I have been getting a lot of requests to write up about my Sydney adventure. Not that I did not plan to but I started my school semester 2 days after I touched down and I had other important stuffs to settle. Now that its been 2 months past and I finally had the time to edit and retrieve the pictures from the DSLR camera, here I am sitting down and writing a blog post for you guys. :)
----------
This Sydney trip was planned a month before our departure. My bb Evonne and I decided that we should celebrate our birthday overseas this time round. I have always wanted to visit nice beaches so I could get a nice shade of tan - which is why Bondi Beach came about thus choosing Sydney over any other states in Australia. Also, I am an avid fan of the show called 'Bondi Rescue' (hot lifeguards alert), hands up if you love this show too!
In this post, I will be sharing a lot of pictures and a little detail of how we travel to places.
We booked a flight under Scoots which cost us $600SGD/pax for two-way flight which I think was a great deal considering the fact that there was a discount promotion for the return flight. It took us days as we "camp" in front of our laptops hoping to get the lowest price available out there. Here's a tip, I always trust Skyscanner to give the best prices. It never disappoints!
19 January 2015
Our flight timing was at 01:45am, and we had ample time to roam around and have light supper before boarding the plane. I left for the airport at 7pm to have an early birthday dinner with my family. I was surprised with a Swensens ice-cream cake at home too. I can't thank my family enough for coming up with surprises I never expected. Thank you guys!
The flight to Sydney took approximately 8 hours. The only thing I wish for a long flight - a comfortable seat. Scoot's economy seats were not as comfortable as I thought it would be. Furthermore, I was seated beside a tall and big sized Aussie dude whom I can see was clearly struggling to make his legs comfortable (he had to stretch his legs to my leg area!). Many times he leaned onto my side and elbowed me.......while sleeping. I guess it was not too bad after all considering that I survived the flight.
 |
| "Can the dude just stop elbowing me in my chest already?!" |
We reached Sydney at 12:35pm, 9:35am SG time. While busy looking out for my luggage at the belt, I realised my phone was missing. I won't deny I panicked a little because I mean OBVIOUSLY losing your phone on your first day?!??! It was too late to get back to the aircraft because it already left. Feeling sad and despaired, I walked to Scoots help-desk and told them about it. Thank God, a kind soul returned it so yay to me for not losing my phone for the millionth time and yay for ya'll so I can take pictures for you guys to see! God bless all these kind souls in the world.
We then proceeded to the train station to catch the train to our apartment. In Sydney, they use ez-link cards just like we do, but it's called the Opal card. We topped up each a total of 25AUD hopefully to last us for 5 days at least, but the fare from airport station is the most expensive, according to the staff. Same goes to other stations heading to the airport station. The topping up/buy a ticket station was a little confusing, so we seeked help at the control station.
From International Airport station, it took roughly 9 stops to reach Bondi Junction station. Just like Singapore, they have multiple train lines. International Airport station is on the green line and we had to change at Central (the interchange for all other coloured lines too) to reach Bondi Junction station. The train network map was really easy to understand so it was not a problem at all.
Once we alighted at Bondi Junction station, we had to take bus 380 down to Penkivil Street where our apartment was located. For those who have been asking, our apartment was booked through Airbnb. Our host, Filippo, was not around during the period of our stay but his roommate, Umberto was very accommodating. The entire level has 4 rooms with a balcony that connects our rooms together, which is pretty amazing if you think about it.
Room rate: $65 SGD/night
$65 x 7 days = $455 SGD
We realised the time was quite late for us to venture to the city so we decided to grab late lunch and walk down to Bondi Beach to explore. Our apartment's location was very convenient and there were a lot of small quaint cafes along the street leading down to Bondi Beach.
