Leftover Sydney

G'day!


Thank you to my sisters who purchased my allergy/decongestant meds and sent them with Sandy. Thank you to Sandy and Rob for the TWO POUNDS of See's dark chocolate nuts and chews!!! I'm just finishing it up now. It's has been so nice to have my favorite chocolates! It was great to have San here and do the real touristy things with her.


We were shocked at how many stores exist in Sydney. I hadn't realized how much shopping could be done here because the shopping is underground. There are a reasonable number of stores above ground, but in the CBD, you can walk through shopping centers for blocks underground. In most places, the shops and food courts are on 2 underground levels. Then there's the street level. In the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) which runs a long block, two additional shopping levels exist over street level. Most of the shopping centers are very modern, but the tri-level Strand Arcade in the QVB is done up in Victorian times with wrought iron railings and lampposts and old fashioned signage, under a glass conservatory roof. Very nice. I think most of the other buildings have office space on the upper floors.

1 of 2 largest grocery chains

Sydney's public transportation system is very well developed with trains, buses, and ferries crisscrossing the metro area and beyond. You can pay for each trip separately or purchase multi ride bus or ferry tickets, or weekly train tickets. MyMulti tickets allow riders to use all three modes on a daily or weekly basis. The train system is clean, efficient and prompt. Trains go out almost 200 kilometres from Sydney. It's a little confusing for new users to figure out which platform you need to be on and sometimes the platforms are on different levels, but eventually you can figure it out. While San was here, we bought a weekly MyMulti3 tickets that allowed unlimited rides on all ferries, buses, and the train as far as we wanted. The $57 was well spent.

Harbourside in Darling Harbour

If we are in a place neither of us has been, San will never again let me lead the way. Whilst we were bushwalking in the Blue Mountains, we were following tracks (trails). I guess the tracks were adequately signed. I am notorious for getting lost. I admit it; I can't follow directions properly. I tend to turn too soon or too late cuz I'm not quite sure what the sign means. I led us on a detour that almost required bushwhacking before San insisted that we must not be on the track anymore. Of course, she was right.


I've been to a lot of new places and I've done a lot of exploring. In cities with street signs and a map, I'm fine. (But the map has to be facing the same way I'm facing; so it might have to be upside down.) It's where signs aren't regularly posted where I really get in trouble. I want a sign at every junction and I want signs with directional arrows to sit right on the track pointing in exactly the direction I'm supposed to take. Not one signpost with multiple arrows pointing vaguely to a fork. Ah, well. I build extra time for my taking "the scenic route" on my explorations. I take other precautions. If I can, I research and plot my route in advance. Generally, I go where I'm reasonably sure there will be other people. And I have no problem asking for directions. I also carry water, a jacket and a whistle.

What I need to do is figure out my itinerary. I know I want to try to see each Australian state. I know I don't want to go to Queensland and the Northern Territory until end of May/June when the wet season is over, the flooding stops, and the weather cools down the little bit that it does during the dry season. But since I'm down here in the southern hemisphere, I also want to go to New Zealand. I'm also thinking about visiting Fiji, Thailand, and maybe other places. I guess I will just have to wait until I get wifi and can do some research.

Cheers!

Cyn