Third Day in Sydney 18/09/2012

Glorious sunshine. Again. Yes! Originally, I had planned to take a ferry to some of the bays but when I was at the Quay, I noticed that the Whale Watching trips were quite affordable and the guy at the booth told me that a boat was about to leave from Darling Harbour and that I could still make it. I power-walked over there, only to find out that the morning tour had been cancelled. I booked the tour on a speed boat leaving at 2pm instead, and then walked along the waterfront back to “The Rocks” and climbed all the way up the hill to the observatory. More photos of Harbour Bridge… After staying there for a bit, enjoying the view, I went to the Argyle Steps which lead to the Bridge steps which lead to the pedestrian lane of the big old bridge. I walked all the way across, stopping a couple of times for photos and to enjoy the view. Even a bridge this gigantic sways in the wind a little, which I find very creepy. I don’t want to feel a structure move when I’m that far away from the ground. Anyway, on the way back I decided to climb up the stairs in one of the pillars, which lead to a viewing balcony. It’s $15 but the view was amazing. Even more photos of Opera House and Harbour Bridge…what can I say?! I spent a long time up there to get my money’s worth. I didn’t even feel anxious about the height as I did on the bridge. They also have a little exhibition in the pillar with the most important facts about the bridge and the historical background on how it was built.

When I got off Harbour Bridge, it was time to slowly head back to Darling Harbour and I strolled along the waterfront again because it was getting quite hot. On the speed boat for the Whale Watching tour, there were only ten more people which was really nice. Unfortunately, there was a storm coming up and it took an elderly Indian lady fifteen minutes to work up the courage to just enter the boat. The guide and most of the other passengers were pretty annoyed by the time she got in. It was rather cold, but not unbearable, even though I was wearing short shorts. Cruising on the speed boat was so much fun and I didn’t get sick from that. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any whales that day. But just when we were about to turn back, some dolphins showed up and saved the day. It was incredible to watch them check us out, hopping out of the water to get a better look. They entertained us for a good fifteen minutes before they swam off again. As long as dolphins are around, it’s forbidden by law to have the engine running, which turned into a problem for me because when the boat wasn’t driving, the waves almost turned it over which caused me to feel like I was going to pass out again. I guess I’m fine at high speed, but when the vessel is slow or completely passive, I am in trouble. We got back without getting hit by the storm but we saw some cool lightning over the coastline. Because the tour organizers have a whale guarantee, we all got vouchers to go on another tour, event the longer 3-hour tour on the big boat (the speed boat tour is 2 hours). I booked a tour on the big boat for Thursday afternoon, saving $30 in the process because with the voucher, you don’t have to pay for the upgrade. The guy in the booth told me that the motion isn’t as bad in the big boat when it’s “standing still”, so I hope I’ll feel better. Also, there’s a toilet on board which is great for people with guinea-pig bladders (note that I was not the only one on the trip; a Spanish guy almost peed himself). When I got off the boat and had hurried to the bathroom, I went straight to the booth to book my next trip and then went back to the hostel just when it started to rain.