Picaro’s Log

2/7/05

- early at

midnight

, I started the journey to KLIA. Checking in 2 hrs before the departure didnt make me to get a good seat. " I m sorry, the flight for today is very full, all window seats are occupied." said the ground stuff at the check in counter. I got no choice, gotta squeeze in between mummy n strangers. Flew 7 hrs of journey with Austrian airline - surrounded all the mat salleh, speaking strange languages ( Austrian? German? Italian? ) that I don’t understand was really suffering. After surviving 7 hrs of tough flight, once again, I flew from

Sydney

to

Adelaide

with 2hrs flight. By the time I arrived

Adelaide

, it was dark. My whole day was in the airport and plane! The day has yet to end, Carrington st. was the place I gonna stay for the night. Grabbing a cab n showing the driver the add, $16 aus for the journey, I arrived the backpackers hostel which I have booked. Unfortunally, the front office is closed. I saw nobody in side, No bell to ring. Oh my! How could it be huh? Standing on the quite street at a foreign country eating cold wind wasn’t fun. Thank god, another backpackers next door has dorm room available. Without much hesitate, I got a bed with $22 aus. Inside the hostel was full of Jap, Korean and mat salleh. I was exhausted. I was able to have a short chat with one of the Jap gal in the room, knowing that the rest of the four who are in the same room are Japanese, Korean and Finlanders. Hopping on the upper deck of the bunk bed, there ended my day- without knowing or seeing the face of the gals of the same room!

03/07/05

- early in the morning, seeing mates in the hostel busy dragging luggages, packing food for their next destination. The kitchen is the busiest place, opened 23hrs, fully equiped with culinary, watching mates cooking , and I only having a simple toast n tea - a foc breakfast from the hostel.  Walking on breezy and quite street to

Chinatown

while enjoying the scene along the road make me in a good mood.
After 3hrs of coach and 30mins of ferry journey, I was in

Kangaroo

 

Island

. Here, I met 2 jap backpackers who was in the same ferry, same hostel and same room with me! and guess what, we got the same itinery for tomorrow’s tour. *kiew* heh!

8pm

- after 3 mins of short walk from YHA,

Penneshaw

 

Penguin

 

Center

is the first place to visit. The sound of penguin is annoying but walking along the same pathway with them was fun! Photos for the penguin is not clear as flash is not allow to use in that area. Those tiny little penguin is timid - no flash, soft talking voice and light steps are essential for a close view of them.   

04/07/2005

- a day to tour around the island. Took a few photos of the YHA, with Masae and Mami before departure. A close view of Sea Seal resting on the shore impressed me very very much. The

Seal

 

Bay

guide keep on reminding us of staying together in group and not to have big movements to avoid frightening the seals.  The Remarkable - rocks doesnt impressed me much. I feel dissaponted of not seeing any Koala throughout the journey. 

05/07/2005

– Early in the morning, catch a flight to

Melbourne

.  Checking in for All nations backpackers and got a double room. Meeting up with Aunty Wei, catching trems, searching for travel agency for day tour to Great Ocean Road, and then, came the activities of my fav - shopping. The street ( i forgot the name) was full of branded factory outlet - Nike, Adidas, Converse, Kookai, Roxy…

5.30pm

, the city starts to get dark. Shops closed. Folks in town starts to rush back to home after work.

Chinatown

is the busiest street, Chinese, Hongkies, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamiese all gather around.  Hopped into a recommended

Shanghai

food of aunty Wei. A bowl of big portion hot mee warmed me up after a day of crazy shopping. Guess what, I met a japanese backpacker who I get to know when I was in

Adelaide

hostel! She was waiting for the bus heading back to

Adelaide

for work - she is on working holiday visa! wow~ and I found the we both staying in the same hostel again, so *kiew * huh? Back to the hostel, I started to comma…..zzzzz….zzzz….shop till I dropped :P.

