coogee beach

coogee beach rock pool, originally uploaded by suddenly.

hottest place on the planet

hottest place on the planet, originally uploaded by suddenly.

oy.

just when you thought it was safe to go into the water…

shark, originally uploaded by suddenly.

summer in sydney sounds so appealing until you realize that most places don’t have A.C. the high today was 36 degrees celsius which, in fahrenheit, is the equivalent of a constant pool of sweat in your ass crack. this entire week has been hot, hot, hot and we’ve been trying to find relief from the ozone-less stratosphere that hovers over these parts, threatening to sear the first three layers of our epidermis.

we thought one chill place would be the aquarium. ideally, it would’ve been cooler if it weren’t for the hundred or so rugrats violating my personal space and sucking away what faint A.C. was available. still, the aquarium was worth the trip. the best part is the glass tunnel you walk through to see the fish swimming next to, below, and above you. the star attraction is the shark but the stingrays deserve center stage, too. temperature-wise, the aquarium wasn’t so cool but it does have lots of cool stuff. see more photos of aquatic life here.

yesterday, we went to manly beach where the sunbathers are even better-looking than the ones at bondi. the water was ice cold and strongly currented but felt amazing after near broiling in the sun. and if you’re wondering how the soles of my feet are doing after strolling on the sand without flip flops, well, the blisters are healing nicely, thank you.

all i gotta say is, thank god for popsicles.

looking for a cocka-two

cocka-two, originally uploaded by suddenly.

we’re in sydney now and man, i am LUVin’ it. i think the sunny skies and warm temps put everyone in a good mood. people are so friendly here — and freakin’ good-looking, too. the women here fall into two camps: the blonde olivia newton-john type or brunette elle mcpherson look. the men look like hugh jackman. in other words…HAWT! it’s kind of insane how people here are so toned. we’ll see guys out and about without shirts, sporting 6-to-8 packs, crazy cut arms and hanging pecs. we’ll walk through a park and see people pilatesizing, stomach crunching, running up stairs – like they were auditioning for australian gladiators or something. moderate exercise is great and all but seriously, what the hell is wrong with these people?

so you know how australia is famous for kangaroos and koalas? did you know that sydney has flocks and flocks of sulphur-crested cockatoos flying around town? we have a few regulars that come to our window to chow down on bird seed. they’re technically wild but tame enough to eat out of our hands. at first glance, they look identical but i can tell them apart by their personalities. there’s the picky eater who pushes the dried corn out of the way and only eats sunflower seeds; the territorial bully who takes food from the others; the gentle one that eats each seed neatly. they’re so goddamn cute with that signature yellow curl on their heads and the way they cock their heads at you, somehow saying, “please luv me.” i miss having a pet and these birds fill the void nicely.  plus sydney doesn’t have any stray cats to feed.

click here to see the weird and wonderful animals in sydney.