"A Sanctuary Called Sydney"

Perhaps you think I'm exaggerating. I might agree with you. Still, I believe that timing is everything. When it's meant to be, then it's meant to be.

There are a lot of people to thank for this trip. They'll soon be mentioned at the end of this writing piece.

Long story short, I finally got my visa approved -- a day before my flight! Quite a pleasant shocker, eh? I told my two best friends there. They were also as shocked and excited as I was that day. (Wednesday, May 2, 2018).

Of course, everything was quite a rush after that. I had to pack, set my alarm, and prepare all for what was ahead...

Thursday, May 3, 2018:

I could hardly sleep. The moment the ordered cab stopped by the front of my parents' house, I said bye to Ma and grabbed my stuff. Time to rush to the airport.

It was 3:30 am. I checked in and waited to board the flight. Thank God for the cup of black coffee to keep me awake.

I could say that I'd spent half of this day on the plane. After an hour or so flight, I had to have a transit in Singapore. I didn't have much to time to hang around, though. I had to hurry.

While on the flight, my head was full of thoughts. I had an article idea, but that could wait. I felt thankful most of the time...

...When heartbreak took over like a dark cloud, I mentally pushed it away. No, not now, please, I thought. Never again. Not what I need.

I distracted myself with many things. Watching people around me. Flight attendants, busy catering to us, more multiracial than the country that claims to really accept the idea of "Unity in Diversity".

Good foods. Puffy white clouds outside my windows, reminding me of cotton candies or marshmallow. (Yes, my imagination is that crazy.) In-flight online games. Music. (I listened to the whole "Over You" playlist. Wow, this flight was considerate with flyers with current heartaches.)

Sleep. I briefly had a dream I no longer wished for. That hazel-eyed guy...no, please make him go away...or wake me up instead.

Tony picked me up that night at the airport in Sydney. The moment I walked up to him, dragging my suitcase and with a smile on my face, I realised one thing:

For now, my brotherly best friend is the only Hazel Eyes I need. Not the other guy...

Driving his car, Tony took me to "Bill and Toni's" for dinner. He had meatballs while I had salmon pasta. Then he ordered two cups of the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted!

After that, we went to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair. The night air was getting chilly, but I took off my coat anyway. Such greenery, with park benches and trees everywhere. Flying foxes chattering somewhere.

I got to see the beauty of Sydney from across the water. Yes, including the Harbour Bridge and The Opera House.

Tony drove me back to meet my other best friend Yuki. For the record, my trip to Sydney also had this special mission:

To introduce my two best friends to each other.

From Yuki, I've learned a lot in Sydney. How to take the train was one. It was nice to have these rules: keeping your voices to a minimum and giving seats to the elderly. People actually do those things there, even without having a train conductor tell them to.

The best part? No pushing around like a bunch of impatient rhinos, unlike what always happens during my train rides in Jakarta.

Yuki's husband Andy picked us up at the station. We drove to Woolsworth's first to shop for some foods and snacks. Then we went home, which is in the nice, quiet and peaceful suburb called Hassall Grove, Blacktown.

If you ask me, that place is a perfect getaway for someone tired of the always chaotic Jakarta.

Before I finally went to sleep, Yuki introduced me to their cute bunnies: Loki (white with grey patches) and Mocca (brown). They both wanted to sleep under the bed I'd be sleeping in!

Friday, May 4, 2018:

Yuki showed her workplace. After that, she walked with me to meet Tony at McDonald's before lunch. From there, we parted. Yuki went back to work while I was going with him.

What were we doing all day? A drive along the coast, listening to his favourite radio station Smooth FM. Singing in the car, the way we used to when we were in Bali.

Ah, Bondi Beach in autumn. Tony said the weather didn't feel like the usual autumn that afternoon. The wind was blowing, but the sun was pretty bright. I instantly regretted not bringing my sunnies with me.

Then we went to a minimarket to buy some bread. No, that wasn't for us. That was for the ducks at Centennial Park, which would be our next visit. I remember some of his pictures, where he knelt by the duck pond and was feeding them. I'd told him this:

"I wanna do that too!"

Another mission accomplished. That was really fun. Those ducks were starving.

I was still busy feeding the ducks swimming on the pond, when suddenly more birds flew and landed near me. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by...more fowles. They were all staring at me intently, waiting for me to pass them pieces of bread too. There were even geese behind me.

I gulped and turned to Tony, who grinned and looked amused. I asked him:

"Uh, should I be worried?"

"No, that's okay." He giggled a little. When more birds started flying towards me, I shrieked and tried to protect myself. He finally cracked up laughing and said, "Oh, man. I should've recorded your expression."

Grrrh...

Anyway, La Perouse Beach was surprisingly very, very windy. It was sunny too. I had to struggle a bit when opening the car door. The walk was also quite challenging. My hair did a flag-like wave, covering my hair.

Still, that didn't stop us from taking pictures.

We had lunch at La Perouse's Fish and Chips restaurant called Paris Cafe. Hmm, yummy. After that, I got to meet Tony's parents and we talked for a while. They were a lovely couple.

Dinner was also great. Tony loves The Doughnut Box, because it sells really nice crepes and pancakes. With Yuki and Andy, we had dinner there before I finally returned home with the couple, hugging Tony goodbye.

Saturday, May 5, 2018:

I wasn't feeling well when I returned with Yuki and Andy the night before. When Yuki suggested that I take it easy, I did.

I suppose I was just not used to the weather yet. I should come back again and stay longer.

I was playing with Mocca and Luki in the morning, while Yuki and Andy were away for a while. The bunnies wanted the apple I was biting into for breakfast. I didn't know their usual menu, so I didn't give them.

"Actually, you could," Yuki said when she and Andy returned home. It was workout time for the bunnies, because she opened the backdoor to her backyard. "They love fruits too. Just give them a little."

