Sydney Day 8: 4 July 2015

Sydney Day 8:

Woke up at 9am and a frantic pack later, it was off for one last breakfast of the trip. 

Breakfast was at nearby The Menzies Sydney hotel, and consisted of local cured trout plus poached eggs.

A nice stroll in the Wynyard vicinity and it was off to the airport via a dedicated transport service that cost $16 per pax.  This was way more convenient and comfortable than taking the train, which will also be more costly.  Especially with the overweight checkin and 3 carry on bags!!

The flight back was pleasantly entertained by the inflight movies and shows while the meal was acceptable.  The cold sandwich dinner was a bit appalling.  

It was overall an enjoyable holiday where Grace abounds and lotsa fun time meeting my friends.  I got a feeling I will be returning to Australia really soon!!  If only I could stop checking my emails there.... 

Sydney Day 7: 3 July 2015 (Darling Harbour & City)

It was an early wake up again!!! Not a choice since the free parking by the apartment was until 8am. But a quick morning drive around The Rocks was rather rewarding.   I was pleasantly surprised to see empty streets in this part of the Sydney city center, a laid-back charm with historical structures dotting along the streets.

peaceful morning

Today was especially cold, probably the coldest morning of the trip!  A hearty breakfast later at nearby Savage Café, and it was back to bed for a snooze.  BTW, the breakfast was nothing to shout at, and the poached egg was more hard boiled then runny...

Hot Chocolate

Smoke Salmon and egg

The afternoon was the standard city exploration, including Darling Habour, Queen Victoria Building and Chinatown.  Not forgetting to stop by SuperDry for the super great sale!! The shirts were going at around $35 a piece!!!

sunny day at Darling Habour

a sleeping koala bear

Queen Victoria Building

QVB Interiors

Haig's Chocolate

 

Lunch was back at Taste of Shanghai for a quick pick me up.  This was my 2nd visit to the restaurant at World Square, which was recommended by Ernest and Eliss last year when I visited Sydney.  The taste was still great and very authentic!

At the end of the day time walk about, I ended with bags of purchases even though it was already a controlled shopping spree.  2 more bottles of local wines to add to my earlier purchase, plus 2 SuperDry shirts!  I know I have been telling everyone no more from this brand, but it is absurdly cheap here to ignore any spending!!

my 3 bottle of wines

SuperDry purchases!

Dinner was along Oxford Street with Edward again!  After making several directional errors, and wrong directions from This time, it was Mr Crackle, with its beautifully cooked pork belly and wonderfully crisp skin sheets.  The fat melted smoothly in my mouth after a few light chewing, and the salad provided a welcome respite from all the thick mouthful of meat!

After dinner was ice cream at Messina.  The flavours I had were coconut cream with lychee, and banana split.  The ice creams were delightfully smooth and creamy, and the flavours were mild but not overpowering.  There's also something oddly satisfying eating ice cream during winter time.

It was off for some drinks at Shift Bar for a couple of cocktails.  It was a loud music bar that wasn't really my cup of tea, but it was still an enjoyable experience chatting with close friend and reminiscing on good ole' days.    

the bar counter

Before midnight, it was a nice 1 hour walk back to the apartment for last minute packing.

Sydney Day 6: 2 July 2015 (Grand Pacific Highway)

Woke up early this morning to pick up my rental car and drove immediately south toward Scarborough Hotel via the Grand Pacific Highway.  The highway drive was magnificent as the winding roads hug the coastline.  The road even went over the seawaters!!

the road above the sea

sea and cliff views

my ride

A stop at Scarborough Hotel afforded yet another breathtaking coastal view, only this time it was accompanied with a hot cuppa Camomile tea and delicious cheese cake.  The cake was made with local ingredients and was nice and slightly tangy, yet firm.  It was nice looking at the coast with plastic screen protecting the strong winds.  But I just had to step out for a clearer view, and the 'breeze' really sent the chills down into my bones!!!

still warm and sheltered from the elements

tea break

braving the cold winds

The drive along the coast continued south and to Nan Tien Temple where a lunch stopover was made.  Sadly the signature curry noodles was sold out and the other dishes fell flat.  But it was a pleasant change from the daily angmo food fare.

serene surroundings

rather tasteless 'wanton' noodles

'char siew' rice

It was back to the road again, and a straight drive south to Kiama.  Kiama is a small coastal town with wonderful beaches and a quaint white lighthouse.  The highlight, though, was a blowhole.  It was my first visit to a blowhole.  Unfortunately the timing wasn't right and I witnessed only one wave splash.  It was then a leisure drive around the town to soak in some of the seaside living vibes.

the Kiama coastline

local landmark: the lighthouse

the blowhole

Another very scenic countryside drive later and a stop at Stockland Shellharbour was made for additional shopping.  It seemed that you can take a Singaporean out of shopping, but you can't take shopping out of a Singaporean!!!  The car was eventually filled with bags and bags of local produce!!!  Then it was another long drive back to Sydney.  

so lucky to find this!! you really couldn't find it in the city

Along the way, stopped by a suburb area for dinner at The Crest hotel.  Over ordered again and left with an overloaded tummy.

350g medium rare steak

pork belly burger

squid and carrot salad

Sydney Day 5: 1 July 2015 (Sydney Olympic Park)

Another lazy morning.  The left over lobster shells were left to good use to make the broth of my breakfast instant noodles with local fresh eggs and fresh full cream milk.  The lobster shells were first pan-baked over high heat until smoky before drizzling garlic infused olive oil and covered for a few more minutes.  Tap water was then poured in and cooked for a further 10 minutes, with a bit of soy sauce, salt and pepper for taste. 

My 'high-class' instant noodles breakfast

A leisurely train ride later and arrived back at Sydney Olympic Park, which was 1km from Olympic station.  This is a park I've always wanted to explore.  The cool winter air and heat from the sun made it even more relaxing walk amongst the mangroves.  It was especially fun eating ice-cream in the cold!

View from Circular Quay station

empty cabin towards Olympic Station

my walk path at Bi-Centennial park

having an ice cream in cool winter environment, with a heat beside

vibrant wild mushrooms!

One of the highlights was the Bullpit circular walk.  It was almost an accident stumbling across this circular suspended walkway that afforded a great view of the vista.



the intriguingly designed walk

Another highlight was the Olympic Cauldron in Cathy Freeman Park, with its spaceship like design.  Still one of my favorite cauldrons.

the very inspiring Olympic cauldron that was lit by Cathy Freeman back in 2000

The Olympic Park was HUGE! I did not managed to complete the entire park on foot, but it was still breathtaking, with the awesome architectures and landscaping.  And of course the last spot would be the Allphones Arena for another round of night rally.

This was my 2nd day attending the Hillsong Conference. Started queuing at 2pm under the scorching sun, and feeling my face 'fried' at times.  Even though I was there 2 hours in advance, I was only in the 2nd queue box!  But everyone was patiently waiting, with some even munching on snacks!  Needless to day, it was yet another worthwhile rally. 



waiting in the hot Australian sun

The massive Allphones Arena

illuminated Olympic Station

After the rally, caught up with Ernest, Eliss and Elliot for a scrumptious Korean dinner just beside Strathfield Station.  It was probably one of the better Korean meal I've ever had!  Must be the fresh local ingredients!!  Eating out alfresco in the winter cold with gas heaters around was also something I've missed for a long time.  Kinda brought back memories of my university days in Brisbane 11 years ago!