Well, not really.

But I was there 2 weeks ago on the invitation of Tourism Australia.

Sydney, in the Australian state of New South Wales, is a cosmopolitan and lively city completely different from the peace and tranquillity we experienced in Tasmania.

Here, you see men in suits walking down the streets alongside Asian students. There’s a cafe and convenience store around every corner. And traffic is always a problem.

Sydney has all the elements one would expect from a major capital city: great shopping, good public transport, brilliant nightlife and two of the most famous architectural symbol of Australia – the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Most people would be happy just taking photos of themselves outside the Sydney Opera House. We kiasu, so we did the guided tour inside, but it’s okay only lah. I reckon it’s something only cultural buffs would enjoy.

If time permits I would’ve got tickets to watch a performance inside because the acoustic inside is awesome.

The Bugs Bunny one looks good.

Anyway, this wasn’t my first trip to Sydney.

I had been here twice before. Both times, there was one thing I had been DYING to do – simply because I can do it only in Australia.

Back then, I was a student so I had no cash opportunity to do it. This time I DID IT.

I climbed Australia’s national icon – the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The experience was truly extraordinary and unforgettable. Contrary to popular belief, the climb wasn’t difficult at all.

I mean, if Edward Cullen a bunch of vampires can do it, surely I can too.

It’ll take about 1.5 hours walking along pre-fabricated pathways to reach the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The 360 degree view right at the top was absolutely breathtaking.

BridgeClimb is the only company offering this unique adventure.

At AUD$188 (RM 564), the price is steeper than the climb. Then again, it’s Australia and the company adhere to very strict safety standards. I was constantly hooked on to a safety railing.

Unless I’m damn stupid, nothing I do would make me fall off and die.

Anyway, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge sure make for great conversation when you get home.

Friend: WAH! You went to Sydney ah? Did you take photo of the Harbour Bridge.
Kenny: Yeah, but not only that. I CLIMBED THE FREAKIN’ THING!
Friend: !!!

It’s a pity that most people who travel to Sydney seldom venture out of the city.

Just a short 2 hour drive away, is a place called Blue Mountains.

Blue Mountains a world completely unlike the modern skyscraper jungle that is Sydney. This is where some of Australia’s best natural wonders call home.

The journey to the Blue Mountains was as almost exciting as the destination.

On our way there, we passed by a lot of quaint small towns. We stopped by this 200-year-old abandoned ghost town called Hartley.

The Australians preserve this village so well, it looks almost exactly the same as it was 200 years ago.

Heck, even the location of the horse feed was that same.

You can compare it with this old photograph below.

Oh wait. That’s not a horse.

The truth is, tourism in the Blue Mountains has been around since 200 years ago. People from that era used to travel to the Jenolan Caves, which is one of the most spectacular cave systems worldwide.

Although I grew up in a Malaysian state famous for its caves, I had my first ever adventure caving experience right here in Australia.

In the past, my caving experience consists of walking to a hole in a mountain smelling bat shit.

Adventure caving means I have to wear on an overall, put a hard hat, then abseil, climb and crawl through rocks, dirt and bat poop.

Squeezing through rocks was a real challenge and by no means easy. But I did it.

It’s a bit like squeezing through the crowd at Zouk Club on a Saturday night – without the pleasure of surrounded by hot babes around you.

Strangely, I find the journey into the underground surprisingly fun and rewarding. that;s because I was seeing something only the privileged few get to experience.

Apparently, people are already exploring caves for tourism even way back in the 1850s. The only difference is, people those days wore just their street clothes and held a candle for light. Often, they’d sign their names on the cave walls.

Those inscriptions would remain for the next 100 over years.

This “L Arnott’s” father eventually went on to create the world’s most delicious chocolate biscuits.

Then of course Nintendo invented video games and after that nobody really gives a hoot about caving anymore.

There’s a lot to see and do in the Blue Mountains. But the biggest reason why people flock to the Blue Mountains, is to stand on a cliff overlooking the national park.

