Day 1 – Sydney (Family Reunion)
June 12, 2011 Leave a comment
Exactly 30 days after our last sad goodbye in Singapore, we finally meet again – on our way to Sydney! I wanted to give my boy a surprise. (And to fulfill my promise made to him last Dec when we left him out in the Kenting Tour!) Felicia and I didn’t tell him about my transit in Singapore. Elkan was shocked to see me at the gate last night. He had so many questions about my presence! “You mean, you flew in from Hong Kong to bring us to Australia!”, he exclaimed.
Despite the long, tiring, torturing 12-hour flight, I was energised by the presence of my loved ones and friends. This is a good vacation for all of us (trying to get away from the heat wave and typhoon up north). We love the cool midyear “winter” in Australia. As usual, I travel with an entourage of very close family friends (Meijie & Tracy). Sadly this time, Harshad couldn’t join us. Elkan was really expecting to see Harshad this trip!.
Meijie and Tracy played tour-leader this time. For the first time, I feel so relaxed and carefree. (Usually, I was the one leading the tour, planning and directing – cos I am the most difficult person in the group to please.) For once, it feels good for a change. Upon arrival, Meijie quickly checked in our luggage at the hotel and we went out to explore the city. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty bad – gloomy, windy, chilly and wet. We couldn’t do all the outdoor activities/shopping. Tracy brought us to the Sydney’s WildLife World and Aquarium.
We spent 3 solid good hours there! The WildLife World surpasses my expectation with their wide range of wildlife exhibits and neat glass displays. It allows both adults and children close proximity with the insects, reptiles and animals. However, the Aquarium is a little disappointing. It can’t be compared with the Underwater Worlds in Singapore or Hong Kong. It is very small and looks old. (Being the nation who owns the world’s largest barrier reefs, I expect a lot more.)
The jet-lag effects finally kicked in. By 7pm, all of us were feeling very very tired. We did a quick tour at the Sydney Sky Tower and headed straight to the hotel to rest (seems like a tradition for us now – we have been to all the city towers in Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, Taipei, Macau). I hope we have sunny weather tomorrow so we can visit the shopping streets, the beach and the famous Opera House. Tomorrow night will be another long back-breaking transit (when we will leave Sydney for Gold Coast – on a 15-hour overnight coach!) Ouch…backache again – really need a good massage soon.
12 years away from home - Singapore. Writing my stories here for my lovely mum & dad, friends and most importantly, for my wife & son back home. A self-confessed gadget freak, a spontaneous prankster on the outside and a warm loving heart inside. Enjoying a happy life with loving families, friends plus a dream job. Realising mum’s motto – “Exceed Yourself Every Day”. Always believing that “Simplicity is Beauty”.
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