This was my first group tour and as an avid solo traveler, the appeal of a group tour was that all activities would be planned out and the whole day I would be kept busy. Instead, I found that we were given tons of free time. I am hoping that the adventure activities will pick up. Today we had an entire free day. I signed up for an optional bike ride tour in the evening but had to entertain myself in the morning.
The group was going to Manly beach which is another very popular beach. By the time I woke up, they were all gone and I figured I would maybe go for a hike in that area. By the time I ate breakfast, it did not make sense timing wise to go all the way to Manly. Plus, it was not a good beach day as it was so overcast. So I decided to walk around Sydney some more and visit sites I had not yet covered.
The first place on my list was the Chinese Garden of Friendship. The Chinese Garden of friendship symbolizes the friendship between China and Australia. In the colonial era there were strong trade relationships with China and the British in Australia. The gardens were built to be the largest Chinese garden in all of Australia and honor that friendship that existed.
Tucked away near Darling Harbor, the Chinese Garden of friendship was a tranquil spot. Towering Chinese pavilions and bamboo forest were built around a pond that was filled with lily pads and lotuses. The pond was full of the koi fish and lizards stood calmly on the rock. It was a very pretty spot that I could probably spend hours in just soaking in the beauty and peacefulness. My favorite were the traditional red pavilions with the sloped tile roof. Australia has a huge Asian influence which is very apparent from the food served here. I have only eaten Asian food so far and I can attest that it has all been extremely good too!
The Chinese Friendship garden was right next to the Darling Harbor which I walked along for quite some time as I watched people and sipped on boba.
Afternoon came and I headed over for the guided bike tour. Bike tours are fabulous ways to see the city as it allows you to cover so much at a faster pace. This bike tour also took me to a few new places that I hadn’t seen before such as Barangaroo and the Theater district. There were only 4 of us who had opted for the bike tour which was nice as it was a small group. I loved the tour guide as she was so energetic and excited to be sharing Sydney’s sites with us. Plus she was very open to questions about anything.
It has been a minute since I was last on a bike so I really enjoyed the bike tour. The guide was very aware of the sights we had already seen so she tried to take us to new spots and share other facts with us that we had not heard before. I really enjoyed the bike tour and it gave me something to do. I should definitely have just rented a bike and gone around the city one day!
For dinner that night Kate and I took a recommendation from the bike tour guide and went to Spice Alley. I wish I had discovered Spice Alley sooner! Spice Alley is quite literally an alleyway that is filled with small Asian eateries. The area is so well decorated with Asian lanterns and seating areas. Kate really wanted ramen so we sat down at a Ramen restaurant all the way at the end of the land. The murals on the wall depicting Japanese scenes were so beautiful and I could not get over how cute this area was! Our ramen was good as well!
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