May 24, 2001
(Note: Arizona State men's basketball player Brad Nahra has been with the Sun Devils for the past three years. He has played a big role with the team the past three seasons, especially last year when Tanner Shell and Justin Allen were out for the season. Brad came to ASU to follow Rob Evans and his staff, as a friend of the Nahra family was a manager for Evans' Ole Miss teams in the mid-1990s. A high school star, Nahra is a solid player who will be one of three seniors on next year's team, along with Chad Prewitt and Awvee Storey. Brad will share some things from the Australian trip every couple of days. Brad also has had the benefit of some great travel since coming to ASU. In addition to the usual Pac-10 jaunts, he has been to Maui, Puerto Rico, Texas, Utah and North Carolina three times in his three years previous to the Australia trip.)
As I look back on my trip to Australia as we have entered Cairns (about a three-hour plane ride from Sydney) I still can't get the Australian Rules Football Game on Sunday out of my head. I think it may be might future sport to watch. We sat next to a bunch of kids from Australia that seemed to be fanatics. Basically, a bunch of seven-year olds were explaining the game to us. After spending about two hours with the kids it is safe to say there is a young group of Australian kids who are Sun Devil fans in Melbourne. We got lost on the way back from the stadium but it was a fun walk, there were about 12 of us and it took about a half hour.
Sunday was a travel day that also included our third trip in the evening. We left Melbourne and the beautiful Westin behind and headed for the much larger city of Sydney. We checked into our hotel early in the afternoon and had just a few hours to explore the city. After visiting one of the shopping areas and seeing a man dressed as a donkey asking for change we knew this place was full of life. Our hotel was in a good location, within walking distance of the opera house and Sydney Bridge.
Our game was about an hour and a half away on Sunday and the heavy travelling took its toll. We came out very sluggish but bounced back to finish the game strong. We got back to the hotel around 11 p.m., so it was a long day, and we could not wait for some more days in Sydney.
On Monday we hopped on the bus and got a city tour of Sydney. The ride stopped at one of the country's newest locations, Olympic Park. It was nice to see in person where the 2000 Olympic games were played, thousands of miles from us. We then drove to Manly Beach where we ate lunch and bought some more stuff that we will probably never use again. That night we played our best game of the trip and moved our record to 4-0 on the trip.
Tuesday was the best day so far. In the morning we went on a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House. Some people call it the Eighth Wonder of the World and I can see why. It is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. The Opera House, which is the most recognizable structure in Sydney, is also one of the most impressive places.
The place with the best views in Sydney is also the most extreme experience. From the Opera House we walked to the Massive Sydney Harbour Bridge with an arch of nearly 500 feet above the water. Our mission was to climb to the top. The aerial climb was not as dangerous as may sound as were clamped with a belt and wire for the entire climb. Even though we were secure, your imagination runs wild as you stare at nothing more from 65 meters than water and Sydney streets. Thankfully we all made it to the bottom with no injuries to report. Every player did the climb except Donnell, who is resting his head. The bridge is something everyone should do when visiting Sydney. It was amazing.
We had the evening to relax and do some things on our own but after the three-hour bridge climb and the Opera House tour everyone kind of took it easy and maybe went out to the Circular Quay (pronounced key). I enjoyed a nice dinner with Chad Prewitt and Ronnie DuBois at a seafood restaurant with the views of the Opera House and the Harbour. And one thing is for sure?I have promised myself I will return to Sydney for a longer stay.
Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef are next!