First Days in Sydney

G’day Mate from Down Under.  Does anyone know the date or time?  We are completely confused – and it only becomes more confusing when we talk with the family back home.  Try explaining to a grandchild that we’re already into tomorrow… 

Margo relies on the World Clock on her phone; Mark relies on Margo.

Getting around Sydney is amazingly easy.  Ubers are always within three minutes.  We arrived on Friday at 9:00 am and considered all the sage advice about sleeping less than an hour and then began operating at the current time.  We decided to forget that.  We slept much of Friday, then went to the Harbor for dinner.  We are adjusted to the time difference.

Seeing the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor from our dinner table, which we’ve only seen on TV during the New Year’s Eve celebration, is impactful and very moving.  We look at the harbor and envision thousands of fireworks.  Signs are already abundant warning about parking restrictions.  Our hotel overlooks the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and if we were here for New Year’s Eve, we would have a prime viewing spot.  Instead, we chose to leave before the total craziness began and head north to the Great Barrier Reef.

 We rode the Hop-On Hop-Off bus on Saturday, which gave a nice overview of the city.  We got off at the Rocks, an area not to be missed, only to find that was exactly where we had dinner the night before.

A bit of history of The Rocks Area:  For tens of thousands of years, this area was home to the Gadigal people, one of 29 clan groups that comprised the Eora Nation. Like Native Americans, they had a deep connection to the land, sky, and water, using nature to survive and thrive. Colonial fleets arrived in 1788, and the First Nations people became victims of terrible violence and were dispossessed of their land.  Diseases introduced by the Colonials wiped out up to 80% of their population.  The Rocks become Australia’s first town center, housing the country’s first marketplace. 

 When we were there, we strolled through The Rocks Markets, which featured local vendors.  Much of the artwork was impressive, including Ping Lian Yeak, an autistic savant who creates beautiful, detailed depictions of animals and architectural sites.  Yeak was on the extreme autism spectrum, and his mother introduced him to drawing as a child to help him communicate.  At 11 years old, he was considered an artistic prodigy, and now, at 22, he is considered a mature painter.  If you’re interested in his story, there is a documentary about him called Autistic Savant Artist.

 We enjoyed seeing the various vendors and escaped without buying anything. 

 The highlight of this day was going to see the show 1903 Circus in the main concert hall of the Sydney Opera House.  The outside of the house looks a bit dated but still remarkably impressive. Once inside, we were literally breathless.  It was one of the most beautiful venues we have experienced.  Our seats were eight rows from the stage.

 We didn’t expect much from the show – after all, who sees a circus at an opera house?  But it was the only show available while we were here, so we decided – what the heck.  The show was like an up-close, personalized Cirque de Soleil. Margo was on the edge of her seat much of the time, covering her eyes at the contortionist because she thought it looked painful and unhealthy.  We both applauded so much and so often that our hands hurt and our faces hurt from smiling and laughing.  What an unexpected joy!

 Mark has found his perfect weather – constant 75 degrees, subtle breeze, and low humidity.

 We had to interrupt our vacation bliss to make a few schedule adjustments.  We received emails from Qantas Airlines and the hotel in Port Douglas about the recent cyclone (hurricane) that hit the area a few days ago.  The road from the Cairns airport, where we will be flying on Tuesday, and Port Douglas, where we will be staying, is washed out. The planned one-hour drive will now be about a two-and-one-half-hour tour inland.  It’s supposed to be a beautiful drive, so we just added an unplanned tour.  The hotel was closed due to the cyclone but has now reopened.  We will let you know how snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and rainforest tour plans are impacted.

 Today is Christmas Eve.  Since we have plans with friends for Christmas Day, we will keep with the Jewish tradition of Chinese food by going to Chinatown tonight.