Day 7: Paddy’s Market, Bondi Beach, Rocks Market and Circular Quay

Day 7: Paddy’s Market, Bondi Beach, Rocks Market and Circular Quay.

Went to find transport to Melbourne. Firefly coaches go to Melbourne at a student price of A$55. 12hours traveling time. Wow.. At least can rest and save a day of accommodation if we travel through the night.

After that we went to the Paddy’s Market which is situated just beside the Chinatown. Had breakfast first. Had salad for breakfast, Greek salad and seafood celery salad mix.
Paddy’s Market is machiam like Australia version of pasar malam. Got quite a lot of stalls selling souvenirs. Some stores sell clothes and stuff…Not in the mood to shop yet.. Wait till we get to Melbourne. Don’t like to lug so many things while travelling.

Went back to Wake Up! to catch a breather. Then made our way to Bondi Beach. Got into our beachwear. And the weather is looking good. Maybe we can surf there. Took a bus there. Supposed to be train but at that moment , it’s under maintenance.

Reached Bondi Beach . Still the Gold Coast beaches are nicer…Then the sea breeze blowing . Really very cold. I don’t think it’s possible to surf today. Not much people at the beach. Except for some crazy surfers who are still surfing under this almost freezing conditions.

Went to this weekend market organized by the local high school. For fund raising. Got some interesting stuff. After that we had lunch at KFC. Light lunch for me. 1 piece chicken and 1 small whipped potato. Not feeling hungry mah..On our way back, met Barry’s friends at Bondi Beach who are also traveling from Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne like us. But they taking Jetstar domestic flight for city hopping.

Then made our way back to Wake Up! Rest and wash up then proceed to the Rocks Market. Rushed there before it’s closed.

This market is more high class than the previous 2 which we have visited. Mainly artwork. Pottery and stuff.. More exquisite stuff. Got this stall selling the gadget which create music in the musical box .You just keep turning and turning and the sound will come up. Barry told me that Singapore also got. Haha.. I suaku..

After that we try to find our way to the start of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. See if we can walk along the Bridge. In the end we realized that there isn’t a path on the bridge. But there is a pathway slightly below the bridge. At the start of the pathway, there is an excellent view of the Sydney Opera House. Took some pics. Got this very good camera angle where we can capture ourselves and the Sydney Opera House together. Then we walked along the highway(with path ) and managed to capture some nice shots of the Sydney Harbour bridge. Took a lift down to the Circular Quay. Alot of very posh restaurants and quite a bit of buskers there.

Then we decide to try the Sydney ferries. So we took a ferry from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour. Took the outdoor seats. I was mesmerized by the night scenery. And with the cool breeze.. It’s almost like a dream…

We alighted at the Sydney Aquarium area. Then made our way to the Sydney Tower. But didn’t go up the Sydney Tower.. Cos some of the facilities are not in use at the moment.. under maintenance.So we didn’t go.

Then we walked to Hard Rock Café which is located somewhere near King Cross. Walked quite a distance. Chengli bought a T-shirt. UOB got 10% discount.

After that , went to Supermarket bought groceries.. then went to Central Gourmet Café for dinner. Quite nice and quite cheap.

Then created a CD of our photos so that I can free my memory sticks for the Blue Mountains and Great Ocean Road.

We then decided to fly to Melbourne via Jetstar Did the booking online. Quite affordable at 59 bucks + 2 bucks (credit card).

Walked hell of a lot today. Went to a lot of places too.

Day 6: First day at Sydney

Day 6: First day at Sydney

Breakfast at YHA Sydney’s Central Gourmet Café. Then move out of YHA and checked in to Wake Up! Sydney which is just 5mins walk away. Then we decided to get the daily tram pass which allow us unlimited rides for 24hours.First tram trip is from the first stop Central Station to the very last stop Lilyfield. Then we u-turn back to Sydney Fish Market.

