CC's Travelogue

AUSTRALIA Day01//22.Jan.04 - City Centre: Sydney & Surrounding Areas

What a sight the lot of us were as we trudged out of the airport, everyone was still bleary-eyed and shielding themselves from the bright Sydney sunshine. We were quickly herded to the bus and driven off to Mrs. Macquarie Point for a view of the Opera House and to plonk ourselves down at Mrs. Macquarie's stone-carved seat. All in all we probably spent less than half-an-hour before been driven to the next destination, Paddy's Market. Mom did a rather good job buying souvenirs at the market given that we only had less than an hour before we had to be ferried off to the harbour for the James Cook cruise. I don't know if it was the fact that we were told that the cruise would last about 1.5 hrs, or the expansive shimmering waters, but everyone seem to breathe a little easier and settled down to take in the view. Almost everyone else chose to enjoy the cruise within the cool confines of the ship while Dad and I opted for premium view at the deck. And boy was the view worth the sun-damaged skin and threat of melanoma. I lack the words and flair to describe the panorama. (if I did, I would have been with Frommers instead of here in this sub-zero windowless project room) The jewel of the crown, was of course the Sydney Opera House. And that was the closest I ever got to the Opera House, few hundred metres away as we cruised pass this famous landmark. I still begrudge the tour operator for not having included a tour inside and about the Opera House. And they should have included some free time for me to wander around and revel in the quaintness The Rocks, which I only managed to glimpse through the windows of the bus as we leave the harbour after the cruise for lunch.

Lunch was at Chinatown, after which, we were given some free time to wander about, we ditched Chinatown and pop over to Paddy's Market again. In my opinion, if you've seen one Chinatown, you've seen them all. And if you've seen one aquarium, you probably have seen them all. And that was where we went next. Okay, I admit, I found the seals, sharks and stingray slighty fascinating, the rest were just fins and scales to me. Something I would eat at the dinner table, which was where I found myself next. After dinner, the bus was supposed to make a drop off at the Casino, but my family & I opted to explore the city on foot. We ended up in a shopping complex called Central and then at The Strand, I remember wandering and peering quite forlornly at the already closed and darken shops. With minimal lighting, I could still tell that there were treasures and bric-a-bracs that I wouldn't be able to even have the opportunity & time to buy on this trip. The journey back to the hotel on my first night already have me vowing to return to Sydney on my own.

posted by CC @ 4:22 PM