A Day at Bondi

I finally had a beach day at world famous Bondi!  I've been wanting to do this since we've got here but everytime I'd planned to go it's rained.  Today was supposed to be hot so I got up early to hit the beach before the sun got too strong.  I was at the beach before ten, rented an umbrella and set up camp. Going early and on a weekday is probably the best time to be at Bondi.  It wasn't too busy when I got there and I got a prime spot near the water, but after eleven thirty it was packed!

I'd been to see Bondi before but not actually enjoyed it's beach and I have to say it was pretty awesome.  And I even went in the water all the way!  It was really hot (42 degrees) and it felt so good to be in the cool water and have the waves crashing around me.

Bondi Bathers Pavillion

You can see the Iceberg Pool in the distance

There is a long wall between the beach and parkade that has been turned into an art wall.  It features memorials to the Bali bombings in 2002 in which many Aussies were killed.

The suburb of Bondi is not that impressive.  The main street is lined with palm trees and features some old buildings and colorful stores fronts, but once you get past that the neighborhood's not that exciting.  Sounds like there are some fancy homes in this area as well, but I didn't see any on the ride from the beach to the junction.  There are tons of young backpackers from all over the world who stay here.  When I first came to Sydney this is where everyone assumed I would be living.

Main strip of Bondi.  The apartments to the right are supposed to be "the best apartments in the world".  An Aussie would say that.

About twelve thirty the sun was getting too strong so I took the (airconditioned) bus and train home.  I got started on some packing (one suitcase packed to fifty pounds) and got most things ready for our garage sale on Saturday.

It's almost eleven pm now and it's still over thirty degrees outside.  We carried our mattress downstairs to sleep in front of the AC tonight because it's unbearably hot upstairs.  Who doesn't put an air conditioning unit upstairs where the hot air rises too???  The idiot who designed our place apparently.  Just another mark on the list of stupid ways built things.