G'day Mates!
This is the first installment of the adventures in Australia blog! I am working and living in the heart of Sydney, the CBD (central busines district), for the next 6 months. I never got around to studying abroad in college so I guess this sort of makes up for it!! Upon arriving, I could have kissed the ground. Why you might ask? Coming from chilly New York it was absolutely wonderful to step outside of the airport to be greeted by humid, warm temperatures and green lushness everywhere.
My accommodations are at Fraser Suites, http://sydney.frasershospitality.com/accommodation.php, a swanky hotel/corporate apt that's close to just about everything. While the complex is awesome, the clients have been across the board from corporate folks to tourists to borderline prostitutes (I think they were just some promiscuous looking women...hopefully). Jackie Chan also stayed at the hotel earlier this week per the bell boy.
The area is very convenient to lots of restaurants. The Spanish Quarters is right around the way and there are all types of Asian food nearby as well. The supermarket is a block away for when I get tired of eating out. The restaurant mix is quite varied. It's sort of like NY, though their mix of Asian food is of a greater variety. Can't say that I've had anything really 'Aussie' yet with the exception of Tim Tam's, a chocolate biscuit that is really popular here. It's sort of like a chocolate covered Oreo or wafer, but instead of lard they fill the cookie with a light chocolate ganache filling. I've never seen a product dominate the cookie isle like this one. Who ever did Tim Tam's marketing was a genius.
It hasn't all been fun and games. On my first day here, I went to a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown and was happily enjoying my first meal in Sydney until I looked down at the ground and saw a baby roach running around the feet of a couple eating next to me. I tried to block out the image and focused in on eating rice, well, because it's white. I had a couple more bites and stopped completely after a medium sized roach walked in a wall that was right behind me where I'm quite certain the rest of the family members could be found. Because the climate is on the humid side, I guess roaches are common like they are in the summers in NYC (yuck). If you know me well, you know that I have a slight phobia of cock roaches and dirty bathrooms. I walked out hungry searching for my next meal which was at McD's (I'm almost too embarrassed to admit). I have been here a week and have eaten out a total of four times, of those I've seen roaches for three :( My co-worker tells me that they follow me because they know how much I hate them.
The first week has been about acclimating to things like different brands and product names. For example, Rice Krispies is Rice Bubbles, Burger King is Hungry Jacks and there is a heap of lamb in every kind of cut possible! Also, they have a lot of discounted beef and meats at the grocery - sort of gross and something I don't recall seeing in the states all that often. Fruits and vegetables are god sent. It's like being back in California where produce is quite fresh and tasty. Also, the sun must be really intense here since some items are huge! Carrots in the supermarket are almost the same thickness of my wrist and the melons could do some damage if thrown.
Things are expensive! I never thought I'd say that after living in NY, but I'm saying it now! The Aussies include tax and tip in everything which results in a pricey menu. What's been more interesting is the people, they are absolutely hilarious. Everyone is super-laid back, yet a little edgy. Also, it's a very slang-like culture, I may try to compile a little list to share; there's so many things that people say here that just crack me up.
Other than that, the city is a great walking city and it reminds me a lot of SF with the rolling hills and bays. So far I've checked out Darling Harbour, Chinatown, Hyde Park - I work across the street from the park, the Opera House, the Royal Botanical Gardens and Bondi Beach. The beach was pretty awesome, it is like Venice Beach and Santa Cruz meeting in the middle. I went with a couple of co-workers and we even got to surf for a little bit! So far so good though I miss things at home a bit, mainly familiar faces. That's all for now, will be writing ad hoc when there's enough to write about so stay tuned....
Friday, March 14, 2008
Zihuatanejo, Mexico: New Years 2008
What better way to ring in the new year but in a sunny, beach destination with great friends and Mexican food! Well, that's what I did for New Years, 2008. A couple of friends, Carolee and Christina, just turned 30 (old hens ;p) and wanted to celebrate in style which resulted in a trip to Zihuatanejo, Mexico. For those of you that don't know where Zihua is, it's on the Pacific Ocean side of Mexico, about 2/3 of the way down the country. It's a little fishing town that is a vacation destination for Mexican locals and in the native tongue means 'place of woman'. Rightfully so that it was mostly a girls trip! It's also the town that's referenced at the end of the movie, Shawshank Redemption.
The first day was spent just chilling by the beach and enjoying the delicious food, we went to Sirena Gorda for dinner, which translates into the Fat Mermaid. Strange, slightly depressing name but I suppose goes with the meaning of the city name. On the next day we went to Ixtapa to lounge at one of the fancy resorts pools that friends of friends were staying. Life was quite amazing sipping pina coladas by the pool and again...eating good Mexican food! A couple of us also went para sailing which was totally cool. It was really nice to see the city from a different angle. Imagine brown/tan villas tucked away along the mountainside that cascade to the beach front. Fantastic! We spent the evening eating and drinking the night away and preparing for NYE!
