Somewhat jet lagged we are to assemble downstairs at 9:00AM
promptly to head to the bridge climb.
Anne & I get downstairs early…and hungry…not knowing that buffet
breakfast is part of the deal so we get a recommendation from the concierge for
a local coffee shop.
Walking two blocks brings us to a tiny café that serves
food. The menu is a bit cryptic and
complicated by the owner being Korean speaking English with a unique
Korean/Australian flair and using idioms that are totally foreign to us…some
local Aussies come to our rescue and give us the code words “flat black with
skinny white” for our desired coffee.
After we listen to the owner harangue his wife in Korean (she will no
doubt make him pay later) we order some sandwiches, wolf them down and hustle
back to the hotel to meet the group.
A short 15 minute walk and we arrive at the entrance to the
bridge climb. I must admit that I was
not very excited to do this bridge climb but was being a cooperative HB (that
won’t last long). Well this place was a
thoroughly organized and controlled environment. www.bridgeclimb.com
Visions of me using my GoPro for the first time were quickly
dashed…absolutely no cameras or devices at all…for that matter we soon learned
that we had to give up all of clothes too!
Dressed in their own jumpsuits and hats we assemble in a group of 13 for
the next instruction…how to get into the harness that will lock us in so we
don’t try to jump off.
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| Becky's Final Benediction |
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| Getting dressed |
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| Getting dressed |
I knew we were going to be hooked up constantly but the
engineer in me was trying to figure out how we could do this climb without
disconnecting at various points…well that was soon answered by an ingenious
clip on device that eliminated the need to ever unclip even though we are going
around corners, up/down stairs and turning this way and that…it’s not a Mobius
strip but it was cool…google it if you want to learn more. Honestly, seeing how this worked was a
highlight for me!
So our leader gives us each radio headphones so he can keep
us all in tow and share history of the bridge, bad jokes, etc. We set off and start winding our way towards
the actual bridge span, climbing up vertical ladders until we arrive at the
actual bridge span…on top…glorious weather…actually magnificent with a stunning
view of the Sydney harbor.
We climb for 50 yards or so and then stop….first history
lesson? Nope, rather a chance for the
leader to take individual pictures of us all, naturally for sale at the
end. I realize then and there that there
was a non-safety reason why we couldn’t bring our cameras. I also realize that this is such a cool venue
that I will no doubt buy all the pictures too.
They have designed a foolproof method to print money!
We climb, we learn, we look at the stunning views and
eventually reach the top of the bridge and not breathing heavily at all. Apparently you can propose marriage up here
and even get married, all for a modest fee!
Down we go.
Eventually we reach
the bottom, exhilarated, happy and all ready to pay whatever they want for the
photos and the “free” video they took.
Naturally there is a well designed process to get us back into our own
clothes, a customer survey and then funneled into the photo purchase section
for the money extraction process.
I loved the last part where you get your free video…all you
have to do is give them your email address…they did this correctly. But overall I thought it was a great
experience and would recommend it. Here are some of the free pix they gave us.
When we come out we meet up with Tony Mikus and head for a
well deserved lunch at a nearby bar.
Afterwards Tony takes us to places where we can shop/look for
opals. I know we are in trouble when I
see two decimal points with the weights of the stones…expensive. Luckily we escaped unadorned. Some of the group peels off to return to the
hotel and some of us continue on for a walk thru the gardens and then look back
to the hotel.
We all assembled for dinner at the Oyster Bar which looks
out on the harbor and is a short walk to the Sydney Opera House where we have
tickets to http://lasoiree.sydneyoperahouse.com/. This is
quite a place to watch people…it’s Thursday and weekend for everyone starts
today!
The show is quite amazing in a number of ways:
- There is a couple from Sweden who do fantastic trapeze work and amazing things with ping pong balls!! (Leo you should be in this act)
- A magician who continually hides a red cloth square while removing her clothes…until she is naked and the cloth is nowhere to be found without a cavity search!
- Then there’s the roller skating pair on an 8’ diameter floor…he looks like Elvis
- A whole cast of unusual characters
The harbor is quite lively at night with thousands of people
hanging out drinking, eating and talking.
They do know how to party here.
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| Magnificent Sydney Opera House |
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| Just outside the opera house |
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| Thousands of people partying |
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