Fancy New Year

The days in Newcastle went quickly.  I didn't feel like we had done much, but the time past quickly in the comfortable settings and with the relaxed lifestyle.  After a week, our visit had come to an end and it was time for us to go.  I could have happily stayed in Newcastle for longer, but that wouldn't be right for Veronica.  Being in Australia for the first time with Veronica, I wanted us to experience a bit more during our stay.  So we said our goodbyes to my family and headed back to Sydney.

In Sydney, I had planned for us something special.  New Year's Eve in Sydney is always a big event.  Over the years, I had gone to many parties and spent many nights out in the public parks with friends to watch the fireworks.  However, I had never been to any of the prime locations to watch the fireworks.  The prices had always been astronomical and it hadn't been something I had considered.  On this trip, I had different plans.  If only once, I wanted to go to watch the fireworks from one of the best spots.  Looking online, there weren't many places with any availability left.  I picked one of the few spots with anything left and with a knot in my stomach, paid the exorbitant price.  Early in the evening on New Year's Eve, we set out towards the Royal Botanic Gardens.  Our section of seating didn't open until 6pm, so we thought we would start making our way over at about 5:30pm.  In hindsight, this was a bit too late.  When we arrived, we found ourselves confronted with a long line of people that would take almost 45 minutes.

Once we successfully navigated the line, we rushed with the others to try and find a spot.  The best spots had all been taken, but we were still able to get a good spot at the very front.  We would be here for the next 6 hours, so we threw down our blankets and settled in for some relaxation as we waited.  We were curious about whether such a long time would become a bit of a drag or tedious.  It seemed to be a long time to just be waiting around on the grass, so we came prepared with extra battery banks for our phones, books and magazines.  I lay back and settled into the next few hours of reading.  It was crowded and were surrounded by people, but it was still a relaxing time.

As the sun set and the skies darkened, the colours and lights of the harbour awakened.  Ships full of partygoers circled the harbour, completely covered in bright lights themselves and they sounded their horns to the delight of everyone on shore.  The sedate and relaxed mood of the early evening changed, and there was a vibrancy which had taken over.  Down closer to the habour, the party at Opera Bar was kicking off and people were screaming along with the bands entertaining the party.

At nine o'clock, the first set of fireworks started.

These were the "children's fireworks" which happened every year.  They were timed to allow the families with the younger children to see some fireworks without having to stay the full evening.  It was a good idea.  Everyone's heads craned up as the sky lit up and we were given this short appetiser to the bigger even that was come at midnight.  After this short show, I looked around and no one moved.  I'm sure there were some who would leave after this display, but given the prices paid for our area, it seemed that everyone here would be staying until the final show.

The next three hours flew by.  It was too dark to read now, so we just lay back and chatted as we drank our wine.  Surrounded by the buzz of activity around us seemed to give us all the energy we needed.  Occasionally, one of us would wander off to the bathroom or to get more snacks, but nothing much happened.  It was a good way for us to rest and relax.  The last few weeks had been a bit hectic with the travel and with the family reunion, so I enjoyed spending this time with Veronica.  Soon, the noise started to increase.  People were staying to scream and shout as midnight started to approach.  The lights on the bridge changed and soon numbers appeared to commence the countdown.  At midnight, there was an enormous cheer and the sky glowed with fireworks.  A waterfall of flames streamed from the bridge, one of the signature sights done every year.  The Sydney new year fireworks always go for a long time, this year was no different.  The sky was filled with fireworks for nearly fifteen minutes.  I had seen the show before, but this was special.  To be directly in front and to have the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was an experience I would remember.

With the fireworks finished, everyone began the slow procession out of the Botanic Gardens and back into the city.  The streets were crowded with people and it was a surreal sight to see the thousands of people filling the normally quiet evening streets.

Was it all worth it?  It's hard to say.  The price for the night was steep.  Yet the experience was certainly something special.  Even after seeing the Sydney fireworks several times, this was still without a doubt the most impressive and enjoyable of all the experiences.

