9 Days in Gold Coast and Melbourne!

Hello all!

Here's the update about my holiday in Gold Coast & Melbourne.. It's going to be a long entry since I've combined all 9 days into one entry.. Lots of pictures too.. Hehe..

Day 1- 24 Sept 2008

Checked in at Adelaide Airport for our Jetstar flight to Gold Coast.. So many children on the flight as it was the school holidays.. It was like a primary school fieldtrip.. Haha.. Watched 2 episodes of Gossip Girl on Aisah's laptop.. Reached Gold Coast in about 2 hours..

Welcome to Gold Coast! Here are the parking charges.. Hehe..

And this was our rented car for the next 5 days.. Drove on to our accommodation, K Resort.. I've stayed there a few years ago when I first came to Gold Coast.. So I recommended them to stay there again..

The kitchen..

The common bathroom..

The Dining Room..

The Living Room.. I love the TV..

2 double decker beds so the four of us decided to bunk in together.. Haha.. Aisah & I took the top while Edwin & Marian took the bottom..

And the Master Bedroom which we used to store all our luggage and clothes in.. Haha..


Then we headed off to Pacific Fair for lunch and some shopping..

The Fish & Chips that costs only A$5 and which was also quite good.. One thing that sucked was that we had to pay for the tartar and chlli sauce.. ZzZzZ.. And there were seagulls around waiting to prey on our fish lah..

Dunno what they looking at.. Haha.. Anyway, just the first day and I bought a pair of sunnies, sandals and a top.. Oh gosh! Haha..

Met up with the rest at Hard Rock Cafe which was just a walking distance from K Resort..

Dinner though was Japanese food at some restaurant.. Monica, Sevi, Me, Aisah, Priscilla, Paulina, Budi, Calista & Marian..

Calista, Marian, Edwin H, Edwin T, Sevi, Me and Aisah..

Went home to nap a while until about 1030pm and prepared to join the rest for clubbing at Shooters Bar.. The place was really empty as it was a Wednesday night and I don't think there was such stuff as Ladies Night.. Haha.. But the music and company was great..

Haha.. The shots to get high! They didn't lemme drink it for fear that I'll fall asleep and they would have to drag me home.. Haha..


I think the shots got to Edwin cos he went around hugging people.. Haha..

I actually didn't want to go as I was quite tired since we were up quite early but I'm so glad I went.. The company was real fun and we danced like no tomorrow.. Haha..

Day 2- 25 Sept 2008

Plan was to head to Movieworld today.. I've been there last time so I was quite excited to go back again.. We wanted to be there when the gates opened at 10am but guessed we overslept.. Haha..

Perfect weather to go to a themepark.. Weather was cooling with the sun.. Hehe..

The Main Street..

We wanted to start off slow and easy so we went to take the Shrek 4-D ride first.. Haha.. The effects was cool sia.. With the spiders crawling up your legs and water spurting out.. Haha..

Headed on to Wild Wild West for the flume ride.. I forgot what it was called already.. Haha..

But it was really good! The design was super good with an indoor backwards fall before they plunge us down.. Highly recommended!

Us on the ride.. We got super duper wet!

Next up was the Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster! The queue was 40 mins long.. Oh gosh I hate school holidays..

While waiting for the ride.. I rode it once before but I forgot how it was like.. It was super good! With backwards falls and turns and drops in total darkness.. Aisah & I were screaming like mad while the other two were laughing at us.. Muahaha..

Lunch at some WWW restaurant.. Advertiser for The Long Horn.. Haha..

He says it's good! Haha.. Some internal joke about the man horn lah..

And the Looney Toons gang came out during lunch time so we went to take pictures with them.. Haha..

The Batman cafe..

A buffet restaurant..

We went back to take the WWW ride again to cool off for the afternoon.. Haha.. Following that was the death- defying Superman Escape! The ride shoots you off like a rocket at the beginning and goes up that mount as you see in the picture and drops you down 90 degrees.. It was seriously wicked!

