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| Sydney Town Hall |
How I knew there was a free walking tour … well hostel map
are always the best after all, even better than all the free maps dish out at
the hotel or even at the airport or tourist information centre. I found lunch
at a Pizza and Kebab shop. AUD 4.50 for a slice of pizza. Definitely sufficient
to stuff an Asian stomach. The tour started at town hall smack in the centre of
Sydney at 2.30pm and the little lady brought us for a 3 hours ride.
Few of the highlights I remembered for I think after the lil
lady found out I was from Malaysia she did her best to include Malaysian
influence on Sydney into the tour talk.
The very very old building next to town hall called Queen Victoria
Building (I think 100+ years) had a history where at one point in time they
almost demolish it. It was supposed to be a market but ended up a wasted
building/slump. Salvage by a Malaysian company (I have no idea why … and I
think she might have made that bit up) it was revamp into the now modern high
class shopping centre …
In the building there are two significant huge square cuckoo
clock hanging down. As you can guess every hour a display of mechanism
featuring the key symbolic times in regards with Australia. One of them is a
beheading of a British King I think …. Couldn’t really tell ..
Standard highlight such as the Sydney tower was shown …
apparently you need to pay to go up, not surprising but apparently if you say
you want to go to the rotating restaurant you can go up for free as long as you
have a purchase of at least AUD 20 a head. The guide said beer was AUD 8 for a
glass up there …. I’ve been up enough towers now to forgo this particular one.
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| Guide Explaning the Pig at Rum Hospital |
Rum Hospital where the hospital was built by the funding of
rum trading. Australian History … The guide did give the impression that Auzzie
was a laid back country with lots of sense of humour regarding their so called
convict ancestry. Still I did sense a bit of backlash towards the U.K. Still I
always belie if you can’t even about sensitive stuff …. You have a long way to
go ….
The guide also showed us some pubs and bars which are hidden
in Sydney. Apparently it has the feeling that if you can find it then you have
the right to enter and enjoy it. I mentally took note of one and headed back
for a drink after the tour ended.
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| Palmer & Co |
Palmer & Co was the name of the pub with its entrance an
antique wooded door with a classic 1800 yellow street lamp over it. It was
situated along a back alley too. Entering the door brings you to a narrow
stairwell down to the basement where the lighting are yellowish dim, and
entering another large door you will see bars left and rights in the style of a
James Bond Gentlemen. All the waitress and bartenders are dress in that manner
too and better yet … behave like they were from that time.
My my … how marvellous indeed …. If only I was not in
T-Shirts and Jeans - My thoughts at that time
The guide was very proud of the Australian money printing
building as emphasized that Australia is the first and one of very few places to
make plastic money. Australia, Malaysia (She emphasised this one for my sake),
Singapore currency and one more I could not recall is all made in Australia. She
was proud of the plastic money stating that you could throw it into the washing
machine and it would come out fine. I later told her that if you threw the Malaysia
plastic money into the washing machine you may never see it again. 50/50 chance
that is since I have known some people to actually see their plastic paper decolorized
after washing it.
I tipped her a bit at the end plus a Plastic 1 Ringgit note for her to
run her own test J
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