Sydney

I finally arrived in Australia, the 7th continent of this rtw trip, 11 months after I started travelling. The original plan was to arrive in Australia before going back to Asia. Things took a turn and for some time, I thought I would not be able to make it to Australia. I guess things happened for a reason and here I am!

This is not my first trip to Australia. Australia was the first country outside Asia that I have been to. I backpacked around Australia for a month after I graduated (in parts on my own and in parts with different groups of friends) and fell in love with Tasmania and Sydney. Years later, when I decided to take a break from work and everybody, I took off to Sydney and lived here for 5 years. When I returned from Sydney to Singapore, I wanted to go travel around the world. As it happened, I started with another job almost immediately. 

Everything came to a full cycle, with me finally started the rtw trip 1 year ago and ending up in Sydney again.

Syndey is on the east coast of Australia, with beautiful Sydney Harbour, iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House where the most aniticipated fireworks take place each New Year's Eve. Then there are Bondi and Manly Beaches just by the city and the Blue Mountains is only a 90-minute drive away. It is so famous that many think that it is the capital of Australia.

I met up with Keith from my Amazon and Galápagos trips and we did the coastal walk along the Eastern beaches. Hailed from London, he was impressed by the scenery and loved the sun and could understand why I am back in Sydney. The coastal walk is something I could do week after week after week. I never get bored - sometimes I see fishes jumping out of water, twisting in mid-air and reflecting the sunlight. It is almost like camera flashes going off in the middle of the sea. Whales and dolphins sometimes swim close to shore and so do sharks. Come Spring, there will be the Sculpture by the Sea. Spanning from Bondi to Tamarama, the coastal walk would be transformed into a 2km long temporary sculpture park featuring artists from Australia and across the world. (Source: http://www.sculpturebythesea.com/exhibitions/bondi.aspx) 

Waiting to go out to sea

Surf

People watching

Vivid Sydney took place in late May, where light installations and projections lit up buildings, Darling Harbour, Circular Quay and The Rocks.

Light projections on Customs House

Sydney Opera House with light projections

Winter came and I celebrated Christmas in July with my friends. 

A tiny ice skating rink in front of
Parramatta Town Hall

It is difficult to sum up why I love Sydney. Maybe it's the blue sky.  

Maybe it is the water. 

Whatever the case, it is a place I call home for the time being.