too old for dreads

Next stop Bangkok; hard to believe it’s an almost 10 hour flight from Sydney. Reminds you just how far away Sydney is from anywhere. 

But I guess that’s what makes it such a special destination. 

There’s something exciting about wandering around the Opera House or being on Bondi Beach; they’re all places we’ve heard of but they’ve always been too far away to visit. 

Being in Sydney feels like a real privilege – and it is. We never forgot that. 

There’s a buzz and a vibe to the place which makes it different to other cities. That and the fact that when the sun shines and the sky is deep blue, there’s a crystal clear light here that makes it different to home. I know how lucky we are to be here and I’m hoping we’ll be back again one day soon. 

We were fortunate to be here while the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition was on and we enjoyed walking between Bondi and Tamarama beaches with Tess and Alison. The sculptures were great and in such amazing places, on the cliff-top and on the beaches (some were damaged during the week by a high tide and storm surge – but the rhino in the pic below was one that was meant to be buried in sand).

We’ve had a great weekend staying in Bundeena in the National Park on the outskirts of Sydney. One minute you’re battling with the ever-increasing traffic and the next you’re driving in to the bush and what feels like the start of another Australian wilderness. Actually you’re only an hour away from the centre and always reminded of the fact by the skyline being visible over the water and the constant rumble of planes from the airport. 

It’s a quiet place though and the beaches are pristine. Seems like people have escaped the rat-race to be here.

We’ve enjoyed loads of bush walks while we’ve been in Oz and have walked miles through what seems like monotonous scrubby bush land. It’s actually great walking as the paths twist and turn and the birds squawk from the trees all around you. Along with looking for different creatures and insects, it makes every bush walk different and interesting – and we’re going to miss them. 

This weekend the walks have had the added benefit of views of the ocean as the path winds round the headlands of the southern beaches. At this time of year the humpback whales are heading south for the summer and we saw various tails, fins and characteristic single jets of air from their blow holes as they made their way down the coast of New South Wales. 

So that was Oz. Very friendly, welcoming and incredibly clean and tidy. They appear to be a law abiding nation (even going along with the incredibly strict and pernickety Australian parking regulations …don’t get me started!) and the whole place seems to work well. I can see why they control their borders like they do; it’s a great country and I’m sure more people would be heading here if they could (and if they could afford it; everything here is so expensive for us right now). We hear a lot about ‘Australian border control being the way to go’ for the UK and I’m sure we could learn a lot from them.

We’ve sandwiched Australia between the different cultures of India and Thailand on our trip. It’s been a bit of order between the noise and chaos of the sub-continent and South East Asia. 

It’s important that we remember the Thais are still in the first four week mourning period following the death of the King. 

We’re reminded to be highly respectful throughout their whole year of mourning and show the Thai people the same dignity as someone who’d lost a close family member. There are massive billboards and video screens everywhere showing the King throughout his 70 year reign. 

This really is a nation in mourning. Hopefully the traditional Thai scammers and con-men will be less evident in Bangkok right now and surely we’ll be more savvy after our Indian experiences …Let’s see! Now, to the excitement, mayhem and noise of Bangkok. This is a city on a vast scale and it’s hard to know where to start. Here goes!