Middle-aged flash packers

Goodbyes are hard and this morning was no exception. In a way it was good that we had to drop and run in order to return the hire car. Saves the pain. 

And so to Syders again. (Australian for Sydney. Basically you just shorten every word that has more than one syllable. I’m fluent now).

A seamless flight, we arrived on time at Sydney airport and caught the train into the city centre. I’m so impressed with this service, it makes life so easy. Our hotel was a four minute walk from the Museum stop, couldn’t have been easier.

The Hotel Vibe was not emitting a good enough vibe to allow us to check in early, so we dumped our bags and headed off to the harbour. After purchasing a couple of gifts, we decided to head to The Rocks and the Barangaroo Reserve. These areas are on the southern shore of Sydney harbour and seem quite a lot quieter than the other side.

The Rocks area is in the process of being gentrified but has a chequered past. It was one of the first places to be colonised by convicts and was considered a slum. The area was run by a gang called the Rocks Push until the 1890’s. In the1900’s, there was an outbreak of bubonic plague and a programme of replacing the decaying housing started. Now some of the old buildings are listed but there’s still a feeling of slight sketchiness around.

We think we may well have stayed in this area during our first visit back in 2011. We stayed in an old Seaman’s home that had been turned into a hotel and it was definitely a bit run down. Full of character though, and we really enjoyed our saunter around here.

On our way to the Rocks, we walked by a statue of Captain Bligh – he of the Mutiny on the Bounty fame. This poor man was not only abused by his underlings and left to sail 3600 miles to safety on a small boat, but when he tried to halt the corruption amongst the Australian authorities they sent him back to the uk  to serve 10 years in jail. Luckily for him, the British justice system freed him, sent him back and he eventually became a Rear Admiral and governor of New South Wales. What a life! 

After the Rocks, we came to Barangaroo reserve. This is now a delightful park area with a beautiful walk along the bay. It’s been converted from a concrete container terminal, yet you would never know. If you’re ever in Sydney, I definitely recommend taking a walk around this side of the harbour.

We stopped for a drink at the Sussex hotel then meandered back to the Vibe where we had been upgraded to a family room. Goodness knows why they thought we needed extra beds but always good for slinging our stuff onto. More towels too.

Dinner was at the Momohub. ( I think that’s what it was called). It was extremely busy. The food was ok but not amazing and this morning we both had slightly funny tums. 

I had a good nights sleep, S not so great but then he did drink quite a lot of wine which we purchased on the way home. Still, saves attacking the mini bar and also it was one  of the wines I like to drink at home and is good value here.  Glad Steve enjoyed it hahaha.

This morning we made amends by having a workout in the fitness room (gym is a misnomer here) then a nice walk around the green spaces closest to us. The parks are lovely here and really well looked after. 

Then it was time to pack up and get on the train again.

We are now on our way to Hanoi. The temperature will be around 20 degrees and cloudy. How will we cope?!