Sunday January 28

     Just for the record, and to pass half an hour while Joan goes to sleep, I will record this day as one in which I walked eight and a half miles, with a great deal of uphill and steps. 

    We took buses to Bondi Beach, which was a seething mass of semi-naked humanity, and set off northwards by roads and trails, often in parks with big fences along the top of the very high cliffs. Unfortunately the trail was under reconstruction in various places, which pushed us inland onto suburban streets--though the architecture of so many houses was stunning, and these diversions were often quite interesting. And there were often terrific views over Sydney--a huge panorama with the Opera House and the Sydney Bridge in the centre. The walk ended at Watson's Bay, and the last mile was downhill with magnificent views of the cliffs towering over the Pacific.

There was a big downer on the bus back to Kings Cross. At an early stop after we left Watson's Bay, a huge crowd of Chinese men and women poured onto the bus, taking every seat and filling the aisle with people standing---and the decibel level of their talk was unbelievable. Am I prejudiced: I don't think so, but the noise of their talking was very disturbing. Do they understand how loud they are?

That's enough. Joan's asleep. It's 23:04. I'll clean my teeth and go to bed.