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A.nna
 anna // singaporean. my dream is to some day live in a countryside and have a lot of dogs. reach me on
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Monday, February 9, 2015
Beijing & Hong Kong After my solo trip to Mongolia, I went to Beijing to meet him to start our Beijing & Hong Kong trip! Technically I've been to Hong Kong, so it's just Beijing for me. I'm not sure why I was told 3 to 4 days is enough for Beijing, I felt like 6 days wasn't enough to cover though. Of all the popular historic places, the only place I didn't managed to visit was Summer Palace. I'm glad I did not as I overheard a group of Indian tourist saying how boring Summer Palace is, well it's not for me to judge either. On the first day, we met in the evening hence we took the night off to a nice dinner and rested early to prepare ourselves for Forbidden City the next day.      
It was huge and it felt endless. We didn't finished touring the whole place because HE forgot to feed me lunch. We were contemplating if we should have lunch before Forbidden City or after, trust me, it's always BEFORE. It took us around 45 minutes to walk into the palace, and God knows if we walked till the end of the palace.
P.S Someone please tell him he's supposed to take a landscape photo of 毛泽东 and I, not portrait.
On the second day, we headed to the Temple of Heaven, also known as 天壇. It is considered the most holy of Beijing's imperial temples. It has been described as a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design.
It is indeed beautiful and breathtaking. This requires a little bit more of energy as you're climbing flights and flights of short stairs. But each view at the end of the stairs is breathtaking.
Then I don't remember what happened. Here are some moments worth sharing..
He promised an advanced Valentine's Day Peking duck lunch, so I took this opportunity to have peking ducks on two of the days!! It's amazing how tasty Peking duck is in Beijing than in Singapore. The skin is crispy, followed by a thin layer of fats and the tender meat.
We had both Peking duck lunch at 便宜坊. Apparently they're one of the top 10 restaurants in Beijing that serves the best Peking duck. A meal like this cost us around RMB250 (appx SGD60) but it's super good, that explains the second trip back. The serving is huge, hence we shared the fried rice and the duck. Trying to control my drool describing this moment.
 
Street shopping in Wangfujing! We stayed in 3 regions during our stay in Beijing - Dong Cheng, Wangfujing & Chao Yang. We both loved Wangfujing better. It has a lot of shopping and street food to offer. Compared to Chao Yang (the second most popular region that offers only malls), Wangfujing was way better. And of course, my 臭豆腐. I didn't liked it previously, but after I tasted a really good one in Yunnan, I loved it.
The second last day of our trip, we went on a tour that includes 八达岭 (The Great Wall of China), The Ming Dynasty Tombs and Dr. Tea.
The Great Wall of China was his favourite part of the tour and Beijing. I'm just thrilled it's my first out of the Seven Wonders. The view was magnificent. It is indeed much beautiful in real life than it is in pictures. Way too crowded, but I've nothing to complain except the cold. It was chilly-cold-in-your-bones. He kept saying he can't feel his legs anymore, I can't either! Haha, we literally did not think of how cold it'll be on the mountains.
You can actually see from the picture that the Great Wall goes all the way back from mountains to mountains. Pretty amazing, I wonder why pictures weren't taken or drawings weren't illustrated on how it was built. It is really a piece of art.
Ming Dynasty Tombs has nothing much though.. It is literally a museum with artefacts and the Yin-Yang door which you enter to see the tombs. And upon stepping out of the gate, you've to say 我回来了 (I am back) to claim you're back on Earth because apparently the Yin-Yang gate to the tomb is known as hell. And also, the palace is built without nails, and lasted for 600 over years without having to rebuild or touch up like the other historic places (some got burnt and destroyed by mankind).
That was the end of our 6 days in Beijing, and we headed off to Hong Kong. The transition was tiring! To wake up at 5am and that morning was exceptionally cold, around -10 degree while the wind shows no mercy.
I was feeling vexed about leaving Beijing for Hong Kong. On one hand, I love Hong Kong (anytime over Taiwan) but on the other, the trip was coming to an end.
