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:

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:

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. ^-^

BBQ at Centennial Parklands

Before the busy days, our team was able to have a picnic in the Centennial Parklands. Like the rest of the parks I've visited in Sydney, Centennial Parklands was also beautiful. The park is huge that it is ideal for cycling. It even has an Equestrian Centre. I wanted to try on horseback riding but couldn't muster enough courage at that time so I went cycling instead, together with my team leader and another teammate, tailing behind our manager who chose rolling blading. The bike rental was expensive (AU$12 per hour!) but it was worth it... having completed 2 rounds.

The park have free electric BBQs that operate on a first-in basis. Of course, you have to clean it after using. Below is a picture of my Singaporean and Australia-based teammates and me. ^-^

Of beaches, bays, and a cemetery

I spent my first Saturday beach hopping with colleagues. We intended to hop from Coogee beach to Bondi beach by foot, as this was recommended as a very good jogging route. Using our red travelpass, off we went to our first destination:

First Stop: Coogee Beach

It was already a bit crowded when we arrived at around 11:00AM and it was very hot, too. Few people were surfing but the majority were just sun-bathing. Those who brought swim suits went swimming. The rest of us, being born "naturally tanned" ^-^, headed on to a shed, basked in the beauty of the sea, and from time to time, observed what the other people were doing. I was a bit shocked because topless women were among those who were sun-bathing. I think there's no need for me to describe the reaction of our male colleagues. ^-^

Passing through: Gordons Bay

There's not much I could say about Gordon's Bay. It's also amazing. ^-^ Our feet were already killing us by the time we reached here. We were supposed to catch the bus from here but we had no idea where to find the time table and the bus stop, so we decided to continue on foot.

Passing through: Clovelly Bay

I am not really sure if this is really Clovelly Bay. I did some research and thoroughly scanned my memory and concluded that this should be Clovelly Bay. ^-^ The houses that you could see in the background were really huge and beautiful. We could see a house with a huge swimming pool from where we were sitting.

Passing through: Waverly Cemetery

This was very interesting. There were even tombs that dated back to the 1800's.The cemetery was very peaceful and beautiful that I wanted to get buried there when I die. But then I'm sure a slot in there costs a fortune. ^-^

Final Destination: Bondi Beach

Please ignore the person in the picture. She's really bad at doing the spread-eagle pose.^-^

This beach is a lot bigger than Coogee beach and better for surfing, too. Too bad I don't know how to surf...

Actually, we took a bus from somewhere. Our feet were really killing us and it was getting dark. We would have seen Bronte beach and Tamarama beach if we continued on foot. If I'll have a chance to go to Sydney again, I will definitely follow this route... ON FOOT. ^-^