So, I went out this morning, after not being able to check in. Did I mention that it was POURING? Good thing I waterproofed my boots some time ago. I was SOAKED to the bone! I just wandered around, with no particular destination. The guys here at the front desk suggested I spend the day indoors, either at the Australian Museum, or at the Aquarium. I walked for a bit, and settled on the aquarium. Wrong move. That place was PACKED with MILLIONS of little kids! Chaos and pandelerium. So out I went again. I walked around till about noon, then came back in to check in. Remember all those nice tours I booked? Well, they have a record of me paying for them, but no tour vouchers were to be found. Nada. They said ''we'll have to take care of that tomorrow morning", to which I replied "I'm leaving tomorrow morning!" So off I went to FINALLY take a shower, and I tried to have a bit of a lay down, but I was so upset from not having my tour documents that I couldn't really sleep. I set the alarm for 2pm, and figured one way or another that I was going to have a good time! Today was one of only two sightseeing days for Sydney, so this has really thrown a wrench into things. Well, I came downstairs at 2, and no tour documents. Damn. I'm not terribly impressed. So out I went again, a MadebyMarie self guided tour of Sydney. Did I mention that it stopped raining? Yeah, only while I was inside. Once I got outside, the rain gods saw me and let loose again, but not nearly as bad as this morning. I walked through Hyde Park, went to the Anzac war memorial, which is stunningly, emotionally beautiful. The only thing that compares in my book is the Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbour. There were hardly any people out... did I mention it was raining? Saw some cool birds, I chased this one around for a bit, trying to get a good photo... then 5 minutes later the same type of bird is chasing ME! Near some of the state buildings, I came across an exact copy of the boar sculpture that is at Butchart Gardens, you know, the one you where you rub his snout for good luck. Then I walked up to the Botanical Gardens. By now the rain had pretty much stopped. The smells in there were amazing! I saw some more cool birds, and heard (but only saw from a distance) COCKATOOS! The walk along the Gardens, looking to the harbour and the bridge, are amazing. The Opera House is amazing. There were no crowds, which was nice, and I was finally starting to enjoy myself!

It was about 5pm, and I was at Circular Quay, and starting to get hungry. Feeling sorry for myself, with none of my tour vouchers, I decided heck with it and took Trevor's advice... a night time harbour cruise! This one was billed as a 'Sunset Dinner Cruise', but because of the clouds, the 'sunset' part was missing. There were only 5 parties on this HUGE boat! Must be slow season. Dinner was very nice, I had salmon. The views were nothing short of spectacular. there is some pretty bloody stunning real estate in the Eastern Suburbs. A Japanese couple and I took turns taking each other's photos. The value wasn't bad... normally $79, down to $72, and another discount because of my hostel card, $66. And all the champagne, wine, beer and other stuff you could drink! But, since I haven't really slept yet, I only had a glass of champagne and a beer. I was the only person there 'solo', and I think the hostess felt sorry for me, so I got a nice colour book of the harbour!

It was definitely dark when the cruise was over, and I'm a little leary of walking around a big city in the dark, but it definitely feels safe here. It was a 35 minute walk, and there were lots of couples and young families out and about.

I checked the pool out when I got in, but it's definitely COLD! There were a few people there who described it as 'refreshing'... they must be in advertising!

I have a roommate tonight, a young woman from Slovenia. I mentioned that I was in Lublijana in 1980 something, and of course, that's where she is from! She's travelling around on her own for a month.

So my day has definitely gotten better. Tomorrow remains to be seen. I'm supposed to be down here in the lobby just before 8, and they assure me that everything will be corrected for my 2 day Blue Mountain excursion. Not much they can do about the Sydney stuff now, but I'll definitely be squawking to someone when the travel agency opens.