melbourne – aussie aussie aussie, oye oye oye!!!

you have to love melbourne!!! being dressed up for the commonwealth games, this city has an idyllic setting (around the yarra river) and does not have the big-city feel of sydney. driving around melbourne and its neighborhoods gave me a feel for why many people (not just melbournites!) consider it the best in australia. i was here to check out some sporting action and the city dished it out.



the australian open was on at melbourne park and we were out to watch some evening action, men’s second round. “aussie, aussie, aussie!!!, oye oye oye!!!” – the chant was all around the packed rod laver arena as the home favorite lleyton hewitt took on the unseeded argentinian, juan ignacio chela.





chela disposed hewitt in a keenly fought match hushing the partisan crowd. nonetheless, the atmosphere was electric especially when heweitt stole the third set.



was disappointed to find out that sania mirza (the highest ranked indian player, atp rank - 34) had crashed out of the tournament that morning. fact – the vivacious teen idol hails from the southern indian city of hyderabad which has a knack for producing world champions. coincidentally, it happens to be my hometown!



no trip to melbourne is complete without a visit to the hallowed MCG. a venue that is home to the melbourne cricket club which also hosts the AFL (australian football popularly called “footy”). the stadium is ultra modern, the result of a recent redevelopment that cost half a billion australian dollars, and belies the fact that it is one of the oldest stadium and the one that staged the first cricket test match in 1877. i would love to be a member of this club but it’s the longest queue in melbourne. a waiting list well over 180,000!







i am thrilled to be in melbourne during the summer. an opportunity to see the australians play cricket at home. a short trip away from the MCG, at the telstra dome, the home team took on the south africans in a one day game, as part of the VB series.



the game played indoors, under lights, was a spectacle. sitting by the boundary with a bunch of drunk and vocal aussies was an experience i thoroughly enjoyed. every south african player patrolling the outfield was heckled endlessly. it was good being a neutral spectator just enjoying the game.





brett lee gave a career-best performance (5 for 22) as australia thrashed the south africans.



after all the exciting sporting action we decided to take it easy. rented a fast holden and went on a drive along the scenic great ocean road. over 300 kilometers of spectacular geography.



my first driving experience in the southern hemisphere was fantastic and the road signs were there to guide me.





we stopped by at apollo bay to check out the beach and wander around the weekend market. the kids looked cute with their painted faces.





a caffeine break at a cosy restaurant in picturesque surroundings, run by an intriguing and hilarious cook. didn’t quiet understand whether he was laughing with us or at us!





the twelve apostles, beautiful limestone rock formations off the southern ocean, greeted us near port campbell, a sleepy fishing village. enamored by the natural beauty of the formations, we admired them from all vantage points (the cliffs, the shore and from high above in a chopper)







and as the sun set, it was a drive back home inland and a chance to soak in the sight of rolling plains passing by.







it’s been a super fun week in the land of oz and i’m glad i came here to experience it. abundance of land and its laid back and free-spirited people strike you the most while you are here.

i expect a study in contrast when i make it to the tiny island nation of singapore tomorrow morning. goodbye australia!

brisbane and the gold coast

brisbane, the capital of queensland, is low key, casual and very pretty. it is hard to imagine it is one of the biggest cities in australia.



trinath, a cousin who just finished grad school in melbourne, flew down and it was great to see him after many years. we stayed at the magnificent renaissance – styled conrad treasury and it is easy to tell why it is rated the best hotel in town. the furnishings are grandiose and the service warm.



the city center was surprisingly noisy late into the night. walked around the place and grabbed a bite at one of the open air restaurants.



a cruise on the meandering brisbane river on a warm (re-word to “hot”) day is a delight. the waterfront houses surrounded by greenery are absolutely gorgeous! the best i have ever seen in any "big" city. not surprisingly, there’s a real estate boom out here!





a short drive south of brisbane (~ 1 hour), is the crazy and clichéd gold coast. 35 kilometers of world-class beaches. the gold coast tries to be all things to all people (shopping like in NY, beaches like in southern california, theme parks like in orlando) and does a pretty decent job.



we stayed at the courtyard marriott, right by surfer’s paradise. the name says it all. the tall waves a few feet into the water is ideal for surfing. lesson one – it is not safe to swim in surfing waters, especially for novices like me (i always thought i was an amateur but who was i kiddin’?) ! i learnt it the hard way. a swollen upper lip, strained lower back and some skin off my elbows.







the very interesting and unique music of an aboriginal playing the didgeridoo for a bunch of curious tourists stopped us in our steps. saved us a walk into the bush to experience it!



