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Tuesday 15 May 2012

Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour...eh well it wasn't quite as were expecting! It was...ahem... pleasant?!
We were staying above the worlds loudest bass speaker ever which made our room jump like there was a earth quack, this lead to dreams of a giant bear shaking the room, that combined with the absolutely mental tropical style monsoon rain storms it really became a test of sleep deprivation! Having said all that we did get to surf most days (after walking an hour and half with boards through the searing heat and monsoon rains!) The waves were actually pretty fun with some fun wedges coming off the harbour wall and next to the river mouth. We even saw our first turtles out back and in the evenings some pretty cool bands in the venue down stairs! A favourite being a Reggie band which ended up having a after party in the room next door. We stayed 5 days looking for work  then decided we didnt really want to be there anyway so headed up the much talked about Byron Bay!

MCA opening


Sydney 2.0
Touch down and I’m rudely awoken from a dream where I had surfed a wave so long that when I kicked out I had crossed a boarder into another country and because I never had my passport in my board shorts the officials on the navy ship (which had somehow sneaked up on me and trained their guns on me) wouldn’t let me back to the beach. After reestablishing I wasn’t in a interrogation room aboard the navy ship and in fact on a plane rolling gently along the shimmering black tar of Sydney’s International Airport the panic started to subside. After a quick skip and dance through customs we exited the terminal to be brutally assaulted by the wall of heat and after a quick recalculation we retreated back into the air-conditioned bliss to find a train into town.

Arriving back in Kings Cross we headed down through the madness that only ‘The Cross’ can create at 9am to find our hostle. It turns out the name was very fitting-Asylum Hostel-and it took all of about 2 seconds to realize the decision to ‘up grade’ (HAHA) to private room was money well spent!

Oooo the bridge and opra house AGAIN
Euan this ones for you there were hundreds and HUGE. :D 
Being back in Sydney was weird it felt like coming home and somewhat comforting seeing familiar sights and not being constantly checking maps and signs. The topic of what to wear to the ‘wee doo’ at the MCA the following day arose and it was decided a new pair of heals a shirt were required to transform our selves from the cool edgy “ I've seen it all before” travelers we were fast becoming to the slick sleek perfect demi gods of upper society we were going to be required to impersonate the following evening. To further our transformation we decided a run was required to tone up our scrawny bods/give us something to casually throw into conversation that evening. Again my poor packing effort came to surface as Mairi casually slipped on her running shoes I was standing there apprehensively in my bare feet. Apparently when I was leaving Scotland running shoes weren't important and I must have had a good reason not to pack them so I wasn't about to add another packing failure to Mairi’s growing list. On our return we were both feeling (not looking FEELING) demi god like and it was only in the shower the first signs of my mortality came to light. Blisters are no big deal right?! Everyone gets them from now and then but these were no normal blisters these were full on war wounds, but they had nothing on what was to follow.

Oblivious to the impending suffering headed off to the opening of the MCA dressed to impress and wondering what sort of chat we would have to come up with to be able to mingle with the upper echelons of the art world. The building-well there’s not words than can describe it fairly its pure genius with beautiful and brilliant design features and looks out standing defiantly the coolest new building I've ever been in! The highlights being two glass walls making the corner over looking the bridge and opera house and the roof top terrace (but mostly the FREE bar). Where WHEN I win the lottery I fully plan to buy and make the roof top room my apartment with the best views over Sydney.

The next couple of days we spent lazing around the Botanical Gardens and trying ignore the temptation to go out and get pissed along with everyone else in The Cross!  Getting invited back to posher opening of the MCA was really cool and we reasoned it was because we must have been such a hit at the 'soft opening'. This time round the heavy weight celebs and important people were going to be out in force, but more importantly another chance to hear my amazing auntie talk. She had surprised me last time by turning out to be an amazing public speaker and pretty cool in front of the VIPs! By now my feet, ankles and knees felt like I had lost a fight with a sledge hammer but this was not going to stop be making it to a free bar!

The next day we headed up the coast to Coffs Harbour on a strong recommendation from some blurry rich gentleman who was buying a lot of drinks at the after-party...probably trying to chat one of us up not sure who tho! :-/ haha


Feeling very special


mad ironing skills...or not!