Archives for May 2007
In the Bank of China lift, Hong Kong
Looks like someone bought themselves a new wideangle lens… A shaky self-portrait captured whilst descending the Bank of China tower in hot, humid, on-the-way-home Hong Kong.
Over the GAFA, to Hong Kong
Australia’s big. Really big: 7.6 million sq km in all, but more than 85% of the population huddles on the very edge. It’s taken us five hours to get from Sydney to the Northern coast, over what pilots call the GAFA – the Great Australian F*** All.
Whoosh
There are so many (predictable) pictures that I could have chosen to reflect my final day in Sydney, which you can find elsewhere on Flickr. Instead, here’s Sydney Harbour rushing past the Jetcat to Watsons Bay.
It’s been good to return to Sydney and not feel overwhelmed or overexcited by it anymore. And it’s been great to see old friends. It’s a global village, etc; see you all soon.
Proof there is no God
Or that he has a sick sense of humour. New South Wales is facing its worst drought in decades.
Bondi
C. has kindly put me up for a few days on his sofa bed: can you guess where he lives?
Coming back to Sydney provides a strong contrast to London, and reminds me of the best and worst of both cities. Walking down to Bondi Beach for breakfast on Sunday morning shows that Australians are definitely better than the British at outdoor living, with the doors of crowded pavement cafes wide open to capture the light and warmth of the late Autumn sun.
On the downside they’re full of Brits. I was meant to be getting away from London!
Cleared to orbit the harbour at 1,500′
As a coda to my New Zealand flying, I took N and B for a flight over Sydney. Although the instructor ended up doing all the fun stuff, through no fault of my own, it was thrilling to fly over Sydney Harbour at 1,500′ and then duck down to 500′, speed along Bondi Beach and then under aircraft on finals for Sydney International Airport. Photo shamelessly stolen from this photostream; flight from 26 May 2007 | 365, Australia, Flying | 1 Comment
My eyes!
Back to Sydney for a few days. The CBD’s marked by many buildings of very average design, surprising for a country with such a shallow focus on the material, but this one caught my eye. And then made my head spin.
Mobile mobile phone
Whilst passing through Auckland I caught up with Truck, my gym buddy from Queenstown. Unfortunately he was knocked off his bike whilst doing his postie round and shattered his knee cap, leaving him hobbling around on crutches with a rigid brace. What impressed me was how convenient it is to attach a mobile phone holder. Always at the ready, if not off the couch.
Me and my wings
It’s been great to get back up in the air again, especially around the mountains of New Zealand (er, have I mentioned that before?). ETT’s been my steed for most of the week, and she’s been a trusty ride. And yes, I do remember to take the ropes off before flying…
View from the office window
Despite some unfavourable Autumn weather I’ve had a chance to go flying every morning and refine my slightly rusty landing skills. After bashing the circuits for a couple of hours we were released this morning for a proper tiki tour of the Southern Alps. Ah, just beautiful. Up here at 9,300 feet we were above the clouds and over the snow; this picture does no justice to the landscape (but I was trying to fly at the time). To the far right is Mount Aspiring, at nearly 10,000′ the second highest point between here and Hawaii (beaten only by Aoraki, just up the road); to the left lies Rob Roy glacier.
And all at half the price of flying a 35 year old aircraft from field to field in the congested airspace of Southern England. Is it any wonder that I don’t bother flying at home?
