MARCH 11, 2008

by Katharine Schroeder

We had come to Australia for the funeral of Jackie Chan’s father, Charles Chan. After several very sad days, Jackie took us – his friends, family, and staff – on a holiday in Sydney. He knew that many of us had never been to Australia before and wanted to show us around. This is part three of the articles about our trip to Australia.

It was a beautiful Australian morning and it was our last day in Sydney. During dinner the night before I could hear little bits and pieces of conversation and knew that Jackie was planning something special for us to do. I could only imagine what it would be. After packing up all our belongings, we trooped downstairs to meet in the lobby and check out of the hotel. Jackie was still upstairs since he had overslept, so we just sat down to wait. X Lee was in a lot of pain; he had injured his knee the day before when we were climbing on the rocks near the seaside. But he’s not one to complain, so he was his usual cheerful self and we chatted for a while as we waited. Jackie is a confirmed night owl and doesn’t like to get up in the morning unless he absolutely has to, so we had plenty of time for talking.

Eventually he emerged from the elevator and we all climbed into our van for the ride to…well, I had no idea where. No one told me where we were going and I didn’t ask. It didn’t matter. It was just really nice to spend time together with so many special people.

Our joyful tour guide waits alongside the van.

After a short ride we pulled up alongside a dock and that’s when I discovered that Jackie had rented a boat for all of us to take a tour of Sydney Harbour. I was a little surprised because as many of you might know, Jackie gets seasick. A boat? What could he be thinking? During lunch at a harborside restaurant, I asked him about it and he told me that he was fine on a boat as long as it kept moving. I hoped for all our sakes that the captain knew that stopping was not going to be a good idea.

Here's the dock where we waited for the boat. Click to see a larger image.

This is our boat.

Jaycee and Jackie talk during lunch.

Jackie and Maggie get ready to board.

After boarding the boat and saying hello to the captain and co-captain, we all found a comfortable place and soon began our tour. The weather couldn’t have been better. It was 75 degrees and sunny; a beautiful day for a ride. As we pulled away from the dock, a group of fans that had spotted Jackie waved merrily and called out his name. He flashed them a big smile and waved back, making them even more excited. I thought about our trip so far and Jackie’s ability to stay relatively anonymous while walking around a crowded city. Maybe it's that most people don’t look into the faces of those around them when they’re going about their business. Think about it. When you’re at the supermarket or when you’re walking down the street, how many faces do you really look at? Often you have other things on your mind and although you see that there are other people around you, you don’t really notice details about them. So this is how Jackie managed to move around the city without being noticed. It was really nice for him to be able to do this and I was happy for him. Although Jackie adores his fans, this was a holiday and it was a blessing for him to be able to have some privacy. Of course the boat afforded complete privacy; no one would stop him and ask for a photo or an autograph while we were in a moving boat.

Jackie waves to some fans.

Our tour begins.

As soon as we got moving, out came the cameras. Everyone started taking pictures of the beautiful scenery and the world famous landmarks we passed. As Jackie stood on the bow of the boat taking photos, he seemed oblivious to the fact that we were moving quite fast and hitting some waves in the process. I sat there looking at him with fascination and a little worry. Would Jackie go flying into the water if we hit a wave? He wasn’t concerned. I don’t think it’s because he’s fearless; he’s not. He has a lot of respect for what’s dangerous and what’s safe. Instead, it’s more that he’s completely confident in his ability to do certain things – like balance himself high up on rocks and on the bow of a moving boat.

Jackie gestures to X Lee to hand him his camera.

Photo by X Lee.

Jackie on the bow of the boat.

We hit a wave, but Jackie stayed upright.

As we went along we passed the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House before entering a small bay which had dozens of very expensive looking boats moored in front of even more expensive looking houses. The captain pointed out Nicole Kidman’s house and those of several other celebrities. Well, they were nice, but way too crowded together. It seems that so many people want to live on the waterfront in Sydney that the land prices are phenomenally high. Therefore, everyone builds on tiny lots.

Some of the beautiful boats and houses.

The mood of everyone in our group was quite good, although of course there were times when it became quiet and everyone thought of Baba. If there was one thing Baba loved, it was fishing, although he preferred to do it from the shore rather than off the side of a boat.

