down under: Sights and sounds of downtown Sydney (and beyond)

It’s been more than a month since I left Australia and my heart’s still a bit hungover! I find myself checking out pictures (which I don’t plan on uploading to Facebook yet) because I just can’t get over all the wonderful things I did back there. It's probably the “first time high” (for traveling alone) or that I just miss the feeling of free falling.

Anyway, I think I haven’t told you much about my Sydney trip – wait, I think I did. A teeny tad bit of it (here) and well, I'll take it up from there.

I'm pretty sure you’ve seen this iconic structure a thousand times but nothing beats the feeling of seeing it right in front of you for the first time! The sails look rather creamy up close. They get their immaculate white glow once the sun is up and about – which exactly what happened when I first laid eyes on the Opera House.

This was how it looked it just before sunset.

I made my way to the hostel and after that, I got back to the quay and explored some parts of The Rocks. I stayed for two nights at Sydney YHA – The Rocks, a couple of blocks away from the quay. I booked the place online via their site. I wasn't quite sure where to stay at first but after finding out that the place offers wonderful views of the Opera House, I knew that I shouldn't think twice.

You can see and breathe the history as you walk along the streets and alleyways at The Rocks. The streets and alleys are filled with quaint stores, restaurants and other quirky establishments. This district is actually pretty alive, even at night. I wouldn’t have passed up the opportunity for a night out at one of the restaurants there but gosh, walking around sure got me drained!

As it is when travelling other countries, I braced myself for walking. I made sure I packed a pair of comfy sandals (as well as a pair of of foldable flats) for this trip. My hostel (and The Rocks, in general) was located in a rather hilly area and the shortcuts had several flights of stairs. Making my way to the quay from the hostel took 15 minutes and a dozen of throbbing nerves on my legs.

Circular Quay (taken from The Rocks side)

I spent around 80% of my time walking when I was in Sydney; and for someone who dislikes walking, I managed to survive! I didn’t have an itinerary but I had a map and all the time in the world, so I just went. I went on with no clear direction or plans of where I wanted to be. This perfectly sums up how I felt during that time (and happens to be one of my favorite parts of the book):

That's exactly what I did. Upon arriving at Town Hall station, I went to the nearest McDonald's to plan my attack. Helpful tip - McDonald's has free WiFi so if you need a quick Facebook check or whatnot, just find a Maccas down the corner. 

Town Hall was the best place to start the day as all the attractions were nearby. I identified the places I wanted to visit and took it from there. Since the spots seemed really close with each other, I decided to leave the navigating to my internal compass and just wing it. For a couple of hours, my neurons took a back seat and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of downtown Sydney.

Here's a summary of the attractions I was able to cover. To be honest, I didn't think I could cover all the spots I wanted to visit in a span of two hours.

• Town Hall
• Queen Victoria Building (QVB)
• Hyde Park
• St. Mary's Cathedral (within Hyde Park)
• Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG)

Town Hall

Inside Queen Victoria Building

Just to give you an idea, here's the map of my path from Town Hall to Royal Botanic Gardens.

It took me an hour and a half to arrive at RBG (Royal Botanic Gardens) from Town Hall. As you might have probably noticed from the map I posted above, it was a long crazy walk from Town Hall to RBG. Sure, I knew where I wanted to go but didn't quite figure out how to get there. I thought it was all easy peasy. I had to stop several times and check out my map to confirm where I was and if I was heading the right way. I never knew reading maps was a hard feat. After several attempts in finding my next left or right turn, I just surrendered the judgement to my feet and eyes. I reminded myself that this trip was about free falling and that I shouldn't let "directions" get in the way of me having a good first day.

Since my legs were aching so bad, I decided to take a very quick upon arriving at RBG! I found myself a spot on the hilly garden, overlooking the bay. The people who shared the grass with me were also enjoying their day. Some were chatting. Some where were sharing a bite. Some were chasing each other and enjoying the lovely spring weather.

It was so idyllic - spending the afternoon slowly and down on the grass with a good book. After finishing a chapter, I got my map and marked my next few stops within the RBG. Around 10 minnuts from where I sat were beautiful spots to view the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Among these spots is the famed Mrs. Macquarie's chair which is located at the southernmost tip of the park, overlooking the bay.

I took my time and enjoyed the walk along the bay. A lot of people were there too - some were doing their routine jog and others were probably tourists like me, hoping to get the perfect shot of the sunset against the Opera House and Harbour Bridge

I waited as the sky turned from blue, to crimson and voila! The perfect sunset... and the perfect shot!

As it finally turned dark, I made my way to the Opera House. 

The Opera Bar, which is just beside the Opera House, is the perfect place to go get your "sunset chill" on. The whole area was abuzz at dusk - people coming together to have after-work drinks and some fun. It was sad to be alone there at that time but I had a bottle of beer to keep me company as I observed how the men in suits rolled up their sleeves and laughed with their mates and how the ladies were probably busy chatting about the latest fashion trends - or the cute new boy at the office.

The Circular Quay looked lovely at night. At around 7PM, I decided to find myself some dinner before calling it a night. The Rocks was around 10 minutes from the Opera Bar and there you can find some good dining choices at reasonable prices. When I say reasonable, it goes around 15-25 AUD and based on my dinner at The Rocks Cafe, you can get your money's worth. I decided to splurge a little because it was my first night. 

I got myself a Kangaroo burger it tasted awesome! However, after three bites, I started to visualize a kangaroo and how cute and furry it was. The meat I was chewing between my teeth did not taste like how I visualized it but then I reminded myself that, yes it had to die for me. Long story short, I was not able to finish the burger. Good thing the serving was huge and I was already full.

And that's how the day ended. Before hitting sack, I already read up about my destinations for the next day and figured out how to get there. I also decided to ditch the travel guides and just bring a map because walking around with 20 tons of stuff around your shoulder sure wasn't easy. I was all pumped up and excited to conquer another part of Sydney and tick off a few items in my bucket list. 

Up next (hopefully soon enough) is how I got lost in Surry Hills in the search of a bakery and how I managed to tick off 5 items in by bucket list in a day. Let's go!