Holiday in Sydney

12 December 2008 (Part I)

Last Wednesday, we all went to Sydney for another family holiday. We boarded the JetStar flight (similar to Air Asia), and the journey takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes. We took off in the afternoon and as such we only had a little time to walk around Sydney before the night fall. Fortunately, we stayed in Chinatown which is alive at night with lots of shops and restaurants open until late (business time in Australia usually ends at 5 pm).

We were all hungry after the journey, so daddy followed his hunch and we walked along George Street to locate a Malaysian halal cafe that daddy got to know of from Malaysian's famous singer, Mawi, during his recent trip to Australia. Luckily for us, we spotted the cafe and had an enjoyable dinner. More about this in the next update.

The following day, we walked along the Sydney roads to discover the interesting and famous landmarks. This is the benefit of staying in Chinatown, since lots of places are accessible by foot. Walking straight up the streets took us into the city, and at the end is the Sydney Harbour! We also went up the Sydney Tower, where an aerial view of Sydney is breathtaking. For the adventurous, the Skywalk is a must. Imagine walking on the Sydney Tower's outdoor observation deck; 260 meters (880 feet) above the city – twice the height of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Adjacent to it is the Darling Harbour, famous for the Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife World and National Maritime Museum. We walked there, but another alternative is to ride the monorail. Anyway you choose, make sure the road map is always referred to, because the busy streets may be confusing especially to first time travellers.

On the final day today, we spent the rainy morning venturing to Paddy's Market, right in the heart of Chinatown. It's located at the ground floor of Market City, and it really offers souvenirs and lots of other merchandise at good bargain prices. Hehehe... imagine buying Australia T-shirts at $10 for 3 pieces! The market opens every Thursday until Sunday. At the other floors of the same building are factory outlet shops, restaurants and a cinema.

Another useful tip, check the weather forecast before the journey. Brisbane is really hot, but it was cold and raining in Sydney, around 18 degrees C. Pretty cold for summer! Good thing mummy and daddy were prepared and brought our sweaters and umbrellas along!

Alright, enough writing, pictures time now! Enjoy!

Dream come true... At last, Sydney Opera House in front of our eyes!

The famous Sydney Harbour Bridge

Some interesting buildings in the city. Most buildings are built in the 1800s and are still maintained, but with additions on top creating lots of skyscrapers.

Some aerial photos taken from the Sydney Tower

Darling Harbour

Chinatown

Opposite it is the Market City, and Paddy's Market is at the ground floor.

Making funny faces while mummy was busy shopping!