Chinese Garden of Friendship

The China Grand Restaurant: lining up outside, feeling a bit envious of families and that strolling in ever so smugly along the red carpet when their number was called. Alright, settle down, you're not a bloody celebrity. Finally we're lead down the red carpet to a convenient table for two. Why isn't this lovely. Those chandeliers they had were shaped like half breasts, complete with glass nipples. It was strange no one else had noticed.

The dim sum left us so full, honestly, it's always misleading ordering those small portions. Next thing you know, you're undoing your belt and letting it all hang loose.

Hardly civilised now is it? Afterwards, in search of culture, we happened upon Darling Harbour, where they were having yet another festival of sorts. This place seems to have a festival every other week. This time it was apparently a celebration of Buddha's birthday. The Chinese Garden of Friendship got into the act, by having their own traditional chinese music playing in the little Lenient Jade Pavilion just over the Lotus Pond. Don't you just love these names? Ah, that takes me back. Alright, maybe not. We got our own table, with a bit of Shui Hsen (water fairy) chinese tea in front of us. Hee hee, we always get the best seats in the house. And so we whiled away our Sunday afternoon listening to the sweetest melodies and a guy playing the er-hu. With the golden and orange koi drifting in the water, and the ducks floating past, and the trees swaying gently to the music, it was the most relaxing thing I've experienced for a long time.

Even my dad would've liked it. And that's saying something. So relaxing it was, I honestly could have fallen asleep right there, if not for the fact that we had the rest of the gardens to explore again. We came across this little part of the gardens where you could try on imperial Chinese costumes from various dynasties. I chose a pink silk outfit with a matching head piece and little fan. Yes, it was all fit for a princess, I must say. And the headpiece was fairly heavy, with pink tassles that I had to be careful of not crashing into doorways. I even got compliments from random strangers. "Why, isn't that lovely?"And Vay looked princely in his golden silk robes and black hat. Yes, now where's that red carpet when you need it? As a couple we stepped out, getting admiring glances, even attracting the attention of other tourists. "Could we have a picture?" Uh, sure... why not? Next thing you know, other tourists wanted to have pictures taken of us. So this is what it feels like to be a celebrity. They apparently didn't realise that we were just hiring these costumes out, and didn't actually work here. Ha! Yes, yes, we COULD have told them the truth, but that would've spoilt everyone's fun. And we could've started charging, that's how good we were.

So we walked slowly, almost reverently through the gardens, crossing over little bridges, pausing to reflect on little pagolas and patios and take the obligatory photograph, all the while getting envious glances and murmurs. "You sure look the part, look at that guy, getting a free shot of us from over there."

Yes, maybe in a past life I was born into royalty. Hmm, those were the days.