Next on, we went for the Lethal Weapon ride.. It was a ride with many twists and turns and loops.. People with motio sickness are seriously not advised to ride this.. I got off feeling a little woozy myself..


That loop I circled is this picture above.. We were actually tilted upside down.. Haha.. For the record, I googled the above picture so don't bother spotting me.. Haha..


Next up was the series of Batman rides.. Firstly was some Batman simulator ride which was quite ok.. Not really thrilling.. And next was the Batwing Spaceshot! A new ride that shoots you up like a rocket as well and drops you back down.. Haha.. Crazily cool ride!

And the sexy Batmobile.. Unknown to many, Batman is actually my most favourite Superhero.. Haha.. Before leaving, we went to sit Superman for a second time and this time we got Edwin to take it with us.. Haha.. Bought a few souvenirs before we left..

Went back home and cooked ourselves dinner with some groceries we bought.. Marian cooked the spaghetti while I spreaded the garlic spread.. Haha.. Crashed shortly after that from our tired day..

Day 3- 26 Sept 2008

We woke up on time this time around and headed off to Dreamworld.. I didn't come here the previous time as the rides were too thrilling for my family..

There was a special counter for internationl visitors and also a special gate so we didn't have to queue to go in with the other visitors.. Muahaha.. It's good to be a tourist.. =)

The main square..

Headed in for our first ride also a water ride.. Haha.. It was quite hot that day..


Phototaking while q-ing up.. It was quite a long q since it was holiday..

And this is what the ride looks like.. I googled this again.. Hehe.. Edwin got totally wet because he sat at the wrong seat.. Haha..


The Mummy Live! We were queueing up for it until I heard some screaming and realised it was actually a haunted house and chickened out.. Haha..

Next we went sorta out of the main park and visited the Big Brother house which was kinda boring..


Next up was the Motocoaster which was kind of a motorbike roller coaster..

Wiggles World.. All the rides for kids so we skipped it..

And the two brave girls that went on the Tower of Terror.. Edwin and I chickened out of this one.. Haha..

The Tower of Terror was actually a ride where you basically sit in a car and it shoots you up that high tower and you basically slide back..

And the next ride the two brave girls went on was The Claw..

Seriously, you girls are brave..

OMG! Look at them.. The ride spins and carries them high up in the end.. Couldn't take it as it was spinning and I can't take spinning rides.. Haha..

Some other spinning ride..

The Wipeout!

The two brave girls went on it again while we looked on.. *Applause*

AHHHH!!!! Scream!!!! Totally wicked!

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=ajGyKrSLlEM - Video of Aisah & Marian on the ride

Had lunch and went on some Rugrats Coaster in Nickelodean Central..

*Peek Peek* Haha..

Nah.. Jing Wen, your spongebob..

Some huge lobster..

Next up was the Cyclone Coaster.. A regular loop-the-loop rollercoaster..

We wanted to get on the Giant Drop which was really high but only Marian was brave in the end.. However, due to time constraints we switched to taking the Tower of Terror.. Haha.. All four of us went in the end.. It was less scary than Superman but I came back laughing and laughing.. Maybe overshocked becos it suddenly shot us up.. Haha..

Some last minute shopping before leaving and finally a group photo at the entrance.. Edwin got slightly nauseous from the ride so I drove us home.. Haha.. And thankfully, we all got home safe and sound.. I miss driving my big van..

Went to a night market along the beach that sold many fascinating stuff but couldn't buy most of them cos I won't be able to carry them back to Singapore..

Day 4- 27 Sept 2008

Slept till quite late today as the plan was to go to beach in Surfers Paradise..

So many many people lah.. School Holiday + Saturday..

Dunno why but I like this picture.. Haha..

The two of them tanned while me and Aisah headed off to the Internet Cafe to satisfy our internet hunger.. Bought Boost Juice on the way.. Haha.. Too big to finish..

And our accommodation which was just a walk away from the beach..

