Photos currently being organised and selected. – Rommel
Sydney, Australia … my first long foray out of the country … 30 days to be exact. Here are some of the things I learned about Australia, in general, about my sister, her husband and their 2 grown-up daughters and things we shared that I fondly remember:
Australia has very beautiful landscapes and seascapes as well! On our long drive to Melbourne, where we stayed with Pasky’s Manang Helen & Manong Jun, I was really awed by the mountains covered in violet flowers that I had to take photos of them… wondering if they were lavender farms? The gardens we’ve gone to at the Cockington Miniature Gardens and the Floriade in Canberra and the Rose Garden in Hunter Valley were really incredible. At the Floriade we saw a sea of tulips of various colors including a deep purple that looked almost like black. I enjoyed waiting and watching for the little penguins to appear on the beach at dusk to go home to their nests in Phillip Island, a few hours drive from Melbourne. Gracious hosts themselves, Helen & Jun brought us around the St. Kilda area and treated us to a scrumptious dinner of lobsters, crab and other seafood! The following day we flew to the Gold Coast which is more like Metro Manila only because there are more people and shops & bars were open late in the evening unlike in Sydney. Back at NSW, the roses at Hunter Valley were no less lovely with colors such as lavender, violet and blending colors in some. It was also here that we sampled wines and saw vast vineyards. Jing & I also enjoyed the wide array of cheese selections available at the Tempus Winery.We’ve clocked 5,000 plus raw photos all in all for the duration of my stay there.
I was particularly awed by the Flat Rock at Blue Mountains, its rainforest and the SkyCable ride with a glass floor. Kiama and Perimbula had breathtaking sceneries of the mountains and the sea. The depth of the rainforest is matched by the feet-tingling experience we had at the Eureka Tower in Melbourne where hydraulics would jut a small glass room out of the 79th floor!
It is such a big country that I noticed more space than people … as opposed to Manila, where there are more people than space!
Taxicabs or cabs are a luxury … you can count cabs, more so cabs WITH passengers!!!
Unlike here, Starbucks isn’t big in Australia … but McDonalds is! I guess it is because you can find good coffee anywhere that isn’t exactly as pricey. You get a regular brew, a cappuchino or a flat white at the same price! Not here in Manila!
I do miss the trips to the toilets everywhere we go …. Our first business anywhere, especially after a long trip, is the toilet. And for the all the toilets we’ve gone to, they were always equipped with working toilets and lavatory and an abundance of water and tissue paper. Hahaha, we even have photos of toilets that impressed us!
My sister and her husband are very adventurous … they took thrill rides at Wet N Wild and Movie World more than I did (except for SCOOBY DOO!!!!) at the Gold Coast… they are very spontaneous too, booking a motel after deciding to stay overnight at the Bateman’s Bay and Hunter Valley.
How can I ever forget the long drives we took with Pasky on the helm with the able guidance of our Navi guide, Karen (who was later on “unceremoniously” replaced by Darth Vader). Darth Vader lost us a few times, notably during our drive home from Bondi beach, with Jess on the wheels. Darth Vader didn’t say which street we were supposed to turn and Jess missed it so we practically went around for about an hour until Jess found the correct way. The Bondi beach escapade was an all girls’ outing … Jess & Celine took time out from their work/studies for my last day outing!
Their white Honda CRV was practically our ‘slave’ since the day I arrived; finally breaking down on our way to the opera to watch “The Marriage of Figaro”.
That’s one milestone in my trip: being able to watch an opera at no less than the iconic Sydney Opera House!!! Just too bad Ms. CRV couldn’t take any more of the ‘battering’ and Pasky had to stay by her side until the the emergency car “doctors” could tow it for repair. We have all been looking forward to this day, since they all haven’t watched a play in the main theatre also! Days before, Pasky even summarized the story for us as it was going to be sang in Italian! We all enjoyed the opera, more so I guess if Pasky was able to join us 🙁 … he and Jess were our sponsors! At the intermission, Celine treated me to a glass of sparkling wine!
