Playing hooky

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Guess who called in "sick" today... for the first time in 4 years! To what do I owe this honour?!?

My vacation aura must be rubbing off on my host. No sooner than the alarm clock went off than someone (who shall remain nameless) was on the phone to work. Cough, cough, sniff, sniff...

Had a very leisurely morning. Dave made me breakfast (again, falling off me chair), had a chat with Carl, and then we hummed and hawed about what to do today. Again, picture perfect weather. Thanks Dave for organizing that - much appreciated!

So after much debate (and a quick nap as per normal), we headed downtown to the CBD (= Central Business District) on the bus. The bus stop is located right across the street at the mall, so that's handy. And can you believe they actually give you change on the bus??? The bus has the same graffitti on it, so not much of a difference. The drivers are crazy, and the passengers are the same everywhere.

Next stop... Circular Quay. Circular Quay is the main waterfront hub. From there you can catch buses, trains, and ferries. Adjacent to Circular Quay is the famous Opera House. Nothing could have prepared me for the sight of that world renowned landmark. Not to mention the Sydney Harbour Bridge (which I'll be climbing at a later date hopefully). So snap, snap, snap went Dave's camera. The Opera House was chock full of tourists so I felt right at home.

After a snackito by the harbour, we meandered over to the Royal Botanical Gardens afterwards. Being lazy (and since it was hot), we paid to be driven around the grounds on the Choo-Choo Train (yes, that is the name of the it). The gardens are magnificent; much like Stanley Park, but more lush. We saw fruit bats chilling out in the trees, Golden Orb spiders (large, hairy, and icky), and the very, very rare Japanese tourists.

From there we strolled over to Darling Harbour... home of the rich and famous. Million dollar condos adorn this area although I didn't spot Russell or Nicole. Another snackito was ordered up... this time it was Andersen's Ice Cream. Yummm... Strawberry, Macadamia Nut, and Rum & Raisin. Onwards to the Aquarium where we spent a couple of hours looking at the sealife.

Had dinner in Darling Harbour and then (lazy us) took a cab back home. Another big day so again I crashed. Thank Christ Dave's off to work, for real, tomorrow. I can't take much more of this being dragged around by the hair, caveman stylee. ha ha ha

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Photos

Landmarks
Me with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background.

Choo-Choo!
On the Choo-Choo Train @ Royal Botanical Gardens.

Royal Botanical Gardens
Fruit bats... hanging out.

Royal Botanical Gardens
By the lily pond.

Snackito
Yummmmm... Andersen's Ice Cream!

Aquarium
A big ass manta ray resting on the glass tunnel.