The famous Sydney Fish Market. A definitely must go. Fresh seafood. Oysters, Sashimi, Prawns, Lobsters and many more …All very fresh from the sea… Reached there about 10am.. So just took a look.. I had a plate of sashimi..Just buy from the store and they will slice it for you and you can buy wasabi and soya sauce and straightway eat.

Too early for lunch.. So we decided to go to the Maritime Musuem at Darling Harbour first. Nothing much to see. Except about the early days of whale catching in Australia. All about ships and stuff… Then got this exhibit of some of the parts of a wrecked ship. The exquisite carvings at different parts of the ship. Quite nice..

Went back to Sydney Fish Market for lunch. We had a seafood platter for 3. Got fish, calamari, oysters, scallops, octopus, seafood sticks and ,not forgetting, lotsa of rice and fries. Bought a bottle of Moreton Brook Chardonnay. Seafood plus white wine. Enjoying our lunch in the cool weather at the open air dining area. Then feeding the seagulls and pelican paddling near the jetty ..which is beside the dining area. I can just do this everything without getting bored..haha..

From Sydney Fish Market, we took a slow stroll to Darling Harbour.. to the King’s Wharf. Then decided to take a cab to Sydney Opera House. Yeah.. Time for photogenic moments. Must take a lot of pictures of the Sydney Opera House. It was still late afternoon then. Sydney Opera House doesn’t look impressive in the day.

So we decided to walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Macquarie Point where we can capture the scenic view of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. So we waited for daybreak. Then we can capture the silhouette of the 2 structures with the sunset. A lot of wedding couples taking photos there at that time.. Really very nice..

Waited for sunset.. Waited for the skies to turn dark. So can captured the night view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. I must say it’s well worth the wait.

Then we meet Barry’s friend, Keith for dinner.And guess what.. I happen to know him.. During first 3 months in VJ, we attended a councilor camp together. He is studying at University of New South Wales. The world is so small.. no.. Singapore is so small.. He brought us to this nice Chinese restaurant,Red Hat Restaurant at Kingsford, suburbs of Sydney. Brought us to his campus then to Botany Bay area. The Bare Island Fortification. He says that it’s one of the Mission Impossible 2 filming site. The part where Tom Cruise escape. I have absolutely no idea cos I never watch MI2. Well.. at least the nightsky is super duper nice.. Can see a lot of stars. Even more than that time when I am at Pulau Tekong reclaim area.. Then drove us back to Wake Up!

Did a bit of planning of Sydney to Melbourne route. Change of plan probably.. Maybe not driving from Sydney to Melbourne. Think of other alternatives. Train or Coach.

Didn’t feel like sleeping so early. Night is still young. So we(Me and chengli) went to the King Cross Street. Where all the pubs and nightclubs are.. Then after that we took a cab to Star City Casino. Played abit of the Rapid Roulette. Then left after awhile.. after winning abit..

Reached Wake Up! At 2am. Slept at 340am after washing up…

Day 5: From Coffs Harbour to Sydney

Day 5: From Coffs Harbour to Sydney

Sydney is about 600 plus km away from Coffs Harbour. It’s about twice as much traveling as the previous day. So woke up real early and checked out at 7.05am. Chengli started the driving again. All the way to Port MacQuarie. Reached there about 9 plus am. Had McDonalds breakfast. Big breakfast.

Then Barry took over the driving.Topped up our petrol then move on towards Sydney. From Port MacQuarie to Taree to Bulahdelah.

On our way , we saw a rainbow.. After the rain. Can see the full rainbow very clearly. And we drove past the rainbow.

The rainbow we saw on our way to Sydney

Weather is not looking good. We are racing away from the dark clouds. Then I took over at Bulahdelah. There is a small river. Myall River. Took some pictures.

Continued on our journey to Sydney. Need to reach Sydney before nightfall. I drove from Bulahdelah to somewhere near Newcastle. Stopover for lunch break. Late lunch. Pies for lunch. Heatherbrae’s Pies. Quite a nice place. Served very good pies.

