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Eloise’s decision to study in Sydney for her junior Fall semester was the perfect excuse for us to “pop over” (still 10 hours away from Seoul but a whole lot closer than from NJ) to Australia for our Chuseok break in early September.   Deciding on the iterinary was difficult given all the natural beauty, adventure and culture this country offers, but we elected to spend time getting to know Eloise’s student experience in Sydney and then headed off to the Whitsundays for some true rest and relaxation.

We flew economy (much to Zoe’s horror!), found the night flight reasonably comfortable and easily found the Airbnb apartment Eloise had arranged for us.  Located in Haymarket, near the Central Train Station and her apartment, our Airbnb spot was convenient and clean, though a tad too sterile for my taste.  A surprise bonus was the Netflix menu which had many of the American shows (Harry Potter movies, Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, etc.) Daphne and Zoe desperately miss in Seoul.  It was so nice to be in an English speaking country and easily find our way to a Artiste Aroma, a nearby coffee house with “long blacks” (Americanos) and yummy (and familiar) breakfast selections.  We weren’t there but 10 minutes before Eloise came running in with her warm smile and infectious energy…oh, how we missed her!!   Despite being in the middle of mid-term exams, Eloise gave us a quick tour of her neighborhood (which ironically is in the Asian part of Sydney and is filled with Korean restaurants, stores and signage which we could read!) and nearby Darling Harbor.

The fresh spring air, sparkly bright Australian sunshine and views of the ocean were such a nice antidote to the hot, humid weather in landlocked, crowded Seoul.  Daphne elected to snooze for this brief outing whereas Bill was up to his usual antics….mimicking statures, which for those of you who don’t know, is one of his MANY hidden talents.  At Eloise’s recommendation and one we would suggest to anyone visiting Sydney, we began our exploration of this city with the famous Bondi to Coogee Beach walk.  This 6km walk along the coastline is breathtakingly beautiful and instantly gives one a sense of how integral the ocean and beaches are to life in Sydney.  Relative to the monotone and muted color tones of Korean and generally controlled vibe of personal expression, Bondi Beach, with its giant kite contest, numerous murals, and hopping beach scene, was a breath of fresh air.

Several of Eloise’s close friends joined us for the 2 hour stroll and we really enjoyed the opportunity to drop into her world a bit.  Not unsurprisingly, Eloise has taken full advantage of her time in OZ (Australia’s nickname for those, like myself, who didn’t know…) and travelled around the continent and nearby countries to:

• surf in Byron Bay,
• ski in Queensland, NZ,
• check out the hippie scene in Nimbin,
• scuba dive, bungee jump and sky dive near Cairns,
• visit crocodile preserves in Darwin,
• hike and camp in Blue Mountains and Royal National Park,
• look (but not swim in), Fraser lake which is filled with crocodiles,
• meet other devils like herself in Tasmania,
• sail in the Whitsundays,
• hang with monkeys at Ubud temples and dive with sharks in Bali…to name just a few of her escapades.

Along the way, she has made some really good friends who share the same adventuresome spirit she does. Peter, JD, Emma and joined us as we walked from Bondi to Tamarana to Clovenelly to Bronte to Coogee Beach, meandering through Waverly Cemetery on the way.

 

Each beach and cliffside drop down the ocean was more spectacular than the next and the walk was a perfect introduction to Sydney on our first day.  More of Eloise’s friends, Karina, Serena and Chloe met us for our reward…a yummy dinner at Coogee Pavillion!  It took us awhile to understand the Australia accent but decifering “regular burger” (NOT ARUGULA burger as Bill first heard) in Australian is much easier than trying to order that in Korean.

Day 2 was really all about shopping with very little culture.  The “culture” part consisted of touring the University of Sydney to get a sense of where Eloise has spent this semester. It is a beautiful, old campus splashed with sunshine and lots of greenery.

