Wednesday 17 June 2009

And breathe....










Gus is the most organised person I know. He is a planning machine. And he does like to fill the day with activities. Holidays with Gus are organised with military precision - the day starts early, and runs like clockwork, with the occasional break for cups of tea. So this is why I am behind on my blogging - by the time we have got home, the jetlag has kicked in and I just can't think of anything to say.

Sunday we were supposed to go to Manly - but the weather was overcast so we went to Bondi Junction instead. Now nothing annoys Gus more than a plan thwarted, so when Monday dawned bright and sunny - the trip to Manly was inevitable. First though we had to go into the city to verify our identities at the bank. The staff at Westpac were friendly and helpful - but dear lord, their computer system was a nightmare. Clearly invented by someone in marketing who never actually deals with real people, it was all about relationship building. So we had to answer questions about our goals - I so wanted to say that my only goal was to get the account opened and get the **** out of there - but it wasn't the fault of the delightful Armenian lady who helped make up non-committal answers - so I remained polite.

Account opened and money withdrawn - we were down to our last $20 so it was a relief - we took the ferry over to Manly.

Hmmmm - now Manly is an iconic Aussie location so I need to be careful. Lets just say it wasn't what we were expecting. It was like Brighton or Blackpool - a bit tacky. Some nice older architecture and a good beach though. We had a nice lunch of fish and chips on the beach, walked along the promenade, had some delicious Royal Copenhagen ice cream, and then got back on the ferry to Sydney. An hour and a half in total in Manly. We were a bit ashamed we had stayed so little time there, until we saw quite a few of the people we saw on the ferry coming out on the same ferry back.

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