Heatherbrae's Pie for lunch and McDonalds for breakfast

Then Chengli took over the driving. All the way to Sydney. Reached Sydney at 4.05pm. Started at 7.05am to 4.05pm. A total of 9 hrs on the road with some meal breaks and stopover in between. Quite mentally draining siah. My driving experience up level. More confident now. Drove in wet weather .

Then got quite a bit of jam in Sydney.. Probably due to some AFL games on the weekend. The roads in Sydney is super duper complicated. Drove over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Need to pay toll. Luckily I didn’t drive or else sure jialat. Got lost when we enter the Central .But eventually found our way to YHA Sydney Central. Another nice looking YHA hostel with an excellent location. The room is spacious, kitchen is clean, dining area is new too.However the price is a bit steep. A$36.50 per night. About 10 bucks more expensive than our previous accommodation. Probably try to look for another cheaper accommodation.

YHA Sydney Central

After checking in. We quickly went to return our car. Cos the roads in Sydney is simplying too confusing. Better to return the car quick. Had a hard time trying to find the Europcar outlet. But in the end , still managed to return the car before it closes. Yeah. Everything is fine. No problems with the car.

Then we went to look for dinner. In the end we had pizza at the food court. One huge pizza for 3 of us and one Greek salad and one mushroom salad. Then took a stroll back to YHA Sydney Central. Hollanded for the first part.. Walked at the opposite direction. Then we turned back and walked a long way back. On our way, we look at different accommodations. Got one accommodation called Footprints seems not bad. Got free breakfast and only costs A$26 for 6 share and A$28 for 4 share. KIV first. Also went to the Wake up! Sydney accommodation. Just beside YHA Central. Also very nice and new. Costs about A$32 per night. We got this 2 dollars off coupons. So it’s 30bucks. Probably checking in into this. Within walking distance from the Central Station.

After that, we decide to walk around Darling Harbour. Walked through the Chinatown. Quite busy streets. Very nice scenery at night at the Darling Harbour. Cockle Bay Wharf. Awesome sights. It feels so good.

Sydney's Chinatown bustling with life

Breathtaking night scenes of Darling Harbour

Then we walked farther up to the Star City. Went into the Casino to take a look. Much bigger than the Conrad Treasury Casino. Nice also.

Then walked back to YHA Sydney Central. Washed up and then went down to use the Internet for awhile. Wrote my travel journal. Slept at 2.05am.

Day 4 : Journey to Coffs Harbour

Day 4 : Journey to Coffs Harbour

After spending 2 days at Gold Coast, we are ready to move on towards Sydney. Still got about 980km to cover to reach Sydney. Probably stopping over at Coffs Harbour for a night. Before chionging to Sydney.

Weather is not good. Woke up early. Prepared breakfast again. Bought a dozen of eggs. Used 6 of them for scrambled eggs. Then hard-boiled the other 6 eggs(for future consumption).

Chengli started off as the driver. Drove all the way to Ballina . Stopover at Ballina Fair. About 130km from Surfers’ Paradise. Australian highway or motorway is quite different from Singapore expressway. It’s just like a straight road. Along the way you can see houses and shops just beside you. It’s like part of the landscape.

Barry took over the driving. Drove from Ballina to Grafton. About 100plus km. The surrounding landscapes are mainly grasslands and grazing grounds for cattle. And we drove past some mountains. Dark clouds are looming at a very low height. Quite a scenic view really. Slight drizzle coupled with upslopes and downslopes made driving challenging.

I took over at Grafton and continued all the way to Coffs Harbour. In lousy weather. Went in search for accommodation. Got some pamphlets from our previous hostel about some of the backpackers inn in Coffs Harbour. Went to this Barracuda Backpackers. Went in but couldn’t find anyone there. No one at all.

