Darling Harbour Day Out

Having bought the Merlin Pass just the other day, now's the time to start using it. Went into the city early to catch the early bird parking at Darling Quarter Wilson Parking. Entry before 9:30am and exit after 3pm for $14 whole-day parking. Book a bay online and the rate goes down to $10. I reckon the summer special promo is very popular as the online slots are all booked out. We spent some time at the playground, then off to see the giant yellow rubber duckie. The 5-storey high "sculpture" by artist Florentijn Hofman is part of the Sydney Festival which opened on January 5. After a few pictures, we headed for the Sydney Aquarium.

After the renovation, it's now called the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. Protip: Instead of joining the queue for entry tickets, just go to the gift shop and buy them there. Anyway, that's where we got our personalized Merlin Passes. The aquarium is interesting enough that we spend a couple of hours there. We even bought the $35 photobook that they are upselling to us. Yup, that's where the photos at the entrance went. By the time we got out for lunch, there's a long, loong line for aquarium tickets. Didn't know it's that popular.

Next stop is Madame Tussauds wax musuem. I expected the place to be kitschy, but I came away impressed with the displays/sets and the quality of the wax sculptures. Everyone seems to be having a good time taking pictures with the personalities. Ah, the things you could do to them here, and still get away with. Last stop is Wild Life Sydney Zoo. Having been to Taronga Zoo, nothing here excites me. One good thing is that their photobook costs only $10(?).