The Land Down Under is more than just kangaroos, koalas, and rowdy beer drinkers. The only continent, which is also its own country, is home to one of the most unique cultures on the planet. Most of the population lives near beach, the land is both beautiful, as it is hostile, and the indigenous people have maintained a presence that has lasted for many millenia. Not bad for a country that began as a penal colony.
As I walk uphill from Darling Harbour on Druitt Street towards Town Hall and the Queen Victoria Building, I take in every little bit of my familiar surroundings. The cool, morning wind blows in from Hyde Park towards Cockle Bay and refreshingly hits my face. The smell of that mid-morning breeze on a Sunday just takes me back. They say that smell is the sense that...
Six and a half years ago when I made my first visit to the Australian icon known as the Sydney Opera House, I was impressed, to say the least. In fact, that is an understatement as I was awe struck by how beautiful it was. I mean, the way it gleamed in the sunlight was quite something. Its shape was so perfect; the curves of the sail-shaped roofs looked even more...
New York City has Nathan’s Famous Frankfurter’s. Chicago has Pizzeria Uno. Los Angeles has Pink’s Hot Dogs. Philadelphia has Pat’s and Geno’s Cheesesteaks. And in the iconic city of Sydney, Australia, the most famous food stand/restaurant is Harry’s Cafe de Wheels. Since 1938, Harry’s has been serving up the most famous...
In front of me was Mullet Creek in all of its shimmering, azure glory. Behind me, a thicket of trees, shrubs, rocks, flora, and fauna in the Australian wilderness. Or to put it another way: the bush. This land has been whimsically romanticized by Blinky Bill has a fanciful home for Australia’s furry friends, a place where danger and uncertainty lurks about...
Wondabyne. It had taken me nearly 10 years to finally set foot on this tiny platform, but here I was! Just before I disembarked the Sydney-bound train, I asked the train manager in the last carriage about the train coming back. “Thanks, mate!” I said in a cheerful tone. “If I wanna get another train back, just flag the train down?” I asked...
Back in 2005, the movie Oyster Farmer introduced me to the idyllic and beautiful Hawkesbury River region; a place that very few American tourists to the land down under had ever seen, let alone have ever heard about. During the film, there is a scene where Alex O’Lachlan’s character, Jack Flange, disembarks the train at Wondabyne, a tiny platform on the...
Whenever I stay in Sydney, I have made it a habit to stay at the Four Point Sheraton on Darling Harbour. But I don’t just stay here because of it’s reasonable rates, comfy atmosphere, and friendly staff. Like in real estate, Location, Location, Location! The hotel lies between the bustling intersection of Town Hall and the scenic waterfront area of...
When we last left our beloved heroes, they were on their Aussie pub-crawl from Central Station to Allianz Stadium at Moore Park. Fueled by cold beer and the need for getting back at those goons in maroon from last year’s semi-final match, we were more determined than ever to see our beloved Bunnies get their redemption. I was ambling along the streets of...
It was beginning to feel a whole lot like deja vu: one year ago, I came to Sydney for my first Rabbitohs game, only to see the red and green get toppled by the Sydney Roosters. At least one year ago at ANZ Stadium, the Bunnies led most of the game. This time around, I arrived to see the Rabbitohs get beaten again by the Roosters on their own turf at Allianz...
It is often said that one oughta never meet their heroes in person, for they will only be disappointed and/or heartbroken. And to think Hollywood arguably invented that dumb saying, and to think they’re the ones who enable John Q. Public to love their heroes. It’s like mass manufactured masochism in the name of money. But I digress. For I am not here...