Australia: Arriving in Sydney

March 27, 1998 (Friday)

Arriving in Sydney

Our plane landed in Sydney around 9:45am. The first thing I noticed when I got off the plane was how humid it felt. It was like walking into a gym. I remember thinking that if this was what it was like outside, I'd be in the tropics! And indeed, it was just like that outside. It felt like New Orleans in Spring.

When passing through customs, I discovered that you don't have to declare wrapped candy bars, even though the forms specifically stated that anything edible should be declared. The customs people looked at me like I was crazy when I told them about the candy bars. Oh well--live and learn!

At the luggage checkout area, a customs officer walked through the crowd leading a cute-looking and highly inquisitive beagle. The dog rapidly sniffed everyone over, and poked into everyone's bags, then moved on. It was a very rapid progression through the crowd. At one point, it sniffed at a bag belonging to a young couple, and refused to leave. The customs officer inspected the bag, thanked the oweners, gave the dog a treat, and left, having found nothing illegal. It was one of the coolest things I've seen in an airport. And the dog was really cute!

On the way to the hotel, I discovered that Australian taxi cabs looked just like police cars to me. Something about their markings and color, I guess. At first I thought that there were an awful lot of police in town, and wondered what was up. Then I realized that they were taxis. I figured I wouldn't have any trouble getting around town, although in fact I ended up not needing any, other than to get to the rail station when I left for Melbourne.

As the airport shuttle went through the city dropping other passengers off at their hotels, I recognized a number of places that I'd decided to try and visit based on the guidebook I'd been reading. Some of them even ended up remaining on my list.

Hotel Key Holder The first thing I did after reaching the hotel--an elegant, refurbished old place called Forum the Grace Hotel (sic)--was to take a shower. Whew! The second thing was to check out the fitness center. My goal was to stretch and work out a little, then take a long steam bath to unwind from the trip. No such luck! The fitness center was being remodeled for the second time since the hotel opened (less than six months ago), so I was restricted to a little area in the front with some weight machines and just enough floor space to demonstrate to the staff how many ways I can mess up Tae Kwon Do forms. I took another shower, then slept for a couple of hours.

When I woke up, I grabbed some lunch at the hotel, then went exploring.