11th June:
Went to Changi Airport around 9 plus as our plane leaves in the midnight. We're all excited since this was a last-minute vacation.
My boots were finally put to use again, I last wore it during the trip to Hokkaido, Japan. Unfortunately, this was where the first of the many unfortunate events that occurred throughout the vacation.
*First my boots, then my bag's leather handle started peeling, and one of my pants' buttons dropped off, finally, my jacket's zipper got spoilt.*
We arrived at the airport terminal 3 and was checking in our luggage when I discovered that my boots were shedding. The leather were peeling off from the lack of wear. It was rather embarrassing really. I ended up buying a pair of Keds shoes from the nearby store. There goes my boots.
My relatives reached slightly later than us and we went to the transit area early since I wanted to walk around. This is my first time going into the transit area in Terminal 3 and everything was rather fascinating.
The others ate some snacks at Burger King though I didn't. I am nervous when it comes to flying on a plane and my tender stomach can't handle too much pressure.
At last, it was time to board the plane. The whole journey took about 7 hours and I spent most of the time sleeping under the influence of the anti-sickness pill. It was a rather horrible experience as the pill produced many side-effects.
My mother and I also ended up changing our seats because the speaker above had some problems and it kept producing noise.
12th June:
Reached Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport at 11 plus am, Australian time. It was a smooth landing.
The weather was cold, and the air, crisp. What a respite from the heat in Singapore! Although, it was sometimes polluted by the smokers.
Checked into Mercure Sydney. It has great facilities and most importantly, my cousin and I got to have double bed, each. Wooo! My cousin and I were room-mates.
After that, it was time to go out. Walked through many streets and saw many old buildings with wonderful structures. Since it is winter now, the trees are almost bare.
Went to Darling Harbour next and there were many private yachts there. Saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge and many sea gulls. Walked to Sydney Harbour and that is the place where the famous Opera House is located. Took many pictures there. The Opera House is bathed with different patterns in the night.
13th June:
Went to a wildlife park which was a package with a tour group for the day. The usual animals that defines Australia are all there. Kangaroos, Koalas, poisonous snakes, frogs, etc.
The next destination was Nelson Bay where we will be going Dolphin sighting on MoonShadow 5. The journey there took a long time and so, we all slept there. The countryside with quaint houses and farms is really picture-perfect and is almost my dream destination to stay.
More yachts and speedboats at the harbour.
Had Fish & Chips for lunch. The grilled fish there is perfect. Fresh and lovely, unlike Singapore's frozen fish. The chips are hot and thick, a little too salty though.
And we're off on the boat. The upper deck was almost full to the brim with people. At last, the dolphins appeared. We were joking about how the dolphins are actually robot-operated and are people in dolphins suits.
Saw a fin or two in the waters. The bays surrounding the waters are very lovely. After a while, we figured that the first deck at the front gives the best view of the dolphins and so we went there. Indeed, we saw full view of the dolphins frolicking in the sea.
Went to Port Stephens 4-wheels-drive on the sand dunes. The sand dunes are so beautiful! Vast yards of soft sand with sparse vegetation. Sand meets sky.
And the best part of the whole tour? Sand boarding! I only went on it once because the climb up is so daunting. It is a long way down and I was screaming all the way down. It's a good experience to have.
The sunset there was even more beautiful. The sand and the colours of the sunset all mingle together. The clouds tinged with red.
14th June:
Took the tour to visit the Blue Mountains, another famous landmark in Australia.
Stop-over at Leura Town first. It is a picturesque town, with little shop-houses and brick houses. I had hot chocolate with brownie at one of the cafes.
Went up to the 3 Sisters next. Legends had it that a shaman turned his 3 daughters into rocks to prevent some men from catching them but ended up loosing his magical stones, thus, not able to turn them back.
The surrounding mountains and rocks with trees are all very wonderful. And we went for the railway ride down to the mountains. It is a 55 degrees ride down, making it the steepest in the world.
Went to Featherdale Wildlife Park. I took photos with the koala sleeping in the tree. We all thought that it was fake until some of us saw the ears moved.
The guide took us to Sydney Olympic Park where the 2000 Olympics was held in Sydney.
15th June:
Checked out of Mercure Hotel and moved to YHotel. It was a big change from the 4-star hotel. We called YHotel the 5-star motel which is equal to a 1-star hotel. My cousin and I had to shared a single double bed. The only good thing about the room is that we have our own bathroom.
Took the railway to DFO factory outlet stores. Bought many clothes there. For myself, I bought a demin skirt, Esprit shirts and bag. My mother and father bought Tommy Hilfiger shirts.
To say that it was cheap to buy at the outlet stores was not so true. Since Singapore Dollars is weaker than Australian Dollars, we are at a disadvantage. And the clothes are not exactly cheap either.
Went to Sydney Aquarium next. There's nothing much that differs it from the other aquariums. They have a wide variety of sharks though.
