Here We Are In New South Wales

[serinde]

Actually, we got here about 24 hours ago. Checked into the hotel, which was impossible to find (driving in Sydney makes Queens look like a pleasant straightforward thing), to find a tiny tiny room smelling of mildew with drunken aspiring vocalists outside and a roar like the second half of Titanic whenever anyone in the building flushed their dunny. Also, unlike Melbourne, there is not tons of free wireless being given away like the flowers of Spring, which is why no updates 'til now. And though it's not a particularly large city, the distances are walkable, nevertheless every direction we tried to go in we were thwarted by some pseudo-highway-ish road or tunnel that impeded pedestrian progress. For all these reasons, by about 5pm we were half inclined to get the car from the rental place and drive right the fuck back to Melbourne. This was increased by our utter failure to find anything resembling a local rock scene. What the shit? Is this not Sydney, home of the Beasts of Bourbon, the Hoodoo Gurus, Midnight Oil, INXS, AC/DC, bla bla bla I could go on for a really long time? Feh.

Today, things is looking up. We have secured a room in a more central location, which does not smell like mildew and has Intarwubs and is twelve flights up so all that reach us is common city noises. We are regrouping and hope to take on the world shortly.

I made out a bunch of postcards while we were in the interior, but have failed at finding a post office. (!) Hope to send 'em tomorrow. I'll probably beat them home. Sorry.

In spite of going, what, some 900km through the interior, and in spite of NUMEROUS signs warning us of kangaroos, drop-bears, and wombats, we saw no native fauna at all, other than some interesting birds. Wait, I lie: we saw one dead kangaroo at the side of the road. Steve hypothesized it that they left it there to prove that such an animal exists, much as the creationists claim of dinosaur skeletons. Anyways: disappointing. We'll just have to go to the Taronga Zoo, I guess.

Health updates: Steve did indeed get some Nexium before we left Melbourne; thanks to damed_colonial and blarglefiend for suggestions. Driving through farm country was hell and death on his allergies, but he's better now we're back on the coast. I'm still coughing a bit. We're finding ourselves often dehydrated, as getting a glass of water does not seem a common thing in these parts, and when you ask for one you usually get a wee small thing barely the size of a Dixie cup, but we're doing our best to keep on top of it.

More later, I daresay.

Comments

[blarglefiend.livejournal.com]

Re: music scene, you're thinking of Sydney 20 years ago. The impression I get is that Sydney today has had the life wrung out of it by property developers.

The highways thing is a relatively new development too. Government there over the last ten/fifteen years has been big on private toll roads and tunnels.

I was a little dubious when you mentioned where you were staying, but don't really know Sydney very well. The couple of times I've visited as an adult I've paid the extra and stayed in the central areas near Darling Harbour. Bit more touristy, but also a lot easier to get places.

[xlerb.livejournal.com]

with drunken aspiring vocalists outside and a roar like the second half of Titanic whenever anyone in the building flushed their dunny.

Earplugs may be your friends. They certainly are mine, both in strange foreign places and, lately, at home.

nevertheless every direction we tried to go in we were thwarted by some pseudo-highway-ish road or tunnel that impeded pedestrian progress.

Why, it's like you never left New Jersey! (I kid. Somewhat. Actually, come to think of it, Seattle of all places has a few unfortunatenesses along those lines. Go figure.)

We're finding ourselves often dehydrated, as getting a glass of water does not seem a common thing in these parts

Odd, as it's not like much of Australia is (AIUI) entirely a stranger to the kinds of weather where one would decidedly not want to skimp on the water intake.

[blarglefiend.livejournal.com]

Sydney is not a place inclined to give you things for free. Water is not generally charged for, so tiny tiny cups it must be.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Though the place we ate last night, next to the club, gave us a Big Wine Bottle of tap water. That was nice.

[spride.livejournal.com]

Omeprazole's OTC in every country now, IIRC. There may be a generic he can get under the generic name in future?

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Next time, when I ask "Did you pack it?" and he says "Yes", I'm going to make him show it to me.

[spride.livejournal.com]

And then watch him put it back.

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry to hear about the hotel troubles. Friends tell me that the Sydney music scene was murdered by the introduction of pokies (electronic poker machines) to bars. They made lots of money from them so they decided to rip out their stages and replace them with more pokies.

We usually buy bottles of water and carry them around, refilling in the morning before heading out.

It took me a couple of trips before I saw a kangaroo in the wild. It was while driving through South Australia and he was just standing quietly by the side of the road. Have fun at the zoo, they've got some of the best real estate in Sydney, terrific views.

Kathryn

[querldox.livejournal.com]

I recommend taking a ferry to the zoo, mostly for the scenery on the way out and back. The aquarium in Darling Harbour's quite good; didn't get a chance to hit the sort of indoor zoo next to it, but I did later hear good things about it. Was also fond of Chinatown; the dim sum (called yum cha there) was quite good.