This views here are just majestic and jaw-droppingly beautiful. It’s almost like the Grand Canyon, with more trees, life and fresh air.

Trust me. No matter what I say, how many words I write and how many photos I show, nothing can truly prepare for the sight of the Blue Mountains in person.

In order to truly appreciate the beauty of Blue Mountains, I recommend staying over at one of the many Bed & Breakfasts over here.

The place we stayed at was Echoes Boutique Hotel and it was simply the most tasteful luxurious accommodation throughout our entire ten days in Australia.

The sunset views over the Blue Mountains was worth the trip alone.

As if the Blue Mountains were not spectacular enough, some local folks cook up a fairy tale to give the place a mystical edge.

This rock formation is known as The Three Sisters of Katoomba. It is the most popular attraction at the Blue Mountains.

Millions of tourists flock to the Blue Mountains to see these sandstone erosion. But then they also got to hear this bollock of a story about how three human sisters were actually turned into sandstone by a jealous witchdoctor.

Heck, they even erected statues to commemorate this obviously fabricated story.

Well, you be the judge.

See if you can tell the similarities between The Three Sisters rock formations and The Three Sisters statues.

This is The Three Sisters rock formations.

And The Three Sisters statue.

Look alike meh?

Continue reading →

Guess Who I Met In Sydney?

THE YELLOW MAN FROM DIGI!

Jamming with Celcom’s Blue Man and Hotlink’s Red Man by the roadside wtf!

My initial impression of Tasmania was that it’s a nice, quiet and peaceful place.

Looks can be deceiving.

The whole of Tasmania is like one big natural Disneyland. Everywhere we went, there were people who are willing to take your money – and give you heart-attack for change.

One example was the Tasman Island Cruise we took.

At first, when we saw their booth at Salamanca Market in Hobart, I thought “Cool! All we’re gotaa do was hop on a boat and see some seals!”

Tasmania is the southern-most state of Australia, so absolutely nothing exists further south from land. Except Antarctica.

And furry seals.

Lots and lots of big, furry, cute, sun-bathing seals.

It wasn’t until we arrived at the dock in Port Arthur, that we realised our “Tasman Island Cruise” was actually more of a speedboat ride than a cruise ship.

The good thing was – their team was very well-prepared. Unlike us.

Despite the sun shining brightly on our happy faces, we were warned that it’s gonna be cold on the cruise. Like, really, really, REALLY COLD.

Even before we ventured out into the seas,we were offered seasick pills, warm clothes and wet-weather gear.

In the process, they made Cheesie look like a mushroom.

The first half of the cruise was easy.

We cruised along the shoreline into the Indian Ocean, admiring the pretty ocean views and breathtaking sea cliffs. It was simply chillaxing.

Even the wildlife here were just chilling out.

We spotted several dolphins, sea lions and some BIG ASS tuna fish (not their scientific name) leaping over water hunting for food.

But all good things must come to an end. 45 minutes out into the sea, the weather suddenly changed. Skies turned from blue to grey, and the Gods turned on the tap.

Along with that, the look on our faces transformed from smiles into ARGGHHHH.

It was pouring rain and we were absolutely freezing our butts off.

When we returned to the pier, one crazy guy saw swimming in the sea with no shirt on. Then we saw him crawling out out and muttered, “Hmmm… the water is cold.”

YA THINK?

Port Arthur in Tasmania is a place of significance for many Australians. Many Australian’s ancestors came here from England as convicts, before being released into the free world.

There’s a very well-preserved Port Arthur convict colony here worth visiting. Tourism Australia booked us into a hotel here.

(Not really.)

And since we’re in Tasmania, we also dropped by the Tasmanian Devil conservation park.

Here, we saw some Tasmanian devils.

Awww.

Then we saw a kangaroo giving us the puppy eyes.

Awww.

Then we saw a baby kangaroo sharing his food with a goose.