 |
| Hahahahahaha. |
 |
| (Grilled Calamari with Sweet Chilli - $3AUD) |
Doesn't it make you salivate? We took roughly 10 minutes just to decide what to grab, and we settled for grilled calamari with sweet chilli sauce. We then made our way to Bondi Beach. The walk took us approximately 15-20 minutes from our apartment. After years of watching Bondi Rescue, the feeling was surreal when I finally experience the beach. Except that the weather was cloudy and slightly drizzling, so there weren't many people at the beach thus no lifeguards around. ;'(
Decked in shorts and hoodie, we totally did not see the rain coming. So when it rained, we both laughed at each other cause we were shivering like crazy. Here's us seeking shelter and forcing a smile:
We were too cold to explore more places where we could dine for dinner. Seeing that the earlier seafood shop closes at 9pm and we still had time, we had our dinner at the same place. The lady at the counter saw us and the first thing she said was, "How can I help you again ladies?", she probably knew we were going to come back for more.
(A Barramundi meal with Fries and Salad - $7AUD)
(Fish Burger with Fries - $5AUD)
Barramundi or also known as Asian sea bass is one of the most popular fishes Australians love to eat. You can find it almost everywhere! Also, did you know that majority of the shops closes at 6pm? Many Australians would be at home having dinner with their family by then. Except for the City area, the shops close slightly later. Apart from this seafood shack, there are about five other cafes that opens till later. Seeing that the seafood shack was empty when we dined, the lady behind the counter started to talk to us. We only met for a day but she made us feel so homely with her motherly vibes she gave.
 |
| "You girls better not stay out too late. You hear me?" |
She also gave us a long list of things we must do in Sydney and she claimed that these experiences would be worth our time. Her staffs who were busy cleaning up the counters were also helping to brainstorm ideas for us. A guy who entered the shop to have a quick dinner joined in our conversation too. So you can pretty much tell I didn't finish my dinner, instead I was too focused in jotting down those recommended places.
The night later, I was having cold sweat with diarrhoea and vomiting. I thought I wouldn't make it through the night and all I wanted was an axe oil. Thankfully, Evonne brought her first-aid medication box, popped some pills and it put me to sleep.
20th January 2015
HAPPY 22ND TO ME! I woke up at 7am feeling slightly better, I turned to my side and saw that the bed was empty. Thinking that Evonne could be in the toilet, I went back to sleep. I woke up again at 8am and this time I panicked a little because the bed was still empty. I turned to my side and saw a note left underneath my phone, "Went out for a walk. Be back in a while!". I couldn't contact her because we don't have a phone line and the only way we could connect to the WIFI was only back in our apartment. I was about to fall asleep yet again (blame the medication) when I saw the door unlocked and Evonne came in with a bouquet of pink roses!! The fact that she sneaked out without bathing (to minimise noise) and then leaving a note just in case I panicked (which I did). Thank you once again my bb!
We made breakfast and then got ready to head out to Sydney Opera House and the zoo.
What I love about the location of our apartment is that it has a direct bus to almost everywhere. Bus 380 takes us directly to Sydney Opera House but we decided to take take the train instead and walk so we could explore more of the city area. We took 380, alighted at Westfield where Bondi Junction train station is located at, took the train and dropped of at Martin's Place. It took us 20 minutes to walk from Martin's to Circular Quay where the Opera House is located.
It was realllllly windy here at Martin's Place.
 |
| Along the way, we spotted boys playing touch rugby! :p |
The view here was magnificent as we sat and watched the big ship, people climbing the Harbour Bridge, the seagulls perched all around and be amazed by the beauty. The weather was slightly cloudy and sunny at the same time and we got ourselves ice-cream from a Gelato shop nearby. Who said ice-creams are only meant for extreme hot weather?
Advantages of taking the ferry, you can snap more pictures of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge without having tourist photobombing it!
 |
| Nutella + Ferrero Rocher flavoured. WHUT?! |
Taronga Zoo is located on Bradleys Head, Mosman. The quickest and easiest way to get to Taronga Zoo is by public transport. The Zoo is located 12 minutes from Circular Quay by ferry or a short bus trip from the city or North Sydney. It is best if you go public because they will have special promotions for both ferry + zoo entrance ticket price! We each paid roughly 45AUD, if I remember it correctly. If you do happen to rent a car in Sydney, you can also drive in to the zoo. Per entrance will cost you $17AUD/day.
