Our Superman...... IDLAN
Thursday, March 23, 2006
OUR AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE
Khairul and I had our Australian Adventure earlier this month. Not exactly the outback adventure.. more of a city adventure in Sydney. We had this great opportunity thanks to Khairul's company who sent him for a "lawatan sambil belajar" to the sister company of KL Convex in Brisbane. Since Khairul's ticket was a connecting flight via Sydney, we decided to spend some time there for sight-seeing.
March 3
I arrived in Sydney on Friday, March 3, 2006 at about 8 am, where I was to meet Khairul arriving from Brisbane that afternoon at the Mercure Hotel. Seeing Asians and even the Mat Sallehs on board the aircraft doning at least a sweater, I was worried! I only brought the same clothes I wore in our climate. I had checked on the net earlier on that the weather was between 20 - 27 degrees celcius. So thats like aircond only right ?? The people at Sydney Airport didn't help either, mostly were sweater-clad. I stepped out from the airport for a while to feel the air outside.... tak sejuk pun?!
Anyway, I decided to take the train to the City. My greatest challenge then was to locate the Hotel from the train station. With a bag on tow, I started walking in search of the Hotel. The first 5 minutes I was walking the wrong way! Luckily I had not gone far from where I started. I got my bearing right, and in 20 minutes, I was at the Hotel.
After leaving my bags at the concierge, I started to explore the surrounding area. Chinatown was a 5 minute walk from the Hotel. I went into Paddy's Market, a combination of a wet /dry market on the ground floor, and a mini shopping complex above. With the amount of hustle and bustle + many Asian-looking people at the market, you'd easily think that you're in Bangkok/KL. They had on sale cheap imitation stuff you'd find in Petaling Street. I bought some fruits - peaches, nectarines, sugar plums, plums... stuff that would cost you a bomb in KL. I went to a supermarket in the shopping complex above - they even sell belacan there! Everyone was dressed just like our climate. Takde pun sweater2 like at the airport/in the plane. (lesson learned: don't judge the weather at the Airport). Khairul, (the less adventureous one, haha) came by taxi that afternoon.
We went for dinner at a Malay restaurant nearby (thanks to Ainol's suggestion)- Cafe Kasturi. The food? A bit on the manis-side, tapi okaylah... We went to Paddy's Market again to get some supplies that evening and called it a night thereafter.
March 4
Packed with sandwiches and chocolates, we headed to the train station for our first destination - Circular Quay (Quay pronounced as Key). This is the home of the most famous landmark of not only Sydney, but also Australia - Sydney Opera House & Harbour Bridge. We started our day by taking a ferry to Taronga Zoo, hoping to catch a glimpse of some native Australian creatures esp Kangaroos & Koala Bears. The good news was that the zoo didn't smell of dunk at all! But the bad news was the kangaroos were not around that day. We managed to see the sleepy koalas, the wombat and the emu though.
Heading back by ferry, we took the opportunity to take pictures of ourselves with the famous landmarks in the background. We then went to catch a closer look of the Opera House. I've always thought it was a steel structure, like our Twin Towers. But its actually of a sand stone-like colour. We then headed to the other side, to the Harbour Bridge area. They actually have tours to climb the bridge - climbing the frame of the harbour bridge. You'd have to pay probably 150 aussie for that. We didn't climb that .. not only was it expensive, but I don't think I can physically take it, with me being pregnant and gayat and all.
We then went to a weekend flee market not far away from the bridge. It was a lively place, with lots of vendors selling knicks and knacks. We managed to get some cheap souvenirs there and a few t-shirts for Idlan & Nurin.
We managed to catch some quiet time at the Botanical Garden, enjoying the serenity, before heading back to the Hotel that late afternoon.
The day ended with dinner at Cafe Kasturi and a scary evening stroll around the neighbourhood - it didn't feel that safe at night, with a lot of drunkards around.
March 5
We headed for the Powerhouse Museum in the morning, by foot, as it was only a 10 minute walk away from our Hotel. This museum, is by far considered the most interesting museum in Sydney. As its self-explanatory name, the premises was previously a powerhouse providing power for Sydney's electric tram system until year 1963. There were lots of trains and vehicles which Khairul took pictures of , for our son. There was even a Kylie Minogue section, featuring her wardrobe donated to the Museum. She's like just size 8!
After spending nearly 2 hours there, we took a monorail to Darling Harbour. This is another tourist hot spot, Sydney Aquarium, Maritime Museum, Power Imax and the Sydney Convenion Centre, all there within the vicinity. Although Sydney Aquarium is bigger than our Aquaria (size-wise), I think our Aquaria is at par with Sydney's. I was thinking of Idlan the whole time, he would have enjoyed this place immensely! Nevermind.. next time bila ada rezeki, boleh bawak.
We had our lunch at a Moroccan halal restaurant at the Harbourside Complex. Interesting taste.... I had fish & rice... Sedapnya... where can i get Morrocan food here?? Anyway, after that we headed to the Maritime Museum. The featured exhibits at that time was Vikings. Apart from the fact that these Nordic men were barbaric and feared, they were really good sea-farers, with great ship-making skills.
