Monday,Monday

By Monday morning, I was feeling a little weary. Being a full-time tourist can be hard work, plus I don’t know when the last time was that I have walked so much.  The weather was also a little iffy. I had planned to take the ferry to Manly Beach and spend a few hours there, but with the possibility of rain, I decided to try something closer to home. The Chinese Garden of Friendship was nearby and that seemed like a good idea. In fact, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip so far. The garden lies right in the heart of the Darling Harbour development district. The garden itself is a walled enclave in the midst of this frenetic modernity.  The Chinese Garden respectfully recreates the philosophy and harmony of a traditional Chinese garden in its waterfalls, lakes, exotic plants, pavilions and hidden pathways.

The view of the koi pond from the boathouse.

 Once inside, one feels immediately a sense of calm and serenity. Even the woman in the ticket window radiated graciousness and calm. In a relatively small and confined space, the designers have created a variety of “landscapes”, skillfully using rocks, water and vegetation to simulate different settings. One follows a path that ultimately takes one to the highest point in the garden. The climb to the top  of "the mountain" is a spiritual climb as well as a physical one. In fact, the whole garden is designed to focus one on the powerful forces of nature. From the pavilion at the summit, you can see the garden in its entirety and revel in its beauty.

Water plays a special role alternating the yin of running water with the yang of reflecting ponds. The abundance of wildlife – especially birds and fish contribute to the sense of being immersed in nature, despite the fact that you are in the middle of a modern city. It was almost hard to leave the tranquility of this special place to return to the hustle and bustle of Sydney.


And now for something completely different. Realizing that I was very close to the light rail line, I decided to hop on it and go out to Sydney’s fish market. I had read about it and it seemed like it would be a fun thing to see and experience. I also looked forward to getting out of the center of the city to see another part of Sydney.

The market is both the wholesale market for fresh fish, and a retail center with a food court. Clearly, this market is in every Chinese guidebook for tourists in Sydney. Sydney itself would appear to be a mecca for Asian tourists, but this seemed like the absolute epicenter. There were tour bus loads of people coming and going. There were groups of school girls, multi-generational families, young, old, you name it, all converging on this one spot.

One of the food vendors

The food court was borderline chaos, but it was fantastic. The array of seafood for sale was incredible, but the prepared food was nothing short of unbelievable. A casual observation would suggest that the lobster tails were a major draw, as were the fresh-shucked oysters. Though every table I saw was filled with diners consuming industrial quantities of fresh seafood. I’ve never quite seen anything like it.