However, this unfortunate event led to my being able to experience taking a cab and an electric trike to the Rocks where we went to have dinner after the opera. On our way out, at the Circular Quay, we were awed by the sight of the huge luxury cruise ship docked by the harbour.
Australia’s streets are dotted with intersections without traffic lights and are connected by circular ‘islands’ much like our rotundas, without the usual ornaments though, that they call “round-abouts” .
I love the train and bus rides Jing & took! Not at all stressful like here in Manila! I love it that Jing could actually check the schedules on her iPhone! When are we going to have that here???? ;-(
I will forever remember our (Jing & I) Valley Girl “fixation” after enjoying the discount shopping at Gold Coast…
I will miss my room… with its 52″ LCD TV, my own pink laptop (courtesy of Jess), a beautiful big wind-up harlequin dressed in beige sitting on my bed, a Nokia phone ready to use in Australia and 10 pcs. of big Cadbury chocolates of different flavors (courtesy of Jing’s officemate, who hasn’t even met me) and the bouquet of big pink roses that welcomed me at the airport, AND a set of personalized towels that Jing so lovingly hand-stitched with my name and which I all brought back home … except the TV of course!
My nieces love to watch Cake Boss, a reality show that follows how a New York bakery makes fantastic cakes as required by their clientele. The owner/head chef Carlos, and his fellow chefs are of Italian descent and they look, speak and act like Mafioso which makes the show more interesting and funny too.
My gracious hosts are fond of surprises … they surprised me with a dream itinerary an accidental tourist like me can only imagine. Celine & Jess surprised me with their prowess in the kitchen, not once but twice! … and how can I ever forget the surprise they pulled-off on my last night after coming home from dinner with Jing & Pasky? They made a Bon Voyage streamer and the Bondi beach page for my scrapbook!!! … and tea to share before calling it a night!
Jing surprised me no end with her delicious meals … fresh lumpia with homemade special egg wrapper, steak, adobo, shrimp pasta, chicken & pumpkin risotto etc… I wonder how she manages to make her scrapbooks, sew hems of their pants, cook delicious meals and learn cake decorating????
And Pasky!!! …he surprised me with his organization and detail even in the minutest things. I remember not having to charge my camera because at the end of each day, wherever we were, he’d collect our cameras (and phones) for re-charging. When I get back my camera the next day, all its contents have been uploaded already to his server. They have a massive collection of movies and TV series on DVD and it is interesting to note that he easily finds a title you ask for. He maintains a network in their home like only an expert techie can.
I always wondered why their home address didn’t say “Sydney” when they would always refer to being in Sydney, Australia … if I understood it right, Sydney is the metropolis … much like Manila here in Metro Manila, while their home is a suburb called Oakhurst, much like Las Pinas or Quezon City area.
Australia has a long list of towns that are named with repeating syllables such as Wagga Wagga, Woy Woy, Goonoo Goonoo, New South Wales, Australia (pronounced “gunna g’noo”), Kurri Kurri, Bong Bong, Bli Bli, Grong Grong some 20 kilometres from the larger town of Narrandera, Bongil Bongil National Park, Bongol Bongol, Gin Gin, Tilba Tilba on the NSW south coast, Boonoo Boonoo , Ulladulla, Nar Nar Goon, Victoria, Australia, Gumli Gumli near Wagga Wagga, Curl Curl and the next suburb is Dee Why, Gumly Gumly! How about Bongo Bongo! Vite Vite, on the railway line close to Pura Pura and Nerrin Nerrin in South Western Victoria.… on top of this, I also learned Australia has very curious, sometimes, funny names for its towns & suburbs like Cunnamulla , Boggabri , Coonabarabran , Currabubulla , Ettamagoah And as I went on researching for the familiar names I saw while my sister & brother-in-law brought me around, I realized that I wasn’t alone in the realization (how’s that for repetitiveness?
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