Sydney Trip Dec 2012 - Day 7

After packing for the day, we set off for Sydney Fish Market for brunch! The fish market wasn't smelly at all and people could actually eat inside! It was crowded!

Here are some photos of the seafood available in the market. How I wish I can buy them all!!!

We had fish and chips, salmon, scallops, oysters, calamari, fish and crayfish. It cost about A$30 per person. Not cheap huh? Seagulls are really irritating here. They always hover around, waiting for the opportunity to steal your food!! And there are plenty of them!!! Our food:

We went to Bondi Junction for bikini shopping!! I got a nice set for myself and dear cousin got a bottom. Then off we go to Bondi Beach!!! It was another super windy and cold day! We had fried Mars bar which dear cousin strongly recommended that we try. It's super yummy but ultra sinful!!!

Then we walked past a clothing shop and they were selling jackets at a discount!! Feeling cold and feeling stupid for not bringing a jacket, we bought a jacket each writing "Bondi Beach". Dear cousin bought the same colour as I! She is slowly beginning to like green colour!

The water was too cold to swim in. We just walked on the sand and played with the waves. There was a large shower room so we cleaned ourselves later on. 

Dinner was at Hurricanes Grill. Dear cousin wanted me to try this long before I went Sydney! 

loaf

scallops

Beef Ribs

Pork Ribs

We were given bibs before they served. The ribs were so yummy!!!! 

We had to return the car the next day, so we went to pump petrol before returning home. What a happy day!!!

Sydney Trip Dec 2012 - Day 6

We had a good night's sleep. We woke up and packed our stuff ready to check-out of the room. We had to remove the bedsheets and leave them outside the door. We complained a little at the reception about our heater and electricity but they didn't do anything for us. We were expecting some discounts. Chey!

We drove out for breakfast. We had to wait till the afternoon for our dolphin cruise. We managed to find a place with free parking. Parking is expensive in Sydney!

The breakfast was filling!! And it was so yummy!!!

We walked around and took photos while waiting for time to pass. We even sat in the car to wait! We also drove out of that town and walked to the beach again. The nicest beach there is at the dolphine watch cruise there with blue waters and a little whiter sand. We can't be late so we made sure were there before the cruise left. *remember: punctuality!*

The ship left two minutes before the stated departure time (WTH right!) and there were some passengers would were not able to board cos' the ship was leaving. 

It was quite a big ship and there were three decks. It was very windy! Before long, we were out in the bay to catch glimpses of dolphins. It was easy sighting them. But all we could see were their fins. We can't see the whole body but I think I saw one jumping out of the water!

I drove us back home. Again, other cars were overtaking us while we climb the hills. Poor engine. 

I love the time spent at the cabin and in the car. 

We cooked spaghetti and the house-mate cooked Prima Deli's Singapore Prawn Curry. Again we had fun in the kitchen!!! And clean freak cousin was always cleaning. LOL!

We had vanilla ice cream for desserts.  

We are going to Bondi Beach tomorrow!!!

Sydney Trip Dec 2012 - Day 5

Dear cousin took Friday and Monday off so that we can have a very long weekend together!! We were all set for our drive to Jervis Bay!! We rented a car and cousin picked it up yesterday. It was a red Nissan Micra. We had no idea what we were in for till we were climbing the hills on the way to Jervis Bay and back. It was a 1.3L car but it had absolutely no power against even the gentle hills. *Sigh* Luckily no cars horned at us. Australian drivers are really patient!

She drove us there. It was a 2.5 hour journey. Of course, we had a GPS to lead us there. We stopped halfway to get lunch and bought two dresses! I love the car journey cos' no one else could disturb the both of us.

We finally arrived at Hukisson Beach Resort! Boy, the wind was cold! We checked in and got our keys to our cabin!! We parked our car outside our cabin and were super excited to check the insides. 

I must say the cabin was really clean! Everything was constrained in the tiny cabin but it felt so cosy.

From the door, it's the kitchen, dining and living.

A one-man walkway to the beds and toilet

Toilet

Shower

Our bed

Wardrobe and dressing table

Triple-deckers

Chilling area outside the cabin

 We changed and went out to the sea!! Both of us didn't expect a COLD beach!! We were all in the wrong attire!!! Cold wind was blowing hard into our faces and we quickly took pictures at the beach. The beach wasn't that fantastic as it seemed on the internet. 

So cold, we quickly went back to the car and headed off for dinner. We chose a Grill restaurant. It was fantastic!! We felt a bit outcast as people were looking at us (Asians) and thought the people in the restaurant did not bother serving us. But it became a little better later. 

The boss was really funny as he requested that we should try their home-made desserts rather than the cakes that they bought from others. It wasn't a wrong choice at all!! I truly loved the tiramisu and cousin's carrot cake.

We had a super cold shower (coldest in my life) that night as the heater was not working and so did some of the sockets. Luckily we had one working to charge our handphones. :(

Ok, gonna cuddle after the cold shower!!!

Sydney Trip Dec 2012 - Day 4

Today was quite a packed day. I went to the Opera House for a classical concert and tour. The walk to the Opera House was magnificient every second. The weather was good and the road was not crowded. I could walk with so much ease. There was a couple taking wedding photos and many people taking photos with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House as the back drop. Nearing the Opera House, there was a GIGANTIC luxury liner anchored, waiting for its next departure. 

