6 Encounters in Sydney: A City of Contrasts and Characters

During my first weeks in Sydney, I often felt like I was living through a glossy-life rehearsal. Everyone smiles, sips lattes, walks barefoot on the grass, and discusses Ayurveda with the same expression they’d use for a Deloitte audit.

The surfer who traded banking for the waves

I met a surfer named Trev. He said he used to work in a bank but then felt the energy of the waves and left. We were drinking smoothies when he asked for my zodiac sign. When I told him I was a Taurus, he replied: Well, that explains a lot. To this day, I still don’t know what.

The digital nomad on a scooter

At a friend’s barbecue, I met an older guy — a retired programmer now living in a van. He told me he invested in Bitcoin back in 2013 but lost it all on Dogecoin. Still, he was perfectly happy and called himself a digital nomad. Then he rode off from the party on a scooter.

The festival of drumming vibrations

I accidentally ended up at a festival of drumming vibrations (don’t ask — I thought it was a music event), where they handed me a mat and asked me to listen with my spine. I lasted 12 minutes before escaping with the excuse that I had an energy allergy.

The dietitian with a food philosophy

At the beach, I met a dietitian. She told me that meat is karma in protein form and that she only eats moonlight and chia seeds. We went to a café, and she ordered fluoride-free water and a carbon-neutral salad. I ordered pizza and instantly became a man of the past in her eyes.

The blockchain for crystals

At a startup event in Surry Hills, I met a guy building a blockchain to track fake crystals. His pitch was convincing — I even added him on LinkedIn. A week later, he moved to Bali in search of truth.

The retiree who wanted a beautiful ending

I met a retiree from Tasmania who told me he had moved to Sydney to die beautifully. He threw rooftop parties that always began with the words: “Let’s party as if this is the last time!” And he always had the best music.

Final thoughts: Sydney, a city that defies explanation

That’s how I remember Sydney — a place where you can start your morning with Ayurveda and end your day riding a scooter into the sunset, still unsure what it was all about.