Sydney Stories - Day 1: Seeing the City Sights

Upon being told that we were going to Australia instead of Europe a few weeks ago, it was with a lot less excitement that I counted down the days till we were leaving. But the first few days in Australia were enough to convince me otherwise. It is a country very much underrated in my opinion. And truth be told, I would jump at the chance to move here if I could. It is lovely. Able to be both quaint and progressive, the feel of the entire country is warm and friendly. In the past 2 weeks that I've been here, I have yet to encounter the dreaded racists that everybody has been warning me about. Everyone has been pleasant and charming so far.

We arrived at Sydney at around 6 in the morning, and we didn't want to waste any time sleeping, having only 4 days to roam around they city and the other places of interest. We decided to make the most out of our first day by going on a guided tour aboard the Citysights Double Decker bus. It is a hop-on hop off bus line that takes you around the key attractions and around the city's main beaches and entertainment precincts.

waiting to disembark at the sydney international airport


first photo taken while waiting for the Citysights bus, at Central Station


we got off at darling harbour for lunch


Australia has a very stringent and effective Heritage Protection law in place, and because of this, the city has grown to become an interesting mix of old English architecture and new world modernity. My favorite stops among the tour were the ones on George street (where most of the main attractions are), particularly, the Rocks, Darling Harbour, and the Queen Victoria Building.

Sydney Harbour Bridge from my seat on the bus






the most beautiful shopping center ever - the Queen Victoria Building


my cars!




interesting architecture




I also loved the charming gardens of Hyde Park, the interesting seascapes of Bondi beach (too bad it was too cold to hang out there now, since Australia goes into winter around May-July), and the nice suburbs around the city center. Everything is as pretty as a picture.

snapshot of Hyde Park


the Archibald fountain in Hyde Park - built in honor of Australia's contribution to the Great War in France








the first Movie Studios in Sydney's Entertainment Quarter




suburban houses protected by the Heritage protection law - you need a permit to change literally anything!






Bondi beach





The one downside that I was shocked to discover is how early everything closes, even in the City Center. Most shops close between 6PM to 8PM, and only the fairly expensive food shops along the tourist precincts stay open for very late. We walked down nearly the entirety of George Street (in my estimation about the same length as Commonwealth avenue - from Batasan to Philcoa) looking for authentic Australian fare, which is close to impossible. Nearly every restaurant has been infused with Eastern/Western influences, and even the side streets are crammed full of Chinese, Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, and Indian restaurants. When we asked our bus operator what they considered authentic Aussie cuisine, he half-jokingly quipped McDonald's. We ended up having dinner at the small vietnamese restaurant right next to our hotel - aptly named The Naughty Chef, where the chef (who was Vietnamese, in fact) insisted on cooking us specials not to be found on the menu. The verdict: there is a reason why they weren't on the menu. hahaha. but i know he was just trying to be nice. Naughty chef indeed.