Oceania Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Escapes From The Little Red Dot

Tasmania 2014 Day 11 – Arrival in Hobart

Posted on August 4, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

Woke up feeling cold and tired. The heater in the room wasn’t working like expected. Quickly we got ready, shivering, as we had a flight to catch in 2hrs time.

The walk to the domestic airport was a little shorter. Checked in by using the self service kiosk first as requested by one of the Jetstar staff. The boarding passes and the luggage tags were printed there. Then we proceeded to the counters just for the bag drops which made things pretty fast.

Going through security took some time as there was already a long queue waiting to go through the X-ray machine. Once through, we went to another queue in front of Giancarlo coffee for some ham and cheese croissants for breakfast.

The boarding required us to go in the open and take the portable stairs up the small plane. It was still unbelievably cold but we managed. The plane was airborne early and we arrived early at the small Hobart airport.

The luggage was sent out on a small belt in this airport which we picked up quickly. Proceeded over to Bargain Car Rentals and found that nobody was in office yet so I called the number that was on the door. Talking to the staff on the line and reading through the details, I found that I have chosen the pickup location set in Hobart city instead of the airport, and was advised that I had no choice but to get to the city where the car was prepared for us.

Checked with one of the staff from Tasmania tourism to ask about the way to the city and the suggestions were either by bus which she thought the service has not started for the day yet and thus she advised the taxi which was almost the same costs and less effort required. So we hopped onto one, where the driver kindly gave us a small intro of Hobart as he drove us to our car rental location, and that costed us a whopping audacious 46Aud.

We did the paperwork and got our Suzuki Grand Vitara and GPS that led us to our accommodation Fountainside hotel. We were there at 9am and weren’t expecting a room but the staff tried to push one for us and after housekeeping completed their work, we got our room on the 5th floor. The room was pretty impressive, nice and warm, spacious with a huge window to the city and free wifi. There was complimentary parking but limited and thus I needed to circle around and wait for a lot before parking in, that wasn’t too difficult as guests started leaving after breakfast.

Our first stop today was to visit Old town Richmond. Getting there could be confusing with the changing directions on the bridge road if utilizing during office hours. Had to follow the GPS intently to avoid getting lost. 25km away and we arrived at the beautiful and quiet little town.

Were at the Richmond Gaol but didn’t enter as we didn’t budget for this. Went over to the see the oldest bridge in Australia, the Richmond Bridge. Walked around a bit more to snapped photos before popping into the Richmond Bakery and Cafe for lunch with a quiche and pie.

Richmond gaol, prison that we didn't visit. — Richmond gaol, prison that we didn’t visit.

The next stop was Mount Wellington, and it was a good time since the weather was getting sunny, and that is not a frequent event in this period of time. Furthermore, with the snow cap on the mountain top, roads could be closed and today seemed like a good time that the roads would be opened because of the improving weather.

Driving back the same way to Hobart and then further on towards Mount Wellington was pretty easy until when we were going up the mountain. The roads became narrower and we had to keep an eye on the oncoming vehicles. The roads were slightly wet too and at then top, there was even snow. However, as long as we observed the speed limits, it was safe.

Along the Pinnacle Road, there was one stop before the final one at the top near the telecommunications station. We went all the way up and the blistering wind with the huge fog and freezing temperature was painful to take. I went around to snap photos before I had to get back to the car to avoid the cold. It was difficult for any scenery viewing due to the moving fog.

Going one level below, it was much better where the view of the city could be seen and photographed. There were plenty of snow everywhere and people all over was playing and building snowman, which we did too. Spent some time before making our way back down and back to the hotel.

Snowman with the view of the city sandwiched between the clouds and the snow.

After checking with the reception on places to visit in Hobart town, we went back to our room to rest for a bit before walking to the port in Hobart. Went past Mawson’s hut and again didn’t chose to visit. Proceeded to Salamanca square, Kelly steps and Battery point and then back to Salamanca, where we went into Vietnamese Kitchen for some overly expensive food (food in general mostly was).

Mawson place. Didn't visit the exhibit. — Mawson place. Didn’t visit the exhibit.

Kelly's street, leading from Kelly's steps. — Kelly’s street, leading from Kelly’s steps.

Battery point buildings with a backdrop of Mount Wellington.

Salamanca housing restaurants and cafes.

A while after finishing dinner, we trekked back the 25mins to our hotel, in windy low temperature, now with the sun gone.

Spend the rest of the evening in the hotel room, tired from the lack of sleep in Melbourne. Prepared for more exploration of Hobart area the next day.

Melbourne 2014 Day 10 – Nadi transit to Melbourne

Posted on August 3, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

We were returning to Nadi and had to wake up at 730am for breakfast in order to give ourselves some time to pack before checking out at 945am.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — So we found Wilson.

Green bird on the sand in front of our bure.

kookabura on the coconut tree near our bure.

