From the balcony
It was lunch time on a Saturday when I approached the out skirts of Sydney, why did I feel like I was coming home? I spent my 20s in Sydney, I guess you do a lot of growing up in your 20s.In my case, growing in the wrong direction but that’s another story! There were changes though, the toll road wanted money from me but there was nowhere to give it money? I thought I’d go to Bondi, easy, head for the city, ride up Oxford Street, through Paddington to Bondi Junction and down to Bondi Beach. No!!!! Roads have been plonked in here there and everywhere and traffic, wow! I’m glad I’m on a bike. I did eventually get to Bondi but Bondi Lifesavers and Bondi vet haven’t done it any favours, it was the weekend and finding a place to stay wasn’t easy, I almost gave up but passed a pub up Bondi road, got a room but nowhere for the bike. Nowhere for the bike, metres everywhere… not bike friendly! I spent the night and in the morning rode over to the north shore, the road took me under the harbour, another toll, and I was in my old haunts. It’s all still there Lavender Bay, Kirribilli, Milsons Point, Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Mosman and my final destination, Manly. As soon as I arrived, I knew this is where I would stay, booked into board riders for a week, starting the next day and headed back to Bondi. I wanted to go over the bridge, which I did and discovered another toll…And if you don’t pay the bill you will be shot! Still no where to pay! ….computer land….good job I’m getting the hang of it. Got back to the pub and told the Italian guy I had met the day before, I was moving over the other side. He wanted to know why I would move out of Bondi, its cool here, only trouble is it’s cool for far too many people.
Manly was a lot more civilised. A balcony looking over the beach, a pub next door and very important, an underground council car park over the road that didn’t charge for bikes I was settled in Sydney.
I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!