First thing in the morning, Giao went to lay out some towels to save a chair for us all. Bless her heart considering she was several months preggers and probably quite tired at 7 in the morn. We arrived to the chairs around 9:30am only to find most of them taken! In addition, the hotel wrote a mean, poorly written sign stating that people couldn't save chairs. Thanks for letting us know beforehand!
Given that we had a chill day the previous day, Carolee and I decided to go on an adventure. We walked up, down and around the area. We walked and walked and walked some more till we finally made it to the area we were trying to reach, Las Gatas. It is a cute little area with snorkeling and clear shallow waters. After having a refreshing drink by the beach and admiring the water, we took a boat to town and caught a bus back to the hotel. After we got back, both of us fell asleep on the beach chairs. I woke up to a swarm of people in front of the area we were lounging. People were taking pictures, and instantly I wondered if there was a famous Mexican star that I was just not aware of. Turns out there was a turtle that laid her eggs right under the guy sitting in front of us. They must have dug out approximately 100 of them - they were quite cute! They were quickly placed in a bucket of water until sun down when they were released into the ocean. I actually missed the release part because Carolee and I were doing happy hour at a beautiful bar (I believe it's called sunset bar) at a mountainside resort eating fresh guacamole and drinking tropical drinks. What a way to end the day!
In the evening the whole group met up and had a lovely dinner under the stars and watched the fireworks for new years eve. Also, some of the folks we were with decided to take the challenge...the grape challenge. We were all given 12 ginormous grapes, symbolizing twelve sweet months, and the goal was to eat a grape a each second and then to make a wish. I think Travis was the only one that finished and made it - Travis, hope it was a good one!
After dinner, Christina, Carolee and I headed to downtown Zihua to get loco (not really). We got there and venues were practically dead, but we found a dive bar and had a drink and we also watched the local people dance in the town square. FYI, the town square doubles as a basketball court during the day. That was the trip in a nutshell, it was a very relaxing and refreshing way to bring in the New Year and birthdays. Viva la Mexico!
The first day was spent just chilling by the beach and enjoying the delicious food, we went to Sirena Gorda for dinner, which translates into the Fat Mermaid. Strange, slightly depressing name but I suppose goes with the meaning of the city name. On the next day we went to Ixtapa to lounge at one of the fancy resorts pools that friends of friends were staying. Life was quite amazing sipping pina coladas by the pool and again...eating good Mexican food! A couple of us also went para sailing which was totally cool. It was really nice to see the city from a different angle. Imagine brown/tan villas tucked away along the mountainside that cascade to the beach front. Fantastic! We spent the evening eating and drinking the night away and preparing for NYE!
First thing in the morning, Giao went to lay out some towels to save a chair for us all. Bless her heart considering she was several months preggers and probably quite tired at 7 in the morn. We arrived to the chairs around 9:30am only to find most of them taken! In addition, the hotel wrote a mean, poorly written sign stating that people couldn't save chairs. Thanks for letting us know beforehand!
Given that we had a chill day the previous day, Carolee and I decided to go on an adventure. We walked up, down and around the area. We walked and walked and walked some more till we finally made it to the area we were trying to reach, Las Gatas. It is a cute little area with snorkeling and clear shallow waters. After having a refreshing drink by the beach and admiring the water, we took a boat to town and caught a bus back to the hotel. After we got back, both of us fell asleep on the beach chairs. I woke up to a swarm of people in front of the area we were lounging. People were taking pictures, and instantly I wondered if there was a famous Mexican star that I was just not aware of. Turns out there was a turtle that laid her eggs right under the guy sitting in front of us. They must have dug out approximately 100 of them - they were quite cute! They were quickly placed in a bucket of water until sun down when they were released into the ocean. I actually missed the release part because Carolee and I were doing happy hour at a beautiful bar (I believe it's called sunset bar) at a mountainside resort eating fresh guacamole and drinking tropical drinks. What a way to end the day!
In the evening the whole group met up and had a lovely dinner under the stars and watched the fireworks for new years eve. Also, some of the folks we were with decided to take the challenge...the grape challenge. We were all given 12 ginormous grapes, symbolizing twelve sweet months, and the goal was to eat a grape a each second and then to make a wish. I think Travis was the only one that finished and made it - Travis, hope it was a good one!
After dinner, Christina, Carolee and I headed to downtown Zihua to get loco (not really). We got there and venues were practically dead, but we found a dive bar and had a drink and we also watched the local people dance in the town square. FYI, the town square doubles as a basketball court during the day. That was the trip in a nutshell, it was a very relaxing and refreshing way to bring in the New Year and birthdays. Viva la Mexico!
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