Here's what you do when you've recently quit a job because you didn't get the promotion you thought you deserved; your relationship sucks; you've just turned 30, AIDS is bearing down and Ronald Reagan is President: you run away to Australia.
I flew to Sydney on Quantas which offered printed menus even in economy. Men in shorts also boarded the plane as soon as we landed and fumigated all the passengers! The Royal Motel in Mosman offered cheap accommodations, an awful meal plan and nice views of the beautiful harbor.
I took the ferry back and forth from Neutral Bay to Circular Quay as did hundreds of other maritime commuters who worked downtown.
 |
| Docking at Neutral Bay |
 |
| Sydney Harbor |
 |
| Harbor Bridge |
Seahorses adorned the heavy iron fences that lined the docks.
Nicholas, a government travel agent, cruised me one lunch hour while I was eating tabouleh. "You've got parsley in your teeth," were his first words. He was a pretentious asshole but I was lonely enough to overlook his abusive behavior for a time.
Swimming at the Andrew "Boy" Charlton Pool became part of my daily routine, a form of exercise I've continued ever since.
The pool was within walking distance of both the blooming Royal Botanic Gardens (spring arrives Down Under in September) and the billowing Opera House.
Manly Beach beckoned. I explored the nearby cliffs, too, only learning years later that the location had been a killing field for gay men in the 80s and 90s. Another bullet dodged!
Did I mention I was waiting for my father to arrive?
Ken left his Volkswagen Type III station wagon--the same one we had driven to Alaska from El Paso three years earlier--at Norton Air Force Base near San Bernardino, California where he hoped to fly standby to Sydney on a military transport plane. Believe it or not, he actually investigated the cost of shipping his vehicle to Australia but the Sunshine Coast VW Club discouraged him--via international mail correspondence that required weeks!
Instead, after waiting a month in vain (and sleeping in the VW), via Tokyo, lugging an enormous duffel bag, including tools for any roadside emergencies. Crazy! Finding a used vehicle topped our to-do list once he arrived. We split the $3060 cost of this '72 Kombi--and everything else--right down the middle.
We also found the time to hit the Taronga Zoo.
We saw plenty of these in the wild, though none boxed for us like this pair of 'roos.
Well-fed koalas lazed about in a beautiful environment.
This sign--which undiplomatically alluded to the unattractiveness of an American first lady--made a big impression:
Eleanor Roosevelt stood right on this spot and said ‘Bless my soul.’ The rhinoceros were mating at the time. This isn't a very aesthetically beautiful exhibit but it has its moments. The exhibit is not beautiful but it is very practical for the management of rhinoceros. Taronga Zoo has an enviable record for breeding these endangered animals. Beauty isn't everything. Mrs. Roosevelt knew that in her day.
More Australia:
No comments:
Post a Comment