The 5 Things I Miss Most About Sydney

I consider Sydney as my second home, where I spent a good 10 years of my life.
After living in Jakarta for the past 1.5 years, I realise that there were things I took for granted while living in Sydney. Here are the 5 things I miss most about Sydney:

1. Food and Cultural Diversity

I've always thought of Sydney as a melting pot of the great cultures in the world. Lucky for me, a food enthusiast, that means I have access to a diverse range of internasional cuisines from all around the world. I could have Japanese today, Nepalese tomorrow or when I feel adventurous enough I could go to a Russian restaurant on the weekend.

2. Great Coffee

Most of the people I knew drink coffee almost everyday. And some drink more than a cup of coffee a day. I wasn't a coffee drinker until I came to Sydney. But it didn't take me too long to develop my taste buds for excellent coffee. My favourites are Campos Coffee and Vittoria Coffee. I think their coffee beans make the best coffee, strong and creamy.

3. The Outdoors

If you love the outdoors you would fall in love with Sydney. Besides its beautiful harbour, Sydney has some of the most beautiful coastal walks, the best beaches in the world and pleasant weather to name but a few. I really like how pedestrian-friendly the streets in Sydney are. I really miss walking to anywhere without having to worry about being a hit and run victim (which is really the case in Jakarta).

4. The Festivals

Sydney is like a giant kid that needs to be entertained all year round. You'll have one festival after another, Sydney Festival, Sydney Aroma Festival, Sydney Food Festival, Sydney Film Festival, The Mardi Gras and Vivid Sydney, you name it. They are like one massive neverending festival!

5. The Public Transport

If Sydneysiders could agree on one thing, they would probably agree on how bad Sydney's public transport is. It is definitely far behind Japan or maybe even Singapore. I used to complain a lot about how unreliable the City Rail was and how expensive all the public transports were. Having said this, I still relied alot on the trains and buses to get me to anywhere in Sydney.

Now that I have been living in Jakarta for quite some time, where the public transport system is a total nightmare, I can look back to my days in Sydney and say that Sydney's public transport system wasn't too shabby after all.