What’s your Mov-ation?
23 October 2006
We were out having dinner with Dan the other night in a little Thai restaurant in Randwick when I happenend to comment on how many different hairstyles Chris had had since we left home? (if one could call ‘the stig’ look Chris was sporting in the amazon basin – remember that photo of him and his pirhana- a style?) For the record he is now sporting a grade 3, what the Aussie’s refer to as a ‘buzz’ cut all over.
It was the result of my comment which led Dan into enlightening us about ‘Movember’. Whilst October is the month of ‘Oktoberfest’ and December is the month which beholds Christmas the otherwise uneventful month of November has been comandeered by Aussie males as the month of the Moustache – yes you heard correct I said ‘ MOUSTACHE’!.Males everywhere hone there hair growing skills in the name of Charidy mate!
Whilst Chris’s eyes were shining and his attention was already confined to his secret desire to grow a handlebar moustache….I was serious doubting this was a common practice. So imagine my surprise the next day when I stumbled across these posters – see top. So if you see Chris popping up in our photos looking like Merv Hughes (or even you Dad come to think of it! – you know – in that photo that Nan had of you and Uncle Lyn of the Ski slopes in your all-in one 80’s ski-wear for which you are excused because it was actually the eighties!) then please be aware it may not be for charity in his case but the month of Movember is providing Chris with the perfect surroundings in which to grow that long-desired Walrus-look which he has secretly coveted for many a year!
So what have we been up to?
Yesterday we headed to Sydney’s fish market. Whilst Chris and I are not strictly museum people we do love a good fish market having visited them in both Venice and Lima. I think our love stems from Chris’s fascination with fish and my fascination with food! We were a little disapointed with the size of the market – it was a lot smaller than we had imagined – but not at all dispointed with the fish on display! After doing the rounds of the fresh fish stalls we stopped for a bite of lunch with lobster and tunasteak on the menu which proved to be absolutely delicious!
On our way through China Town we stopped to watch some guy make music from bottles of beer filled to different degrees (how typically Australian!). The guy was full of energy and whacking out tunes such as ‘The Pink Panther’ theme, ‘Inspector Gadget’ and the Grand Finale – ‘Eye of the Tiger’. Now being travellers we dont tend to share our money but felt compelled to give at least 80 cents (a whopping 32 pence) in exchange for our ten minutes of entertainment.
After lunch we headed up to the Rocks. Nestled at the foot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and on the western shores of Sydney Cove, The Rocks is the foundation place of Sydney and Australia, being the area of the first European settlement in 1788. Before the 1820’s it was full of convicts and prostitutes, although this has changed from slums to three-story houses, cafes, markets and pubs.
We whiled away a couple of hours looking around the market and popped into one of the pubs from where live country music was blasting. The band were excellent and typical Aussie humour was being blasted out in between each song involving the crowd and generally creating a brilliant atmosphere.
We then wandered down by the bridge before visiting the oldest house in Sydney – Cadman’s Cottage built in 1816.
Today we have walked along the coast southwards to Maroubra. The beach at Maroubra is lovely and in our opinion the beach itself is probably the best we have seen in Sydney although the surrounding area is not as vibrant as Coogee, Bondi or Manly. Needless to say we have not spent all day walking so the afternoon hours have been whiled away at the CBH (Coogee Bay Hotel) which has a massive beer garden.
Next weekend we have flights to Melbourne where we will be meeting up with Donnie and Jen who are flying in from New Zealand.
Tags: Australia, Moustache, Movember, Oz, Sydney
Chris and Charl
Hi
Great to hear your voices on Sunday, Jack keeps asking when he can come to your house! Can’t believe Chris you are going to grow a moustache, apparently Tom had a moustache growing phase in the early 80s, looking forward to the photos. Spoke to Auntie Eira who was really pleased with the letter you sent her, she sounded well and had been away at the weekend.
Take care and speak soon
Love K and Co x
Hey Karen!
Great to speak to you also, and likewise the boys, I particularly like their direct style on the phone and ability to say goodbye mid conversation, I think I might adopt that approach when I go back to work!
Not sure about the tache thing just yet……may see if i can raise some sponsorship this end so at least I don’t look like a tool for no reason!
Take care, Chris
Shall I start growing my tache now, then??!?!
Steve