Guillaume welcoming me in Bondi Beach
The turkey stuffing
We raise our champagne glasses for Christmas
The dinner is off to a good start
One of the Christmas fruit tarts
 
Bondi Beach as we leave on Christmas day
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Australia. Australia ! As I walk down the hall to terminal F34, I realise a childhood's dream is about to come true. I'm going at last - this feeling comes back a little before the landing as I set my watch to the local time: +3h, 10 more than in France. How exciting. At midnight on the 24th of December, I take off from Singapore to Sydney, to join my friend Guillaume who is with 4 of his friends from Taiwan, who were flatmates when he was working for Cartier. The latter had promised each other to celebrate the new year in 2001 together, so Quentin, living in Australia for the past 2 years, took charge of organising the get together to which Guillaume, then me, joined. His old fellows, GuillaumeL living in Singapore, Maxence from London and Damien from San Francisco, are all already here for a grand Christmas, outdoor adventure in Fraser Island, extreme sports in Byron Bay, a crowded new year's in this place the furthest east of the continent, and wild parties in Sydney. Australia: the biggest resort in the world? When I see the beaches and the see from the sky, I wonder. 25 degrees celsius, clear sky. The airport is cosy - the customs officers are fun with their high socks and shorts. It's beautiful outside and my aboriginal driver is nice. He can't stand the heat, I'm happy. The view on Bondi Beach is enjoyable - Quentin's flat is right behind the main street in front of the beach. When I arrive, Guillaume welcomes me and shows me the flat and the beach. We enjoy a late breakfast and then go shopping for Christmas dinner. Outside, the party mood can be felt, as when a young guy opens a beer bottle with his teeth. We spend the afternoon cooking. Max's peculiar turkey stuffing makes us all laugh, while the fruit salad, fruit tarts, fish, potatoes, pasta and asparagus salad are being prepared. In the evening, there are 11 of us and we start with champagne brought by GuillaumeL, then continue with white wine, followed by red, depending on the courses. Erwan and Ron, Quentin's flatmates who work as Disk Jockeys, set up their mixing tables and color the mood of the night.
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OzNY01 