Ten Days in Sydney - Trannys, HQ and Lots of Alcohol.

Okay, So this is another shortcut. Here it goes....

In Sydney I stayed at a Hostel called the Backpackers' HQ in King's Cross, Sydney. If you like nightlife, this is the place to stay. Most of the guys there are long-termers, so it's so safe and secure. HQ also had an activity organised every night, either a visit to a bar or the legendary Sausage Spectacular on a Friday night where, for a mere $3, you can get all you can eat sausages and all you can drink goon (box wine). It is a great laugh, and everyone got pretty drunk. There was a rumor that one swiss girl got so drunk that she couldn't see and had to get helped to bed. There were a few highlights of my time in Sydney that weren't alcohol related, but I'll get to the good parts first! I did have a few good nights out in Sydney, and here are the best bits. On nmy first night out we visited the Old Fitzroy theater. There was free pool, cheap food, and $3 beers. Need I say more? I ended the night by having to get Jo (one of the guys from the hostel, from england) To escort me to the nearest McDonald's, and then back to the hostel. Another place we frequented regularly was the World Bar. One memorable evening was the karaoke, with free drinks for the singers. I teamed up with a Swede and an Aussie and we completely ruined the Queen classic "We Are the Champions". And of course, the most memorable of all the nightlife in King's Cross has to be 'Tranny Bingo' at the King's Cross Hotel. They were taller than me! Some of the calls were very un traditional. 88 became two fat s**ts, and 1 is a skinny b***h. Right, not for the less alcoholic highlights. First there was manly beach, a ferry ride away from the city. It was quite nice, but it was too windy and cold to go swimming on the day we went. Next there was the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. This may seen strange, but they are a lot smaller than you think they are, and because you've seen them before, you don't really get that sense of 'wow'. But in my eyes, the best highlight was the trip to the Blue Mountains. We took a 4 hour walk though the valley, and the views and waterfalls were immense! There was a bit of a slip-up, where I accidentally put my foot straight down a hole which was full of water. My trousers got soaked right up to the knee. All I can say is, thank god no-one else did it, because they'd probably have ended up waist deep in water! Another highlight of the day was the 'adventure lunch'. we took our pies and salad out to a rock hanging out over the valley, with a 200ft drop on three sides, and no safety barries, nets or others. Now that puts a whole new meaning on 'al fresco'. So that's a quick summary of the best bits of Sydney, and you wouldn't have got much more anyway, because i was pretty drunk quite a lot of the time, and the rest is a bit blurry. So - to give a briefer do and don't. Do - go to the Blue mountains, and do stay at Backpackers' HQ. Don't - expect to be overly wowed by the Opera House or the Bridge and don't drinkk too much goon in one go. It's not good for you. Now this shall be the end on the 'Diaries' Blog for now. I'n now gonna go onto a Sub-blog, The Flying Scotsman's Travel Journal.

Day 18, 19 and 20 - Three Days, Three sets of wildlife.

Okay, so I;'m cutting a corner by sum,ming up 3 days in one post, but I need to get this finished. I am going to sum up the last days of Singapore in this post, and then Sydney in another. On day 18 I visited the Nght safari, which is right next to the zoo. I would have done both in one day, but I got up late, and by the time I got to the park it wouldn't have been worthwhile. I got into the park and took the tram tour aound. It was quite strange staring through the gloom at all of the nocturnal animals, with the lack of visible bars making it seem like the animals were roaming wild. Some of the more tame animals actually were roaming wild, coming up really close to the Tram. I then took a walk around the park on foot and saw all of the other animalw in the park. I also found out an interesting fact - did you know that girrafes only sleep for 3 hours of the day? On day 19 I got up a bit earlier and headed back out to the zoo. I took a tram around the zoo, and then I took a walk around the park. I saw some very interesting animals, such as the Lars Gibbon, which looked a bit like MJ. (It was black furred with a white face and hands). I then took a boat cruise around the lake to the other side of the zoo. Okay, so I know this blog is a bit dry, but the pics are pretty good to make up. I then headed to the sea life show and stood at the back while this sealion was doing it's thing. Then the guy asked for a volunteer. Here's a bit of advice - NEVER volunteer! I made the mistake of doing so and was asked to do one simple thing - Throw a frisbee for the sealion to catch. That should be easy. (Or so I thought). I took aim, got ready and - right into the big pole which was holding up the roof. Ok, try again - and right into the post again. Ok, one more go - guess where it went? Yep, right into the pole. So then the guy, who was in his element with a guy making himself look like a right idiot, and him being able to rib me senseless. So he led me right to the side of the tank. Right, one more go. Bingo. Sealion executes a perfect catch. Glad that's over. Or not. After the crowd had started to clear, the guy led all the vbolunteers up to the side of the tank. (Me, a Woman, and two kids), and we got to meet the sealion. I got a very whiskery kiss, which was documented on a picture on the camera of the zoo, meaning I had to then go and pay for it go get a copy. Oh well, it was worth it. After the show, I took an elephant ride.it was quite fun, sitting on the back of such a large beast, if not slightly unnerving due to the side to side motion of it gait. I then looked at more animals, of which there were too many to list. I was ther until closing time, and I'm still not sure if I saw them all. Day 20 was another trip to a wildlife park, this time the Jurong Bird Park. This was slightly  different, with the opportuniy to feed Lorys and Other birds whose names I can't remember, but which were very beutiful (you should see the pictures, which i will try to upload as soon as i reach a computer which will let me). I also took a ride on the monorail, which encircled the park. The other highlight of the day was seeing the feeding of the pelicans, the only opportunity to see them feed underwater in the world. It was really something to see. Okay, so that was pretty much Singapore. It was a wonderful city, much cleaner than Hong Kong, and less humid. I would definitely recommend this over Hong Kong, even if some of the laws do seem a bit imposing. The three top attractions for Singapore would definitely be: Sentosa, Zoos and the Singapore Flyer. Okay, so on the next post I'm gonna skip the flight (It was uneventful and so uninteresting) and go straight to a summary of Sydney. Sorry about the lateness of the postings, but I am gonna finally get up to date.

