City of Sails: Getaway to Aussie

Back in school again after the 2 weeks mid-sem break. This mid-sem break, I traveled to Australia! There were 3 legs to the trip, first being Sydney, followed by Goldcoast and finally Adelaide. It was a great get away and the best part of the trip was meeting close friends abroad rather than in Singapore. Lee Ping was a constant in the trip. In Sydney, I met up with Vivien. Unfortunately, she was unable to house us because she took in a roommate this semester. The backpackers we stayed at in Sydney, City Central Backpackers, had a good location but it was really dodgy! A starting point is that the sign was in Neon light. The rooms were pretty badly kept and the whole place looked really dingy. One saving grace was that it had free airport pick up and free internet.

Xuanlin joined us for the Goldcoast leg. We had a blast in the theme parks and basking in the sun at Surfer’s Paradise. It was my third time at Movieworld but it was still fascinating to me. This time, I rode Lethal Weapon twice! I remember how Mum forbade all of us from going on the ride the last time we visited Goldcoast when I was in Secondary school. Newly opened was a ride called Superman Escape. That was my favourite ride. It was such a pity that we spent the bulk of our time queuing for the rides and the park closed so early, at 5pm. Wished we could have more chances on the rides. Thankfully, we managed to take all the thrill rides at least once. :(

On our last day at Goldcoast, we sun bathed at Surfer’s Paradise. We were lucky enough to catch a surf competition. Wasn’t that impressive. Bah.. Kelly Slater, one of the best surfers in Aust, was scheduled to be there at 3pm but we didn’t stay to wait for his appearance. Had an enjoyable time at the beach. Felt great to feel the blazing sun on your body. At the same time, the light wind kept the temperature ideal.

At Adelaide, I was honoured enough to stay in Lee Ping’s newly rented house. She had just moved in a week before the mid-sem break. It’s a lovely cosy place which she shares with 2 other housemates, Myinzu and Ta Wei.

I love the transport in Adelaide (other than the frequency). They have this system where you pay one bus fare and then the buses you take within 2 hours of the first ride will be free. It's very economical.

A nice dinner at a restaurant called Daniels with Hsien Fei and Lee Ping. Gave Hsien Fei a surprise by giving her an unexpected visit! Was Jin Huang's idea for me not to tell Hsien Fei.

This is the O-Bahn, a fascinating bus that turns into an 'outdoor mrt'! It travels on wheels in the city but when going to the suburbs, it goes on the tracks and travels at speeds of up to 100km/h!

Enjoying a nice supper at Lee Ping's house with her 2 nice Housemates, Myinzu and Ta Wei. Ta Wei made a beautiful blueberry cheesecake for all to savour!

We refused to rent another locker and stuffed all our baggage into the locker, a near impossible feat. Mind you, inside the locker are 2 bagpacks, 2 duffel bags and our shopping bags!!