Return to Oz

Here I am at Sydney International airport again and I don't know where the last week has gone.  Its actually been 8 days since the marathon flight from the UK and oddly enough, I'm still not quite over the jet lag despite everything that's been squeezed into this week.  The 24 hours on a plane wasn't as bad as I had been expecting it to be, and while I managed to sleep a bit on the first flight to Hong Kong, I planned to stay awake on the the following day time flight to Sydney so I stood a chance of sleeping when I arrived at my motel, but after a second breakfast as we flew south, we were asked to lower the blinds, the lights were dimmed and even the Kings Speech couldn't keep me from nodding off.

I arrived at my hotel at about 9pm, got settled but couldn't sleep until the early hours and the following day was pretty much written off as I didn't wake up until 1pm.    The following day was better, and I really needed to get myself in gear as I had been invited to visit friends to watch the Royal Wedding with them.  Sonia and Rob are the couple I met in Hong Kong last year and despite being on their honey moon at the time, they really didn't mind having someone tag along so we ended up doing quite a few day trips together and even bumped into each other again in Macau once we had gone our separate ways.  Sonia being a Royalist had asked me to pick up a souvenir Royal Wedding mug in the UK so armed with that and the Guide to the Royal Wedding from the weekend paper I hoped on the ferry from Manly and was met at Circular Quay for the walk back to their apartment in Pyrmont.  And where better to watch the wedding?  The keen supporters who watched outside a pub in the city got quite wet as it rained all evening so with a glass of wine in hand we had our own analysis of events as they unfolded.  Sonia's friend came along too, bringing with her the ultimate in newfangled kitchen gadgets, a Thermomix which by all accounts weight, chops blends and cooks, all in one clever contraption and throughout the course of the evening made flour which then became bread rolls, and a risotto which didn't require patiently stirring while adding ladel after ladel of stock - but you'd never have know the difference.  The finished dish was delicious.  And its a steal at only £1200! 


I stayed over with Rob and Sonia and the following morning headed back to Manly for a lovely lunch with Michelle and Stephen at their home which is not far from my hotel. I walked back from Pyrmont to Circular Quay just missing the 10am ferry, the next one being at 1030 which I though gave me plenty of time but then I realised that it would get me in at 1105 and Michelle and Stephen were going to meet me at my hotel at 1130 so it was a mad rush in the muggy heat back to the hotel, a cold shower, clean clothes and then back downstairs.  Naturally it was lovely to see them again, I've seen more of them in the last 12 months than I probably did when Michelle still lived at home and was my neighbour in Fleet but the highlight this time was to meet 7 week old Sophie who was an absolute delight.  Lunch was a selection of cold meats, cheeses, fresh prawns and smoked salmon and salad and absolutely spot on delicious.


Sunday I had a day off from meeting people and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Manly at a weekend.  My hotel was on the beach and from my room, I could see the surfers bobbing on the water catching a wave or two. The aussies really do make the most of the outdoors and at the weekend the town comes alive with people sitting outside cafes, eating drinking and of course walking along the promenade. 


Then the following day Diana and Gary, a couple I met in Fiji the first time round last year, came to collect me and took me out of the suburbs and into the hills for an indonesian lunch at a cute little outdoor restaurant called Buddah Belly.  They are so good at what they call Asian food here in Australia, I hadn't had indonesian food before but the meal I chose was twice cooked duck with asian veg and coconut infused rice and it was absolutely superb.  Such a nice day, despite the rain, to get away from the city to places I wouldn't have been able to get to otherwise. On the way back to Manly we took the scenic route through a national park and past another enclosed harbour before a short stop at their home to see Sally Border, the border collie who was only a small puppy in October who is now a handful but still very cute.

On Tuesday I was treated to THE most amazing Malaysian meal by Rob and Sonia.  The restaurant is called Malaya and if you should ever find yourself in Sydney, you'll find the resturannt on Lime street, close to Darling Harbour.  As Rob had been there before, Sonia and I let him order.  What came was a selection of dishes which you could loosely class as curries but all with different flavours.  To start, we had Roti bread with a chicken curry sauce and satay skewers with satay sauce which bore no resemblance to the peanut butter coloured sauce you'd usually associate with satay, it was hotter and very tasty.  Then the main courses were a selection of duck, slow cooked beef and prawn curries which were out of this world.  The flavours all so differet, the meat and even the prawns were melt in the mouth, I've never tasted anything like it.  The beauty of knowing local people who know the best places to go.  Such a treat.  I caught a cab back to Circular Quay and having just missed a ferry, I sat in the open air and had a glass of wine, listening to a busker with an accordian before a very pleasant but slightly chilly boat ride back.  

And then it was the last day of this leg of the trip but probably the best day weather wise with blue skies and sunshine so I made the most of the facilities at the hotel and had the roof terrace pool and spa all to myself for the afternoon!  Not a bad start to this trip and I can't help feeling a little overwhelmed at how lucky I have been not only that I have met some great people in my travels but that those people have taken time out to help make this trip as special as the last.   Hoping to be able to return the favour when Rob and Sonia visit the UK which I hope will be sometime soon!


So here I am back at the airport making use of the free wifi and looking forward to the next leg of the trip, FIJI.