So in the end, we decided to go to the new YHA Coffs Harbour. Supposedly a newly built 3 million dollar complex. It looks really new, nice and cosy. Accomodation is getting nicer and nicer by the day. Haha. Had a 4 share room . 4 beds

Raining the whole day. Super sianz. Can’t do anything. Can’t surf, can’t go to Muttonbird Island. Haiz.

In the end , we went to the Big Banana. Don’t know what it is all about. Just know it’s one of the Coffs Harbour attraction. Later we found out that it’s a banana plantation. With souvenir shops and some amusement rides. Australia got a lot of “Big” attractions all over . Got Big Oyster(oyster farm), Big Prawn(prawn farm), Big Apple(apple orchard),etc. Raining heavily so no outdoor activites. The ski ramp slope is closed too.

In the end went to this candy making shop. Coffs Candy Kitchen. Bought some of the candies.Got free candy making demo. But we went to the puzzle shop upstairs first as the next demo is in 15mins time. Got some interesting puzzles. Those brain teasing ones.

Then the candy making demo. Quite interesting. Candy making as an art. It’s quite amazing how they actually make the patterns using the sugar. And from a long thick tube, they pulled smaller thinner tube to make the candies eventually.

Candy making in Coffs Harbour

After that went to the Coffs Coast Visitor Information to get a good map of the route from Coffs Harbour to Sydney. And it continued to rain cats and dogs. So we decided to make our way back to hostel since there is nothing else we can do.

Went over to the small shopping centre just opposite the hostel. Had a pot of hot chamomile tea. Shiok. Then went to the supermart to buy our dinner. Bought a roasted chicken and 3 bottles(375ml) of chardonnay.

So our dinner consists of a roast chicken, 2 hardboiled eggs each, a banana and a pear. Plus a small bottle of chardonnay. YHA Coffs Harbour kitchen is really very clean. Quite a lot of people cooking their dinner there.

Dinner at YHA Coffs Harbour

Nothing much else to do. So we decided to use the internet. An hour of usage each. Updated my blog abit. After that played some cards.

Coffs Harbour is really boring because of the weather. Nothing much to do. Well.. it’s just a stopover or rest point anyway. But at least the accommodation is quite good. Got a roommate who came in at night .But didn’t really interact with him though. Cos we have a long day ahead.. Sydney here I come…

Day 3 : Another Day At Surfers’Paradise. Exploring the Suburbs

Day 3 : Another Day At Surfers’Paradise. Exploring the Suburbs

Forgot to set alarm yesterday night. Bed is so cosy that we all overslept. Woke up at 9am. Washed up then proceed to cook our very first breakfast. Bought a cube of butter, a bottle of orange juice , a loaf of bread and half a dozen of eggs yesterday. Scrambled eggs with bread for breakfast plus orange juice.

First breakfast we cooked

Weather is not good. Drizzling outside. Can’t surf . Can’t go Dreamworld. Decided to go the visitor centre to ask for some information about the route from Gold Coast to Sydney. The person gave us a Coastal Explorer brochure which have a detailed route. But we still feel a bit insecure. So went to Europcar to ask for a street directory for the missing portion. The receptionist told us that the coastal explorer guide is more than sufficient. Just all the way up the highway and we will get to Sydney.

First place to go to. Billabong factory outlet. Overheard of this place when a pair of tourists ask for directions to this factory outlet at the Visitor Information Centre. This factory outlet is located at Ashmore. Quite far away from the city. We drove there. With only a rough idea of where it is located. The place is called Central Park Plaza. Got Billabong, Quiksilver,Roxy,Timberland, Ripcurl factory outlet there too. But Billabong one is the biggest. 2 outlets in fact.Boardshort at A$40, Rash shirt(for surfing) at A$30, Shirts at A$40, Tshirts at A$25. Definitely much cheaper than those in the stores. Just slightly cheaper than Singapore.

