I'm a tv addict. Give me a tv with an astro connection and i can watch it for hours everyday. one of my favourite tv channels in astro is travel and living. I love it when they show me interesting places around the world. I wished i could one day visit some of them. Last week, my wish was granted. I finally got the opportunity to visit Sydney, Australia.
On the eve of Malaysia's 52 National Day, I was on my way to Sydney from auckland. I travelled using Aerolineas Argentinas, a 3-star airline company from South America. I read some reviews about it and found some negative feedback from the customers. With not so high expectations, I boarded the plane. It was not as bad as described by the comments in the internet, but don't expect any young and hot stewardess from our national airline. Got the chance to sit beside and talk to this Peruvian systems engineer who works in Sydney. Gained some info about sydney and his country. By the way, I had some sandwich and some drinks in the plane for free.
After 3 hours, i finally arrived at Sydney airport at 12 pm local time. went through customs and airport security without much hassle. I took the airport link (train) to get to the city. My awesome friend Siong Ning told me to meet at Sydney's Town Hall.
When we met, we went straight to a nearby KFC restaurant for lunch. I must say, the chicken tasted heavenly. Then we took short walk around the city and took a bus to his place. after a dizzy ride from the to city to Marsfield, Ning brought me to his house in Macquarie Village. It was a 5 bedroom house with 5 personal bathroom. How cool is that? I get to meet my other friends like Zaki, Ashwin, and Nuar. I was very priveleged to meet some wonderful people from Hong Kong as well. Justin, Winnie, Iris, and Nick, if i'm correct. Got to know them better during my stay at their house.
That evening, Ning brought me to the birthplace of the famous Hillsong Church. Met some new friends and several friends from Cohort 5. Had a blast there. Very interesting to see the people in the church, with huge crowd and great songs. the experience was uplifting.
After that, Ning and I went home I chit chatted with his housemates. we played cards and and exchanged news and updates. I went to sleep soon after.
on the next day, I went to one of Macquarie's Cohort 4(C4) lectures. Tried to experience the learning knowledge at the uni. Then I got to the rest of C4's members. Took some pictures with them and went sightseeing around the campus. Their campus was lovely. the atmosphere was wonderful and the students were very vibrant.
Not very far to the Uni, there was a shopping complex. According to my resource, it's called the Macquarie Centre (MC). It was a huge shopping complex with a variety of shops. i must it's very convenient and awesome to have a shopping mall in your uni. I went home and was treated to some lovely cooked chicken by the boys in the house. Before going to sleep, I tried to called my loved ones in Auckland but it seems there was a problem with the phone service. I eventually had to use Facebook as a tool for communication.
Next, it was Tuesday. The weather was terrific with clear blue skies. I was going to see the Sydney Opera House. So Ning and I took a train to the city and started my sightseeing in a place called 'The Rocks'. He said it was the place where the Europeans first landed in Australia. There was a lot of old buildings preserved to keep the historic place alive. I noticed a lot of school trips going in that day, too. I saw several students walking around in groups taking pictures. As we went along, I got to see the Sydey's Harbour Bridge. How lovely the sight was. A man-made marvel, i thought.
As we walked along the harbour, there it was. A landmark which frequently appeared in tv and magazine. It was a breath-taking moment for me. I finally got to see it in front of my eyes. The Sydney Opera House, was a glorious looking building. In addition with the perfect weather, it's obvious that I took a lot of pictures of it. the moment of seeing it was hard to describe.
Before heading closer to the opera house, we had lunch at this fine dining restaurant. It was awesome. I ordered the a crayfish risotto with mushroom and caviar. Sounds funky, eh? the taste waste absolutely heavenly. Can't wait to make it by myself later.
After that and some more photos, we finally arrived at the opera house. there were several shops and restaurants around it, making it a busy and lively place. Tourists kept flooding the the opera house, taking pictures one after another. I found out that the roof of the building is made tiles similar to the ones that is used in restrooms and kitchens. To be honest, the closer you get to the opera house, it looks less flattering. Nevertheless, it was still and mind-blowing experience to be able to touch it. hahaha..
My next stop was manly Beach. We went ther by ferry. it's less popular than Bondi Beach, but it's still awesome. A great place to chill out with friends and loved ones, it offers a great beach with white sands and turqoise blue water. Since it was still early in spring, there was nothing much to see.. hehehe.. Anyway, had a delicious fish and chips at a nearby open air restaurant.
on the way back to the city, I was very lucky to catch the sunset overlooking circular quay. The view of Sydney harbour and the Bridge was mesmerizing. and that was the end of my sightseeing trip on Tuesday.
On wednesday, we went to explore the other side of the city. We began trip with a brunch in Japanese restaurant. Ning told me that they make the best ramen in Sydney. I had this ramen with soy sauce soup with condiments. My verdict says the restaurant really lives up to its reputation. After adding a few pounds, we went straight to Hyde Park, a place where locals love to enjoy the sun. Around the park there were several awesome landmarks such as the museum and sydney tower, and St. Mary's Cathedral. The cathedral was beautiful. I got to see the inside of the building. It was an inspiring experience. A statue of the Pope is located outside of the cathedral, giving a nice touch to the cathedral as well.
after that, we visited the Art Gallery. there were heaps of beautiful paintings and sculptures inside the building. several arts students were attentively making some scetches and drawings, inspired by the paintings.
after admiring some wonderful art in the gallery, we walked our way to the Farm Cove to see more lovely sceneries of the opera house and the bridge. too bad i didn't get to see the Mrs Macquarie Chair due to time constraints. We finish our journey that day by treating ourselves with a chocoholic galore in Max Brenner. superb chocolate-y waffles and drinks.
on thursday, I had a solo trip to Australia's oldest uni, Sydney University. My friends like to refer it as Hogwarts Uni, due to the old buildings around the campus which looked like the buildings in Harry Potter's movie. I think my friend Kazar studied here before. Bought myself some souvenirs from the uni shop before heading to the city again.
it was not a pleasant day to sightsee that afternoon because it was raining. since it was my last opportunity to walk around sydney i had to endure it anyways. I went to Darling harbour to meet Ning again and see some lovely places such as the Chinese Garden of Friendship, Paddy's market, fish market, Chinatown, as well as the harbour. the chinese garden has a spectacular koi pond, surrounded by lovely flowers and trees. I bought some souvenirs in Paddy's and had a glorious eating experince at fish market where i enjoyed a lobster, some oysters and baby octopi. the Chinese food in Chinatown was scruptuos too. A special mention to the Emperor's puff, which tasted like our lovely kaya balls back in Malaysia. Before going home, we took several pictures at the harbour.
The night before returning back to Auckland, the housemates and I had a great feast of pizza and a whole chicken. We talked and talked before I fell asleep. Overall, it was an awesome experience and i enjoyed i very much. I wished i had more time in Sydney but the flight tickets didn't allow me. i would definitely come back if opportunity arises.
Tata..