The swimming pool..

The waterfront..

Slept while waiting for the rest to complete their tanning..

Then it was out to the main shopping area for shopping! Ended up buying only a pair of slippers.. Haha.. And we watched a cute doggy show too.. The dog was really talented..

Then it was off to meet Edwin & Marian's friend, Jaslyn and her friend, Julia.. Jaslyn helped us to get a 15% discount for our theme park tickets which was really great seeing that the tickets costs between $66- $69 each.. Dinner was at a Korean BBQ restaurant.. Ordered some chicken and beef to BBQ which was really good.. Shared a Kim Chi Soup + Rice meal with Edwin, Aisah & Marian shared Kim Chi Fried Rice and Jaslyn & Julia shared a Chicken Fried Rice..

Then we realised that we hadn't used the car today so Jaslyn suggested to bring us to Natural Bridge National Park to see glow worms! It was a long drive up though about 45 mins.. Jaslyn was an official glow work tour guide so she could bring us on the tour.. If not normally to enter the parks you would have to hire an official guide if not you'll get lost..

And the tour was seriously cool! She was the only one with torch so we basically had to follow that source of light if not we'll get lost.. We saw many special trees and the glow worms! My god it was so special! Nothing I've ever seen in my life before.. I googled these pictures though.. But these are definitely real pictures of glow worms in a cave..

And the glow worms.. You can't shine your torch light on them if not there'll be a $2000 fine for it..

A group picture before leaving the park.. Jaslyn, Edwin, Marian, Aisah, Julia & Me.. We then headed down the mountain for a while to watch stars and tried to find the Southern Cross.. Haha.. And we stopped right beside an electrical cable and we could hear the sound of electricity passing through.. So scary.. Anyway, thank you Jaslyn for the tour!

Day 5- 28 Sept 2008

Woke up and cooked all the food for our brunch.. Including 5 packets of Maggie Noodles, 4 slices of Garlic Spread Bread, 4 slices of Cream Cheese Bread, a loaf of Garlic Bread, 4 Sunny Side Ups, Smoked Salmon and Cheese Scrambled Eggs.. Haha.. Sounds crazy right? Should have taken a picture sia.. It was so much food.. And we didnt even finish it.. Haha..

Headed out for some shopping at Harbourtown.. Bought a pair of track pants, a pair of jeans, a jacket and a new Addidas water bottle.. Haha.. Shopping is super great..

Stopped midway at Nando's as Edwin was hungry.. The rest of us were simply too full to eat anything..


I was quite fascinated by the number 15.. Dunno why.. Haha..

Went back to Surfers Paradise to pick Calista and Sevi up for dinner.. Snapped this sunset in the mean time..

Dinner at Chiangmai Thai Restaurant.. It was a Sundaynight so the place was really crowded and we didn't make any reservations.. But they had a table for us just that we had to be out by 8pm.. Haha..
The banner says it all.. The decor was super good indoor and outdoor.. We got an outdoor seat though in a small hut like thing.. Forgot to take pictures of the exterior..

Ahhh.. Delicious Thai Food.. Super super good!

And finally a group picture.. Great food, Great people! Seriously recommended if you guys do go to Gold Coast..

Day 6- 29 Sept 2008

Hang on ppl! We have reached Melbourne!

Edwin & Marian woke up to send us to the airport for our flight to Melbourne.. Bid goodbye to Edwin & Marian and checked in for our flight.. Slept all the way there..

Kinda lost the moment we collected our luggage cos neither of us have been to Melbourne before.. But we followed what Edwin told us and bought tickets for the Skybus.. $26 for a return trip inclusive of a hotel transfer.. Not a bad deal..

And this is the Skybus.. On the way to the Southern Cross Station where the main coach terminal was, the Skybus that we were on started smoking and broke down.. So we had to lug the luggage of to a tiny mini bus where it was just a one minute drive to the main station.. Upon parking at the parking lot, the door of the mini bus got stuck at the driveway that was too high.. ZzZzZ.. Suay is the only word I can use to describe the situation then.. Went to register for a hotel transfer and we even had to walk 1 street down to reach our hotel becos the bus couldnt turn into that street.. Oh well..

