Bondi. Bondi Beach. Throws up so many evocative images of beach, surf, sun, surfer-dudes, bikini-clad babes and budgie-smugglers (Speedo's for the overly protected/uninitiated!). Sadly, despite the warmth, when it's pelting with rain, it might as well be Brighton or Budleigh Salterton in February...
Yesterday was a bit of a roller-coaster of highs and lows - I relocated from my lovely hotel to a little studio apartment I found, literally a few minutes' walk from the famous beach. Much cheaper than the Kirketon Hotel, it will serve as my base until I fly out to Melbourne on March 10th. All I can say is, because I will be heading off this evening to drive and fly up and down northern New South Wales and into Queensland to visit and interview a host of Aussie 'marathoniers', I won't have to spend too much time sharing this adequate but 'basic' room with the large community of permanent-resident cockroaches that scuttle about the kitchen surfaces! Not in the same league as their New York cousins, but nevertheless... by my calculations I will only spend a total of 3-4 nights here, so my fellow inhabitants needn't fear being usurped by me.
So, I have shoes and I have a plan. This makes me happy... today I will rent a car at the airport and then drive on up to my friend Kim's for dinner. As she lives in the North West suburbs of Sydney, this will point me in the right direction for driving up to see Max Stahl tomorrow morning. Max was part of a three-man crew in one of the large Mercedes that competed in 1968. A prolific motoring journalist, he has been extraordinarily helpful these past 18 months, sending me huge amounts of information, and has brokered a series of potential interviews with other Aussie marathoniers during the coming 6 days. I am very excited at the prospect of meeting him and spending time in his company, nattering about the Marathon. Back to Sydney in the evening, I will then fly up to Brisbane very early Sunday morning, rent another car and meet up with a few more folks, including, I hope, one Bruce Hodgson, who came sixth in '68. Given that British cars and crews came first and second, Bruce and his crew were one of the highest placed Aussies, so were lauded by the locals back then. It will be a privilege to meet him. Then I will slowly and methodically drive south along the coast and visit other folks. I was hoping to see Bob Holden, who in '68 with his co-driver was in collision with a great truck in India, which meant he and his co-driver ended up out of the Marathon and in hospital with severe facial injuries. Unfortunately, Bob will be away next week, so I will look into somehow returning to Sydney before March 20th. All those I have been in touch with are keen to meet, although think I'm nuts! Anyway, I will continue south until I reach Sydney again where I will be meeting at least one more person on Friday, including Gerry Lister, who still owns his Volvo from 1968, and was even talking about entering the proposed 2014 Sydney to London Marathon! Time and again I have been struck by the passion and adventurism of these extraordinary people, and am amused that on a number of occasions, they have wondered why I am so fascinated by this precedent-setting motorsports event. I say 'how could I not be?'
Highs and lows. I forked out approx. £50 for a month's worth of mobile broadband, so I could access the internet at all times during my travels (until now I have been able to use wi-fi). Got to Bondi only to discover that the broadband device wouldn't load. A mad-dash bus ride to Bondi Junction to find a Telstra shop followed, only to determine that the fault lies in my laptop and only a full reinstall of Windows will repair the problem. A miserable ride back to Bondi followed, but then found an internet cafe where I could use free wi-fi. A few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc later and I had managed to book flight and car rental, and receive and read an incredibly restorative email from Rob, who as is his want, pointed out how capable and resourceful I am. Of course he was completely unaware of my travails, but it came, as always, just at the right moment. "Don't get soppy!", I hear him cry - well, all I can say is to have the rock-solid support, love and encouragement I constantly receive from him is all I really need to battle rain, buses, technical glitches, wet feet and bugs (oh, and a healthy credit card limit!).
Right, off to work out where at the airport the car rental bit is, and pack an overnight bag.
PS The shower here is good and very forceful, which is great. However, the drainage from the bath is extremely slow, so this morning it was an hilarious race against time to finish washing before the tub overflowed!
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