Anyway, that was how long I hadn't been travelling because I usually update my blog whenever I go for travelling. This year, to celebrate my birthday which was last week Friday, I decided to go to Sydney for the long weekend because Monday the 11th was the bank holiday in Victoria for labour day. Another best friend of mine happens to share the same birthday (how amazing is that???), so we decided to go together! Triple celebration! (Long weekend + 2 birthdays).
We booked our flights and accommodation one week beforehand and we actually wanted to fly on our birthday, however there was no cheap accommodation available and even normal budget hotels were so bloody expensive! On top of that, it wasn't a long weekend for the residents in New South Wales! What was going on?? We ended up going from the 09th of March and coming back the 11th of March. Both flights were morning ones so we had to get up at 4 am =.=
I knew I would be so exhausted because I celebrated my birthday on the day before the departure date and I went to bed by 12.30 am so I only had a couple hours of sleep :( It was my birthday though, I didn't want to wait one day later to celebrate and 2 other best friends already arranged dinner and some surprises for me, so I had a blast and left home feeling happy even though I couldn't celebrate it with my family as I don't have my family here :(
Waking up feeling like a zombie with my travel buddy, we slept as much as we could during our one and a half hours journey to Sydney. We decided to drop our bags in the bagging area in our backpacker hostel (yep, we resorted to backpacker hostel because logically speaking, we spent the entire day outdoor and literally came back only to take a shower and went to bed, so although hotels would offer more comfortable accommodation but I don't think I could ever pay big bucks just to sleep. Well unless I am a millionaire).
Due to us arriving an hour earlier than scheduled, we had to walk around for a bit before checking into our room because our room was not ready when we arrived. We hung around Market City and did a little bit of window shopping, got our bearings around Sydney streets and headed back to the hotel to check in.
We decided to head down to Fish Market to get some seafood fiesta for our lunch. From George street, we walked down to the tram stop in front of market city/Paddy's market and we dropped off at fish market station. It was just a short 5 minutes walk and don't panic, if you ever get lost, follow the bunch of tourist-alike people who hopped off the tram same time as you and stick to them like baby ducks and you'll get to your destination, voila!
It was such a nice weather as well on top of 27 degrees. I hate seagulls, they are everywhere, lazy and just wait for wasted food being thrown at them.
I visited my favorite seafood joint which unfortunately I can never remember the name. From the main entrance, it is the first one across the first seafood joint with a funny statue standing in front of the shop holding a seafood platter. It is also one of the busiest joint in there serving fried and grilled seafood platter. We ordered one platter to share between the 2 of us.
The photo says it all.
A little bit of narcism and more to come.
This vacant outdoor seating by the way, is a very hard to find as they are usually full and you have to be quick. We met a mannerless couple who was simply lack of etiquette! We stood there first as the guests in front of us were about to leave and this couple just sat there straight away as soon as they left knowing that we were waiting before them. How rude! I unfortunately forgot to snap a photo of them, otherwise I would have uploaded it here.
After finishing our meal, we decided to head to to circular quay where the infamous Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House are located. From Fish Market, we traveled via tram to Central station where we purchased city day pass train ticket for $4.80 and traveled to Circular Quay station. It is not that expensive considering if you only want to travel around the city area, it only costs $4.80 for the entire day.
The view from Circular Quay train station. That ferry will bring you sight seeing to different destinations, such as Sydney Zoo, Manly beach and other popular tourist destinations. The fares vary depending on your destination and packages. We were planning to visit Manly beach as even though this is my 4th time to visit Sydney, I didn't get a chance to go to Manly beach before. I have been to Bondi beach which was a very spectacular beach with large waves, perfect for surfers but I was more interested in Manly beach this time.
We decided to walk around the Rocks area which is the first developed area in Sydney when the first generation of settlement arrived.
Just strolling along the harbour on our way to the Rocks.
We visited a patisserie in the Rocks which was recommended by a friend sometime ago called Baroque. According my friend, they serve some decent cakes and Macaroons. MACAROONS were what I was more interested in :)
What I love about this place is, they have a very cosy seating area outdoor overlooking the harbour and their couches are sooooo comfy!