Being home

It was relaxing and refreshing being back in Newcastle.  I didn't want to do too much.  The simple tasks of life and living were what I wanted to experience.  It was what I wanted to show to Veronica whilst she was here.  We went about life as I had hoped.  We visited the local restaurants.  I took her to the markets and shops.  Something as simple as the wonderful produce in Australia, I wanted her to be able to see and experience all of that.

At home, we enjoyed and embraced the simple delights.  The fruit was fresh and sweet.  The dairy was rich and thick.  My parents had bought six enormous mangoes for Veronica.  When she first saw them, her eyes widened with delight and surprise at their sheer size.  She lifted up the platter that sat on and breathed deep, with their fragrant smell filling the kitchen.  Outside, we walked in the nature reserves and out around the neighbourhood.  The familiar sounds of the birds made me think of childhood, but they were all new and novel to Veronica.  My parents went outside to the balcony daily to feed some of the visitors they had.  After some encouragement, Veronica also happily joined in to feed these cheeky new friends.

Most importantly, whenever there was any spare time, I took Veronica to the beaches and the water.  My best memories of life in Sydney and Newcastle were always near the water.  This was what I remembered the most and I wanted to show this lifestyle to Veronica.  I had described it to her, but my words weren't enough.  You had to experience it, the power of the waves, the strong cool winds blowing across the water.  There was nothing like it back in the enclosed islands and harbours of Hong Kong.

Taking Veronica into the water was also a hilarious, but fun experience for us.  She was only used to swimming in the warm waters of the tropics and was shocked by the cold.  It was warm outside, but the waters of the Southern Pacific still held there bite for a few more months.  The shock of jumping into the water was invigorating for me, but it took a bit of coaxing to get Veronica to join.  Eventually, after a lot of convincing, she joined me and the rest of the swimmers in the water.  She had never gone wave jumping before and delighted in this new activity, though not without some first time difficulties.  After one particularly big wave, I turned to check on her and saw two upturned feet as she was swept back towards the beach.

We kept enjoying this lifestyle for days.  Sitting in the cafes seemed to be particularly enjoyable.  It was something so part of the day to day life that I didn't think I would miss so much.  There are now more and more cafes in Hong Kong and the coffee culture is growing, but there aren't too many places in the world where I can so happily sit with a coffee looking out towards such a soothing view.

On our last night in Newcastle, I took everyone out for dinner.  Some of the restaurants I had wanted us to go to were closed over the Christmas period, but there was one new restaurant which was still open during this period.  We drove into the centre of the city.  Unlike most cities in the world, parking is never an issue in Newcastle.  Even if you park "further" away, you're never more than a five minute walk away from your destination.  

It was an odd feeling to be sitting in a fine dining restaurant overlooking the harbour in Newcastle.  The city has changed a lot from when my family first moved there.  I still remember the first time I visited after my parents moved there.  It was a sleepy little town and very much a bit behind in terms of development.  To now be sitting in such an upmarket and fancy restaurant made me think about how far this place had now come.  Much of the downtown had been redeveloped and many of the rougher edges were being polished out.  Closer to the water and the harbour, it was all becoming quite nice.   I could never have imagined that my parents would end up staying so long or that it would become my defacto home in Australia.  For a place I have never actually lived, there was a strange sense of home to being in Newcastle.

Heading Home

It had been more than three years since I had been back to Australia.  The coronavirus restrictions in place in both Hong Kong and Australia had made travel difficult.  Hong Kong was particularly annoying.  The rest of the world had made the decision to open and move on with life, yet Hong Kong and China were reluctantly holding onto restrictions.  However things were now moving in the right direction.  Hong Kong had dropped almost all the restrictions, most importantly the travel restrictions.  Now was the perfect time for me to finally go home.  There was another important reason to go to Australia as well.  It was time for me to introduce Veronica to my parents, and she was extra excited because she had never been to Australia before.  I started looking into flights for us a few months ago.  The direct flights from Hong Kong to Sydney were outrageously price.  Outrageous to a level that I decided I wouldn't fathom paying such prices.  After a few hours of playing around with different combinations, I worked out that if we flew first to Singapore, we could actually fly from Singapore to Sydney return on premium economy, and the total price of the trip would still be the same as if we had gone direct between Hong Kong and Sydney.  This also included the added bonus of a short stay in Singapore on the return leg of the journey.

