Australia
Thursday, December 2, 2010 9:38:00 AM
Yours truly is back from Perth, Australia (does Perth come first or Australia come first?). Currently nursing a aching body and not quite yet sober due to the lack of sleep but I shall attempt to blog whilst waiting for 30STM's Hurricane video to load. In case you'd like to know, I'm not typing quite well now so excuse any spelling/grammar/whatever mistakes for all you grammar Nazis out there. 
The events mentioned below are probably not in order seeing as I probably and most likely cannot remember what I did everyday so, yes, let's start shall we?
Travelled with my parents (of course) and another family of 3. The flight to Perth was around 6 hours and most of it was spent dozing off whilst listening to some music. Arrived in Perth at about midnight and by the time I checked into the hotel, it was close to 3 and I was seriously about to pass out. Passed out I did.
As far as I can remember, I spent the first day roaming about the streets of Perth and basically taking in whatever I could and familiarizing myself with the surroundings. Somehow, it feels as if I have never left Singapore, except for the weather. Apparently, while I was in Perth, it was nearing the end of Spring and the start of summer so the weather was pretty chilly for the first few days I was there and it got really hot for the last remaining days. But the heat is different in Perth. While everyone was complaining about how hot it was, I was actually enjoying it because unlike Singapore, it's dry therefore you won't sweat no matter how hot it gets. Plus, I get a tan. It's a win-win situation for me. The temperatures tend to drop drastically at night though. Which I'm also thankful for. In the afternoons is can be as hot as 38 degrees but when night falls, it drops to about 21 degrees, which is about air-condition temperature so all was pretty well. But Perth skies are literally cloudless with the exception of a few rare occasions so the direct sunlight can be quite bad, therefore explaining why Australia has the highest risk of skin cancer.
Visited King's Park/Botanic Gardens and it is lovely out there. People just have picnics and lie under the sun and hang out in the open area. It's seriously lovely, words can't justify it's loveliness. There were a bunch of guys practicing capoiera or something along those lines and it was quite cool (and they were pretty hot to boot). Walked the rooftop trails in the park as the little boy from the other family wanted to. He's so adorable I swear and he's quite a genius for a 5-year-old. Took a while for me to get him to get comfortable with me and it was only on the last day that he'd give me a hug and it was so comfortable he's like a teddy bear oh my god.
The park also happens to overlook Swan Valley which was a pretty nice view. I mentioned before that Perth felt like Singapore. But after a while I came to realize that it is actually much better than Singapore (no shit, any where's better than Singapore besides China). Singapore doesn't have views like this and besides Botanic Gardens (which sucks balls by the way), there isn't actually much place to just chill out under the sun. Perth has tons of nature to absorb and it's really relaxing. While I was at King's Park on the last day, I saw a bunch of students just sitting around eating and discussing stuff. Apparently they have summer lessons outdoor. That will never happen in Singapore because we are confined in the four walls of the classroom. Life is just much more laid back and relaxed. But I guess that's why the standard of education there isn't as high as Singapore's.
Went to the beach for a swim but it was freezing cold which caused me to have a minor cold later on.
I'm not quite sure if this is Cottesloe beach because I went to 3 beaches while I was there and I only managed to firmly remember Scarborough. I just frolicked around in the water alone and observed people playing and swimming around. It was quite boring and I honestly wished that I had friends there with me because seeing everyone around with a group of people having fun just made me really sad. It was a beautiful beach and everything was near perfect. I just lacked some friends around. Saw this hot group of boys playing around near me though. So I guess it was pretty alright.
The drive up to Margaret River included a visit to a chocolate factory, some wineries and a truffle farm.
Can't quite remember what this winery is though.
This winery is the famous Leeuwin Estate. It's humongous and really grand and really pretty. It has a gorgeous rose garden and a gigantic enormous vineyard. The roses in the vineyard are to help the farmers keep the grape vines healthy. Once the roses start wilting, there's probably an infection or something. Majorly gutted I couldn't taste any wine though. Apparently I couldn't pass off as 18 and they have very strict rules regarding alcohol. So it was pretty boring, unlike Italy where they didn't actually give a shit.
Went to another beach on the drive back to Perth City. Again, I'm not quite sure if this is Cottesloe beach, or the previous one is.
There was a small pathway that led to the beach.
Every single beach there is just gorgeous. It's like right out of a postcard. The waters are so clear and the waves are actually legit waves unlike the pathetic ones in Singapore. Didn't get into the waters at this beach because I didn't come prepared with anything.
Took a tour of the mammoth cave. I know it sounds really boring but it really isn't. It was pretty interesting and the caves are beautiful.
This picture really doesn't do any justice to the beauty of the cave. But because it was really dark (and really cold too) inside, it wasn't easy taking any pictures.
