Friday, March 18, 2011

Post: Eighteen: this one is for Rob Elliott

Discoveries a plenty!!!

First let me relate some discoveries: last weekend I was walking along Bondi beach and I saw what looked like a sorry used up bus ticket on the ground. I picked it up just to throw it away and lo and behold! it was a 'travel ten' (ten rides to one ticket) ticket with only one ride used! AU dollar value about 12. HOT DOG!  THEN on Thursday this week I saw a 'my multi week' ticket on the ground (allows the user to access all trains ferries and buses one wishes for one week), I though "no way this could happen twice" but I picked it up anyway. Sure enough! It is usable until the 22nd of March! For this one, since they are expensive I did ask the lost and found people to keep it, but no one picked it up by the end of the day and I got to take it! Value around AU 40. that is a total profit of over $50! not bad. Never will I ever again leave a ticket lying on the ground!



Thursday night.

Set the scene: I am sitting at my computer, looking over references for an assignment. It is getting late and I am thinking, "oh I am kinda tired, seems like I should go to sleep soon". then out of the corner of my eye I see movement in the corner to my left. I turn. COCKROACH! again, the size of my thumb. I twist internally, then swirl in my chair (as quietly as possible), leap to my sink, grab my trusty drinking glass (from the dining hall, not my own of course, that would be gross!) and turn back to squish the thing. Yipes! it has disappeared. Not to be detterred I poise my (plastic) glass and wait. Suddenly, there it is, it appeared no joke, just appeared. I carefully track it and WHAM! sever the abdomen from the thorax and the head and one leg. problem solved? Nope! the head and leg are still squirreling around!! EWWWWWW!!!!!! So I had to squish the head again...now as far as I can tell it is dead (it is still stuck to my wall as of this morning).

This is only the head and half the thorax....still there....

Needless to say, I did not even attempt to go to sleep for another two hours after this. So much for the early night. But, crisis averted, bug dead, now I can sleep right? WRONG. I forgot, this is DLC...this is my floor DLC...Thursday night....aka, no sleep until 3am. yep, I kid not.

Oh well, I woke up at 7:30 and I was not too awfully tired, plans to visit Sydney still on. It was gray and rainy, (like all my excursion days seem to start out) but since I was planning on touring some of Sydney's famous bakeries (I have developed an adoration for Australian bakeries, they are everywhere! and I had researched the very best cheap ones.) and then going to Sydney tower thus I would be inside for the morning at least.

Two (ok three) shots of espresso later, I departed from the train station (using my free ticket!) for Sydney central. on the way I visited the colonial bakery (milsons point) as well as st honore (north Sydney) and infinity bakery (kings cross). I have to say, colonial has the best prices and the best sweet stuff: I had a macadamia nut 'slice' and a pumpkin scone for breakfast here. St Honore had some recommended flourless chocolate cake, pretty good, but the best part was the bottom, sort of a sugary crunch, not what one would expect for a cake as the icing is usually the good part. The icing here was not great, but that is typical of Australia. at Infinity I had lunch of a cheesy 'pullapart' and some fresh carrots. It was really nice that there were fresh veggies here, though they were too expensive to make it really worth the trip, and the cheesy baguette thing was cold. Thus the winner is...Colonial bakery.

From here it was on to the tower. I don't know if it is the tallest structure in Sydney, but it was pretty high, and despite the clouds the view was amazing. and since it was Friday and around lunch time, there was no one there.

Sunshine over the pacific ocean

Yep, we are higher than the airplanes here!

and yes, since I was by myself today I had to do the cheesy 'I was here' shots myself.


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Ok, so we have seen the tower been to the bakeries. It is still cloudy, and I forgot my free pass to hold the Koala (and I think I will not do that anyway, seems kinda against my principles...) so then now what? Being hungry for something salty, and remembering Rob Elliott told me that I should go to the fish markets, (though granted he said go at 3am, it was not 3am), and drizzle and gray is the perfect time for fish, I walked down to darling harbor, and then from there to Blackwattle Bay and the markets. It was pretty busy here, and interestingly, pretty much everyone I saw was of Asian descent, it felt like I was back in Japan! Also the fish smell was nowhere near as overpowering as I expected. Even though I missed the auctions that occur early early in the AM I did get to see some crazy stuff including a fish the size of my leg, some live mud crabs the size of my head, and I bought and ate an oyster with creamy potatoes and then later a soft shell crab.

so, how does one eat an oyster? I had no fork so I discreetly used my fingers. the Oyster tasted like...what I would imagine Elephant tastes like...and it looked like a dead hairless mouse...needless to say, I am in no hurry to try oyster again...at least not cheap ones...

Oh Ariana, little do you know what this thing you are holding will taste like...

The shell was not edible.


'do not hold the mud crabs'...right. cause that was on my to do list. it took all my might to put my hand that close for scale (it is about a foot away from the crabs, this was NOT what I ate)

I have had softshell crab before and this one was really good too. freshly fried. yum!

Then, I was tired of walking so I caught a bus and some trains back to MQ Uni, but not before buying some chocolate using the generous donation from my loving family to the 'Ariana needs to have some REAL chocolate NOW' fund. A good way to finish the day.

REESE'S! now THAT is acceptable chocolate!

1 comment:

  1. Ariana, I’m honored! Glad you remembered the fish Market. I’ll never forget my visit to the one in Tokyo.

    Great to hear of all your travels. We’re all very impressed with all that you’re your doing. Keep it up!

    Cheers. - Rob (and Colleen and Erik)

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