Watsons Bay (Part 1)

Finally, we arrived at Watsons Bay. A huge park and many nice restaurants greeted us as we disembarked. No, we didn't went inside one of those enticing places. We still had to climb a hill(?) to see The Gap.

Also, we had to hurry because the last ferry back to the city was at around 6PM? I'm not really sure, but it's early.

We could take the bus to the city but the ferry ride was more fun and the bus trip would take more than an hour.

Before climbing the hill, be sure to take a trip to the toilet near the in the picture gazebo above. And I warn you, that toilet was a bit scary because (at that time) the bulbs wouldn't light up. Most likely, they already fixed that.

To Watsons Bay

Our manager told us that we should visit this Watsons Bay and that the place has a very nice sunset view. So, one Saturday afternoon, some colleagues and I took the ferry to Watson(of course, using our red travel pass). The ferry we boarded was as large as the Supercat in the Philippines and it was even cooler because we could choose to sit out in the open. And the air was immaculately clean! It was soooo refreshing! I forgot how long the ferry ride was but I could still remember the breathtaking views we passed by. This structure (on the left) reminded me of Alcatraz but I had and still don't have any idea what's this.

The ride was also very interesting because the ferry had brief stops on different islands. If trains have train stations, then that ferry had ferry stations, wharves? (whatevah!)

So, if you're planning to take one of these ferries, be sure to charge your batteries and to empty your memory card! These might run out before you even reach Watsons. ^-^

Must-See!

You haven't really been to Sydney if you didn't strike a pose with the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background. These landmarks are located a few minutes walk from the Rocks and the Circular Quay.

Bears at The Rocks

We were so lucky that our visit to the Rocks happened to be UNICEF's exhibition of United Buddy Bears. Why bears and UNICEF? Sorry, I also have no idea. A year ago, I might have known the purpose of this event. ^-^

(Obviously) The Einstein Bear:

The Bear representative of the Philippines!

The "Love Bears"? I'm not sure... ^0^

The Rocks

The Rocks is only a few minutes walk from the Circular Quay, and a few stations from the apartment. I really don't know why this is called The Rocks and I couldn't see much rocks there (he he corny). Anyways, when we went there, the place was bustling with activities and was very crowded. They said that the restaurants there are very good but expensive (obviously, this is the reason why I didn't joined my colleagues' night out).

Posing with one of our Team Leads:

I Love the Office!

The view from the office is really refreshing. You could see the Opera House from the pantry:

And a big portion of the Sydney Harbour:

St. Patrick's Day Parade

St. Patrick's Day happens on March each year but all I ever witnessed was the scattering of the crowd because the parade was already over! I stayed up very late the other night because I had to bring home some work. So I had to rely on my colleagues' pictures to see the parade:

I have always wanted to see men wearing plaids and to hear bag pipes! But I did not win over the sleepy head in me. Anyways, to Jermaine, Joy, and Wena, thanks again for these pictures.

Luna Park

I always pass by Luna Park on the way to work but I never even stood in front of this weird big face that greets the visitors:

And yes, Luna Park is next to the Sydney Harbour bridge:

Purely Bizniz

Here are some pictures taken inside the client's office. This was my cubicle:

My desk was bare because all I placed on top of it was my laptop and very few printed documents. Following strict security guidelines, we have to lock printed documents inside the locker every time we go home.

Posing with colleagues and our managers while waiting for the elevator:

The Metro Monorail

I've wanted to ride this one but the ride cost AU$4.50 dollars. Stupid me... I should have at least tried the one-day pass. It only costs AU$9.00! Well, looking at the bright side... at least I'll have something to do if I have the chance to go back there! he he... (I hope!)

Too good to be true (Part 3)

Here's another batch of pictures of what could be seen from the apartment.

Sydney Tower:

Queen Victoria Building Mall is only a few blocks away:

I could also see Woolworths (the grocery store) from my room:

Taronga Zoo

The Taronga Zoo is a bit far from Sydney's CBD. You could go there by bus or by ferry. We took the ferry because it is faster, and the place is within the "red zone". At that time, the admission fee was about AU$30. Fortunately, I got this brochure from the airport that had discount coupons and one of those coupons entitled a 20% discount on the zoo's admission fee. ^-^

Since the port is sort of located at the back of the zoo, we had to take the cable car to go to the front part. It was my first time to ride on a cable car and I was terrified! I was later on surprised that the ride was not that scary after all. ^-^

At the front gate of zoo, a giant koala greeted us. ^-^ We then fell in line and paid AU$2 to take a closer look at the live koalas but regretted doing this because we were not allowed to touch them. We didn't even get a very good picture of the koala because they were sleeping and the leaves partially hid them!

I already forgot all the animals I saw there, but my favorite were the giraffes!

Too bad the elephants' habitat was being renovated at that time and that I was not able to watch a single show, but all in all, the zoo was the best one I've ever visited.

Up close: Darling Harbour

One fine Sunday afternoon, I finally explored the beautiful picturesque that I could see from my window.
Darling Harbour seemed very serene from afar but it was actually very festive up close. It is indeed a very good place for hanging out with friends and families. I could barely recall the attractions it offers but I'm pretty sure that The Sydney Aquarium is located there. There are also lots of nice restaurants around, but of course, I had to go to a place that's well within my budget: Mc Donald's. ^-^

Dinner Cruise

One of the things to do in Sydney: try out a dinner cruise. There's no doubt about it... dinner cruises are expensive (generally priced at about AU$100 per person). But fortunately, as a reward for our "hard work", the company treated us to a dinner cruise!

As you can see in the picture above, the Sydney Harbour bridge looks more amazing at night, and so does the Opera House (sorry no picture of this one).