Sydney part 1: 15th, 16th may

sheesh.. i've been back home for 3 weeks and i haven't even posted half of aussie..

talk about the big fat procrastinator..

but then again, u can't really blame me. i have to sort thru like 3000 photos that me n thong took! yeah we (or rather, i) snapped at practically everything... hehe. haven't even gotten the pics from our 2 friends' cameras (so mostly only got me n thong's faces ok..hahah). and stupid blogger is not exactly helping things. wat with ultra slowww uploading rates and now, even the typing is slow to appear.

******************

Sydney

i gotta split sydney up into 2 posts cos there're absolutely too many gorgeous pics of sydney to be posted up at once.

so this first part would be Sydney Harbour, Opera house, Darling Harbour and other city sights.

many many many beautiful pics up ahead and not so many stories to tell so i shall try to shut my mouth for once and let the pics do the talking!

Sydney Part 1

i can't emphasize this enough but sydney is such a gorgeously beaauutiful city, at least to my eye. it's not as laidback and casual as gc and brisbane.. it's pretty much a modern busy place and even our schedule over there is pretty tight as well as we gotta fit sooo many things into our short 5 days stay.

but amidst the hustle bustle of sydney we found sanctuary in the nature, the gorgeous architecture and city sights... i gotta say, we didn't have time to experience the culture and lifestyle of sydney, walk the streets thoroughly and stuff. so sydney was like the place to feast our eyes upon, and just relish the sights.

A walk through the garden...15th may

that very first day, we walked through the garden from our hostel (we were told that walking thru it will take us to the sydney harbour) and were at once awed by sydney's beauty.

rem my earlier post saying that aussie cities are like a fusion of old and new? this pretty enchanted garden called the Royal Botanic Garden is set amidst high-rise buildings and houses.

see that church faraway? it's so pretty. called the St. Mary's Cathedral. there were often sounds of church bells coming from it.

this is one ultra mega huge and nice soccer field la.. can u imagine playing soccer on this piece of nice, soft, spacious grass, at 20 degrees? i could so tell from thong's eyes that he would do anything to join those guys on the field... lol.

actually that part of the garden still not very pretty... then we came to this part...

and saw huge oak trees like this!

and this! looks like they came out of enid blyton's fairy tale leh...

and then there were nice fountains and sculptures...

there were so many maple trees around... yellow, orange, bright red hues.. colours of autumn. beautiful la!! but the colours din really turn out well in the pics leh.. much nicer there.

somehow that day the sun was so bright and shiny so the pics turned out kinda dark.. din really know how to do the settings either.. totally disappointed.. rarr.. u know the feeling when there's something beautiful in front of u but u can't capture it down?

this tree, i swear looks like the one from big fish (i love that show)!!

and then we finally caught sight of the harbour!

pretty houses right.. i think they cost millions of dollars to have this view of sydney harbour.

actually we were still at the garden itself.. so we walked and walked further..

and tada!! caught sight of the opera house up ahead!! exciting sia...

the opera house unveils.

i tell ya.. it's such a pleasant and rejuvenating walk thru the pretty garden and getting here at the end of it.. i love parks and gardens la.. but the temperature must be cooling, like 20 degrees.. perfect for walking.. or even jogging!

and then the harbour bridge loomed behind.. there's this inexplicable feeling i had when i was there this first time. like awestruck.. a feeling of surreality whilst being in the midst of beauty.

this would be my fav pic if thong din blink, and if there isn't a bakerboy carrying a large red tray walking across the middle of the picture.

we reached sydney harbour at about 4 plus.. and within an hour the skies turned from cloudy blue to deep royal blue to pitch black. in this pic, there are actually tons of bats flying across the sky. can't see very clearly though. there must have been hundreds or thousands of bats flying above us that evening.

our dinner from oporto's.. this cheap fast-food.. lemon and herb chicken.. love their chilli chicken.. spicier than our local chilli!