06/07/2005

- Early morning again…7.30am - still dawn. Waiting in front of Holiday Inn Flinder st. - 2 blocks away from my hostel at Spencer st. …waiting for the coach for pick up. Along the journey to Great ocean Road, was the coastline. A really beautiful coastline, coach drivers giving explaination , non-stop… wondering don’t he feel thirsty? hahaha. I saw surfers surfing on huge waves along the coastline. The first stop was at

Apollo

 

Bay

. Having a delicious Fish n Chips, walking around this small loving town waiting for the time to depart. All the tour mates gathered at the spot, we waited for 30 mins.The driver ran to us and explaining the reason he was late — coach broken down!! While waiting for the technical support, we gotta stay in  the town for another 30 - 45 mins. So what to do, I hopped into the nearest ice-cream store, enjoying the great Honey Comb and White Choco cone! Ice-cream in the winter, *coooolllll*

The journey started again, once the coach is fixed. The driver kept on apologized for the delay and promised we wouldn’t miss any itinerary of the trip. Along the road, the driver stopped by when we saw wild life Koala and guide us for a photo shot. The lazy animals slept 23 hrs a day, no wonder I didn’t see it moves – climbing from trees to trees when the whole gang of people watching it from below. Grab a few shots and back to the coach, continue the journey.  Dik…dik..dik… few hrs past, reached the Twelve Apostles. One of it… was collapsed few days before. – The article from The Age was passed around in the coach. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ninth-apostle-crumbles/2005/07/03/1120329326001.html?oneclick=true

Again, rocks didn’t impress me much, grab a few shots and back to the coach. Next, was the

London

bridge…

London

bridge? Not in

UK

huh? It’s Port Campbell’s

London

 

Bridge

… again, its just a rock… When we got there, rain poured, I missed the chance to see another rock spot. Then, back to Port Campbell, a restaurant fella owner holding a Clay fish, to show us. Clay fish = a kind of Lobster. Stopping at the town, again I have my second ice-cream of the day, raspberry and orange….. and back to coach, heading back to the city. Almost

9pm

at the city. Back to the pick up point, heading back to hostel, I got another idea…. go have a look at Crown casino, which is few mins walks from the hostel…………. have a look at the nightlife and the fire works ( every hrs in front of the Casino.)

07/07/05

– checking out from the hostel, heading to the bus terminal , pay $5 aus of each person ( me and mama) to deposit our luggage. Then, catching a trem, meet aunty Wei at Bourke st. well, started our shopping of the day. First destination, Victoria Market.  Never in my live I see so much of hams, bacons, sausages in a stall! Ohh and also Cheese stall, huge veggie – big round cabbages and lettuce, huge n long celery, (looks delicious). 

Richmond

and Toorak were my last destination at

Melbourne

. Back to the Bus station, hopped on the coach and started my 12hrs journey to

Sydney

.

08/07/05

– Early morning again and again, 6.30am, I arrived

Sydney

central. Catching a cab to King Cross for the early check in. Well, its too early. No room available yet. Dropped the luggage at the hotel reception – then went for the exploration at to the city. Catching the cityrail train, 2 stations to the Town Hall station, and start exploring the city.

09/07/05

– The itinerary for the day : - Circular Quay and The Rocks. Cityrail, the main transport to the town, from King Cross to Town Hall, then change another rail to Circular Quay. It’s a nice and sunny morning, a day that I didn’t need to put on my jacket. Grabbing few shots with Sydney Opera House,

Harbour

 

Bridge

and Cook Cruise as background, then, its time for The Rocks weekend market. A beautiful market, which has lots of art and craft bargain.  Lingering around The Rocks till the late of

noon

, its time to change the location –

Chinatown

. Again, went for another market – The Paddy’s Market – time to get some souvenir, (that’s the place I get most of the souvenir for u guys :p). Day starts to get dark and cold strong wind blew in the evening. Having a fast meal at Hungry Jack – my favourite Whopper Jr.   on the way back to Town Hall cityrail station. The weather started to get colder and colder, what to do? Be a Koala, zzz … zzz… zzz..

10/07/05

– after a good sleep, another journey starts again – to Paramatta. 30 mins of train, got me there. Historical town, quite and peaceful and… not much things to do. A rainy and windy day, in a quite town, put me into a sleeping mode , heh, cant sleep, cant sleep, last day in

Sydney

, tomorrow gotta go back! So, what to do? The last day to shop and have my fav Whopper.

11/07/05

–Bought few bottles of wines at the wine shop besides the hotel and say bye bye to

Sydney

. Again, I didnt get a window seat for the flight, again, I was surrounded by tall, huge mat salleh – with the languages that I don’t understand for 7 hrs…… K  ( its the time that I miss MAS so much). Arrival KLIA ,

midnight

 

12/07/2005

– tired, exhausted and nothing to say…… ~the end~

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