Chinese Garden of Friendship

Sunday had arrived and I realized I should probably spend the day unpacking and getting organized, as I had just moved into a new house. I should probably go to the grocery store and meal prep for the next week, since my cabinet consisted of one unopened bag of quinoa. I should probably walk around Parramatta and become acclimated to my new location. My to-do list was longer than the hours in the day, but... I didn't want to do any of it. 

I woke up at my leisure - as much as I want to continuously do and see everything amongst my everlasting euphoria from living in this country, I try to make an effort to keep up with health and fitness, as well. No tourist activity is ebjoyable when you're struggling to keep your eyes open or feeling under the weather from a weakened immune system. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, as I am employed on an hourly basis, I definitely do not want to be missing work due to illness. So, I allowed myself a full, good-night's sleep in my new twin bed before rushing off to Sydney the moment I woke up. 

Feeling fresh, I decided to embark on the day without a heavily planned agenda, and see where life took me. I was delighted to discover that I am living a mere stone's throw away from the Parramatta River, so I decided to make my way over to the ferry wharf. As things go, the ferry was cancelled due to flooding by the torrential downpour we experienced a few weeks ago, but since taking the ferry had now been engraved  in my mind, I took the bus to Rydalmere (yes, the opposite direction) and took the Captain Hook cruiser in from there. I did not regret this decision. 

I've lived in Sydney two months now, and am starting to feel more like a local each day - which means I can delight in frequent unintentionally humorous tourist remarks. For example, Sydney offers roundabouts rather than stop signs in most instances, which is efficient, as it allows traffic to move quickly. What is not as self-explanatory is that the contraptions were specifically built so that busses could ride over them, as looping around in such tight circles would be impossible. I believe my first reaction to this occurrence was an exclamation along the lines of, "This driver is crazy!!!" Now that I am 'In the know,' however, I can sit back and allow myself a chuckle at the expense of visitors who remark such sentiments as, "Wow, we must really be in a hurry!" or "I think this driver has been drinking!" I have come full circle.

The Parramatta River has always reminded me of the California Delta in appearance, thus bringing a nostalgic, homely feel to this new life I'm living, but the ferry ride allowed me to discover the two are more alike than I initially realized. From the view of the ferry we were able to see houses lined up against the water's edge, their backyards overlooking the water, almost identical to the Delta.

I unloaded the boat at Circular Quey, which meant I was to hike a little over a mile to reach my intended destination: the Chinese Garden of Friendship. I stopped when I noticed a gathering of some sort was taking place, littered with police who looked wary from their attempts to prevent a riot. I viewed a sign a young woman was holding: "Stop Cutting Benefits for Aboriginal Affairs." I couldn't help but to smile - same story, different side of the world, different minority group. Young people feeling deserving of tax dollars for events that occurred in the 1800s - before even their grandparents were born. I'm not one to get involved in politics, and I do understand paying families for acquiring their land, but the question at hand seems to be: for how long? In this instance, so many generations have passed that the aboriginal rioters were indistinct in appearance from the Caucasian policemen monitoring them. I couldn't help but wonder if these spunky, rioting youths are genuinely upset that they do not live in accordance with their distant ancestors' lifestyles, wandering around unclothed and eating freshly speared eel from the Parramatta River for dinner. Yes, surely the aboriginals would have evolved over time, but I think it is agreeable to state that they likely wouldn't have been able to transform Australia into the thriving first world paradise it is now without British intervention. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all take a moment to simply appreciate what we have, instead of always wanting for more.

I arrived at the Chinese Garden of Friendship and enjoyed aimlessly wandering around, viewing the spectacular scenery. I learned from various informational posts displayed that the garden was designed by the Chinese city of Guangzhou, which is Sydney's Chinese sister city. The gardens were opened in 1988 as a symbol of, you guessed it, the friendship between China and Australia.

Fun fact: the garden was used in a scene for the 1995 superhero film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. 

I spotted a tea room and delighted in a leisurely, tranquil lunch of Pork Sticky Buns and Mellow Cream tea (oolong tea with mallow blossoms, safflowers, and almond pieces) before heading back home to Parramatta.

A day's work touristing complete!