When you LOVE what you do but you also love cute little babies, sometimes you figure out how to combine the two!
This video is about never being too young or two old to have a voice through the power of the Internet and the coaching and support of top notch programs, education and people who care and know what they’re doing.
People like GutZy Woman and Wonderful Web Woman!
This is all about you having a voice…and LOTS of fun and grins!
Bondi Beach (pronounced “BOND-eye”,) is a historic and popular beach and is located 7 kilometres (4 miles…wish I would have learned how to convert in school!:) east of the Sydney central business district.
Much of this video shows the main street called Campbell Parade and it features many popular cafes, restaurants and hotels, with spectacular views of the beach. Hotel Bondi (where we stayed) is a famous landmark opposite the beach.
Bondi Pavilion is right across on the beach itself and is a community cultural center, which features a theater, gallery, rehearsal, meeting and function rooms, art workshop, studios, restaurants… It is used for major festivals and performances throughout the year.
A few interesting tidbits about Bondi Beach:
Hosted the beach volleyball competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
On 6 February 1938, 5 people drowned and over 250 were rescued after a series of large waves struck the beach and pulled people back into the sea, a day that became known as “Black Sunday“.
In 2007, the Guinness World Record for the largest swimsuit photo shoot was set at Bondi Beach, with 1,010 women wearing bikinis taking part. (Now if this would have been 1,010 men in Speedos that would have been something!:)
Has been used as a location for a few Australian and International movies and television series.
Bondi blue, a colour name coined by Apple Computer for the original iMac computer. It is believed to be named for the color of the water at Bondi Beach.
How to Communicate from Down Under…Thank you Skype!
While in Bondi, my Hubby got a cell phone right around the corner from the hotel and the learning process began! The Australians don’t call them cell phones…they’re “Mobile Phones” and the companies that offer the service drive you crazy because they don’t tell you how many minutes you get at what rate. Instead, they give you a “value” of the calls made…for example “that plan is a $165.00 value”. When you try to pin them down as to what that really means…they couldn’t tell you!
And did you know that when you call a mobile number from a landline, they charge your landline! Mobile phones are quite expensive to run it seemed to me and if you don’t use all your minutes by the end of that month…you lose them and start from scratch! It all actually reminded me of the cell phone companies 10 years ago.
And as far as the landline company, “Telstra”, just try to get a real person on the phone or meet a real person at a Telstra office? Forget it…and I thought Qwest was troublesome!
But I’ve got to tell you…if you were at my grand opening, we gave you a demonstration of “Skype”. Well, after going through all that with the phone companies, WE LOVE SKYPE and I signed up for $5.95 mo., I can call anyone at any number in the US and talk for as long as I want. PLUS I get a phone number in the US that YOU can reach me on from any phone (doesn’t require that you have a computer.) My hubby got a plan to call 37 countries for $14.95/mo.
If you haven’t checked out Skype…you really should! It’s free to download and use if you make calls from computer to computer.
My good Ozzie friend, Janet Beckers, of Wonderful Web Women, also gave me the scoop about phone cards which you can buy very cheap online or at the “News Agencies” in case I needed to make calls from our landline to be sure the calls were not dropped (The only drawback to Skype).
The Miracle of Networking…
Talking about my good friends, I started calling around to set up face to face meetings with GutZy Women I had met online, but who lived in the Sydney area. In the next video, I will introduce you to one of them…Randa Magdi. We had a blast at the “Bondi Icebergs” restaurant.
Come back soon for Part 6 of the Grand Australian Adventure! And if you’ve missed any of the previous 5 videos just click on the link below:
Words alone just couldn’t do justice in communicating how beautiful this place is. This video is my attempt at sharing with you what I’ve seen, the experiences I’ve had, the impressions stamped in my brain from the places I’ve been so far.
Obviously I’m not the only one who’s felt the need to express how their journey to this great land of OZ has impressed them since the song I found perfect for my video was another GutZy Woman, Rita MacNeil’s response to her own trip here. I’m sure you’ll find it inspiring, as I did.
Much of the photo’s in this video were taken around Nelson Bay at Port Stephens. An old ski buddy of my husband’s invited us to come to his condo there to join him and his family and friends in celebration of Australia Day.
While there, we spent time on his AWESOME yacht, drove fast on his HOT SkiDoo, ate tons of fresh shrimp, oysters and catch of the day, swam in the pool on the roof of the condo building and watched some of the most incredible skies from that birds eye view.
