Australia Day 3 - Dreaming in DreamWorld

Day 3 since arriving into Australia and 2nd day in Gold Coast. We woke up early to brace the freezing temperatures to wait for the bus to pick us up to the Dream World theme park. Luckily, we have bought our tickets at the airport, or else, we will have to squeeze with the throngs of people from the picture below (horrible)!! This is already considered quite good since it is their off-peak season, I can't imagine what it will be like when their peak season kicks in...Wipeout - that is what they called this mean machine. It will toss you left right center and upside down. Confirm guaranteed with great trills!! I think there is a person merlion-ing from the machine when we are leaving. I saw the staffs busy spraying the seats with water....
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The Claw - Another mean machine to bring you sky high and turn you 360 degree, experiencing about a few G when you are coming down all at the same time. Excellent trill!

These birds in the picture are what I called them the road sweeper. They are the unofficial cleaners "employed" at the park to clean up any food the tourists have dropped while they are eating. In a moment, all the organics on the grounds are inside these bird's stomach. Butter trading of food for work huh?
Yes, how can I be in Australia without taking pictures of their beloved kangaroos. See.... the kangaroo beside me likes taking pictures!! =p Thanks to *mds* for taking the perfect shot.
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The Tasmania devils. Not as menacing as they are portrayed to be.

The Koala bears taking their afternoon nap after their lunch.
Big bad Crocodiles - Don't they look like logs on water?
A eagle awaiting to soar into the sky

Their water theme park that I have no access to. The slides looks exciting, don't they?

Our dinner back at the hotel overlooking the hotel's pool. Nice ambiance, nice view, nice company.

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And to finish the day with a few sips of the red wine.

Australia Day 2 - To the Gold Coast

After 1 night in Sydney, we woke up early next morning to prepare for our internal flight to Gold Coast via Jet Star at the domestic airport. By afternoon, we landed safely at the Coolangatta Airport and we proceed to buy our transportation ticket to our hotel. The 3 day Freedom pass we bought includes unlimited local bus ride, free theme park transfer and a airport transfer to and fro from our hotel valid for 14 days from the date of purchase. (p/s: The Coolangatta Airport is the worst airport I have ever encountered. It not only looks like our budget terminal, the whole airport is deprived of food as well!!)

.The friendly bus that took us to our hotel - Australis Sovereign from the picture below.
Our hotel room comes with a balcony with a sea view (that is minus the few blocks of building in front of us...)

Gold Coast beaches with people para-surfing on it - Strong winds, strong waves and a nice view.

A beautiful sunset complimenting our dinner at the Southport Yacht Club

If you are in Australia, no matter what, you must taste their fishes. For that, I have their fish of the day. A huge slab of fish that comes with boiled rice, peas, and some greens. Yummy!! Their fishes are confirmed fresh and sweet.

The yacht club that we had our dinner

Don't know if the readers can see this picture clearly, but it shows the luminosity of the moon shining on the clouds on the sea horizon. A beautiful scene indeed.

Me and my *mds* =)

Australia Day 1 - Landing into Sydney

After 4 years of undergraduate life, I have had enough of studying. I have waited to say this for a long time (since maybe 2 years ago?), and that is: "Goodbye NUS!! I graduate lo!!" Well, I am almost there, but I still have to wait for the eastern wind to come on May 29 2009 at 3pm. Hopefully everything goes well.....

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For mine and *mds* graduate trip, it was all the way free and easy. All the hotel accommodations and transports are all pre-planned or pre-booked so that we need not worry about them when we landed at the airport. Time is of the essence and we have to make sure every single seconds are used to the fullest. =)

. On board the Qantas flight to Sydney, I found a very interesting thing - Magnum are served on board the flight and they are made by Ben & Jerry!! I only knew that they made ice cream in cups/tubs but in sticks too? Why they never do this in Singapore??

