Three Wise Monkeys - Sydney Australia

Remember the Three Wise Monkeys?

"Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil!"

It's widely thought that the original philosophy of the Three Wise Monkeys came from a Tendai-Buddhist legend, which originated in China in the 8th century (Nara Period) but he pictorial maxim was popularized by a 17th century carving over a door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan.

Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil.



As I was strolling around Sydney the other day, I was reminded of this maxim as I passed by 555 George Street.

That's the current home of the 3 Wise Monkeys Pub. The location has a long history and attachment to the banking industry. The Bank of Australia's 'Southern Branch' was established on this site during 1879 in rented premises. In 1886 the existing building was constructed under the supervision of Architects Wardell & Vernon. The property was owned by the Estate of James Powell and was sold to the Bank of Australasia in 1902 for 10,000 pounds. The property operated as a bank, changing affiliations several times, until 1998.



In September 2000, 3 Wise Monkeys opened their doors as a Pub, just in time for the Sydney Olympics.



There are three unique bar areas and there is free live music offered 7 nights a week! If you stop by, you'll be tempted to make a monkey of yourself. So just for the record, I should remind you that as the legend goes, there was a fourth monkey - Shizaru. This last monkey is sometimes shown covering his abdomen or genital area. He symbolizes the principle of "Do No Evil."

Have fun out there but be careful......

Christmas in Sydney - A Reflection!

It's different for me to spend time in Australia or any other country in the southern hemisphere during the Christmas season. Frankly, it's a tad bit odd to walk around during the onset of summer with all of the spark and energy that is characteristic of that warm season and know Christmas is knocking at my door back in the U.S. Somehow, the warm and tropical weather makes me feel like something other than Christmas is going on .... Yeah, I know I'm merely a product of my environment. I'm frequently reminded by friends and family members that Jesus, the religious epicenter of this holiday, was born in Bethlehem, and it seldom snows in that part of the world. That usually brings up the whole St. Nick story and the commercial discussion..... you know the rest of that story.

Never less, having spent most of my life living in cool to colder climates, I suppose I just grew to equate Christmas with snow and colder temperatures. The whole Los Angeles thing hasn't really resonated with me either. It's a bit warm here in the winter time. But at least it cools down at night and we get the occasional rain during the season making it a bit more wintry. (Can I admit that seeing all of the photos at Dickster's and Bowie Mike's blogs has made me a bit homesick?)

I'm sure I've been a victim of all of the commercialization as well. Years of television and media influences have convinced me that -

Christmas = Icicles, snow, and cold!

Not so in Sydney, Australia.

Christmas = shorts, tank tops, sandals, and swimming pools. It's the beginning of summer.

A Christmas tree in Darling Harbor. The center of social activity and a great place to stroll and people watch.

It was 75 degrees F.


But if it's Christmas, there's shopping to be done. And one of the big destinations for shoppers in Sydney is Paddy's Markets.

Lots of retail items for sale by a variety of vendors.


So many T-shirts for sale. I couldn't force myself to buy one. I need another T-shirt like I need another bear market. I'm guessing none of my friends or family members are longing for a shirt that says Sydney either. But I could be wrong.

Another shopping destination is the Queen Victoria Building. AKA, the QVB. The QVB is a late nineteenth century building designed by the architect George McRae and constructed in the central business district of Sydney, Australia.




A photo of the southern side of the QVB which opens to Bicentennial Plaza facing Sydney Town Hall.

The inside of the QVB.
In addition to retail shops, there are eateries and coffee shops.

Note the summer attire.

So the bottom line is this: Many people live in the Southern Hemisphere or in warm and tropical climates. For those that celebrate Christmas, it's quite normal for it to be nice and warm during the Holiday season.

But for me, I'll keep dreaming of a White Christmas and hoping for snow!

Sydney, Darling Harbor, And the Pope!

Darling Harbour is one of Sydney's most popular recreation spots. Close to 1.3 million people visit the sunny foreshore precinct each year. The area has a colourful history and played a very important role in Sydney's early market days when it was used for receiving fresh produce and timber from Parramatta and the north coast. The past few days I've been branching out and exploring this part of the city. It's a little different from the financial district of Sydney and the "Rocks" area which is where I've spent most of my time so far. I've discovered a few eateries and Pubs outside of the common tourist traps and have found the people to be warm and friendly. This area is also the home of the "Star Casino" and "Maritime Museum." Still another big attraction is the IMAX theater - Currently showing (of all things) "Grand Canyon 3-D."

National Maritime Museum

But this week there's an even bigger attraction to Sydney and Darling Harbor: World Youth Day 2008 - WYD08. Organized by the Catholic Church, WYD brings together young people from around the globe to celebrate and learn about their faith on a more regular basis. Over 125,000 international visitors will bombard Sydney- more than the 2000 Olympics. This will be the largest event ever hosted by Australia and will include a visit by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. AKA- "The Pope."

As I walk around the city and the Harbor, I can't help but notice the many flags displayed to welcome the attendees and highlight the event. Additionally, I can't help but hear the many different languages spoken by hundreds of small groups of kids. It's truly exciting.

