In the end, we headed up to Palm Beach and to Barrenjoey Lighthouse. At Palm Beach, we saw the trailers for the filming of Home and Away.
Tuesday 23 July 2013
Barrenjoey Lighthouse
Today, a few of my coworkers were meant to head down the coast to Kiama. I had wanted to walk from Minnamurra down to Kiama but some of the coworkers were no longer interested and the trip got cancelled.
In the end, we headed up to Palm Beach and to Barrenjoey Lighthouse. At Palm Beach, we saw the trailers for the filming of Home and Away.
In the end, we headed up to Palm Beach and to Barrenjoey Lighthouse. At Palm Beach, we saw the trailers for the filming of Home and Away.
Monday 22 July 2013
Aroma Festival 2013
Yesterday the Aroma Festival in the Rocks, a coffee festival, was held. I visited after work, and I thought that it would be a lot more interesting than what it was.
I love the taste and smell of coffee. However, I believe that I have a coffee/ caffeine intolerance. I used to believe that it was just because I consumed too much caffeine; I like my coffee strong and from most bean company's, I get a double shot. But after today, I think I just have a low tolerance level. After consuming my coffee, around 15-30 minutes later, I start feeling dizzy, nauseous and have a headache.
I waited in line for 40 minutes in total for one coffee, which wasn't great truth be told. I guess I have my standard of what coffee should taste like. A little history of my coffee experiences. I never used to drink coffee, even when I first started working at the cafe. My coworker told me that the coffee there was really good and she slowly tried to get me to like coffee. First making my mochas before progressing to cappuccinos. She left the store and I continued trying out different coffees. So I used t o drink mochas, which progressed to cappuccinos with sugar (ick!) to lattes with lots of sugar to lattes without sugar and these days, on the rare occasion that I do get a coffee, my standard order is a skim flat white or a piccolo latte. I don't care for black coffee and espressos make me feel icky.
I grabbed a hot dog of some sort (allegedly pork, although the vendor really didn't seem to know anything) from the Rocks market.
Saturday 20 July 2013
Hilton Head Island
25th November 2012
We woke up early to watch the sunrise from the beach at Hilton Head Island. Hilton Head Island is the equivalent of Palm Beach in Sydney. A lot of holiday homes for wealthy families as well as individuals who have retired quite comfortably.
There were hardly any people out in the city. Perhaps it was because it was an early Sunday morning. Or perhaps it was because it was in the off season.
We went kayaking and the man who rented us the kayak had informed us that we might see dolphins. I brushed it aside thinking that it was all hocus pocus and something to lure in tourists. But lo behold, there were so many wild dolphins swimming in the bay, it was insane. I didn't manage to take any photos since you just never knew when it would surface and, more importantly, where it would surface.
We drove around Hilton Head Island, one final lap before heading back to Atlanta. On the way to Savannah, we had taken the interstate which was fast, but it looked the same for most of the way. Sunbear wanted to take some back roads, to see more of the state and to also take a slight detour out to Augusta. Hence, we took the state highways. The upside was that we passed through many towns which was a very interesting experience. Towns that consisted of a church, perhaps one or two dilapidated homes and lots of trailers. Seriously. Trailers. It actually looked really eerie, almost as though someone would storm out with a rifle in hand. We passed by some cotton fields and decided to stop at one since it was just so pretty. We stole some cotton, with the intention of each taking some home. But I gave mine to Sunbear since quarantine in Australia is insane and effectively nothing can be brought in. This may sound odd, but I was so surprised at the feel of the cotton. It literally felt like a cotton ball!
The downside of the state highway was that we couldn't go as fast. Also, there weren't any street lights. This wasn't a problem on the interstate because there were so many cars, but on the state highway where there wasn't a soul to be found it was a little scary. Especially since we didn't have a map, our phones didn't have reception and the entire area was basically deserted. Except for those towns we passed by sporadically. Though I did see a deer (!) which I hadn't seen before, that is in the wild. The only map I had was a pre-loaded map I had loaded via Google Maps, though it is terribly difficult to locate yourself on the map in the absence of street signs or a general idea where the heck you even are. Glad we had enough petrol otherwise we would have been screwed. Luckily, we got out alive and headed to Augusta. Augusta seemed so small. I guess I am used to bigger cities.
My Overall Thoughts
I can imagine that Hilton Head Island is brimming with tourists in the summer. The beaches were so-so. Actually, the whole area reminded me a lot of Surfer's Paradise. I can understand that it is a nice place for a summer vacation. But the best part of the visit was the dolphins and kayaking. Initially Sunbear had wanted to rent some sort of motorised boat. The type of boat escapes me, but basically it was a boat with a motor that could go very fast. Typical. I put my foot down and I am glad that I did because we would not have seen any dolphins if we had gone down that route.
Would I re-visit?
It is the same as Savannah and I would have to say no.
We woke up early to watch the sunrise from the beach at Hilton Head Island. Hilton Head Island is the equivalent of Palm Beach in Sydney. A lot of holiday homes for wealthy families as well as individuals who have retired quite comfortably.