Settled the bill at the reception and the final bill ended up as 646Fjd, much more than we have budgeted for. In the end, paid the rest with Aud with a rate of 1.61, not too bad. Waited at the poolside till the transport arrive. One of the staff sounded the drums and called out for boarding and we proceeded to the beach. There was a group of 4 singers singing farewell songs as we boarded the transfer boat. Leaving the lovely island, we boarded the catamaran and sat at the bottom most level and used the internet like a connection starved prisoner just released from jail, since it was free.

12 noon we arrived at the Port Denarau, after a short stop at the South Sea island. Went to exchange some money at the port for 1.59Fjd per Aud, 5cts worse than airport rates. The best rates were still from the airport. Proceeded to the bus terminal near the port where people were sorting out their luggage. We didn’t have luggage as we have packed a separate haversack for this side trip and just boarded the 40seater buses after checking with the drivers.

Short stop for passengers alighting at South Sea Island.

Return to the Tokatoka didn’t take too long, arrived at 1pm where we did our check in and retrieved our luggage that was placed there for 3 days already. They took awhile since the luggage was on the most inside of the storage area, unsurprisingly. After repacking the haversack to contain a few cold wear, we went out for lunch by taking the resort taxi to Namaka town for 6Fjd. There was a recommended cafe on tripadvisor called Bulaccino and we were going there to have lunch.

Arrived at Namaka just a short 8mins away, and we requested the taxi driver to come pick us up at 3pm. The cafe was fairly crowded with quite a number of tables already taken. Ordered fish burger and chicken nuggets. The food tasted well and it was decently priced so it was definitely worth a trip out for that. There was free wifi for a short 30mins for patronage spending of more than 12.50Fjd and we utilized that to check Facebook and weather in Melbourne.

By the time we left the cafe, the taxi was already waiting for us, impressive service. The journey back was quick too and that gave us about 30mins to freshen up, pack, last minute device charging and check out. The staff arranged for the airport transfer and in no time, we arrived at the small international airport.

The line to the Virgin Australia was short and the check in was fairly quick. There was quite a number of shops at the gates and I spent quite a bit of time to decide how to spend the last 30Fjd that I have. In the end, bought a Fiji Bitter polo tee with that money and spent another 5Aud for some Fiji stamps, and it was a great thing that they returned the change in Aud too! Boarding was on time and soon we were airborne, 5.5hrs away from Melbourne. Again the flight was smooth without turbulence but basically it was a kindergarten with wings, crying kids.

Got into Melbourne at 930pm at a frigid temperature of 6deg Celsius. Got through immigrations pretty easily with the epassport machine though the queue was pretty short anyways. Waited a while for our luggage and we got through customs without issues. Ate some pastries at the only opened cafe and checked with the info counter on how to get to Ibis Budget. Walk. The staff informed that taxi wouldn’t ferry us the 700m away as it would not make sense for them to requeue. So we have to take out more cold wear to beef up the cold defense before heading out. Following the signs and walking along the pathway was easy, except that it was cold.

We got to the hotel with not much issue. Checked in done quickly and I carried our two large luggage up a single flight of stairs to the first floor luckily. The room was tiny, the extreme end of the spectrum from where we came from. Oh well, just a stopover before another flight to Hobart early next morning. Switched on the heating aircon which wasn’t powerful enough, before preparing for the night.

Fiji 2014 Day 9 – Modriki Island visit

Posted on August 2, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

Started earlier than the usual “Fiji time” timing as I had planned an island visit to Modriki in the afternoon and I would need to get my meals on time.

Went for breakfast with more variety today, since we were earlier too. Ate and went to sit at the beach in front of the resort. Just sitting there with my wife felt really nice, watching the wave crashing against the shore and the cool breeze blowing. Best relaxation.

Went back to our room and I dozed off on the hammock. Woke up at noon and went for lunch. Had wedges since I was due to board a speedboat to the Castaway island and didn’t wanted to overfill myself. My wife had the fried cashew nut dish which somehow led me to feel that it was like a Chinese dish. It was tasty nonetheless.

I had rushed to pick up my stuff, put on sunblock and bring my snorkeling gear before heading to the dive shop for the trip.

Registered and found that only 5 people including myself was leaving for the trip. Had to wait further for others to get prepared too. Boarded a speed boat and about 10mins later, we jetted off to Modriki island, about 10mins boat ride away from Matamonoa.

On the way to Modriki Island. The leftmost one.

Front of Modriki. There is a "Help Me" made up of coconut husks. — Front of Modriki. There is a “Help Me” made up of coconut husks.

The captain of the boat was also the tour guide and upon reaching the island, he showed us some of the film locations, told us Tom Hanks was staying in Mana island during the filming, showed us the rock where he wrote stuff and the burial ground and some other minor details. In about 20mins max, the tour was done. We had about 1.5hrs of free time to take photo and snorkel nearby. There was a couple from China who were snorkeling for the first time. I gave them a few tips on checking the gear and using the snorkeling mask and they went their own ways.

The shore where Tom Hanks swam to after the plane crashed.