It was pretty tiring having to down into the caves and up back into the open and the narrow cum steep stairs didn't help one bit. I guess that's my exercise for the week.
While in Perth, we also went around some markets and this was just one of the few. This is the Farmer's Market. The markets usually only open during the weekends so it was pretty crowded as everyone was buying their groceries for the week and stuff like that.
This plant is known as a Black Boy. I saw tons of these while in Australia and they are indigenous
to Australia.
The last few days were spent at Scarborough beach. The waves there are like gigantic super big like I got sandwiched between two waves. I now know what is feels like to drown. Never want to drown to death, ever.
There was also a photo shoot happening there and there were models and it was so cool seeing everything in real life. Pretty surreal actually. Took a walk along the beach with my dad. On the second day, I learnt how to surf which was majorly wicked and cool and helluva awesome. I managed to ride on wave all the way to the beach and that was the only time I managed to perfect the art of surfing. Other that that one time, I was basically crashing into the water every now and then. In the midst of surf lesson, the dolphins came for a visit which was wicked cool. The after-effects of surfing wasn't as wicked cool though. Every inch of my body was aching and it's still aching even as I'm typing now. It's pretty damn torturous but I would really like to surf again.
And this is the 5-year-old boy I was talking about. He's called Samuel and he's absolutely adorable and probably the only toddler I can actually stand.
The food there is pretty much like Singapore's. Lots of different variety of food there, from Chinese to Vietnamese to Indian. Very international. I tried Wagamama there and it sucked major balls. I really wonder why the guys in You Me At Six like it so much. I don't know if it tastes better in the UK but I shall try it when I go there. Also tried their local KFC which was called Chooks (at least I assume it's spelt like that) and the guy at the counter reminded me so much of JP I actually stood there dumbfounded for about 5 seconds. Pretty embarassing. I miss Italy so much. But the best meal has got to be at Felix's Bistro. I had pan-seared scallops which were heavenly and a prawn salad with squid ink and avocado and a beef for a main. I could've sworn I was contented to die at that moment. But besides the food, the bartender looks like Zac Efron.
The shopping there wasn't exactly cheap seeing as the exchange rate wasn't in my favor. But I still managed to buy some stuff and I love the Cotton On there, the range is so much nicer than Singapore's and I bought 2 new swimsuits.
The flight back was about 4 1/2 hours. At the airport on the way back, there was this bunch of super good looking Australian guys going to Jakarta. I felt to creepy ogling at them but they were so gorgeous oh my god. Watched Takers and The Hangover on the flight back. Takers is a really good movie. But as always, the handsome guy (which is usually the one that I like) dies. It always happens. The character that I like always dies. It's not fair.
Hayden Christensen was so damn good looking in the movie, unf. The Hangover was pretty funny but seriously retarded.
I think that about sums it up.
The events mentioned below are probably not in order seeing as I probably and most likely cannot remember what I did everyday so, yes, let's start shall we?Travelled with my parents (of course) and another family of 3. The flight to Perth was around 6 hours and most of it was spent dozing off whilst listening to some music. Arrived in Perth at about midnight and by the time I checked into the hotel, it was close to 3 and I was seriously about to pass out. Passed out I did.
As far as I can remember, I spent the first day roaming about the streets of Perth and basically taking in whatever I could and familiarizing myself with the surroundings. Somehow, it feels as if I have never left Singapore, except for the weather. Apparently, while I was in Perth, it was nearing the end of Spring and the start of summer so the weather was pretty chilly for the first few days I was there and it got really hot for the last remaining days. But the heat is different in Perth. While everyone was complaining about how hot it was, I was actually enjoying it because unlike Singapore, it's dry therefore you won't sweat no matter how hot it gets. Plus, I get a tan. It's a win-win situation for me. The temperatures tend to drop drastically at night though. Which I'm also thankful for. In the afternoons is can be as hot as 38 degrees but when night falls, it drops to about 21 degrees, which is about air-condition temperature so all was pretty well. But Perth skies are literally cloudless with the exception of a few rare occasions so the direct sunlight can be quite bad, therefore explaining why Australia has the highest risk of skin cancer.
Visited King's Park/Botanic Gardens and it is lovely out there. People just have picnics and lie under the sun and hang out in the open area. It's seriously lovely, words can't justify it's loveliness. There were a bunch of guys practicing capoiera or something along those lines and it was quite cool (and they were pretty hot to boot). Walked the rooftop trails in the park as the little boy from the other family wanted to. He's so adorable I swear and he's quite a genius for a 5-year-old. Took a while for me to get him to get comfortable with me and it was only on the last day that he'd give me a hug and it was so comfortable he's like a teddy bear oh my god.