I asked Jaycee about his previous trips to Australia. He said he'd been there a few times and then he became thoughtful and added, "But this trip has been the best." I expressed some surprise; we had come for his grandfather's funeral after all. He said that despite the reason for us coming, he was quite happy to be able to spend time with his family and friends.

Our boat trip lasted for an hour and a half and the captain took us past the Opera House several times so we could get the best angle for photos. Here are some of the photos we took during our ride:

Jackie taking a photo of all the lovely ladies.

Here's Jackie's photo.

Jaycee.

X Lee.

Jackie poses in front of the Harbour Bridge.

Jaycee and Jackie.

X Lee with the Sydney Opera House in the background.

They are laughing at a funny photo that Jackie took of the girls.

Photo by X Lee.

Jackie during a thoughtful moment.

X Lee taking photos.

Here is what the waterfront looks like from the boat. Click for a larger image.

And here are some photos that Jackie took on the boat:

X Lee and the Opera House.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

Jaycee.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

Irene, X Lee, Kath.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

Another great shot of X Lee.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

A brilliant photo of Cindy and Yuan Nong.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

Ladies and the bridge.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

Harbour Bridge.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

Fast boat.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

Jenny, Cindy, Yuan Nong, Maggie.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

After returning to the dock, Jackie bought us all some ice cream, and when we finished he wanted to take us to the aquarium but we had a plane to catch in a few hours, so we skipped that. When you spend time with Jackie, you come to know why he’s called “Big Brother.” He really loves taking care of everyone around him and making sure that they’re comfortable and happy.

Big Brother treats everyone to ice cream.

Can you guess what flavor ice cream Jackie chose?

After looking around a bit more, we met up with our driver, who took us to yet another spot for taking photos. There are several very famous vantage points for photographing the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and I believe we hit them all.

Jackie photographing Jaycee.

And here's Jackie's portrait of Jaycee.

Jackie takes a photo of the Harbour Bridge. He waited patiently until a boat came along and snapped the photo at the precise moment it passed underneath.

Here's Jackie's photo of the bridge.

Jackie photographs the Sydney Opera House.

Jackie's beautiful photo.

Jackie took this funny photo of Jaycee looking at his young relatives as though they were from another planet.

Jaycee and Maggie by Jackie.

Here is an animation of X Lee. He was the director; I just took the photos:

After taking some pictures, we got back in the van and the driver took us to an area of the city called The Rocks. It’s a 19^th century village near Sydney Cove and is referred to as the birthplace of modern Australia. There are many historic buildings which were refurbished and now house restaurants, shops, and bistros. Jackie was fascinated with all of the unique and historic buildings and took photos of some of the interesting designs he saw.

Here are some photos from our walk around The Rocks:

When we’d finished touring around The Rocks, the driver took us to see…guess what? Yes, another place from which to view The Sydney Opera House! Wow! Our tour guide really liked the Sydney Opera House. Here are some pictures:

Jackie demonstrates his singular style for getting the best angle.

Jaycee.

Jaycee incognito. Do you think you'd recognize him if you saw him walking down the street?

Jackie goes for an interesting angle again.

Sydney Opera House.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

After taking a few photos (we were running out of ideas for original views of the Opera House by this time) we said goodbye to those who would stay in Sydney and headed to the airport. 

As we waited for the airline staff to check in the considerable number of bags and boxes we had with us, I noticed Jackie sitting quietly in a chair along the wall near the check-in counters. He seemed melancholy and I asked him what he was thinking. "About our trip," he replied. "I was thinking that this was a wonderful, sad holiday.”

That pretty much sums it up. Over the past week there had been a great range of emotions and so many happy and sad experiences. Now it was time to return to our lives. As we boarded the plane, all of us were thinking about the reason why we’d been to Australia. All of us were remembering Baba.

Back in Hong Kong.
Photo by Jackie Chan.

And to end with a smile, a photo of an exhausted X Lee and Jackie:

You can read the first article in this series "Goodbye to Baba" here

You can read part one of "A Visit to Sydney" here

Text and photos ©2008 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.

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