The rock where he wrote stuff. And so I pretended to do the same.

Coconut husks replaced the original "Help Me". — Coconut husks replaced the original “Help Me”.

After some preparations, I went to snorkel at the waters beside the powdery white beach. The tide was a little strong as tide was receding to low tide. There were quite a bit of corals that were very close to the beach. There was also much deeper areas further away where I couldn’t see much so in the end, I kept close to the corals. That wasn’t such a good idea. There were some times that I couldn’t see that I was going too close to shore and the corals and I scratched myself when the tide carried me over these corals. Had to struggle to get to deeper waters and the tide. The guide at one time was also screaming to me about the receding low tide and told me to swim out in order to avoid the corals. What a scary experience.

At 330pm, we all boarded the boat back to Matamanoa. Once back, I returned the gears that I rented for 3days straight and went to my wife whom have been lounging at the sun deck watching shows on her handphone, thoroughly enjoying herself. Went to the reception to get help on the cuts to my thighs and my hands and they brought me a lemon. It was to detoxify the cuts from corals, that could lead to infections. That bites!!

Went back to get a bath before heading out to catch the sunset for the last day on the island. It was a beautiful one, cloudless skies with full view of the sun. We stayed till twilight before heading back for a bath and then dinner.

At dinner, we took the seats near the viewing deck as it was less windy surprisingly. Ordered chicken and tuna for mains and tried the seafood chowder and seafood entree. The food was good though the speed at which it was served was slow – Fiji time for dinner I guessed.

The singing trio that did table to table dedications came to our table today. We asked for a Bon Jovi song and settled for Bed of Roses, so they didn’t know all the songs (certainly not “Thank you for loving me” and “Can’t take my eyes off you”). Even for the Bed of Roses, they had to refer to a lyrics sheet, and I was holding the lighting from the singer’s handphone to help him see. That was funny but it was good fun.

After this, there was the usual welcome to the newcomers and also farewell to those leaving and we belonged to the later group. The staff sang a low beat farewell song and it struck home that we were leaving this beautiful island the next morning. Technically, we were still on a holiday trip, but somehow this seemed like the end of an awesome one and we were going somewhere less enjoyable.

Deserts was served really late, Fiji time. We returned back to our rooms to pack for the return tomorrow. I spent a little time out on the beach chair outside our room to enjoy the last bit of the starry night and the crashing wave before retiring for the night.

Fiji 2014 Day 8 – Matamanoa Island

Posted on August 1, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

Woke up at 615am to check out the sunrise. The wind was still blowing quite strongly and it was a little chilly. The sun hasn’t really come to the horizon yet and so I tried to hide from the wind by viewing from the restaurant. After a while, the sun started to peek out from the horizon. Took some shots and went back to bed.

Woke up again at 930am, so we freshened up and proceeded to breakfast. Continental breakfast was included, consisting of mostly pastries and cereals. As we arrived nearly close to closing time, the waiter helped us get some fruits so that we could quickly grabbed some pastries, how thoughtful.

After breakfast, went to the dive shop to inform of the snorkel that I didn’t return the day before and also at the same time, booked the Modriki trip for myself, cause my wife wasn’t really feeling great to go out to sea. Visited the reception again to confirm with Seaspray on my cancellation and full refund and it was confirmed and they would write me an email on that.

Went back to the room first before I headed out to snorkel. It was high tide going to low and thus it was a little difficult to swim against the current back to shore. Seen quite a number of fishes and some amount of corals, all of which were very close to water surface. Also getting used to the waterproof camera bags to shoot underwater pictures.

With the sun shining through, the amateurish photos looked brighter.

Went back to the room quite exhausted and took a quick shower and fell asleep till 1pm, and proceeded to lunch.

Ordered a club sandwich for myself and it was mighty huge! I couldn’t finish all of the bread as it was simply too much. Stayed awhile to enjoy the sea view.

We went for a walk on the beach at the opposite side to our resort. Again, a long stretch of white sand and turquoise waters welcomed us. We strolled till we reached the near end of the beach where rocks continued. Didn’t want to risk slipping on these rocks since we were in slippers, made a u-turn back to our room. Lazed around till we fell asleep on the day bed.

Woke up at 5pm and I went to explore the island by myself. There was a road that led to a fork, one dirt road going up the hill while the other connected to a bridge, which I took that sent me to the other side of the island. The villas with private dip pools lined that side of the island, with a direction that faced the sunrise view (ours had the sunset view). Went past the villas onto the beach and there was where we left off in the afternoon walk.

Wooden bridge that linked to the other side of the island.

I continued onto the rock areas in an attempt to circle around this smaller island. Managed to go to the furtherest point that had a clear view ahead but couldn’t go further since there was a split in the rocks that I felt was too difficult to cross.

Villa with private pool. — Villa with private pool on the other side of the island.

Went back around the same way and soon enough I got back to our bure. Immediately I dressed for snorkel round two.