Advantages of taking the ferry, you can snap more pictures of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge without having tourist photobombing it!
 |
| Picture was taken by the tour guide on the ferry who offered to take us with the Opera House behind. Thank you mate!
Once we alighted, we had to take a cable car which will bring us to the entrance of the zoo. As we go up, you will be able to see the elephant enclosure and the other parts of the zoo from above!
      |
 |
 |
These little meerkats kept digging holes and tried to sit on top of each other. How cute!   
It was my first time seeing Mountain Tahrs and I was pretty amazed at how they can climb these "mountains" without falling off. Also, I had an intense staring session with them. Apparently, they won.
Taronga Zoo has a dinosaur exhibition. You will be able to spot real live dinosaurs that are battery operated moving its head. Which is pretty scary. Here's our genuine scared faces:
   The weather at the zoo was pretty hot and humid but not as warm as Singapore. Again, we decided that it is time for ice-cream! We saw a lot of kids licking this orange stick and we gave it a try. It was delicious!!   
Here's one last POV shot before we leave because I started to feel nauseous again. :'(
We took the cable car and ferry back to Circular Key where we decided to have a cup of hot chocolate to make myself feel slightly better. Portobello Caffé located directly at East Circular Key, serves a huge array of food. From different sorts of entrees to pastas, wine and beer, desserts and hot drinks. As you dine, you will be able to see the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and sit back to experience the hustle and bustle of the city. Have I also mentioned that the staffs working are mostly Italian dudes? Uhmmmhmmm a better looking view, I guess?  We took bus 380 from Circular Key back to our apartment and settled on a pepperoni pizza for dinner. Since I don't like cakes, we made the pizza into one! Domino's Pizza outlet is located just 5 minutes away from our place. The best thing about them? All pizzas comes in standard size and everything cost $4.95AUD. They will take a maximum of 10 minutes to get your pizza ready, and it was true. Tried and tested!    |
21 January 2015
Today, we went to Bondi Beach to get some tan. We took bus 380 down and reached in about 10 minutes. Despite it being a weekday, the beach was filled with many people! The sun was good, and we spotted the cute Bondi lifeguards I always see on television. *.*
22nd January 2015
We thought our skins were not tan enough, so we headed down to Clovelly Beach this time round. From our apartment, we had to walk 700m to the bus top where we could catch bus 360 that will bring us to the beach. The journey took us about 26 minutes with 16 stops and a 4 minutes walk.
We tanned for 2 hours, got changed and went to explore the other side of the beach which you can see in the pictures above.
23rd January 2015
We were too tired and burnt (?) to head out so we stayed in and cooked lunch for ourselves.
24th January 2015
HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY TO MY BB EVONNE! *throws confetti* Her birthday was really special because we had a road trip down to Palm Beach with our Italian flat mates! We got up real early and got ready by 845am. We headed down to Coles to do some grocery shopping first for a BBQ session at the place we were headed to.
The Basin is located 42 kilometres north of Sydney. To get here, you will have the catch the ferry from the Palm Beach Wharf which comes every half an hour. The ticket for the ferry each cost $15AUD but I shall not complain because it was a good price considering the picturesque round trip we had for the whole 45 minutes ride.
Family and friends would gather at The Basin because its the perfect place to chill, swim, tan, BBQ or to just play games. The Basin caters for 400 campers to pitch their tents. Not only that, it has complete amenities like toilets, showers, laundry and electric BBQ which is located under a huge hut. Not to mention a plug for you to charge your phone! Everybody who wants to cook will head to the hut. Apart from the food aroma lingering, you can imagine how joyous it was to see everyone coming together to cook.
Once we reached, we met up with more of their friends from all over the world. There was a China girl, some French girls and more European girls. It was an amazing experience to be able to sit down and share travel stories with our new friends.
We also spotted a few kangaroos hopping around and monitor lizards as huge as a bolster. I guess they all enjoy The Basin as much as we did. After all, The Basin is believed to be truly one of Sydney's sun drenched, idyllic natural wonders.