We made a quick pit stop for me to get a tragus piercing…go ahead a google it quickly…and then reserve judgment for when you see this (crazy?) 52 yr. old in person!  No pictures  as I want to keep you in suspense.  Maybe because he was raised only by his mom and often shopped for her/provided wardrobe feedback, or maybe because he’s just plain kind and generous at heart, Bill has always been an enthusiastic and patient shopping chaperone. We had promised Eloise some birthday items and she led us directly to her favorite Australia retailer, Kookai, where we spent a crazy amount of time. Fortunately, Bill and I could relax in nice chairs and offer feedback on various outfits the girls trotted out in front of us.  The mood after the spree was rather effervescent as you can see…

It was just so nice to be together as a family (minus Claire Bear of course) and to hear the girls joking and bantering with each other…and shopping is a form of sight-seeing after all.  The Star Wars light saber noise of the crosswalk signals kept us entertained and Bill and I spent a ridiculous amount of time competing over who could imitate the sound better.  We were struck by the number of pregnant women we saw in Sydney which validated the low birthrate problem in Korea, a concerning topic that is in the news weekly here in Seoul. As Eloise warned us, the cost of living and exchange rate in OZ are tough on the wallet so there was a bit of a moan from Bill everywhere we went but we certainly had a good time “playing” with the colorful Australia bills and heavy coins.   We finished the relaxing day with a delicious dinner at Sydney Café, an elegant restaurant overlooking Circular Quai and the entire Sydney Harbor.

A visit to Sydney is not complete without a trip to Manly Beach, one of several beaches easily accessible via light rail and short ferry ride.  The public transporation in Sydney is clean, efficient and generally very enjoyable as it’s not so bad to be riding around a ferry in gorgeous Sydney harbor, glancing at the Opera House, Sydney Harbor Bridge, Botanical Gardens, etc.  Reminded us of San Francisco and all of its natural beauty and is quite the antithesis of Seoul. We enjoyed the musicians playing on the walkway leading to the beach and spent a few hours reading on the beach.  Eloise did not show off her newly acquired surfing skills as the spring weather and water were a bit cool and not so inviting.

In her determined and ever-positive way, Eloise managed to exchange text messages with the drummer of Simple Plan, a rock band who was performing a sold-out concert in Sydney Saturday night, and get 6 tickets including back-stage passes!!!  Daphne was unsuccessful in her attempts to see Simple Plan in Seoul a few weeks prior so she was thrilled and amazed at the fruits of Eloise’s perservance.  Bill and I feel it is “par for the course” as Eloise always manages to pepper her life with extraordinary experiences.  After dinner at Dead Ringer, a hip restaurant in Surry Hills, Daph and Eloise headed back to join Eloise’s friends and get all “gothe-ed up” for the concert.  One of the best nights ever was Daph’s comment the next morning….

We spent our two final days in Sydney without Eloise since she had to attend classes.  At Eloise’s recommendation and in hopes of petting kuala bears, we took a ferry to Taronga Zoo.  Head’s up on this activity:  kuala bears are 1) nocturnal; 2) need nearly 20 hours of sleep/day to digest the rough fiber of the eucalyptus trees; and 3) are quite fiesty when they are awake so not one bit “cuddly”.  Nevertheless, we tried very hard to book a private moment with a kuala, only to be too  late to sign up.  This was the extent of our interactions with Australia’s most famous bear: The Tasmanian devils, too, proved ellusive as they are also nocturnal and were completely hidden from view in their caves.  Same situation with the platypus and wombats.  The Seal Show was the undisputed highlight of our Taronga Zoo outing and we still exchange some of the unique “Seal Smiles” with each other and promise to demonstrate a few in person upon request. While we waited for the return ferry, Bill’s goofy competitive streak reared it’s head when he organized timed races around the pier for himself and Zoe.  Daphne and I refused to participate and Bill was rather humbled by Zoe’s speed, but it provoked a lot of laughs and stares from the other tourists.  We finished the day with yet another yummy, Non-Korean dinner at The Paddington.

For our last day in Sydney, we headed to the Circular Quay and The Rocks, clearly Sydney’s centerpiece.   We flirted briefly with one of the most popular tourist attractions, a bridge climb up the Sydney Harbor Bridge, but Bill balked at the price tag ALMOST as much as at the thought of being up that high with only a hard hat and harness as protection.  Instead our ever-eager tour guide, managed to take us on a “extended” walk along The Rocks, missing several key turns and points of interest, despite having the guide book in his hand.  

We didn’t care at all and were just happy to meander along the streets at a leisurely pace. At the Museum of Contemporary Art, we saw/listened to a compelling audio exhibit about various refugees and their paths to a better life around the world.  Admittedly, we were flagging a bit when we hit the Botanical Gardens so didn’t elect for a thorough explorations of these spectacular gardens.  The gardener in me might have reversed the order of our day, but it’s a democracy in the Stanton family.