We then took the monorail to the Central Business District (CBD), to check out the shopping arena. Khairul insisted that we went to the Queen Victoria Building shopping complex, an uptown market avenue, with beautiful Byzantine architecture, which was originally a market --> city library ---> municipal office and now a shopping complex. The building has a series of domes and domelets with nice stained glass windows and extensive wood panelling throughout.
We walked around some more, strolled down Hyde Park, and ended the day with a Fish and Chips dinner at a joint near our Hotel.
March 6
By this time we had covered pretty much all the sight-seeing spots suggested by our reference map/book. What was left was shopping! We headed for Oxford Street, which is not really the vision of Oxford Street in London. Lots of adult-type shops along the way. They had actually had the Mardi Gras parade - a gay & lesbian annual parade along the street the previous day. So, we did get to see a glimpse of the
spill-over of the night's party in a sober-mood. Although sober at 12 noon, they were of course easily identified - just by looking at their dressing. Surprisingly, we found a halal kebab shop there run by a Turkish lady. She has been in Sydney for almost her entire life but tells us how her own country is better - "Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri. Lebih baik di negeri sendiri". Did I get that right?
We headed to CBD and picked up from where we left the previous day. Walking down Pitt Street Mall and Martin's Place. Well, contrary to its name, Pitt Street Mall is actually not a mall, but a street that has lots of shops - like Oxford Street in London. Perpendicular to it is Martin's Place, not a shopping street but a business district, with architecturally beautiful buildings. There wasn't much to shop anyway... nothing of interest... except for Myers, where we bought a few Thomas books which were cheaper by RM 6 each than Malaysia! I was hoping to find Target, a shop I went to in Brisbane in 1999, where I bought 3 clothing items which I still
wear till today. But luck wasn't on our side. I guess the Target outlets are at the outskirts of Sydney.
We walked to Circular Quay (again!) to get some souvenirs we had had in mind since our last visit. And of course, the day ended with Cafe Kasturi.
March 7
Day of departure. We slept late, ate breakfast and checked out by 11 am. The taxi ride was 30 minutes to the Airport, and we were left with 4 hours to kill and 10 dollars worth of aussie coins to get rid off. Of course that wasn't a hard task! We used up the 5 cents 5 cents coins to buy postcards.
We had seafood lunch at the cafe, and by 3.00pm, we were already on board the plane, anxious to get home to our dear Idlan.
Overall, I must say that the Australian adventure has been great! We enjoyed ourselves immensely. Now what's left is the credit card bills this month to remind us of REALITY!!
Khairul and I had our Australian Adventure earlier this month. Not exactly the outback adventure.. more of a city adventure in Sydney. We had this great opportunity thanks to Khairul's company who sent him for a "lawatan sambil belajar" to the sister company of KL Convex in Brisbane. Since Khairul's ticket was a connecting flight via Sydney, we decided to spend some time there for sight-seeing.
March 3
I arrived in Sydney on Friday, March 3, 2006 at about 8 am, where I was to meet Khairul arriving from Brisbane that afternoon at the Mercure Hotel. Seeing Asians and even the Mat Sallehs on board the aircraft doning at least a sweater, I was worried! I only brought the same clothes I wore in our climate. I had checked on the net earlier on that the weather was between 20 - 27 degrees celcius. So thats like aircond only right ?? The people at Sydney Airport didn't help either, mostly were sweater-clad. I stepped out from the airport for a while to feel the air outside.... tak sejuk pun?!
Anyway, I decided to take the train to the City. My greatest challenge then was to locate the Hotel from the train station. With a bag on tow, I started walking in search of the Hotel. The first 5 minutes I was walking the wrong way! Luckily I had not gone far from where I started. I got my bearing right, and in 20 minutes, I was at the Hotel.
After leaving my bags at the concierge, I started to explore the surrounding area. Chinatown was a 5 minute walk from the Hotel. I went into Paddy's Market, a combination of a wet /dry market on the ground floor, and a mini shopping complex above. With the amount of hustle and bustle + many Asian-looking people at the market, you'd easily think that you're in Bangkok/KL. They had on sale cheap imitation stuff you'd find in Petaling Street. I bought some fruits - peaches, nectarines, sugar plums, plums... stuff that would cost you a bomb in KL. I went to a supermarket in the shopping complex above - they even sell belacan there! Everyone was dressed just like our climate. Takde pun sweater2 like at the airport/in the plane. (lesson learned: don't judge the weather at the Airport). Khairul, (the less adventureous one, haha) came by taxi that afternoon.
We went for dinner at a Malay restaurant nearby (thanks to Ainol's suggestion)- Cafe Kasturi. The food? A bit on the manis-side, tapi okaylah... We went to Paddy's Market again to get some supplies that evening and called it a night thereafter.
