Sydney Day 1 & 2

It was very strange to be visiting Sydney without Ray, visiting being something we had done often and only just last year, but it seems like a lifetime ago. Here is a link to the day we celebrated his 75th birthday, just last year.

Neighbour HH drove me to the airport, with Phyllis and Kosov to do an airport hug, who were then returning home by public transport via Victoria Market. 

After not having a holiday, aside from staying at Sister's, since Ray died, I saw no reason to spare expense and flew business class to Sydney with Virgin Australia. What a waste of money. It did give me access to the lounge in Melbourne with free food and drinks, but I was a bit too late to indulge much. The only other difference was a larger seat than economy and a modest meal. I thought business class would be seperated from the riff raff, but I was among them, just in front of them. I would never bother with domestic business class again.

The train from the airport charged my Sydney public transport card the usual usurious amount of about $17 for what should have cost $2.50 for an oldie. There was some confusion about my accommodation booking where we have always stayed, but that was quickly sorted out, with an extra couple of hundred dollars for a one bedroom with a balcony. It was money well spent. 

I arrived at my hotel around 4pm and went out to buy food and drinks to sustain me and dined at the Thai restaurant, staffed by hospitality worker students, at the base of the hotel. I ate half of what I ordered and what was left was boxed up for me to take back to my room. We've been to the restaurant many times and the food is always good. 

So, I am all on my lonesome in Sydney, and the first couple of days I asked myself why the hell was I here and where is Ray? I did settle in after a day or so, and fell into a very lazy routine of getting up at 7.00, showering at 8.00, taking medication at 8.30 along with sending my neighbour HH a dead in bed check sms. At 9.00 I would have some cereal, and maybe at 9.30-10.00 I would go out for a cup of coffee at a nearby cafe, sitting outside and watching the locals go about their business. By this time, the better dressed office workers had already disappeared from the streets (8.00 to 9.00 to see them), and it was mostly students, hospo and retail workers, along with tourists and locals shopping early and invariably a shouty or homeless person or three. 

I returned to my hotel and made myself some toast spread with butter(sic, and I left it out on the bench for ten days and it was fine) and marmalade. 

For my first full day, I caught the 440 bus to Central Station and had Ray's Sydney public transport card, Opal, balance transferred to mine. I took a look around the much changed Central since my last visit. I caught a train to Museum, to walk up the short hill to my digs. In the evening I walked up Oxford Street and had a drink at the Riley Hotel, and then one further up at the Colombian Hotel, where I had a burger, chips and salad at a very cheap price. I'll just say it should not have cost more than it did. 

Phyllis and Kosov were impressed by my three level train from the airport to my hotel.

More about the 333 bus to Bondi later, but isn't the destination a bit cute, showing a drowning person raising their hand high to be saved from the waves by Bondi Beach lifesavers. Well, that's what it looks like to me. I think it means hail the bus to get to Bondi Beach. 

We've never been to dominating Burdekin Hotel. It is certainly gay friendly, but I think it is more for straight people, even though it has drag shows. 

At the very corner of Liverpool and Oxford Streets.

It seems like I was up until after midnight when I snapped this photo. 

Looking up Oxford Street. 

It is the bleeding obvious that there should be a train to Bondi Beach, an extension of the Bondi Junction train. Instead there is the long articulated 333 bus every few minutes. The bus in painfully rough, noisy, always crowded and slow. The best thing about the buses is that although they are 19 years old they have great air conditioning.I think it was last year when they were given a life extension overhaul to ensure they are good for another 7 years. By then they will be 26 years old, an extraordinary age for a public bus. I've heard absolutely nothing about any kind of replacement or the buses.

The newest Sydney trams are absurdly long, made up of two long trams put together. The warnings are clear but two people have been killed as they tried to get over the connection between the joined trams to shortcut a walk around. 

I meant to return to the War Memorial to take better photos, but this is what I quickly snapped. I suppose if you clicked the Sydney tag on my blog, there would be photos from previous visits.