In the end, I am the only one who bought something there. Shucks. I am a shopaholic.haha. Bought 2 Billabong shirts at A$20 each. Cheap. Boys’ size.Last time army training also bought a shirt in boy’s size. Cos the adult size there super duper big. One for my bro , Size 16 the biggest size for boys. I tried it on and I can wear it quite comfortably.One for my cousin. Bought 2 pairs of Billabong thongs at 5 bucks each.(Kids’ size). And a couple of Billabong wallets. At 10 bucks each.Oops. Shopping spree.

Billabong factory outlet

Then we went to the Pit Stop near Ashmore City(a small shopping mall ) to look for lunch. Decided to have lunch at the Chooky Chicken. A roast chicken fast food chain I supposed. Serves very nice roasted chicken. Had ¼ chicken and coleslaw for lunch.

After that went to Ashmore City’s Action supermart to get more groceries. Cooking breakfast tomorrow again. Bought more mineral water. Better to drink more water than soft drinks.

Then made our way to Broad Beach. On our way there, we saw the sign “ Carrara Markets” and decided to go and take a look. Later found out that it’s only open on weekends. But there is a smaller market there. Like a supermart. Groceries there is so much cheaper. 12 eggs for one dollar compared to Action’s 12 eggs for 2 dollars. Bought some bananas and pears . Need fruit in our diet.

Made our way to Mermaid Beach which is just slightly farther down Broad Beach. Super duper cold. The sea breeze makes it impossible to surf. Though there are some anglers fishing there . With a group of seagulls hovering above them( a sign which shows that there is fishes in that region of the sea)

I took over the driving. Drove from Mermaid Beach to Broad Beach. Driving improved slightly . Not as bad as first time round.
Then from Broad Beach to Pacific Fair Shopping Centre.Reached at 4pm which is a bit too late. It’s a super duper big shopping centre which looks like a castle with different zones. All major department stores and super mart like Coles, Target, Myer can be found there.Walked around then decided to have a cup of hot coffee at Gloria Jeans Coffee. Mocha Caramelatte.

Pacific Fair Shopping Centre

After that went to City Beach(a surfwear shop) to look at surfwear and accessories.Same price as Singapore. Walked and walked with realizing that shop closes damn early in Australia. Nearly locked in the shopping centre. But managed to find an exit. Got to our car.Drove back to Sleeping Inn.

Light dinner tonight. 2 cup of yoghurts and a pear.

Long day ahead. About 450km drive to Coffs Harbour

Good Day!!!

Day 2: Start of Road Trip.Gold Coast, here I come!!!

Day 2: Start of Road Trip.Gold Coast, here I come!!!
Check out of Palace Backpackers at around 7 plus. Had a good night sleep. Too tired to worry about the bed bugs. Chengli found 2 bed bugs at the bedsheet the night before. Before we left , Barry found 1 bed bug.. We do not have any signs of bites though. Quite a lousy accommodation. Before we slept, actually got one guy knocking at our door. Asking if we sell wheat…wheat as in a kind of drug.. weird siah..

Went to collect our car at Europcar for our 4 days road trip from Brisbane City to Sydney.About 1000km drive. Went to Hungry Jacks for breakfast before getting the car. Hungry Jacks is the Australian equivalent of Burger King. Brekky Wrap for breakfast. Wrap with eggs, bacon, cheese. Very nice.

Hungry Jacks breakfast.

The place where we collect our car

Me and Chengli getting ready for our Road Trip

Wonder if we can get there safely.We booked Hyundai Getz but in the end got Mitsubushi Lancer. Which is bigger and more spacious. Shiok.

First time driving at Australia. Chengli drove first. A bit “Hollanded”(got lost) in the starting but still managed to make our way to Surfers’ Paradise , capital of Gold Coast via the Gold Coast Highway.

Went to Sun n Surf Backpackers Inn . Quite happening although a bit sleazy..but no beds available now. So decided to find alternatives. Went to the Visitor Information Centre to ask for recommendation and the officer gladly obliged. She even helped us booked the accommodation.

Sleeping Inn. Another pretty small backpacker but quite cosy. Got own bathroom and kitchen, utensils and cutlery. Beds are clean. Got comforter. Bed bug free.