AWWWWWW.

*heart melts*

Then we saw a big ass kangaroo hopping towards us for food.

… Errr. Yes.

As if all that boat-riding earlier in the day wasn’t enough, the next morning we went looking for more action.

The Huon River is one of the most quiet, serene and peaceful rivers in Tasmania.

But all that changed thanks to this man.

He invited us onto his jet boat, and drove down the river so fast that our hearts came out of our mouths and sank to the bottom of the river.

So now we are officially heartless.

As if that wasn’t enough to give us a cardiac arrest (oh wait, we have no heart), our next destination is the Eagle Hang Gliding adventure at the Tahune Airwalk.

This is hang-gliding made easy. Instead of jumping off a cliff on my own, we were hoisted by a cable up to the treetop, before gliding back onto the ground.

It was very safe, but very FUN.

The icing on the cake was that the owner of the Eagle Hang Glide has a bloody cute pug. If you do visit the place, please say hi to this dog.

Poor pug. I suppose that’s the face you’re gonna have if everyday all you see are tourists on a hang-glider screaming their lungs out.

Anyway, after all that screaming and shouting, there’s nothing Cheesie and I look forward to more than heading back to the hotel in Hobart at night, light some aroma candles, put on some sexy music, and immersing our bodies into a hot bubble bath.

Unfortunately Cheesie and I are platonic friends, so we had to do our bubble baths separately. 🙁

According to what I learnt in uni, the formula Hot Chick + Bubble Bath = Hits is always right. How I wish I could end this post with a picture of Cheesie doing her bubble bath.

But since that is not possible, this is your replacement.

Nah.

I love bubble baths <3.

I have packed on 5kg in two weeks thanks to Australia’s good food.

Australians are proud of their food. We know that because Tourism Australia is intent on making everything remind us of food.

Even the hotel we stayed at in Hobart, the Henry Jones Hotel, was in its previous life – a jam factory.

Here’s a quick guide of some of my favourite things to eat and drink while touring Australia.

Flat White. It’s basically latte with less milk, so the coffee tastes a lot stronger. I MUST have a cup of this every morning to start my day.

You can’t get flat white at Starbucks back home, but this type of coffee is popular all over Australia. The best ones I had are at Eucalypt Coffee Art in Port Arthur, Tasmania and Fresh in the Blue Mountains near Sydney.

James Boag’s Beer. Not readily available outside of Australia, this Launceston beer has a sweet, refreshing, crisp finish to it.

Some of the best beers I’ve had in life are brewed in places with ready access to unpolluted spring water. It’s an ingredient Tasmania obviously has plenty of.

Grilled scallops.

Freycinet Lodge in Tasmania had the freshest, juiciest, most succulent grilled scallops I’ve ever had in my entire life! I always like scallops, but I never knew it could be THIS good.

The cafes surrounding Sydney Fish Market has pretty good grilled scallops too. I always order the ones still attached to their shells, sitting on a pool of their own juices. Those are most delicious.

Grilled Crayfish. Also at Freycinet Lodge, Tasmania. A crayfish is like a lobster, but with tender meat and juices that would burst inside your mouth with delight.

Salt & Pepper Squid. I had salt & pepper squid all the time when I was living in Perth. Since I left, I never found a single restaurant in Malaysia who can do squid the way I like it.

Me Wah Chinese Restaurant in Hobart and Cafe Sydney in (duh) Sydney has the absolute best-tasting fried squids ever. The latter has an awesome view overlooking the Sydney Habour Bridge.

Tasmanian Salmon. Order it grilled, smoked or raw. Order it with cheese, bread or on its own. Order it anyhow you like.

Salmon in Tasmania is simply legendary. Nobody should leave Tasmania without at least trying the salmon there.

My favourites are the salmon bagel I had at Retro Cafe and the grilled salmon at Smolt – both in Salamanca Market, Hobart.

