Out on my own

I’ve never really been one to go exploring anyplace on my own. In fact, I think I have never done it before now. But I suppose there’s a first for everything. So here I am, three hours away from Sydney, in Newcastle for a short visit. Work doesn’t start until late afternoon, which means I essentially have the entire morning on my hands with absolutely nothing interesting on the cards. I must admit though, there was the enticing option of staying put in the warm hotel room and catching up on the paperback which I have been carrying around for quite some time now. But the prospect of seeing a new place got the better of me and I decided to venture out into the city.

Now, I have an appalling sense of direction and it doesn’t take me too long to get lost which is why I usually arm myself with a bunch of maps pulled out from the online experts. Unfortunately the internet connectivity bails out on me and I find myself on the street armed with nothing but a miniature brochure that I found in my room. The booklet mentions a few places that interest me so I decide to go in search of the information center to get some more detailed directions. Smart move…? Yeah that’s what I thought…only…how does one get to the information center??? The hotel brochure says that it’s right opposite the railway station. Seems simple…I do know where the station is…only, I have now walked beyond the station and there has been no sign of the center so far. So I decide to keep walking on the main road…can’t get lost if I don’t take any turns…can I?

Its an awfully windy day…numbingly cold and I seem to be walking on a run down part of the city with quite a few seedy looking shops, most of which are closed. Ten minutes into the walk and the wide road forks out ahead into two seemingly uninteresting paths. Well, so far there seem to be no directions to the beaches and heritage places which are supposed to be very close by as per the brochure…the information center of course remains elusive. That’s when I catch sight of a large Myers outlet on the other side of the road seeming to beckon me. The mental image of aisles of fashion at its best almost douses out my explorer spirit. I am on the verge of giving in to my shopaholic urges when I notice a railway crossing to my right. Curiosity gets the better of me…well a railway crossing is not really interesting, it was just the possibility of getting a better view of the city that made me climb all the way up. And that’s when I saw the view that took my breath away…the immense azure expanse dipping into the deep swirling waves of blue. It takes me a few minutes to realize that in my bumbling exploration quest I had unknowingly stumbled onto the Newcastle Harbour.

As I walk along the harbor, I realize that I’m actually on the path that leads to the main beaches and heritage spots of Newcastle…lucky me!! The sights are absolutely brilliant, a feast for weary eyes that have been continually subjected to a mind-numbingly tedious computer screen. The strong winds constantly threaten to sweep me off my feet as I plod on trying to take in all the sights. The tourist crowd is minimal which gives me a chance to take some good snaps of the landscapes. I spend a good few hours taking in the golden sand, the huge waves and the hordes of pelicans basking in the sun. There are also quite a few spots of historic significance but the brilliant display of nature at its best keeps me totally captivated in its magic. My walk finally leads me to the Yi-Ran-Na-Li cliffs, a sacred and revered place. It is believed that one must be silent whilst passing beneath them lest the rocks fall onto you. Needless to say I made sure that not a word escaped my lips even though the cliffs are supposed to be quite safe now. The cliffs themselves are an impressive sight as they seem to look down upon insignificant humans passing beneath them. It’s a pretty awesome feeling to stand on the narrow pathway, with the imposing Yi-ran-na-li on one side and the enormous waves crashing onto the rocks on the other side.

Anyway, I decide to turn back when I realize that it’s almost noon. I make sure that I take the exact same path back lest I get lost. The walk back is quite pleasant and I manage to get a few good pictures of the pelicans who still seem to be enjoying their bask in the sun. I arrive back at my “magic beanstalk”…the railway crossing, and cross over to the streets which now seem dreary in comparison to nature’s canvass on the other side.

Feeling pretty pleased with myself, I head back for my hotel room and guess what I see on the way…the visitor’s information center, right opposite the railway station (just like it was mentioned in the brochure)! Wonder how I missed it in the first place??...maybe it was the magic beanstalk at work…!!!