A Chapter of My Travel Experiences Part III Blue Mountain Sydney Australia

We woke up early to prepare ourselves to go to the Blue Mountains...... It will take about 2 hours journey via direct train.....

Blue Mountain.....Hmmm, have it ever came across your mind, why is it called Blue Mountain?? And not any other colours..... I read an article the night before about why is the mountain called Blue .....

Given their name Blue Mountains was a result of the blue haze that covers them when seen from a distance (especially in hot weather),  extensive Eucalyptus bush land of the Mountains give off eucalyptus oil from their leave and some of this merges with the atmosphere to form a distinctive blue haze and also due to the Rayleigh scattering effect. The light is scattered among the air molecules and the shorter wavelength (blue) disperses out the furthest, so we see a blue-ish tint.

L told me that the temperature up there is going to be real cold and thus we got to prepare all our winter clothings and most importantly Gloves.... The temperature up there was 10C....

We walked towards train station Wynyard and we checked with the officer at the ticket counter that we want to go to the Blue mountain and he was very nice to tell us to go to platform 16 where we boarded the train to Central. Thereafter, We alighted the train and walked to platform 6 where the train leaves for Katoomba..... It was only 0930hrs when we were there..... We got to wait till 1015hrs and thereafter the train for leave for our destinations...

Initially, I was also looking out for platform 9 and 3/4 hahahaha...... too bad there were no walls for me to go through............

When we boarded the train, all the seats were in its opposite direction.... Which means????
Means: the train is going -------->direction
              my Seat is facing <------- direction.....="" p="">
We met a Chinese lady who was like us travelling to Blue Mountain, and she just confirmed with us which platform to board the train and we confirmed that it was 6...
The train arrived and the doors opened and many others alighted as this was the last stop..... We were in a dilemma if this I the train that we should board.... ???

A while later, we saw people boarding the train despite instruction announced not to board the train...
We just do what monkeys do...... Follow .....
We climbed up and the in the carriage  were empty seats.... We assumed that not a lot of people will be boarding the train.....

 I was exploring inside the train as there were no one..... one of the signage caught my eye......
U are not allowed to place your feet on the opposite seat and fines apply.....

 All the seats were in such position and we did not query further.... Initially, it was supposed to be a very quiet journey with few passengers on board.....
Then came two young men who are choosing seats....and finally the two of them sat right behind us on our left....
For the two long hours, this two men was laughing++++, giggling++++ and talking throughout....
They were so talkative and noisy..... We had to bear with them till we reached the Blue Mountain...
As Men, surprisingly they were extremely talkative.....

As the train started its journey, there was one gentleman who looked to be in his mid- fifties  approached us and asked us if we knew the seats can be maneuved to wanted direction.... He was sitting next to us...
We were so surprised ........ He smiled and helped us..... In the photo, you can see the metal handle sticking at the corner of the seats, you just pull it to your desired direction.....  
He said, " now you can enjoy the view." We thanked him for his kind gesture......

I was so excited that I took out my selfie stick and attempted to take a photo of myself in the train, then the gentleman started smiling at me, and offered his help to take a picture of us..... I declined and thank him..... it is fun to take your own selfie....

Then the two noisy men behind us started to giggle and laughed hysterically. We just ignored them.....

The  train stopped and closed its door pretty fast at each station..... Finally we reached Katoomba station...... it was close to noon time..... The skies looked pretty dark, it looked as if it was going to rain......

While getting out of the station, we walked towards the Blue Mountain Explorer station..... and we bought the tickets to board the Hop On and Hop Off bus....But before that L was hungry thus she went to the Subway and bought a foot long bread.....

The driver of the bus were all very friendly and helpful...... To them Driving the bus is not only a job, to them Blue Mountain is their home and they are so proud to present the stories and history of their home......

Those two guide book on my right was the ticket to board the bus, just show them to the driver and you are on board...
There are time tables schedule in the guide book telling us what time the explorer bus will be coming and there are so many bus stops .. The bus driver will tell u  which stop are we  nearing to....

Each stops will have a sign, all you have to do is to look for this sign and wait....

We sat in the bus for an hour as it finishes all the stops before deciding which station to drop......
We finally began to explore,Katoomba street, Katoomba Falls, Blue Mountain Chocolate Company, Echo point- Three Sisters, Honeymoon Lookout...