We flew out late morning and reached Singapore mid afternoon.  We had a few hours so we caught up with some of Veronica's friends for a quick bite and a catch up.  It had been the first time I had been to Singapore since the pandemic and in that time, the beautiful new "Jewel" had opened.  It's an impressive new building at the airport, but ultimately it's still just another shopping mall.  It did make it easier to catch up with people though and so we were able to wait until the last moment before going back into the terminal and boarding our next flight.  The flight was uneventful.  I slept well and woke up just before landing.  As I heard the in flight music of "I Still Call Australia Home" playing, I started to feel a bit emotional. Looking out the window, I could see the familiar sights of Sydney in the distance.  After getting off the plane and taking the overpriced train into the city, we were in Sydney.  It was extremely early and we still had some time before our next train to Newcastle so we found a cafe and waited.

It was just Central Station, but even sitting here and drinking a coffee with Veronica felt amazing.  The air smelt clean and fresh.  There was a light hint of eucalyptus smell.  I just felt refreshed being there.  It was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders finally being here.  After the brief rest, we boarded the train for Newcastle.  I was feeling to happy to rest, but Veronica was soon asleep.  The train from Sydney to Newcastle is painfully slow, but it's a picturesque trip.  Up around the Hawksbury River in particular, the slow ambling of the train gives all passengers a lovely view of the scenery.  For this trip, it was fine, but I still remembered how annoying it was being on these trains as they crawled towards Newcastle and back. 

After more than two hours, we finally reached our stop new Newcastle.  My parents were waiting for us at the platform.  I hadn't seen them in more than three years and they looked older.  There were happy embraces and my parents looked truly delighted to meet Veronica.  We quickly loaded up the car and headed back home.

As Veronica took some time to freshen up, I stood and looked out towards Mount Sugarloaf from the balcony, I once again felt a strong sense of relaxation.  The fresh air, the sunlight and the peaceful surroundings were the tonic that I had needed.  It felt as though the annoyance of the past few years was finally coming to an end. 

World Class Squash

My obsession with squash has taken off over the last few years.  It's been annoying trying to improve and progress during this time as every few steps forward have been curtailed by new restrictions of shut downs that have halted me in my tracks.  By the time things have opened up again, it has felt as though I have had to relearn what was forgotten.  Things were now changing though.  Hong Kong was feeling better and it felt like everything was finally on the right track now.  The restrictions were falling away quickly and large events were coming back to Hong Kong.  One of those big events returning was the Hong Kong Open, arguably one of the world's premiere squash tournaments.  

I had never watched professional squash in person before.  My squash obsession had led me to start following and watching it online, but this would be very different.  As I entered the darkened hall, I was immediately impressed by the speed and sound.  As much as I loved playing, I had never seen this level of play before.  Even watching the very top players in the tournaments I had been to didn't compare to this.  It wasn't really a surprise that the professionals were a step above everyone else, but it was quite amazing to see and hear it in person.

We had chosen to go for the quarter finals.  This was a good day to go since it meant there were eight games in total and each was at a high level.  The stadium itself wasn't too full either, so we were able to move around to get a view of the play at different angles.  

The last match for the day was Paul Coll against the newly minted Englishman Marwan ElShorbagy.  Watching them both play was a pleasure.  The combination and variation of shots, the speed and the skills were all on full display.  What was most striking though was the precision.  The ability for both players to just hit the line so perfectly time and time again.  It was an impressive display.