Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge is the landmark of Australia, if you have not visited this place, you are not consider been to Australia. In 2007, Sydney Opera House was nominated as part of UNESCO's world heritage list for its creativity and innovation in both architectural and structural design.

Sydney Opera House was designed by Jorn Utzon, the winner of the ‘International competition for a national opera house at Bennelong Point, Sydney’. The original estimated budget to build Sydney Opera House was $7 millions, but it end up the final cost was $102 millions.

Sydney Opera House is located near the Harbour Bridge and sits on the Bennelong Point. The opera house served as one of the most famous performing art centers in the world. The building has five theatres and rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars and souvenir shops. The largest concert hall can seat through 2,679 persons and the "Concert Hall Grand Organ is the largest mechanical organ in the world, with 10,154 pipes".

How you can enjoy the panoramic view of  Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge

1. Make a stop at Mrs Macquarie's Chair for a superb bird's eye  of the building and bridge.

2. Enjoy your drink in the bar.

3. Board the Sydney Highlight Cruise sail around the beautiful Sydney harbour and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.

4. Sydney Harbour Bridge climb - an experience you will never forget!

5. Walk around the building...

 

Beijing scammed...part II

I thought I was getting a good news from Beijing regarding my scammed case, but it all come with hassle. One morning, I received a call from my previous travel agent of Beijing which he mentioned that he received a call from the Beijing officer regarding my complaint on buying an expensive medicine. He then help me to contact the Tibet Hospital and they agreed to return my money when I returned them the medicines.

The reasons they gave me are this is the retailing price they are selling. The ingredients of the product is difference from the website I visited therefore the price is difference. But when I asked them what are the ingredients, they failed to answer. I did not explore further, since they agreed to send me back the money, I was happy although I only managed to return few bottles which I did not consume yet. After calculation, a bottle they charged was as high as RM300 per bottle, which mean per pill is RM15. How ridiculous!

But this morning, when I went to our POS office Malaysia to arrange the parcel, they didn't allow me to send the parcel as sending medicine to oversea is prohibited unless I got an official letter from the hospital of China or our Ministry of Health. I then called to the Beijing, but unfortunately, the letter will be written in Mandarin which our government would not accept it. I have to try my luck again in our Ministry of Health. It all will consume more time and more hassle.

Can anybody suggests any alternative? I really need your advice. 

Puffing Billy Steam Train

Thanks to all those volunteers who rosters for a wide range of duties in Puffing Billy Railway, therefore we are able to enjoy the nostalgic ride in the world's oldest steam train passing through fern gullies and lush rainforest of the Dandenongs Ranges.

I really highly saluted these volunteers and Puffing Billy Preservation Society for their efforts in keeping Puffling Billy Railway's operation since 1962, if not the line would not be economical.

We took the ride in Menzies Greek and get down at Belgrave. Marvel at the scenery and panoramic views of the Sherbrooke Forest which passed by your carriage window.   

I was lucky to meet native bird - Australian Crimson Rosella which is describe as very sociable, and that is why I managed to took its picture closed up. The colourful blue cheek patch, red head and breast, plus the black edge with blue in their wings and tail looks pretty.

 

Beware of Rhino in Australia?!!

When travel in Australia, you will noticed a yellow postal of "Beware of Rhino" on a skateboard pasted everywhere in the tram stations. It is a very creative advertising and I am really curious at the first place what is the rhinoceros the advertising try to refer to. And it was the tram!

After some study done online, the rhino icon being used because the 30 rhinos are described as equal to one tram. Then you can imagine if you were hit by a tram then are hit by 30 rhinos. What are disaster! But how were they came out with this figure? Andrew brought up an idea that average weight of rhino is 225kg, if 30 rhinos will be 6750kg, but a Melbourne tram is 2450kg.

I really have no idea, but I will said the impact is big and you can quickly imagine 30 rhinos = 1 tram in your head. Then you will be more careful when you crossed the road. Just like previously the Digi's yellow man campaign make me always remembered that I have a yellow friend with me previously when I were using their service. Haha! What do you all think?

 

Queen Victoria Market

On Tuesday, we reached Queen Victoria Market around 3pm but unfortunately most of the stalls had closed. We decided to come back here on Friday's morning since our hotel just located not far away and it took around 10 minutes walk from there. Therefore, please bear in mind the timing when you wanted to visit Queen Victoria Market. According to the website,  it closed on Mondays, Wednesdays, Good Friday... and the operating hours are 6am to 2pm for weekdays and longer timing for weekend.

The Queen Victoria Market had around 130 year-old and it is the largest market in Australia. There have open air market separate into wet and dry market (as per my observation), Deli Hall and Meat Hall. According to the tourist guide, the previous day of Queen Victoria Market was the old cemetery, and there were still 9000 bodies buried underneath the market’s car park.

