Rain Rain Go Away

Yesterday, I joined my hostel’s Sydney orientation walk, a 3 ½ hour trek around the city highlighting all points of interest from the opera house to the harbor bridge to the Anzac War Memorial. I essentially covered all of my sightseeing in a day while meeting a ton of people and sweating my butt off in the sweltering sun. To top it all off, we congregated in the bar for a free beer at the end.

After, I headed to Paddy’s Market, a basic garden-variety flea market touted for its cheap deals. But I have to say the prices weren’t bargain basement by any means, and I’m crap at haggling which wasn’t a good combination and hence not a successful trip. I did buy a cute weather-appropriate top for 20AUD, but considering how weak the US dollar is, I totally overpaid. I really liked it though and as Shannon, my shopping buddy, pointed out I could dress it up or down making it a worthwhile purchase. I was also in search of a short denim skirt to wear with everything but they were all only suitable for 12-year-olds and covered only one of my thighs. I suppose I’ll have to go to an actual store to buy something that fits a normal-sized female, though that may not be successful either considering how much skin Aussies love to bare.

I was supposed to go on the Bondi-Coogee beach walk today, which I was really looking forward to, but after showering and throwing on my bathing suit, I finally looked outside to see it pouring rain. Needless to say the trip was cancelled to my dismay. Instead, a small group of us took a trip out to Sydney Aquarium. It was a perfect rainy day activity, and I was able to see a variety of sharks, seals, fish, and other marine life. My favorite had to be the platypus. I’d never seen one up close and they are really amusing animals to watch.

I’m only going to be in Sydney for another two days before heading to Byron Bay, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it to the beach, especially because the weather isn’t forecasted to clear up for a few days. I’m going to try to get out to Bondi before my bus leaves on Sunday night; it’s a staple tourist destination and I can’t leave Sydney without seeing it. Tomorrow I have a Blue Mountains tour planned, so I’m really crossing my fingers that the rain will stop. If not, it’ll probably end up being another miserable tour in the rain, Franz Josef Glacier style (if you all remember that disaster.)