There were hardly any people out in the city. Perhaps it was because it was an early Sunday morning. Or perhaps it was because it was in the off season.
 |
| People actually have mailboxes like that with their names! |
We went kayaking and the man who rented us the kayak had informed us that we might see dolphins. I brushed it aside thinking that it was all hocus pocus and something to lure in tourists. But lo behold, there were so many wild dolphins swimming in the bay, it was insane. I didn't manage to take any photos since you just never knew when it would surface and, more importantly, where it would surface.
 |
| Low quality image from a video that I captured. We were so close! At times, the dolphins were a mere 1.5 away |
 |
| My motor. |
The downside of the state highway was that we couldn't go as fast. Also, there weren't any street lights. This wasn't a problem on the interstate because there were so many cars, but on the state highway where there wasn't a soul to be found it was a little scary. Especially since we didn't have a map, our phones didn't have reception and the entire area was basically deserted. Except for those towns we passed by sporadically. Though I did see a deer (!) which I hadn't seen before, that is in the wild. The only map I had was a pre-loaded map I had loaded via Google Maps, though it is terribly difficult to locate yourself on the map in the absence of street signs or a general idea where the heck you even are. Glad we had enough petrol otherwise we would have been screwed. Luckily, we got out alive and headed to Augusta. Augusta seemed so small. I guess I am used to bigger cities.
My Overall Thoughts
I can imagine that Hilton Head Island is brimming with tourists in the summer. The beaches were so-so. Actually, the whole area reminded me a lot of Surfer's Paradise. I can understand that it is a nice place for a summer vacation. But the best part of the visit was the dolphins and kayaking. Initially Sunbear had wanted to rent some sort of motorised boat. The type of boat escapes me, but basically it was a boat with a motor that could go very fast. Typical. I put my foot down and I am glad that I did because we would not have seen any dolphins if we had gone down that route.
Would I re-visit?
It is the same as Savannah and I would have to say no.
Savannah pt 2
24th November 2012
Wormsloe Historic Site was a place that was on every "must-see" list for Savannah. The historic site consists of part of the Wormsloe Plantation which was an estate by one of Georgia's colonial founders. Truth be told, I expected more from the place. The best part was driving under the oak-lined avenue with Spanish Moss.
We headed back to Savannah for lunch at Forsyth Park and had amazing bread.I couldn't stand the bread in the US. Who knew that sliced bread would taste sweet. And bread without high fructose corn syrup would still taste sweet. It was even harder for all the Europeans who were used to 'real' bread and not the crap sliced bread that was readily available. Even the bread from the bakery tasted terrible. After months of grocery shopping, I ended up purchasing food without high fructose corn syrup. There is something quite worrying when the ingredients list both high fructose corn syrup AND corn syrup, as if though one wasn't enough.
After, we headed back to Tybee Islands for Fort Pulaski , which was a fort that was severely damaged by the Union Army.One side is riddled with canon holes, like Swiss cheese.
Back in Savannah, we explored more of the city (as it was our last day there).
Savannah is also famous for the in-store made candy that it produces on River Street such as pralines and fudge. It was ridiculously overpriced and the smell of the store was actually quite sickening. But we managed to get a free piece of candy immediately after it was made. I actually wanted to purchase a toffee apple, but at $6 (without tax) I really couldn't justify it.
It was soon time to leave Savannah for Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. It was very pretty as the sun was starting to set, behind the fields of cotton and farmhouses.
My Overall Thoughts
It was as lovely as I expected it to be, although very small. I was quite disappointed in Bonaventure cemetary and Wormsloe, considering the reviews online. In hindsight, maybe we should have just visited Savannah for a day before heading up to Charleston, S.C, which was a place that we sadly had to omit due to lack of time.
Would I re-visit?
No. It was lovely and quaint, but not a place that I would visit again as a tourist. If I lived in Georgia, it would be a place that I would visit often as it is slow-paced and a nice break from the city life (although, I wouldn't really consider Atlanta to have a big-city feel).
We visited the Bonaventure Cemetary and it was a nice cemetery with quite a few tombs.
Wormsloe Historic Site was a place that was on every "must-see" list for Savannah. The historic site consists of part of the Wormsloe Plantation which was an estate by one of Georgia's colonial founders. Truth be told, I expected more from the place. The best part was driving under the oak-lined avenue with Spanish Moss.
We headed back to Savannah for lunch at Forsyth Park and had amazing bread.I couldn't stand the bread in the US. Who knew that sliced bread would taste sweet. And bread without high fructose corn syrup would still taste sweet. It was even harder for all the Europeans who were used to 'real' bread and not the crap sliced bread that was readily available. Even the bread from the bakery tasted terrible. After months of grocery shopping, I ended up purchasing food without high fructose corn syrup. There is something quite worrying when the ingredients list both high fructose corn syrup AND corn syrup, as if though one wasn't enough.
After, we headed back to Tybee Islands for Fort Pulaski , which was a fort that was severely damaged by the Union Army.One side is riddled with canon holes, like Swiss cheese.
Back in Savannah, we explored more of the city (as it was our last day there).
Savannah is also famous for the in-store made candy that it produces on River Street such as pralines and fudge. It was ridiculously overpriced and the smell of the store was actually quite sickening. But we managed to get a free piece of candy immediately after it was made. I actually wanted to purchase a toffee apple, but at $6 (without tax) I really couldn't justify it.
It was soon time to leave Savannah for Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. It was very pretty as the sun was starting to set, behind the fields of cotton and farmhouses.
 |
| My mess. Whoops. My shoes, a trillion pamphlets and maps and my trusty disposable camera. What I found interesting in the US was that film and film cameras were everywhere. If you went to any tourist location, there would be boxes of Kodak film and disposable cameras which I found quite interesting. And odd. |
My Overall Thoughts
It was as lovely as I expected it to be, although very small. I was quite disappointed in Bonaventure cemetary and Wormsloe, considering the reviews online. In hindsight, maybe we should have just visited Savannah for a day before heading up to Charleston, S.C, which was a place that we sadly had to omit due to lack of time.
Would I re-visit?
No. It was lovely and quaint, but not a place that I would visit again as a tourist. If I lived in Georgia, it would be a place that I would visit often as it is slow-paced and a nice break from the city life (although, I wouldn't really consider Atlanta to have a big-city feel).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)