Stored our luggage in a locker as it was still too early to check in.. Went to have lunch first at a food hall in the next building.. This economy rice above costs A$6.40 lah.. But it's the standard price around here.. Haha.. Not to mention that it was quite good..

Aussie Food Court..

Paulina came to join us soon after.. Haha.. And this is the tiny room we stayed in.. Erm.. Try to imagine it as a 1 room flat.. =) Oh well, it was just A$79 for 1 night..

A new species in town..

Out to some cafe for hot chocolate.. And the Melbourne City..

Met Jia and Celine in front of Myer.. So cool that all of us were in Melbourne during that period.. Dinner at a restaurant called Spicy Fish Restaurant in Chinatown..


Jia! And the delicious huge portion food!

A group picture at the restaurant.. I love the Spicy Fish pot.. Simply delicious but it was too much food.. Aisah, Paulina, Ririh, Celine, Jia & Me..

After dinner was of cos dessert.. Melisa and her boyfriend, Glenn picked us up from the hotel and brought us to Melbourne Central for Max Brenner! It was like Godiva.. Simply heavenly..


Chocolate Pizza, Chocolate Crepes & Chocolate Waffle.. Too perfect for words..

And just a simple rule at Max Brenner.. Haha..

Us with Melisa..

After that we headed to Crown Entertainment Centre.. It holds a grand casino, Victoria's poshest hotel, cinemas, shopping and dining facilities..


And Golden Village's parent company.. The original Village cinema..

Went to walk around inside the Casino.. Super duper huge but no pictures allowed.

Some pictures within the entertainment centre..

And this is outside of the Crown Entertainment Centre.. The Yarra River.. Think of it as Singapore's Clarke Quay..

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=hoAw3RC7ceQ - Video of a fire show by the Yarra River

Singapore!

Whoo! We did so much in just one day..

Day 7- 30 Sept 2008

Headed to Queen Victoria Market for some shopping in the morning..


Think of it as a Pasar Malam in the day.. Haha.. Bought stuff from there too..So many many things to buy.. And coincidentally, we met Jia & Ingrid as well.. Haha..

Waiting for the tram to go eat lunch with Michael..

Some laksa wannabe that tasted downright awful.. And surprisingly, we saw Jia again! This time with her friend.. Melbourne is just so small.. Haha..


Then we headed to Starbucks for coffee.. I was simply too full for anything.. Haha..

Took the tram to Bridge Road after that for shopping again.. Didn't get anything this time.. Haha..


And the very interesting public toilet..

Dinner was with Paulina's friends at an Indonesian restaurant called Garamerica..

The Crown Entertainment Center from outside..


The food was good! And a group picture before we leave.. Embarrasingly enough, I forgot all their names.. Oops!

Met Melisa and Glenn again and they took us to this dessert place called Brunetti for coffee.. Again, I was too full for anything..


The cool ice cream and bar section..

I found the napin holder cute.. Haha..

Day 8- 1 Oct 2008

Selamat Hari Raya and Happy Children's Day!

Headed to DFO for shopping AGAIN! My whole trip is shopping lah.. Haha.. Direct Factory Outlet..


The city tram..

And it was right beside the coach terminal..

I seriously bought a lot of stuff but they were not all for me of cos.. Haha.. But the stuff there were really cheap.. In the end I bought 1 hoodie, 1 jacket, 3 T-shirts, 1 shirt.. The jacket was the best discounted lah.. It was originally $109.95 then it was discounted to $49.95 but when I paid it was only $29.95.. Haha.. Happy!

