Australia...
...This was the first time i'm actually leaving Asia and step my foot on Australia... I've been looking forward to this trip since a year ago, or maybe more than that... Supposedly planned to go in 2009 but all trip to oversea was canceled due to the H1N1 outbreak... But anyway, having it this year not bad either... This year's ASM conference was located at Sydney Convention Centre...
...The first few days were all work related activities... Even the first day when i just checked in into my apartment, i quickly flip through the ASM schedule and found out that the registration was still open that night... Since i would like to explore bit of the city, i take my own time to get myself to the convention centre which is really near to where i stayed throughout the conference...
...staying at Meriton Kent St. was really amazing... It's a place where some ppl called it posh... muahahaha... This was the first time or maybe the last time to stay in such high class 'hotel'... Laundry, kitchen and even its own living room! It's so much better than the room i have here in SG...
...attending the conference was really a great experience for me... Although most of the time i find that the symposiums were quite boring... =P ...As for the food, i don't really prefer the main meal there... coz it's cold and raw... prefer something more 'asian'... heeheee... Anyway, the tea breaks were quite good though... Like the muffins, and those tarts... XD
...Since the second day don't have the talks that i'm really interest in, i went out exploring around Sydney after the morning tea break... Went our exploring alone wasn't that bad coz at least u can take ur own pace to roam around...
...Sydney Harbour Bridge...!! After walking around Darling Harbour, i manage to make my way all the way to the bridge... The bridge was incredibly magnificent!... It amazed me even from afar... It was so huge and took all the attention to it... and not forgetting the Sydney Opera House was located nearby there as well... These two well known landmarks really complemented each others...
..The Rocks!...
...Circular Quay...
...Sydney Opera House...
...Sydney Harbour Bridge from the opera house area...
...the CBD area...
...St. Mary Cathedral...
...Anzac Memorial Building...
...Darling Harbour... After being alone at Sydney for a few days, i really wish they will be there asap coz really bored being alone there... So when they did came on Wednesday evening, i straightaway met up with ZY and HY (not me)... They were really excited being there and so was i on my first day... muahahahaahaha...
...After roaming around the area of Darling Harbour for the night, ZY and HY visited my place at Meriton... Excited and thrill seeing how it actually looks like, they decided to stay over night there... Actually my unit there can occupy more then the limit set by the serviced apartment management... ZY and HY can actually stay at Meriton all the way provided they dun have any luggage with them which will certainly catch ppl's attention... muahahahaha... Anyway, the day after that was the last day of my conference which lasted only until lunch time... After took down my poster, i head back to my apartment, get prepared, went to the backpackers hotel, and then we started to explore the city... =D
...first stop was the Sydney Aquarium... that place was much larger then it seems and sharks were everywhere... It was raining outside during that time and we take our time to explore the place... The next stop after the aquarium was the wildlife attraction which was located next to the aquarium... Since it was raining outside, each of the koalas rolled into a ball and did not move an inch... The kangaroos were sitting and resting as well...
...Revisited Anzac Memorial while making our way to the Circular Quay...
...St Mary's Cathedral...
...Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House... two famous landmarks in Australia...
...don't know what this bird is called, but it's super cute and do not afraid of ppl... they fly and approach people very close in order to steal food...
...Sydney Harbour Bridge at night...
...Sydney night sky from the Sydney Tower... This marked the last destination for the day and we were super tired from walking around in the city and heavy downpour while stuck at the Royal Botanical Garden did not help at all...
...the next morning we joined the Blue Mountain day tour by Oz Trail, guided by Mr. Solomon...
...different shades of green...
...the legendary three sisters rock formation...
...overview of Blue Mountain...
...the day tour ended by taking the ferry from somewhere inland and docked at Circular Quay... And again, we walk back home while stopping by anywhere that's interest us... such at the QVB, Queen Victoria Building...
...Early in the morning, we went to Paddy's Market to get our souvenirs... It was really a great place to visit coz the things seem very affordable compared to other places... After we had done enough of shopping, we went to the famous and most go beach... the Bondi beach... We took a bus ride and about 30 mins later, we arrived at this wonderful and super nice beach...
...green algae blooming...
...we took the coastal walk starting from the Bondi Beach... along the way, the view was magnificent... I really like the colour of the water coz it was really turquoise blue and seems untainted...
...just before the day was getting darker, it was starting to rain... we decided to take a bus back to the city from wherever we were at that point of time... =P ...After we had packed our stuff back at the hostel... we checked out and head for central bus station... while waiting for the greyhound bus to arrive, we had our last dinner in Sydney at some Asian restaurant...
...Melbourne!!!... the next morning we arrived at Melbourne and we were very excited to be there and HY tried to contact her friend, WL... After waiting at the Southern Cross Bus and Train station for 15-20 mins, we decided to check in into our hostel and wait for WL there... King St Backpacker's Hostel wasn't that bad at all... Got free breakfast!...muahahahah... XD
...when we finally managed to contact WL (he couldn't wake up after watching the world cup final), we started to walk and explore around Melbourne city... We were very lucky that it was clear blue sky that day... According to WL, it was all gloomy and occasionally raining these few days... That's the norm for winter in Australia...
