Three Days in Sydney

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What a couple of days I've had in Sydney!

Friday I went walking downtown to see all of the touristy things, namely the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. It rained most of the day, making both walking and photography not very ideal. Two pleasant surprises that I stumbled upon were St. Mary's Cathedral and The Royal Botanic Gardens. St. Mary's Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Australia; it honestly looks like it was transplanted from Europe. No photographs were allowed inside, but it was still definitely worth the trip inside. On the buttresses outside I saw a sulphur-crested cockatoo, one of many exotic birds flying around the city. Royal Botanic Gardens are basically a huge park with hundreds of varieties of trees and plants. Hundreds of birds flocked here, but only a few people. The Gardens are located right on the harbour across from the Opera House, so it provided a spectacular view of the city. A dinner of fish & chips rounded out the day.

Saturday I again went downtown, but this time the destination was Chinatown. It was much classier and less sketchy than Chinatown in New York City - all of the shops were legit, no guys selling handbags out of vans on the street. The best part of the day by far was the Chinese Garden. This garden only cost a few dollars to enter, and was well worth it. A high wall isolates the garden from most of the sights and sounds of the city. Ponds, pagodas, trees, bamboo, rock formations, and waterfalls are found inside. I finished my time at the Chinese Garden by sitting in a pagoda and drinking an entire pot of Pu Erh black tea. The pounding rain made the experience even more zenful (and it kept the crowds away).

The rest of Saturday was spent walking around other shops, visiting Darling Harbour, and trekking back home (all occurred in pouring-down rain). My prize for the day was a kangoo-leather bush hat that I bought at a shop in Chinatown. It is very Crocodile Dundee-esque. My host Chris had bought me several kangaroo steaks to cook at my leisure, so I made kangaroos steak medallions lightly fried in butter with a side of cooked onions, carrots, and potatoes, all covered with brown gravy as my dinner. The kangaroo meat was delicious; slightly gamey tasting, but tender and incredibly flavorful. Much better than beef.

For my final full day in Sydney, I caught a train from Central Station to Blue Mountains National Park. The ride was two hours, but cost less than $12. This savings was offset by the fact that I foolishly bought a fairly expensive ticket for a tour bus to take me around the park. I was convinced by the guy at the desk telling me that the National Park is HUGE, and that the only way for me to see all of the good stuff was to get a bus ticket. When he said how huge the park is, I was thinking Yellowstone or Grand Canyon size. It was neither. I hiked one long trail and got to see all of the major sites within about 5 hours. I literally only rode the bus for less than 10 minutes.

That being said, the park was great. It's called the Blue Mountains because of light scattering off of particles of oil in the air that are secreted by eucalyptus trees that creates a bluish haze. The closest thing I can compare it to would be the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. There were plenty of waterfalls and majestic mountain vistas. The trails were a bit muddy, which again made me wish I hadn't left my waterproof hiking boots in Illinois. Thankfully it didn't rain at all, though it did mist a little and a thick fog obscured mountain views in the late morning. It was also very cold. When I arrived at the train station in town, it was 6 Celsius (about 43 Fahrenheit).The trail on which I hiked varied immensely in nature. One part climbed 400 meters down into a valley, which took me into a temperate rainforest. Ferns sprouted everywhere and cockatoos and other birds squawked overhead. Other parts of the trail climbed into mountain regions with scrub brush reminiscent of the American Southwest. Visiting this National Park gave me a greater appreciation for how clearly the National Park Service of the United States marks their trails and maps. More than once I got turned around because the actual trails did not follow the map. I caught a train back to Syndey and arrived after nightfall. Chris took me out to an Indian restaurant and then across Harbour Bridge to get a good night view of the city.

Some other bits of Australian culture that I have observed:
Zippers begin on the left hand side of a garment rather than the right.
Sweatpants are known as "trackiedacks"
Australians are generally more polite than Chicagoans when it comes to driving.
The lowest denomination of bill is $5, there are coins for $1 and $2, the $2 coin is like a slightly larger, thicker penny.
The cost of living is higher than the US, but wages are also significantly higher (a worker at McDonald's or Hungry Jacks' will make $20/hour)
Things like rent go by the fortnight (two weeks) rather than monthly or weekly
You aren't supposed to tip in restaurants.

All tax is included in the listed price of things. So cookies advertised in a store for $2 only cost $2; none of this 6.25%!a(MISSING)dded on top.

That's all that comes to mind right now. Tomorrow I fly out of Syndey at 1:25 and back to American soil. I will be stuck in July 1 for over 35 hours. See you on the other side .

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