Ate at Jordons in Darling Harbour. My uncle ordered the Seafood Platter and the Seafood Deluxe Platter. Ate many different sorts of seafood, like prawns, scallops, oysters and fish.
And something unexpected happened at YHotel this night. It was about 12 plus am, my cousin and I were all asleep when the fire alarm rang. The first thing in my mind was " Oh god, I didn't set off the smoke alarm, did I?" But, I remembered that I didn't boil any water before going to bed.
I opened the door to see if the corridor was ringing with the alarm too, but it didn't seemed like it. The ringing is really piercing to the ears. My cousin went to knock on the guys' room door where my other cousin and brother slept.
After that, came the scarier part, the system told us to evacuate the building immediately! To think that I thought it will stop after a while... We just grabbed our jackets and bags and went down the emergency exit which is right next door to us.
My cousin was still telling me how convenient it is that the emergency door is right next to us in the morning.
Met up with my uncle and auntie on the way down. And there were 2 fire engines outside the hotel. The night was so cold and despite my jacket, I was shivering. Most of the occupants were down there too, some wearing bath-robes.
After a while, the fire engines left and we all went back up. I didn't know what happened. Maybe it was a false alarm or someone set off the fire alarm.
And the worst part, this is the second time something like this happened. The first time was during the trip to New Zealand a long time ago. It happened in the wee hours of morning then.
What an experience to have! I couldn't go back to sleep after that, fearing the alarm would ring again.
16th June:
My brother got sick and so my mother and father did not go on the trip with us. Nothing to fear, it's just some weird sickness, probably due to the fright that happened last night.
Paid for the Sydney Explorer bus which cost A$39 each. Oh gods, Australia stuff is really expensive. One good thing about this bus is that we can hop off and hop on the buses anytime.
The first stop was to Mrs Macquaries' Chair. From there, we can see the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. It started drizzling and it got windy.
We then went to The Rocks. That's when the rain started getting heavier. It was a good thing that we got up the bus before the rain got any heavier.
Changed from the Sydney Explorer bus to the Bondi Explorer bus. We slept all the way there. In the summer, Bondi Beach, the most famous beach in Sydney will be full of surfers and beach-goers. But since it is winter now, the beach is almost empty.
Wow, it was really cold and windy there. My ears were starting to ache from the biting cold. Despite this, we saw some people and a couple of youth life-guards in their suits going surfing. The waves were especially huge that day.
My mother, father and brother came to meet us in a souvenir shop in the evening. Bought many things there. We each bought a shirt.
17th June:
Last day in Sydney before leaving for Singapore. We went to the Australia Museum and it is a great place. There are many sections of things to look at and it is very interactive as well.
Ate lunch at the airport and boarded SIA A380 plane. The famous plane which made its debut about a year ago, which has suites and is double storey. My relatives were seated on the upper deck while we were at the lower deck.
The spaces between the seats are wider and the toilets boost extra facilities such as colognes and perfumes. We joked about how there is bath-tubs available on the plane.
I didn't take any medicine before going up on the plane and quite enjoyed myself for the first few hours of the flight. I watched the TV for once: Confessions of a Shopaholic, the first half of He's just not that into you and Mall Cop.
I ate the dinner provided and ice-cream too. And then, the turbulence started. It was not that rocky but I can feel the protests from my stomach. I was not feeling well.
As we were about to touch down, that's when I dry-retched into the sick bag. Well, nothing came out, and my stomach weren't feeling any better. Sometimes, it's better for it to come out than to stay there.
At last, we're back to Singapore! I can't say I didn't miss Singapore. I do miss the food, the pricing, even the weather.
We all successfully past the thermal scanner in the airport.
Home Sweet Home~
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The pricing of the everything in Australia is eye-popping. The standard price for food is A$10 plus. It's a killer. I ordered a bowl of duck noodles in the food court, it cost A$9 plus. I could eat much better food in Singapore with that price.
KFC and MacDonald's isn't great there too. The chicken has no taste and the thick fries are loaded with salt. A normal meal cost so much more than a meal in Singapore.
The souvenirs aren't exactly cheap either. I bought many badges and key chains and some necklaces for friends.
In Australia, nougats and macadamia nuts is a must-buy. I just realised that Australians don't eat hard nougats, they prefer soft and bar-shaped nougat. So, we had a hard time finding the brand of nougat that we wanted.
Furthermore, their shops closed very early. By 7pm, most shops, including food stores are closed for the day, unless you go for those restaurants or cafes.
And I thought that the people there are more "cultured" in their ways of life. No, it didn't seem so. The walkways are littered with wads and wads of blacken chewing gums. Their trains get vandalised so much, even the glass windows are scratched with initials. Buildings are vandalised too.
One thing about the vandals, they are pretty creative and spot beautiful handwriting.
On the other hand, their toilets are clean and neat.
The static charges in Sydney is extremely high, you can hear the sparks when you run a plastic comb through your hair. And my face skin started peeling too, due to the dryness.
