So it’s been nearly a week outside the UK and that makes it time to update the blog, it feels like we’ve already been about a month in Sydney, amazing how quickly you’re sucked into the different ways of doing things. We’ve had a couple of days of sun which has been a welcome relief from the biblical Sydney rain that greeted us on Wednesday.
The Good:
Cider does exist! Many variants in fact. Bulmers Red on tap, and both Strongbow original and dry, neither of which taste anything like strongbow but they’re made with apples so I’m not complaining. Some pubs even serve proper imperial pints.
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People are friendly**. Bit of a cliché this but we had a great laugh last night with a bunch of people who just came up and introduced themselves. I guess backpackers are all in the same boat so it was nice to see locals make an effort. NB: bouncers are just as surly and unapproachable as in the UK though, some things never change.
Museum of Contemporary art: Free entry and they’re showing a photographic exhibit by Ricky Maynard and the works of Yayoi Kusama‘s mirrored years – in a word, amazing. Maynard’s pictures are a great look into aboprinigial Muttonbirding and there are several sets from his favourite photographers and inspirations which we both really enjoyed. Yayoi Kusama is frankly, completely bonkers. The exhibition starts slowly with a room filled with massive (rubbish) marker pen doodles. It gets better quickly though, the infinite mirror rooms are a huge highlight and I’d really recommend taking a look at some of the stuf she’s done.
Botanical Gardens: Also free entry and they’ve got a seedling of the world’s oldest tree here – we couldn’t find it but we’re assured it’s there somewhere. We took a walk along a rainforest path which was lovely, seemed fitting considering the bloody weather.
NSW State Library: great collection of travel books and free wifi – we whiled away a good couple of hours just getting a feel for what was going on, the Mitchell reading room is also an awesome sight; lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across a ground and mezzanine floor. It’s a personal collection I think, read more here.
Darling Harbour Jazz Festival:
We’ve luckily coincided with a huge live Jazz and Blues festival in Darling Harbour. To be fair, the harbour area is really nice anyway but the transformation to the festival venue has meant it’s been buzzing for the last few days, there are 5 different performance stages with a variety of jazz, blues, soul, funk and rock bands – we really enjoyed lounging in the sun yesterday to the Steve Clisby Band.
Hostels aren’t all horrible: Granted, The Strand Hotel is the first hostel we’ve stayed in and it did smell a bit mildewy when we got there but we’ve been pleasantly surprised. Clean, cheap and the pub downstairs seems to be the launching pad for peoples’ nights out, great atmosphere and open til 5am and the jukebox is dripping with 80’s nostalgia.
The Bad:
Weather: This is the obvious one. Although not all that cold it rained solidly for our first 2 days; massive, soul-drenching drops. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t knock our spirits a bit, first couple of days were pretty tough. On the plus side though it’s amazing how a bright morning on Thursday cheered us up. More rain came around 11 but the past 2 days have been stunning sunshine. Just a shame the days are so short.
ATM cards: This was a little unnerving to say the least. Our bank cards didn’t work. Not in any cash machine and not to buy anything with Maestro.
Panic is not the word.
We survived the first day on the money that was given to us before leaving. Fortunely, it was as simple as calling the UK call centre and getting the block lifted but it’s something I wish we’d been told about in advance, it really put a fug on the first couple of days.
Getting into it: I think we’ll both admit that it hasn’t been all that easy getting into ‘traveling mode’. With no base we found ourselves walking around alot between payphones and internet cafes, getting tired and feeling as if we just wanted out of Sydney and off to NZ. Some of the darker moments saw us wondering if this was even a good decision.
Glad to say we’re settling into it much better now. Setting a couple of things to do on each day and taking our time exploring and just taking things as they come, enjoying the generally chilled out atmosphere that Sydney has to offer. We’ve extending our stay here until Wednesday and have already fitted alot in as a result.
We also toyed with the idea of chasing the sun up to Cairns but we’ve decided against it. Going to stick with the original plan and fly over to Christchurch on Wednesday.
The Unknown:
In the short time we’ve been here, more than a few things have had us scratching our heads. If you know the answer to any of these things, please feel free to comment below. Kat, James: I’m looking at you.
Schooners/Meddys: What on earth kind of sick joke are the alcohol measures here? both these measure look like a lumpen, mutant cousin of the half, almost indistinguishable from each other. Delyth and I are still struggling to order with a straight face.
I’ve got to be fair to the Australian Comission for Weights and Measures though, they are evened out by much bigger coke cans, the extra 45ml sip is a lifesaver.
Urinal Grille: One for the boys, there are kind of grille-type platforms on most of the urinals here, I’m not sure whether to stand on the the grill or back on the step and pee through the grille. Random checks on other toilet users have proven inconclusive..
King’s Cross: We took a stroll up there last night for a few drinks and just ended up coming back to the pub. Really didn’t get it at all – about 15 grotty club/bar/thingys packed with try-hards. I still think we must’ve missed something.
Crossings: Broadly speaking, Sydney feels more American than European, nowhere moreso than the roads. The lack of roundabouts means that there are hundereds of crossroads latticing the city, not a problem in itself but coupled with the fact that the green man doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe to cross makes basic walking a bit of a mission, most of our trips have panned out something like:
- Walk 50 yards
- Stop
- Wait
- Look around at other people
- Wait
- Start to think the lights are broken
- Look at the traffic lights to see if they are in any way related to the green man
- Realise they aren’t
- Jump at the space invaders ‘Ok to walk’ noise
- Gingerly step out in front of a car that’s creeping round the corner and realise they have a green light too
- Run across road
- Walk 50 yards
- Repeat
Queuing: And finally, you thought Brits were fans of queuing? Ozzies are the undisputed kings. In banks, you have to queue up to collect a queue number before you’re even allowed to queue. A pre-queue if you will, this first happened to us at Changi Airport and was unnerving, but now it’s just annoying.
Well, that’s the first instalment done. Got another post on the way about the flight and our jetlag but I thought I’d post up what we’ve been doing first.
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