Darling Harbour is a harbour. It's name has nothing to do with the overly affectations’ of the camp people who adorn it, but rather it gets its handle from one of the old Governors of NSW (Back in the old days). A Lietentant General Ralph Darling if you will.
The whole harbour and the surrounding area was 'done up' for the 2000 Olympics here in sydders and is now a riot of colour, water, shops, exhibitions, marinas, apartments and loads of tourist trappings. Its a really nice place to go for a stroll on a weekend.
It's also one of the more expensive tourist traps in sydey. I was charged a whopping $3.80 for a bottle of water that, if I could have been bothered to wait 20 minutes, while I walked to the nearest Woolworths would have only cost $1.35. Being a Brit and complaining tend to go hand in hand here. Aussies call all Brits "whinging poms" regardless of whether or not you do. With this name already given to you, you tend not to complain as much cos you dont want to playout the sterotype, so I just handed over my money and grunted in a Brit like fashion and left the "Over-priced, robbing bastard, thieving wankers shop" without saying a word.
I crossed over Pyrmont Bridge (above) which has the monorail running over it and went into a shopping mall. Just to browse. Whilst browsing I came across a pair of Levi 501's.
You may think "So what?" but let me tell you it the first time I have seen them since I arrived. NOWHERE sells them anymore and have been told on numerous occasions that "Australia is fading them out"
How can you fade out the worlds number one selling jeans? Anyway, they are the mainstay of gay fashion so I decided to buy them. That was until I saw the price of these bloody things. $190.00! Thats right. One hundred and ninety bloody dollars! I spun on my heel and walked right out of the "Tourist trapping, money stealing, wallet grabbing house of fashion" and had a Mackee Dee instead. Called Mackers here by the way.
I decided I needed something to soothe me, so I walked back across the bridge to go the aquarium. About halfway across, I saw an elderly lady (127yo or there abouts) dressed in a miniskirt, fishnets and half a boob tube. She had really really high hair. It had been teased more times than a bed wetter.
By the time I reached the aquarium, I had stopped laughing. That is until they charged me $29.00 to look at some fish. I politely paid my entrance fee to the "Water sodden, purse snatching, highway patrolling cashier" and walked in.
All said and done I walked out. It was pretty good and I spent about two hours in there. If you want to know what it was like, then send a cheque or postal order to the attention of....
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