pushed me out the door cause the sun was out. Time wise we managed quite nicely and arrived at Bondi in about 45 minutes. We then found a parking spot right outside a little café on a back street and enjoyed a nice brunch. About half way through we noticed more people piling into the little café, this made us content that our choice was popular so enjoyed the food just that much more. I however looked out past the crowd of people ordering coffee and thought again about the sudden cram as rain trickled off our car, pooling with the rest of its friends on the street.
We found a new parking spot that allowed 2hrs of parking, for the price of a meal, geared up and tromped off to the desolate beach. Besides surfers, the beach, which is frequented by 35,000 people on a nice day, was bare. We made our way into the water, warm and wavy. The rain came down and was enjoyed by those who sat out on their boards floating in the waves of the sea. Today is beautiful and I’m sure Evelyn is wishing Wednesday was Thursday this week as I am right now.
C.
School holidays are now about half way done. Evelyn’s back at work with some nice new scrubs, which she says, are extremely comfortable. Work on the other hand was claimed to be monotonous and she came home explaining how she much preferred holidays. The summer seemed to end when Edith and Karl left as the days are grey and scattered with showers and the temperature hasn’t breached 26 ÑC but has maintained a thickness which makes your body a little sticky.
After a month of playing a trainee tour guide traveling around exploring what Sydney and it’s surroundings have to offer, I feel like my job was taken away by a scheduled flight. I miss finding things to do that not only I will enjoy but will cater to the interests of others. I have a cousin who lives up the north coast of BC in the Haida Gwaii Islands (Queen Charlotte Islands) who owns and runs a tourism company that takes people out on sweet boats to go whale watching and such and then provides accommodations in a floating cabin. http://www.moresbyexplorers.com/ I’m sure they love their job as long as people don’t get seasick. My experience as a tour guide wasn’t really as a tour guide because most of it was new to me, so really I just enjoyed a holiday. It was wonderful.
With Evelyn back to work and my sweet roommates traveling New Zealand I’m home alone able to indulge in personal reflection, and pensive planning. I have many goals to accomplish while in Australia primarily the physio thing, which is coming together well. I also want to become a surfer, learn a new song on guitar each week, cook extraordinary meals, exercise at a gymnastics gym, stay in touch with family and friends, and do it all while influencing people with the love I have for Jesus Christ. “I think this is possible ja, absoloodle” (Doc).
Time is ticking, and I have a washing machine that needs an expert to fix (not me).
C.
