Manly-Bondi Beach Trip-Tracking- Bike Ride

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Today is going to be similar to Sunday in Manly - except we will substitute Bondi Beach for Manly Beach... At least that was our thinking at the start of the day. We are going to rent bikes from the same organization that we did in Manly, take them on the ferry to Watson's Bay, ride the bikes over to Bondi Beach, get a bronze tan and return the same way in reverse and the world is good!

Manly-Bondi  Beach Trip-Tracking- Bike Ride

Amanda decides that she is just going to take the bus to Bondi, so Rose and I head over to the train station at about 9:30 am. It is very humid this morning, and just the walk to the train station is enough to open up the sweat pores. We packed lightly for our excursion, as we are afraid of having our belongings stolen from the beach. When we get to the bike rental place, we realize we packed too lightly - we didn't bring a credit card. The bike shop needs the credit card as collateral in case we don't return the bikes. The clerk at the bike shop looks up our information from the Manly rental, and sees a note written by the clerk there. Apparently he forgot to swipe my card when we rented on Friday - and he wrote a note that we were very nice and he was confident that we would return the bikes on Sunday as scheduled. That was enough for our clerk to approve the rental despite our lack of credit card.

Manly-Bondi  Beach Trip-Tracking- Bike Ride

The ferry ride was interesting as we covered a different route than we have on past ferry rides. A gentlemen chatted us up and gave us some tips on where to go for the best views of the harbor, and Sydney skyline. He also recommended riding our bikes to Rose Beach for a different experience when we leave (there is a ferry stop at Rose Beach).

We arrive at Watson's Bay and map our way to Bondi beach. The bike route is listed as a 7km ride, requiring about an hour. That sure seems a long time to ride just 3 1/3 miles approximately. As soon as we get moving, we realize why they say it would take so long - the route is uphill most of the way. Couple an uphill ride with a hot, humid day - and it is a recipe for disaster. By the time we get to Bondi, we were feeling hot, tired, and hungry - a perfect storm if you will. We get our bearings and decide to change into our bathing suits.
Amanda beat us to the beach, and it is a good thing, because when we attempt to rent beach chairs, umbrella and locker we needed an id to do so. We rent the stuff, and stake our claim on the beach. I head right to the water to cool off, while Rose sits in her beach chair reading her book. By the time I return from the water (5 minutes), it is obvious we picked the wrong day to head to the beach - it has turned very breezy and overcast. In fact, Rose returns the umbrella for a refund as there is no need for it. Amanda leaves by 1 pm, we stick it out til about 2 pm.

Manly-Bondi  Beach Trip-Tracking- Bike Ride

Now it is back to Sydney, but we can't fathom the thought of riding our bikes back to Watson's Bay. We recall the gentlemen on the ferry's suggestion to ride back via Rose Bay, so I ask the clerk at the Information booth about the route there - he assures us it is mostly flat. Thankfully he is right, and we our at Rose Bay within 15 minutes - whew... disaster avoided. The ferry isn't due for an hour so we look for a seaside cafe - no luck; either they are closed or too pricey. We do however stop at the Ministry of Coffee - where we purchase some ice cream bars, a coffee, and a tuna wrap. We take advantage of their free WIFI, then head over to the ferry wharf.

Interestingly, while waiting for the ferry, we notice that next to the wharf is a dock for a seaplane touring company. We watch a couple of takeoff and landings and wonder how fun that would be. We board the ferry with bikes in tow, and notice the gentleman who gave us the life saving advice to return via Rose Bay was on this return ferry as well - Rose made a point to thank him.

We returned the bikes without incident, then wandered for a minute in the Rocks neighborhood. Nearby was the Lowenbrau bar, it was Happy Hour, so we had to buy a couple of Weisbier Dunkels and a pretzel, IT'S THE LAW! The beer certainly went down easy - helping us forget the agony from our earlier hellacious bike ride. We return back to the apartment just before 6, and just a minute before Jake returns.

Manly-Bondi  Beach Trip-Tracking- Bike Ride

Rose and I shower and feel reinvigorated as a result, while Jake and Amanda chill watching a documentary streamed to their MacBook. In the spirit of cleaning out the fridge, eating healthy, and economizing, dinner is going to be salad and roasted veggies. We pick up a few items from Coles, then Rose and Amanda prepare the delicious, healthy meal. it's pretty late by the time we finish dinner, so we all do our own chillin for the rest of the evening (I work on the travel log, Rose reads, and Jake and Amanda use their phones for the million things young people use their phones for).

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