The Occasional Outing

I did not have much planned for this year's summer holidays. I didn't bother going anywhere because my family will be coming to Melbourne for Christmas and New Years and I will be off to California right after New Years. Besides a couple of odd student ambassador shifts per week and some administration work with my exchange program, I have a lot of time for myself. With hours of vacant time to spare every day for the past 3 weeks, here's what I have been up to.

Manly Day-Trip

A few of us went on a day-trip to Manly for a swim. We left just after lunch but only got there in the late afternoon because we missed the ferry twice. Anggi brought us to check out a small beach with fish that she visited when she was younger. Later on we went for a swim at Manly beach. Anggi and I got got caught in a rip momentarily and I almost thought that we wouldn't make it to shore. But luckily for my limited knowledge on beach safety, we got out of the rip by swimming sideways. Relieved, we went to Nando's and had a good feast on chicken. 

Rock-Climbing

It had been a long time since I last rock-climbed. The last time was 11th grade, I think. Bo An thought it'd be cool to check out this big indoor rock climbing gym and so Ke You and I went along. And boy, was rock-climbing tough. Technique, strength, stamina, balance, and footwork were all a big part of rock-climbing. After that outing, I realised how fit a lot of Australian men and women were.

Bondi - Bronte Coastal Walk
While I've walked the coastal walk plenty of times in the past, each trip offers plenty of photo opportunities. This time, I went on a cloudy Thursday afternoon so the beach and the walk was rather quiet and soothing. I really enjoy the photos from this trip.

Newcastle Day-Trip
It was my idea to go for a day-trip to Newcastle. While I have been here in Sydney for almost 2 years now, I haven't really taken much time to explore areas outside of Sydney. Newcastle is a relatively large coastal city (by Australian standards) a couple of kilometres north of Sydney. Not knowing what to expect, Bo An, Samanvay, and I took a 3-hour train to Newcastle. We visited a beach, a fort, the city, a cathedral, a street market, and an art gallery. My impression of Newcastle was a rather quiet but well-maintained city with a a lot of indie art. We walked for hours under the bright hot Australian sun and by the end of the day, Bo An and I got sunburned.

Tropfest

The first film festival that I went to. Held in Centennial park, it is the world's largest short-film festival. Initially, Bo An, David, Lisa, and I were going to go together. Due to some communication issues, however, we split up. Bo An and I took the bus while David and Lisa took a cab. We did not see one other at the venue because there were just too many people. To sum it up, a great night where I had Doritos for dinner while consuming 16 short films.