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| Day 18: | Saturday, 21 September 2002 | ||
| New Thing: | Cramming in a weekend's activities into a 12 hour span | ||
| Weather: | Clear, a tad windy, low 70s | ||
| Money Spent: | $409.90 AUS | $226.06 USD | |
| 8:00am | The alarm sounded. Well, it beats getting up at 6:30am, anyway. Beats it with a big ol' ugly stick. |
| 8:26am | Headed to the lobby to meet the other two travel buddies. Recommended a change of plans from the original, which had been:
Filed change in plans to include opals first. The ending time of the zoo is not an option given the zoo's scheduled quality visit time with the koalas. |
| 8:27am | Managed to get Tubby to leave the room to FINALLY get there to meet the other two travel buddies. |
| 8:31am | We met up in the lobby and headed across to the Quay for a transfer of US dollars into Aussie ones. |
| 8:39am | Travel passes were purchased for the day, which would allow train, bus, and ferry transportation. Hurrah! |
| 8:43am | We popped into a shop along George Street that sold various knickknacks with the city name on them. Onlookers would likely be referring to this as tourist trap crap. No purchases were made. |
| 8:56am | We then headed further along to the opal shop, only to find it's still closed until 10am... back to the original plan. |
| 9:04am | Passing through the gates to Ferry terminal 2, we waited for the ferry to arrive and, well, ferry us to the Taronga Park Zoo. |
| 9:11am | We boarded the ferry, and sat towards the front, affording us a nice view of the bridge on this pleasant day, and once we got under way, the Opera House set against the Central Business District from the watery perspective as well. |
| 9:24am | We boarded the ferry, and sat towards the front, affording us a nice view of the bridge on this pleasant day, and once we got under way, the Opera House set against the Central Business District from the watery perspective as well. |
| 9:31am | Having paid the $23 admission, we headed over to board the ski-lift like deal to the top of the hill to enter the zoo. Our ride was the three adults, myself, and three compartment buddies - two from around here, and the third from England. If you don't know how to get in and sit down, as apparently has happened at least once to prompt posting this sign -- just ask for help. |
| 9:35am | On our lift up to the top, we did get to see a fairly nice (albeit with visible cables) view of part of the city and the Harbour Bridge. |
| 9:40am | The wallaby was napping in his hutch, sleeping belly-up. Charming. |
| 9:46am | After wandering a bit, we bumped into the alligator's area. At least they weren't totally hiding in a hut. |
| 9:51am | We circled around the path surrounding the koala area. Between weird shadows and them looking away, the photos didn't turn out as well as I'd like. This was one of the better ones. But... I had a plan on remedying this injustice. |
| 9:55am | We looked in on the Komodo Dragon, the world's largest lizard. Yup, he's big. Onward. |
| 9:59am | A wander through the reptile area (frogs, snakes, turtles, and others they just threw in this area). Starting with some sort of water turtle... I forget the name. A Reticulated Python took an unnatural interest in me. Fortunately, there was glass separating us (whew!). |
| 10:00am | They put a turtle and an Iguana in the same place. How bold a move is that?!? |
| 10:02am | This is a Taipan snake, known for having one of the most deadly venoms of the snake community, third only after the Fierce Snake and Brown Snake, which are also found in Australia. (11 of the world's 15 most deadly snakes are found in Australia.) |
| 10:07am | A really neat color for a green frog. |
| 10:10am | A Rhinoceros Iguana. Good for him (or her). |
| 10:19am | It seems that when they feed the giraffe, they hoist lunch up in an elevated basket. Very clever, they are... |
| 10:26am | Yes kids, it's a Dingo. Given it looks exactly like a pet dog, how could one of these cute fellows steal a baby? (If you'd like to learn more about the Dingoes, read the sign.) |
| 10:40am | Operation GET KOALA PHOTOS is launched. For $2 (in Aussie bucks), we get to stand in the koala pen and have our photo taken with the cuddly-looking creatures (but don't try to cuddle with them -- they're not too fond of such things). We scored the following:
To spread the blame for this operation, having paid the $2, we were admitted into the little area by the very lovely Megan Lewis. She got a pen for her actions as an accomplice in this mission, and for her generally pleasant disposition. (And it didn't hurt that she was a rather attractive girl, either... although that's not required to get a FrankPen -- just a nice bonus for me. Anyway. |