Just as we started to begin us our explore, it started to rain, and started to snow too....
We were so cold, shivering ++++ despite dressed like a penguin.... So thick and rounded with clothes....
The rain was so funny, it rained for a few minutes then it stopped....

As we were exploring the Katoomba falls, the wind started to blow and the tree began to rustle .....it sounded as if a storm was coming.... hahaha . it sounded so scary....
(I had a video on this, I will upload in my facebook, the file is too big )

Thereafter we stopped to rest at the chocolate company, to have a glass of hot chocolate drink....
The hot chocolate drink was so special.... you DIY the hot chocolate drink ....
We even tried the Mud cake which tasted like the sea..... with mango sauce... The mango sauce as acclaimed by my friend L was delicious....

There is a video on how it is done....
I will post it on facebook and share with you all.
Maybe this is not new, but to me....it is something different... maybe I can try it out at home whenever I feel like drinking hot chocolate..... hahahah... as long I get the requisites.... A candle, A mug, Chocolates and milk.... That is all...

By the time we end our explorer on the mountain, it was already 4.30pm, we rushed to board the 5.20pm train back to Central, Sydney.....

While on the way to the train station, we met a Visually impaired  young lady who asked us if the train was going to Central, we were not very sure and we don't want to give the wrong information, but luckily a young man came forward and offered his help to the young lady and even help her to board the train.. Thank you... After seeing that the young lady was well taken care of, we then proceeded to the ultimate venue before boarding the train for the next
 hours - Toilet..... hahahaha

 the time we reached Central, it was already 7.20pm, L was in need to go to the ladies, and we walked all over the platform and there were none in view... We approached one of the train master and they pressed on a remote control and the gate to another platform was opened.....
They let us out to use the toilet.... hahahaha.

By the time we came out, we got to go back to the gates to our platform to Wynyard station... on the way, right in front of me was a young lady who was walking unsteadily.... swinging from side to side....
oh my god, she is real drunk at 7.20pm..... what time did she started drinking to be in such a state....

We walked back to the gates, and the other train master opened the gate for us to cross without a question asked when we signalled him ..

We were in time to board the train leaving to Wynyard.......... Once we reached the station, we were rushing to go to the supermarket to get our dinner...... We came out to the other exit and we got to try the other exit to get there.... Finally we managed to reach the supermarket but we have only 10 minutes to shop as they are closing in 15 minutes time at 7.55pm . We got to hurry as the register are closing.....

We went to buy the sushi again as it is more filling as compared to bread....  On the way out, we met a lady in her forties who asked if the train station shutter is down, We had no idea, thus we told the lady, maybe she can try to find out.... She smiled and agreed....

Tonight was probably the latest to return to the hotel....

ok, our next stop -Gold Coast

We got to pack our luggage as we are flying off to Gold Coast at 1135hrs......

 

A Chapter of My Travel Experiences Part II Sydney Australia

Even though we slept early, we still woke up late and thus we had a change of plans ....... Our initial plans was to go to the Blue mountain...... My Friend L woke up early and she went out for a stroll first, leaving me to wash up.... We had a simple light breakfast -Turkish bread and a glass og milk and coffee...

Since we woke up late, we decided to walk around Sydney, looking at our map and I have a very good walking compass - My Friend L............. When she is around, you will never have to worry about losing your way around...... 

We started walking in the other direction of the Rocks, walked past the Opera house..... We passed a group of Australian students dressed so cutely for a outdoor class excursion trip...... Don't they looked liked little English nurses.....for the girls and the boys looked like little soldiers......

 As we slowly strolled through this quiet town, we saw a number of people jogging down the road at 11am in the morning and it made us wonder ant's they working at this time of a Monday morning......

We then strolled into the Royal Botanic Garden of Sydney..... it is quite true that a visit to Sydney isn't complete without a walk through the beautiful Royal Botanic Garden....... The garden has been here since 1816. It is situated at the east of the Opera House.... The garden occupy about 30 hectares of  land.

The Sun was shining brightly in the sky, this was a time that I loved the sunshine..... it felt so good to smell the sun in a cold weather...... hahaha This was a time when  I,  travel in a cold weather learns to appreciate the sunshine.......

It was ironic and strange to be wearing a sweater and strolling in a garden beneath an bright afternoon sun...... but I am enjoying every minute of it..... U can't do this in Singapore, you will definitely get a heat stroke.....

