aussie pt 5 - port macquarie & byron bay

23/11/14

so very tempting.

where we parked our motorhome #3

so many activities that they offer
but we did none because we were there for less than 12 hours

stopped over at an art flea market of some sorts

of course i bought a book
this was just a dollar

koala hospital
-- where they nurse sick/injured koalas

list of patients in koala hospital
my dad insisted on this picture

byron bay

that is a proton savvy, people

byron bay lighthouse

that layer of blue in the middle is really interesting

crazy moment #2

at first i was like 'kangaroo jerky?? what does a kangaroo taste like?'
and after that 'halal ke tak.. erkk.'
kangaroos are not endangered, so you can eat them, yes.

jauh perjalanan banyak serangga terkorban

we always spend sunsets in the motorhome,

driving to the next destination.

this day was the same,

but the next day won't be

since we'll be in gold coast for 3 days!

port macquarie was just a small town

but the place where we parked our motorhome for the night was lovely.

we stopped over at a koala hospital

look at recuperating koalas

the biggest threat to their health is MVA - motor vehicle accident

and also infections like chlamydiosis

and bush fires.

saw a koala being fed low lactose milk - they're lactose-intolerant

in fact upon googling, i found out that they have a low calorie diet, 

which is why they sleep all the time.

it's not because they're lazy,

but they're very cute anyhow :3

this is a day basically spent in the motorhome

drove hours to get to coffs harbour

we only passed through and i didn't even get to take a picture

but the view was beautiful

drove another few hours to get to byron bay,

and, this is one of the places along our journey that made me say 'subhanallah'

repeatedly.

just.. breathtaking.

the wind was cold up there,

the greens reminiscent of tea plantations in cameron

the sky a dull grey

and when my aunt commented, 'the sea wasn't blue like the one we saw in sydney yesterday'

my immediate response was

'it's because the sky is grey, the sea reflects the colour of the sky'

iyelaaahhh tu smarty pants :P

i'm not sure whether that's correct,

but i'm pretty sure i've heard of that somewhere.

i don't mind the grey sky

people in photography are crazy about blue skies

but i'm crazy for rain, so grey skies are always welcomed

sure, blue skies are pretty awesome

but grey skies set the mood

:P

after that we walked around the byron bay town

wanted to buy something but couldn't find anything interesting

so off we went, to gold coast.

aussie pt 4 - sydney

22/11/14

parking ticket
-- AUD 6 for 4 hours

their system is as such:
2P is maximum 2 hour parking
4P is 4 hours
you can park anywhere to the left of this sign (sometimes there's no parking box)
but cannot park anywhere to the right of the sign

sydney glass island a.k.a party vessel
they put on extremely loud music

the people mover
not kidding, that's the name for this train :D

best part about not being in malaysia:
i get to be really crazy

apparently, my dad says they're famous
haven't yet googled 'beat the streets'
very entertaining :)

one of the beautiful govt buildings

st mary's cathedral.
when we were passing by, bells were ringing.
maybe there's a wedding :)

gallipoli mosque
the biggest mosque in australia

i have a perpetual love for cities on/near water.

therefore, it isn't surprising how quickly sydney appeals to me.

we wanted to park somewhere near sydney opera house,
but surprise surprise --
our car is too big.
plus, parking is hard to find.
we ended parking near the botanic gardens
and had to walk around 15 mins
with the sun directly above us before we get there.

it's actually not so bad (for me),
the view from the botanic gardens is much more rewarding.
we also get to see more events:
there was a wedding with the opera house in the background,
there were people picnicking
and also some writings in the air.
all i can read was hashtag, the rest i couldn't understand.
so dreamy though :)

arrived at sydney opera house,
took pictures, and shop for souvenirs till i drop.
i know that we could probably get cheaper souvenirs elsewhere,
but we just don't have the time
and the quality is better, too.

got on a water taxi that took us from the sydney opera house to darling harbour.
AUD 15 per person, quite pricey for a 10-min ride.
but we got to see sydney from the water!
and i kept thinking,
how stinkin' rich these people might be
if they can afford to buy houses alongside the water in sydney..

watched a street performance at darling harbour, by 'beat the streets'
it is at this moment of the trip that it feels very holiday-like
because i'd never stop to watch street performance back in kl :P

after that we got a taxi back to our parking spot,
drove over to gallipoli mosque
performed our prayers,
and was given a baklava by a turkish man.
he kept on saying that he loves malaysia and malaysians so much,
but he hasn't been here, yet.

after that it's off to port macquarie where we will spend the night.
another full 4 hours journey.

i've added sydney to my visit list.
and this time, i will do it properly.
:)