At low tide it was much easier to to swim in the water but difficult too as I was closer to the corals. Saw just as much fishes as in the morning but because it was nearing sunset, there wasn’t much illumination through the water surface. But it was a great trip out nonetheless.

That looked like an eel somewhere in the middle.

Sunset was close and got some shots of it before heading back. The view was kinda disappointing compared to the view the day before as there were clouds at the horizon getting in the way of the view. Got back for a shower before we proceeded for dinner.

At dinner, pretty much was similar to the nite before. Ordered fish for myself and my wife had curry vegetables. Didn’t had the fanciful desert with live demo as we weren’t in the mood of having deserts since the mains were pretty filling.

We left after finishing dinner and went back to the room to rest. Spent the night naming photos, as we were almost halfway through our holiday and my wife watched drama on her phone since there weren’t internet or tv in the room at all. But it was ok.

Fiji 2014 Day 7 – Arrival at Matamanoa Island

Posted on July 31, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

Woke up early as we were going to be transferred to the Matamanoa island. Ate the cereals we bought yesterday so that we didn’t have to pay for breakfast which wasn’t that tasty. Checked out the room at 730am and waited for the bus to arrive, which came pretty promptly at 745am. We left the main luggage at the hotel, knowing that we would return on the last day before flying back to Australia, and packed a haversack full of stuff for the two days away.

The bus was going its rounds to pick up customers from all over the resorts on the same side of the island. I fell asleep and woke up when the bus was arriving at the terminal about 45mins later. We proceeded to the South Sea Cruises counter to check in and get our boarding passes at the counter. Those who had brought luggage had to check in their luggage first before doing the same thing.

Check in counters for the cruise to islands.

We went to the nearby supermarket to buy a huge 1.5l water, knowing the island probably was going to cost us more.

The boarding time was 9am with the catamaran leaving 15mins later. There were 3 decks on this fast-craft and we were initially seated on the top deck, enjoying the sea breeze and the view of the surroundings until we couldn’t stand baking in the sun, then we retreated to the bottom most deck, air-conditioned.

45mins later, we arrived at the first stop of Tokoriki, a super luxurious island housing Sheraton and Tokoriki resort. While people were boarding and alighting from smaller transfer boats, we just took the opportunity to snap some photos.

After we were on the move again, about 10mins later, we arrived at our destination, Matamanoa island. We were already in awe, the single round island that had a perimeter of white sand surrounded by turquoise waters. What a beautiful place! Transferred to the smaller transfer boats and arrived on the island itself.

Check in with a welcome drink was done in a group. With their strict on-time check out, our rooms were already ready after we completed all the necessary registration. The island bure was huge and with the front facing the sea, we immediately fell in love with this island.

There was only one restaurant on the island and we tried going for the lunch and dinner ala-carte first to get a feel of the quantity and if it was worth it to get the half board and full board options. The lunch was really tasty and of good quality and the corresponding price was expected but value for money.

Everything good came with a price, especially in islands far away from civilization. The internet cost 30Fjd per 24hrs usage and had to be purchased where a voucher with a password would be given for us to log in at a certain web page. However signal wasn’t strong and we had issues initially that we got disconnected and couldn’t get back into the same session. That’s when we had to approach the reception for help to reset the system.

We received a call from South Sea Cruises regarding our trip to Modriki island, where the film Castaway starring Tom Hanks was filmed. They informed that it wouldn’t be safe for my pregnant wife to visit the island. But they only offered for us to change to another program which we couldn’t do so since we didn’t have time. Since I have already posed this question right at the start when I booked this itinerary, there wasn’t any response from them but a confirmation email instead, I had assumed all was fine. Now it was unfair that I had to either forced to go on a trip where we have concerns or give up 25% of the amount for the trip, which was quite substantial.

After much argument and waiting on the phone, they finally agreed to refund the full amount to my credit card which was a relief for us.

Since we loved the island so much, we extended another night stay and applied to postpone the last night stay at Tokatoka to the next night.

There was a “water activities” store that had free hire of kayaks and snorkeling gear and also Padi certification diving courses and other day trips available for booking, inclusive of one that goes to Modriki island. I borrowed some snorkeling gear and went back to our room.

After all the arrangements and changing of accommodation bookings, it was almost sun set at 6pm. I went out to test my waterproof camera Dicapac bag at the shallow depths in front of our resort and it seemed to work perfectly.

Bluish something-that-look-like-a-starfish thing.

Went to the beach again after changing out of the wet shorts, and together with my wife, we watched the sun set in the horizon. It was a very pretty sight, since the day was really clear of clouds.

Not long after, we went for dinner after taking a bath. The wind was getting strong but the restaurant now was enclosed to keep the wind out. Ordered the food and we confirmed that we didn’t require full board, ala-carte was a cheaper, more practical option for us.

Dining in the restaurant was amusing with the lively singing by a band of 3 guitar players that walked table to table, singing songs that were dedicated by the customers at the table. There was even a prize giving ceremony and a welcome song for the newcomers to the island. The dessert Crepe Suvette was prepared on the spot with a chef on a portable stove, and what a show that was!

