Sydney 2015

Life is indeed full of surprises, best things come when you least expect it and when it does, never waste a single opportunity to just hold a grab onto it. My husband has been anticipating since late last year a retooling seminar for the Finance Officers of the Philippines Embassies all over South East Asia and the Pacific. The choices for the host Phil. Embassy were Bangkok, Tokyo or Seoul. Ever since my pregnancy news came out, the husband postponed all possible trips we were planning. Like I mentioned in my previous post, he almost wants to lock me inside the house to ensure my safety! I even missed a friend's wedding in Brunei since it fell on my 11th week of pregnancy (1st trimester) and I was advised by my OB to postpone any trip abroad at that time. Ugh. 

The date and the venue of his retooling seminar was uncertain until early February when it was announced that it will be on March in Sydney, Australia!!! I immediately figured that it will fall on my second trimester when I am feeling much better without the nausea and headaches! I definitely knew my OB will allow me to go on travel abroad so I persuaded my husband to tag me along. I was one million times more excited than my husband. Haha! He's coming there to work while I am touring around the city! True enough, I made our one-week stay in Sydney a memorable one. Thanks to Lonely Planet's Pocket Sydney travel guide for giving me an idea on how to make the most out of our trip. :) 

As expected, I took a lot of photos (I used Canon EOS M on a default setting, lol) but I am so technogrant as to how to put them easily into a collage to share with you. So, I am only posting the very important ones as I walk you through our 5-day Sydney trip.  

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE. I took this photo aboard the ferry on our way to Mosman on the North Shore. I think this is the BEST photo I took during the whole trip. Haha! 

American architect Louis Kahn once said: "The sun did not know how beautiful its light was, until it was reflected off this building". 

Day 1

Our room in Travelodge Hotel. It looks like a budget hotel with a 3-star hotel price (Bangkok and Manila standard), no other amenities and has the worst breakfast buffet ever. Haha! The only good thing about it is its accessibility to the Hay Market and the City Centre, and they have Filipino employees who proved to be very helpful. It is where we were booked by the Sydney PCG, so we cannot complain. We weren't there to go on tour naman talaga. Ako lang. Haha!

We stayed in a hotel in the same building as the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, where husband's seminar was held. He attends to the seminar during the day while I roam around the City Centre and later he joins me on evenings together with his colleague and personal friend of mine, Nihaya (we call her Nigi). What I loved about our location was that it is almost walking distance to most of the establishments or tourist spots I wished to see so it saved me a lot of penny considering how high the cost of everything in Sydney are!    

ANZAC MEMORIAL. "Of Love and Loyalty...this work of love and loyalty has not ceased. There remained today, sixteen years since fighting ended, thousands of diggers for whom the war can never cease --- the maimed, the paralysed, the blind...there remain also their wives and the children, and the widows and children of men killed in war."

I started walking to Hyde Park, apparently the oldest park in Sydney, which is just across the hotel building. My first stop was Anzac Memorial Building inside the park, a building dedicated to all Australian young men and women who served in wars and conflicts.  

Tree-formed tunnel running down the park. 

Sydney is the most environment-friendly and least polluted city I have ever been. There are no major skyways and foot bridges around the city, and the streets are lined with trees providing canopy to all forms of uncommon birds and animals you see freely wandering around the city. It is a very ideal place to live in, mashaaAllah.  

Adjacent to Hyde Park is St. Mary's Cathedral, the largest cathedral in the city. Built to last, this Gothic Revival megalith was begun in 1868 and was substantially finished in 1928. Grateful to my tripod and the camera's self-timer for most of my shots, kaya siempre nakatingin si Kuya. Hehe

Emerging from Hyde Park, I found myself meandering along Macquarie Street, the center of government. From this point on, I was able to see a lot of interesting buildings and establishments as I walked down the road. First was Hyde Park Barracks Museum, a Georgian structure which served as convict quarters in the late 19th and early 20th century, then later became an immigration depot, women's asylum, and law court.

It is listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since I have no one to take my photo, I had my foot included as a proof that yes, I set my foot on another UNESCO heritage site. Haha! Masabi lang. 

I also passed by The Mint, an old building (built in 1816) which now serves as the Head Office of the Sydney Living Museums. Next to it is Sydney Hospital, Australia's oldest hospital which has a Victorian sandstone facade. I noticed that the city government did not fully succumbed to modern architecture by preserving their numerous century-old Victorian buildings. I can't help but think that it may have the same vibe as in London or in other European cities. Naks!  

IL PORCELLINO

Next to Sydney Hospital is the State Library of New South Wales, it is a modern library connected by a bridge to the Public Library of NSW. I can't help but linger a little bit more and envy the students freely accessing all the necessary information in their beautiful state-of-the-art library.   

MashaaAllah! My eyes grew bigger at the vastness of its book collections, deafened by the silence and I was drooling with envy at the students fully concentrated on studying. IT IS MY DREAM UNI LIBRARY!!! I can't wait to show this to my librarian Mom. Heehee. 