This clearly is a great opportunity for those young kids who are able to attend. I'm sure they will form lifetime memories and make loyal friends.

I'm not Catholic but if I happen to see the Pope I'll be sure to ask him to pray for all of us. Cause we need it!

ANZAC DAY

Happy ANZAC Day!

I've been on the road again. Spending some more time in Sydney, Australia. Sydney set a record today after posting its' eleventh consecutive day of rain. It's been 77 years since Sydney has had more than ten strait days of rain in April. Today I collected my things in my hotel room and prepared to head to the airport for my flight back to Los Angeles. As I looked out my window upon a rainy windy morning, I couldn't help but notice the buzz. All around the city there was talk of the upcoming ANZAC celebration and people scurrying about. On the radio there was talk about the parades and celebrations. On television they were running a recurring documentary describing what ANZAC day is all about. For those who don't remember from high school history class or never knew, here's a brief reminder:

ANZAC - stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day commemorates and recognizes the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a Federal Commonwealth for only thirteen years. In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, under a plan by Winston Churchill to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stale-mate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

I won't be around to enjoy the celebrations this year. In the past, I've witnessed the parades and watched as they blocked off the streets in the "Rocks" area of Sydney and prepared for a period of drinking and merry-making. I've even stopped in a pub - "The Hero of Waterloo" and shared a pint or two with a couple of Aussies and listened to perhaps the oldest band to ever grace the stage. It's a fun time and a wonderful tribute to those brave lads on all sides who fought in Gallipoli. I won't be around this year but I will make a point to rent the movie Gallipoli and eat some ANZAC biscuits to remember.

1981 movie Gallipoli

Sydney Australia

I Just spent a few days in one of my favorite places. Sydney, Australia.


What a treat. Ever since I was a little kid and learned about Australia, I've been fascinated with the culture, geography, and people of Australia. I took my first trip to Sydney in July of 1999. Just before the 2000 Olympics. I toured some of the Olympic venues as they were being constructed and learned my way around the city. Over the past 9 years, I've traveled back and forth numerous times and managed to make some friends and find some great eateries and places to hang out. I've spent time at the beach and even played a few rounds of golf. I've traveled to the city of Melbourne, Australia a few times but that's been the extent of my travel around the continent. I do look forward to seeing more of the country at some point.



Just recently, I made it back down under. While there, we met up with some folks from the "Bush." What a trip that was! Let me start by saying that the "Aussies" love their booze. I didn't even try to keep up. It was a no-contest event. And I've been down that road before. Trust me, hangovers and jet lag don't mix very well. So instead of over-indulging in spirits, I asked lots of questions of my hosts. In the process I learned quite a bit about New South Wales, and Queensland. Seems to me like they've got lots of critters down there that can make your life miserable if not end it. Snakes, crocodiles, spiders, jellyfish, sharks, and more. (See a list of Australia's 10 most dangerous animals by clicking here) Just chatting with these folks put me in the mindset of the movie Crocodile Dundee. It was funny listening to these ladies describe how they routinely kill one of the most dangerous snakes in the world, the brown snake, with an instrument they called a waddy. Silly me, I thought the word "waddy" was some made up name for this weapon which in their case was a lengthy piece of PVC pipe that they used to "whack" the snake. Turns out that the word -waddy- is another name for an Australian Aboriginal war club. Check it out - I looked it up:

"A waddy is a heavy club constructed of carved timber. Waddies have been used in hand to hand combat, and were capable of splitting a shield, and killing or stunning food. In addition to this they could be employed as a projectile as well as used to make fire and make ochre. They found further use in punishing those who broke Aboriginal law."

These "Bush" people possessed a rugged but simple spirit which included a strong nationalistic undertone. While they seemed to admire America and Americans, they expressed a healthy opposition to our commercialism and pace of life. They all lived on and owned large plots of land, anywhere from 25 to 300 acres and enjoyed passing the time by working in the yard, sitting by a big bonfire, and staring at the stars in the sky for hours. Sounds like being on vacation huh?

I must say - they earned my eternal admiration!

So in addition to socializing, I was able to snap some nice photos of Sydney and the Opera House from the air.

A shot of the Harbour Bridge from my hotel room



And a shot of some contrails, clouds and an airplane as the sun rose coming home

When I'm in Sydney, I do have a few favorite restaurants. One place I usually try to hit for dinner at least once is the Belgian Beer Cafe. I love the great selection of Belgian beer and the warm and friendly atmosphere. They offer a full compliment of entrees but I usually opt for one of the following:

Siam Mussels: $24.90 (AuD) Cooked with Red curry, Thai Basil and finished with coconut cream.

Or

Tintin au Congo Mussels: $24.90 (AuD) With coconut cream, lemongrass and chilli.

The steaks and chicken are also very good and the desert menu is decadent. I'm a fan of the:

Belgian Waffle $13.50 AuD

Served with 'Callebaut' warm chocolate sauce, mixed berry coulis and vanilla bean ice-cream

If you're adventurous, be sure to try the kangaroo or the rabbit on the menu. I haven't tried the Kangaroo yet but I hear it tastes like chicken - only a bit more tender and gamy.