This is my last relaxing day in Sydney and I took absolutely no pictures. I needed to do some laundry so asked our friendly concierge, Core, where I could go. Apparently they don't have coin operated laundromats in Sydney, but there is a laundry facility almost directly across the street where they will do my laundry for a fee. This is perfect because now I don't have to wait in a laundromat for hours while my clothes get washed.
After I dropped off my clothes, I went to Olympic Park to pick up my timing chip for the 1/2 marathon tomorrow morning; then went to Paddington for a few hours. I heard about Paddington before I left Edmonton. It is a trendy area in Sydney with tons of shops and of course, an outdoor market. As we were walking down the main street I quickly spotted a 2XU store. 2XU (stands for two times you) is a brand of triathlon gear that is available in Edmonton, but only from a generic triathlon store that carries the brand. Being in the store was like being in triathlon central, and I bought a tank top that was waaay expensive, but I love it. It's bright yellowy-green. OK, off to the market. Alot of artisan wares were to be had, but nothing really struck our fancy, so we went for lunch and continued shopping along the main avenue. I don't even know what it is called; perhaps "Paddington Avenue". In yesterday's post I told you I was having no luck with shoes, but I tried again today and have decided to give up. I can't believe how many shoe stores there are here. At one point today there were three shoe stores beside one another and then a fourth two doors down. They all have those 5-inch heels, and I'm sorry, but I want to live. They sure love their shoes here, but I'll wait until I get home to shop for shoes.
During our outing, we heard on a radio that the open water swim was cancelled because the water was too cold, and they don't allow wetsuits because "we just don't do that here" even if the water is cold. There were alot of athletes upset about that. It wasn't very good planning on part of the Sydney World Masters Games Organizing Committee. They should have anticipated that Chowder Harbour, the harbour where the swim was to take place, never warms up.
A couple of friends from St. Albert invited us to a barbeque this afternoon at their brother's place, but I couldn't fit it in, what with Paddington. The barbeque was scheduled to be after they did their open water swim and I bet they were disappointed it was canceled.
We went out for dinner with a friend of mine from Edmonton, Maureen. It was a nice evening and when we were walking to the bus stop after, we couldn't believe what we saw. We were in transvestite central. I should have asked this "guy/girl" (I don't know what to call him) if I could take a picture, but was too stunned to think of it in time. He obviously wanted to be noticed, so I don't think he would have minded. He had long brown, curly hair; was wearing a nude coloured tube top with his midriff showing and his skirt was so short that he had to pull it down somewhat which showed his plumber's crack. Our jaws were hanging on the floor - yikes! I wish I had a six-pack like her 'er him. Anything goes in Sydney and that's one of the reasons I like this city. I'm not sure if the rest of Australia is like that, but I suppose I'll get a taste of it during the next two weeks.
Back to the hotel for an early night. I have the race tomorrow and then to rush back to start packing because the Closing Ceremony is tomorrow night just across the harbour from our hotel.
Stay tuned for my results from tomorrow, but I don't think I'll be able to post them for a couple of days because I start my bus tour to Cairns in two days. If you really can't wait for me to post the results, you can use the link I provided in previous postings. It is the same link for each race.
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