The park also happens to overlook Swan Valley which was a pretty nice view. I mentioned before that Perth felt like Singapore. But after a while I came to realize that it is actually much better than Singapore (no shit, any where's better than Singapore besides China). Singapore doesn't have views like this and besides Botanic Gardens (which sucks balls by the way), there isn't actually much place to just chill out under the sun. Perth has tons of nature to absorb and it's really relaxing. While I was at King's Park on the last day, I saw a bunch of students just sitting around eating and discussing stuff. Apparently they have summer lessons outdoor. That will never happen in Singapore because we are confined in the four walls of the classroom. Life is just much more laid back and relaxed. But I guess that's why the standard of education there isn't as high as Singapore's.
Went to the beach for a swim but it was freezing cold which caused me to have a minor cold later on.
I'm not quite sure if this is Cottesloe beach because I went to 3 beaches while I was there and I only managed to firmly remember Scarborough. I just frolicked around in the water alone and observed people playing and swimming around. It was quite boring and I honestly wished that I had friends there with me because seeing everyone around with a group of people having fun just made me really sad. It was a beautiful beach and everything was near perfect. I just lacked some friends around. Saw this hot group of boys playing around near me though. So I guess it was pretty alright.
The drive up to Margaret River included a visit to a chocolate factory, some wineries and a truffle farm.
This winery is the famous Leeuwin Estate. It's humongous and really grand and really pretty. It has a gorgeous rose garden and a gigantic enormous vineyard. The roses in the vineyard are to help the farmers keep the grape vines healthy. Once the roses start wilting, there's probably an infection or something. Majorly gutted I couldn't taste any wine though. Apparently I couldn't pass off as 18 and they have very strict rules regarding alcohol. So it was pretty boring, unlike Italy where they didn't actually give a shit.
Went to another beach on the drive back to Perth City. Again, I'm not quite sure if this is Cottesloe beach, or the previous one is.
There was a small pathway that led to the beach.
Took a tour of the mammoth cave. I know it sounds really boring but it really isn't. It was pretty interesting and the caves are beautiful.
It was pretty tiring having to down into the caves and up back into the open and the narrow cum steep stairs didn't help one bit. I guess that's my exercise for the week.
While in Perth, we also went around some markets and this was just one of the few. This is the Farmer's Market. The markets usually only open during the weekends so it was pretty crowded as everyone was buying their groceries for the week and stuff like that.
This plant is known as a Black Boy. I saw tons of these while in Australia and they are indigenous
to Australia.
The last few days were spent at Scarborough beach. The waves there are like gigantic super big like I got sandwiched between two waves. I now know what is feels like to drown. Never want to drown to death, ever.
There was also a photo shoot happening there and there were models and it was so cool seeing everything in real life. Pretty surreal actually. Took a walk along the beach with my dad. On the second day, I learnt how to surf which was majorly wicked and cool and helluva awesome. I managed to ride on wave all the way to the beach and that was the only time I managed to perfect the art of surfing. Other that that one time, I was basically crashing into the water every now and then. In the midst of surf lesson, the dolphins came for a visit which was wicked cool. The after-effects of surfing wasn't as wicked cool though. Every inch of my body was aching and it's still aching even as I'm typing now. It's pretty damn torturous but I would really like to surf again.
And this is the 5-year-old boy I was talking about. He's called Samuel and he's absolutely adorable and probably the only toddler I can actually stand.
The food there is pretty much like Singapore's. Lots of different variety of food there, from Chinese to Vietnamese to Indian. Very international. I tried Wagamama there and it sucked major balls. I really wonder why the guys in You Me At Six like it so much. I don't know if it tastes better in the UK but I shall try it when I go there. Also tried their local KFC which was called Chooks (at least I assume it's spelt like that) and the guy at the counter reminded me so much of JP I actually stood there dumbfounded for about 5 seconds. Pretty embarassing. I miss Italy so much. But the best meal has got to be at Felix's Bistro. I had pan-seared scallops which were heavenly and a prawn salad with squid ink and avocado and a beef for a main. I could've sworn I was contented to die at that moment. But besides the food, the bartender looks like Zac Efron.
The shopping there wasn't exactly cheap seeing as the exchange rate wasn't in my favor. But I still managed to buy some stuff and I love the Cotton On there, the range is so much nicer than Singapore's and I bought 2 new swimsuits.
The flight back was about 4 1/2 hours. At the airport on the way back, there was this bunch of super good looking Australian guys going to Jakarta. I felt to creepy ogling at them but they were so gorgeous oh my god. Watched Takers and The Hangover on the flight back. Takers is a really good movie. But as always, the handsome guy (which is usually the one that I like) dies. It always happens. The character that I like always dies. It's not fair.
Hayden Christensen was so damn good looking in the movie, unf. The Hangover was pretty funny but seriously retarded.
I think that about sums it up.