Amidst the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan city, I find solace.
Sydney is truly one of the greatest cities in the world! Last year I came to Sydney with a bunch of friends, but this time was with family. We set of for the Gold Coast airport at 4.45am Monday morning, to catch the 6am flight. It was a mad rush to the airport, hampered by the many red lights on the Gold Coast Highway. We finally reached the aiport at about 5.20am, briskly turning into the long-term parking compound, and zoomed to the check in counters. We reached Sydney at about 8.30am local time, and took a train to our hotel, located at the city centre.
The hotel's location is simply fantastic. It is smack in the middle of the CBD area, above Sydney Central Plaza, squashed between the Sydney Tower and Queen Victoria Building, along the main shopping belts of George St and Pitt St. Sydney is a city that one will not grow tired of. Apart from the many sights and sounds, not to mention the shopping, everything is very compact. You can literally walk everywhere, from the Opera House at Circular Quay, to the other end of George St, where Chinatown is, everything interesting and worth doing in between.
I spent my productive afternoon of the first day in Sydney catching up on sleep, while my mum and sis went shopping at QVB and Myers. Myers, which is located just below the hotel, was where most of the damage was done. Haha. Shopping is indeed therapeutic.
In the evening we went to the Rocks, beside the Opera House and Harbour Bridge to eat their famous pancakes. Then we went around the harbour to take some pictures. It was almost 9pm, and the sky was still bright! Afterwhich we took a slow walk to Darling Harbour, where a lot of pubs and chic cafes are.
In the afternoon of the second day, we took a short walk to the Convention Centre at Darling Harbour, to catch a tram to the Fish Market. Yes! Prawns, lobster, sashimi, seafood platter!
After lunch we walked around Market City and Chinatown. It was a waste that the famous Paddy's Market does not open from Monday to Wednesday, we would have been able to get some some good deals over there. But it was a good thing also, as it prevented us from doing more damage to the wallet. In the evening we went to eat argubly the best roast pork and roast duck in the whole of Australia, at BBQ King. It is just a simple chinese restaurant, sitting on the outskirts of Chinatown, and their roast duck are simply to die for! The skin of the roast duck was crispy and meat tender, and the char siew was also thick and succulent.
The third and final day in Sydney was spent shopping and more shopping. We checked out of the hotel at 11am, but our flight was not until 6pm. We shopped around the area for a few hours, thereafter my sis wanted to go to the Royal Botanic Gardens. My mum chose to rest at the hotel lobby, while I walked around the area some more. I ended up in Borders, where I spent some time browsing through some books, and bought a couple.
This trip is truly memorable, not least being able to spend so much time together with my mum and sis and doing things together. I am indeed grateful for the opportunities to relax my mind, body and soul in this wonderful city. Thank you for the enjoyable time and experiences throughout these three days. It is good bye for now, but I will definitely see you again in the future.
Fortune cookie Quote of the Day: "Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness."
