M-whY

Following her directions, I took a train, and then a bus, to Paddington Market. I have a strange attraction to these open air markets. I hardly ever buy anything. Yet I enjoy wandering around, looking at the different crafts for sale. Which is what I did, amidst light rain. I saw a coin pouch that looked like it would be useful. Australian paper bills are some of the coolest I've ever seen. Not only are they colorful, they also happen to be waterproof and rip resistant. But the coins give me a headache. The two dollar coin (top) and one dollar coin (bottom) in particular. They're worth quite a bit, but as such tiny coins, I'm constantly worried about them losing them.

"How much is this?" I asked the stallholder, picking up the pouch.

"$28." ($1 AUS = $.80 US)

I put it back down. Now I remember why I never buy anything.

Next on the list was The Rocks, Sydney's oldest neighborhood. Most of the buildings have been renovated, becoming trendy restaurants and bars. I hung out for a bit, allowing the wind to carry off the rest of the clouds from the clearing skies, before making my way onto the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Expensive and out of most backpacker budgets is the famous BridgeClimb. For $150-225 AUS (depending on the season), BridgeClimb offers a unique experience of scaling the outer arch. However, budget conscious travellers will be glad to know that there are other ways to enjoy the world's largest steel arch bridge.

A pylon at the south end houses the Sydney Harbor Bridge Museum. Anyone willing to climbing 200 or so steps (and pay a meager $8.50 AUS entrance fee) to the top of the pylon will be rewarded with great views of the city's skyline, the opera house, and the bridge itself.

And of course, as the bridge's purpose is to connect two sides of the bay, it's almost required that you walk across from one end to the other.

I had spent a good portion of the day on the bridge, and it was beginning to get dark. I headed to Central to catch my train back. As good as my hosts' tips were, it was no match for my absentmindedness.

I got on the train and turned off my brain, until the woman next to me asked, "Do you know where this train is going?"

"I think it's the purple line to Liverpool?"

"Shit, I think I'm on the wrong train."

I looked outside at the stop we were at. Strathford. Hmm, funny, I don't remember passing that stop yesterday. I looked at the map of the train network.

Shit, we were both on the wrong train.

We got off at the next stop and backtracked to Central. My little detour had wasted over an hour of my time.

"So how was your day?" asked Memcha when I finally got back.

"Great!" Except for my little mishap with the train lines...

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!