Greetings from the Sydney. I am here with Jik and my cousins. We arrived yesterday and will be here for a week or so, with a round-trip to Melbourne in between.
The first thing I did in Sydney when I woke up today was run to the bathroom and turn on the sink tap; I wanted to know whether the water really runs counterclockwise in Australia. IT DID!
Since I was already fully awake and excited due to the experiment that would make my 5th-grade science teacher proud, I decided to go out for breakfast and buy for my friends ones who were still sleeping.
After putting on layers and layers of clothing, I stepped out to Kings Cross Street.
It’s winter here in Sydney, which took me a minute to realise. Yesterday night, when I reached, I thought it was still Autumn because there was no snow. What I learned from western TV shows is that winter = snow. Apparently, the winter season in Sydney = strong cold winds and bald trees. Damn!
Fibonacci Coffee has a small stall at Kings Cross run by a friendly lady named Amanda, who helped me choose breakfast. A much-needed gesture for someone who hasn’t gotten her caffeine fix on a cold morning. Their tuna sandwich is a must-try.
I took my latte (my first and last in Australia) and strolled down Potts Point, Victoria Street, which looks like a place for backpackers. Never in my life have I seen so many backpackers lodges on one road, not even in Thailand. I wonder who are these backpackers who backpack to Sydney? I also spotted a few more breakfast places I want to try another time and a provision shop on the corner of the street, named Corner Shop, where I bought Vegemite.
It was a beautiful day.
My travel mates finally woke up, we got ready and stepped out. We roamed around the city and went to Circular Quay for lunch.
I saw Sydney Harbour and Opera House from far away. I saw the lucky boar sculpture, a remake of Il Porcellino, in front of Sydney Hospital. I visited the beautiful St Mary Cathedral. You can get married there, you know? But only after 7 years on the waiting list. 7 years! Maybe I should still register on the waiting list for my second marriage.
I, finally, sat at Mrs Macquarie’s (former governor’s wife) chair, which was on my Sydney to-do list. I can see why it’s her favourite spot to look upon the harbour, it has an amazing view of the harbour. I could spend hours here, especially on a beautiful afternoon like today, when there was not a single cloud sighted.
We wanted to go to the Paddy market, but it was closed. It’s not even 5 PM yet. Places are closed so early here in Australia, no fun. We ended up walking through Chinatown and stopped for a Malaysian dinner at Malay Village. The food was acceptable, they even have Teh Tarik which tasted close to the original.
At night, we went to The Rocks. Such a cool neighbourhood to hang out in. They have the oldest pub in Sydney, Fortune Of War. I bought postcards from the lovely little bookstore. We walked past a few more shops and saw a store turned into an exhibition place. We ended up meeting the artists, twin sisters Leanne and Naomi and discussed their awesome art, Match Box Projects. What they do is basically ask people to create art out of a matchstick box and display it all over the world. They are now showing it in Sydney before travelling to Jakarta and later to another place. I find them really, really cool! All the best, ladies.
We took the stairs down and were greeted by the Sydney wind and a fantastic view of the Sydney Opera House at night. I got the chill when I saw it again at night. I can’t believe I am staring at it, for real, and that we were only separated by Circular Harbour. The building really is an architectural wonder. It’s my Australian Eiffel Tower.
The cold air made us rush back up. We stopped at The Rocks Café. I had a cake named Devilish Sin, and it was devilishly good.
We decided to pack up a cake, a flat white, and a few selfies later. We took the train to Kings Cross station and stopped by the Bottle Store to get a $10 Moscato. $10 for a glass of white wine? From where I come, a 7-11 $20 wine is considered one of the cheapest.
The whole day’s walk and three glasses of Moscato (an easy drink) are making me tipsy. Going to bed now. See you tomorrow, Sydney!
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