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| Visiting Australia |
The time has come, after all the prep and after my mom went for Europe, now it's my time with her and my other family to enjoy a trip to Australia.
Things I take with me to Australia (or when I was travelling):
1. Vitamin and tolak angin ( tonic and herb to maintain the body, Indonesian will know this. Google it if you are curious.)
2. Water bottle
3. Pop mie (Instant Noodle In A Cup)
4. Ginger drink (to keep the body warm)
5. My skin care
6. Clothes (Obviously 😂)
7. Smartphone and charger
Yeap, just that. And I'm so proud that my baggage weight under the airplane limit, but so stress looking at my other family baggage.
Anyway, we arrived at MEL airport in the morning , after we passed the immigration ...this immigration also stressed my nerve, not that I bring something illegal, but the vibe they gave just.. professional but not warm.
Getting out from the immigration, we fixed our self a local sim card , so we still can communicate , looking for a place (restaurant or what not) and post anything in social media (what else LOL).
Move on... according to my AIRBNB my check in schedule was noon but after I communicate with my host, I was able to check in right after I arrive at the City.
We use SkyBus, I book/bought our SkyBus tickets using Klook Apps, very cool app (company) if you want to find attraction while traveling. They got a good price ( cheaper than Tripadvisor or Airbnb, if I'm not mistaken) and the charge in Rupiah ( Indonesia currency). The price I see is the price I pay with my credit card, so no over convert from one currency to another currency (if you know what I mean).
There was funny/stupid story of mine when I was retrieved the apartment key.
I found the building, and you need a pass to get in, and I put the code I got from the host, doesn't work, so I waited till one of building residence get in to the building and I follow in. Get in to the elevator, I can reach the floor that I suppose to go, again I need a pass to select the floor that I intended (this system was use by many hotel, but this is the first time I found it also use in apartment/residence). I called the host and then he asked me have I retrieved the key from a lock box ... "ha?" Then he send me message through AIRBNB ... on my defense I didn't know I need to click on the picture to expand the message ( you click notification, get in to the inbox... there is a picture and a text.. and I didn't click that picture... my bad) and that's how I missed the instruction.
Anyhow I got the lockbox, the rest are history.
The place was nice and clean, I and my mum and aunt LOVE it.
We clean and we rest and that day we didn't go anywhere.
My first dinner was KEBAB, and while I was out to buy this I saw couple fighting and drunk man ... like it wasn't a remote area and the time for drinking was to early (IMO).
The Kebab was great and the Baklava ( my first time) was too sweet at the beginning but the nuts (Pistachio if not mistake) complement it in the end and I like it. The meal portion was huge, so does the price ...for me.
Let's cut it short... so last post I wrote about ...
"I done a research using Google and YouTube and read blogs and talk to friends, what I got was:
1. I can get sim card for internet after I arrive there
2. I might need transportation card for Melbourne (Myki) and Sydney (Opal)
3. There is a free tram ride in Melbourne and free shuttle for Sydney
4. Tap water are safe to drink, bring water bottle
5. Factory outlet for shopping
6. Skin care products are good in Australia make sure to buy some
7. Costco ( I want to try)
8. Coffee in Melbourne
9. Early closing time
10. At time I visit the weather will be cool (Autumn season, my fav season)"
So number 1, I did bought a sim card.
Number 2 and 3....I don't bought Myki because I was renting apartment that luckily included in "FreeTramZone"
Number 4, I do bring my water bottle, not once I bought myself a water.
Number 5 we do visit DFO, but no shopping going on for us, because my family choose to spent a fortune in Victoria Market (great market).
Number 6... I forgot about this, but when we visit Chemist Warehouse I bought my self some Australia Lanolin Cream, haven't try it yet but.. it is cheap.
Number 7, nope ... need membership which I do consider, but turn out I got no time to enjoy Costco ... so maybe next time.
Number 8 ... Coffee... well it is Coffee.. its okay... but ... as Indonesian citizen I must say our Coffee is the best both in price and in taste.😎
Number 9... the mall and some stores (like clothing stores) indeed close early around 7 or 8, but not restaurant or like Chemist Warehouse and groceries store. And shopping are not my thing, so not a biggie for me.
