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  • Vander Wonders

Sydney Australia

A short but fine adventure by Vander Wonders Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 1, 2016
    Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Arrived in Sydney

    November 2, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We are down under!

    Out of excitement for the next chapter of our trip we both woke up at 5am this morning. It was perfect as we went up to the top deck of the ship and witnessed the iconic sail into the Sydney harbour. Then we enjoyed our last breakfast on the ship overlooking the Opera house and the Sydney harbour bridge, not a bad view.

    Got to say hallo to Dobbo and Carmien on their way to work, then we took the ferry over to Manly where they live.

    And now 24 days worth of washing to do 🙈.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Manly

    November 2, 2016 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    We escaped the piles and piles of laundry for a while, and we strolled to Manly beach. Well it turned into walking around corner & another corner & the next one to the next viewpoint. I wore flip flips (thongs in aussie-land) - not very smart as we ended up walking the entire North Head hiking route. It was breathtaking to see the views over the city, where we sailed in with the cruise ship. The sun is pretty nifty here, I regretted not taking a hat. We recharged with a decent Latte at Bellavista cafe then made our way back.

    The boys went for some touch rugby on the beach when Dobbo got home. There are all these fabulous run&bike lanes along Manly so I decided to go for a run, I Love exploring this way. People is out and about working out, volleyball on the beach, bootcamp in the park, some doing yoga, cyclists, folks walking their dogs & fellow runners. I was amazed to see surfers cycling with their boards. Hanged around watching the world & some seagulls go by. We met Carmien & walked through town. There is a lot of cute coffee spots and quaint restaurants, the coffee culture in Aus bedazzle me. I am falling in love😉 quickly, maybe a bit prematurely?

    We spent the evening exchanging travel stories and and had our first braai since we left the US. Fabulous first day down under.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Sydney Welcome

    November 2, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    It was spectacular sailing into Sydney Harbor, the natural beauty of the heads, contrasted by the iconic Sydney Landmarks was a perfect intro to the diversity of things the city offers.

    I amazed how quickly we disembarked the ship, it was effortless even with all our luggage & and the elderly being a bit lost in front of us. We walked from the international Quay to Circular Quay, it felt like I am walking in Pretoria with all the Jacaranda trees in bloom. Watched Sydney's morning hustle and bustle and appreciated the runners coming by. Roedolf walked about for a free wifi spot. Two random Aussie guys engaged in a chat and shared some local must do tips.

    We met the Dobinson's. Bermuda friends welcoming us in Sydney feels kinda strange in a way.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Exploring "Sidni"

    November 3, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Quality time in abundance with my BF, we endeavored on another beautiful hike this morning. Water tick✅hiking boots ✅ snack ✅- we are well prepared this time.

    The only bad thing about Aus so far is the flies! Man they are soooo annoying and they kinda stick !!

    Public transport here beats New York and I am tempted to even say London. You top up your Opal and off you go & they cap it to a daily rate of Aussie$15 The trains, buses and stations are very clean, its well signed and there are staff to help confused tourists. Don't be fooled though you run for trains everywhere in the world! Today we ran into Will & Juliana while sprinting up the stairs at the station to jump on the same train.

    We took the ferry over to the Circular Quay to meet Andre, my first cousin once removed (my mom's cousin eek english is so complicated) well let me not lay out the family tree. Andre arrived in 2009, so we haven't seen each other in long time but luckily I recognized the Smith features, when we met in front of the apple store at Bondi Junction.

    Had a lovely evening in West Pennant with Andre & Mel. We braaied Aussi & Saffer style with all my favorite veggies. I love to get a feel for "Sidni" life, (as the Aussies say it) life and get perspective on a local's day. Mel grew up in Sydney so her views is obviously not through expat glasses, like majority of Sydney. We shared some ski and snowboard stories. Andre has been to NZ quite a few times, this made us even more excited for our time in Queenstown.

    Privileged to get a local spin on things with some family in the mix. This is much more fun than to rush around congested tourist sights.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Manly to spit hike

    November 3, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today we actually prepared for a hike and packed a bag with water and snack plus had the right shoes and head gear to do a hike.

    We walked from Manly to Castle Rock on the Manly to Spit trail. Lovely that they have hikes like this in the heart of a big city like Sydney, this beats central park in NYC by a mile. Beautiful coastal walk with amazing lookout points.

    It was surprising hot and we were baffled with the amount of flies everywhere and o my greatness they love try to sit on you face and especially your lips. Isabel constantly said, "nee" or "gaan weg" but they don't listen. I think its just because these Aussie flies don't understand afrikaans 😜. I created a make shift fly swatter by putting a sweat towel under my cap, it worked like a charm to keep me cool and keep the flies away.

    We hiked 8km to castle rock then caught a bus back to manly to meet the Westwood's for an awesome burger at Benbry Burgers. Clay has been raving about these burgers since we met on the cruise, was nice to go try it out with him.

    Between today and yesterday we nearly walked 25km so I think we will be fine for the hike in NZ next week where we will do 52km in 4 days.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Quick lower back procedure

    November 4, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We had a lovely night at Andre and Mel Smith last night and over a couple of 🍻🍷 Isabel said she is worried about my back giving me trouble on our hike in NZ.

    Andre suggested that we come into work with him so Dr Glen Schlaphoff (also from SA) can have a look at my back and maybe give me a cortisone injection.

    And just like that, it got done this morning, I am already feeling some plain relief, hope this works and my back and hip pain is a thing of the past.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Bondi

    November 4, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Bondi is hip & happening, clearly the place to be seen in Sydney.

