I went Down Under over the New Year period, for one week. It was a good trip though there were a few hitches. Our flights to and fro were delayed for a couple of hours each and the food of both airlines was horrendous. The inflight entertainment system for the second airline was not set properly, to my annoyance too. The queue at the immigration and customs counters was extremely long and grouses could be heard from time to time, irritating me no less, it being Australia's National Day when we arrived.
We went to Melbourne first. As is customary, the first thing I do was to scrutinise my tour group so that I was aware of their faces. It was made up of solely families, which's more to my preference. We even had two foreign ones, from China and Sweden. Our tour manager was a bubbly, cheerful and overall excellent leader to us.
We went on a city tour and then to a cattle farm. At the farm, we tried home-cooked food before embarking on a guided tour to meet lambs, cows, sheep and a sheepdog. It was scorching hot but I still enjoyed myself. We got to feed the lambs, milk the cow, watch a lamb being sheared as well as a sheepdog leading the sheep. The highlight was learning to use whips to command attention from the sheep and sheepdog.
Then we travelled to Philips Island for the Penguin Parade. The island is a couple of hours away from Melbourne. It rained suddenly when we were there. The island is a place where the locals relax at and since our hotel faced the beach, we saw campers and swimmers there. We got to eat the local lobster, which was juicy but difficult to extricate for consumption. I was tempted to use my hands but didn't want to appear uncouth.
We went to The Nobbies, a place where the scenery is spectacular and the Seal Rock is. However, we could not see any seals due to the distance. The visual imagery around us was paradisal though. The waves crashing against the rocks and onto the shore, creating foamy masses swirling towards the golden sands as well as the sunlight kissing the waters and creating shimmery-like diamonds in the sea were stunning in their beauty. I also managed to catch sight of a few baby penguins in their burrows!
Then we went for the Parade, which occurs everyday after sunset. We waited along the bridge near the sea for them to come out of the water. They would line up in a vertical manner and walk back determinedly towards their homes, fighting courageously against the waves pushing them back into the sea. It started to rain without warning for the second time so we walked alongside them on the bridge before going into the shops.
On our second day, we went to a strawberry farm where we got the chance to pick strawberries directly from the fields. It was a novel and memorable experience for all of us citydwellers. We also got to sample strawberry ice-cream. We proceeded to a winery next to sample different types of local wine. There was one which got my attention. It tasted somewhat like cherryade, pretty good. It was on to a lavender farm where we got to know about the different kinds of lavender and their specific uses. We tried lavender cookies and tea but disappointingly, the cookies did not taste any special, as if there was no lavender flavour in them at all. We had dinner at Chinatown and ate lobster for the second time.
It was our free day. We went for mass and I went mad at the bookshop next to the church, buying books and magazines. Then we went to Melbourne Park, where the Australian Open is held annually. We mingled with the crowd, bought some souvenirs and managed to take a few photos of the arena, where the ladies' singles final was to be held that day. It rained again, this time cats and dogs. We went to Crown Casino, the biggest hotel-cum-casino in Australia. There is shopping, eating or gambling to choose from. I went crazy at the huge Warner Brothers' Store, the only shop within my monetary league, since the rest are designer stores. It faces the Yarra River and the view is marvellous, with a fireworks display every night to match.
We ended off the day with our reunion dinner at Chinatown, since it was the eve of the New Year. We ate 'yu sheng' and somehow Australia's version doesn't appeal to my palate as much as Singapore's does. There is no lime juice and so the fishy taste of the raw fish is not masked. Also, the varieties of vegetables pale in comparison to ours. We got the privillege of watching a lion dance and hearing firecrackers too, especially since the latter is banned in Singapore.
No comments:
Post a Comment