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Australia e-journal |
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Sydney, Australia |
Monday,
September 30, 2002 |
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Factoids: · Day Tripper pass = A$13.40 (mass
transit anywhere in Sydney with one ticket) · Sydney Opera house = A$102 million
to build and 20 yrs to complete · McDonald’s soft cone = A$0.50 · Lord Nelson’s Hotel = oldest
establishment in Sydney · |
The alarm went off at 6:30 this AM. We didn’t roll out of bed until 7:00. We were out the door by 8:00. First stop – the Rocks. We walked down George St and to the Circular Quay (pronounced “key”) We didn’t have the $$$ to get around so I changed a C-note. We got Day Tripper passes for A$13.40 each. Went to the Darling Harbour to look around. 
Walked around and discovered the Chinese Gardens. Took lots of pictures there. Only A$4 for admission – Dorothy forgot her UofT card but we got the student fare, luckily. Walked back to the Harbour and missed the 09:58 ferry. So we waited … and waited. The stupid ferry was ˝ hr late! 
It was about 1115 by the time we got back to the Circular Quay, so we headed toward the Opera House. We got tickets for a tour of the place – A$27.30. Again – the T-card would have saved $$$. It was at 12:30 so D and I walked around the outside of the Opera House and some of the Botanical Gardens. (Almost forgot – we grabbed a bite to eat the café A$6.50 sandwich) 
The tour around the Opera House was good. Some history behind the place – 20 yrs to build, A$102M cost, conflict between architect (Danish guy) and government, Sydney Opera lottery (funding), 5 stages (3 small studios, opera house, symphony orchestra), white roof, lots of wood. I took some contraband images to help my webpage. =) 
After the tour, we walked through the Botanical Gardens. Took some pics but it was warming up in the city. We walked across Bridge St to George St. We headed back to the Rocks. Explored Nurses’ Walk, and found a McD’s. I got a Quarterpounder + chips, Fanta and soft cone (A$5.85). Jazz musicians entertained the crowd as we rested. Found the info centre and got information. We proceeded to explore more of the Rocks. It was getting a bit redundant so we thought about taking another ferry ride – Richard suggested we take the ferry out to Manly Beach. It was 3 … so, why not? The ride there was a bit choppy. We unfortunately sat on the sunny side of the boat. There was a newspaper there, so I read it. It was a somewhat fun ˝ hr. The sun was setting in an hour or so and we weren’t sure when the next ferry would be, so we stayed on-board and went back to Circular Quay. The stupid boat didn’t turn around (physically) so we were still on the sunny side on the way back. 
D and I did some more exploring on the Rocks in the end. Robyn told us about Lord Nelson’s Hotel (oldest place in Sydney). It was on Argyle St as was the Observatory. We found the Observatory – there was a loo so I used it on the way there (note to public: public toilets are disgusting in AUS!) By the time we hit the top, it was 6pm so everyone knows how lazy Aussies are, so it was closed. I asked one of the employees there if there were any openings to the evening show but there were none. But alas – on the way down the hill, the same gentleman chased us down and said for us to show up for the 6:30 show. 
In the hour prior, D and I went to Lord Nelson’s for a brew. We found the place in good time. Sat at a table and we ordered a couple of drinks (no time nor enough local $$$ for supper there) D got a Diet Coke (which has tryptophan – bad for people with PKU!) and I got an in-house brew (Argyle Ale) – not bad! We went back to the Observatory on time. It had lots of families there – apparently, it is holiday break for children during our stay in Sydney. (Equivalent to spring break to North Americans) BTW, we were the only Asian people out of 49. Our group went outside first – we got to see where the Southern Cross! (At last!) 
Then we went inside to check out the 2 telescopes. One was a lens (refractory) and the other was a mirror (reflection). We saw Venus with the former and “the jewel box” with the latter. We were out the door around 8:30. We were starved so we headed back to Chinatown. The Golden Century, namely. We had our Sydney Transit passes so we took the bus (our feet were really sore by this time…) It was nice considering all the walking we did for the day. We found the place after a bit of confusion. No wait for us but the place was packed! The ordering process wasn’t bad. The food was extremely fresh but the tofu/prawn dish was slightly burned. The calamari was brilliant (so light, so tasty!) and the broccoli/crab dish was nice. Dorothy picked up the cheque (A$61 total) No leftovers! We ate like pigs! Took the bus back to the hotel, showered (my feet stunk badly) and glad to see all the dry clothes. Packed the last of things. Got the stuff out of the safety deposit box (whew!) and finalized our way back to the airport. Next stop, Singapore! |