The vast PUBLIC LIBRARY OF NSW. 

I had to cross The Domain, an immensely green sports park near the Royal Botanic Garden to reach the Art Gallery of NSW. If you live in this clean and green city, there's no reason for you not to live a healthy lifestyle. REALLY. Imagine, I only walked from one point to another approximately 4-5 kilometers from the hotel, resting in every building I go to and I didn't feel exhausted at all. At least not on that day. Haha! So imagine my husband's worry when I showed him all the destinations I've been to on that particular day. Haha! I keep on assuring him I was okay and I can manage. 

Health buffs at THE DOMAIN.

One of my Sydney highlights is my visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. My jaw literally dropped at their wide, extensive and all-original collections of 19th and 20th century European, Australian/Aboriginal and Asian paintings, sculptures and other form of arts. It's my first time to see a real Van Gogh (Head of a Peasant, 1884) and Picasso (Woman Lying On A Couch 1939, Nude In A Rocking Chair, 1956) paintings! Plenty is an understatement for the interesting pieces in the gallery's collections.    

Bertram Mackennal's THE DANCER (1904). 

THE JOHN SCHAEFFER GALLERIES

Charles Bell Birch's RETALIATION (1878)

The husband and Nigi joined me later to Circular Quay to visit Sydney Opera House and to have a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge.

My high school friend and classmate (Mendeleev) Nihaya, also an accountant and presently the FO of the Philippine Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Lovers in front of the Opera House. NOT JUST US. Notice those lovebirds shooting their pre-nup video. How romantic that would be. I was thinking of shooting some sweety-sweety photos but the husband is so KJ he's not into those stuff. AWR-KAY. *rolls eyes*

On the same night, we had a buffet dinner at the Sydney Eye Tower revolving restaurant to have a 360-degree view of the city. It was Nigi who suggested we go dine here for the view as the buffet excites me more than dining in a revolving restaurant on top of a tower. Haha! 

A view from the SYDNEY EYE TOWER. 

Day 2

The days that followed were not as packed as the first day, I would usually leave the hotel past noon to see more of the city. I dared not miss the expansive Royal Botanic Gardens which is a favorite picnic, jogging route and snuggling spot for lovers. The garden is home to the Government House, Sydney Tropical Center and on its northeastern tip is Mrs Macquaries Point, a spot which provides beautiful view over the bay to the Opera House and city skyline. 

People usually come here to rest under the shade of the century-old oak trees, others would simply bathe under the sun. 

The garden is where one can perfectly find absolute serenity to escape the hustles of the city. I wish on that day that the husband was with me because the place is very romantic. <3 

MRS MACQUARIES CHAIR. 

Mrs Elizabeth Macquarie was the governor's wife who ordered a seat chiseled into a rock from which she could view the harbour. It is a beautiful sight, indeed, and a perfect place to relax after going around the vastness of the garden. I wasn't able to see everything because of how tiresome it was!  

<3 <3 <3 

A family playing with the seagulls.

Seagulls and other birds are all over Sydney! Here in Bangkok, there are pigeons, too, but they're usually found only in the parks. But in Sydney, animals and birds are wandering and co-existing freely with the people. It says so much of how nature-lovers Australians are. 

Behind me is the WURRUNGWURI

Wurrungwuri is that giant sculptural waveform made of sandstone blocks. The gaps within the sculpture and the wave troughs are intended to create habitats for plants, insects, birds and micro-bats. How cool is that?  

Parang nasa Golf Course lang. :) 

The summer has just ended when we arrived in Sydney so the weather was just perfect for walking around while the cool wind blows. It would sometimes rain in the afternoon which reminds me so much of MSU weather. 

Day 3

The downside of being in a non-Asian city is the difficulty of finding RICE to eat!! Hahahaha! Before I got pregnant, bread and pasta would last me for days. I wasn't much of a rice person. But when I got pregnant, I can't live without rice! Now I know how most of my friends feel when they say no food satiates their hunger until they've eaten rice. On the third day, I was desperately looking for rice to eat. The great things about our hotel location is that it is also near Chinatown where Asian restaurants line the street, may it be Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Thai. Good thing I found a relatively affordable Japanese restaurant where I can have all the rice I want! Everywhere I go, whether Aussie or non-Aussie resto, a simple meal's price ranges from 9-15 AUD for one person, mahal pa rin based on my kuripot standard, but embracing the high-endness of the culture in a first world country is part of the traveling experience. Better not to mentally convert every penny you spend so you won't get a headache and you get to enjoy everything. Haha!    

Chicken Teriyake Bento

On the third day, I explored more of the southern part of the city from the hotel. I went to Paddy's market for some bargains and crossed to Chinatown.