March 4
Packed with sandwiches and chocolates, we headed to the train station for our first destination - Circular Quay (Quay pronounced as Key). This is the home of the most famous landmark of not only Sydney, but also Australia - Sydney Opera House & Harbour Bridge. We started our day by taking a ferry to Taronga Zoo, hoping to catch a glimpse of some native Australian creatures esp Kangaroos & Koala Bears. The good news was that the zoo didn't smell of dunk at all! But the bad news was the kangaroos were not around that day. We managed to see the sleepy koalas, the wombat and the emu though.
Heading back by ferry, we took the opportunity to take pictures of ourselves with the famous landmarks in the background. We then went to catch a closer look of the Opera House. I've always thought it was a steel structure, like our Twin Towers. But its actually of a sand stone-like colour. We then headed to the other side, to the Harbour Bridge area. They actually have tours to climb the bridge - climbing the frame of the harbour bridge. You'd have to pay probably 150 aussie for that. We didn't climb that .. not only was it expensive, but I don't think I can physically take it, with me being pregnant and gayat and all.
We then went to a weekend flee market not far away from the bridge. It was a lively place, with lots of vendors selling knicks and knacks. We managed to get some cheap souvenirs there and a few t-shirts for Idlan & Nurin.
We managed to catch some quiet time at the Botanical Garden, enjoying the serenity, before heading back to the Hotel that late afternoon.
The day ended with dinner at Cafe Kasturi and a scary evening stroll around the neighbourhood - it didn't feel that safe at night, with a lot of drunkards around.
March 5
We headed for the Powerhouse Museum in the morning, by foot, as it was only a 10 minute walk away from our Hotel. This museum, is by far considered the most interesting museum in Sydney. As its self-explanatory name, the premises was previously a powerhouse providing power for Sydney's electric tram system until year 1963. There were lots of trains and vehicles which Khairul took pictures of , for our son. There was even a Kylie Minogue section, featuring her wardrobe donated to the Museum. She's like just size 8!
After spending nearly 2 hours there, we took a monorail to Darling Harbour. This is another tourist hot spot, Sydney Aquarium, Maritime Museum, Power Imax and the Sydney Convenion Centre, all there within the vicinity. Although Sydney Aquarium is bigger than our Aquaria (size-wise), I think our Aquaria is at par with Sydney's. I was thinking of Idlan the whole time, he would have enjoyed this place immensely! Nevermind.. next time bila ada rezeki, boleh bawak.
We had our lunch at a Moroccan halal restaurant at the Harbourside Complex. Interesting taste.... I had fish & rice... Sedapnya... where can i get Morrocan food here?? Anyway, after that we headed to the Maritime Museum. The featured exhibits at that time was Vikings. Apart from the fact that these Nordic men were barbaric and feared, they were really good sea-farers, with great ship-making skills.
We then took the monorail to the Central Business District (CBD), to check out the shopping arena. Khairul insisted that we went to the Queen Victoria Building shopping complex, an uptown market avenue, with beautiful Byzantine architecture, which was originally a market --> city library ---> municipal office and now a shopping complex. The building has a series of domes and domelets with nice stained glass windows and extensive wood panelling throughout.
We walked around some more, strolled down Hyde Park, and ended the day with a Fish and Chips dinner at a joint near our Hotel.
March 6
By this time we had covered pretty much all the sight-seeing spots suggested by our reference map/book. What was left was shopping! We headed for Oxford Street, which is not really the vision of Oxford Street in London. Lots of adult-type shops along the way. They had actually had the Mardi Gras parade - a gay & lesbian annual parade along the street the previous day. So, we did get to see a glimpse of the
spill-over of the night's party in a sober-mood. Although sober at 12 noon, they were of course easily identified - just by looking at their dressing. Surprisingly, we found a halal kebab shop there run by a Turkish lady. She has been in Sydney for almost her entire life but tells us how her own country is better - "Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri. Lebih baik di negeri sendiri". Did I get that right?
We headed to CBD and picked up from where we left the previous day. Walking down Pitt Street Mall and Martin's Place. Well, contrary to its name, Pitt Street Mall is actually not a mall, but a street that has lots of shops - like Oxford Street in London. Perpendicular to it is Martin's Place, not a shopping street but a business district, with architecturally beautiful buildings. There wasn't much to shop anyway... nothing of interest... except for Myers, where we bought a few Thomas books which were cheaper by RM 6 each than Malaysia! I was hoping to find Target, a shop I went to in Brisbane in 1999, where I bought 3 clothing items which I still
wear till today. But luck wasn't on our side. I guess the Target outlets are at the outskirts of Sydney.
We walked to Circular Quay (again!) to get some souvenirs we had had in mind since our last visit. And of course, the day ended with Cafe Kasturi.
March 7
Day of departure. We slept late, ate breakfast and checked out by 11 am. The taxi ride was 30 minutes to the Airport, and we were left with 4 hours to kill and 10 dollars worth of aussie coins to get rid off. Of course that wasn't a hard task! We used up the 5 cents 5 cents coins to buy postcards.
We had seafood lunch at the cafe, and by 3.00pm, we were already on board the plane, anxious to get home to our dear Idlan.
Overall, I must say that the Australian adventure has been great! We enjoyed ourselves immensely. Now what's left is the credit card bills this month to remind us of REALITY!!