Hi y'all!
Sorry for my extended absence. The joy of travel. I have had a wonderful first week back in Taiwan after an AMAZING trip to Australia with my dad…I'll start there:
Day 1: Travel Day
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Me on the totally fantastic Scoot Airlines! They surprise upgraded me!
Lots of leg room even though they don't feed you:( |
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| Me at the Singapore Airport. Don't judge, it's 1 am! |
Day 2 The first day in Australia:
Having arrived from the USA and Taiwan, we were a little sleepy (or, in the case of my dad, a lot jet lagged). So we wandered around by the hotel (Swissotel Sydney, a place I'd highly recommend as well) in downtown Sydney, or as they call it, the CBD (Central Business District.) There was lots of shopping and cafes to explore…but we were very tired. So instead we decided to work on our tans by the pool!
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The Queen Victoria Building- a beautiful building that is now a shopping center
(How perfect is that?) |
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A rough day of mimosas and reading by the pool (relocated to the shade after I began to sunburn as usual)
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Day 3 The day I conquered my fear of fireworks:
On Saturday, we explored more of the Sydney CBD, including some serious shopping on my part. Also some serious receiving of Christmas presents! (thanks to all who sent them with my dad!) Taiwan shopping can be a…challenge certain times for me. Women here are very small, and it was nice to be somewhere with more American sized clothing! We headed down to Darling Harbour that night, where we were able to see some fireworks celebrating Chinese New Year!
So fireworks are not usually my thing…but far enough away, when they are over the water, I was surprisingly able to appreciate them! It was a nice way to still celebrate the Lunar New Year even though I had left Taiwan.
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| Darling Harbour at night! |
Day 4: The day I learned about hills:
Fun fact: Taichung, Taiwan is very flat. Sydney, Australia, is very hilly. And hot. So when I woke up in the morning planning a nice little 10 km run, I thought it would be easy. After all, I had run 11 miles the week before. But I was WRONG. And after arriving back at the hotel, we decided to walk some more around the Sydney Harbour area...
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| Oh hey, Sydney Opera House. We'd be back to go inside in a few days... |
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| And the Harbour Bridge. Yes, I hear climbing it is awesome. But having conquered my fear of fireworks this trip, I was not going to test my luck and try to conquer my fear of heights as well. |
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| I wish I owned a boat... |
And then we were off to the Paddington area and Oxford Street shopping. We walked to Centennial Park (a lovely park that I would NEVER suggest walking to from Sydney CBD) and arrived, tired but excited, to see a new movie- Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
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| We are happy because we have finally arrived at the park and get to sit down! |
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| Big screen, pretty sunset…life is good. |
Also, Mandela is an awesome movie and you should all go see it. Unless you live in Taiwan, because I don't think it's coming out here…
Day 5: The Beach
Y'all, I love the sun. And while it doesn't love me back (unless you consider constant burns love) I can't stop loving it. So Monday we were off to Bondi Beach! The most famous beach of Sydney (and maybe all of Australia?) Bondi is beautiful! And thanks to some great suggestions, we knew about the Bondi Icebergs…
That's right, a pool, right on the ocean. People actually swim here. All the time. Even when it's cold. It's a saltwater pool that waves frequently crash in to- and the perfect place to lie out for some serious sun time. Plus, when you swim there is a 0 chance of sharks. I find that appealing.
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And of course, the ocean is beautiful too!
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Also, if you head out to Bondi yourself, two suggestions: The restaurant at the Icebergs club is the perfect place to enjoy a pitcher of Sangria and a beautiful view! (bonus: you can also watch the Super Bowl) and DO NOT MISS Gelato Messina. Best Gelato I have had outside of Italy. Most unique flavors of gelato anywhere!
Day 6: The day it rained
Yes, it was bound to rain one day while I was in Sydney. There was a lot of time this day spent shopping…getting some tim tams (the best cookie ever), shoes, a water belt (I'm sooo cool), a dress…y'all, shopping in Australia is dangerous. Especially if you go at the beginning of February, when all their summer stuff is on sale.
(I don't have any pictures. If you want to see all the cool stuff I bought you'll have to come visit me!!!)
Day 7: The day I got to pet a koala!!!
Wednesday was our day of getting outside of Sydney. My dad and I hopped on a bus and headed out to see some things you can't see in Sydney. First we headed over to see the beautiful Three Sisters. It was nice to get out of the city of Sydney and get some fresh air.
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| We like fresh air! (even though it's colder than in Sydney!) |
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| The Three Sisters! Beautiful! |
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| More beautiful scenes! |
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| How did I get these pictures! The super terrifying gondola! |
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| What do you think? Is the ride worth the view? |
After the Three Sisters we were off to the Featherdale Wildlife Park!
This was one of my FAVOURITE things we did! You can really get up close and personal with the animals- even pet them! And while I don't have a picture of me petting a koala (my dad hasn't sent me his pics yet) it was AWESOME!
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| KANGAROOS! |
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| KOALAS |
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| Tasmanian Devil! We watched him for probably 10 minutes and he literally never stopped moving! |
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Penguins!
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It was a long day, and we returned to our hotel exhausted but in time for Happy Hour!
Day 8: The day we got classy
Thursday was a very exciting day for me- the one thing I had been in charge of planning before the trip was our outing to the Opera!!! That's right, we didn't just go see the Sydney Opera House- we went to an actual Opera! We saw Carmen, which was fantastic! Seriously, the Sydney Opera House is not just pretty- they have great talent!
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| In the morning we looked at pretty boats... |
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| It was cloudy in the morning, but cleared up in the afternoon for some pool time! |
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| We had dinner at Aria, which is perfect for Pre-Theatre dining! |
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| And the food is delicious! |
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| Inside the opera house (y'all, I pick great seats) |
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| Pre-opera selfie! |
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| The view of the bridge from inside the Opera House |
Day 9: One last day in the Sun!
Friday was our last full day in Sydney before heading back home. We spent the morning on a boat tour around the Sydney Harbour and surrounding areas! This was PERFECT because it was sunny and beautiful!
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| We're on a boat! |
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| But not this boat…this is a big boat! |
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| The Manly ferry, which we would take later! |
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| Y'all, Sydney is beautiful. Why did I have to leave? |
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| Working on my tan on the boat! |
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| My future home… |
We loved the boat so much we had to take another one, so we went off to Manly beach for some more fun in the sun!
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| Views from the ferry! |
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| Can you imagine if this was your commute every day? |
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| Manly Beach- the waves were rougher than Bondi, but just as beautiful! |
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| Beach selfie! |
Day 10: We have to go home?
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. And so I departed for Taiwan Saturday, after saying goodbye to my dad (who headed back to the States a few hours after I left)! It was a great trip- I can't wait for my next family/friends visit- in May when my sister and friend Jenn come to see me!
That's right, a pool, right on the ocean. People actually swim here. All the time. Even when it's cold. It's a saltwater pool that waves frequently crash in to- and the perfect place to lie out for some serious sun time. Plus, when you swim there is a 0 chance of sharks. I find that appealing.
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