My next destination in Sydney (the morning after I had spent and exhilarating time at the Observatory) was to visit Woolloomooloo, namely because it has one of the coolest names ever (though Woollongabba comes a pretty close second). I decided was going to get there the long way by visiting the botanic gardens, and then walking around Macquarie Point. … More A Trek Around Macquarie Point
For some reason every time I come to Sydney I seem to find myself down at the Rocks. Maybe it has something to do with it being the closest thing to an Old City that you get in Australia (I say that because The Rocks is where the original settlement was located and in a way it is Australia’s oldest suburb). Maybe it also has something to do with the pubs because, once again, you will also find some of Australia’s oldest pubs down here. Okay, I’ll admit it – I visited the Rocks this time simply to go and check out all the pubs so that I could write this post. … More Pubs of the Rocks
I have to say that I’m a bit of a geek, but you would have already worked that out if you’ve read enough of my posts (particularly the ones on my other blog, Sarkology.net). Anyway, I’m not really sure what first lead me to check this place out, but as I was planning my latest trip to Sydney one of the things that I wanted to do was to go on a tour of the Sydney Observatory. … More Gazing the Stars – The Sydney Observatory
Okay, I can’t say that I’ve visited a huge number of cathedrals, and those that I have generally have had some historical significance (such as St Peter’s in the Vatican and St Paul’s in London – thought I’m not really sure if you can class Westminster Abbey as a catheral, I suspect that it is actually an abbey) however from what I have experienced is that you generally rock up at the beginning of the service, engage in some Christian ritual, and then leave without actually talking to anybody (that’s what happened when I visited St Paul’s Cathedral on Good Friday, which is the best way to actually get into St Paul’s and look around without actually forking out any money, and since I’m an Anglican I reckon I can get away with it). … More St Andrews – An Unsual Cathedral
When people think of Sydney it is usually the Bridge, or the Opera House, that comes to mind, however the one thing that has always fascinated me with the place is the fortress that sits slap bang in the middle of the harbour. Okay, I have to admit that I usually don’t think about the fortress (and along with everybody else usually think about the Bridge or the Opera House, though the pubs at the Rocks also crop up occasionally) however everytime I land up here, particularly if I am standing on Bennalong point, I look out across the harbour and see this fortress and a part of me wanders how you actually get over there to have a look around. … More Fort Denison – A Harbour Fortress
Well, it was my final day in Phuket and so far I had experienced nightlife that I have never experienced anywhere else in the world (including flat screen TVs playing Youtube Videos in the bars – though they wouldn’t set it to full screen, despite it being much more professional, but then again they weren’t … More Phuket Phenomena – Hunting Salamanga
There was two things that I absolutely wanted to do in Phuket, and one of them was to go for a ride on a Elephant. Okay, a girl that I dated once told me that it isn’t all that fantastic, and in fact it is quite rough, but I took her warning to mind (and she was right by the way, they aren’t the most comfortable of animals to ride) and still wanted to ride an elephant. So, I booked a half day safari tour which involved going for a ride on an elephant (though I later discovered that one of their safaris also involved a monkey show, which I kicked myself for not paying too close attention to the brochure). … More Phuket Phenomena – An Elephant Adventure
After a relaxing day wandering around Patong Beach (and a couple of not so relaxing nights) it was time to go on my first tour. However I was a little worried, namely because this isn’t Australia where you can take companies to the ACCC if they rip you off by taking your money and vanishing into thin air (not that the ACCC can do all that much when that happens anyway – it is still a case of caveat emptor). So, I went into the lobby of the hotel (after having breakfast) with my laptop and book in my backpack (which was going to be a mistake) to wait for the bus to come and pick me up. After five people coming in calling out ‘James Bond Island’ and one calling out ‘Phi Phi Island’ I was starting to get a little worried. However the driver soon turned up, collected me, and took us off to the Royal Phuket Marina where our tour company, Sea Star, was based. … More Phuket Phenomenah – Speedboat to Phi-Phi
The tour guide in Singapore made a comment that Singapore has four seasons: hot and hotter, and wet and wetter. Well, I guess I must have landed up in the Wetter Season because when it rained it really did rain. I was quite fortunate that I remembered to take my umbrella the night before because at one point the rain began to full on pelt down – and amazingly my umbrella managed to survive (though I guess it has something to do with rain in Phuket not being accompanied by gale force winds). I have experienced tropical rain previously – in Hong Kong. … More Phuket Phenomena – A Day at the Beach
In my piece on the Australian galleries I had a look at the different types of paintings, however I have never seen much in the way of historical development when it comes to Australia. While Australia does have it’s unique identity (and it’s truly bizarre historical events, such as the Great Emu War), in many … More The European Galleries – The Art Gallery of New South Wales
Sarkology Travels 