Sleeping Inn Backpackers Resort -our accomodation at Surfers' Paradise

The view of Sleeping Inn from the outside

Our room at Sleeping Inn(3 beds)

A kitchen all to ourselves.

Then move off to Surfers’ Paradise .. to look at the beaches and hope to learn and do some surfing.I drove a bit.. Jerky movement at first..

Had lunch at Red Rooster(Another fast food chain).Chickens and sandwiches. After that went to the Cheyne Horan Surfing School.Sleepers’ Inn got this quite good discount. Learn surfing for 25 for 2 hours..instead of $40. Got Japanese instructors to teach Japanese tourists too.

Surfing( not surfing internet har) is really a fun sport. 4 things to note before surfing, the tide, the wind, the wave height and the rips.Shiok .2 hours of surfing on the beach of Gold Coast.At least can surf a bit and stand abit before .Barry lost his specs while surfing.. so we went to the nearest optical shop to get contacts for Barry

Walked past Baskin N Robbins .. Saw the ice-creams there. So nice. Chengli and I decided to buy 3 scoops of icecream to enjoy. My flavours are maple walnut, berries and banana, mandarin orange cheesecake. Eating ice-cream after surfing. Cold and wet. Almost shivering.haha

My 3 scoops of Baskin Robbins Ice Cream

Then went on a photo taking frenzy. Along the beach.At Surfers’ Paradise.

Beach of Surfers' Paradise

Dinner at one of the foodcourt at Surfer's Paradise. I had a chicken kebab despite already eaten 3 scoops of delicious Baskin Robbins ice cream. With lotsa of chilli sauce and bbq sauce cos feeling very cold.

The kebab stall where I bought my dinner.

Before we head back to Sleepers’ Inn, we went to the supermarket to buy some food. Cooking breakfast tomorrow. Can save money.

Went back. Showered. Explored Sleepers’Inn. Took more pictures then went back to our room for sort of a debrief and discuss about the plan tomorrow. Either move on to Sydney or another day at Surfer’s Paradise. Then realized that the the 2 street directory given by Europcar only covers small part of Queensland and New South Wales. Cannot see the route from Brisbane to Sydney. Decided to stay one more day at Surfers’ Paradise. Billabong factory outlet and maybe more surfing(all of us very gianz after the first lesson). Will try to find out more about the route from Brisbane to Sydney from the Visitor Information Centre tomorrow morning.

Good day!!!

Day 1 : Brisbane!!!! Here I come!!!

Day 1 : Brisbane!!!! Here I come!!!

Date: 9 May 2005
Departure Time: 2120hrs, Singapore Time
Arrival Time: 0635hrs, Australia Time
Flight number: QF 52

Touched around 0630hrs.At Brisbane International Airport. Quite a small airport. Went around to ask for car driving deals. Found that almost all are more expensive than we expected. Furthermore the 3 of us is below 25 years old, need to pay a surcharge. Shucks. If only Wilson was here. Can save more money. Weather is cool and super nice.

Bus stop of bus to Downtown Brisbane

Barry and me at Brisbane International Airport

Took an airport transfer to Downtown Brisbane. Supposed to alight at St Roma Transit Centre but in then end alighted at St George Street. Went to look for Prince Consort Backpackers. Then realized that the address given by the website is wrong and Prince Consort Backpackers is actually at the other end. First “Ho Lan” of the day. Haiz. Walked all the way to Ann Street and Edward Street Junction to the Palace Backpacker. First backpacker accommodation. At 25 AUD per night, it looks quite ok.. Although a little old looking. They have a very interesting lift though. Those old kind..Got 2 doors must close the door.. and somehow manual one.. Didn’t know how to use the lift at first. Keep moving up and down the lift before getting our room. Fourth floor just opposite TV room. 3 share room with 1 single bed and 1 double deck bed. Lighting a bit bad.Just one night. Just a place to sleep. Make do with it. Just lock our backpack in the locker then went out to explore Downtown Brisbane

