The weather was in the mid-50s today. So I decided to go to the beach.

OK, there was more to it: I had a A$42 weeklong “TravelPass” for the city transportation system and wanted to get in at least one ferry ride, the weather be damned. I chose nearby Manly because it was a “world famous,” easily accessible beach. And a direct ferry ride.

As the (quite posh) ferry pulled into the Manly Wharf* I saw a small strip of beach and thought, “Well, that’s a bit of crap, really. Surely there has to be more than that.” And of course there was: a short walk up the Corso and I was at a right glorious stretch of sand. Were it not for the chilly air, I might have dashed directly into the surf.

These guys clearly had the same thought, minus the wussy it’s-too-cold part:

Of course they (and the several other surfers, out of frame) did have the advantage of wetsuits. And I have no idea what they did an hour later when the wind and cloud cooperated to whip up a rather impressive rain, but I know I was comfortably ensconced in a café with a mug of hot beverage.

Beats a wetsuit every time.

* Loads of amusing juxtapositions abound in Manly, such as Manly Grocer, Manly Thai Cuisine…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2003 at 11:09 pm and is filed under Travel.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.