I felt so exhausted from my 6.40 am flight that literally I could fall asleep on the couch if it wasn't for the waitress kept staring at us. Most probably because we only bought 4 Macaroons and sat like a boss on the big couches.
Salted Caramel Macaroons, by far the best I have ever tried. The cream was a little bit dense and not too creamy which I like and the shells were perfect without a single crack!
They also serve a variety of cakes but we were just too full to try any one of them but if you are planning to visit this restaurant any time soon, please do try them as your choice of dessert!
We then headed back to the wharf to catch a ferry to Manly beach at 2.30 PM. If I am not mistaken, I think the total return fare was $14.40 for a 20 minutes ride so it wasn't as expensive as I thought. The ferry was obviously a double decker so you could climb atop and enjoy the view backwards.
I do have a funny story to tell, whenever I see this particular photo, it will always remind me of the story. There were 2 guys standing in the photo before and I couldn't take a clear photo because of them. Eventually, they saw my good effort trying to this photo and they moved "Thank God". For some reason, this one Iraq guy and one Dutch fellow decided to come and have a chat with us which was completely fine. What happened was the original seat we sat on was exposed from the sun so we decided to move one seat back and left our bags and bottle behind. In the midst of the chat, the ferry shook harder due to crashing against a pool of big wave. As a result, my bottle dropped and rolled on the floor. This Dutch fellow was kind enough to pick it up BUT!!!! He somehow, while making a conversation, casually unscrewed the cap of my bottle and drank the whole water, screwed it back and held it in his hands! WTF??? I somehow casually remained calm, maintained the conversation and my friend didn't even say anything to me. NOBODY SAID ANYTHING??? REALLY?? They made more random conversations and we arrived at our destination. They bid us farewell and left WITH MY BOTTLE!! My friend and I frowned at each other and until now I still regret that I didn't burst his bubbles!
I have tried the jetboat thing in Melbourne and honestly, it is not for a faint of heart but I think the one in Sydney is more fun because the cover is off whereas the one in Melbourne has the cover on.
Many beach is absolutely beautiful! There is just no word to describe how beautiful it is! The front beach is calm and relaxing whereas the back beach is better for surfers.
People doing random things on the front beach. Manly area is one of the high end suburbs where people live and socialise by the beach. There are bars, family-owned restaurants, cafes and hotel apartments. All are situated within a walking distance from the beach.
This is the back beach. Can you notice how different the water behaviour between the 2?
"Professional Model" posing LOL
We just sat there and chill for a bit as the weather was nice and we just enjoyed the cool breeze. It was a heavenly experience. This is another reason why Sydney is one of my favourite interstate destination.
We decided to head back after chilling for some time because I had a dinner appointment at 6 with a friend whom I hadn't met in 2 years. While waiting for the ferry to arrive and drop us back to the city, we decided to chill at a bar and had some cool lemon, lime & bitter and guess what? It is THE cheapest lemon, lime and bitter!! It was like $2.80 each!
With a beautiful girl happened to be standing as a background lol Unfortunately I couldn't finish my drink because the ferry had arrived :( Not even half of it and it tasted so good!!
On our way to Manly beach, we got the view of the harbour bridge, but on our way back we got the view of the Opera House.
I then had to rush to Queen Victoria Building to meet my friend for dinner. QVB is a shopping complex ranging from affordable brands to a more upscale brands such as Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo etc. Located just right on the corner of George & Park st, we took a train from Circular Quay to Town Hall station which is right underneath the QVB shopping complex.
Inside QVB Building.
This is the end of my day 1 trip in Sydney and I don't have more photos in the evening because I hate taking photos in the evening. The quality and clarity are worse than day time photos due to lack of natural lights/sun. So, day 2 trip photos are coming up! Now, it's time for me to get ready and go to the gym to burn some calories I gathered from the trip :) Till then, take care peeps!