The old old lift at Palace Backpackers

Got map from the airport. Took the train from Central Station to Brunswick. Went to Chinatown first. Nothing much.Maybe daytime not much stall open yet. Walked to the Story bridge .Took some pictures.Then walked along the river. Got to the Custom House. Took some pictures of this ancient building.
Me inside the Train. On my way to Brunswick Station

Barry and Me at the Story Bridge

Made our way to St John’s Cathedral. Probably the most beautiful building in Brisbane. Took 100 years to build and it’s still in the process of building. Took quite a lot of pictures. Of the tainted glass . Very beautiful.

Beautiful tainted glass of St John's Cathedral

Then walked all the way back to Palace backpackers. Rested awhile and then went to Queen Street Mall. Sort of a shopping mall. The busiest place in Brisbane. Walked to Victoria Bridge. Along the way saw the Conrad Treasury.Another very old and nice looking building. Got a casino inside.

Crossed the Victoria Bridge to the South Bank Area of Downtown Brisbane. Where the arts centre is located. Walked through the Cultural Front to the South Bank beaches. Man made beach in the City. Something interesting.
South Bank Street Beach

Walked to the Goodwill Bridge(pedestrian bridge) , crossed the bridge to QUT (Queensland University of Technology). Walked to Parliament . Took some pictures. Then went to look for dinner. Ate Chinese food. Lousy food though.

Went to the casino after that. Quite a small casino.

Went to supermart Coles Central to get some mineral water and some fruit juice. Must eat and drink healthily. Cannot afford to fall sick. Will be on the road for the next 4 days.

First day in Australia. Nothing much at Brisbane. Meals cost quite a bit here. Weather is nice. A lot of walking done in a day.

INTRODUCTION

IT'S MY FIRST VENTURE.. OR RATHER ADVENTURE OUT OF ASIA.. SO I TENDS TO BE EASILY EXCITED BY EVERY SINGLE THING.. HAHA.. SO BEAR WITH ME.. HAHA..AND READ ON...

BEFORE THE TRIP

I know I shouldn't dig up the past.. but just for the completeness of this travelog.. Please bear with me...

How did this idea of graduation trip come about? Graduation trip, as we put it, is a trip where you go with your university mates after the final exams. Go with your mugging friends.. people whom you mug together.. went through the toughest of times in University.. A trip where you forget totally about work and study.. Just pure play and fun!!!

My group of mugging buddies in NUS got this idea during the start of the IA days.. Initially there is this Great Plan of backpacking in China.. going to the Silk Road.. haha.. sound adventurous.. Obviously I am quite excited by the prospect of going backpacking in China.. At first I naively thought that this Plan is going to work out...but in the end, due to a lot of "unforeseen" circumstances, it just didn't work out.Well .. Uncertainty as usual.. At one point of time, I am pretty resigned to travel alone to Europe.Haha Really don't mind traveling alone, then I will be forced to interact with people ..haha..

Then Barry was interested in a trip to Australia.. backpacking.. and I am game… so tentatively 2 of us more or less confirmed a trip to Australia..Then later Chengli expressed his interest too.. And later we found out that Wilson is going to Australia too.. so got him in too... He got friend in Australia .. Might get free accommodation.. but in the end, his friend can't join him cos exams coming...

So 4 of us will go alone.. Went to NATAS fair got a pretty good deal for a return ticket from Qantas.. Arriving in Brisbane and leaving in Melbourne.. Then the planning of the itinerary got underway.. Rough plan drawn out.. then exams came.. continue planning after exams....

Then something cropped up.. a few days before we leave.. Wilson is not going.. got an interview.. so left 3 of us...Need a change of plans.. but still nothing is going stop me though...

OZ trip

My travelog

My first post...

Probably start off with an intro or foreword..haha..

then every day will be a new chapter...

end with a conclusion...

A little travelogue.. with memories etched deeply in my mind..