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Published: April 28th 2013
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Being lucky enough to visit Sydney for the third time, I had a nice relaxing trip ahead of me, not having to wander round with a handful of maps looking lost! Well, perhaps I still did look a bit lost, and of course I was wielding a camera! Ever the tourist, I went back to my favourite spots in the city including a sunny picnic lunch in the Botanical Gardens. Of course I took a wander round Circular Quay, at night time this time, taking in the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
The main purpose of my trip was to visit friends and catch up. That is one of the good things, and bad things about living in Hong Kong. You can make friends from all over the world, but then sometimes they leave Hong Kong and go back to their respective countries. Sad for the times in Hong Kong, but good for holidaying potential! I met up with my friends I knew in Hong Kong, and their adorable son who I can only get to see growing up via Facebook or WhatsApp usually! A few school friends and a travelling buddy over there too made
it a great trip for me.
I love going shopping in Sydney too. Different shops and and all under one roof! Here in Hong Kong, the average high street shops are dotted around and are limited.Sometimes the UK price is still on the tag as well, so I can see the mark-up! The malls in HK tend to be a rather more luxurious style of shopping. So, I dedicated some good time to the Sydney shops and swiping the plastic! There are many more high street shops, and some brands that we just don't have in Hong Kong or in the UK. Ironically some of the things I bought were labelled "made in China" - ironic!
The weather was good, as the autumn hadn't quite settled in yet. On Easter Sunday I joined the family barbecue for brunch - classic Australia - have to have a barbie! After a late brunch I went to the Royal Sydney Easter show for the first time ever. It was a really good afternoon/evening, and not like anything I'd seen before. The idea is to bring some of the 'country' to the city. I saw a wood chopping
event - New South Wales vs Queensland. The guys had to chop huge blocks of wood in half, or saw pieces off in a race against time. It was quite nerve wracking watching them stand on a block and throw an axe 10cm from their toes. I also saw my first ever Rodeo which was very exciting...and something I never need to try myself! Again, NSW vs Queensland and they were being thrown around on wild horses, or bulls, or had to catch a steer. They only had to last eight seconds on the Rodeo, which was incredibly difficult - that's how much the animals were bucking around! The show was huge, and we couldn't get round it all. We visited the food hall with lots of local produce and farmers products (and wine!) to try. We saw some of the monster trucks and motorcycle stunts at the end of the day and visited the "showbag" arena. If, like me you are new to the Sydney Easter show and you mention it to any Sydneysider, they will most likely ask you what showbags you are going/have bought! Basically, there are bags of goodies available from different retailers that you might
not find elsewhere in regular shops. Some companies might put together a small bag of goodies for a set price. Mostly they are for kids, with lots of toys inside, and there are lots of chocolate ones too. It was a new concept for me, but a very popular part of the show experience for regulars!
At the end of my trip, I took a trip down the coast to Gerroa, close to Gerringong where my friends owns a holiday house. Such a nice escape, which I will save for the next blog!
After lots of shopping, LOTS of playing with a certain cute-1-year-old, and catching up on a year's worth of gossip, I still wasn't ready to leave! Always hard to say goodbyes, but no doubt I will be back again!
JHG
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Back to Sydney
As you say working in foreign lands gives you opportunity to meet people from all over the world and become friends. It is sad when they move on but now the world seems smaller because of those friendships. Sounds like you had a good time in Sydney.