...Melbourne skyline...
...Botanical Garden... Melbourne...
...nice clear blue sky...
...federation bells...
...ferris wheel...
...camouflage building... wondering how many bird has it killed... =P
...the Crown Casino...
...Melbourne night skyline...
...The next part of the trip in Melbourne was the highlight for me coz i'll be driving from the city toward the Great Ocean Road (GOR)!!!... Seriously, i was very nervous coz i've never drive more than 100km in one single trip and not to mention driving in a foreign country as well... Nevertheless it was really an experience that i will never ever forget... Somehow i felt "free" while driving along the coastal... The feeling taking charge behind the wheel was really great especially driving at a place such as GOR where u can see the vast landscape and seascape while cruising along it...
...The starting point of Great Ocean Road!!!...
...The London Bridge...
...The Twelve Apostles...
...The next morning before returning car, we fetched WL and detoured to University of Melbourne to check out the place... It was located somewhere in the city and the campus wasn't really that big... but the architectural and the design of the buildings were very nice...=)
...after strolling around town for awhile, we headed to the meeting point where we were going for the Phillip Island day tour... As usual, it rained when we arrived at the island... It was already very cold without the rain and one can only imagine how cold it can get with the rain keep pouring onto us... =S
...Sheeps... waiting to be "shaved"... =P
...Eucalyptus trees...
...The last day and the last place in our itinerary was Mt Buller... It was another highlight of the trip because i've never seen a really snow before!!!... Seeing everything covered in snow and all the landscape turned to black and white was really a new experience... =D Skiing was really difficult than it seems... my leg got blister after just one trip slide from the top... =S It was so painful that i had enough of it and returned the gears once i've rest enough from the constant falling while trying to ski...
...This trip to Australia was really a trip of my life coz it was the first time i ever traveled so far from my homeland and experienced different cultures as well... Australia is really a nice place to travel to, minus the unfriendly monkeys at the city... Next destination, somewhere in Europe... hopefully... XP
...The first few days were all work related activities... Even the first day when i just checked in into my apartment, i quickly flip through the ASM schedule and found out that the registration was still open that night... Since i would like to explore bit of the city, i take my own time to get myself to the convention centre which is really near to where i stayed throughout the conference...
...staying at Meriton Kent St. was really amazing... It's a place where some ppl called it posh... muahahaha... This was the first time or maybe the last time to stay in such high class 'hotel'... Laundry, kitchen and even its own living room! It's so much better than the room i have here in SG...
...attending the conference was really a great experience for me... Although most of the time i find that the symposiums were quite boring... =P ...As for the food, i don't really prefer the main meal there... coz it's cold and raw... prefer something more 'asian'... heeheee... Anyway, the tea breaks were quite good though... Like the muffins, and those tarts... XD
...Since the second day don't have the talks that i'm really interest in, i went out exploring around Sydney after the morning tea break... Went our exploring alone wasn't that bad coz at least u can take ur own pace to roam around...
...Sydney Harbour Bridge...!! After walking around Darling Harbour, i manage to make my way all the way to the bridge... The bridge was incredibly magnificent!... It amazed me even from afar... It was so huge and took all the attention to it... and not forgetting the Sydney Opera House was located nearby there as well... These two well known landmarks really complemented each others...
..The Rocks!...
...Circular Quay...
...Sydney Opera House...
...Sydney Harbour Bridge from the opera house area...
...the CBD area...
...St. Mary Cathedral...
...Anzac Memorial Building...
...Darling Harbour... After being alone at Sydney for a few days, i really wish they will be there asap coz really bored being alone there... So when they did came on Wednesday evening, i straightaway met up with ZY and HY (not me)... They were really excited being there and so was i on my first day... muahahahaahaha...
...After roaming around the area of Darling Harbour for the night, ZY and HY visited my place at Meriton... Excited and thrill seeing how it actually looks like, they decided to stay over night there... Actually my unit there can occupy more then the limit set by the serviced apartment management... ZY and HY can actually stay at Meriton all the way provided they dun have any luggage with them which will certainly catch ppl's attention... muahahahaha... Anyway, the day after that was the last day of my conference which lasted only until lunch time... After took down my poster, i head back to my apartment, get prepared, went to the backpackers hotel, and then we started to explore the city... =D
...first stop was the Sydney Aquarium... that place was much larger then it seems and sharks were everywhere... It was raining outside during that time and we take our time to explore the place... The next stop after the aquarium was the wildlife attraction which was located next to the aquarium... Since it was raining outside, each of the koalas rolled into a ball and did not move an inch... The kangaroos were sitting and resting as well...
...Revisited Anzac Memorial while making our way to the Circular Quay...
...St Mary's Cathedral...
...Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House... two famous landmarks in Australia...
...don't know what this bird is called, but it's super cute and do not afraid of ppl... they fly and approach people very close in order to steal food...
...Sydney Harbour Bridge at night...
...Sydney night sky from the Sydney Tower... This marked the last destination for the day and we were super tired from walking around in the city and heavy downpour while stuck at the Royal Botanical Garden did not help at all...
...the next morning we joined the Blue Mountain day tour by Oz Trail, guided by Mr. Solomon...
...different shades of green...
...the legendary three sisters rock formation...
...overview of Blue Mountain...
...the day tour ended by taking the ferry from somewhere inland and docked at Circular Quay... And again, we walk back home while stopping by anywhere that's interest us... such at the QVB, Queen Victoria Building...
...Early in the morning, we went to Paddy's Market to get our souvenirs... It was really a great place to visit coz the things seem very affordable compared to other places... After we had done enough of shopping, we went to the famous and most go beach... the Bondi beach... We took a bus ride and about 30 mins later, we arrived at this wonderful and super nice beach...
...green algae blooming...
...we took the coastal walk starting from the Bondi Beach... along the way, the view was magnificent... I really like the colour of the water coz it was really turquoise blue and seems untainted...
...just before the day was getting darker, it was starting to rain... we decided to take a bus back to the city from wherever we were at that point of time... =P ...After we had packed our stuff back at the hostel... we checked out and head for central bus station... while waiting for the greyhound bus to arrive, we had our last dinner in Sydney at some Asian restaurant...
...Melbourne!!!... the next morning we arrived at Melbourne and we were very excited to be there and HY tried to contact her friend, WL... After waiting at the Southern Cross Bus and Train station for 15-20 mins, we decided to check in into our hostel and wait for WL there... King St Backpacker's Hostel wasn't that bad at all... Got free breakfast!...muahahahah... XD
...when we finally managed to contact WL (he couldn't wake up after watching the world cup final), we started to walk and explore around Melbourne city... We were very lucky that it was clear blue sky that day... According to WL, it was all gloomy and occasionally raining these few days... That's the norm for winter in Australia...
...Melbourne skyline...
...Botanical Garden... Melbourne...
...nice clear blue sky...
...federation bells...
...ferris wheel...
...camouflage building... wondering how many bird has it killed... =P
...the Crown Casino...
...Melbourne night skyline...
...The next part of the trip in Melbourne was the highlight for me coz i'll be driving from the city toward the Great Ocean Road (GOR)!!!... Seriously, i was very nervous coz i've never drive more than 100km in one single trip and not to mention driving in a foreign country as well... Nevertheless it was really an experience that i will never ever forget... Somehow i felt "free" while driving along the coastal... The feeling taking charge behind the wheel was really great especially driving at a place such as GOR where u can see the vast landscape and seascape while cruising along it...
...The starting point of Great Ocean Road!!!...
...The London Bridge...
...The Twelve Apostles...
...The next morning before returning car, we fetched WL and detoured to University of Melbourne to check out the place... It was located somewhere in the city and the campus wasn't really that big... but the architectural and the design of the buildings were very nice...=)
...after strolling around town for awhile, we headed to the meeting point where we were going for the Phillip Island day tour... As usual, it rained when we arrived at the island... It was already very cold without the rain and one can only imagine how cold it can get with the rain keep pouring onto us... =S
...Sheeps... waiting to be "shaved"... =P
...Eucalyptus trees...
...The last day and the last place in our itinerary was Mt Buller... It was another highlight of the trip because i've never seen a really snow before!!!... Seeing everything covered in snow and all the landscape turned to black and white was really a new experience... =D Skiing was really difficult than it seems... my leg got blister after just one trip slide from the top... =S It was so painful that i had enough of it and returned the gears once i've rest enough from the constant falling while trying to ski...
...This trip to Australia was really a trip of my life coz it was the first time i ever traveled so far from my homeland and experienced different cultures as well... Australia is really a nice place to travel to, minus the unfriendly monkeys at the city... Next destination, somewhere in Europe... hopefully... XP
posted by Cookie Monster at 10:12 PM
6 Comments:
Very nice photos! I really miss all the wonderful landscapes!
hahaha.. thankss thankssss... u'll be going soon... just a few more weeks! XD
so nice!!!
i want to drive the GOR too!!! how long does it take to finish? i actually thought need days haha
and when are you going to europe?
-dingying
hai dingying!!!!!~~ It's soooo long i haven't heard any news from u liao =D...
HAha.. yeah driving the GOR was really a great experience... U must definitely try it at least once!! It took me about 5 hours to reach the furthermost part of the GOR, at the "London Bridge"... from there, we turn back and slowly take our time and stop along other well known sight seeing spots... =)
ermmm... if everything goes smoothly and according to plan, i'll be leaving around end of next year... =)
ahh! leaving? as in not travelling? you gg to further study?
-dingying
yep yep... provided everything is going as planned... =)
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