Lunch was at Hungry Jacks which is the Aussie version of Burger King.. They belong to the same company but some long story about why they have different names lah.. Wanted to do more shopping but realised that the whole shopping mall was only 1 level.. Met Niccolo, Tiara, Tim and Louie at the DFO too.. So we headed to Melbourne Central but couldn't find anything.. Aisah wanted to get her sandals and we headed back to shop at Bridge Road.. I saw a bag that I really loved in the shop but I didn't buy it.. So regret now.. Dinner was some fried rice I took away from the Spicy Fish Restaurant..

Paulina and Aisah wanted to go clubbing but I didn't want to so I went sightseeing myself.. Haha.. Kinda dangerous to go out at night actually as drunk scary people lurk the Melbourne streets at night.. But I'm used to sightseeing and travelling alone liaoz seeing that I came home from Japan alone and I walked on the Taipei streets for 2 days..

Crossed the Yarra River to go to the Eureka 88 Skydeck.. It is the tallest residential building in the world.. Haha.. Another tall building for my record.. The usual price was $16.50 but I got student discount to $11 and a further 10% for being a Melbourne tourist and I paid $9.90 in the end.. =)

The building looks like this from the outside.. I googled this as well..



The beautiful nightview of the Melbourne night lights.. The glass used to surround the building was not very good as it reflects light from behind and in front so you see the blue shades..

This was a seriously unintentional shot.. Haha.. Cos I accidentally put on flash and the glass reflected everything.. Haha.. Then I realised it was quite a cool shot.. Haha..

Another part of the building was called The Edge where you actually enter an external cube of the building that has a transparent glass floor like the one below.. You had to put on special shoes as they didnt want to scratch the glass..

But you had to pay extra to enter and a picture would be taken with you inside.. I was alone and everybody went in with other people so I was like er, maybe not.. Haha..

Walked back to the city and went to walk around Chinatown myself.. Haha.. Stopped and ate some noodles in a restaurant called The Claypot King.. And it was back to the hotel room where the girls were still getting ready for their night out.. Packed my luggage praying that it didnt exceed the weight limit.. Then it was 2 episodes of Gossip Girl and light's out..

Day 9- 2 Oct 2008

Woke up earlier and headed to the city to try to find my bag but it wasn't sold there.. =( Went to take away some lunch for Aisah and myself at some food court stall I chanced upon..

Caught the Skybus to the airport.. And had to walk to the Tiger Airways terminal.. Checked in and our luggage didn't exceed the 15kg limit! Whoo Hoo! Waited for Tim to check in and went to buy Krispy Kreme donuts! Met Jia back at the terminal and went in to the transit area.. I was selected to a random body check for a new system.. Almost scared the hell out of me when they did that.. Maybe I have an evil bad image that's why they chose me.. Haha..


Boarded the plane and reached Adelaide safely! Shared the cab back to RIH and heaved a sigh of relief when I entered my room.. I'm Home! RIH has never felt this good.. Seriously.. Haha..

And my new Raymond Lam CD has finally arrived.. =)

A few interesting things to note..

That day the chef cooked kangaroo meat for dinner.. I tried one bite and that was it.. I wouldn't ever eat kangaroo meat again.. It tasted funny and kinda cruel to eat it.. I know it's so contradicting since I eat other types of meat..

Daylight Saving officially starts tomorrow meaning we have to forward our clocks by 1 hour starting midnight.. It is something that countries do during the summer so that the days will be longer than the nights.. Meaning I'll be 2.5 hrs faster than Singapore now..

I have only 1 assignment due next week and I've completed it meaning I can slack thru this weekend and catch up on all my dramas.. The Four is a good series though.. Haha..

Monday will be a public holiday here.. I think it's Labour Day.. Haha.. So I have one day less of class.. And it is the tutorial day.. Heng ah..

Jay Chou's new album, Capricorn is coming out on 9 Oct.. Still considering whether to get it or not though.. Haha.. Oh well, you can pre-order it and get that free Rubik's cube..




Ok.. This is the end of a very long post.. I typed it for more than 3 hours lah.. Haha.. Congratulations for making it all the way here.. Haha..

See you!