Filling and satisfied, went back to the room to rest. There was no TV and thus the internet was our only form of entertainment. But the feeling of staying in this resort was just pure enjoyment.

Fiji 2014 Day 6 – Nadi town, Port Denarau and Robinson Crusoe Night cruise

Posted on July 30, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

Woke up late as we didn’t had much planned today. Had initially wanted to skydive but due their record of an accident, we chose to forgo this activity. Proceeded to have breakfast at their one and only restaurant. Wasn’t fantastic and costed almost 50Fjd (expensive!) but we didn’t have much of a choice.

Took the resort cab to Nadi town, some 20 mins of driving and 15Fjd. Along the way, we passed by Namaka, small town compared to Nadi and Matinga, a place where there were some restaurants, informed by the taxi driver. There was only a straight street of shops on both sides of the road and pretty much single to double floors shops but mostly selling stuff that we didn’t have interest in. We probably only spent 30mins there, visiting the supermarket for cheaper bottled water and cereals, and a local handicraft location of stores. At the handicraft place, the prices dropped the further we go inwards, and we bought a couple of souvenirs before taking a taxi to Port Denarau.

A quick drive of 10mins for 10Fjd on the local taxi and we arrived at the more modern and upmarket shopping place at Port Denarau. Visited the Hard Rock Cafe like we always do overseas and bought some tees. Walked about and bought a pair of shorts from Cloudbreak that looked like a local surf wear brand from Fiji.

Ate lunch at Nadina restaurant, which served local Fijian cuisine as claimed on their signboards. The food quality was pretty good, a lot better than what we had back in the resort. But correspondingly the price was higher as well. In total, we spent 90Fjd for 2 mains and 2 drinks inclusive of a beer.

Took a taxi back and was quoted and astronomical amount 45Fjd, and the driver claimed that these fees rules were all set down by Port Denarau. We weren’t going to pay that much but he was negotiating and we agreed on 30Fjd, still a high amount. While in the taxi, he informed us about the same price rules but also advised that we could take a bus to Nadi town and get another bus back if we wanted to save, since both trips were only 1Fjd per trip per person. Noted.

We arrived back at the resort about 20mins later. Rested a little before the transport from Robinson Crusoe picked us up for the Night Cruise at 335pm, very early for a night cruise. The driver was actually going around picking up customers and bringing them to a central location to transfer to another bus that would bring us to the jetty. No wonder the early timing.

Once at the jetty after a good 30-40mins of driving on the slightly bumpy roads, we registered ourselves at the table that was set up for issuance of boarding passes. Used the loo that was there but there wasn’t any water supply. Boarding commenced soon after that, with the captain collecting the passes from us.

The ride was smooth but quite long, at least 30mins long, as it went around the bends of the river. As it did so, the sun also began to set. The boat was full capacity, about 40 people, making space a luxury. Tried to get some photos of sunset, though it was nothing unique about the 2 banks of vegetation and mangrove trees.

As we left the mouth of the river, an island appeared in sight, in front of the twilight. On the seashore was a group of people singing songs to welcome our arrival.

The program began with the Kava ceremony where the guide explained the various sequence of the ceremony. After the demonstration, we got to try out Kava, some local drink that was made of certain plant part. Drank a coconut bowl of it, and like most described, I thought it tasted like muddy water, without the solids. There wasn’t any alcohol effect at all, as they claimed it wasn’t.

Kava ceremony with our own chiefs on the chairs.

Kava in a coconut shell cup that I drank from.

After the Kava, we were asked to gathered around a dug out where potatoes had been cooking on some stones. Some old style BBQ going about there called Lovo digging. After the food was removed, it was the fire walking event.

There wasn’t a fire pit like what we have seen during Thaipusam in Singapore, just hot stones that were still hot as they pour water over it to show the steam arising. So the fire walkers would stand on these stones and move on them without any signs of pain. Ok but not within expectations.

Dinner started soon after at the buffet line that was dominated with vegetables with pork and beef at the end of the line. I thought the food tasted fine though wifey thought otherwise. Liked the spinach though. The only problem about the food was that I saw a dead small caterpillar on one of the beans. Wasn’t comfortable eating afterwards.

Drinks were separately charged and we ordered a banana smoothie which was a little too milky and a beer for 19Fjd.

The main show event started after dinner. It started off with some fire dancing and then went on to dances, and dances and more dances. Different tribes of dances were shown, man and woman. After a while, it was same same but different feeling. There were some engagements with the crowd too which made the shows fairly amusing.

The show went on for at least an hour, and ended with some really nice group fire dancing. Thought it was a little too long for the dances though.

The whole event ended after a get together hand in hand song item, and a photograph session with the dancers before getting onto the same boat back the same way. Only difference now was that it was dark with the only natural lights coming from the clear skies of twinkles and the winds were chilly.

Couldn't resist a shot with the staff! — Couldn’t resist a shot with the staff!

