The view from the boat was magnificent. The geology of the region is fascinating, and from the water it was possible to see its sandstone foundations, and all the very cool houses that have been built on the hillsides that plunge right into the the water. I didn't see anyone acknowledge her until the very end of the cruise, when Charo graciously allowed herself to be photographed with an Australian woman. We caught a bus at the Circular Quay. The buses are downright civilized here.
Every bus has a sign stating how many seated and standing passengers are permitted.
Drivers are allowed to have radios for their own entertainment, and they are friendly and helpful to passengers. I tell you, this place is civilized - and civil, too. There is an intimacy and friendliness that we found very attractive. Store clerks, waiters, bus drivers, random people in lifts - we hardly ever encountered an unpleasant or cranky person. Taxi drivers rounded their fares down, too.