A welcome contrast…

3 weeks of unemployment have taught me to count every penny, and deal in coinage rather than plastic. Combining Sydney’s public transport system with using old-fashioned leg power, and mastering the art of living on a daily budget while still managing to see the best (and worst) Sydney has to offer (big thanks to MJ for taking accommodation out of the equation!).

vs.

this post is being written from the comfort of an Etihad Airlines Business Class Recliner seat (with massage function), while sipping a glass of Chivas 12 year (I’m no connoisseur, but it’s not offensive) with my feet up and enjoying the massage machine that’s working on my spine and the backs of my legs. I could go on and on about the four course meal that followed the glass of Champagne on lift off (the real deal, not Lindauer), but am too busy reading up on the anytime a la carte menu. Thank you Etihad for a 15 hour upgrade to a different world.

So for those who laid down the challenge of overcoming a dirty beard and filthy backpack to get business class upgrades, consider this the first box ticked.

As for a week in Sydney, there were experiences both uniquely Sydney:

• the rabid enthusiasm, blind loyalty and apparently necessary violence of the crowds at an Eels vs. Doggies NRL game, where more than half the crowd wore team shirts(the rest only turned up in team colours), the 8 year olds behind us yelled at their team to “kill that guy!” and a bunch of around 100 Doggies fans seemed to manage a fight among themselves, throwing each other down rows of chairs and stairs before the Police came and helped them with the job. According to cousin Marshall, this isn’t uncommon.
• An excellent zoo, complete with the elephants delivered from Thailand by Uncle Lance, awesome seals (I want one) and a gorgeously curious red panda (one of these too please Santa).
• Wandering/shopping on Oxford St (including the “interesting” end), King St (it’s all “interesting”), and the more relaxed café scene and hippiness of Glebe Pt Rd (if I lived in Sydney, it would be here)
• Trying to pick a winner at the Women’s World Surfing Tour comp at Dee Why beach with MJ

…as well as experiences which were less Sydney but just as good:

• Mini Octopi at BYO Thai with MJ (seeing as he hasn’t been around for any Canton BYO action)
• Discussing with Marie which cliff top house between Bondi and Bronte beaches would be better to have
• Taking part in the weekly $11 Beer/Steak/Chips Wednesday with MJ’s multinational Military Studies classmates. Confirming that despite coming from USA, Canada, Japan, and the Philippines, guys will generally have similar interests. Though I’m still not sure whether the Filipino Special Forces Officer was serious about always carrying a knife, “because you’ve got to be prepared for anything to happen”.
• Realising just how much better a swim/gym-fit body (MJ‘s) handles a gym/swim session than a desk-fit body (my own) - 3 days later and it still hurts to move.
• New Zealand is small, but Australia isn’t much bigger. On the bus home from Bondi Beach, I stopped by an interesting-looking market, only to find myself crashing the first date of a mate from Waterpolo days (Johnny Hammond). It turned out well though - his date ended up giving us both a ride to the train station.

All in all it’s been a great week. Plenty of new experiences, new people, old people, and general exploring. Only 10 hours of pampering until I meet Brad in Abu Dhabi and complete the final stages of preparation for Iran.

Am missing everyone at home, and although it’s been all go, home is never far from the thoughts!

Time to close the laptop now - if you want a hint as to what’s coming next, refer to the picture...

ps. am uploading this from Iran, so more pics will have to wait as Facebook is blocked here