     
My first stop was obviously 許留山's A1! It's Mango pulp with sago and juice. HKD38 for a cup, but totally worth it. It's not as thick as smoothie (which I have love-hate feeling on), just perfect. He slurped the whole cup without leaving me a tiny bit :(
And we headed for local Dim Sum at Canton's Kitchen. I think he overestimated the power of 流沙包 (custard bun), it's my favourite dim sum. Out of the 3, he had 2! And came back asking for more. Coming from someone who judges my taste all the time, I'm certain this 流沙包 scored.
Then we headed to 女人街 to shop! He bought a torchlight again! And I must say he suck at bargaining prices. While the lady was real pushy to start with, I managed to secure a win-win deal for him! For myself, I bought a lot of redundant stuffs. Well, women. What do you expect. At night while we were chit chatting, I realised he didn't like Hong Kong because everything they sell is for the females. I felt bad, for sure but was laughing a little because I didn't realised he just followed me wherever I go, not realising that 女人街 when translated, is actually Women's Street. Oh well, he then got a little irritated why I didn't brought him to "Men's Street". Couldn't be bothered telling him there's no such place as Men's Street in Hong Kong! Even if there was, chances are the lady, myself, is still going to 女人街.
I had one of the most fun. I strongly believe that traveling is about the sightseeings of course, but how the trip went totally depend on your companion. And I truly enjoyed my companion. His shoulder was there when I'm sleepy, he's there to carry a bottle of water for me, rubbing oil on my tummy when it aches, and watching our tv series before bed. I couldn't ask for more. Am looking forward to my next trip already!
Labels: badaling, beijing, china, forbidden city, great wall of china, hong kong, hongkong, temple of heaven, travel, travel blog, travels Monday, February 2, 2015
Solo Trip to Mongolia After a good 29 hours flight + transit, I finally reached Ulaanbaatar yesterday night. Technically it's in the evening, but the sky was dark, so night it is. When I arrived, my host picked me up at the airport. Fun fact: Mongolia Airport's facilities and surroundings are worst than our train station. It's super dodgy, and smallllll. The next day (which is today), I woke up at 7am *pat on my shoulder* and made myself a cup of my hazelnut latte while my host prepared breakfast for me. After breakfast, I got ready and headed off for my 1 to 1 tour. I paid USD120 for Sunpath Mongolia to bring me around. Because it was a 1 to 1 tour, I actually managed to customise my tour to where I'd like to visit and what I'd like to see. Unfortunately, I didn't get to dog sled because the snow and ice event ended yesterday :( Our first stop was Genghis Khan museum with artefacts from B.C 230 until the 13th century. I'm not a very artsy person, but I was trying to step out of my comfort zone and appreciate the weapons, utensils and clothing left behind after war. It's quite amazing to see each steel still standing strong. Especially the amours.   The only thought that came into my mind was Mongolia is the coldest capital in the world. Probably not from yesterday so how do soldiers protect themselves from the cold with firstly, a steel armour and secondly, a steel armour with HOLES. Nevertheless, it was a great historic lesson. Didn't know Genghis Khan ruled China, Mongolia and Middle East in the 12th century (if I never remember wrongly) but one thing I don't get is why was I asked to acknowledged he is the hero? I quote, they said, "Genghis Khan is not a terrorist, but a hero." Okay, I don't want to fight with you on a land that is ruled by people who respect this great hero. But why mention he's not a terrorist? That sentence is almost as though you're slapping your own face.
Next, we visited a Mongolian family. The sweet lady made me buuz (pronounced as boats). It's basically mutton stew wrapped into dumplings. And I must give credits to the chef, it's superb! I'm impressed they have 10 each, and they're impressed 3 filled me. After the meal, they were teaching me how to speak in Mongolian - hello, how are you, goodbye and thank you.
My guide then brought me to a few other places which I honestly cannot remember the names. Mongolian language is not easy, a lot of tongue twisting and saliva spitting going on.
I am not kidding when I say the eagle and vulture weigh 20 kilogram! It's damn heavy! Apparently they eat meat, but seriously I eat meat too. How can you possibly be almost half my weight!
   
My guide looks like he is in his 50s, he was jumping on rocks to rocks to get up while I was trying my best to grab every rock using my legs and hands until I slipped. Didn't hurt myself, but I hurt my camera and my new Timberland boots :( it's a cave experience.
