Australia Diary 19 January 2002
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The Cargo bar has dropped to the bottom of my list of places to go to for a drink in Sydney. I got carded trying to get in there tonight. 'Being carded' is a UK expression which means that you've been asked for identification (ID) to prove that you're old enough to get into a club or pub. I haven't had to prove how old I was to get into a club for about eight or nine years so I never carry identification with me.

There was some indication that the bouncer was being racist. I'm not sure, but I was wearing an Indian shirt, the person that I was going in with walked through in front of me with no problem and nobody that I saw (before I caused a bit of a storm) was getting asked for identification. Anyway, the bouncer (we'll call him 'the idiot') asked me for ID. I was flattered, well, he obviously thought that I was under 18 (so I thought). Nope, he was serious, and only a driving licence or passport would do as a form of identification.

"You've got to be joking", I quipped, "I never carry my passport around with me".

"Oh yes Sir", don't you just hate it when they call you 'Sir', you can just taste the sarcasm in their voice. Bouncer's make the would 'Sir' sound like 'Scum' somehow, "everybody gets asked for ID here. Every club in Sydney asks everybody for identification".

"Bullshit", pipes up my companion, "I've lived here all my life, and I never get asked for ID".

"Bugger off", he thought, "You're not coming in".

"I don't want to come in to this hole of an establishment", I thought, loudly. Luckily, Jen came to the rescue at this point, and after a few minutes of sweet talking and pandering up to 'the idiot'. Oh, and a suitable waiting period, just to make him feel even more powerful, I got in.

Okay, I'll not be bothering with that place again. I don't do queues and I don't do bouncers. Life's much to short for all that sort of hassle and their are plenty more other places that you can go to avoid it as well.

Still, on the positive side, the bar is beautiful...


Darling Harbour by night looking back towards the city

To tomorrow

Created by Dan Leigh 21/01/02