Boarded a mini bus this time and same way back, almost an hour since we were the last ones to alight. Then it was all packing for the outing to Matamanoa island the next day.

Night was disturbed by noisy kid making nuisance noises across our room and our neighbors were also talking quite loudly. We dozed off soon enough.

Fiji 2014 Day 5 – Arrival at Nadi

Posted on July 29, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

It was an early start as we warmed up some pies that we purchased from Pie Face the day before for breakfast. The sun rose early and before 7am, the skies were already illuminated by the rising sun.

Checked out was quick and after punching in the destination on the GPS, also with avoidance of tolls, we returned the car with the proper fuel level ( filling up gas was the same as Singapore, top up first before paying) without any hassle. Left my camera bag behind but managed to retrieve it before leaving on the free shuttle to the international airport.

Checked in took a little longer than usual at Virgin Australia, the staff checking on our visas and our itinerary. At departures, after filling up a departure card, we were greeted by a horrendous queue. The line was stagnant for a good 10mins before it started moving again. There weren’t much problems at the checks, just that it was so busy. It was a good thing that we got in early.

Our flight was delayed for about an hour; we only knew after getting past immigrations. Sat at the Coffee Club using the free wifi (from the airport or Qantas) till the announcement for our boarding. Again, the plane took another 10mins to get airborne and it was an easy 3hrs towards Nadi.

Flight was smooth and there wasn’t much turbulence. The plane was a small one but it wasn’t completely filled. Virgin Australia was actually quite comfortable though we still faced with noisy rowdy kids directly behind us.

View from the clouds of the blue waters below, on the way to Nadi.

Arrival at the small airport, we went through immigrations pretty quickly. There was similarly strict restrictions for visitors like in Australia. They were even questions asking if the visitors are having symptoms of fever, cough, diarrhea etc. We passed through with no issues. Luggage arrived not too long later and soon we found ourselves seated on the bench waiting for a free airport shuttle from the hotel at the end of the airport, with the help from the airport staff whom informed us the location to wait.

The mini bus came and the driver help with the loading of our luggage. There was a slight drizzle and because of this, we were unable to walk the 15mins to the hotel. Once we arrived some 2mins later, the luggages were automatically taken care of by the porter. Checked in with a OJ welcome drink and we were taken to our studio villa some steps away.

The Tokatoka resort was simple and sort of reminded me of chalet in Pasir Ris. But I guessed we can’t ask for too much for the price we paid. Wifi was chargeable but since we arrived around 5pm and the receptionist informed that the next day would be a better time to visit, we purchased a one day wifi usage, good for 2 devices, for FJD 25, which was about SGD17.

Went for dinner at the resort as there weren’t any places elsewhere to get a decent meal. Dinner costs about FJD80 with a beer, a little expensive but it’s resort food.

Spent the rest of the day in the room utilising the Wifi and catch up on sleep.

Brisbane 2014 Day 4 – Parklands and shopping

Posted on July 28, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

The sleep was ok in Seaworld resort but it was kinda noisy at times. The sounds could come from neighboring room during their baths where sounds from the running water could be heard or when the fridge started up after a while or from some excited kids at the corridor.

Woke up at 745am as it wasn’t a busy day. Packed and had our packed breakfast from the day before. Checked out at 930am before making our 2nd trip to Sea World to catch the seals’ show we missed the day before. It was an interesting show with the animals being part of a cast of a detective storyline. Amazing to see some the big seals doing the tricks that were instructed, returning to catch the show was worth it. We liked the dolphin show better though.

Left Sea World and drove about an hour down to Brisbane. Checked in at the Meriton Serviced apartments and was given a low floor of 20, comparing the towering 70 over floors that it had. Lifts were all controlled using the electronic card and dedicated to the users. Room was ready and it was amazing. Modern design, very spacious, not too bad a view, a great deal of facilities, good proximity to most of the areas we wanted to visit for a comparatively affordable price. Only for the carpark that was Aud35 a night, it was a good accommodation overall.

In search for lunch we walked about 20 mins to the South Bank Parklands across the river. The walk was easy in the lovely weather and we enjoyed the beautifully designed city and park. And there was free wifi, everywhere in the park! Over at Little Stanley street, there were rows of food cafés and restaurants and we settled for Japanese restaurant Ginga, something affordable and ok food.

Lunch - Katsu Don and Curry rice. — Lunch – Katsu Don and Curry rice.

After lunch, we crossed over to another row of cafés inside the parkland itself, visited Stone Cold Creamery for some ice cream. There were some policemen that were standing around a person somewhere closed by, didn’t bother to find out more as we left soon after we were done with ice cream.

We walked off our lunch as we went past the man made pool/beach within the parklands and past the ferries wheel and across Victoria beach towards Queen Street Mall.

Man made pool in the Parklands. — Public pool in the Parklands.

Shopping here reminded me of Sydney, but at a much smaller area. Had some stuff to buy and visited the stores such as Myer and Target. In the end didn’t get anything much since prices weren’t that cheap.