PADDY'S MARKET 

One of the best things to do when you're new in the city is to explore by walking while sight-seeing. There were hop-on hop-off buses if you feel tired to walk, but walking gives you more time to enjoy the sights. For instance, I found this weird-shaped building owned by the University of Technology Sydney along Ultimo road, I have no idea who the architect or designer was but it certainly caught my attention.  

UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY BUILDING

Since I was already in the Chinatown vicinity, I can't help but take a peek at the Chinese Garden of Friendship. It was built as a gift from the government of Guangzhou, China which is considered by the government of Sydney as its sister city. It is not a huge garden but it interweaves pavilions, waterfalls, lakes, paths and lush plant life. Lonely Planet described it as being too serene for words.  

Falls in the heart of the city

View from the top of the serene CHINESE GARDEN

What's being in Sydney without watching an opera or a play at the Sydney Opera House? Of course my friend Nigi and I grabbed the opportunity. We chose a Shakespearean romantic comedy play entitled As You Like It. It was brilliant! Back in high school, we did a very lousy Macbeth play I can't even remember my character; another one we did was The Tempest where I played Miranda. I've also seen A Midsummer Night's Dream in a university play when I was in college, I remember the actors and actresses did really well on that play. 

The husband didn't join us watching the play, because obviously, he's not at all interested in these kind of stuff. I was only lucky that Nigi was as equally enthusiastic as I was. Hehe. 

Waiting for the second act. 

My knight without an armor (haha) waiting for us outside the opera house.

Day 4

I dared not miss going to the Museum of Contemporary Arts whose art collections range from photography to Aboriginal bark paintings, and using daily materials to convey poetic and extraordinary messages. 

AUTOMATED COLOUR FIELD (2011) made up of flip-clocks arranged in a grid. 

I walked around The Rocks to have a glimpse of the old buildings along that street where street artists are making a living. 

LIVING STATUE

On my way back to the hotel, I returned to the Royal Botanic Gardens only to have this photo taken in front of the Government House. Haha! Pagbigyan. 

Alice in Wonderland in front of GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Later that day, we had a sumptuous dinner at Darling Harbour lined with restaurants, bars and clubs. We lingered a little longer while transgenders and cross-dressers were singing and dancing in public as part of the Mardi Gras celebration that week. The grandiose Mardi Gras parade happened on the day of our flight back home, too bad I missed a fun event.

With Nigi and Vice Consul Lala Gandarosa. The sun sets past 7pm in Australia, hence what looks like an early dinner. 

We explored more of the southern part of the city until we reached the Queen Victoria Building, a high Victorian masterpiece (late 19th century) which has been remodeled through the years, albeit preserving the original mosaic floors, wrought-iron balconies, and the stained-glass shopfronts, and is now a grand mall.   

QUEEN VICTORIA BUILDING

Day 5

I love their two-decked TRAINS!! Sana ganito sa Pilipinas, hindi hassle sumakay ng tren. 

Finally, the seminar was over on the day before our flight so the three of us (Nigi and the hubby) went to the outskirts of the city. The husband is a major sea and sand fan, so Bondi Beach was on our itinerary. We took the earliest train to Bondi Junction and then took the bus to the beach, it was quite far from the city centre but commuting in Sydney was super fun and no hassles at all! I admire their subway and other transpo services! Excellent! 

The fine sand of the vast BONDI BEACH.

Murals. They are everywhere in the city suburbs. 

Bondi beach is basically a surfing area, in fact, surfing schools are everywhere near the beach. Feeling the sand on our feet and the sea breeze on our skin is already enough. Pero feeling ko mas masaya kung naligo kami sa dagat, ang sarap ng mga alon e. :)  

Going to Australia is never complete without an up-close encounter with a kangaroo and a koala bear! Hence, our afternoon was spent at Taronga Zoo located at the northern shore of the city. The zoo is home to 4,000 animals where I have seen some of the endangered ones. I was a Zoology major and it is fascinating to see animals I have never seen before! There were platypus, echidna, tasmanian devil (they're suffering from a disease that brings them to the brink of extinction), a black swan, Australian pelicans, and a whole lot more! 

KOALA BEAR

KANGAROO 

There are things in life that occurs to us earlier than we expect them to happen. Coming to Australia is on the bottom of my travel bucketlist simply because it is a country/continent where people come non-accidentally. It's not like going to Malaysia and you can easily make a sidetrip to Singapore; or like going to one particular European country and then you can just easily tour around the nearby countries via train. People come to Australia for a specific purpose, either business or as tourists. It is more memorable because it is the first country I've been to outside Asia (well, I've only been to Thailand so far. Haha!) and because I am pregnant! It's another thing that I can tell my child when he grows up, that he's been to Australia when he was still inside my tummy. Haha!

Alhamdulillah, my heart is filled with gratitude to the Creator who made it happen and who made everything run smoothly, and of course, gratitude to the husband who tagged me along. I'm such a lucky wife!