| 10:53am | We next wandered around an enclosure, where I got to be really up close and personal to... well, it's not a kangaroo. That's all I can tell you... sorry, it's not as cute as either the koalas, or Megan. So, let's move on. |
| 11:01am | I wonder who's sponsoring this section of the zoo. Hmm.. |
| 11:07am | Lurking in the bushes and shrubs was a peacock, amidst fanning his feathers. |
| 11:09am | What I got out of this display is that I am much, much smaller than either breed of bear. |
| 11:10am | After this guy emerged from the pond (background), he just start pacing about, I guess, to try and dry out. We stopped watched after several minutes, when it became apparent he wasn't going to do any sort of circus tricks, like ride a miniature bicycle. |
| 11:13am | We headed down to catch the ferry back to Circular Quay. |
| 11:24am | Arriving slightly ahead of the ferry, you can see the city (again, I know) in the background, along with the incoming ferry (left). |
| 11:28am | The 11:30am ferry arrived, and we loaded up onto the front. |
| 11:31am | From my vantage point in the very front, I have a decent view of things. |
| 11:37am | Just as we neared the ferry terminal, we made a U-turn and headed out to Fort Denison to do a passenger pickup. While it would normally be a bit of a bother, it seems Fort Denison is the small, former fort sitting in the middle of the harbour once used for defence... and it's not open to the public. As such, we were afforded a close-up glimpse of this rather nifty place. |
| 11:43am | We got our feet back on solid ground, and one of the other American types led the charge over to the opal store for a second visit and purchase. |
| 11:49am | We popped into the opal shop and she made her purchase. Oddly enough, one of the sales ladies who got a FrankPen remembered, and asked about my whereabouts. Tubby was forced to reveal my secret location in the FrankTote, which he was wearing on his back. |
| 12:11pm | Lunch was the next order of business, and we headed back to the Orient (as we had on Wednesday evening). A lovely lunch was had by all, including the ever-fussy Bald One (an Aussie burger, plain and try, although they snuck onions into the meat... but he apparently didn't figure that out). |
| 1:29pm | After lunch, we all popped into a photo gallery down the street, and all of us purchased a few items there. The boy picked up four prints, one each of the Twelve Apostles along the Aussie coast at sunset, a panoramic view of Sydney, a view of the Great Barrier Reef, and something of the bush and plains. The final expectation is a montage of scenes of Sydney, arranged in a single frame. (Which surprised me that it could actually look okay; two are based in blues, the other oranges. And of course, the whole darn place is white inside, so a dash of colour wouldn't be bad.) |
| 1:51pm | 1:51pm - We elected to return to the hotel to unload the recent booty, and then meet up again in the lobby for the trip to Bondi Junction. |
| 2:03pm | We got to Stand E to wait for the L82 bus. Perhaps a minute later, the 380 arrived, and since the final drop-off point was Bondi Beach for both buses (that's a lot of 'B's in one sentence, huh?), so we hopped into the 380. |
| 2:44pm | We managed to land along Campbell Parade in Bondi Beach. After walking along the sidewalk and the store fronts, we cut across to the beach, and had a wander about there for a spell. |
| 2:57pm | I found it interesting that the over-crossing clearance height was noted in both the U.S. feet and the metric height. If you look out from the top of the very same over-crossing, you'd see something like this view. |
| 3:00pm | We to the point where the sand reaches the walkways and retaining walls. It seemed sort of touristy that the temperatures were also converted into Fahrenheit temps as well on the informational board. I do enjoy the description of the weather, though. Bondi Beach seems to be popular even at this point in their spring season, although most folks were wearing more than just swimsuits. (That may also have something to do with Australia having one of the worst, or the worst (I forget) instances of skin cancer in the world). |
| 3:20pm | We stumble across a gathering of motorcycle cops, and yet, not a donut or Donut King store in sight. Mysterious; more so is why they'd insist on wearing overly snug trousers? |
| 3:39pm | The trio and I popped into a small shop of a mixture of various Australian and touristy crap. The boy seemed intent on any purchase for someone of interest or import should have been made in Australia, except for such items where the country of origin would make no difference. (I mean, while a shot glass or a spoon could be made here, it's not quite the same as a shirt with embroidery of Australia on it. And the spoon is from Australia, by the by.) |