You can probably tell by now that seafood is BIG in Aussie. The combination of fresh seafood selection and well-trained chefs is what make it so good. It’s too good to miss out in Australia.

Of course, not everyone is gonna dine at restaurants everyday lah.

Just before we left for the airport this morning, Cheesie and I ditched our sucky hotel breakfast and dropped by Sydney Fish Market for a last minute taste of Australian seafood.

Over here, salmon, tuna, oysters, abalones, scallops and mussels are hauled up from the fishing boats everyday, then cooked and served directly onto our plates.

It’s ridiculously cheap by Aussie standards too. we had a huge 160g serving of tuna sashimi to share between us for just AUD 12 (RM36).

After such a short but delicious taste of what Tasmania and Sydney have to offer, I am determined to return once more to explore more of Australia’s cafes and restaurants.

Of course, the downside to eating all these good food is all the exercise I must to do to work the calories off.

And I did…

…by climbing all the way to the top of Sydney Freakin’ Harbour Bridge!

4 days ago, we began our great Tasmanian road trip from the island’s north.

From Launceston, we travelled westward towards Cradle Mountain National Park.

Along the way, we stopped by honey factories, sauce shops, wineries and Sheffield – a funny little town with building walls where people put their best artwork on.

Somebody even painted Michaelangelo’s Creation of Adam here, in 3D.

When we reached Cradle Mountain, it was like entering an entirely different world. The national park is a popular destination for locals to rest, relax and trek through the forests. The views, even from our hotel rooms, were nothing short of enchanting.

We spent a night on the mountain to soak up the fresh air. But heavy rain woke me up the next morning.

Regardless, Cheesie and I still pressed on with our umbrellas and walked through the forest.We had no regrets. Only in Cradle Mountain would spot wild native Australian animals in their natural habitat and we be rewarded with ethereal views like this.

From Cradle Mountain, we travelled eastwards towards Freycinet – to visit another one of Tasmania’s beautiful national parks.

The journey took us 3 hours.

Okay, I lied.

The journey took a lot longer than 3 hours, because every time we saw an interesting shop along the way, we would make a short detour.

We spotted this road sign and swang by this tiny shop where they breed and farm their own oysters, mussels and other types of delicious seafood.

These literally come straight from the water into our dinner plate. It doesn’t get any fresher than this.

And it’s cheap too. 12 pieces of natural oysters is only AUD$14 (RM42)

One thing I like about Tasmania is that we often get the chance to meet with the founders, or at least the person behind the day-to-day running of the businesses.

At Josef Chromy winery, we actually had lunch with Josef Chromy’s grandson.

Not only did the guy treated us to a platter of cheese, he entertained us with stories about how 60 years ago his grandfather fled war-time Czechoslovakia with no money in his pocket -  and ended up setting one of the most successful wineries in Tasmania.

Finally, we reached Freycinet National Park. The views here are completely different from what we experienced at Cradle Mountain.

The weather is warmer here and we were greeted by turquoise blue bays and white sandy beaches surrounded by dramatic granite mountains.

A popular thing to do in Freycinet is to take a 1-hour hike up to a small lookout overlooking Wineglass Bay. It wasn’t too difficult (even Cheesie can do it), and they say you can see a beach that looks like a wineglass.

But I couldn’t see any leh.

Then again, the weather wasn’t perfect on the day I went. On a good day, we would’ve hiked down to the beach and enjoyed the waters. Wineglass Bay was consistently voted as one of the top beaches in the world.

We didn’t manage to see as many wildlife as we did in Cradle Mountain. The only one we managed to spot was in the carpark.

Its a wallaby wallaby walla-walla-wallaby *sings to the tune of Imma Be*

Cheesie went up to the wallaby and gave her a nice pat on the back.

She stayed still. She likes Cheesie.

I went up to her to give her a nice pat on the back.

She hates me. 🙁

Beware of evil wildlife!

Drive at 65 km/h, or evil monster kangaroos will flip your car and eat you up alive!