We decided to go to the City Botanic Gardens for a short stroll about 600m stroll southwards. Nothing fantastic about the gardens, maybe we didn’t walk that much of it, but the chilly weather makes walking in these parks feel great.

Plants arrangement in the Botanic Gardens.

As the sun started to set, we got to Coles to purchase some pasta and soup to cook in the kitchenette of our services apartment.

Touch screen for lift operation. — Touch screen for lift operation, that’s cool!

Cooked some dinner, washed some clothes (washing machine and dryer provided) caught some tv and went to bed. Skipped the Mount Cool Tha lookout as it was already dark and simply too lazy to do so.

Gold Coast 2014 Day 3 – Sea World and Movie World

Posted on July 27, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

Light that came from the window woke me up. Went to the balcony and struggled against the morning chill to take pictures. Went back to sleep when the sun came up.

Got up again at about 745am and got prepared. Checked out and paid for carpark which was Aud8 per day and drove to Pancakes on the Rocks, the branch in Gold Coast! Our 2nd visit here since the last time in Sydney and it didn’t fail to disappoint.

Parking by the roadside was easy, ordered a Chicken Mushroom Crepe and Blueberry Pancake. Crepe was tasty and smelled really great. Pancake was tasty just as usual. Had a filling breakfast before driving to Sea World Resort.

The GPS brought us to the Sea World main entrance itself but the resort entrance was further down the road.

We checked in and left our luggage with the concierge. On to our first Sea World park, which was free for these 2 days, being part of the accommodation package. Walked the resort entrance to wait for the tram but decided to walk instead as the tram regular timing was 20mins. The staff stamped a Dora stamp on our wrists, for reentry purposes.

Went to the Reef Rays exhibition and touched some rays. Waited till 11am as we thought there was some feeding going on but it was in fact feeding by the public who had to purchase 5 fishes to feed, for Aud9. Too expensive for us.

This one protrudes out of the water against the wall.

Touched the stingray as it swam past us.

Walked over to the dolphin show and thoroughly enjoyed a great show by the dolphins. Lots of acrobatic jumps from them.

Went over to the shark encounter and the underwater exhibition area. Was pretty impressed to see lots of underwater sea creatures swimming around, even saw a shark with a young one under its tail.

Proceeded over to the polar bear encounter and saw 2 bears, one of them playing around with a green plastic barrier piece until it got its head stuck in it! That was really funny as it had went on for a while until he took it off.

After the polar bears, went over to the penguin exhibits and for the first time, we saw Emperor Penguins! These huge birds looked great and it was just fun to see them in the ice cold enclosure, some standing proud, some lying flat on their tummies and others flapping their wings.

Emperor penguins in all sorts of postures.

Then we went to get lunch, had Domino’s pizzas. We finished off with some shopping before leaving the park for Movie World, which was also free.

It was a 10km drive away and by the time we reached the park, it was almost 230pm. Proceeded first to watch the Scooby Doo show which frankly was kinda meant more for kids. Then we walked around the park and shops.

Green Lantern ride can be seen from the outside. — Green Lantern ride can be seen from the carpark.

Some indoor thrill ride that was closed.

There were a couple of thrilling rides which we can’t enjoy (due to preggy) so went back to watch the main parade where characters get to walk down the Main Street.

It was a good thing that we sat at the kerb 15mins before the parade to secure a good visual and of course, some hi-fiving opportunity. However it seemed we have chosen the wrong side of the kerb as most characters were at the opposite side of the road. Wifey to get to hi five Batman and Flash though.

Tried to catch hi-fiving Flash on camera but he was too quick.

After the parade, I queued for the Superman escapes ride for at least a good 15mins, when I didn’t knew there was already a queue within the building. But it was good ride, super-man was really fast, too scarily fast. After that, I got onto Green Lantern ride, wasn’t that quick but exciting ride as well since we got flipped upside down. Unfortunately for the 2 rides, I was partially blind without my glasses (not allowed on the ride, taken care before entering the ride proper) but it was still fun as well.

Superman escape with the speed of light!

Screaming my head out, as I zoomed past.

Left with the sun setting in the horizon and a chill coming in. Went back to get our hotel room before going out for dinner, as the resort restaurant dinner was pretty expensive.

Ended up in Surfers Paradise again and while walking, saw a Night Market going about and went walking around. There were many arts and handicraft stuff, some clothing and some foodstuff. We bought some cakes from a store before going over to Ben’s for dinner. Ordered fish and chips and a chicken burger.

Night Market in Surfer's Paradise. — Night Market in Surfer’s Paradise.

Ben's dinning place. — Ben’s dinning place.

After dinner, bought some bread stuff from Woolsworth for the breakfast the next day before driving back to the resort. Then it was internet and sleep before an early visit to the Sea World again, since we missed the seals show in the morning at 1030am.

