[TRAVEL DIARY] Sculptures By the Sea, Bondi

If I recall, the last time I came to Bondi Beach was in Year 12 when we came on an excursion to watch a Hamlet play. That was the first time I had ever been to Bondi Beach. Now, for my second visit, I decided to come along with a few friends to see Sculptures By the Sea (Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk). Stepping in to this place really brought back memories of the time in high school and the burning sun. I highly recommend you to bring a hat, sunscreen and sunnies if you're planning on coming. As the forgetful idiot I am, I didn't bring a single one! Lol. My hands and legs were really red by the time I came home hahaha. Well, I've learnt the importance of sunscreen now!

Sculptures By the Sea will be on until the 9th of November and so remember to check it out this weekend if you're interested! There are apparently more than one hundred sculptures created by artists around the world and it's all free to look at! I missed photos of a couple and I probably didn't see the entire thing but I saw most of it. I was way too exhausted to continue anymore by that time haha. All I can say is that, the blazing sun makes me weak :p

By Janaki Lele (NSW) look who

My friend said this was an ant, I couldn't help but think it looks like a bee though haha! Also, there's like ten of them on the rocks. They all have different cute little faces and were wearing tiny shoes! If only they wore some socks as well, that would have been so adorable!

By Ian Swift (NSW) the boot pool

 This is my favourite one! It's so clever and cool! Gotta love the ones doing backstroke and the ones that are floating. They look so relaxed and happy! I thought it was really cute and funny hahaha. I could stare at this one all day and stay amused. Yeah, I'm weird like that.

By Kimie Kitamura (NSW) the lighthouse keepers

By Toshio Iezumi (Japan)

 I really liked this one. The shape, the transparency, I was lured in by it.

By Richard Tipping (NSW) wine talk

 Creamy velvet mmm.. I seriously thought of cake when I first read this. Then, I looked at the sign and I guess I'm not too far away, it was related to food and drinks :p

By Elyssa Sykes-Smith (NSW) the chase

  I don't know why but I feel like the left one is a girl and the right one is a guy. A chase to the death?

By Fiona Meller, wishboat III

By Cave Urban, save our souls

 I think I play games too much. This really reminded me of a jumping puzzle in Guild Wars 2. I started thinking whether it was possible to jump to the top. Then, I thought of sugar cane juice. Funny thing was, they really were selling sugar cane juice at The Grounds By the Sea.

By Wang Shugang (China) men playing with birds

 There is a feeling of peace and serenity when I stare at this man.

By Harrie Fasher (NSW) which way forwards?

 It really made me think about my life. Am I constantly rocking back and forth without knowing whether I am actually moving forward or not? Am I stuck in this spot forever? I really wonder.

By Julie Donnelly (NSW) sentinals

Not sure what this was referring to but I couldn't stop thinking about stockings. I'd take stockings with descriptions like these.

By NEON (VIC) house of mirrors

 I thought this was pretty cool. There's something about mirrors that amuses me.

By Philip Spelman (NSW) redtrumpet redtable

 Vibrant and beautiful.

By Hidemi Tokutake (Japan) grow

 My friends thought these were fungi and I didn't doubt them until I read about it in a tent showcasing miniature versions of the sculptures explaining what inspired the artists and what they are trying to portray. Apparently, they're reproductive organs. How? I don't know but I'm wondering what it means by grow...

By Mikaela Castledine (WA) gift of the rhinoceros

By Alejandro Propato (Argentina) permanent sunrise

 Rainbow! Sunrise! I think this one fits the beach nicely.

By Julie Collins and Derek John (VIC) evidence-based research - crossing the line

 Excuse my finger, it was really sunny and so I couldn't really see what I was taking a photo of hahaha. My friends believe these are blood vessels or nerves..

By Machine Green (NSW) sustainable food pyramid

 Cute! It makes me want to get a pot plant myself!

By Andrew Hankin

 A gigantic frying pan!! It looks exactly like the one I have at home! I wonder if this is a non-stick one too! Pretty cool. It really accentuates the idea that the beach was like a frying pan for me.

By Hannah Kidd (New Zealand) snakes & ladders

 Really makes me have an urge to play snakes and ladders. I loved that game when I was a kid. 

By Akira Kamada, suspended in time

 I loved how it wobbled and moved when the wind blew! It seemed like a cocoon waiting for the right moment to open and reveal its' contents.

By Ken Unsworth AM (NSW) my house is your home

There was music playing for this one! I was really surprised when I first heard it though! I was wondering where the music was playing from hahaha! I really like the name for this one. 

After all the walking, we finally stopped by to have some lunch! This is the Bondi pop-up store of The Grounds of Alexandria which to fit the theme of Sculptures by the sea was called The Grounds By the Sea. Pretty cute place. It was really really sunny when we sat down here though. If you're curious, it's at Marks Park which is close to most of the sculptures.

I saw Sugar Cane Juice ($8) and literally ran for it after ordering my lunch. It was really refreshing and sweet! There was an option to add pineapple, orange or lemon juice but I really only wanted it straight. Definitely less ice than the ones in Cabramatta but this is the most expensive sugar cane juice I've ever drank. However, the less ice, the more juice, so I don't really mind. Pricey but I loved it in this heat.

We missed out on breakfast and I didn't really want to eat salad or granola and thus I opted for the Bondi to Bronte Beef Burger (~$12) especially since I wanted meat! It had pickles, lettuce, ground beef and cheese. Really wished that it had more cheese. There wasn't much flavour to this besides the beef and the bun was a bit burnt. Sort of disappointed.

I thought it was hilarious when my friend looked at this and said "Attack of the babies!". My other friend and I looked at each other and totally thought of the anime Attack on Titan lol. 

By Frank Vetze & Suzanne Donisthorpe (VIC) the last resort

 This last resort made me think of it as the last enjoyable place before death. A prison showing you what freedom is but not giving you it.
I really wanted to sit inside :(

By Guan Wei (China) ocean 1-5

By Naidee Changmoh (Thailand) the ascetic

 So cute! I thought he was holding some mangoes (yes, all I think about is food or games). Or they could be potatoes I guess. I liked how we were both wearing thongs <3 

By Michael Greve (VIC) breaching

 The whaleeeee! Pretty awesome!

By Heini Nieminen (Finland) glacier depository

 This was my other favourite. These were buckets displaying different glaciers around the world. It shows the shape, the depth and the water level. It was like a glacier museum.

By Margarita Sampson (NSW) the grove

 Looks like a nice place to sit down right?! 

By Jane Gillings (NSW) thrown

Or maybe, this is the best place to sit down. It's made from all kinds of things like straws, spoons, toys etc. When I saw this from afar, I thought someone was giving out candy! I got a bit excited. But, sadly, it's a throne for you to sit down and put your crown (which looked like a brainwashing helmet)  on and hold your scepter like a king or queen. The footrest(?) even has the words "Kneel before me" written there hahaha!

Besides getting sunburnt and being constantly flared upon by the sun along with high school and primary school kids everywhere, it was a pretty enjoyable experience. If you're not fond of sculptures, there seems to be a bay run, since it tells you when it's the 2km mark and there's some outdoor gym equipment. If I lived around here, I would totally walk around here! It's a good and refreshing walk and everyone likes beaches!