    The Bondi to Bronte walk is along the ocean with dramatic cliffside scenery. It was congested due to the annual sea sculptures exhibition, but we saw some interesting & very random art work, my favourite was the upside down rhino. We grabbed an amazing coffee & watched the surfers.

    Lots of arty shops&juice bars etc around which I popped in while waiting for the 380 bus 🚌 ;sooo we figured out there are VARIOUS 380's ( 380a&b) indicated in VERY tiny print & all do not terminate in Wadsons bay. It lead to some frustration for some more than others😛as we hopped on and off a few times, just to figure out

    A journey is not a journey without a detour or 2!!

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Watsons bay - Doyle fish and chips

    November 4, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The Doyle family first opened their doors in Watsons Bay in 1885. Since then and for over 5 generations, the Doyle family have been proudly serving Australian Seafood.

    We were told about this gem of a place in Sydney but found it completely unplanned on our way from Bondi Beach to Manly.

    And we found it just in time as we both were starving after taking 2 wrong busses to get to Watsons bay, it took an hour longer than planned.

    What a treat snacking on good fish and chips while waiting for the ferry.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Friday happy hour run

    November 4, 2016 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Nothing beats a run with picturesque views like this. I picked the Wharf side for our 5km. Loads of people are kicking of the weekend with a picnic on the grass. The ferry is hooting in the background, Youngsters are laughing& smashing beer. Fun to experience the vibe this way, a lot of people is on their way somewhere, on 🚲 , skateboards or little "skopfietsies".

    This is a hell of an upgrade from treadmill runs on the cruise ship.

    We had a quick shower& went for a drink at the buzzing Wharf bar, it was soo buzzy I managed to lose my voice. We met some of Dobbo's friends& had a great time soaking up the atmosphere in Manly.

    In Manly anything goes!! The laid back vibe is amazing.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Jam packed Saturday with the Dobbinsons

    November 5, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We started the day with a breakfast of champions at the Boat House in Manly and then made our way to Palm beach where we hiked up to the lighthouse and chilled on the beach, before heading back to Manly.

    On the way back we had a cheeky picnic at Avalon beach.

    Unbelievable that we have been on the road for 35 days already! It feels like no more than a week.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Night out in Sydney CBD

    November 5, 2016 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    The Manly ferry must be one of the highlights for any tourist in Sydney. There is no better vantage point to see the Sydney harbour bridge and the Opera House from, and that only for AUS$7.50.

    Dobbo and Carmien joined us for a sunset cruise on the public ferry to the CBD. The sunset over the Sydney harbour was beautiful.

    We had a couple of drinks in town and had our first taste of kangaroo and Emo on a pizza.

    The nights in Sydney cool down significantly, we will have to get use to it again. Isabel constantly needs to carry her jacket with her just in case. I find it refreshing that things cool down at night.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Surf vs Serve

    November 6, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We had the privilege to join Dobbo and Carmien at St Mathews church in Manly for a beautiful message from pastor Scott Petty.

    He started the message explaining that anywhere else in the world the second question you get after "whats your name?" when you meet someone new is "what do you do?". However in Manly the second question usually is "do you surf 🏄?".

    He then said equally as a christian you should be asked different second question from others and that is: "Do you serve?" If you don't serve you would be unbalanced as a non surfer would be on a surfboard.

    The mission of this church is: Growing Gods church through the Gospel. This mission is build on 3 pillars of which #3 is Service.
    - Bible & Prayer
    - Community
    - Service

    The scripture was Acts 6: 1-7

    > Service is not for everyone - the apostle was not able to do everything so they focused on teaching the message of the gospels and they delegated tasks like service of food to other mature brothers in Christ.
    > Every christian is a minister, service is for everyone - each of us has a responsibility to serve in our churches, our circle of friends, at work and wherever we go, as this shines God's light if we do so.

    Serving can take on a lot of different forms and doesn't necessarily require us to preach and pray to everyone.

    God has laid it in my heart today that we have a responsibility to serve even on our travels. First of all no matter where the road takes us we need to shine God's light. Secondly we need to serve our friends that we visit all around the world with words of encouragement and simple things like baby sitting in-order for them to get some much needed alone time together etc.

    I pray today that God will use us to serve on this trip. That God will show us what our friends need and how we can serve them. I thank God for the opportunity to embark on this journey. Amen 🙏

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Nanny meets friend

    November 6, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Reconnecting with Emma, is one of the highlights of our trip so far. I lived in Hammersmith with the Empson family for a little over a year. I looked after Nicki, Liza & Emma they were my little sisters. The four of us had loads of fun together, my fondest memories are going to the park, Nutella sandwiches & watching Home & Away after tea. How ironic that we went to Palm beach where they film " Home & Away" yesterday. I left London January 2004 to go to uni, thats the last time we saw each other.

    Great to see how Emma turned into a smart & beautiful young women. We both share a passion for travel & diving so it was amazing to hang out. Great to hear everyone is doing well.

    Unbelievable that my facebook post in Manly connected us.

    {issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersSydney AustraliaTraveler

    Picnic at sunset

    November 6, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Its probably been 16 plus years since I last saw Tiaan Hanekom. It was absolutely random to find out he's friends with Carmien and Dobbo. Was really nice to catch up with him and his wife Minshe today.
    Isabel is in heaven with another picnic on the menu, this time at the Manly Wharf.
    {Roedolf}    Read more

    Trip end
    November 6, 2016
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