And finally, my official pose for #AnnaTakesMongolia. A lot of people asked why I chose Mongolia, well here you go:
**Inner Mongolia falls under top 10 safest. Outer Mongolia (a.k.a Russia Mongolia) is close to Russia border and can be dangerous as you know we've watched Russians' movies, and every other thing about Russia - the weapons, the terrorists. While on the other hand, Inner Mongolia, around Ulaanbaatar is filled with 99% Mongolians. And Mongolians are known to be very nice and hospitable. You cannot say thank you twice, because it's their culture and beliefs to be kind. Oh, how I yearn for a world with that belief.
In summary, I did it! I can check solo-traveling off my bucket list and also cave climbing, holding the vulture, experiencing -30℃ so on and so forth. To be honest, I didn't quite enjoy the solo-traveling part. Probably just the traveling. First night here and I was crying to sleep for missing home so much. There is zero reliance, you've to be alert at all times and you fear getting robbed / kidnapped / raped. Maybe not so much for a guy, but for a 1.56m tall girl, it is an issue.
Still, minus the cold, I have nothing but great memories to bring back home. And Mongolia made it to my list of places I'll revisit. Bayartai, баяртай гэж Mongolia! :D
Labels: annatakesmongolia, blog, explore, globetrotter, mongolia, solo, solo traveling, travel, travel blog, travel tips, traveling, ulaanbaatar Friday, January 2, 2015
6 Different Types of Cold As most would know, I'm currently in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It's the coldest capital in the world. (Source: Telegraph) And today, I've decided to elaborate a bit more on the different level of cold, fully in my own opinion. I've been to a few winter countries, given myself the chance to experience the different types of cold according to the temperature. I'll give them 6 different categories in this post, fully named by yours sincerely. Disclaimer: I feel cold very easily, compared to my dad - I'll tell you why later. 1. Breezy and I-Can-Still-Take-It Cold (Range: 16°C to 20°C)
I've visited Hong Kong twice so far during their winter. On average, it's around 11°C to 18°C. It was breezy, you could feel the cold and it's almost just nice. A cotton long sleeve with coat will do, but with little bit more of a movement, you'll start to want to take out your coat. Between to temperature of 16°C to 20°C, a jacket does fine for me. It's the perfect weather because you don't sweat, even with the sun above you, you feel just alright. You feel the breeze, but no where near a freeze or shiver.
2. Time-To-Throw-On-A-Coat Cold (Range: 10°C to 15°C)
And between the range of 10°C to 15°C, it's when you actually throw on a coat and start to want to keep your hands in the pocket. I visited Sydney during their early winter. When night falls, it could be as low as 8°C. But during the day time, with the afternoon sun, it was between 10°C to 15°C. Probably around 2 layers before a coat, you start to wonder where to get gloves but at the same time you don't really want to put the gloves on because your cigarette might burn a hole on the glove (yes, it happened to me twice).
I personally prefer this temperature. I love the cold, I come from the Sunny Island which we do not have winter at all, and I love this range of temperature as it doesn't freeze you till the extend which you don't want to step out of the apartment. Simply just throwing on a few more layers and a beautiful scarf, you're good to go.
3. Try-Talking-To-See-If-We-Can-See-Our-Breathe Cold (Range: 1°C to 9°C)
This is the part when you start to feel the cold in your soul. Or maybe it's a bit exaggerating, let's keep the first sentence for the next level of cold. But this is the range where you know you can't escape the cold. And this is the part I'm talking about my dad. When we were in Li Jiang (China), during the night it's around 2°C and in the day, it'll be around 8°C. So my dearest dad here, wears a polo tee out to smoke with me at night, in 2°C. When asked if he felt cold at all, he said it was okay. And no, he did not shiver. Not even a little bit.
This range of cold, is kind of the one I dread a bit more. It's the kind where you do not necessary need a down jacket or a ski coat but a cashmere and coat is not enough. You don't want to bathe or wash your face because the water is too cold and you don't want to expose your body to even the enclosed bathroom because somehow the cold is trying to get pass the wall to attack your naked skin right after you strip.