Did you see the lightening shot? The night before Australia Day, the evening sky was a symphony of God’s fireworks shooting across the sky from one end to the other. The next night were the towns fireworks as seen from the roof as well. It was a toss up as to which night was more impressive.
What exactly is Australia Day?
As one Ozzie put it, “Traditionally January 26, Australia Day, conjures up images of faded blue singlets, British racing green stubbies, sweltering hot days, icy cold beers, snags on the barbie and, of course, the beach.”
<”font-family:Arial”>Each year as people around the nation celebrate what makes this country great, there are some very special Aussies being recognized for their great work. These awards are known as the Australia Day Australian of the Year Awards.The awards profile leading citizens who are role models and who inspire through their achievements, and challenging others to make their own contributions to creating a better Australia.
Here are some Aussie facts to dazzle your friends with:
The Australian national flag features the stars of the Southern Cross, the Union Jack and Commonwealth or Federation Star.
The floral emblem is the golden wattle.
Although most people associate green and gold with the Olympic sporting heroes, the colors actually come from the landscapes: Gold symbolizing Australia’s beaches, grain harvests and the fleece of Aussie wool and Green from the forests, eucalyptus trees and rolling pastures.
Australia’s national gemstone is the opal.
In 1977 three million Aussies voted in a referendum for Advance Australia Fair to become the national anthem and that it was officially proclaimed in 1984.
Hope you enjoy your new found knowledge and my Tribute to this beautiful country!
To learn more about GutZy Women or to see previous “Grand Australian Journey” videos CLICK HERE
Here We Are, Sydney! Lets find Bondi Beach… The “Sixth Sexiest Beach in the World”
Sydney, Australia is one of the most INCREDIBLE cities in the world!
The first time I visited Sydney 28 years ago I knew I had to come back some day and spend more time exploring the beaches, the parks, the architecture, the restaurants, the sights and the people.
I have NOT been disappointed! You won’t either…there is so much to see and do you’d have to live here for years to take it all in.
You’ll be seeing much more of Sydney and the surrounding area in future videos as well as phenomenal photo’s, but this particular video takes you through a quick trip through Sydney on our way to Bondi Beach, one of the oldest and most famous beaches on the outskirts of Sydney.
SHARKS!!!
Bondi has just recently been in the headlines along with Bay Harbor in Sydney for shark attacks. Scary and sad for the victims for sure, but surely we have to realize that the ocean is their domain and with any activity we do, we take a risk. Percentage wise, I’m sure they suffer more than the humans who invade their territory.
In fact, the shark hunters were all up in arms because the Australian government put a limit on the amount of sharks they can catch in an attempt to keep the from extinction. The fisherman quoted in the paper said he and his crew catch up to one hundred a day, stating that the the authorities were making a mistake by cutting down on the limit. His reasoning was if they are catching that many of them a day and the fact that more people were being attacked, was it such a smart thing to do?
One has to question, however, when there is profit motive involved, which side is right. If YOU have some information to bring light on the subject we would LOVE you to contribute!
After all, I’m big into Mother Nature and creating balance. That’s why I and a whole team of concerned people have joined Social Traffic Inc. in a celebration of the earth promoting MASS AWARENESS of Earth Day on April 22nd by contributing to an online campaign we’ve named
EarthDay Birthday And YOU can join us if saving our planet is a passion of yours as well. Just CLICK HERE to contribute what you can and get some top notch social media training in return. It’s a WIN/WIN/WIN!
Back to Bondi Beach…
Apparently it’s a popular place for the “beautiful people” and I first saw it on a TV special called “The 10 Sexiest Beaches in the World”. Yep, you guessed it…Bondi was in there, although I did observe that there weren’t nearly as many “beach bunnies” laying in the sun for hours because so many Australians have been turning up with skin cancer. Skin cancer clinics are turning up all over the place.
The “beautiful people” are now doing much more healthy things like jogging, sea kayaking, yoga on the grass. The food I found (other than the very favorite dish, “fish & chips”) was nutritious as well as pleasing to the eye.
Healthy, beautiful food…
Tons of fresh fish and seafood either grilled or lightly fried, tons of remarkable and interesting salads, every kind of wrap you can imagine with lots of greens. I was told by my friend, Sam Adkins, to watch out because most people actually gain weight in Sydney, just because the food is SO GOOD! Even the Czech food restaurant was GREAT. (Of course we had to Czech (pun) that out…since my hubby and his dentist friend, Honza, who lives in Sydney, HAD to make a stop there.)
