Happy Chinese New Year to everybody! This is my year. Yes, that's right, I'm a pig! But some of you might know that already...
Anyway, the City of Sydney has been running a lot of advertising about Lunar New Year celebrations in the city, so we thought we'd go and see what all the fuss is about.
So, we went on the Saturday before the new year, and started off with Yum Cha at the Marigold Restaurant just opposite Paddy's Markets. It was OK. But what surprised us was the lack of people. The restaurant opened at 10am, and there was no line. I mean no one. By the time we left at 11:45am, the place was maybe half full. And 75% of the guests were not Asian. Warning: Red flag! The food was OK, but we remember it being much nicer the last time we went (about 6 months ago). Mediocre food, no Chinese people, makes me wonder what is happening there...
To be fair, the city as a whole wasn't that busy. It was overcast and humid, but nowhere near as hot as it has been. So weather shouldn't have been a factor.
We saw some cool lion dances in Paddy's Market, and once again, it was relatively empty. We then headed down to Circular Quay and The Rocks. The Rocks Market was advertised as having a special Chinese theme, but it seemed the same as every other Rocks Market, with some lanterns / decorations and a couple of Chinese food stalls.
There was a giant cruise ship at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, the start of our little journey to see the zodiac lanterns. They were actually quite cool. I think we saw most of them, except maybe the snake. The lanterns were spread throughout the area, with the pig at the Opera House. There were also some pigs at World Square, and they also made great photographic opportunities. Maybe these lanterns would have been even more spectacular after dark once they are lit. All in all, the decorations were quite cool.
One year, I'd love to go back to Hong Kong for Chinese New Year. It's just a difficult time of year as the kids are just back at school.
Here's a video of our day:
Until next time,
D
PS- Gung Hei Fat Choi! Have a healthy and prosperous Year of the Pig.