Learning from last night's lesson, I knew I can't be late for anything in Australia. I had lunch at the row of restaurants there. I ordered sashimi sushi with noodles. The waitress told me to finish the sushi quickly and beware of the seagulls. Because I was sitting so near to the sea, the seagulls must had locked me down as their target. I didn't even have time to take a picture of the food. I was just about to put the first piece of sushi into my mouth and suddenly there was a commotion on my table!!! I looked up and my prawn was gone!!!! The seagulls are large birds and they are aggressive!!! I was totally in shock! Luckily the rest of the sashimi are still intact and I quickly gobbled them down! I hate seagulls now.

I made my way to the concert hall for Totally Tchaikovsky. 

It is a small theatre with the stand in the centre. Despite it being an afternoon concert on a weekday, it was FULL house. The interior is beautiful but the acoustics were not as good as Esplanade's. Well, be reminded that this is an old theatre.

Then I joined the Sydney Opera House tour. Not late again ya! We were all given a headset so that when the tour guide speaks, we can hear it clearly and not creating noise pollution. Very innovative. Through the tour, I understood that building the Opera House was such great work and large sum of money. All the infrastructure and the casting of the beams were all great engineering works. I was really amazed. 

Think: How did they cast the curved roof?

I decided to take the ferry to Darling Harbour. They have so many routes and they operate using the same subway card! There I met my dear cousin and house mate for dinner. It was a really nice dinner. 

After dinner, we walked through QVB and they were displaying the largest Christmas tree decorated with Swarovski crystals. 

It's gonna be Christmas soon!!! 

Sydney Trip Dec 2012 - Day 3

Spending time with dear cousin is always so fun! But she is really a clean freak that some things she did were really unnecessary.

I went back to Darling Harbour for the Sydney Aquarium. I must say that this is much better than Singapore's Sentosa Aquarium and Korea's COEX Aquarium which I have visited. This is much bigger and the underground tunnel is longer. I spent quite a long time in the Aquarium.

Jellyfish are pretty!!

Then I walked from one end of Darling Harbour to the other. It was such a long walk! The sun was blazing today but it was not to warm. 

Dear cousin knocked off and we met at home to go to The Star - Lyric Theatre for Legally Blonde musical. We thought that it was still early and slowly made our way there. We totally underestimated the time, and to make things worse, we missed our subway stop!!! We were running towards the super faraway theatre. We were late and missed the first 10 minutes of the show. Australians are real punctual!!

Taken during intermission

After the show, it was a long walk back to the station. But this time we cut through the malls and had McDonalds for supper.

Sydney Trip Dec 2012 - Day 2

Today, I'm on my own as dear cousin need to work. She woke up at about 815 am for work. The sound from the house mate's showers is her daily second alarm clock. Amidst my sleep, I saw her washed up and changed in front of her big wardrobe mirror. Then I bid her goodbye.

I woke up much later then got ready and went out. At the subway, one random guy approached me and ask what my Christmas plans were. The first thought that came to my mind was that the people here can randomly converse with stranger, rather than him having evil intentions on me. Subway stations are clean and every station has at least a vending machine. I love how the country trust its citizens to keep public places clean.

Today I'm going to Darling Harbour. I caught The Last Reef on IMAX and walked around Darling Harbour a bit because I'm gonna be back here the next day. 

 I bought the tickets for light rail and took from the start to the end and back. As it travels out of the city, life seems to be quieter outside. I really liked my time here, without the thought of work and stuff.

I alighted the light rail and was at Westfield and Sydney Towers. 

I got a ticket and went up the Tower. The horizon is really curved!

Sydney Trip Dec 2012 - Day 1

I spent a whole 12 days with my dearest cousin in Sydney over my December holidays. It was actually a trip I even hesitated to go. Firstly there was no one I could find to go on a trip with me (because it's more expensive during peak period) and secondly, there was no special place I want to visit (due to financial constraints). So it was only quite late in the year that I decided to buy a ticket and fly to Sydney. It so happens that Scoot just started flying and I could fly on a budget!

Before the day I flew, I realised I need to apply for visa! I assumed that the Singapore passport was a "all-go" document. Luckily the visa could be applied online and I could proceed with my holiday!

The flight was at 2am. So it was quite easy to pass the 6.5 hour flight as most time was spent sleeping. I upgraded my seat to Super seats, but they are not any spacious than the normal seats. The in-flight meal was a small portion. 

Finally arrived at Syndey Airport! It was very easy navigating to the customs and belts. Before long, I was already out. Vodafone was located just outside the exit that I came out from. So I went to purchase a local SIM card and got the $49 Flexi Cap plan. After that I had an early lunch at Mac before taking the subway to St. Leonards station. Changing the trains at Central was a little confusing because of the number of lines there. However all the stations were baggage friendly - lifts!!

new train

old train

The trains were triple-decked. So cool!!! It took about 45 minutes from the airport to St. Leonards and called my cousin to bring me to her place. She had to walk over from her office and so after some instructions on how to walk, we finally saw each other across the street!! 

After much jumping and shouting, we went up to her rented apartment and put down my stuff. We had Korean food for dinner with another cousin at Chatswood and went up to his place to take a look.

We went back to St. Leonards and played some silly games for laughs before ending the night. I also got to know my cousin's apartment-mate and he is a very friendly and nice guy!

The weather is so great here! Ok, more updates tomorrow!!