And it's also the kind where you constantly tries to catch if you can see your own breathe. No, not yet - not just yet till the next level.
4. Stay-In-Bed Cold (Range: -10°C to 0°C)
One of the very first few winter I'm in was Iceland. Every day was almost a 0°C or lower. Everything in #3 applies, I did not want to bathe or touch any water. They were demons. I just wanted to stay in bed, next to the heater because this range of cold, you've to put on so many layers!
First, the base of cashmere, follow by a few cotton / fleece, and a ski coat. That is only the top! You've to wear almost the same number of layers for your pants and shoes. Believe it or not, I gave up halfway trying to put on everything so I can step out for a cigarette.
You know this cold don't kill you easily. You just don't really feel like stepping out.
5. Chill-In-Your-Bones Cold (Range: -20°C to -11°C)
Shangri-La is not just a hotel chain, but a real city in China. During their summer, it's around 23°C. So, the good news is, I've experience their winter! The coldest recorded was -23°C. It's generally one of the coldest city in China. The villagers living in Shangri-La claimed most of them bathed once or most twice a year only.
When I was there, we went hiking (thanks to my brilliant uncle). It was approximately -20°C during mid-noon when we were on top of the mountain. I must state beforehand, I didn't went prepared so my opinions could be overstated. It was literally the chill in your bones kind of cold. As I was walking, I remembered very clearly this ran passed my mind, "If I jump, my feet is going to shatter." It freezes every part of you up. I was fully covered from head to toe, 6 layers (out of 6 layers, 2 were ski coats!). I don't think words can articulate my thoughts. Here you go..
All you could see was my eyes, and a block with too many clothing on. As you can see, the sky was really up-close. It was almost 4000ft above sea level, so the air got really thin too. (I think this is why people hallucinate when they're too cold.)
6. The Stupid Cold (Range: -40°C to -21°C)
I don't think anyone who hasn't experience this range of cold, gets any right to tell me it's going to be okay. It's the stupidest kind of cold. Half the people told me it's going to be okay, just get this and this and that and... Okay, keep your mouth shut. Nothing is ever enough in this temperature. This morning it was -28°C. It's the coldest month of winter in Mongolia and the coldest recorded was -55°C.
The citizens here are born for it. Their skin are made for the cold, their soul could have already been taken away by the cold and their bones are probably immune to the cold. Cold is not even a word to describe this temperature. It's stupid kind of cold. (Don't get me wrong, I did not regret my decision and I came here partially to experience this cold).
I came all prepared and I am. I'm not dying yet but I feel like a robot because all these clothing and coats are so thick and it makes me bulky. Okay to look bulky to others, but coming from a rather petite size, feeling and being bulky makes me can't move comfortably.
According to my host and guide, (at -17°C) they told me the weather is perfect. Excuse me, we definitely have different understanding of the word perfect. My guide told me the coldest winter he has experienced is -50°C and the snow was piling up to 25cm tall! You basically can soak your feet in the snow. We were walking around the National Park, it was around -20°C or more, he wasn't wearing any ear muffs and gloves. Now, who told me that the cold is going to freeze my ears and hands till I have to amputate it? *angry*
Anyways, I did thoroughly enjoyed myself. Even though my mucus froze, my teeth was cold and after entering a warmer area, my nose bled a little, Mongolia has been great. It's safer and more beautiful than I thought.
I think I could do with Jon Snow joining me right now. Labels: blog, cold, solo traveling, travel, travel blog, travels, types of cold, types of winter, winter Thursday, December 11, 2014
Going Solo
Guess which happy girl just booked her very first solo trip?
ME!
I'm not quite sure how I feel about it - excited, worried, happy, I'll be laying my foot in Mongolia, Beijing and Hong Kong. Of these three, I've only been to Hong Kong hence there's so much to look forward to! Especially Mongolia, I must say. For several reasons like:
There's so much to plan and SO MANY TO PREPARE! I've found a few activities which I might be trying when I'm there - dog sledding (must), to attend the snow and ice festival, stay in the Mongolian ger, spend a day with the nomadic family, camel rides!