As we walked, we came across the Government House which was sited right in the Botanic Gardens, and the house itself was under renovation, thus not opened for tours... However the house grounds was open for us to move around..... The government house was built in a Victorian style architecture between 1837 and 1843, it was the official residence of the governor of New South Wales.......

As we walked around the grounds, we saw something very unique, and you don't see this everywhere, at least not in Singapore.....

There was a Sun dial right opposite the house......

Sundial is a device that enables us to tell the time by looking at the sun position. This is known as a garden Sundial or horizontal Sundial.... this is commonly found in gardens, public places or churchyards....

We actually took a photo with L's watch and to check if the time is correct as indicated by the Sun position .....

The time shown on L's watch was stated the Singapore Time: 1044hrs ..... Since Australia is two hours earlier, then it should be 1244hrs, almost 1300hrs in the afternoon.....
Check if you can read the time on the Sundial......

After checking out the Sundial, we then move onto the next spot, a lake .......

 We walked past many little ponds and even the pyramid glasshouse.... however it was not opened for visiting.... The people there were very friendly and they seemed so relaxed.... at this hour, we saw people in office suit, attire were very comfortable sitting under the trees, shaded from the sun, reading, eating  and even chit chatting.... It makes me wonder if we are able to do so.....  and one more thing, how long is their lunch break......???

There was a restaurant located in the garden, it is an open air concept, however I don't like the idea of sitting by the rails.... it was so open that people walking beneath you are able to see what you wearing beneath your skirts.... I happened to see that...... it is not very nice to see this in the early noon time....

There was a little shop in the midst of the beautiful garden and my friend L bought the first souvenir gift in Sydney...

We continued to walk, and here we came across this beautiful building and I wondered if it is a museum.... nope I was wrong, it is not a museum of any sort..... It is a library.....

 This is the Sydney Hospital building , otherwise known as the oldest building in Sydney since 1788.... it is situated in Macquarie street, Sydney CBD....

Il Porcellino (in Italian means Piglet) , a bronze copy of the Florentine boar, was donated in 1968 and stands outside the hospital.

Here is the Sydney Tower, which at the top has a revolving restaurant, which is about over 300 metres above the city....

 

We had a short break in one the oldest shopping departmental stores known as David Jones, eating sushi....It was here that I bought macadamia salted nuts for my cousin....  

The Hyde Park Barracks Museum is a brick building and compound designed by convict architect Francis Greenway between 1818–19; originally built at the head of Macquarie Street (1819) to house convict men and boys. The site is now a museum

 As we walked down Macquarie street, there are more  and more beautiful buildings that belongs to 17th or 18th century....  We walked all the way to central station where the paddy's market was located..... in Chinatown.........too bad the market was opened only on Wed till Sunday... On Tuesday, I will be going to the Blue mountain and on Wednesday, I will be flying to Gold Coast , thus I have to give Paddy 's market a miss.....   

 We began to walked back to our hotels, passing by the CBD area looking for my stuff to buy for my cousin- Oakley...... He was lucky, I passed by the store....and  had spent more than AUD $300/- in the store alone.... I am going to claim back the GST at the airport.....

 By the time we reached Rocks, we then rushed to the supermarket - Woolworths..... I was so happy to be inside the supermarket... Why, There is free Wii connection.....  hahaha... While L was shopping for food and items, I was busy talking to my cousin about my whereabouts through Whatapps...
It was chargeable for internet access in the hotel where I was staying.... We managed to buy sushi for dinner.... It was then we realized that in Australia, the commonly eaten vegetable in Sushi is avocado...

While checking out our groceries item, we realized that they have express checkouts stations, where you yourself act as the teller.....

 That is really cool, too bad I don't have the cards... otherwise I really want to try it out....!!!!

Ok, folks.. it is time for bed.... tomorrow I got to wake u early to go to the blue mountain....
I will share my stories with you....

A Chapter of my travels experiences - Sydney,Australia PArt I

A few days before 31st Aug, I was very excited. My long awaiting annual break was here. Actually my friend was more exited than me cause the long awaiting vacation that was planned few months ago was finally. We had actually planned to a trip to Australia. Where? Sydney and Gold Coast...

The truth is, Australia was not a place that I had actually wanted to visit. I have heard a lot from other people about it's boring night life. My friend was pretty insistent, we should experience it on our own and should not based it on others' view about the country; since that was the case, we gave it a shot, thus our booking of hotels and flight was done.