| 3:52pm | The boy having paid the full and proper amount for the merchandise, we headed back up to the bus stand (or stop). |
| 4:03pm | We loaded up the 380 bus, and traveled perhaps one mile. (In that time, we did manage to accost a pre-teen as to the whereabouts of where we could purchase an authentic Fcuk shirt. The answer was in the QVB to the locals, or the Queen Victoria Building to the rest of y'all. QVB is located roughly on top of the Town Hall CityRail station.) |
| 4:08pm | We got to the end of the one mile, and the driver pointed it out we're at the end of the line. Dang - not on the plans. |
| 4:10pm | Turns out we just had to cross the street, and get on the bus again on the other side of the street. Sort of silly, really. |
| 4:14pm | The bus filled to capacity after only two stops. While it was indeed crowded, at the same time, it was sort of nice to not have to make stops for more passengers (the driver didn't stop for them). We also voted to exit at Bondi Junction and take the CityRail train back to Circular Quay. |
| 4:26pm | We arrived at Bondi Junction, and after a brief of probably five or six minutes, were on our way. |
| 4:48pm | Town Hall being the end of the line (for us) we hopped out and down to Platform 6 for the short ride to the Quay. There was a bit of a delay, though, and the train arrived 11 minutes late. Darn it. |
| 4:58pm | The train arrived, and we loaded up, with ample room to spare. Much better than the bus. |
| 5:02pm | The final destination of Circular Quay having been reached, we piled out and headed to the hotel. |
| 5:08pm | We all returned to our respective rooms to regroup and recharge for the evening of stopping into Patty's Market (alleged to be a shopping area without the tourist flavour) and then dinner in Darling Harbour. |
| 6:19pm | Once the regrouping occurred, plans changed. Tubby realised he will not be able to get all of his additional stuff stuffed into the very limited space in his luggage, and would need to purchase a cheap-o bag. As such, we popped into the Duty-Free store next door. |
| 6:26pm | A suitable bag was identified, purchased, and apparently moved to the security tag removal area for pickup. |
| 6:38pm | Additional items were identified and purchased. Without having a password and airline ticket showing our departure, we couldn't be exempted from paying the GST tax. When that was said, Tubby said he didn't have those things, so we'll just come back another time. I was proud of him and his tactics. Apparently, the notion of risking the sale meant the cashier just did an override and gave us a 10% discount after we paid the GST tax (which is also roughly 10%) on the purchases. All worked out the same in the end. (The boy was also delighted in that there now just a few things left to be purchased on the shopping list for friends and family and such.) |
| 6:44pm | After a delay in picking up the purchased luggage bag, and getting out the door (they'd failed to remove the security tag from an item), we were on our way to the hotel to drop things off, and head to Darling Harbour. Given this shopping trip, Patty's Market was now off. |
| 6:49pm | Drop-off completed, we headed to Circular Quay toward Town Hall and Darling Harbour. |
| 7:02pm | After arriving at Darling Harbour, we looked at three eateries before finally selecting on Baia's San Marco. While the waiter was very personable and friendly, he wasn't overly attentive. We had to wave him down for beverage refills, to order dessert, and to get the check. (Tubby did not have dessert, of course, as such events contribute further to his nickname.) |
| 8:29pm | We left Baia's and wandered down toward the theatre in search for other activities. |
| 8:40pm | In the quest for something else to do before calling it quits, we found ourselves at the IMAX theatre in Darling Harbour to see the Space Station (in 3-D!). The admission was $17 AUS (about $9 US). Still seems pricey, but then again, that could just be the cheap twit rubbing off on me.... yuck-o. |
| 9:01pm | With the film starting, I had to put on my special 3-D glasses. |
| 9:47pm | The film was more of an educational film than anything else, but it did prove to be interesting. We departed after returning the glasses (although they did fit on my head surprisingly well, and I wouldn't have minded keeping them). |
| 10:05pm | Walking from Darling Harbour to the Town Hall station, we had occasion to walk through Queen Victoria Building and saw this store. Now, if it's an underground store, why are you walking upstairs? Particularly as we've already noted we're on the ground floor? |
| 10:11pm | The train ride took us from Town Hall to the Quay, where we filed away neatly to our rooms. So, I'm going to bed... it's been a long day. |