As many would know, most of my trip comes with a very tight budget (I find satisfaction spending way lesser than others would expect) hence for this trip to 3 countries, after spending $1450 on flights and accommodation, I'm targeting to spend $2000 altogether for this trip. That gives me approximately $550 for 10 days. Not quite sure if shopping beforehand counts as I bought a lot of winter clothing for Mongolia.
For Beijing and Hong Kong, I'm leaving it to God's will to bring me where I should be..
Just kidding, I'm visiting the Great Wall of China, Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum and Tiananmen Square. I think these 3 would be my priorities for Beijing, for now. And come to think about it, I actually have nothing planned for Hong Kong except shopping. Subconsciously I've booked my hotel next to the biggest mall, so I assuming subconsciously I've planned to shop in Hong Kong.
Excited girl is excited! Shall keep this globetrotter diary till then :)
xx
Labels: beijing, china, globetrotter, hong kong, mongolia, solo traveling, tarvels, travel, travel blog, traveling, wanderlust Saturday, November 22, 2014
5 Globetrotter's Must-Knows  I've decided to share a few website and apps which I found absolutely useful (in my opinion) and you guys might just find them as handy as there are for me for your upcoming trips!
P.S If you've any other recommendations that I've not listed, feel free to drop me an email to share with me! :)
1. TripAdvisor
Info: TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travellers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools.
Whenever we decided to travel, the first thing we wonder would be where to go, what to do and what and where to eat the best local food. After some basic research and narrowing down the places you wish to go, or things you would like to do, TripAdvisor it! TripAdvisor is filled with people like myself, who shares our experiences about certain activities or company and even hotels!
For instance, I was thinking of taking up a tour with Manlai Budget Tour Group during my days in Mongolia and the first thing I did was to find out if the tour was going to be worth my money and time. Hence, I TripAdvisor it, and thank God I did. This was ranked one of the first few in the search engine, I'm pretty sure many are pissed with the service Manlai provided. (Read more here.) I understand that some travellers can be more petty than others, ending up leaving a more exaggerated bad review, but if in general, 9 out of 10 complains about XXX Company, maybe you should reconsider your options with them.
Info: ArrivalGuides is the world’s leading network for destination information, distributing high quality and up to date content and unique city break guides. More than 50 million travellers use our information annually to be inspired, plan their trip, to enjoy and get the most out of their vacation at the location.
ArrivalGuides is available on both iPhone and Android phones! It's one of my latest findings, and I must say it's the best thing ever. Nope, you do not have to pay for the app. If you actually visit their website, you can find out almost everything about your next dream destination - things to do, where to eat, where to stay (this is the part where I personally find is how they promote their ads for hotels and flights but no harm taking a look right). You can download the guide in PDF and get it printed if you're not planning to have any gadget with you during your trip.
Alternatively, you can download the app, which works even offline. Arrival Guides not only help you better understand your next destination, you can simply just browse through to kill time to find out about other cities and countries. It's the perfect app, you can read it on the plane, basically anywhere.
3. AirBnB
Info: Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodation around the world — online or from a mobile phone.Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190+ countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetise their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.
Gradually I find that I've been staying in bed and breakfast more than hotels. I personally prefer living like a local than being treated as an expat. AirBnB covers a lot of places in the world, and it works great for me for a few reasons:
Discount Code: Ateng57 ($68 off your next booking) 4. Agoda
Info: Agoda is one of the fastest-growing online hotel platforms worldwide, listing hundreds of thousands of hotels and providing services in 38 different languages.
Basically Agoda is a hotel booking website. The prices listed are cheaper than hotel itself, but you get the room type you book, no less than the penny you paid for. First and foremost, I must make it clear than Agoda's may not be cheaper than Booking, Roomkey or Asiarooms. But the only reason why I always book with Agoda is because they are the only platform with rewards' system. You get points for booking and points for reviewing after your stay. The points are credited into your account almost a month after you depart BUT the I've accumulated quite a bit of points since all my bookings, I've saved almost USD70 for my last few trips.
Upon check out, you get to exchange your points for credits to off-set your total bill. After some comparison, sometimes Agoda may be a few dollar more expensive than the other platforms, but for each 12,500 points, you will get a USD25 off. That works out better than other platforms, for sure! (It's easy to reach 12,500 points, you get 2000 to 3000 points depending on how much you've paid for the hotel. And for every review, you get 500 points.)