Our Flight to Sydney was by Scoot, a budget airline. One scary thing happened when we were checking in, we were denied to check in as we did not have a Visa to Australia. Oh my God, we had not done our homework right, it had never came across my mind that we required a Visa to enter Australia. However luckily, we were able buy a Visa at the last minute at the SATS Airport services, and that cost S$50/- per person. We departed Singapore at 0145hrs on 31st Aug 2014, we arrived in Sydney at 1130hrs on 1st Sept 2014. Australia time is two hours earlier than Singapore.

When the plane touched down in Sydney- Kingsford Smith Airport Terminal 1, We were not allowed to switch on our phones as they do not allow the use of mobile phones at the immigration arrival hall.
As we walked down the aisle of arrival hall, we saw a number of machines that allowed DIY check in. Only selected country like New Zealand, Singapore and a few others are allowed DIY Check in. There is no more stamping of a Visa Pass on your passport, it is now all IT based. This is quite a pity as I missed all those various country stamps on your passport.  As now I flipped through my passport, I realized it is all empty pages, maybe in near future, there is fewer pages on your passport........

As we went through the DIY machine check in, when I had smiled into the camera, the immigration officers were very helpful, they said that for Singapore Passport holder, it is even easier, follow the photo on your passport...... which means, if you are wearing spectacles on the photo, then you have to put on your spectacles, and if in the photo, you are smiling, then smile at the camera..... that is it, simple as ABC.

Yap, we passed through immigration like learning ABC, so simple and quick. We then went to get our luggage ...... After sitting for more than 6 hours of flight, the first thing I spent on was a bottle of mineral water,  Mount Franklin Mineral Water 600mls- which cost me  almost AUD$ 5. Can you imagine that is so expensive......

We then chill for a while at a little café at the airport, and my friend L had some coffee and a cookie, as for me, the mineral water was enough.... hahaha, yet I was not hungry despite the last meal taken was at 12 midnight at  Changi Airport.

While L was enjoying her little coffee break, I was observing to the surroundings, people..... I then saw that every tables in the café was so clean, and I realized that everyone was so responsible to clear their own tray and rubbish.. this is the same as when I was in America. Suddenly a question arise to my head, where is the rubbish bin? I could only see tables, chairs, a little round table containing all the sugar, disposable stirrer, napkins but there were no rubbish bin within my view. 

I saw a lady who had finished her drinks and was too looking for the bin and could not find any, she then asked the café staff for assistance, finally I too saw where was the rubbish bin.....
It was in the centre of the round table .......... Can u imagine, all the clean items around the rubbish bin, but luckily the bin was quite deep in..... (How did I know, Well, I was  the one who volunteered  to throw  the rubbish as I want to know how the bin looked like!).

The next chapter of our trip was to look for our hotel....... Thus we proceeded to the Airport train station, it is interlink with the city...... However, it could be due to first time, we bought the wrong tickets and all thanks to my gut feel of "six sense" whom told me that we had the wrong tickets..... we checked with the lady at the tickets and she confirmed my senses.... We were wrong, Thankfully she allowed us to refund the tickets and we got the correct ones to our destination: "Circular Quay"

The trains in Sydney have seven lines and each colour is coded for easy identification. They have a new electronic card system called " OPAL card" but we have no chance to use this card as we used the "WALK Card"

 

Can you imagine that only 8 stations, our ticket cost about AUD $17.20 +GST AUD $1.56 per person......... That is so expensive, imagine you have to take the trains up and down....... 

However I like their MRT trains, They are double decks.......

 

 

When we exit the station, the first view was the harbour and we saw the world famous Bridge - Harbour Bridge.

 

The harbour was full of seagulls flying everywhere, cruise ships docking at the harbour, people moving around, the sunlight was so strong that my transition lens turn to shades immediately....

The weather was still cold despite sunshine shinning brightly ...... at least the temperature was about 18C. We are now at the Rocks....

