Business and Some Exploring

Well, it's the end of day 2 in Sydney - another one packed to the brim with goings-on.

I actually slept on and off from 7 pm last night to 7 am this morning. Needless to say, I believe I have conquered jet lag as a result.

I thought it might be nice to chronicle my meals as I'm getting settled here. There's such a vast assortment of cultures and cuisines, that it would be a shame not to share some of my experiences with others.

That being said, I present to you, breakfast:


Yes, I managed to stumble upon a Krispy Kreme in the heart of Sydney. Feeling nostalgic for fattening American food, I naturally felt compelled to partake in this delicious icing-topped delicacy.

I took care of some business today, namely setting up a bank account (and triggering the fraud prevention department on my debit card in the process). I also went to look at phones. I really want an iPhone, but I need several forms of I.D. before I can do so, specifically a passport, bank card, a document with my address on it, my transcripts from 7th through 12th grade, an itemized list of my fears, an original sonnet reflecting upon the French Revolution, and a potato that looks like the Queen (okay, so it's really only the first 3, but you get the idea). Needless to say, I'll need to wait just a bit before I can get my phone. In the meantime, I got a prepaid phone. I had asked the teenage ruffian working at the store for a black phone - he brought me a sky blue one. I didn't feel like arguing, so I took my phone and went on my merry way.

I also walked with the other new recruiter who just transferred from Mountain View to go get our visas evidenced. Yay.

While I was walking around in the morning before lunch, I noted that there are a lot of really cool underground market places. In this case, underground does not mean illicit and shady - it just means they're down some stairs off of the street. Sorry to disappoint.

Observation: there is no shortage of nice cars in Sydney. Just today while walking around, I came across 2 Ferraris (one of them a Spyder), a Lamborghini Superleggera, a Bentley Continental GT, and a Maserati Quattroporte. Be still my beating heart.

After I ran all of the errands on my list for the day, I met my team back at the office for lunch. They were all going to see a former teammate (Karen) who is due on Friday, and invited me to go along with them for lunch (I told you they were great). We walked across the Pyrmont Bridge to the suburb of Pyrmont and found a nice little cafe called XXII. Apparently the menu for this place changes daily - an interesting touch. I ordered the three mushroom raviloi, but sadly devoured it before a suitable photo could be taken.

These are some (not all) of my teammates. From
left to right: Joel, Sara, me, Ashleigh, Karen, and Mahala.

A side note about Pyrmont: my quick little visit there confirmed that it is, indeed, where I would like to live. It feels more spread out than the city, quieter, and more relaxed - more of a small-town suburb feel than a bustling metropolis. And still a 10-minute walk to the office. I'm going to look at apartments there tomorrow.

After lunch, I decided to go do all the tourist-y stuff. Armed with my camera, my now-very-wrinkled map, and a desire to walk off my lunch, I headed north. I made the usual stop by the Sydney Opera House. It's true that pictures really don't do this place justice. It's just beautiful. I made a mental note to check out the show schedule and see what was coming up.

A view of the Sydney Opera House.

Me by the Opera House. Note: no digital enhancement
has been added; I really do look that goofy.

The great thing about Sydney is that, despite being a very desirable destination for travelers, it really never feels all that crowded. Even at the Opera house, I wandered around to the back, and for several minutes, was the only one there looking out into the harbor.

From the opera house, I decided to continue my stroll into the Royal Botanical Gardens (essentially a large, well-maintained, public park with an incredible variety of plants). The walk was fantastic, the park was not crowded, and the sun was shining. Doesn't get any better than this.

A picture of the Opera House and the Harbor
Bridge from the gardens.

The sun shining over the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

At one end of the gardens can be found Mrs. Macquarie's chair. Lachlan Macquarie was a governor of New South Wales in the early 1800s. This 'chair' was named for his wife, who used to like to sit there and view the harbor (hundreds of other things in Sydney including streets, tunnels, bridges, walkways, and cracks in the sidewalk were named after Lachlan himself).

Mrs. Macquarie's Chair.

Sydney truly does feel like a completely different world. There are so many plants just growing everywhere that appear to be positively prehistoric in nature, bearing massive leaves and fronds that would give someone just cause to worry about velociraptors hiding behind them.

Here's the other thing I've decided I love about Sydney. In the U.S., when one is wandering around in a park, we get seagulls, pigeons, doves, and practically wet ourselves if we see something out of the ordinary like a blue jay. Here is what Sydney gets:


Yes, that last one is indeed a cockatoo. And also, yes, I did run around taking pictures of all of these things. I was just so dumbfounded by the incredible variety of really fascinating birds that were present just in a regular park! And this wasn't even all of them (some of them don't appreciate being chased-after by a large man wielding a camera making bird noises).

I walked the perimeter of the park and headed back into the city.

By that time, I had covered quite a bit of ground, and decided it would be best to try and find dinner. I stopped at a Chinese Noodle house in Chinatown, about 2 blocks from my hotel, and had a rather tasty (and quite filling) meal of steamed pork buns and wontons.

The meal that left me rolling home.

One thing that will take me a bit of getting used-to is the structure of Australian dining. There is no tax (well, there probably is, but I'm sure it's built into the price of the food), and tipping is minimal. Considering both my lunch and dinner today cost me $20 each, I can comfortably cut back on the tipping without feeling much regret - I am sure these people are being compensated fairly.

To end the day, I headed back to the office and rocked out on Guitar Hero for an hour or so (they have a PS3, 2 XBox 360s, and a Wii - I don't think I'll be bored).

Time for bed.