The first weekend of November was yet another gathering with my student friend. She had two other friends along, so the crowd was growing! It was off to Bondi this time, for the Sculptures by the Sea.

It’s free to view, but costly to purchase, so it’s another one of those outing possibilities for the cost conscious. It’s always good to know the many ways of having a good time without breaking the bank. The previous week at the 7 Bridges Walk was one good example. Especially here, since it’s very commonplace to see people having a picnic on the grass. It doesn’t cost much to get a take-away Fish N Chips. It costs even less if it’s homemade sandwiches.

I arrived at the Sydney CBD early, as I needed to get a pre-pay ticket in order to board the express bus to Bondi. There’are actually two services, with the quicker service requiring a pre-paid ticket. Problem is, I couldn’t find a newsagent which sells single trip pre-pay. All of them sell the Travel-Ten ticket, but none had the single trip ticket. I spent almost 45 minutes walking around and just asking around. In the end, I reached the bus stop just in time to board the normal service which turned out to be not that slow after all.

I arrived quite early, and had time to walk around Bondi a little. That’s one thing that I’ve noticed and adapted to. Or rather, trying to. Since the frequency of buses are not that high, usually 20 to 30 minutes between them (except for the high volume services), you tend to plan ahead in order to catch the timed service in order not to be late. 30 minutes can sometimes make a difference between 15 early, or 15 minutes late. The timetable helps, but it’s a drag having to carry one around.

Contemplation

SN and her friend JD arrived a short while later, before JD’s significant other, AN arrived. The weather appeared a little gloomy and threatened to open up. Even then, it failed to deter the persistant visitors, us included. I had a guide book with me, thanks to a colleague who had visited the exhibition earlier. It was interesting to know the cost of the exhibits, should we get the urge to splurge for the occasional artwork. Thankfully for us, the lack of a proper home for the piece of art, the lack of financials and a practical sense of mind kept the money in the wallets. There were at least a hundred art works on display, all scattered along the coast from Bondi Beach to Tamarama Bay. A good day’s worth of walking and viewing.

Hoping

Right around 1, JD and friend decided to head back since they have a paper to sit for on Monday. That leaves just SN and myself. There’s still more to see, and we have not even reached the half-way mark. I’m not really an art aficionado deep down, so some of the works were easy to appreciate while some just didn’t really make sense. Then there were those which were a few notches above the rest.

Reaching Tamarama Bay, we stopped for lunch before finishing up the remainder of the exhibition. The weekends here are fantastic, to say the least. Lunch by the beach sitting under the sun without any shade and not even breaking a hint of sweat. Then again, it’s only spring; Summer should be balmy.

Then came the crazy suggestion – walk from Tamarama Bay back to the apartment. I wasn’t too sure what I was getting into, but what the heck? I had good company, and after going through the ups and downs of Blue Mountain, this should be a piece of cake. I didn’t have a proper pair of walking shoes though – more like hiking shoes which gives my littlest toe a sore, and a sole which allows water to slowly seep in. Other than that, I’m game.

From Tamarama Bar, we passed by Nelson Bay, the Bronte Baths, through Waverley Cemetery, around Burrows Park, past Clovelly Bay, Gordons Bay, along Coogee Bay and to South Coogee. From there, it was a mess of turns before we arrived at the apartment. I do remember walking along Cuzco road though. It sure brought back memories. Total walking time was probably in the region of 4 hours or so. Don’t really remember exactly.

A short rest in the apartment before dinner and the long trip back to the hotel for me.

Frankly speaking, I think that was one of the best long walks I have ever taken. There wasn’t really any targets set, except that we probably should arrive at the apartment before nightfall, which we did. There was no hurry whatsoever. We could rest whenever we liked (only once did we sit on one of the benches), pause to admire a stunt kite being flown, a game of lawn bowling, beach volleyball. Perfect weekend away from the hustle and bustle of city life.