Number 10 ... I bring all I need to survive.
Then... all I need to do was enjoy the way I can afford LOL.
We visit Queen Victoria Market , I love it there, fresh food , fresh fruits and great place to wander around. I also got a chance to enjoy the night market, lovely.
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| Nutella Rocher Macaron |
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| Spanish Hot Dog |
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| Boomerang |
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| Queen Vic Market |
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| QV Market Veggies n Fruits |
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| QV Market Cheese and Stuffed Veggies |
Another thing that we do in Melbourne was join a one day tour also using Klook , I book Go West one day tour...Penguin Parade in Phillip Island . Included in the tour package, we visit Brighton Beach for it beach boxes, Moonlit Sanctuary for Australia cute creatures, Noobies and Seal Rocks ( no seal tho) and then the Penguins.
My uncle actually joined a similar tour but he said he never get a chance to saw the Little Penguin... but this time, he saw it.. we saw that cute adorable creature tho their voice ...wow.
We start at noon, the guide/driver pick us up from a near by hotel (there are many other pick up points) and we finish the tour by 8 or 9 PM ( she drop us where she picked us up). We got a very sunshine guide, she told us about fun fact about Yarra river , Luna Park and Brighton Beach Boxes.
It was a very nice experience, love to do that again.
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| Little Penguins Apartment |
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| Wallabies |
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| Go West Tour |
We stay at an apartment near the airport (also from AIRBNB) , its a precaution for our early flight back to Indonesia.
Also bought OpalCard for transportation. And it will only charge you minimum for 2.50 AUD for a day in Sunday. Enjoy!
Honestly... even during my research nothing interesting enough in Sydney for me, we do visit the Chinatown, but ... compare to Melbourne's... it was nothing.
Paddy's Market ...cheap for souvenir as Queen Vic Market, but somehow there is not much to see, each vendor sell the same stuff too much, maybe because the palce was nothing in size compare to QV market.. I don't know... but I do bought my self a hand made soap
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| Market City, Paddy's Market |
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| Paddy's Market |
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| Hand Made Soap |
Opera house, The Rocks area and Darling Harbour ... great place for stolling... nothing more... yeap it just me ... those place are expensive 😆😆😆.
And... LUNA PARK, Melbourne also have one, but this time I got chance to visit it in Sydney. The only place in Sydney i willing to visit again .. to play. Wait , it's not fair, actually there are many place I would love to visit in Sydney, the museum, parks, Cathedrals.. but... my group was a shopping group so...next time...maybe LOL.
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| St Mary's Cathedral |
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| Darling Harbor |
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| Darling Harbor 2 |
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| Circular Quay |
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| Luna Park Sydney |
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| Luna Park Inside |
Yeap thats a glimpse of my trip, fiuh ...
My note for this trip are:
1. Australia (Mel and Syd) doesn't have a bidet ... as Indonesian this is a problem. All the apartment that I rent also doesn't have it, add to that the shower are fixed installment (?!) so can't use for that purpose.
2. Smile are rare here. I am on my holiday, I got great mood, I smile and somehow most of the time I don't feel the energy I sent mirror back at me. Either they too busy, or too tired or thought I was a crazy person. Not all but ... all data I collected enough to make me think Australia wasn't a warm place ... oddly it reminds me of Hong Kong... hmm, I hope for better luck next visit.
3. Opal card, tho it can be use for all transportation ... but not for buy something like our E-money or Flazz (Indonesia), Octopus card (Hong Kong) or Suica , Pasmo ,Icoca ( Japan) .... maybe they can upgrade it one day.
Anyhow.... I hope next time when I visit again, I'll be able to see the museums, park and anything that I missed this this time.
Follow my Instagram @deltaechovictorindia for more vacation pics or my activity...😂
That's for today post... writing travel post is fun and hard ( I never wrote long post like this before ), but sure will do this again when I went for another vacation.
Have a nice day and see you next time.
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