We watched Mocca and Loki running around the backyard for a while. Sometimes they stopped to sniff, munch on dry grass, or dig.

We had lunch at a Thai restaurant at the mall. Too bad Andy had to go back to work from home.

The City on Saturday night looked fantastic. There was Korean Festival in front of Sydney's International Convention Centre. I'm not a K-Pop fan, but...oh, well. Their beats were okay.

Darling Harbour was ace too. There were many people there, especially the youngsters. An Indian girl walked her cute white pooch and it sniffed on my knee when I bent down to say hello.

An Oriental-looking mother was trying to calm her two, overexcited little daughters, apologising to me when one of them accidentally bumped against me.

"Sugar rush," she explained, but I was too happy. There were beautiful lights in the city, including the back of the building where Yuki works. A ferris wheel many seemed to want to ride on.

Too bad, no fireworks. Still, I was extremely grateful for this opportunity. My first visit was a bit of a crash course. I've grown tired of hearing people comment: "How short. Why not stay there for a week or two?"

Yes, I'd love that. There'll be time for that. I'm working on it.

After all, I was still a rookie traveller.

We ended that night with the best udon dinner ever. The weather was chilly, but I started getting used to it.

Still, I needed more warmth, so I added more chili powder into my steaming udon with a boiled egg.

Sunday, May 6, 2018:

Tony had promised me an interesting experience with real Portuguese cuisine. With Yuki and Andy again, we met up with him at Silvas' for lunch.

The whole meal was fantastic. Skewered beef was my favourite, but I also enjoyed the meringue dessert. Andy had joked about all the foods I'd been eating so far:

"You'll probably have gained like five more kilos when you return to Jakarta."

He grinned, but I cringed. Ma may not be happy when that happens.

Andy had to go back home for more work.

I'll never forget that wonderful day with my two best friends. After lunch at Silvas', we went to Sydney Harbour Bridge. More pictures were taken. Beautiful sights everywhere I looked. We talked and laughed.

That late afternoon, Observatory Hill Park was full of members of a local photography club. The wind was getting cooler. I zipped up my jacket and put on my beanie to cover my ears.

Next visit? Checking out Sydney Opera House as close as possible. Whoa! I was literally speechless. The paths for pedestrians were very, very clean, unlike the ones in Jakarta.

There, I got to see people from different races and nationalities, also in various clothes. Some were strong enough that they were out just in their T-shirts and shorts or mini skirts (if they were women). Some were wrapped up in coats, sweaters, or jackets (like Yuki and me. Tony was wearing a long-sleeve shirt and jeans.) Some women were wearing their hijabs. Some walked their dogs. Some had tattoos and piercings.

No bloody catcallers. People minded their own businesses. Nobody came up to me that night to ask why I was alone at night (while my two friends were in the public restrooms). Nobody snickered and made fun of my weight like some strange dudes in Jakarta streets sometimes do, just for the sick fun of it.

Can you blame me for wanting to stay there longer?

The street musicians were also real pros. A Japanese guitar player had his FB page shown on a cardboard while performing. Tony liked the black saxophone player who played George Michael's "Careless Whispers", so he dropped him some cash. The saxophone player also played another popular track, "Woman In Love".

We had dinner at Harry's in Woolloomoolloo. It was the very first time I tried tiger pie. It was very delicious. I also loved the hot dog.

Parting with Tony is always the hardest. When he dropped us back at the train station, I felt that familiar lump in m throat. I hated it. He was still sitting behind the steering wheel, obviously waiting for me to get out while Yuki was already out.

I could only hug his arm, pressing my cheek against his fabric like a sad little girl. I was really sad. I also hated that.

"Say hi to your mom and everybody back home, okay?" His voice sounded heavy as I finally got out. Standing by the pavement, I could see that his hazel eyes were slightly red and misty too, even when he smiled.

He felt the same way too, but was trying to be the tough one. Always.

When I finally nodded, he drove off. I couldn't take it anymore. I looked down and cried. Yuki hugged me.

"Aww, I know," she consoled me. "But you said you were planning to come back here again, right?" When I nodded, she went on as we walked down the stairs to the train station, "I could tell it was also hard for him."

"Yeah." On our way home, I also realised the magic I've always got:

It's called a long-term, solid friendship between races, religions, and even nations -- in this real world constantly shaken by greed and dirty politics.

I never want this magic to go away...

Monday, May 7, 2018:

At last, my last morning in Sydney. (Hopefully for now. I still seriously want to return someday.)

Bye-bye, Loki and Mocca. Stay cute forever. Farewell, lovely Hassall Grove of Blacktown. I'll miss your quiet streets at night, neat houses, and greenery.

Andy dropped me and Yuki off at the station before going to work. I thanked him before following Yuki.

We took two trains to the airport. When it was my time to finally board, we hugged each other. Since she told me her plan to visit Jakarta with Andy, I said: "I'll be seeing you guys again soon, okay?"

The trip back was basically reversed, from the timeline to the route. First flight, transit in Singapore, and last flight home.

***

"You know, you're actually very brave," said Ma one night after my return. "When I was your age, I didn't dare travel overseas alone and this is already your second."

Have I ever felt more loved than this? As promised, I am closing this with a list of people I should thank for this trip and make this most possible and memorable:

INDRAWATI SOELAEMAN (Ma), RATNA INDIRA (Sister), IBU SUSI, BAPAK RINTO, MBAK SRI NOOR VERAWATY, MAS ANGGI KRISNA, MR. MATTHEW DONOHUE and MRS. ROSMIATI DONOHUE, YUKI ERWINA and ANDREW HORINKA, and ANTHONY DASILVA.

I thank you all from the humblest part of my heart.

R.