Evening visit to the market was quiet and solitude, especially in winter when the sun sink earlier. It reminded me the history and ghost story told by the tour guide. But the morning of the market is totally different, lively and bustling. The vegetables and fruits are fresh and juicy. Comparison, the price to cook at home are cheaper than dine in restaurant.

There are souvenirs you can buy in cheap price in this local market but there are mainly from China. The tour guide told us that we can even get a "three generation" T-shirt from here but I wonder what is the meaning of three generation she was mentioned. At first, I thought the the quality of the T-shirt is so good until it can last for the usage of three generation. But I was wrong, instead, mentioned by the tour guide, after washing the T-shirt, from your father size can shrink to your size and later your child size. What a funny story, haha...

 

Enjoyed a cup of latte with my mum in McCafe nearby the Meat Hall

Farm life experience in Warrook Cattle Farm

On the way to Philip Island, we visited Warrook Cattle Farm for an educational tour to see kangaroos, wombats, sheep shearing demonstration, cow milking and the working dogs demonstration.

Warrook cattle farm is an 100 years old historic cattle and  sheep farm situated at 4170 South Gippsland Highway Monomeith, Victoria with one hour drive from Melbourne. At Warrook, you will experience a real lifestyle of Australian farming which you couldn't experience in the city.  Therefore, relax and get your hands dirty!

When we reached Warrook, what welcoming us was the tranquil trail with two rows of trees waving at us. The air crisp and the breeze playful. What a good weather it is. After that we were brought to the fauna park to see wombat and kangaroos up close. The question arouse "are joeys (baby kangaroos) born in their mother's pouch?" "What is the size of a new born joey?". These are the questions you can get your answer in this educational tour.

We proceed to the cow farm, "Do, Re, Mi, Fa..." four calves stretched their heads out of the cage awaited for our arrival, I think they were in hunger. Some of it even licked on the handbag of one of our group members by thinking this is their food. Feeding the ridiculously cute calves was another experiences you can get and I have experienced it before in Korea trip at an open farm. The calves will chased after you when you hold a milk bottle. It was fun experience! After we finished feeding the calves, we were introduced on the correct way to milk the cow. It was not hard to do it, but I just afraid the cow will felt pain. I just pretended it and took a picture.

One thing I noticed that, most of the pets are given name, and the farmer treated them as one of their family members as well. The two working dogs were then brought to the sheep area and instructed by the guide to round up sheep in a lush pasture. But there are incident that one of the working dog tried to bites on a sheep and the owner had to punish the dog. Was it an accident or a show?

The educational tour were then followed by a sheep shearing demonstration before it ended. The poor little sheep was being pulled out from the cage and look innocent when the owner sheared on its skin. It also look like the sheep was enjoying the whole process without struggling and sit still. Although the skin have been sheared, but the lanolin (wool wax) will protected it from coldness.

 

 

 
Before we departed, we have our lunch in Warrook and I enjoyed the chicken set and their house wine. 

   

What we can learn from Australia...

Discover why "There's Nothing Like Australia"... This is the new tourism tagline for Australia, I think the main marketing idea is to bring out the unique experiences you will get when you travel in Australia.

So, what is so unique travel in Australia compared to the rest of the countries? Some people even told me that Australia is the miniature of Europe, but if I would like to see Europe, I wouldn't come here purposely. I didn't really plan this trip in the beginning, but my mum insisted that she would like to discover the beauty of Australia, of course, the first westerner trip.

All the while, I have been travel in most of the countries in Asia, one reason is because the exchange rate is affordable but also I like to discover the mystery culture in Asia. It was not a bad experience travel in Australia, although it was quite rushed, but it gave me some insights...  

Quote a phrase from Samuel Johnson, “all travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.”

One thing surprised me is that the toilet in the Victoria market is very clean. Told by the tour guide, usually the family will teach the child from young to clean the toilet bowl for the usage of the next person. In Malaysia, there are no such concept implant to us, we only learn how to take care of ourselves. May be this is why our public toilets are always dirty. This is something difference in the education system, if we claimed ourselves as civilized person, this is something we can improve.

Second, they take care of their environment and valued their natural resource. A good quality control of the water can been seen in the oyster farming business when we met Uncle Jim in Jim Wild's Oyster Farm. It is a home business, but I can noticed that the river besides the farm are clean and clarity.  Not only that, Koala Conservation Centre and Penguin Reserve Centre in Philips Island also demonstrated to us the important of wild animal for them.

Third, enjoy is the part of their life. I think this is what we mean work hard and play hard. Therefore, most of the shops do closed at night. And the last one, urban planning. Malaysia authorities often changed the road structure and make the traffic terrible jam. In Australia and China, the urban planning is for 50 years.

The above is solely my opinion, if any offended make, I wish to make apology in the first place.