By the time we headed back, it was around 5+pm and the car ride home took 2 hours. Crashed our apartment, packed our luggage and had Campbell soup for dinner. Pizza sounds good but we were too tired to head out again. Happy 23rd once again, Evonne! :*
25th January 2015
Today, we woke up with a heavy heart because it was time for us to move out from Penkivil Street to Marrickville.
We bonded so well with our flatmates and it was so hard for us to separate. They told us to stay if there wasn't any bookings after us, but unfortunately it was booked so we had to leave. :'(
We headed down to Westfield, a shopping centre in Sydney where Bondi Junction train station is also located at, to walk and shop around the area before we leave for Marrickville. We got hungry so we grabbed lunch along the way. We found Cousin Jacks at Oxford Street and found out it is one of the most popular places people head to for lunch.
To be honest, I did not expect the place to be really scary. I knew I didn't like it the moment I tapped out of the station. Everything looks quiet and the roads were empty with lots of graffiti and just very weird people.
Our apartment is located at the corner of the street. The long walk was formidable enough to make us wish we were in Bondi instead. The people here were not as friendly and you can see them sitting at their house porch and just staring back at you. It is exactly like in the movies where they will whip our their guns and shoot you. I don't recommend this place for girls!
The owner of the house is an artist and she lives with her girlfriend. They have a nice backyard with their art pieces hung around the houses and a feline cat! The owners were not very friendly towards us. We also noticed that there were dolls being hung on the walls right outside our bedroom which did not help with the fact that we were already very terrified with the environment.
It was only 5pm but we headed out to grab dinner to get back home early before it gets dark. There was a nice Vietnamese store at the other end of the road which served really nice beef noodles. I was not comfortable with the surrounding and the people around, so I did not even bother to take pictures.
The night itself, we decided to cancel the rest of the days at Marrickville and book another apartment at Bondi Junction. Thankfully, we found a nice and affordable apartment near Oxford Street. We booked it straight away without hesitation and moved out early the next morning!
26th January 2015
Back at Coles, we met a really nice French Muslim dude who was grocery shopping with his friends. We talked a little and shared some useful insights about travelling and where to get Halal food, right in the middle of the aisle. We parted ways soon after. It was really a pleasure to meet him!
28th January 2015
Have I mentioned that across our apartment, there was a small Thai Cuisine shop?! We both were craving for something hot and spicy (haha Asians). It was also raining heavily with cold winds, and what else can you think of when you're freezing cold? A hot pot of Tom Yam....yum!
We did not have any plans after that so we went to Westfield to explore the mall.
Today, we went to Bondi Beach to get some tan. We took bus 380 down and reached in about 10 minutes. Despite it being a weekday, the beach was filled with many people! The sun was good, and we spotted the cute Bondi lifeguards I always see on television. *.*
22nd January 2015
We thought our skins were not tan enough, so we headed down to Clovelly Beach this time round. From our apartment, we had to walk 700m to the bus top where we could catch bus 360 that will bring us to the beach. The journey took us about 26 minutes with 16 stops and a 4 minutes walk.
We tanned for 2 hours, got changed and went to explore the other side of the beach which you can see in the pictures above.
 |
| It was so hard to get my hair to behave......so I gave up.
We headed to Circular Quay again because Evonne was feeling for some oysters. I took the opportunity to take a picture at the Harbour Bridge too!
Well....ok so apparently, the oysters were quite expensive and we got Hungry Jacks for dinner instead. Once back at our apartment, we realised how burnt we got and I had a hard time wearing my pyjamas to sleep.
 |
 |
| Goodnight! |
We were too tired and burnt (?) to head out so we stayed in and cooked lunch for ourselves.
24th January 2015
HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY TO MY BB EVONNE! *throws confetti* Her birthday was really special because we had a road trip down to Palm Beach with our Italian flat mates! We got up real early and got ready by 845am. We headed down to Coles to do some grocery shopping first for a BBQ session at the place we were headed to.
