Australia: Sydney - where Santa works as a Surf rescue

-

Eat & drink healthy - go to the Hotel!


 Sydney has not escaped from the new age trends for food and healthy living. There is no shortage of avocado, quinoa and gluten-free food on the menu. Smoking is not permitted literally anywhere (even in outdoor spaces). On the other hand, Aussies do like to drink - while it is (technically) not permitted to drink on the beach, in the parks and in many public spaces, the bars are always welcoming and, for some unexplainable reason, nearly all bars in Sydney are called..."Hotels".



Christmas and New Year's on the other side of the world



 It is not the first time I celebrate Christmas and New Year in the South hemisphere (having spent them in South Africa before) and I am convinced ...this is not my gig, but it is tons of fun, nevertheless.

 As Christmas is approaching, people get together in huge crowds to celebrate, make donations and sing Christmas carols under the sun in the parks.


Christmas day Aussie style - a walk along the Sydney coast towards Bondi beach. People are chilling in their beach houses,  others are having a barbecue on the beach (supposedly not drinking any alcohol), and the surf rescue guy is dressed like Santa...









We go to a vegan & gluten-free Christmas party of Sydney expats. Hearing their stories is what interests me the most. Every story is different but there is a common line that I can capture. First or second-generation expats - they have left everything they had not been happy with back at home to land in one of the possibly most isolated places on Earth, Australia. All they have packed in their suitcases is just their determination for a change and willingness to work hard and do whatever it takes to build a new life on the other side of the World. I guess we do need to burn bridges every now and then.

Popular posts from this blog

Costa Rica: The volcano shaking all senses - Arenal (Part 1 of 5)

-
Image
Plane - car - waterfall. Action! After a tremendously long flight of 12 hours from Amsterdam to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, Jenthe and I jump into a little van and experience by far the worst traffic jam in our lives. In San Jose, thousands of cars are simply queuing for several hours for a distance, which should not take more than 30 minutes. Our driver is, however, listening to some reggaeton radio and has apparently no worries in life... Long story short, we have not spent much time in San Jose and frankly, if you have a limited time, it could easily remain a transit place. However, Costa Rica is something to see. It is the most environmentally friendly country in its region, it has no army and geographically, standing over the clashing of massive tectonic plates in the core of the Earth, it possesses a special energy, which explains the spiritual seekers all over the place. The following day, we rent our 4x4 vehicle and head to our first destination, La F
Read more

Costa Rica: Why you should go and immerse in nature...literally (Part 5 of 5)

-
Image
A ferry and a-few-hour drive take us away from our moon fairy tale in Montezuma to our final most Southern destination in Costa Rica, the Manuel Antonio national park. Yet again - Costa Rican accommodation does not disappoint. Our little villa in Quepos is in the middle of a little green oasis and we have our own pool. Every morning when we wake up, we hear something, which sounds like a gigantic ape or a dinosaur, or something between these two, but the owner claims it is a little monkey (hard to believe, given the monstrously loud sounds IT emits!). But ok, it is a monkey until it is not... You haven't experienced Costa Rica enough until you break a tyre We decide to take it easy these last days and, hence, we plan to spend most of our first day in Manuel Antonio on the beach. Our 4x4 does not think so, as we wake up to a broken tyre. The tyre does not agree with us either.  (Simple tip: when you rent a car in Costa Rica, make sure you have the right tools to change th
Read more

Costa Rica: From Moon landscapes to a Moon house (Part 4 of 5)

-
Image
Santa Theresa Santa Theresa is one of the several party destinations in Costa Rica. We are ready for some "loco fiestas" but we are up for a surprise.  Moon landscapes  Already driving from Samara, we figure that roads are getting worse and worse the more south we go, but when we approach Santa Theresa, and even worse - when we enter into the little Pacific village - we are in disbelief with the moon landscapes on the roads (I must have been too shocked as I have not a single photo of that memorable view). The car is jumping and sinking at every meter, there is not a sign of asphalt - only dirt, which goes through every little hole in the car, all around the air. Some people have given up cars and have jumped on the scooters, wrapped in scarves in order to be able to breath.  As adventurous as it is, and being one of the most recommended destinations on the Pacific coast, we still cannot get the concept and charm of breathing dirt while on holiday. Santa There
Read more