Landing is Sydney was surreal: the smoke from the fires reduced visibility so the usual see-for-miles vista from a few kilometres up was dirtied by a hazy fog.
There’s a slight smell of smoke, and I’ve seen a few people wearing masks. Buts it’s not so bad at street level.
You can see some protesters outside the QVB, to the left of the statue. The queen herself has been adorned with a rudimentary gas mask that was attached by a protestor. They were of course protesting the climate deniers running this country (who were alas voted for) but tourists looking for Christmas bargains mostly ignored them.
The trip had been awful. Endless, boring and hungry since the food they offered me was inedible. I didn’t sleep a second and mostly played my GBA. Every year it gets harder and Australia seems farther away.
Customs and the airport was speedy though, and while my room wasn’t ready due to the early hour my hotel was nice enough to provide me with a changing room to shower. Then I hit the streets of Sydney.
The light rail through the CBD is now running. I’ll try it one day, but not this trip. The shops are decked out for Christmas and it’s hard getting my mind used to the fact I’m here before Christmas Day rather than after as usual. It was still early when I took the above shot; the crowds massively increased later in the day.
I hit my usual spots, ate my usual foods, discovered again that postcards have become scarcer as they have everywhere. I’m sure the ones I bought yesterday were from stands that haven’t been restocked in a decade.
It was warm before lunch but a cool change blew in later in the day. I was staggering by about 3 and grabbed some dinner before retiring around 4 pm. It’s now 4 am and I’m mostly (?) rested, but the jet lag is real.
Off to Newcastle by train today. I read The Hawkesbury region has been badly burned. Will I see evidence on my journey?