AUSSIE WEEKENDER 1

It is another morning. The temperature outside is 8 degrees. It is 7:40, still the Sun is sleeping !
We both started to walk from our hotel - or will call a Studio Apartment with breakfast served - to the local station, St.Leonards. Krithi had covered herself with all she got, and still feeling the chill. A ten minutes walk, collected the tickets to Parramatta. Return for two people cost A$17.60( around 600 INR), down the escalator to the platform to board the train going south. A huge two storied train arrived in no time, with body looking like a rolling shutter's. You board in the middle and can decide to go down to the basement or upstairs or stand in the boarding floor( let us call ground floor). There is just a little space for the people to stand, in the ground floor. The basement and first floor are full of seats like or buses (3+2 configuration).
It started moving slowly, and the whole journey to Parramatta was literally slow ! It took almost 1 hour, which I would expect a tube to cover in 30mins ! So my estimate to reach the destination by 8:30 went wrong, and reached there by 9. Then, I found it was not stopping in all stops, skipping some stations in the city. If you want to go there, you have to change in some major city stations. After all this, it took an hour plus !!!
My first day in office, in Sydney after landing here yesterday night. My brain is still sleeping for two reasons: it is only 9 even in Sydney, and in India it is worser, only 3:30 am.
This time, unlike my adventurous evening in London, TCS had arranged a place for accommodation, in another suburb on the opposite side of the city ! What a favour ! Still, just paying A$105 per day for that. I think, it was better in London where I paid only 40 pounds per day for a B&B in the middle of the city. Again, please note that, it takes only one hour for a slow train to go across the suburbs crossing the city. So, I won’t say Sydney is a big city. It is green, and peaceful except for the centre part. That is yet to be seen.
I see a bit a South Africa here with the colour standards of the name boards, and greenery. But, I am yet to see an African here( But this was on week days, week ends they are available in plenty! I have no clue what it means) !
* * * * * *
The flight was cool. Singapore flight took off from Chennai by 12:00 midnight and reached 6:30 AM local time. Again, 9:30 AM flight to Sydney took a long time to drop us at the destination by 6:50 PM local time. Singapore Airport window shopping was good. It is bigger than Dubai Airport, the shopping area is also more. As hubs, these airports (Dubai and Changi) sees a lot of transit passengers and so, the shopping area really does matter.
Again, Sydney airport was friendly. Just took red channel as the checking's were heard to be more than in any other place, for the preserved food and all. They are heard to not allow even medicines sometimes. But, all went fine. They just had a glance at the packs, and once it is sealed and manufacturing date given, there was no issue to let it through. But, there was a police dog at the airport checking for drugs and all, it barks at an aunty who came with us. It was barking staring at her hair. It was because she had put flowers in the hair the previous night while leaving Chennai and the smell was still there !
I hired a cab to the hotel and to pay him I had only 50$ notes. His charge came to 50.10 . The Punjabi driver, Gurcharan, was OK with 50, but just for my comfort found a 10 cents coin and gave him. Later, I was just wondering where I got a 10c coin when I have done no transaction in Australia at all. It was actually Singaporean 10 cents, which I had converted there for a coffee :) !
The sleep, the tiredness, all make you do funny things. The taxi was a bit rash like all taxis here, and the place at night looked like Jo'burg to me - all those ups and downs, single Villas, greenery and breeze. Again, I saw a lot of people crossing the road just by a dash which was again similar to Jo'burg !