JD and Peter joined us for dinner on the waterfront near the Opera House and Bill shared some of his banking wisdom with these two eager economic majors, hoping to land summer internships in NYC.  Without a doubt, the Wall Street “game” has become much more stressful than when Bill and I began our banking careers.  Our post dinner entainment was a production of “Midsummer’s Night Dream” at the Opera House.  This play has always been one of Bill’s favorite since he played Puck many, many moons ago in grade school.  Unfortunately, his detailed synopsis and eloquent interpretation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece bore little resemblance to the avant-guard, provocative production we saw.  Outrageously funny at times, bizarre and full of nudity, strobe lights and paint guns, this definitely modern version of Midsummer’s Night Dream was certainly memorable.  No pictures as content may not be suitable for viewers…

The next morning we flew north to Hamilton Island to explore the WhitSunday Islands region of OZ and take a break from city living.  Discovered by Captain Cook, this group of continental islands off Queensland consists of 900 miles of absolutely pristine water and stunningly beautiful islands.  Hamilton Island itself was developed as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in the 1970s and was is almost exclusively owned by a wealthy Australia winemaker who purchased the island in 2003 and built a luxury resort.  Quite remote (no wifi…hallelujah!) and simple (golf carts only), Hamiliton Island is not only a destination for scuba divers but it also hosts the Audi Hamilton Race Week which is Australia’s largest offshore keelboat regatta and offers splendid boat charter opportunities.  We liked the Yacht Club’s architectural design and stayed in an Airbnb directly above it.

Getting out on the pristine waters was a goal of ours and I had worked hard to arrange a private charter sail before we left Seoul.   As we discovered upon landing, I completely screwed up!  Not only did I book a GROUP (Yikes!) tour designed for boozey youngsters (20-30 yr. olds) on a large catamaran with a capacity for 70 (of our best friends?), BUT it also departed from a harbor on the mainland and we were staying on Hamilton Island.  Big fat (expensive) mess that I had fully paid for in advance.  Bill to the rescue….while he negotiated an 80% refund, I quickly set off in the golf cart to find an alternative way to get on the water.  Unbelieveably, I found us the last 5 spots on a Volvo 60 Racing Yacht!!!  Early the next morning, we met Jo and Michael, die-hard sailors/racers who co-own this sleek racing vessel, and 6 other mellow guests at the harbor and set off on a glorious day of sailing.  It was so peaceful to just stare at the horizon and absorb the natural beauty of the WhitSunday islands.

The mast of the Volvo60 was so high that no matter where I stood on the boat I couldn’t capture it together with the haul in my camera lens.  Famous for its fine white silica sand which was used to make the Hubble Telescope, Whitehaven Beach is a 7 km beach and part of the WhitSunday National Park.  After hiking up to take in the view of the swirling sands, we spent several hours on the beach and in the warm waters before heading back for more sailing.  If you enjoy sailing and are headed to OZ, the WhitSundays are a MUST and were certainly a highlight of our trip “down-under”.

We finished the day with some yummy Mexican food, Eloise’s favorite and our craving since Korean’s generally hate cilantro (most of them have that gene that makes cilantro taste like soap… a fun factoid to google for those of you who don’t know about cilantro and taste buds) and therefore do not enjoy Mexican cuisine.

Our time in the WhitSundays was very short but worth every second and we weren’t able to fully worship the sun which worked to our advantage when we returned to Seoul where perfectly pale skin is the essence of beauty, NOT sun-kissed tan, glowing skin that characterize most Australians.  Back in Seoul, we now reminisce over the bright colors of clothing and cars, the variety of music we heard on the streets, the hairstyles, especially the dreadlocks which are completely absent here, and general expressiveness of the Ozies since Korean fashion and comportment in general is much more subdued in color, homogeneous and reserved.   I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the GELATO!!!  Australians love their gelato…and we did too…everyday and sometimes twice a day.  The wide range of flavors was a really welcome break from the limited choice (generally only vanilla, chocolate and green tea) we have in Seoul.

Separately, Daphne and Zoe both mentioned how they too would like to study abroad in Sydney and Bill and I are already planning a trip to Melbourne to see the Aussie Open and check out that city.  There is a palpatable positive energy in Australia and all of us felt the trip exceeded our expectations.  Visit if you can as Australia is worth the distance!!