Lastly, most room deals come with free cancellation. You'll realized that only those heavily discounted deals come with no-cancellation policy. AND, the best part about managing your budget for your trip? Agoda offers the Book Now, Pay Later feature which the amount will only be charged to your credit card 3 days prior to your booking date. Any cancellation done earlier will incur a USD15 charge only.
5. Numbeo
Info: Numbeo.com was launched in April 2009. The research and available data at Numbeo.com are not influenced by any governmental organization.
You need to get on the site to understand the info. Numbeo provides cost of living, property prices, crime rate, health care, pollution, traffic and quality of life for all big cities. I've been using Numbeo to find out the cost of living in the country I'm traveling to. It helps me budget how much I'd need to spend on transportation, an average meal and groceries (if I'm staying in AirBnB, I get to cook).
It's pretty accurate I must say. It's always good to budget your expenses and not overpay for goods and/or services.
Labels: agoda, airbnb, arrival guides, arrivalguides, numbeo, recommendations, reviews, roomkey, singapore, tips, travel, travel blog, travels, tripadvisor Tuesday, July 1, 2014
8 Days in Sydney, Australia Previously I decided to post on my experience Skydiving in Sydney before I actually write on my other days in Sydney because I quote, "Without the skydive experience, this trip would have been nothing but a summer getaway." and I meant it. In all honesty, Sydney is a lovely city with friendly people around. You bump into someone on the road, they'll say sweet things like after you which I promise you'll never get in Singapore. Or if you're pushing a trolley saying excuse me in the supermarket, people actually apologize for blocking your way. I've never been to Australia, and Sydney was my first city in that wild country. It was a great experience, just not one of my favourite cities. Any other ways, here are some of the things I checked from my itinerary which may help you if you're travelling to Sydney :) 
Sydney Opera House
About: Sydney Opera House is a thriving hub of art, culture and history. It's one of the world's most distinctive buildings, attracting millions of visitors from all over the world.
Review: I didn't actually step in Sydney Opera House, there wasn't any good musical or rather, any musical or show I knew how to appreciate happening when I was there. Hence, I gave that I miss. But, if you're in Sydney and looking for a cheaper musical with good theatre system, check out Capitol Theatre. The Lion King was featured when we were there, we did not choose to give it a miss, but rather they were fully booked the whole week. They have 1200 seats available, and yet fully booked for all timing and days, hence if you're catching a musical there, BOOK IN ADVANCE!
Blue Mountain Day Tour
Blue Mountain Day Tour
We took a one-day Blue Mountain Tour with One Stop Adventures. Basically we trekked for 2.5 hours up and down Blue Mountain. I fell when we were about to reach the bottom, :( so I had to slowly climb my way up. It was a great view and we were really lucky because the tour started early and we managed to catch the clouds covering the rainforest - picture one.
After trekking, we had lunch which was provided in the tour. It was one of the hearty-iest meal I had in Sydney. I just have to show you..
 
Now you may continue drooling. It had ham, tomato, lots of corn beef and cheese with some leafy greens. And the bread, omg, the bread, crispy and soft at the same time. LOVE IT. And we were given brownies and apple too. What a healthy and hearty meal.. After which, we proceeded to Echo Point where we started trekking again - down to The Three Sisters and thank god we didn't have to climb up (background: I sprained my leg when I fell. I didn't want to continue trekking but Ben, our tour guide, told us that we will be taking the World's Steepest Railway back up, and... I cannot miss it for a leg!)
The Three Sisters
4 hours of blood and sweat to this
Honestly I do not buy the story of The Three Sisters. With all due respect for Australia's most visited by tourist location, but first and foremost, the story our tour guide told us was entirely different from Wikipedia. I didn't buy the story from Wikipedia any ways. Secondly, how can someone turn another person into a rock? Scientifically, it didn't make any sense that a Bogeyman-alike human was chasing after 7 daughters of a magician. And the magician saw and used his wand to turn his 7 daughters into rock which 4 collapsed after years past, and hence The Three Sisters. Put that aside, the scenery and view was fantastic though, and the steepest railway was really cool though, 52 degree! It was never in my bucket list but I can safely say I took the World's Steepest Railway!