The Basin is located 42 kilometres north of Sydney. To get here, you will have the catch the ferry from the Palm Beach Wharf which comes every half an hour. The ticket for the ferry each cost $15AUD but I shall not complain because it was a good price considering the picturesque round trip we had for the whole 45 minutes ride.
Family and friends would gather at The Basin because its the perfect place to chill, swim, tan, BBQ or to just play games. The Basin caters for 400 campers to pitch their tents. Not only that, it has complete amenities like toilets, showers, laundry and electric BBQ which is located under a huge hut. Not to mention a plug for you to charge your phone! Everybody who wants to cook will head to the hut. Apart from the food aroma lingering, you can imagine how joyous it was to see everyone coming together to cook.
Once we reached, we met up with more of their friends from all over the world. There was a China girl, some French girls and more European girls. It was an amazing experience to be able to sit down and share travel stories with our new friends.
We also spotted a few kangaroos hopping around and monitor lizards as huge as a bolster. I guess they all enjoy The Basin as much as we did. After all, The Basin is believed to be truly one of Sydney's sun drenched, idyllic natural wonders.
By the time we headed back, it was around 5+pm and the car ride home took 2 hours. Crashed our apartment, packed our luggage and had Campbell soup for dinner. Pizza sounds good but we were too tired to head out again. Happy 23rd once again, Evonne! :*
25th January 2015
Today, we woke up with a heavy heart because it was time for us to move out from Penkivil Street to Marrickville.
We bonded so well with our flatmates and it was so hard for us to separate. They told us to stay if there wasn't any bookings after us, but unfortunately it was booked so we had to leave. :'(
 |
| Goodbye, Gyomph! |
 |
| Goodbye, Umberto! |
 |
| Goodbye, Leticia! |
We headed down to Westfield, a shopping centre in Sydney where Bondi Junction train station is also located at, to walk and shop around the area before we leave for Marrickville. We got hungry so we grabbed lunch along the way. We found Cousin Jacks at Oxford Street and found out it is one of the most popular places people head to for lunch.
 |
| Spicy Mexican Chicken with wedges - $10AUD |
 |
| Here's Max, the one who served us! |
 |
One of the best hot chocolate I've tasted! 
To head to Marrickville, we took the train from Bondi Junction, alight at Central (5 stops later) and change to the orange line which takes you straight to Marrickville in 5 stops too.
Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney and is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney city area. |
The owner of the house is an artist and she lives with her girlfriend. They have a nice backyard with their art pieces hung around the houses and a feline cat! The owners were not very friendly towards us. We also noticed that there were dolls being hung on the walls right outside our bedroom which did not help with the fact that we were already very terrified with the environment.
It was only 5pm but we headed out to grab dinner to get back home early before it gets dark. There was a nice Vietnamese store at the other end of the road which served really nice beef noodles. I was not comfortable with the surrounding and the people around, so I did not even bother to take pictures.
The night itself, we decided to cancel the rest of the days at Marrickville and book another apartment at Bondi Junction. Thankfully, we found a nice and affordable apartment near Oxford Street. We booked it straight away without hesitation and moved out early the next morning!
26th January 2015
HAPPY AUSTRALIAN DAY!
AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!
 |
| WEEEE BYE MARRICKVILLE!
We took the train back to Bondi Junction and God, we never felt so relieved to be amongst the people back here! Our apartment is 5 minutes walk away from Oxford Street and Westfield. It is sort of like a condominium apartment where you'll need key to pass through their multiple gates. The apartment is owned by couple with the loveliest daughter Allisa, aged 3. We instantly clicked so well with her!
Room rate: $89 SGD/night $89 x 5 days = $445 SGD      
Also, my face condition got worse and I had to peel my face every day or my skin flakes with fly around everywhere I walk to. This little angel here help me to peel too!
  
We went to Coles in Westfield to cook ourselves dinner and bought grapes to throw at each other.
      
27th January 2015
Today, we went out to explore Surry Hills and visit the famous Black Star Pastry to try their highly recommended Watermelon Cake. We had to walk a few metres to get to the bus stop where bus 301 would take us there.