Gold Coast 2014 Day 1 & 2 – Arrival at the Sunshine State

Posted on July 26, 2014September 22, 2019 by ziyi

So begins the last holiday trip for this year. The PIE was unusually busy today with a few accidents and vehicle breakdowns along the way. But we got to the airport pretty quickly to join a long queue at Scoot.

Upon looking at the itinerary, we noticed that the baggage was restricted to 15kg each and we knew for sure ours was way above that, 2×29″ Sam that we bought from the states. Sure enough after 10mins in the line, the weighs were 17kg and 19kg. No response from the staff and we were given our tickets! Cool!

Had a late dinner at one of the Local Delights before heading to the boarding gate. There was a rowdy crowd awaiting boarding. Soon we were cruising at altitude. Dinner was served earlier than expected, though I requested for it to be served later, it was rejected. The meals tasted ok but the free cans of Pringles were really out of place.

Day 2

The night on board was mainly sleepless due to the screams from kids every so often. The flight was mainly smooth except that there were quite a number of turbulence though not serious.

As dawn broke, I was having a chat with a lady from Brisbane who had had the worst holiday in Patong. Sharing our travel experiences till the plane landed in the tiny airport of Gold Coast.

The queue through immigrations was pretty long but fortunately, the Singapore passport was allowed epassport and that cut the waiting time by lots. There was also an auto photo station to do the verification in place of humans.

Luggage belt took a while to deliver our luggage but eventually we left for the carpark opposite the arrivals across the road for the shuttle bus to ferry us to the East Coast Car Rentals, 10 mins drive from the airport.

Getting the car was pretty quick. Wanted to pay in cash but only credit card facilities are available. Got my own GPS started up before driving the 18km to Vibe hotel.

Room wasn’t available yet and so we went to Coles to buy a toothpaste that we found we didn’t bring along. Went over to Bluewater Cruises jetty and waited for our morning tea cruise to arrive. Wasn’t sure what to do as the cruise company couldn’t be found, only the jetty. It wasn’t long before the open top, 2-storeys cruise arrived, people alighted and we boarded after the staff checked our reservation.

Blue Water Cruises ship coming to the jetty.

Travelled along the Nerang river, known to have bull sharks, we were introduced to various high end properties on the shores of the various islands, while at the same time, having free tea (other drinks payable) and some not-so-tasty light snacks. Haven’t heard of any of the names of these rich people though. Some hotel and shopping mall was introduced too. The skyline of Surfers Paradise was nice but all in all, not so interesting. They do offer a free photo service that you could download from their webpage for keeps.

Surfer's Paradise skyline. — Surfer’s Paradise skyline.

Palazzo Versace. Really expensive hotel.

After the cruise, we walked back to the hotel to find that the room was still not ready. Proceeded to get some sushi in Chevron Renaissance.

Walked to the beach of Surfers’ Paradise and enjoyed the view where the waves meet the stretch of white sand, watched as people were learning how to surf board, as the tiny waves come onto them only to fall off.

Long stretch of white beach at Surfer's Paradise. — Long stretch of white beach at Surfer’s Paradise.

Walked to Skypoint and went up to the observation deck at 77th. Here we get an awesome 360 view of the surface paradise, from this tallest building in Gold Coast. There was an even more adventurous option of walking on the roof of this building but we weren’t ready for that. Spent quite a bit of time at the observatory before making our way back to the hotel.

Towering building with Skypoint at the top.

Bird's eye view of Surfer's Paradise. — Bird’s eye view of Surfer’s Paradise.

Initially wanted to take the tram, G-Linq, a transport system that just recently came in operations but the fees were not cheap. It was AUD5.20 per ticket, as we were only a stop away and thinking that it would cost more than 10bucks in total for a 15mins walk for both of us, we walked.

The room on the 22nd floor was ready. The highest one with a great view of the river was given to us! The room itself was very spacious, with enough room for a small table and a sofa and the balcony looking into the direction of the river was fantastic. Jumping into bed, we instantly dozed off.

Woke up at 5pm and washed up. There was no wifi in room; although there was a LAN cable, our flat laptop didn’t have the port. Got out of the hotel to search for dinner. There was a little drizzle going on but stopped after we left the hotel.

Went around and there were still some retail shops opened. Popped into Quiksilver for a look and didn’t get any stuff. We ended up eventually in a Korean Kitchen restaurant for dinner. Kimchi and hot pot were great choices especially in the chill of the evening. The pancakes were softer than the ones in Singapore though it was still tasty. The hotpot stew was huge, we were both filled to the brim after the dinner.

Went back to the hotel to avoid the cold and eventually ended up in bed. The pitiful thing about the hotel was the lack of wifi. I tried to use it again at 11pm at the lobby but the free 30mins of internet was used up, apparently the clock started ticking once I logged in. Everything from here was payable. Wasn’t desperate and I returned to room where I saw a cockroach running across the room which I stomped it to death. I wondered how it got up to 22 storeys high.

Illuminations alongside the Nerang river at night.

The lack of sleep from the flight made us turned in early for the night.