Booze buses, Easter Eggs and Birthdays

Friday lunch time we set off for Sydney. Less than a kilometer from home we were stopped by the roadside speed cops, however they were booking the four wheel drive behind us, in the next kilometer we went through speed camera and then through another speed bus. The weekend looked to be a long one if this is how it is going to be!!!

As it was my birthday we decided to meet up with my brother and family at a local Restaurant Indian Masala in Engadine. The food was delicious. Butter chicken for the kids that eat meat, paneer and another vegetarian dish, lamb with spinach (my favourite) and a meat entree platter and a vego entree platter.

On Saturday at about 10am we drove into Sydney. We parked in the first place we could get into, which was just around the corner from the QVB. We were here to check out Kinokuniya.

Kinokuniya Sydney offers the largest range of books with over 300,000 titles in English, Japanese, Chinese, French and German.

Located in the heart of Sydney CBD, Kinokuniya also stocks an extensive collection of Manga, graphic novels, art and design books, cookbooks, travel books and children's literature. Chinese books and magazines are sourced from both Taiwan and mainland China and they have a Japanese magazine subscription service.

AJR was in seventh heaven and found three books that all cost less than any we can purchase in Canberra. I bought some cards (including a birthday card for JR) and something for Neisha in Adelaide. We then caught the train to Circular Quay where we thought we would eat at Zia Pina's, one of my favourite haunts in the 80's. However we ate next door at the Rocks Cafe I would highly recommend it if you love Italian food like we do.

We went through an exhibition of Dr Zeuss prints at the Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery in George Street. We walked from there through the Rocks Markets, which are always great, to Darling Harbour. Walked past the wildlife park and the 3D cinema and loads of restaurants stuffed to the gills with people watchers and the hungry, to end up at Paddy's Markets next to China Town.

The Haymarket Paddy's is located in the 'Market City' site, beside Chinatown and is more like a traditional flea market, specialising in cheap imported clothes, giftware and also has a small section for fruit, vegetables and seafood. Paddy's Haymarket also sells souvenirs which makes it popular with tourists. The origin of the name is unknown, but is believed to have come from Liverpool, England. In the 1870s, a similar operation had been set up in the back alleys of the Irish area of Liverpool which was known as Paddy's Markets.

AJR spent most of his time in Funky Fashion, stand 525, checking out the range of gear related to the "Jack Skelington" character that he loves. While here we met our neighbours, K, T, C & G from Oxley and agreed to meet them for a drink. At 6.15pm we gathered at the Mecure near Central Station and had a drink. Afterwards ambled up George Street to dinner for K, T, C & G and the car park for us. For a map of our route around Sydney click here.

We set off for Heathcote at 9pm, having walked what felt like 30 kilometers (really about 6 according to Google) throughout the day, with the idea that we would catch an open restaurant in Engadine before the kitchen closed. Just before Tom Ugly's bridge I was pulled over for a breath test, having consumed two lemon lime and bitters and one lemonade, I knew I was fine. However I wanted to be off before the kitchen's closed. I have not been breath tested since about 1989 and did not know that they pointed a little machine at you and asked you to count to ten!! I was looking for the little mouthpiece and waiting for a fresh cover to be put on. Needless to say we did make Engadine for a Thai meal, with karaoke, arghhh.

Will fill in the rest of the weekend tomorrow, too tired tonight.

Cheers,
Mondo