Darling Harbour

at first we thought this area is darling harbour...

then later we came here... this beautiful harbour, and realised THIS is darling harbour! *faints*

Harbourside Shopping Centre

some navy looking vessel

i think this is a restaurant!

the sights were taken from Pyrmont bridge. the one thong is standing on. on this bridge, everyone walks across it pretty quick.. like they're rushing somewhere. think they can win us singaporeans in how-fast-we-walk. only the 2 of us busy snapping pics and sitting on benches to enjoy the views. wat a waste they didn't take time to smell the roses along the way i.e. pause to appreciate the beautiful scenery of this lovely, brightly lit harbour.

i love the whole feel of the harbour. i guess sydney on the whole gives such a feeling.. it feels so much like a harbour city. there're harbours everywhere! hmm i think boats, ships, yachts, sea, rivers, harbours, all work very well for me indeed.

City Sights

we walked along the streets to get to the train station and to get our groceries.

walked by the Queen Victoria Building, the renowned shopping centre for branded goods. and fwah, it's damn pretty!

like huh, this is a shopping centre? wth.. soo nice rite?

the inside even nicer...

so brightly lit and the architecture and carvings were soo so detailed. couldn't resist taking pics with it! but sadly all the shops closed already. anyway we wouldn't be able to afford such stuff too. bleh.

and this, is the lift! heh.. pretty cool..

even adidas looks good.

the St. Mary's Cathedral by night, on the walk back to hostel. gorgeously stunning.

16th may

Sydney Harbour revisited

we popped by this art gallery on our way to the harbour.. there were artworks of peeps like leonardo da vinci and van gogh! was sooo dying to pop in but our schedule was too tight for the day and we didn't have time. :(

anyway we took a pic outside so that we can say we've been there at least!

*cheapthrill*

walked thru the gardens again cos our 2 friends weren't with us the previous day. anyway the sunlight was just right that day and the pics turned out much clearer!

at the opera house up close.

looks kinda brownish and old when u look closely at it. but still beautiful on the whole.

the bridge looked almost like it's shimmering and glistening in the sun.

the aborigines! they looked kinda scary.. hehe. but seriously, they're like the rightful occupants of their own country. kinda sad.

Sydney Fish Market

the fish market spells seafood!! my fav food.

we sat by the harbour (or pier? not sure) to feast on our food!

huge market selling both fresh seafood and cooked ones..

we bought an XL lobster mornay. AU$24.50. quite good.. topped with mashed potato and cheese.

our seafood platter for 2. AU$26.50. there's fish, "king" prawns, scallops, oysters, calamari, sotong all heaped in one pile. i didn't feel it was particularly good.. the scallops and prawns were v good.. but not the fish!! yucks. pui. tasted like sand. or mud.

random shot of some plant by the road. nice rite? dunno wat they're called. but i've always loved them.

Darling Harbour revisited

heh we seem to be revisiting everywhere eh.. all the pics like almost the same, except night view/day view/morning view...

but different timing of the day indeed gives a different feeling la.. so bear with me k..

Pyrmont bridge behind.

anyway we came to the pier again cos we signed up for this free day tour.. which would bring us to all the pretty sights of sydney! so had to come here to take the bus..

Sights of Sydney!

-Milson's Point

from here we could have a vantage point of the opera house and the bridge (again??!). hehe bear with me la.. afterall wat's sydney without these 2 icons??

and it's from a different angle..

-Arabanoo Lookout

from here we had a good view of the harbours, piers below.. as well as Manly beach, which we were about to go!

this pic is beautiful right... i think it's the Middle Harbour or something. simply gorgeous. took it on the bus!

-Manly beach

a very peaceful and pretty little beach.. huge waves.. abit like gc.

the famous Norfolk pine trees that Manly is known for.. they lined the entire beach. i find them really pretty and winterish.

the square at manly, which gives a very gc feel.

i love this pic with the seagulls on the sand.. sooo pretty.. looks like some book cover rite? heh my imagination is running wild again..

end of the city sights.. dun u just love manly?

pheww... so many sights in just 2 days. shite, i think i said i'm gonna shut my big mouth and let the pics do the talking.. but in the end i didn't, did i? seems like there's so much to crap about.

okie next up would be sydney part 2! where the real adventure begins. heh.