Club Tropicana drinks are free ..

After promptings from NB I reckon I might write a bit about what it is like here etc .. these are the very random fruits of my observations so far anyway..

I think the one main thing I notice here is how much it is like England and by extension like home. What I mean is that when I was in the U S Of A there were always little things that made you constantly aware you were in the US whereas here it is quite easy to at times feel like you are at home. The TV is the same as at home, all those CSI this that and the other fill the airwaves. The simpsons is on at 7 bells daily as it is at home parkinson is on primetime on saturday night. In the supermarkets most of the familiar brands are available e.g hob nobs , campbells tomato soup.

Items I thought would be lenghty and tedious to do were in actual fact simple to do, I am thinking particularly of opening a bank account and getting my tax number both done easily , I contrast this to the torture of completing this chores at home.

The one other major thing that hits you here is that sport is all important here, there seems to be a bewidering number of sea and field sports played here.

Being in Sydney is probably not the best place to get to know the real Austrailia as it is very cosmopolitan, it is as much a melting pot as New York or London.
Bondi and it surrounds is completely tourist, there is never an Irish accent or GAA Jersey far away. In there proper context GAA Jerseys are great but they really do look a bit gaudy down on the beach.

It begins ...

Not a huge amount to report. Getting on with items of bank account opening, tax number getting etc, all these things take take time when you have no idea where to go for these services. It would be very fair to say i have been taking everything at a rather leisurely pace although now that all my excuses are gone i will have to enter that which i dread most ... looking for a job and talking to agencies etc .. the economy in general is supposed to be booming here ... heres hoping i walk in the door and get offer a million dollar contract my title being "professional wastrel".

The weather here is gorgeous it is very humid though which turns excerise of any kind in to a sort of sweatathon.

Island in the sun

Top shelf .. The balcony of the apt

The view from the balcony of my new abode, you can make out the sea. Just in front of those trees is Bronte beach about 1k to the left is Bondi beach.

Sydney Morning .. Examiner

CB in similar form to here

Sean delivers some medium spin

Spot the Guinness .. Nevie unruffled as always

Double Trouble Down Under

Maurice Fitzgerald and Colm "gooch" Cooper pose for some clowning shots with Fungi

Spot the Guniness (5 at least in pic) .. KM in classic/typical pose

while I don't have oz snaps I will keep throwing up some "oldies" but "goldies"

Over the last few days I think things have started to come together a bit, I have managed to get myself a fairly nice room quite close to the beach so fingers corossed it will work out. I also played some ball today with Queens Park, there seemed to be people playing ball everywhere but it was well orgainsed. It was 11 aside, the pitch was rock hard and the sun was splitting rocks. As is typical with 11 aside the standard varied across the team , it was still great to get out, I felt quite good really I think the break from 6 aside has probably helped. At the end I was in a bit of a hoop though , then i guess nearly everyone was. I am still getting used to the heat , I possibly may never get use to it.

Tourism part deux

Artist impression of the new Youghal Bridge

Nearly through my first full week here and I thought I might give a quick round up of things that have so far caught my imagination.

1: BK aka burger king here is called "Hungry Jack's" for some reason
2: The media etc is very like the english media .i.e same old celeb crap I might be wrong I have had only limited exposure to the media as of yet.
3: I think cricket is probably the no 1 sport here, rugby league rugby union and AFL all seem the same when the lad is reporting on them late at night. Hopefully a bit of familiarity will sort out that problem.
4.The weather so far is a good enough reason to be here.

Tourism

Cork opera house gets a bit of a facelift

 

surfin USA in Austrailia

I had my first taste of the "surf" today, two hours later and I am still coughing up seawater salt. Not to fall into cliches but it was everything I expected big waves , clear blue water and clear blue sky. When I was out a bit the waves didn't seem so bad however I made the mistake of turning towards the shore my back to the incoming waves at that moment I happened to hear some punter shout "Oh Christ !!" when I looked back I honestly thought my eyes were deceiving me .. It was like being in one of thoes Old Spice ads I honestly could see nothing but this wave. Naturally I did exactly what your not supposed to do . I stood up and took the full force of it instead of diving into it. I was practically blown back onto the beach. I did get a bit of a fright, I can only Imagine what thoes poor lads who were hit by the tsunami felt like.

Bondi (Bondy) Beach

Bondi Beach

A Pleasant day today ... I think I am still suffering from jet lag alternatively it could be that i just don't feel like doing much

 

Our Man in Sydney

When I got to the customs desk my guy said to me "you won't be needing that jacket mate" I replied the last time i was outside it was -1 which it was in Amsterdam a little later when I was going through the quarrantine section of customs the lad said to me "hold on mate .. my job is to lift bags .. so he lifted my bags onto the conveyor belted in a studied manner he then turned to me and said "that's how you do it mate" hopefully all my adventures will have that sort of comic flavour. This kind of heat here reminds me of hot days in Pamplona, quite sticky and humid, I'll try to get use to it. Its pretty cool to have nothing to do and all day to do it ..

Some photos i wanted to post but hadn't time before i left... there are many more and they will all find their rightful home in time to come ..

A snap to remember .. A weekend to remember ..

Eric seems to be diving for cover ..

The name of the pub .. NB & Feisty .. a perfect fit

First Snap from Chris' balcony "here" in Sydney

The Eagle has landed

Got here anywhoo ..
so very very tired .. that is it for now ..

I would also just like to thank the good folks at singapore airlines thy're doing a bang up job ..