The train station that we alighted to go to our hotel for the night. At least, our MRT are not as complicated as theirs. There is no such thing as express service trains where you have to scrutinised all the stops for the incoming train to see if it will drop you off at the stop you wanted.

Museum stop - the stop which has seen the history of Australia unfold. There are history pictures on the tiles as you walk out of the station to hit the streets. Interesting, and certainly not as boring as our MRT stations. =p

Y Hyde Park Hotel - the hotel where the rates are cheap and location is good. It is conveniently located at the central of everything such that they are all within walking distances!!

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St Mary Cathedral

Our first dinner in Australia - Instant Noodles!! We walked towards the wrong direction on the street such that we did not see any restaurant or eateries at all!! In the end, we have to settle for these instant noodles that we have bought in a convenient stall. We discovered later (when we came back to Sydney again) that had we walk in the other direction, we could have so much more choice and definitely better food to eat!

Back

Back to the hot and sunny Singapore last Sunday. Though I appreciate the warm, but at night, it's just a little too hot isn't it? Well, give me some time to sort the photos, maybe a week or two before I start uploading it. Where shall my next holiday be and more importantly when?? =p

Yunnan Garden Restaurant

Food Galore!! Be warned, lots of yummy food ahead!! I have never known that in such an "ugly" and "ulu" building, otherwise known as the NTU Alumni House near the Rochester Park, there is such a good hidden deal. I always wonder how this chinese restaurant have managed to survive until now. During dinner time, there was like only 2 tables occupied, how on earth did they managed to keep their cashflow healthy? Nevertheless, here is a photo of their entrance. There are quite a lot of attractive promotions going on currently (eg: $8.80 a dish and 50% off for crabs), and most of their dishes are not that bad. If you are looking for some cheap place to dine in with a quiet environment, here is one recommendation. =)

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Peaking Duck

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The meat are cooked to just the right tenderness such that it still maintain its "springy-ness" when you are chewing it in your mouth. It is a must to dap the whole roll in the sauces provided to achieve an enriching sensation that will keep you coming back for more. The essence of the whole dish, which is the skin, is nicely smoked to just the right degree!! When you start chewing them, juices hidden in between the skin will start slowly oozing out which I guarantee that you will relish every moment of it.

Mushrooms with Vegetables
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The mushrooms in this simple average dish are nicely cooked such that they are all tender and soft. The sauces provided goes well with the blend vegetables which is not at all salty. In my opinion, this is an average dish which you can easily get at any other restaurant, and I considered it a bit too expensive at $8.80 a dish.

Oat Fried Prawns

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The prawns are either a bit overcooked or that they are not that fresh. When I started biting into the flesh of the prawn, I find them a bit too soggy for my liking. Other than that, the overall dish is still considered ok. Their shell are fried to the extent that they are brittle and easily chewed up and they have done a good job in removing the intestines of the prawn (which most of the restaurant don't even bother).

Coffee Pork Rib

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An interesting dish consisting of pork ribs stir-fry in coffee sauce. Giving credits to their creativeness and unique combination, however, the skills of the cook have let them down. I find that the pork ribs are too overcooked and too hard for my liking. The meat are hard to separate from the bones and I find them too dry. Definitely not worth the money to spend on this dish.

Chilli Crabs

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On picture, the whole presentation of the dish looks nice, however when you start eating, apart from the crabs, everything else falls below my expectation. The sauces used is a real major disappointment. Not only that they taste like satay sauce (really no kidding), but the sauces are all too watery. These 2 major faults totally kills all enthusiasm that I have for the crab. I recommend that you gives this a miss at all cost.

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Beef Yee Mee

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At last, a more decent dish. The beef in this dish are all nicely marinated. Put them together with all the supporting ingredients, each of their individual favours are all nicely mixed around to give off a unique experience and taste. I think it is quite hard for me to fully describe it, you will have to taste it for yourself to know what I meant. A recommended dish by me.

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And now, the author shall take a rest for 8 days to escape the Singapore heat. Australia, here I come!!!