It was Ann's birthday yesterday so went into the city for a day of varied activity. It is a tradition for Thai's to go to their local temple on their birthdays, so off to Annandale we went to spend time at Wat Buddharangsee. Ann prepared a delicious spicy egg dish for the communal meal and it disappeared within minutes of being served. The service was as always, a chanted liturgy, followed by blessings from the resident monks. I find it both interesting and strangely calming.

As chance will have it, Ann had been given a couple of free tickets to attractions in Darling Harbour and so after lunch we headed thither. These are very touristy things and I gather most Sydneysiders would give them a wide berth, but they are genuinely entertaining.

I first went to Madame Tussaud's in London in 1979, so I had an idea of what to expect. These days the franchise is set up to be far more tactile and interactive for a clearly more demanding public and many opportunities are presented for photographs with the famous. There is a bias towards pop stars, sports heroes, actors and celebrities which is what you might expect, given the times we live in. But then again, would the crowds flock to see historical figures and notable scientists? Probably not.

Meanwhile, here are two shots from our time there.