On Leave in Sydney - One

---

Firstly, apologies that I've got no pictures - I left the camera at home and what I've taken with the Mobile Phone simply aren't worth sharing.

Well, I was planning to leave Mount Isa at about midday but a quick check of my flight reservation alerted me to the earlier flight time of 10:00am. Lucky that I checked again later the night before the flight as it turns out that 10:00am was the time of my second flight, I was actually leaving Mount Isa at 8:50am. Anyhow, Jodie dropped me off at the airport without a hitch and the flight with Qantas Link left on time.

This is the first time that I've travelled the Mount Isa to Townsville leg and the tremendous inability of the pilot has provided me with great reluctance to do it again. The landing was the worst that I've ever experienced and I honestly thought that we were going to skid of the runway. Checking through Townsville was fairly event free but my cuff links set off the metal detector and I had to get swabbed for drugs or explosives or both.

The Townsville to Brisbane flight with Qantas was exceptionally event free and the vegetarian meal, a salad sandwich with a box of milk, was quick and delicious. The flight from Brisbane to Sydney with Qantas was fine and the landing was the best I've ever experienced, a far cry from the landing earlier in the day. I'm not joking when I say that the plane landed without a bump or a screech and came to a comfortable and easy stop.

Unfortunately, this is where Qantas let me down: they lost my suitcase. I lined up in the lost baggage line with all the other bored and disgruntled travellers to present my case. The lost baggage counter at Sydney Airport is a little out of the way, not surprisingly, and the man serving at the counter was a little too pleasant. I was politely informed that my bag had been placed on an incorrect flight, that it would be sent back to Sydney, and that Qantas would courier it to my hotel later in the evening. No problems I thought, it was only 5:00pm and if my suitcase arrived by 8:00pm then I could comfortably go out for dinner.

The problem with assumptions is that you need a good premise for them to be accurate. My premise was a little too vague - an overly sympathetic airline employee who's paid to keep customers busy. Needless to say, my suitcase didn't arrive that night, and without a change of clothes I had to opt for room service and double Law and Order.

Now, I didn't say where I was staying, which slightly makes up for the lack of Qantas honesty. I'm at the Radisson Plaza which is simply amazing. My room is supremely comfortable and the fact that I've got a bubbly bath and complimentary health club membership massaged the tension from my mind. The room service meal came from one of the downstairs restaurants, Bilson's (Tony Bilson's famous restaurant), and consisted of a Vegetarian Pizza (Mushroom, Caramelised Onion, Capsicum, Olives, and Fresh Oregano) for an entree, Vegetables in a Marsala Gravy with Basmati Rice and Yoghurt (which came with Naan, Raita, and Mango Chutney, and could easily rival anything from the subcontinent) as the main, and a Selection of Sorbets (Mango, Peach, and Passionfruit) for dessert. Needless to say I couldn't finish everything and I slept very, very well.

Upon awakening in the morning my suitcase still hadn't arrived and I was beginning to get a little worried. Ringing Qantas was a fruitless exercise so I had the largest breakfast I've ever had in all of my lives and drew a bath. At about 11:00am the concierge called and informed me that my bag had arrived and it was on its way up. Excitedly, I emptied the bath, wrapped myself in a robe, and began scouring the web for things to do. My suitcase did arrive; I ironed a clean suit of clothes, and went looking for ISKCON's Rathayatra that I'd discovered was on in the afternoon (thanks Twitter). I looked, I walked, and I asked around but I couldn't find the Rath nor could I find any devotees. Slightly diminished I settled for a fresh juice at a bar opposite Circular Quay and listened to an amazing live band playing music that Howard Moon would be proud of.

I was certain that I'd missed the Rathayatra so I decided that I'd wander around the area for a few hours before I found a place to eat. I walked through Circular Quay and watched a few buskers performing the same tricks that they always perform - juggling on a unicycle, climbing ladders with no support, and attempting to prove their quick wit with pre-written lines.

Walking towards the Opera House was invigorating, especially after being away from salty water for so long, and the Opera House itself was lovely. I unashamedly fired off a photo with my Mobile Phone, if only to fit in with the other 90% of patrons performing the same task, and strolled up to the gates of the Botanic Gardens.

I wish I had a camera for the Gardens as they were amazing and I can safely say that if the weather remains fine I will be a happy stroller every afternoon. I followed the Gardens back up to the city and drifted down towards The Rocks. By this time the skies has begun to open and a light and misty rain began to fall. Time to find a restaurant. I decided to head back through Circular Quay and towards the Opera House where I'd seen a number of restaurants earlier on. I decided on one that had vegetarian options clearly marked on the menu.

I will provide the restaurant's name here as I'm not giving a bad review - Eastbank is its name. The price was reasonable, the pizza was easy, the latte was smooth, and the sticky date pudding was to enormous to completely consume. Once my gustatory explorations were complete I decided to walk off the fats and explore the Opera House a little more.

It's quite amazing how a reasonable crowd looks like the entire passenger list off the QE2 when you've been in the outback for a while. The Opera House bars and cafes were packed so I decided a walk back to the hotel and a warm bath would be in order. And that's where I have to leave you because the water is beginning to get a little cool.

Until next time.

---