I got to Sydney exhausted.  I guess paying so much for my baggage is just like “Welcome to Australia!  Your days of paying reasonable prices for things are over”.  My taxi cost $100.  I’m staying in an Airbnb because there are no hotels for under $150 a night.  Hostels were over $50 a night.  I’m staying in some girl’s room while she sleeps on a spare mattress in the laundry room.  I got there and she was at work and she failed to tell me she had roommates.  I woke one up.  She scared the crap out of me because I assumed I was in the house alone.  I was so tired from the overnight flight, that I took a nap for a few hours.  I got up only to meet another roommate.  She has 3 or 4 roommates – I can’t even tell how many.  This is really not ideal, but I kind of have no choice at this point.  They all seem friendly enough.  I spent the rest of the first day wandering around Manly Beach, checking out the visitor’s center and getting food.  All the shops closed at 6:00pm.  That seems weird.  It’s chilly here which I didn’t expect.  I have no warm clothes – one hoodie will have to do.  Still the chilly air and bright sun is a delightful combination.

Today I decided to do ALL the things in the city.  It’s a half hour ferry ride to the central part of Sydney from Manly beach.  The ferry ride is beautiful.  Firs I went to the Wild Life Sydney Zoo.  It’s not Sydney’s main zoo.  I kind of wish I had done the main zoo.  This place was so small I’m amazed how they fit everything in.  But, I had bought tickets on line for a back stage tour.  I’m glad I got the back stage tour.  It was fascinating to see how they made everything work in such a small space.  We went through the kitchens which they share with the aquarium next door.  They have half a walk in refrigerator full of eucalyptus for the koalas.  We got to see the quarantine areas, the areas where they housed the butterfly chrysalis, the bird cages on the roof where they keep the juvenile birds before they are ready to be released.  Many of the animals there are rescue animals.  They don’t let you touch the koalas, but you can get close to them.  I got to pet a wombat, but only because he was a rescue hand raised there and use to people.  The wombat might be my new favorite animal.  He’s so much bigger than I expected.  They have koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, snakes, lizards, birds, a cassowary, and Tasmanian devils.  Everything there was indigenous to Australia.  I didn’t get to see the devils as they never came out of their hiding place.

After the zoo, I had lunch.  So far this is the 2^nd meal I’ve had at a restaurant here and the service was horrible both times.  They seat you, but then no one comes to take your order, say hi, bring you water or anything.  I almost walked out.  After lunch I walked over the Sydney Harbor Bridge.  Well, half way over, took some pictures and went back.  I walked around the rocks – a shopping, dining area near the bridge.  I had seen an ad for a special exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art.  The artist does pieces with led number counters.  It looked beautiful.  So I went to the museum.  Apparently, I don’t like contemporary art.  I don’t like it at all.  I didn’t like the special exhibit or any of the other exhibits in the museum.  How is any of this art?  I watched a contortionist street performer outside the museum.  Compared to contemporary art, she was fabulous.  Then I walked down to the Opera house.  There is an outdoor patio bar, the Opera Bar.  This must be the busiest bar on the planet.  There had to be hundreds of people there.  It was fabulous to see, but didn’t make me want to eat or drink there.  It was a zoo.  I went to the botanic gardens for about a half hour.  It was more like a park than a botanic garden.  There was some cool building and a lot of fences.  The park is huge and I didn’t go far because I had tickets for a movie.  I have so missed being able to see movies so I was excited about it.

I have decided that Sydney must have a City ordinance or regulation that only attractive people can live there.  Everyone seems fit, young, and pretty.

(c) All rights reserved Kimberly Fiore

Manly Beach