Day 17 – Tours, Tickets and an Unexpected Trip to Sentosa

I woke up late as usual on day 17, and decided to a bit more washing. I collected my kilt from the line and found that it has cleaned up reasonably well, and I put a new wash on. I went out to change some money and get something to eat. I then returned to sort out the washing and then I hung it out on the line. I decided to head into town and try to get on a tour. I got a bus (for a change), and enjoyed the ride into town. That was before I realised I didn’t know where I was going until I got into town. I looked around, the bus stop told me that I would be able to get to orchard road, but I was concerned and got off at the first place I recognised, Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, which was nowhere near Orchard Road. I decided to take the MRT the remaining distance, and got off at Orchard. I then stepped outside to try to find a tour bus, and was unsure quite where to find one. I headed to the bus stop opposite the MRT, because I had seen a tour bus pass that way the previous day. I waited, but none came, and I went to find some information. I didn’t find any, but instead inquired at a perfume stall and was told to stay at the stop, because one would come. I did, and some time later I was rewarded for my patience. I got on the tour bus and was informed that it was the last of the day tour buses, but I could get a Moonlight Adventure tour on a 24-hour ticket. I got on the tour bus and took the ride to the depot (tucked behind yet another shopping centre) and was told to wait for an hour, and that there was a food court inside where I could get something to eat. I had chicken noodle bowl (well, it was a staple food in Singapore, and I didn’t fancy the Fish Head Curry). I then headed out to the bus. I got on and was asked if I wanted a ticket to songs of the sea, and I said ‘no’. The tour guide assumed a befuddled expression before I explained that I had been before. He then told me that I would need an admission ticket to Sentosa then (yep, that place again). I headed upstairs and took a seat. I was glad I did, because the bus went past the Singapore Flyer, giving some great views. When we arrived at the bus park, we were all handed respective tickets, and told to be back at the bus for 8.20pm. I headed for the segways (what else?), and booked a ride. It was quite busy, but in the queue I got talking to this nice kiwi couple and their kids. (You know what I’m like with names by now), from Auckland. We waited until about 8pm, and then we got on the ride. The staff, who knew me by that time, asked if I wouldn’t mind staying at the back to keep an eye on those in front. Not a problem. The ride was enjoyable as ever, and upon return, I was offered a free ride. They didn’t need to ask me twice. I quickly gave my email to the kiwi couple and headed out again. All hope of returning to the bus were quickly forgotten. I joined the next segway group and off I went again. When the ride had finished, I thanked the staff and headed off to the luge for a couple of moonlight rides. When I got up the hill for the first ride, i bumped into a group of immature American guys who were rude, macho and obnoxious. They were convinced they could beat me down the hill, and I proved them wrong. I let them get in front, and then laughed at their expressions as I roared past them. I also laughed as one tried to slow down for the camera and got rear-ended by the guy behind him who was trying to pass me. I reached the bottom and raced for the chairlift, getting a good few cars ahead of them. When I reached the top, I asked the operator (who I had met on a previous day) to try to run them over with the lift (I was joking, of course). I then tore down to the start area and got away before they had left the lift. I was down the hill and onto the lift again before they were even halfway down the course again. I took my last ride and headed for the monorail to Harbour Front, hoping to return again to the Island of fun, but knowing that I was leaving until another trip to Singapore, if ever. When I got to Harbour Front I wondered if they had been looking for me on the bus, but I thought ‘nah, I didn’t go to the show’. I got the MRT back to the hostel, and headed off to bed.

