Ah, another glorious day. I could get used to this.
Chris and I decided to tackle the CBD (Central Business District) today to do a little shopping for those pesky forgotten items, one of which was a battery charger for Chris' digital camera. Kinda important... or, would be soon.
So, we headed up Sussex Street to King Street and grabbed a bit of brekky on our way to George Street. We no sooner found the famous Strand Arcade, when we found ourselves going down Pitt Street -- an very nice pedestrian street reminiscent of Leeds -- in search of Dick Smith's, the electronics store that might have the hoped-for charger. We did find the store (and the charger - yay!) and took a detour to David Jones on Castlereagh, an upscale department store. More items were purchased and we scooted along Park back over to George Street to explore the QVB (Queen Victoria Building), a beautiful mall. The fountain outside, dedicated to her beloved dog, Islay (pronounced eye-lee) was a hoot, beckoning to passersby, supposedly in Islay's voice, to toss in a coin to benefit deaf and blind kids.
Now, neither Chris nor I are shoppers, so we don't have too much to report after our list of necessities had been purchased, but it must be said that though the architecture of the buildings may be pretty or unusual, we found the stores and their inventories strikingly familiar.
Which brings us to some observations...
As I walk through Sydney, I'm reminded, alternately, of Vancouver, of Hawai'i or New Zealand, and of almost any other Western, English-speaking city. It has beautiful waterfronts, great weather, and I love that the steel, concrete and glass high rises surround -- and are sometimes joined with -- buildings that date from previous centuries. But the names on most buildings and streets and stores and stuff in those stores are all names that I've seen before. Hyde Park. Nokia. Dollars. Price Waterhouse Coopers. Kent-Sussex-George-Victoria... So, it's the unusual, distinctly Aussie things that I'm really seeking out and trying to understand and/or appreciate. Wombat, platypus, Great Barrier Reef, dreamtime outback, for example.
Which brings me back to our day. Chris and I grabbed some rice paper rolls at Vermicelli before returning to the room to regroup. After some significant hanging out time, we decided to tackle Wildlife World located right next to the Aquarium. We saw all manner of python and very-venomous-but-otherwise-unobtrusive snakes and spiders (the most poisonous in the world!) and various things that I really don't want to encounter without heavy plate glass between me and it. More than half of Australia's animals are nocturnal... which means that I'm probably not going to be seeking out any nightlife when we get to the Northern Territories!
We did - FINALLY - get to see some wallabies and koalas, though not an echidna in sight. It was disappointing that they had technical difficulties and we didn't get our "free koala photo" but we'll live.
On the way back to the hotel, Chris and I stopped back at the Aquarium and talked our way in for free to see the Great Barrier Reef and Seal exhibits that we missed the night before. Then, we caught dinner at Dundee Arms, again. And, again, the food was terrific and still cheap. It's strange that the Australian dollar is stronger than the US dollar right now, much the same as Canada's dollar. Not the deal it once was for Americans, but at least it's not double like the British Pound Sterling.
Okay, I'm rambling. Must be time for vodka and bed.