December 30 - Cane Challenges and Sight Seeing

It is nearly time for us to leave Australia, but I thought that I would fill you in on a couple of sight seeing trips that Lyle and I have taken in Sydney. They have definitely provided some challenges with the use of my white cane. 

You might remember my shopping trip on Christmas Eve and how difficult it was to use my cane effectively in the crush of last minute shoppers. Everyone was in a hurry. On the days after Christmas, we encountered more crowds. This time the people were walking at a more leisurely pace. There were tourists galore and they were in holiday mode. This meant that they walked slowly, gazed around at unfamiliar sights, stopped suddenly to take pictures, often walked in large groups, and were generally happy, but were unpredictable in their movements. This all made it quite tricky for Lyle to guide me through a clear path.

Of course, we also went to some of the popular tourist spots. One of these was Bondi Beach and another was the Gap at the South Head of Sydney Harbour. Both of these involved walks on uneven steps of irregular heights. The walk from Bondi to Bronte and the walk around the Gap both offered spectacular views and I was not going to be left behind for either excursion. Both walks involved winding paths interspersed with steep steps often without handrails. Jen and Lyle were great in helping me through and although the walks were definitely worthwhile, I was very tired by the time the day was over.  I think the higher concentration level required by people with low or no vision definitely uses more energy than it does for people who are fully sighted. 

Speaking of variations of sight, I am so glad that I could once see and also that I still have some sight. Although I can’t actually see the distant horizon that separates sea and sky, on the sunny day when we walked between Bondi and Bronte, I could fairly easily distinguish the darker colour of the ocean and the lighter brighter blue overhead. The air tasted salty and the breeze blew gently in our faces. I thoroughly recommend sight seeing to anyone – even when you might not be able to actually “see” the sights. 

Below are two pictures. The first picture shows me clambering from some uneven rock to the first of two uneven steps. The second shows me inching down a narrow staircase with a view of the steep cliff and ocean in the background.