Down Under with Gusto (Part V)

Read Part I
Read Part II
Read Part III
Read Part IV

From the brochures that I picked up at the airport, I learned that there’s a free bus with commentary that goes around the city and surrounding areas. There’s also a free tram that loops around the commercial district if you didn’t want to venture far. I was hooked at the word “free”.





Pick up point was at Federation Square, which was a short walk from my hotel. It was chillier than Sydney so I had to hug my jacket tight.



At Fed Square, I saw a Hop On Hop Off bus like the one I rode in Sydney. I took this to be the free bus so I was surprised when I was asked to pay AU$35. Since there were no other buses in sight, I paid up, brushing off the idea of a free tour bus as too good to be true.

I got off at the Docklands. It was recommended by the travel guides. The guides must have been written a while back because, what was envisioned to be a bustling shopping and entertainment complex, had dwindled into a tired tourist spot with clearance sales everywhere.



I was starving so I parked myself at Le Cirque, a nice cafe that served good cappuccino and good food (although the serving size was bitin).



I ordered a cannelloni.



Since there was not much else to do, I decided to wait for the next bus  to Fed Square. It was then that I saw the free bus taking passengers in!



I had nothing else planned for the day so I walked to the Visitors’ Center at Fed Square to look at brochures. I found a tiny guide called Laneways and Arcades walking tour. I had been planning to join a paid tour of this but hadn’t booked it so I decided to do a self-guided walk instead.



From Fed Square, the next recommended stop was Desgraves St. I improvised a bit by taking an underground tunnel to Degraves. It was spooky but short, and there were other people passing so it wasn’t so bad.



What can I say about Degraves? Totally my scene! If there’s good coffee, I’m there, and Desgraves has it in abundance. Plus the atmosphere. And the cool crowd.









My walk led me to the 19th century Block Arcade, a beautiful mall with an ornate ceiling and beautiful tiled floor.



The guide led me to laneways lined with quaint shops and restaurants, and covered arcades with cozy, al fresco tables.



One of them was Hardware Street, which has tables and chairs beautifully set up outdoors.



I passed alleys with colorful graffiti art and antique doors. This is the real Melbourne, and I loved, loved, loved it.

Down Under with Gusto (Part IV)

Read Part I
Read Part II
Read Part III



The last thing I remember about Sydney – The Hawaiian and The Queenslander at The Australian, just a short walk from Shangri-La Hotel Sydney.

Next stop: Melbourne. From Tullamarine Airport, I took the Skybus to Southern Cross, the main transport hub, where I transferred to a bus that dropped me off at my hotel. The drive to the city didn’t do much to impress me. Melbourne’s charms are more covert than Sydney’s. My hotel didn’t help much either. Citadines on Bourke was a practical choice, a centrally located hotel apartment where I could do my own laundry for the rest of my trip and cook my own food if necessary. The room was dark, and it looked out to the back of a building. But it had a fully equipped kitchen, free Wi-Fi, a comfortable (albeit a little lumpy) bed, and a sparkling bathroom. I did my laundry after my late dinner. I bought two AU$4 tokens at the reception, one for the washer and one for the dryer. Very cheap. At the Shang, laundry was AU$14 per piece.

Down Under with Gusto (Part III)

Read Part I
Read Part II

The next day, I was in full tourist mode. I bought some Aussie dollars at St. George (best rates–avoid Travelex) and took the Hop On Hop Off bus from its Circular Quay stop. Upon boarding, I was given my own red earplugs that I got to keep.



You plug it into a socket in front of you and you get to pick your language. Neat.



Note: Your ticket is valid for 24 hours so you can hop on, hop off as often as you like.



I chose a seat at the top deck for a better view but moved down when the sun became unbearable. I’m familiar with George St. because it’s the road I take going back to my hotel from the train and ferry stations but I didn’t realize that it was the main drag and a lengthy one too. The best shops are clustered around Queen St. You’ve got to see the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). It’s so grand you won’t think it’s a mall.



