Budget Travel Sydney - Day 2

I started my second day in Sydney quite late. I had no itinerary for the day so I just decided to go wherever the map can lead me to. It was a Saturday and most of the free entry museums were closed. I decided to go to Paddy's market to get some brunch.

Just a 5 minute walk from the backpackers where I am staying is Sydney's Paddy's market. Much like the markets that I saw in Thailand, this place sells souvenirs of Australia from tshirts to keychains or ref magnets. I was happy to see a Filipino food stall and ordered my meal for 10 AUD. It also had a fruits and vegetables market wherein I bought some bananas for my snacks for the day's journey.

image courtesy of wikimedia.org

I hung out at the market for a bit and decided to look for something that was recommended by Jun - the emperor puff. Google says it is somewhere in Chinatown which is near the market. It was easy to look for as a lot of people were queuing to buy it. I did so too and decided to try. It is best to eat it while hot but I did not find it very appealing. Still it was a satisfying snack on my afternoon journey. 

I looked at my map again and found that one gallery I can go to which is free and open is the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It is said that it is the most important public gallery in Sydney and one of the largest in Australia, I walked for about 30 minutes to reach the gallery which was not that tedious because I am able to explore a part of Sydney, too. The place was huge and there were a lot of people appreciating the artworks.

Next on my list of free things to do in Sydney was  Mrs Macquarie's chair.  I walked about 30 minutes again and just followed the signs. This is actually a rock that was shaped into a bench. It was said to have been hand carved by convicts for the Governor's wife. She used to sit on the rock and watch for ships sailing into the harbour.

I explored other parts of Mrs Macquarie's Point and found an amazing view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. I saw a number of families and lovers having a lovely time talking and having picnic on these grounds. They were nice to look at which also reminded me that I am alone and almost threw me to a moment of self pity. I shrugged the thought off, enjoyed the moment and thanked the Lord that I was safe and successfully located the area. 

Just a few minutes walk was the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. With sprawling lawns full of greens, towering trees, benches and a few ducks, the place was full of people enjoying the lovely sunny afternoon. It was a perfect place to hang out. It seemed near yet kind of far from the city's bustling life. 

Since it was still early, I decided to retrace my steps and attend an anticipated mass. I found there was one scheduled at St. Mary's Cathedral. On the way to the church, I found this at the side of the street. This is Il Porcelino and he is a boar. Legend says that if one drops coins for donation and rubs the nose, you will be endowed with good fortune. Since I had a spare change, I did so. No harm in trying and I'm donating even if its just a little bit.

Found this on the ground too. 

I was amazed at the structure of St Mary's Cathedral. Old churches always mesmerize me. The place was huge. I went inside and waited for the service to start. For me, it was a very nice way to end the day.

I am proud to say I did not spend anything for transportation on this day. Tiring but I consider it as an exercise and a way to explore roads and corners of the city. My expense was only food. The places I went to did not have any fees, which was great! 

This ends my second day in Sydney. Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

Wonthaggi's Miss Saigon

Last 3 June, my cousins and I watched a local play of Miss Saigon. We had to drive 2 hours from our suburb to be at Wonthaggi, Western Australia. This was my first time to watch a play and its Miss Saigon at that. I didn't read anything about the play so I had no expectations and didn't know the story line. We arrived at about 12:30 in the afternoon, had lunch and waited for the theatre play to start at 1:30 pm at Wonthaggi Union Cinema. I was fortunate that there was one extra ticket for me because one of my aunt's friend decided not to watch the show. The ticket costs 39 AUD. 

There were a lot of promotional posters for the show outside the venue. I believe almost all seats were booked when we were there.

Program souvenirs was at a cost of 8 AUD each and were available in the foyer. 

It contained the names of the cast and a bit about their background as well as the Director, Ensemble and whole production team. This souvenir has their signatures because we waited for them to come out to the foyer after the show. 

The show was amazing. The actors were good and my Aunt even shed a tear when Kim shot herself. We sat at the center of the third row and the facial expressions, singing, dancing and acting of the cast was so good and convincing. Their hours of rehearsals turned into a wonderful production. Most of the audience did a standing ovation when they had the finale. 

The pretty lady in the middle played Kim and the theater play's director is on the far right. Lucky to have met them, praised them and had a photo with them.

photo courtesy of L.M. Ungab-Ty

They are now also promoting another upcoming play. The folks I was with were excited and planned to come back to Wonthaggi to support this project.

I am now inspired to watch more theater plays in the future. Hopefully I can do this soon when I find a job and get a salary. But it was such a great first time for me. 

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog! :)