I'm Back!

Hi all, sorry for the delay in posts, but I have been suffering from technical diifculties (and drunkenness!) I am trying to keep up to date, but sydney will be condensed into highlights, as alcohol doesn't mix well with memory.

Day 16 - A German, A Merlion and One Big Wheel

Day 16 Began as usual. I woke up late (as ever) and headed out to the airport to change money, having decided that by this point I was getting stiffed on rates just as much in the city as I was there. I changed my money and headed to the Qantas desk in T1 to see if there was anyone present, and yet again finding no-one. What was up with these people? I headed back to the train station through T3, and found a very confused German woman being given very little help by the staff. Flying Scotsman to the rescue once again. Thank god she spoke English, because my rudimentary German wouldn’t have stood a chance. It turned out that the woman (her name since wiped from my memory (explanation coming up in Sydney)) was looking for a hostel and had been told that she would find one on Orchard Road. I decided to take her up there (well, I had no other plans). We took the train to Orchard station, and bode her farewell (I gave her my email address), and decided to explore, my attention being grabbed immediately by a collection of brightly coloured statues depicting shoppers, but mostly depicting many caricatures of Margaret Thatcher. I noted that many (most) of the shops stocked only items above my price range (or that of anyone who isn’t rich), and decided to take some shots of the architecture before heading back to the hostel to bid farewell to Fahin, who was leaving. I took some shots, and noticed a tour bus, and decided to come back another day for a tour. I took the train back to Kembangan. After saying farewell to Fahin I headed for some food (from the Hawker Centre at Tanjong Pagar) and then I headed up to Dhoby Ghaut to begin a colonial night walk as described in my guide book. I walked right through the city, past the National Museum of Singapore, through the grounds of the Singapore Management University and past the Philatelic Museum, Masonic Hall and Armenian Church. I then entered the parliamentary district, passing the Parliament itself and the Supreme Court as well as the statue marking the spot where Sir Stamford Raffles first landed, and then along the riverbank past the Asian Civilisations museum and the Fullerton Hotel, before slipping under the dual carriageway to end up at the Merlion Park. I got a great view of quite a lot of the waterfront, as well as the Singapore Flyer, which, upon discovered closed at 10pm. I looked at my watch, 9.15pm. I decided to find a way there, and found a bike taxi waiting by the bridge on the carriageway I had ducked under. Poor Guy. He was about a third of my weight, and really skinny and he kept getting caught at the lights. I reached the Flyer in just enough time to get a ride, and boarded the big wheel, which happens to be the biggest observation wheel in the world (30m bigger than the London Eye). Just my luck then that the batteries on my camera were running low. And where were my spares? In a hostel in Kembangan, that’s where. I tried to conserve batteries, taking as few duplicate shots as possible, and it just made it, conking out in the last couple of minutes of the 30-min ride. I then headed down and caught a bus to City Hall, followed by a train back to the hostel, which I found yet again empty.

