First Impression of Sydney
Although it was really hard to say goodbye to my life and friends in NZ, my depression was quickly overwhelmed by my shock of what Sydney is like. I think it is definitely worth the hype and having been to Tokyo not too long ago, Sydney is almost just as cool.
The Sydney airport isn't really that impressive - seen bigger ones as in Tokyo. I took a taxi to my friend's flat in Randwick near the University of New South Wales. I had a wonder through the university because I had to get a bus pass. The campus is huge and feels a lot more like an enclosed campus than Auckland Uni. It has many fancy new buildings and a long straight pathway that starts from the gate, which I see as being essential for a university.
We took a bus from the university to the city centre. What a coincident - it was a late night shopping night (Thursday)! The roads in Sydney is huge - most of them have 3 lanes each way. When I got in the city centre, I suddenly felt that I was in an Asian city. It's not the number of Asians there are (there are a lot), but how busy and lively it is. At the same time, the many very-well preserved historical brick buildings made me feel like I am in Europe or America. It's a truly international city. I just wonder how can a country with similar length of history to New Zealand has a city that possess so much cultural heritage and very well adapted diversity? Even in the Randwick surburb, there are many art-deco houses like those seen in Ponsonby or Parnell in Auckland. I just felt like I came from the countryside visiting the big city for the first time constantly wowing.
Inside those historical buildings, there are many shopping arcades, which you can't find in Asian cities. There are also fancy looking shopping malls. One even had Kinokuniya, a very famous Japanese bookshop chain (like Borders), that sells lots of Chinese and Japnese books as well as English ones. It's just unbelievable to see shelves and shelves of Chinese books that are up to date and catagorised just like back in Taiwan!
I didn't really go into shops to have a look around. There are many shops that are the same as ones in NZ, but there are also many other ones that you can't find there. It' the same as in supermarket with the groceries. I can't find Anchor milk though, which is a bit of a surprise to me...
The Sydney airport isn't really that impressive - seen bigger ones as in Tokyo. I took a taxi to my friend's flat in Randwick near the University of New South Wales. I had a wonder through the university because I had to get a bus pass. The campus is huge and feels a lot more like an enclosed campus than Auckland Uni. It has many fancy new buildings and a long straight pathway that starts from the gate, which I see as being essential for a university.
We took a bus from the university to the city centre. What a coincident - it was a late night shopping night (Thursday)! The roads in Sydney is huge - most of them have 3 lanes each way. When I got in the city centre, I suddenly felt that I was in an Asian city. It's not the number of Asians there are (there are a lot), but how busy and lively it is. At the same time, the many very-well preserved historical brick buildings made me feel like I am in Europe or America. It's a truly international city. I just wonder how can a country with similar length of history to New Zealand has a city that possess so much cultural heritage and very well adapted diversity? Even in the Randwick surburb, there are many art-deco houses like those seen in Ponsonby or Parnell in Auckland. I just felt like I came from the countryside visiting the big city for the first time constantly wowing.
Inside those historical buildings, there are many shopping arcades, which you can't find in Asian cities. There are also fancy looking shopping malls. One even had Kinokuniya, a very famous Japanese bookshop chain (like Borders), that sells lots of Chinese and Japnese books as well as English ones. It's just unbelievable to see shelves and shelves of Chinese books that are up to date and catagorised just like back in Taiwan!
I didn't really go into shops to have a look around. There are many shops that are the same as ones in NZ, but there are also many other ones that you can't find there. It' the same as in supermarket with the groceries. I can't find Anchor milk though, which is a bit of a surprise to me...
posted by Anderson | 6:37 AM
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