Post 2

Several days have passed since I left you last and to be honest, not a whole lot has changed. Things are still expensive, the weather is still hovering between crisply cool and lukewarm, and I'm still getting accustomed to the lack of certain simple pleasure that I took for granted in the US.
Which simple pleasures? I'm glad you asked! I'll start with my latest bone of contention: I want to see "my fair lady" at the opera house. Ok, ok, hold off on the snickering; if you know me, you know I like musicals of all sorts. Anyhow, I went to the opera house site and the only available show is the one after I leave (naturally). Up to this point, no different than seeing a busy show on broadway, right? But in the US, if you want to see a show, you can if you're willing to pay extra. We have sites like, "Stub Hub" and the like which will sell us tickets at a premium rate. If that doesn't work, we can always fall back on Ebay, right? Not so, here. I have been scouring the internet trying to find some ticket sites with no luck. Ebay australia only has items like "My fair lady coffee cup" or "my fair lady VHS".
... (OFF subject)
Just now, something exciting DID happen. The 11th floor (my floor) just had a fire alarm due to someone smoking in their bathroom. I'm glad to say that the Sydney Fire department arrived here in a flash (I'd guess within 3 minutes of the alarm going off) so that's good. Oh, and as a side note, I must give credit to the Holiday inn Maid service. They do a great job cleaning the room.
... (On subject)
Ahem, as I was saying. So yeah, I can't get tickets to see the show I want to see. I feel like the one thing I need to do is to see a show at the opera house. It may have to be Hamlet. Not that I have anything against Hamlet, I was just hoping to see something a little more...upbeat. Ah well, I haven't given up yet. maybe if I google some more something will turn up.
Another thing we do better in the US is simplicity. I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich from a coffee shop yesterday. Simple, jah? The ham was there, the bread was there, the cheese was there...all in all things were looking good. they even toasted that bad boy up so it was nice and crispy. Unfortunately, when I started eating it, there was some sort of relish on the inside which made it taste... Not great. I ate about half, but had to leave the rest because it was so...bleh. Aside from that, I managed to actually eat in a chinese restaurant in china town and that wasn't so bad. I had a "singapore noodle" dish. The noodles were exceptionally thick and delicious. if I had to complain about one thing it would be the occaisional hot pepper I didn't manage to discard in time. If you come to Sydney in the summer (their winter) and you eat late, don't forget to sit by a heater if you're going to sit outside. As is often the case in restaurant businesses, if you don't ask for the seat near a heater, they'll save it for someone who will.

First Weekend in Australia

Ah, I love the smell of Eucalyptus in the mornings. Unfortunately, I haven't smelled any yet as I'm staying in the CBD of Sydney. CBD is the acronym for the central business district. Anywho, I'm staying at the Holiday Inn in Darling harbor which is pretty nice. Room service, clean sheets, 27 dollar a night internet... Yeah, that's right. 27 dollars a night. well, no, that's not true. It's 27.50.

This brings me to the first point of this post. Sydney is EXPENSIVE. It's expensive for the people who live here, but it's even more expensive for American tourists. Bear in mind that Minimum wage in Australia is almost 14 dollars an hour. I'll give a run down of some of the more obscene pricing I've seen:

7 dollars for 1.5 liter of "Mount franklin water"
18 dollars for cheese steak at nearby food court
12 dollars for a pack of cigarettes
55 dollars for a bottle of Stoli (1 liter)
19 dollars for a movie ticket and a bottle of water
50 dollars for a 25 minute taxi ride from airport


As you can see, Sydney is very much like NY and charges premium on top of premium for even average goods. I have found places to get some stuff less expensive (I shop at the thai IGA for some groceries. I now get water for 2 liters for 4 dollars), but the prices are still a hard pill to swallow.
One thing I will say for Sydney is that people here are very fit for the most part. People here are also Japanese and Chinese for the most part, so I guess that helps. I'm staying on the edge of Chinatown, so I'm definately a member of the minority here. But even once you leave Chinatown, there is a heavy representation of Chinese and Japanese. I'm currently trying to build up the courage to eat at one of the authentic establishments, but once I hear them say, "Irashaimasen" I feel that tingle go down my spine and I chicken out. The best that I've done is to eat at a sushi place with a conveyor belt. Sushi wasn't bad and it gave me a thrill to eat at a location such as I have seen in various anime's. There are without exaggeration probably 100 Ramen locations in walking distance. Average price is about 12 dollars for a bowl. I'll try to post more as I become more used to this blog format and as more occurs to me.

Be well,
Bob.