A walk and a one-day friend

Today I went with a guide from the hostel and a group of fellow hostelers on a walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach. It was about 6 miles or so but took us about 2.5 hours because of much stopping along the way. It is a seaside walk that is mostly along cliffs and beaches. Each little cove seemed to have its own little beach. And of course each beach had its own locals, its own scene. Oh, and its own "Surf Life Savers Club." Very cute.

It was stunningly beautiful (though it was cloudy). The ocean here seems so much bluer than at home. Some places a deep, dark blue, and in others more of a light aquamarine. It crashes up on the rocks with such force. It reminded me a lot of a brief drive I took along California Route 1 some time ago.

In contrast to the blue of the water, the plants are so so green and the flowers so bright. It seems at times like it must be a tropical paradise. It certainly isn't reminsicent of the water-starved, desert-like outback that most of us picture as Australia (and is, in reality, about 80% of the continent).

I walked with Emily. I noticed that she was alone as we were leaving the hostel so I struck up a conversation. With great conversation, we stayed together the whole day. She is from California and after graduating from nursing she enlisted in the Navy. Among her years as an officer, she served in Iraq as a trauma nurse for six months. Now that she has been decomissioned (though remains in the reserves) she is taking six months and traveling from NZ (where she already spent a month), through Australia, Asia, and finally Europe. She was smart and thoughtful. What an interesting walking mate. It was so nice to have someone to talk to. She leaves to travel up the east coast tomorrow. So at the end of our day, I said good bye forever to my one-day friend.