Rhod and Anna's World Adventure

"I'm sorry you can only get those tickets if you're under 26."

We've just been offended by the man at the ticket office in the Sydney Opera House. He wasn't offensive personally. He was smartly dressed and on the whole very friendly and informative but he has ushered the words that have hit us both and hammered home that we seem to be ageing backpackers!

We had been fine up until that point. We had managed to persuade 5 other gullible backpackers to come on a guided tour led by us with only a 6 year old Lonely Planet guide as a factual resource. The disappontment came when the stated price for a boat trip into Circular Quay had doubled and the proposed lunch venue had closed down. Other than that, a great day. We had managed to convince the group (in their early twenties) that we could please the masses. But then we hit the Opera House...

The good news is that we can still visit the Opera house but because we have cleared the well-known age threshold of 26(?!?) we will have to pay something in the region of a transatlantic airfare for the priviledge. This would mean sacrificing food, beer and the all-important luxury double room in the cleanest hostel in Sydney. As Champagne Backpackers, that's not going to happen.

So Sydney Opera House and the ballet (Whose name I've either forgotten or didn't know to start with - It was Giselle) it's your loss. I will take my ageing backpacker custom elsewhere.

Perhaps I'll go and play dominoes with the old boys in the Royal British Legion!