Sydney

We had an idea to save a little cash. Stay in a Youth Hostel. Sydney Beach House in Collaroy has had some great reviews and perhaps in the world of backpackers accom is still well rated. I think we may have to reconcile our desire to go down budget on occasion with our (justifiable) high expectations. Looking at their map I also thought that Colloroy was just one beach north of Manly. Unfortunately my 10 years living in Sydney was not enough to educate me fully. It was physically and culturally miles away. Both Colloroy and the YHA were depressing. We left the YHA to the sound of an early morning fire alarm and are now happily ensconced in the Manly Lodge, a well located and funky guest house. I, traditionally a fan of the Eastern suburbs am very much liking the Manly vibe. 14kms from Sydney, a 1000 miles from care.
We have achieved all of the tasks we set for Sydney. Indian visas applications are know by many as the ultimate bureaucratic frustration but I did not realise that Indian consulates in different cities have curiously different requirements for visa applications. In Sydney they need to see the children's birth certificates. How many people travel with those? Not possible for us to access ours at short notice. This dilemma was best tackled en masse. Family Bracey in full 'we are family' mode. These are not kids we are trying to sneak out of the country against their will. After some confusion a little head shaking, photo copying and some more confusion we were on our way. Success.
I loved our time in Manly. Swimming before breakfast every morning. Everything on our doorstep. Taking the ferry into the city. Pretty pleasant place to live, I figure. Jessica came over to visit for one night. Great to see my lovely eldest.
While there, Gabby is fine tuning our route through Asia when we have our second smoke related issue of the week. The bloody farmers in Northern Thailand, Myanmar and Laos are getting a bit carried away with the slash and burn. Visibility is down to 800m and they are recommending that folk stay indoors and wear a mask. Not a place to drag the kids to till the rains come and sort the fires out. Sorry if I have started writing with an Australian accent but I am on the plane now watching Kenny. A great Australian comedy. Infectious.
An interesting footnote to the week. Gabby suggesting we all think about moving to Manly to live. mmm... interesting.

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