The hotel we stayed at was over 100 years old. The actual hotel part was quite boutique-ee since most of the original building was turned into a restaurant/nightclub/gambling establishment which as it turns out was quite a popular place during the Christmas holidays.
Did you know gambling and prostitution is legal here in the Land of Oz?
But it’s not like in States at all…it’s very regulated and kept low key. Must be the English influence I figure. Very well done, I must say because an interesting side to that is that where ever the vices are allowed they are combined with warnings of addiction and offers of help to deal with them if they get out of control.
There are HORRIBLE pictures on the packaging of cigarettes showing all kinds of side effects of smoking. Every liquor store or “bottle shop” as they call them has warnings. The drinking and driving laws are VERY STRICT! They have random roadside checks regularly with breathalizer testing ready.
As a result, everyone seems to know how many drinks are considered appropriate depending on man or woman and liquor strength. I’m impressed by the effectiveness of the Australian governments educational efforts!
Quite an interesting approach! One Americans could emulate.
Christmas holidays last for a month and it’s summertime…a perfect time for families to enjoy the great outdoors. And enjoy they do!
As I did…not only in Sydney, but all around the Sydney beaches, bays and famous sites. All revealed to you in future postings…
What’s the longest plane ride you’ve ever taken nonstop?
Los Angeles to Sydney has to be right up there. Ours was
a little over 14 hours, but the strangest thing is we left on
a Thursday and landed on a Saturday. I’m finding it very
strange to be a day ahead of my friends and family in the
US.
Like right now, it’s 10:00 Wednesday night but 4:00
on Tuesday morning at my daughter’s house in Colorado.
If I’m ahead by a day, why do I feel like I’m always behind?
I guess it’s like learning a new language…until you get the
hang of it, you first think in your native language and then
translate it to the new language in your head before you speak
it. Eventually you actually can think in the new language.
Anyway, that’s what I’m hoping. Thank God for the internet,
though, because I just downloaded a widget off of Yahoo
Widgets that puts clocks on my desktop for any big city in
the world! So far I have Denver and London (for all the UK
friends I’m making on my social networks). At least it cuts
down on the brain damage.
Want to Super-size That?
Our flight was typical…crowded, noisy (a baby close by…
good practice for testing my patience since my grandchild
is due in June:) and LONG! They offered me five more inches
leg room as we checked in for just an additional $188.00.
I felt like I was at McDonalds (Would you like to supersize
that?) If you haven’t flied in a while, wait ’til you see first class!
Now that’s livin’!
I’m NOT complaining though. The flight was smooth, landed
early and to watch my first sunrise on the other side of the world
was INSPIRATIONAL! Customs and Immigration was surprisingly
layed back…probably because Joe is an Australian (not like the
USA when Joe was turned back in Atlanta, GA.
Haven’t heard that story? It was an eye-opening doozie!).
Unlike the last time I flew to Sydney 28 years ago, all of our
luggage made it, although the box we had to pack and send
because of our overweight suitcases (Watch part 2) was busting
at the seams. Nothing lost, however, that we know of.
Vices are Expensive in Australia…Monetarily and Psychologically.
Unintentionally, we got sidetracked by the Duty Free Store when
their 2 for sale on liquor (grog as they call it here) caught our eye.
It was the very pleasant sales woman that sealed the deal, convincing
us of the great bargains we were getting. As it turned out, it WAS a
good deal as liquor (especially American imported liquor) is VERY
expensive here.
Just as a side, cigarettes are expensive too. One pays dearly to
indulge in vices here! (You should see the pictures
hey have on the cigarette packs!…warning of horrible diseases as
well as SHOWING pictures of them…totally gross!) I was surprised
to see small scale gambling as well, once again with warnings of
of the horrible affects of gambling addiction. (They make it hard to
feel good about vices here;-D)
Getting Lost… Easy to do In Sydney!
Getting a car to rent at the airport was fast and easy…Budget
priced (hah) and unlimited mileage. It was a perfect car to get
lost in Sydney for a couple of hours before we found the beach
we were looking for…Bondi Beach which was the first place my
hubby jumped into an ocean…EVER and so it brought up fond
memories for him. It now brings up fond memories for me!
Come back for part 4 as we’ll take you on a tour of the 6th
sexiest beach in the world!
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