Sydney is just an overnight sleep away on a Qantas flight, seven hours and twenty minutes, to be exact. After a quick stop at Melbourne, I arrived in Sydney wide awake and all my pre-conceived notions about this country populated in part by 19th century convicts and prisoners vanished as quickly as a kangaroo kick on my face. Sydney is a people-friendly place, a melting pot of cultures that has become inexplicably and uniquely Australian, blending English aristocracy with aboriginal pride, with a dash of Asian and Pacific flavors thrown in.
The first thing that hit me upon arrival was the thick Paul Hogan accent that sounded like English spoken while chewing extra-thick bubble gum. That took awhile to get used to, and it was indeed fascinating to converse with expatriated Filipinos speaking with that distinctive Australian brogue, which, after awhile became quite affecting, g’ness gracious, mates!
En route to Darling Harbor, I surveyed the perfectly-preserved historic districts that date back to the Victorian age, still functional after all these years. Ancient church spires and Victorian gingerbreads gave way to a sleeker, modern skyline as I neared the harbor, the commercial heart fo the city. One can cover the different districts from here, with a Monorail providing quick, convenient access. Right across my hotel was the Harborside shopping area, lined with seafood restaurants, boutiques and hundreds of tourist traps!
But shopping was not on top of my priority list of to-do’s. Soon as I dropped my bags at Novotel, I hied off to tour the city, starting with the famed Australian cultural landmark, the Sydney Opera House. The house sits majestically on Bennelong Point, overlooked by the great Sydney Harbour bridge. Like 3 orange segments, the sectioned roofs with their pure curving shapes, rise from the harbour, a family of forms rooted in expressionist modern style. The house was designed by Jorn Utzon, and was built from 1957-1973, an awe-inspiring architectural and engineering marvel of the 20th century.
Hyde Park was another sight to see, a wide expanse of greens dotted with old world obelisks, monuments and statues, including that of Captain Cook. The Victoria shopping district is a fine example of the successful preservation and conservation programs of the Australian government, re-engineering old, otherwise inutile buildings for contemporary use as malls, commercial and business spaces.
Sydney isn’t Sydney without the surf, sun and sand, and so Bondi Beach was my next stop, a beach bum’s paradise with an endless coastal line perfect for swimming, surfing and sailing. But with the nippy September weather upon us, the much ballyhooed bikini-wearing Baywatch babes and hunky Aussie lifeguards were nowhere to be found!
For the culturati, Sydney has a lively arts-and-culture scene that is not quite West End or Broadway, at least, not yet. But the few entertainment offerings are still of world-class quality. At the Capitol Theater near Haymarket (famous for its weekend flea markets), I watched the Australian staging of Miss Saigon, starring our very own Cocoy Laurel and Joanna Ampil. There was a sizeable Pinoy crowd judging from the shouts of “Mabuhay” during the curtain calls, audible from my seat. For one moment, I swelled with pride as the international audience gave the Pinoy-dominated cast a standing ovation after another. I was humming “Last Night of the World” in my fake Australian accent all the way to my hotel.
The natural wonders of Australia were next on my itinerary. I had delirious visions of wild bushlands, inhospitable terrains and savage heat that would put to shame the hellish conditions dramatized in the “Survivors” reality TV show. However, upon arriving at the Wildlife Park, I went a-goo-goo and a-gaga over the furry little koalas, the spritely kangaroos and their joeys, wallabies and even cute wombats in this well-maintained animal sanctuary!
An hour’s drive from there, the landscape drastically changed as the Blue Mountains loomed in sight. Echo Point provided a look-out vantage point to the awesome natural marvels that include an unusual rock formation called “Three Sisters”, three rock towers jutting sky high from the ground. There was a legend surrounding “Three Sisters”, but I doubt if it’s as colorful as the account of our very own Sinukuan and his 3 daughters. Definitely not for the faint-hearted is a ride on the Skyway that takes you across the deep gorge while suspended inside an iron cage!
My last trip top Sydney was arranged under different circumstances in 1999, for this time, I came back to shoot a commercial for Jag Jeans with my producers, creative team and clients. That meant staying in a budget hotel at the celebrated Oxford Street, which I didn’t mind really. Much like New York’s Greenwich Village, Oxford is the bohemian enclave of Sydney, where quirky artists, leather-clad skinheads and pierced punks, gays and lesbians congregate with their own kind amidst surf shops, 2nd hand book stores, porn and fetish boutiques, gay clubs and bistros.
My interest though was more on the quaint antique shops on South Dowling Street and at Woolhara, which carried an assortment of antique frames, books, playthings, furniture, jewelry and plain junk. Here, wheeling and dealing is the name of the game and I haggled until I was blue in my face over a large green apothecary jar which I finally got for my bottle collection. But if Oxford is non-conformist, nearby King’s Cross is hardcore. This is a tamer version of Patpong, a more sophisticated Fields Avenue, but still as notorious for its promise of sex and sleaze at every bend.
Sydney’s open, tolerant attitude—a broadened perspective that is shared by most of Australia—may as well be its biggest attraction. With little exception, Asians will feel welcomed here, and the motley of Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Thai and Filipino communities co-habiting peacefully are a testament to Australia’s open-arms policy, regardless of creed, conviction, and yes, even sexual orientation. The annual gay and lesbian parade, a festival that celebrates alternative lifestyles and which has grown into an event of international proportions, further solidifies the country’s liberal stance.
So, mates, if you want to resist the usual, if you crave unbridled adventure to the extreme—Sydney, with all its wild, amazing wonders, a rich cultural heritage and a happy-go-lucky, anything goes approach to life—is the place to be!
