Bondi Rescue

On March 8th, Sarah and I went to Bondi Beach...again. As we were walking, we encountered Sam the Butcher and his variety of fresh game.  I was very tempted to buy the kangaroo patties but ultimately decided to pass on the offer.


I know I have mentioned before that Bondi is pretty much one of the most famous of Sydney's beaches.  Not only is it known for the crowd it brings in daily, but it is also has it's very own television show. The first time we visited the beach, I noticed that there were cameramen following the lifeguards around which seemed strange to me. That very night I was flipping through our very limited TV channels and what do you think I discovered? Bondi Rescue.  Basically this show gives us a glimpse into the thrilling daily tasks of a lifeguard.  It covers everything from jellyfish stings, to thieves, to near drownings (mostly drunk americans, figures!). And while I can't say I'm a huge fan of the show, it can be quite entertaining. Here's a shot Sarah took of them filming. Our first brush with fame here! (But it won't be the last. You'll have to stay tuned to find out more...)


While television history was being captured on the sand, Sarah and I couldn't help but look to the skies. And I think this is probably the cutest message that was ever spelled in the sky. It was too massive to fit into one picture, but you get the idea. I know if I was "baby" the smiley face would have won back my heart. Gets me every time.

And that was that. More to come in a bit! :)

Shades & Parades

On March 3rd, where do you think Sarah and I went? To the beach of course! Bronte this time. And we brought our American friend Melissa along. If you couldn't tell, we like the beach. It's a swell place to spend some time. There's not much to say about this trip, so I'll just let you sit back and enjoy the view.

Here are the three of us at an "american" bar, Shady Pines. Apparently it's american because there are stuffed moose and deer heads mounted on the wall! Apart from that, I immediately took a liking to this place. The lighting, decor and staff made it feel as if I had walked into a different time.

On Saturday the 5th, we attended Sydney's world famous Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Here's Sarah and me before the parade, not quite sure what to expect from the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 As you can see from the picture above, this parade draws quite the crowd. So many come that there are people on the sidewalks selling stools for parade goers to stand on. Sarah is doing a semi-decent job of protecting our stools with her life. At first the idea of buying a stool to see a parade seemed a bit too hard core for me, but I would definitely recommend it. I had no idea how fun it was to be 7 feet tall. You can see everything up there! And I only felt slightly bad for the people standing behind us.  Below is a picture of the first attraction at the parade: lovely ladies from Queensland on their motorcycles:

And here are some wanna be life guards (stay between the red and yellow flags!) I won't narrate all of these photos, but I think they will give you just a tiny tiny taste of what we experienced.

And here's what our sidewalk looked like at the end of it all. Glitter and confetti everywhere!! It was quite the fun time. Definitely the most memorable parade I've ever been to. And that was that. More in a bit.

We're alive!

And we're back in action! I apologize for my extended absence.  I admit I became a bit lazy in the blogging department, but I promise I will try not to let that happen again. Key word here being "try." So where were we? Oh, yes. On Monday February 28th, Sarah and I headed over the the Sydney Aquarium. While there we had the pleasure of seeing all the beautiful and deadly creatures in the sea. A few of our favorites included sharks of all varieties, jelly fish, octopi, etc. It was pretty much your standard aquarium. Here's me as I am about to be dropped down to the depths of the ocean!

We spent a good deal of time with the dugongs at Mermaid Lagoon. At first I thought dugongs were the same as manatees, but I have just learned now with the help of Wikipedia, that dugongs and manatees are different species but belong to the same order Sirenia. Here's Sarah sitting besides a lovely lego mermaid at the lagoon.  Legos were a theme at this aquarium.

And here's a dugong in the flesh:

The highlight of the trip for me was seeing the platypus. He was a very fast swimmer so it was hard to capture him with my camera. This venomous mammal was just so darn adorable.

On Tuesday March 1st, Sarah and I went to Coogee beach. It was rather deserted on the day we visited so we almost had the beach to ourselves. Here are a few pics: