Rolling the "Di" no more

It has finally happened, after two and a half years I am moving from Bondi and moving to.....drumroll please... to Waverley. Those of you who have not brushed up on your Sydney suburbs map are probably feeling left in the dark. Waverley is the literally adjacent to Bondi and the area is less than a Km from my old house. Sam and I are moving in together for the next three months before jet setting our way across the world. The place is a one bedroom apartment and extremely large. I will spare you the gory details, just it is a really nice place. What is more important is that marks a fresh change from the the suburb that I have called home for the past two years.
For me, and for many others Australians and travelers alike, Bondi is a special place to be. The area is covered with rolling hills and some would feel mountains that lead down to the beach- take my word, walking up Bondi Rd from the beach is quite the physical challenge. I have planted numerous flags at the top proclaiming that I have reached the summit. Somewhere Sir Edmund Hillary is rolling over in his grave. Everywhere you traverse, whether that is on the summit of one of mountains or in a house, the presence of sand is inescapable. The area is dotted with new apartment blocks that are juxtaposed with the seemingly numerous antiquated (cir. 1970) apartment complexes. There is more character in a piece of blank paper than these buildings. Interspersed among the complexes are terrace houses and bungalows once you approach the beach. Within the older, uglier buildings, to which I have had the pleasure of living in, the battle against mildew, lack of sun and stained carpets can not be won. Most of the time, Bondi apartments are drab and soggy even some nice ones. I am betting that the age of the carpet layer was booming in the late seventies. Even with these less than desirable attributes, Bondi is much sought after.The amount of people living in one bedroom apartments that typify what I just detailed is incredible. I mean 5 people might be living in one room. This is due in a large part, ok the a large majority, to the beach. The beach is absolutely magnificent. White sands that stretch in a crescent moon shape over 2km. A cement board walk, devoid of any shops hugs and looms over the beach. In the center is an esplanade with some shops, but mostly situated in the background, the center is dominated by the surf life guard station. Moving towards North Bondi, the Surf club is located and my other favorite area, the outdoor gym. This outdoor gym is a set of beams and poles where people work out. Picture Venice beach, but without the weights. It is a natural gym so to speak. This is an extremely popular area for the people who got something to show or in their mind, got something to show. It is those people who are severely in need of help. Up a short grassy hill that covers the whole beach, the main drag, Cambell Parade, has all the shops, bars, that a typical beach town would have.
While the beach is the dominate attraction, for travelers like myself, the allure of the beach has been replaced by the subtle charm of Bondi living. Most tourists love Bondi because it is the place to be seen or just be. After living there for two years I have seen the ebb and flow of Bondi from the summer months to the winter months. It is a respite in every sense of the word from downtown Sydney. Here the amount of money does not matter, but the amount of days between shaving or how much was spent on the surfboard. There is a myriad of accents, colors and lifestyle all gelling in this polymorphous suburb. Bondi is deemed more glitz and glamor, but in truth there is a laid back mentality that I have enjoyed. It is from the mixing and ever changing cultures that are congruent on a day to day basis that the character of Bondi is derived from. For me, there is a simplicity that can only be explained after being here. Other beaches have this effect and probably are more "down to earth" or beachy. But Bondi was right for me. I am not a beach person, give me a pair of shoes and socks over sandals. However Bondi has changed something in me. I feel more at ease, I can move within this community with more social grace than in other areas. Everyone here, I believe, have had similar stories to mine.
I felt guilty for not going to the beach for weeks. I enjoy just walking into the main shops above the beach and soaking all the people enjoying coffee or reading a book. Of course I am going to return to the beach before leaving, yet I feel as though I have now become an outsider. One of the people who come just for the beach and not for the lifestyle.