W A N D E R L U S T : AUSTRALIA

Hey guys, it's been a long time since I posted something here but now that I'm back, thought I should start with my biggest highlight in the months I've been gone: SYDNEY AUSTRALIAAAAAAAA!

I love Sydney. As HH termed it, it's one of the place she doesn't mind migrating to. I wholeheartedly agree. The lifestyle is quite similar to Singapore as compared to many other countries so assimilation will be a breeze. And they have greaaat food and super friendly people (although you might meet some racist people from time to time) so that's always a plus point. Other than that, we had an awesome time in Sydney. but I'll let the photos do the talking.

DAY 1, FRIDAY

My roommate for the rest of the trip lol

Topped up $20 but the train fare from airport cost us $16 so we immediately went straight to low balance on our first ride lol.

Took some time to do settle into our accommodation and did some grocery shopping for our dinner. And then it was a 5km walk to our dessert place called Cow and the Moon which is supposedly the best gelato on earth.

Meatball pasta with buttered mushrooms (at the back)

DAY 2, SATURDAY

Went to the local flea markets the next day. It was so much fun just walking around and absorbing the local atmosphere even though we didn't buy anything cause it was all expensive. I kid you not, they sell real vintage items which can easily cost $50. But we had a great time chilling at a mini field and eating food from the flea market.

TAKE MY MONEY, TAKE MY MONEYYYYYY!

The rest of the day was spent on food and more food.

Emperor's Cream Puff at Chinatown. This bomb is so lit and cheap!!

I don't care what you say but Golden Gaytime has got to be the BEST ice cream everrrr. Please try it!!

Ended the day with home baked beef but it was so legit!

DAY 3, SUNDAY

Woke up early to go to – yup you guessed it – church. We went to Hillsong at Alexandria. Their service was so similar to ours (pretty sure we copied their service programme format and stuff) but like 10x better.

But first, breakfast. Avocado, tomatoes and scrambled eggs on toast

This is like the slogan for Hillsong Church

If you're near the area, you HAVE to visit The Grounds! It's kinda like a flea market for food but super aesthetically pleasing. I'm talking about an outdoor floral themed wedding kinda vibe. I literally felt like I was having a wedding lunch.

SUPER GOOD. I WISHED I CAN GET FOOD AT THIS STANDARD IN SG.

DAY 5, MONDAY

Aka shopping day. We headed to Bourke Street bakery to fill our tummies before we kickstart some serious spending spree.

I recommend the ginger tart and the spiced tart

If you're looking to shop, Crown street is the place to go. They cater both mid end and streetwear albeit the prices are not exactly pocket friendly. I mean, there are sales here and there so you can get branded stuff here that's cheaper than in Singapore but you definitely won't get anything below $20. \

Oh unless you're visiting Salvation Army

Another shopping heaven would be Bondi beach. I know it sounds counter intuitive but they really do have rows and rows of stores selling mid end apparels. 

Even if you're uninterested in shopping, do drop by Bondi because they have an amazing beach view there!

A private pool in the middle of the ocean. Yup #whynot

We embarked on the Bondi boardwalk and although it took quite some time to complete the journey, the walk was so serene and beautiful that I can't help but to love the experience. There were a few people who used the track to jog. What a view to exercise to!

Me trying to creep to the edge of the cliff to take a photo

May or may not had a mini seizure trying to get to this pose. Did not help that there were heavy gusts of wind.

Other random sightings at Bondi: Doughnut Time. They have the pretties doughnuts but they're so sweet they might just be the cause of diabetes. My advice: Buy to share. 

Also, people actually paint wall murals instead of printing a poster to hang. Talk about #effort.

DAY 6, TUESDAY

I don't seem like the type, but I actually do enjoy nature a lot! Besides Bondi beach, Blue Mountains is definitely another go-to place for me. In fact, I would definitely want to hike again if I ever have the chance to come back here.

Started with a photo taking point of The Three Sisters at Evan's lookout. But this is nothing compared to the trek through the Canyon.

And so it begins. Be prepared to feast your eyes.

Jurassic Park or what???

It was about a 4 hour hike but I would gladly do it all over again. I feel like there was so many things to see but my eyes couldn't take everything in because it was so overwhelming! This took trekking from what I am used in in Singapore to a whole new level because it's not only beautiful, it was so cooling! It was as if I was hiking in an air-conditioned room. Bliss, I tell you.

And that's it! The rest of the trip was spent at Hillsong conference. It was such a wonderful experience and it deserves a standalone post – if I ever get around doing one. I shall end off with this very appropriate song:

WANDERLUST: IPOH AND CAMERON HIGHLAND

During the December holidays, my family took a road trip up to Cameron Highland. Cameron Highland is a special place for us because that was where my parents first met! They got to know each other while travelling in a tour group hahaha. 20 odd years later, they decided to pay the place a visit... this time round, with 2 kids.

We stopped by Ipoh for a few days as it was on the way. There are actually quite a lot of things to do in Ipoh. We only did a few adventurous activities - water rafting and cave exploration - as we were tight on time. The cave exploration was seriously the bomb. There are 4 stages of exploration and in the highest stage, you get to crawl through holes, wade in the underground river, climb walls and slide down slippery slopes and more! Say what?! Unfortunately, I didn't get to try it because my mom cmi. Like seriously. She was already dying halfway through level 2... which only consists of walking on a paved path and some stairs. Sian. Mental note: Will definitely fulfill my cave exploration dream one day!!

There are a lot of good food in Ipoh too! Love their chicken rice, yong tau foo and hakka noodles. SO DELICIOUS AND CHEAP, I CANT EVEN!!! Don't bother trying their pasar malam food though. It's seriously incomparable to Singapore's. For real.

Gua Tempurung

We drove up to Cameron Highland a few days later and the hostel we stayed in was sooooo beautiful. It used to be a British boarding school and they retained a lot of the elements in their interior decor. It is relatively more expensive compared to other inns we could have stayed at but it was worth it - after all, Cameron Highland is a place of significance. My mom was extremely happy. She kept taking photos and gushing about how this is the most beautiful hostel she ever stayed in haha.

Our room's balcony

Porch

Backyard.

There's honestly nothing much to do in Cameron Highland besides visiting farms and taking picturesque photos. The 2 main farms that we went to were Lavender Farm and Boh's Tea Plantation.

I saved the best photos for the last. So during the trip, i helped to direct and take couple shots of my parents. They scolded me at one point because my suggested poses were getting too corny HAHAHA. But they complied anyway lololol. ARE YOU READY FOR MUSHY PHOTOS? Here goes:

My dad in this photo haha i cannot!!

Hehehe.

It's easy to look at the photos and think wow it seemed like a great trip. But the irony about travelling with my family is that we always fight! I think we argue more during our trips than when we are back home in Singapore because we are forced to be confined together for an extended period of time. Sometimes i wonder what's the point of going on a holiday together when we will indefinitely end up fighting. But i guess my parents just want us to make memorable memories together  - whether they are good or bad. Perhaps that's all that matters :)