Exploring Sydney on a Budget

Yesterday marks one month since we arrived in Sydney. Time passed quickly yet slowly depending on I-don't-really-know-what factors. Even though we are living abroad as a long term visitor (for me at least while Mr. H is hard at work), it would not be right to not make time or effort to explore the city. As we aim to balance budget & experience, we managed to find and complete five activities without costing us an arm and/or a leg.

1. Free walking tours Sydney
This is a great "short cut" way to learn more about Sydney city. While the tour is free, tipping your guide is expected at the end of the tour (that is how they earn their $$). The tour runs three times a day (rain or shine) at the following times - 10:30am, 2:30pm and 6pm. The first two sessions would cover the same sights while the 6pm tour is a different one.

If you do decide to join the tour, my advice would be:

• wear comfortable shoes/sandals/footwear - it's a lot of walking and you need to keep up with the group.
• bring a raincoat or umbrella (in case it rains).
• sunscreen and sunglasses
• cash (for tips).

For more information on this tour, go to http://www.imfree.com.au/sydney/index.html

2. Scenic walk from Bondi to Bronte

View from Bondi to Bronte

You are not limited to walking, you can also jog along the route. We noticed quite a number of joggers/runners covering this route. The view is also awesome and perhaps does help motivate the runner to complete the distance.

If you're not exercising, taking this walk is still worth while - the views are amazing and there are ample of opportunities for picture taking. Along the way, there are also boards with information regarding the history of the place, local conservation efforts, flora & fauna etc.

It was a sunny day (don't forget your sunscreen, sunglasses and also a cap/hat) yet it was breezy. It reminded me of my walk on my way up to Gunung Tahan in 2003. Felt like I was walking in an air-conditioned outdoor room.

In the event you are tired or short of time, you don't have to complete the whole distance. Just take one of the many exits and you are free to head back home (via public transport) or head to the shops nearby for a cuppa.

3. BBQ Picnic at Palm Beach

Bring your own BBQ set or use the grills provided for public use (it is free). The BBQ area itself is opposite the beach, closer to the golf course. This is probably a calculated move as the winds are strong by the beach - making it harder to maintain a fire right? 

Once the picnic is over, feel free to head to the beach for a swim or for some sand play.

Palm Beach

4. Mrs Macquaries Chair

Mrs Macquarie loves to watch the ships enter the harbour. Her husband asked his men to carve a chair from stone so she can sit and continue watching the ships comfortably (this is my version as I remember). 

The chair is close to the Botanical Gardens. In fact, we made a small detour into the gardens on our way to the chair (we were gifted with the magnificent view of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and a huge liner in return). In order to kill two (or more birds) with one stone, you can coincide this visit with a picnic or a jog or a run etc.

5. Sydney Fish Market

This is a popular stop, not only among the tourists but also locals for fresh (and perhaps cheap?) seafood. You can choose your seafood and get them to cook it just the way you like it and enjoy your freshly cooked food outside overlooking the harbour. We have not experienced this exactly but did get the chance to yamcha at a restaurant on the 2nd floor :p

Not bad for the first month eh?

Maintaining a routine (with adjustments)

Today is not only Valentine's Day & Chap Goh Meh, it also marks 2 weeks since leaving home. We arrived with 80kgs of baggage (60kgs checked in & 20kgs of cabin baggage) with no place of our own. 

The biggest concern was to look for a place to rent ASAP. Lucky for us, we managed to rent a place within the first week of our arrival here. The next few days were spent assembling furniture, furnishing the house etc. With setting up house nearly done, I decided to get back into my KL routine (sans work of course).

First thing on the list is to read news.. except I am not sure if I should read Malaysian news or Down Under news. If the latter, where should I source my news from? Hahaha.. I decided to continue reading Malaysian news and just get local news from TV.

Next would be the TV shows - yes, this is a major decision for me now, see what my priorities in life these days are? Hahaha... What are the channels should I watch? I do not have cable TV and totally dependent on free tv. At this moment, I have been watching TV shows that were premiered when I was in Form 2 e.g. Beverly Hills 90210, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, Star Trek etc. Can't seem to find the latest comedies/sitcoms. I also watch a lot of the Winter Olympics Live Telecast. Someone please.. tell me what are the channels I should be watching :D

I am also attempting to be active again in my whatsapp chat groups. Not easy due to the time difference. When I am ready for bed, everyone else is just off work and ready to be chatty. When I am awake and chatty, everyone else is still in bed. Must find a way to work this one out :p

Other than maintaining a routine, I also managed to do the touristy stuff. Yesterday, we took a walk along Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach. It was probably a 4km walk under the scorching sun (to me) except you feel like you are walking in an air-conditioned room due to the cool winds. Needless to say, I am now tanned.

Bondi Beach on a Thursday - these people seem happy to be working on a tan.

Today, we took another long walk.. this time to Mrs Macquarie's Point (located closed to the Botanical Gardens if not within) to check out the view of the harbour and also her chair. Since we were walking in an "air-conditioned" environment, the walk was a pleasant one despite my shoe trying to kill my heel and big toe. Along the way, there is a lovely view of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Radiance of the Seas (ship)

Along the way, we saw many couples having their Valentine's picnic -- something you would not see in KL (not only couples will have face the heat from the sun, they would probably have to face religious authorities as well). We ended our walk at the Opera House. With all this walking, I do hope there will be positive changes in weight (lighter) and shape (slimmer)!

Monday onward, a new routine will take place - Mr. Hubby starts work and I can finally focus on my other 11 projects (some are identified, some are not).

Have a great weekend all.