"Hindi excuse ang bago kang dating para hindi ka mamasyal."

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I knew Sherry Lou, my classmate in Microbiology courses, has emigrated to Australia some time ago. So when I got back to Marion and Patrice's house in Newtown (an Inner West suburb) after school, I contacted her intending to ask about what I could see in Sydney. Since it was my first day in the city, I was fully expecting a quiet night after eight hours of traveling and then school. Also, it was already dark when I got back from school... I didn't want to venture into a new city at night, without a map, without a plan.

However, Sherry Lou said that being new in a city is certainly not an excuse to not see it on my first night. So I just dropped off my school bag and then caught a bus to somewhere in the middle of Sydney, following her instructions. To my surprise, the area where she directed me to meet her and her friend was still bustling with people! 

 

 

We went to Circular Quay to see the touristy lay of the land. 

We saw the Sydney Opera House. Unfortunately, I was not able to see what's inside the venue; but thanks to this trip, I intend to watch a show there at some point. It looks really pretty at night.

And then there's the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It's beautiful! I've heard that people could take a climbing tour of the bridge but it's way too expensive for me. Probably next time. For this trip, I'll try to walk across it, at sidewalk level. That's enough for me.

At a different view point, still in Circular Quay, we had a stunning view of the night lights of Sydney's Central Business District. If I hadn't been to San Francisco last year, this view would have made me gasp because there are so many buildings out here! However, San Francisco looks (to me at least) like it's about to burst, with so many skyscrapers in such a tiny area. There's still a lot of sky over Sydney, I thought. Of course, it must just be the view; right in the middle of the CBD, it must be crowded even more.

We parted ways at the Central Railway Station. This has got to be the biggest train station I've ever been to! I mean, it even has restaurants in it! In the Philippines, you're lucky to find kiosks and places where you can grab food to go in the bigger train stations. And the banner above, and the inscriptions on the floor about the Da Vinci Code movie reminded me that this is a movie I was not about to miss. Hopefully I get some free time to see it in the cinema while here.

So many things to see and to do in Sydney! Let's see how much of my check list I can tick off. Adventure down under has begun!! Thank you so much, Sherry Lou and Sherry Lou's friend, for showing me around!!

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