The Price of Books

Sydney is like any western civilised city. Has its good points and bad points - and after Thailand of course it seems expensive. But its not really - except for the price of books. I've read the 2 I brought with me - didn't want to take any more as I don't have the weight allowance. So I thought I'd just pop into the shops and buy some . List price of a normal paperback is $24 - which is about 11 quid (I write quid by the way as there is no pound sign on the keyboard!). Anyway I found a 3 for 2 deal so I bought 3. What a lot of money.

Its now Thursday morning and I have my 3rd flight of the trip at 3pm this afternoon up to Cairns.

I've really enjoyed Sydney. I've concentrated on all of the spots that I can walk to and that are in the tourist guides. In addition Sydney Touriost Information have a series of 6 'walks around Sydney' which are excellent and explain all of the interesting spots.

So I've visited (highlights)
Sydney Opera House - absolutely magnificent place
Royal Botanic Gardens - lovely too, especially seeing the varied plants and birds that are natives, some really strange things,
Darling Harbour - home of the first harbour buildings and now an entertainment complex
Powerhouse Museum - I ummed and aahed about going in here as I wasn't sure but it was brilliant. I was in for 4 hours and cut short my visit due to lack of time. Really interesting place though.
Sydney Main Shopping Area - nothing special here, like anywhere else but more expensive!
Darlinghurst and Kings Cross - home of the bohemians and the red light district. Even in the day it was a bit seedy and creepy. However, many of the early settlers lived here and there were a few colonial areas of interest.

I've woken up the last 2 days and thought I was back in England. Quite warm but its been raining. Yesterday was cloudy all day. I was going to go to Bondi Beach but think I will save that for another day - needs to be experienced in the sun to fully appreciate its beauty and the beauty of the locals (I've been told).

And am managing to keep up to date with the football. Poor old Vale look like they are in the dumps (no reports on them on tv by the way). But the red men continue to gather strength.

Right then. Hope everyone is enjoying December as much as me. Off to the hot and humid North Wueensland (where its forecast 30 degrees and thunderstorms!). Speak to you later from there.