I used to tell friends that i'm pretty comfortable travelling alone and have no issues when it comes to doing stuff by myself such as watching movies, going for a bite and window shopping. probably one thing that i dislike doing alone is driving long distance because i'm afraid of falling asleep. as some of my friends could testify, i can sleep anywhere, anytime, anyhow :)
This time, during my working trip to Sydney, which i extended by another 1.5 days, found me feeling a bit lonely. somehow the experience and the sights would have been more memorable if there were someone to share it with. i don't know if it's because i was having my monthly and therefore feeling a bit more sensitive and emotional than usual. but amidst the bushwalk aka jungle trek, i wished i had a friendly face with me. strangely enough, i didn't meet new people this time, which i usually do in the past. i always managed to find a warm soul for conversations and exchange stories with but this time, nope, not at all. i tried, but the response i received was rather cold so i didn't bother trying again.
Maybe i've grown older and more protective of myself, and therefore seemed less approachable ... or maybe i was trying to see too many things in too short time that i didn't really look like keen on making friends. well, who knows?
anyway, Sydney is all about the harbour and the sea. i can sit all day at Circular Quay watching the ferries and ships arriving and leaving. I can also sit all day at Darling Harbour watching different people bypassing on the back of docking yachts and flying seagulls. i love sitting on the ferry crossing pass different spots of Sydney - that's the best way of seeing the city for me.
Weather wise, it wasn't too kind to me. out of the total 4 days i was there, i only had 1.5 day of sun. most of the time it was gloomy and rainy. it wasn't a pleasant experience when walking back from Paddy's Market to the hostel carrying the heavy fruits :( also, it wasn't funny when i was at Blue Mountains and didn't get to check out the view of the Three Sisters. the scenic walk via bush walking was simply to get drenched while walking in wet soil and trying to avoid the muddy areas. the only consolation to that was i had a friendly guide who knew a lot about trees and therefore was able to explain a lot of interesting things in the jungle. she told us about how paint could be derived from the rocks and pointed out different holes that spiders lived in.The day tour comprised partly Blue Mountains (well, that wasn't much), wine tasting, Featherdale Wildlife Park and a cruise from Olympic Park to Circular Quay. the day didn't start off well cos' i forgot my camera and hat. thank God for phone cameras or else, i really didn't have any captured moments from the trip. my hair was wet most of the time since i didn't have anything to shield it with. nonetheless, the animals were cute to look at especially the koalas cos' they looked so surreal while sleeping clutching the branch of the tree.
Also visited Taronga Zoo. i almost lost my cardigan but thankfully found it by some kind souls. it has a nice view of Sydney from the top of the zoo. also, i enjoyed the bird show because the tricks were really good. the trainer gave a great 20-min presentation of the birds in Australia. i was amazed watching one of the eagles flying just above our heads with such strength and grace.
Another nice moment was a visit to the Fish Market. i had to wake up about 6.30am and walked 40mins to find the place (i had a plane to catch in a couple of hours after that). first time in my life, i had fish and chips for breakfast! that was funny. but it was nice just drinking coffee and having the meal while watching the workers shifting boxes of fisheries. it's also a lovely spot as the jetty had many different sizes of boats docked there and the water was calm on that Thursday morning. I was also most touched when i got to catch up with a friend that i last saw a couple of years ago. she took time after work to spend time with me for dinners and we shared about different things in our lives. it was nice to watch her talk about her life in Sydney; the things she does on her leisure time and her impressions of the city. it was also good getting to know her other half, who has a great sense of humour.
I guess journeys are all about people -- things are life-less and don't tell stories but lives do ...