     
The cake consists of two layers of almond dacquoise, fresh whipped cream, watermelon, Strawberries, Iranian pistachios and rose petals.
One slice - $8AUD
      |
We got tired of walking so we decided to head back to Westfield and grab dinner from Coles again before heading back to our apartment. The bus this time round took really long, so we took selfies!
Back at our apartment, I can't remember what we were doing but we sang our hearts out, laughed and make stupid videos. Good times.
28th January 2015
Have I mentioned that across our apartment, there was a small Thai Cuisine shop?! We both were craving for something hot and spicy (haha Asians). It was also raining heavily with cold winds, and what else can you think of when you're freezing cold? A hot pot of Tom Yam....yum!
We did not have any plans after that so we went to Westfield to explore the mall.
Fun fact: Did you know their Apple store is 3 storeys high? And if you are paying by card, you don't have to proceed to their counter. You can simply make payment to their staffs directly using a really cool gadget that scans your card. I was slightly obsessed with their bags they provided too. It was a drawstring Apple bag. How cool!
We got so bored afterwards, we headed down to Bondi Rd's Kaleidoscope Tattoo shop to get ourselves belly piercings!
29th January 2015
Today we decided to go trekking at Bundeena and visit National Royal Park to experience the cliffs and visit the popular 'wedding cake rock'. We took the train from Bondi Junction, and dropped off at Cronulla. The journey took about 45 minutes.
To go Bundeena, you will have to catch the ferry from Cronulla Wharf, about 10 minutes walk away from Cronulla train station.
We got so bored afterwards, we headed down to Bondi Rd's Kaleidoscope Tattoo shop to get ourselves belly piercings!
29th January 2015
Today we decided to go trekking at Bundeena and visit National Royal Park to experience the cliffs and visit the popular 'wedding cake rock'. We took the train from Bondi Junction, and dropped off at Cronulla. The journey took about 45 minutes.
To go Bundeena, you will have to catch the ferry from Cronulla Wharf, about 10 minutes walk away from Cronulla train station.
 |
| Evonne bought oysters along the way with a great deal and made me try one. I think I almost puked and died. |
The ferry to Bundeena cost $15AUD/pax per trip. The journey takes about 15 minutes to reach.
We bought grapes, Koko Krunch and chocolates to last us through the trekking journey. We wanted to get drinks but thought that it would be too heavy for us to carry and trek. Plus, we won't get thirsty right? Wrong.
We were unsure of where exactly do we start trekking but we followed the direction the cashier pointed to. We saw a small pavement to the beach, we walked 20 minutes on the beach and saw a small pavement leading up to God knows where. Being adventurous, we went ahead with it.
30th January 2015
We missed our flight back home because we were late at the airport. Our flight was departing at 145pm and we reached at 130pm despite cabbing and having to pay $50AUD just for it. We booked another flight under Qantas, which cost us $650AUD departing at 545pm. We hung around the airport and this time we were one of the first few to board the plane (just in case!).
It had been a wonderful and amazing vacation. The experiences we had were irreplaceable. The 3-hours time difference was easy for us to adapt. The weather was not so cold as we expected, except in the night (it was 14 degrees!). The friends we made, and the laughters we shared.
Until then, I'll see you again, Sydney! x
*Shoutout to Superga's official IG account, thank you for feet-uring (featuring) two of my photos!
Lots of love,
EzzaJay
We missed our flight back home because we were late at the airport. Our flight was departing at 145pm and we reached at 130pm despite cabbing and having to pay $50AUD just for it. We booked another flight under Qantas, which cost us $650AUD departing at 545pm. We hung around the airport and this time we were one of the first few to board the plane (just in case!).
It had been a wonderful and amazing vacation. The experiences we had were irreplaceable. The 3-hours time difference was easy for us to adapt. The weather was not so cold as we expected, except in the night (it was 14 degrees!). The friends we made, and the laughters we shared.
Until then, I'll see you again, Sydney! x
*Shoutout to Superga's official IG account, thank you for feet-uring (featuring) two of my photos!
Lots of love,
EzzaJay
No comments:
Post a Comment