“vindaloo roo” - name of the kangaroo dish we ate for dinner at the “tandoori place”. damn, it was good! and so was everything else we ate at this place. it capped off a really “exciting” day on the beach.

the next morning was supposed to be thrilling! skydiving off a helicopter from 10000 feet over the beautiful coastline! more waiver forms (3 pages!), a 2 mins training class and a harness. it was time to wait and pray for the clouds to clear. unfortunately, the agonizing wait lasted a couple hours before we decided to give up and rush to the airport to catch a flight. bummer!





we miss the flight....but we are put on the next one to melbourne, victoria. phew!

sydney - its play time!

i’ve heard a lot about sydney over the years. a few friends and colleagues who’ve lived in or visited sydney were “comfortable” comparing it to new york and london! they were not kiddin'. sydney delivers big time! it has it all – style, magnificence and and energy. sadly, the sun did not show up during my entire stay. it didn’t matter.



i stayed at the “old holiday inn” in the historic rocks area. the hotel is surprisingly nice - awesome location and killer views. it was a warm and rainy monday morning as i wandered out and explored the rocks and the downtown city area. being a working day, the city was abuzz with activity and the casual tourists mixed with the nicely dressed working sydneyites (didn’t expect sydney to be formal!).





didn’t waste any time in making my way to the sydney cricket ground (SCG), a premier test cricket venue and a must see for true cricket fans. the stadium itself is average but the members pavilion including the bradman bar (named after sir donald bradman, arguably the best cricketer of all time) is something else. the outfield (which was being prepared for a game the following sunday) is real pretty.





a long bus ride took me to bondi beach, a permanent fixture on the sydney top 10 lists. i did not take a swim. however, can vouch for the fact that “people watching” is the favorite beach activity at bondi. it’s all a show! and a good one at that.







the iconic sydney opera house is a true work of art and the fact that it was designed by a young 38 year old (danish architect, jorn utzon) is mind-blowing. the venues inside are amazing but the exterior design steals the show.



the signs were everywhere – “sydney festival 2006” and there were a lot of events in town. i chatted in anticipation with the security officer (a jolly middle aged chap from lebanon!) trying to get tickets for a sold out play that evening. got lucky! a ticket (front row, middle seat!) to watch the play, “all wear bowlers” (a story of two silent film clowns who take a wrong turn and find themselves trapped in a haunted theatre), at “the studio” which is a venue for the performing arts at the opera house. it had a bizarre plot and the artists involved the audience quite a lot. not good if you are sitting in the front row with a beer in hand (fact – you can watch a ballet at the sydney opera house with flip-flops! dosen’t sound right!). firstly, the lady sitting beside me gets dragged into the plot (reluctantly!) as the love interest for one of the two characters. next, one of the artists grabs my beer, takes a sip and shouts out - “disgusting!”. did not argue. got picked on a little more - all in good fun!



went out later that night with a couple sydneyites (kathryn and allan – both teachers at a sydney music school) to a bar (wildfire) overlooking the opera house and the bridge. amazing place with expensive drinks. topics of conversation – american politics and cricket! let's leave it at that.

tuesday morning, took a walk across the breathtaking sydney harbor bridge. it was really something!!! this is what you call a bridge!. half-way down it started to rain cats and dogs and had no choice but to get soaked. i’ve decided it to add it to my “essential experiences in sydney” guide – get drenched on the harbor bridge!







had just about enough time left to grab a bite at wagamama (love this place!), drop by the australian stock exchange (the buzz was around the nikkei crashing that day.) and take a ferry out to darling harbour. the view of the city from darling harbour is fantastic!





a quick cab ride to the airport and onto a virgin blue flight (gotta give it to richard branson! he sure knows how to run an airline).



destination – brisbane and the gold coast!