Sun 0222 Sydney

My roommate Toni arrived from Seattle Sunday morning and we began to explore Sydney. On the way out of the hotel, we asked the concierge the best way to get to the vicinity of the Opera House. We decided to take a city bus and were advised that the fare is approximately $2AUD per person. Toni then asked if exact change is necessary and we were told no but the driver would not be able to give change for a bill as large as a $20. We felt we were OK with a $10 bill. We were wrong. The driver said he didn’t have enough change and we should just take seats. We subsequently checked our coins and were able to put together the $3.80 but the driver refused our money. At our stop, another woman was getting off also and she offered to direct us to the Opera House. She did so and she also told us that the drivers always accommodated passengers who did not have the proper funds. We were quite surprised to hear that.
We explored the Opera House area and inquired about the High Tea which includes a performance. Unfortunately it takes place only on Wednesday afternoons - when we return after the b2b it will be a Tuesday and Toni will leave the next morning. I thought I might be interested, since I’m staying an additional day, but when I heard that the cost is $155AUD, I wasn’t so sure. If I meet people on the hip who are staying in Sydney afterwards, I’ll consider it, but I think it unlikely at this time.
Our next destination was the flea market in the Rocks area. Along the way, because it was so hot today, we decided to take a 45 minute harbor cruise. It turned out, however, that neither of us was comfortable stepping into the water taxi (it required a step considerably more difficult than the worst tender), so we got our money back. It was suggested that we take one of the big boats instead, and we will probably do so upon our return next month.