Manly Beach

Tired of skyscrapers and steel, we headed out to Manly Beach for the afternoon. Feeling the chill on my skin, I chickened out of wearing the layers of blubber just to surf in those freezing waters. I'm not as mad as my friends who went whooping into the cold waves.

But I did consider swimming with the sharks at OceanWorld. I mean, it's something I've always wanted to do. I've met sharks on dives, but not as many as I'd see on a dive at OceanWorld. But in the end, I didn't. I'd rather do this in an open ocean because I can't get over the iffy feelings about aquariums. Not too afraid of being eaten by a shark. They're usually more curious and nervous about humans than anything else. But I'm scared of the BIG ones (am torn between wanting to see a Great White and not) and those ferocious ones who live in areas where stupid humans feed or hunt them.

For us sane people, walking up and down those slopes to check out residential streets, little shops and walkways occupied our time. The cool weather made it so easy to walk on and on for long periods. One thing- it wasn't romantic to sit by the beach to eat. The seagulls were brazen. There were 2 dudes sitting on the beach munching on fish and chips. One was holding the fish in his hand and sweeping away seagulls flying too near for comfort. We watched in helpless mirth as an innocent silly-looking seagull crept up next to him and snatched his lunch right out of his hand. I don't like seagulls. They're like pigeons- flying rats. UGH.

The lengthening hues of the setting sun at Manly painted a beautiful picture. Along this stretch of the beach, there weren't many people hanging around by sunset. We had a really serene moment to ourselves, not talking, just looking, seeing, enjoying the sound of the waves hitting the shore. Then as darkness fell, shops and activities ceased by 5.30pm. Day tourists would have returned to the city and most locals headed home. Only the Coles supermarket showed any signs of activity. We hung around a little while more before walking to grab the ferry back to the city.