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Nothing fantastic about the bridge, but you can climb the bridge though. It may cost you around AUD200, but I thought it wasn't worth it so I didn't went up. But, believe me, Sydney Harbour Bridge is prettier than London Bridge!
 
If you love seafood, or sashimi - you've to read the next two paragraph very carefully.
YOU HAVE TO GO TO SYDNEY FISH MARKET.
I mean it. We went to the fish market the second day we were there, and went back for more the last day before we headed back. They have the freshest seafood. And it's ridiculously cheap. 1 kilogram of sashimi cost you around AUD49. It sounds ridiculous, but the platter of sashimi I had was AUD11. Look at how many zillion pieces are there!! We had to go for the second platter. (The last day we went for 3 platter immediately, and we had sashimi coma; not kidding)
God bless you, fisherman.
As for the oysters, half a dozen cost around AUD7 and they've more which I didn't manage to try and was not a big fan of either - scallops, king prawn, lobster etc. Tip: Go on a week day, you can get seats around on a week day. We went on a weekend and we were sitting on the grass patch which we were very insecure about because the sea gulls seems to be eyeing our sashimi.
Background Info: Sydney Fish Market is the largest market of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and the third largest seafood market in terms of variety in the world. Approximately 2,800 crates (around 50 tonnes) of the freshest possible seafood is auctioned each day through the computerised Dutch auction system to approximately 150 buyers.
 
North Head, Sydney National Park
Oh, this was a good day. We were tricked by Skydive Australia again. But we didn't let that ruin our day so we head off to Manly Beach. We took a ferry from Town Hall to Manly Beach and hired a bicycle for AUD46 a day to cycle around. From the ferry terminal to Sydney National Park, you'll need to cycle for around 20 minutes but our dear GPS gave us the wrong direction, we ended up cycling for 3 hours plus, 4 hours back and forth in total to North Head. It was still worth it, the view for breathtaking. I still remember the very moment we reach the top of the hill, I was panting from the tedious exercise, but when I saw the scenery, it literally took my breathe away.
We sat there for a good half an hour before we decided to ride back to town. It was great day, I built some real calves' muscle and my legs were hard like metal the next day. (The next day was the day we trekked for 4 hours..... It was no longer physically tiring, but very mentally challenging.)
Sydney Chinatown at Haymarket
I realized a lot of countries I've been to always have Chinatown. And that's where you find Chinese food, and Chinese of course. We love one particular store, 朱妈妈台湾小吃 Zhu Mama Taiwanese Food, they have very good soya milk with you tiao.
150-year-old Sydney Town Hall
Forgotten Songs
Rum Hospital
Yes, you get Free Walking Tour in Sydney too. They cover a range of places like Darling Harbour, Rum Hospital, Queen Victoria Building, Forgotten Songs, Sydney Town Hall, Sydney's CBD within 4 hours and end at Sydney Harbour Bridge. My favourite was Forgotten Song. The place commemorates the songs of fifty birds once heard in central Sydney before they were gradually forced out of the city. It was really artsy and pretty!
Background Info: I'm not sure exactly which country or state provides Free Walking Tour but I've been to London's and Sydney's. Basically the tour is free. You merely tip your guide according to their service. It's works pretty well if you're going on a budget trip because you don't burn a hole in your pocket with tour, and you pay whatever you're comfortable with. AND, you get better service because they live on tips only.
I didn't really enjoy the tour because I learnt that Sydney (I'm not sure about the whole of Australia) doesn't have much history and originality. The phrase that was most repeated was "They copied ***, they copied ***, they copied ***" Everything is copied. They've a huge clock copying Big Ben, they've a huge sculpture and hospital copying the Irish. Sighhh.
Hence I quote again, "Without the skydive experience, this trip would have been nothing but a summer getaway." And I quote again, "It was a great experience, just not one of my favourite city."
A few tips if you're travelling to Sydney:
Labels: australia, opera house, singapore, sydney, things to do in sydney, tips, travel, travel blog, travel tips, travels, tripadvisor, walking tour, what to do in sydney |
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