 



 The Rocks, located in Sydney's Precinct historic town is our destination. It is where our hotel is located..  The Rocks is where Sydney first began with the establishment of the English Colony in 1788. This historic town is preserved well as it was home to sailors, whalers and traders.. Everywhere in the Rocks we saw was unique early colonial architecture, historic pubs, markets and spectacular view of Sydney Harbour.... We took a while to look for our hotel which is well hidden in between these beautiful colonial buildings.... We strolled up and down the main street, George Street, pulling my luggage on cobblestone laneways of the rocks, that was real tiring.. It was a Sunday afternoon where the rock weekend market was on...  This was Sydney's famous market that is only available on Fridays 9am-3pm and weekends 10am-5pm... I love walking down their beautifully restored 19th century buildings and lane.....

 



 Here are all the pictures taken at the Rocks.
We finally found our hotel, It is known as

	Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney MGallery Collection
	34 Harrington Street
	The Rocks/Sydney/Australia

It is a beautiful small hotel...... It really took us almost an hour to find it along many little alleys and lanes..... We were able to cut through all those alleys and lanes, and it was not a bit frightening, in fact, the lanes were beautiful, I nearly mistaken myself to be travelling back in time to the 19th century  England. It was a pity I don't see horses pulling carriages down the street.... then that is a wonderful sight......

Here is how my hotel look like......... Exterior

 

As my videos files were too big to be downloaded, it will be in my facebook......

 

Here are pictures of my hotel room, small but elegant and cosy.... in fact it look modern, you absolutely will not think that is a little room in a 19th century building....

 

After a little rest, we proceeded to the ultimate reason to be here in Sydney... That is to visit the Harbour bridge and Opera House..... Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera house are the both most loved landmark icons of Sydney...

The Harbour bridge was built to be 134 metres above the harbour.....As it was too expensive to do a bridge climb, or even on board the cruise explorer  we walked below the bridge and it was equally enjoyable.. Enjoying the sea breeze, viewing the scenic view of the sea, tall ships, seagulls flying everywhere, u are going to be real worried as these birds shit while flying... I was so lucky that one of the seagull shit at least 2 cm away from me.... I heard a sound that goes Blakkkkk..when one of them was flying above my head.. I was like, oh no, shit is not going to ruin my hair........ The next minute u see "white fluid kind elements" on the floor in front of me......

We saw lots of couples posing in their wedding gown and suit at the harbour........  it seems to be very common to include the harbour bridge in your wedding photos......  It might be better if you are able to have your wedding dinner on the bridge itself, while all the guest are enjoying the view of the skylines and even views on the pacific ocean to the blue mountains.... I wonder anyone does that????  I think the bride and groom have to ensure that the guests attending their wedding dinner are not scared of heights..... 134metres.... That is real high !!!!!
It is just my thoughts.... hahahaha......

By the way- Climbing the bridge will take around 3hours and half and that costs AUD $198, $208, $308 depending on the time.... Climbing the bridge at Twilight is the most expensive.

Do you know the Opera house is a UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece structure..... actually I have no idea.... it was designed by a Danish architect and completed in 1973....

The opera house was opposite the harbour bridge, it was fun to walk...... even though I don't feel the sun, the ultraviolent rays were still very strong, my transition lens stayed black shaded throughout, even when the sun was setting...... it was very cold when the breeze blew through.......

At this very hour and weather, there are still some people doing the ice bucket challenge on the sidewalks of the Opera house..... Don't he feel cold..... anyway, After the challenge, he is just numb all over.... hahahaha....

 Actually the weather was nice, but when the wind starts to blow.......  oh my god, that is millions of needles poking you all over.....  The first thing I covered was my nose..... too numb to smell anything despite the restaurant being next to me.......

(Shared the photos through my facebook as there were too many....)

 

We settled for a burger and a coke for dinner, as it was way too expensive to indulge in a dinner feast at the restaurant along the harbour, or even back at the Rocks.....

You have to be prepared to spend at least a few hundred of Aussie dollars per night if you want to eat at a restaurant...... or even a café.....

The food stalls by the street are all very expensive.... which include the supermarket.....

 

As the night had set in by 6pm, there are lesser people on the streets, shops except for the restaurants are beginning to close..... the trains stations will close by 8 pm.......

While returning to the hotel, I looked at my watch- Singapore Time was only 4 pm..... Oh my, What am I Going to do next in the hotel..... well.......

 

Relax and Sleep..... Actually on the first night we slept quite early, by 9 pm  (Singapore Time -7 pm)...  I was already snoring like a pig...... Thank god, both of us were too tired to get awaken by our own snores...

 

The next day, we walked from one trains stations to another........ this helped us to save quite a sum of money.......