Day 15 - Marina Bay, Marina Barrage and a Muslim called Samil

On Day 15 I woke up and decided to do some washing, so I washed my kilt, before leaving it to dry out on the line. I headed for the obligatory money change before deciding to go out to Marina Bay MRT to see what is there. The answer: not much. On exiting the MRT station, you are surrounded by construction sites, and you have to follow a series of laminated signs pointing to the 'Marina Barrage shuttle bus'. That sounded promising. The trip to Marina Barrage passed through more construction areas, and then we reached the barrage, which seemed to be a great feat of architecture, was based around a large, sweeping roof which you could walk up, since it was covered with grass and had a path. There were many people on the roof itself, flying kites. From the roof I saw a fountain area, which you could paddle in. I headed round the remaining sweep of the roof, and into the area, and soon I was paddling in the lovely, cool water of the fountain, and then I decided, what the heck! I took my shirt off, removed anything which could be water damaged from my pockets, and proceeded to get thoroughly soaked, which highly amused a small kid who had exactly the same intention. I then got talking to the boy's father, who was a native Singaporean Muslim called Samil, his son called Ahmed. We had a cvery interesting conversation, where I learned many facts about Singapore, especially about the educational system, which I strucured very similarly to that of England, and English is actually taught as afirst language to children, before Singaporean. We then got talking about Kembangan, and Sam told me that he lived in Bedok, nearby and that there was a large mall there with a hawker centre inside. He offered me a lift, and I gratefully accepted, and he took me to the mall, explaining that Singapore is smaller than you might think, and that the Merlion in Sentosa is not acutally the real Mrelion, the real one being much smaller and located in the CBD. He pointed out some of the sights on the way, and I thanked him when we arrived and he droppedm me off, having to head home. I headed into the mall and trawled the bookshop, looking for a 'bible' for Sydney and, after a lengthy search ended up with an alternative, so Sydney's adventures will be based on the bible of Frommer's, not on a Lonely Planet bible. Then I hit the food ourt, enjoying chicken rice (although the chicken was a bit dry) followed by (I couldn't help myself) Choclate Fondue, which had strawberries, banana, waffles, chcolate wafer bites and marshamallows, and rich choclate sauce. Bliss. I then headed for the aptly named 'Giant' hypermarket, where I found some books to read, Including one from the author of the book I had finished the previous evening (not included in the blog since reading is not exploration, and would seem quite boring and repetitive). I also found another book, and bought both for S$18, good value for books. I then headed back, to find that I had a new roommate, called Fahin from Sri Lanka. When I first reached the room, he apologised, but he was very tired, and so I took my book and headed to the downstairs cafe/bar to sit with a beer and read. After a beer I felt slightly peckish, and decided to brave some of the cuisine, only to find (to my delight), that they served sweet and sour pork. I ordered a small portion and it arrived, complete with fork. I sent the (bemused) waiter away to get chopsticks, and felt quite stisfied a while later when I finished the dish with a clan shirt. Well, as they say, when in Rome.. I then had another beer before retirting to the dorm, ti find Fahin was now awake and we sat and talked for a while about Sri Lanka and Scotland, and he told me that one day he wanted to move to the UK for work. After a while, pooped, I retired to my bed and slept.

Day 14 - Addicted

If you want to know where I went on day 14, the title is pretty self explanatory, but I'll give you a clue: I was there on days 12 and 13. Yep, Sentosa again, but not immediately. First, I headed to change some money (as always), and then I headed to an area of Singapore called Little India, which contained much of the Indian population of Singapore (no points for guessing that), but it also contained a shop called the Mustafa Centre. This is a HUGE department store, which sells everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! I had to go to the top floor to find menswear, and then I had to wade through Aisles of Trousers, Shirts, T'shirts, Pyjamas, Boxers, etc, until I found shorts. I then bought several pairs of very nice shorts at a very cheap price, which is good since I ripped my other pair in Hong Kong. I got two pairs of bermuda shorts, which have more pockets than I could ever have stuff to put in, and a pair of lightweight shorts, also with pockets. I then headed out to explore Little India, and also to find a shop which was called 'Indian Candys' (sic, no typo), which was in my bible (of Lonely Planet), although a traipse through LI turned up no result, but I did get a good picture of the Sri Veermakaliamman Temple (try saying that while drunk), as well as some of the colourful houses and shopfronts (will be on facebook as soon as I find a computer that works). I then found asmall food court hidden in one of the backstreets, and I had some duck noodles, of which the duck turned out to be more bone than meat, but it was really cheap, and it was food, so I didn't complain. I then decided to follow a recommendation from Joyce and Cheryl, and went back to the island of addiction, to see the 'Songs of the Sea' show. I discovered upon arrival that those with a ticket for the show got a S$3 discount on a Segway ride, so need I say more? On the ride I met a nice American couple, whose names I have since forgotten (I hope to get an email from them to remind me), and they were also going to the show, so we decided to sit together and watch. The special effects in the show were spectacular, a Pyromaniac's dream and the laser lights were enough to cause an epileptic fit (in a non-epileptic). Brilliant, but I felt the show was made very cheesy by the lipsyncing used by all of the actors, and the use of cartoon characters also made it seem a bit childish, as well as the plot (or lack thereof). The SFX were a saving grace, however, so it comes with a recommendation from me (especially if you have kids). I then said my goodbyes to the Americans, as they were headed back to Singapore island, and I headed back for (yet another) ride on the Segway, and the woman gave me another S$3 discount. My monetary funds then almost exhausted, I had one go on the luge before leaving for Singapore, vowing not to retrun tomorrow (but maybe to go again). I headed back to the hostel and found the room blissfully empty, and I got the room to myself for the night. Lovely.