Sydney

---

Sydney was the perfect example of Murphy's law of travel - the lesser time you have in a destination, the more it will have to see and do! Spending a week in Sydney was wonderful - the place had everything to offer. Right from gorgeous beaches to harbor side restaurants to never ending shopping malls, ever green parks, exciting night life and the unforgettable Opera House!

Reaching Sydney late in the evening on a weekend, the first thing we did is head off to a club to stretch our stiff limbs from the 9 hour long flight from Bangkok, hoping the alcohol would "fix it". After visiting three different clubs we just about remembered our way back to the apartment, the jet lag and cramped feet were all drowned in Black Russians.

All excited the next morning about being in Sydney, we headed to Darling Harbour, named after Lieutenant-General Ralph Darling, and I would've thought someone loved the place enough to refer to it as 'Darling'! Anyway, Darling Harbour is a great place to hang out. All along the waterfront there are wooden benches and steps to sit and from here we could look at the boats ferrying about to Circular Quay and Taronga Zoo and heading out to the deeper seas. We simply sat back, took a lot of pictures, had a lot of ice-cream (the heat is unbearable) and enjoyed conversation while watching the reflection of the city's skyline in the water.

The nicest place to visit for a chocolate lover is the Lindt Chocolat Cafe. We simply kept walking upto Cockle Bay Wharf and were rewarded with the most yummy array of goodies. We totally indulged ourselves with coffee, chicken pies, icecream and their melt-in-the-mouth meringues.

The next day we visited Taronga Zoo, we took the ferry from Circular Quay and its about a thirty minute ride from there which crosses the Harbour Bridge and Opera House and stops midway at Fort Denison. Fort Denison is Sydney's only island cafe. At 1pm every day, Fort Denison's staff fire a cannon, however we missed this completely as by then we were already at the Taronga Zoo. It was fun to reach there by ferry and take the Skyrail into the zoo, plus because you get a combo ticket, you skip the entire queue and head straight into the Skyrail. The place is completely recommended if you're an animal lover. I guess, I've seen all mammals now post the visit. The zoo is divided into regions and you can pick and choose what you want to see and in what order. We walked around kangaroos, emu's, pandas and koala's. Clicked pictures with dolphins, saw the sea lion perform and watched tigers and lions being fed. We were lucky enough to view the polar bear walk up the ramp and settle down on top of the perch as the little penguins pattered across diagonally across. Only that spending the entire day at the zoo in the Sydney heat requires tons on water, coke and ice-cream to survive.

We spent time on all famous beaches here, Bondi, Manley and Coogee. The only thing missing is the beach beds so you have to carry your own towel and settle down to get a good tan. Great view of the beach, waves and surfers in all these places. Plus the walk to all the beaches is lined with shops and restaurants. I kept picking up souvenirs while munching on pies, pizzas, kebabs and ice-cream. Iced coffee became a staple diet while we tried to beat the torrid heat which seemed to be forever on our backs. Helped the tan though, so cant really complain.

The lucky thing was we managed to be at Bondi beach on a Thursday and Thursday is when the Bondi Westfield Junction shopping centre is open till 9 pm. So, that day we got loads of the sun, sea and shopping. Ended the day by gorging on Thai food, found easily all over.

We were actually mocked by a local Australian living in Sydney when we told him that we had taken a trip on the Sydney Monorail. This is nothing but a single-loop train that that connects Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the Sydney central business and shopping districts. We boarded at Paddy's Markets and then the Monorail went around Chinatown - World Square - Galeries Victoria - City Centre - Darling Park - Harbourside. Well, I enjoyed the view so much, that I went around twice, since its just a quick 20 min ride. Got a few more guffaws when I mentioned that, but well, what the heck. I really did enjoy the ride.

We also took time to visit the Opera, the Sydney Opera House is a distinctive building situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour. We enjoyed two hours there at the Opera and later in the evening sat at the Opera Bar that overlooks the harbour. Later we went to Kings Cross to get some food and its actually noisy and crowded even at eleven at night!

Paddington is a mecca for trendy shoppers and diners and well known for its markets. Shop for the latest fashions and accessories, books, gifts, artworks, homewares, deligoods and fresh food on Oxford Street. Oxford Street is also the area’s main dining strip with no shortage of places to eat - all the way from Darlinghurst to Centennial Park. The Entertainment Quarter offers global dining, with over 20 places to eat - from coffee shops to seafood and superb Chinese cuisine.

My last day in Sydney was spent at ChinaTown, which is a wonderful mixture of asian culture, shopping and cuisine. The eateries in Chinatown serve up authentic asian dishes throughout the day. Referred to popularly as 'Haymarket' it is home to an eclectic mix of asian grocery stores and Sydney’s best dining precincts. There are plenty of restaurants and food court stalls here offering many Chinese regional specialties, plus Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Malaysian cuisines. I picked up all my Australian souvenirs from ChinaTown, all happily marked with 'Made in China' at the back. With all these beautiful memories, I am now back home, nostalgic about the fun days spend here.

---

Photos

Ducks
Ducks at Toronga Zoo

Ferry View
View from ferry towards Toronga Zoo

Skyline
Sydney Skyline

Chinese Garden
Me at the Chinese Garden of Friendship

Darling Harbour
Darling Harbour

Elephants
Mama and baby Elephant at Toronga zoo

Limos
The Limo collection on the way to Darling Harbour

Sydney Tower
The tallest building in Sydney

Lindt
Posing with the Lindt poster - tasty memories

Monorail View
Monorail View from Darling Harbour

Comments

[Deepak]

Nice photos... would luv 2 c more...