Of course, we drove by the Sydney Opera House, which I was saving up for my last day in Sydney.



The Hop On Hop Off tour covers two areas, the city center and Bondi Beach. I did half of the city tour (the other half goes to Darling Harbour, which I’ve already explored) and hopped off at Central, the main transport hub. From there, I waited for the Bondi bus and got off at the beach.



Bondi Beach comes to view



The scene reminded me of Waikiki, with bikini-clad teenagers walking around carrying their surfboards and throngs of people working on their tan. But it’s quite scenic because there are no buildings obstructing the view of the long and wide crescent-shaped beach.





I checked out the roadside cafes and restaurants and was drawn to the poached eggs at Gabby’s Café as well as the invitation of the waiter who was trying his best delivery of “magandang umaga.” We later learned that they have a Filipino kuya in the kitchen who has been with the restaurant for 15 years.



Some of the lovely homes in North Bondi

I soaked in the scene some more, checking out some of the souvenir shops. I hopped on to the next bus shortly after. We passed the beautiful houses at North Bondi.



And I’m back–the bridge comes to view once again.

Before going back to the hotel, I bought supplies at a convenience store. I discovered a coconut-filled chocolate called Bounty, which I loved. Judging by the prices, however, Sydney is not a cheap city (AU$2.5 for a Diet Coke in can, hello).

Down Under with Gusto (Part II)

Read Part I



It was a beautiful Sunday morning that greeted me. Because I was an easy five-minute walk from Circular Quay where all the ferries were, I went to Darling Harbour by boat. Some of the roads were temporarily fenced off for the Sydney Marathon.



This was my ride.



The ferry ride was scenic and the boat sails right under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It took us a little over 20 minutes to get to Darling Harbour, stops included. One of the stops was in a place called Balmain, which has pretty little houses that I’d like to explore next time.



I discovered that 10:30 am was an early start on a Sunday. Many of the harbor-view restaurants were still closed. I got off at Harbourside but none of the establishments appealed to me.



My feet led me to the busy food court where I spotted a stack of Turkish clozeme. I ordered one stuffed with chicken and mushroom. It turned out to be nothing but a savory crepe.



I also bought a grilled chicken skewer that was flavorful. Sydney food so far was making a good impression.



I also wanted to try this boat-shaped pizza called pides, but I can only eat so much.



Dessert was churros at Chocolateria San Churro. I made the mistake of ordering the milk chocolate dip, which was too sweet. I think the dark chocolate would have made a better option.



I spotted a tourist information kiosk where I bought a ticket to the Sydney Hop On Hop Off bus at AU$40 pp. I walked to the Cockle Bay wharf on the opposite side for my return ferry. The walk allowed me to explore the length of the harbor. The sun was blinding. Sydneysiders, I discovered, are crazy about water. Kahit fountain, pwede na–makapagtampisaw lang.



I slept, slept, slept because I was tired, tired, tired. So it was a fast food dinner for me at past 11. I had a choice between Hungry Jack’s (which I think is a Burger King chain) and McDonald’s. I chose the latter and went for The Aussie— an Angus burger.



The Aussies love their Angus and their eggs.

Down Under with Gusto (Part I)

I have a new favorite city. Three, in fact. Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.

Sydney took my breath away. The view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge together as I got off the train at Circular Quay was jaw-dropping. It made me giddy with excitement.

My room at the Shangri-La Hotel in The Rocks wasn’t ready so I went exploring. The hotel was a short walk from the bridge pylons where the view of the harbor turned more spectacular at every step.





I foraged for food at The Rocks area, just in time for the height of activity at the weekend market. There were Angus burgers, barbecued meat and fresh coconuts amidst stalls selling babies’ clothes, jewelry and dresses. I was drawn to the Angus burger and chicken chorizo. Great choices! I was also curious about the Turkish clozeme but was too full to try.







At a corner convenience store, I saw Tim Tams of every flavor. I decided then that those would be my pasalubong for friends back home.



Can you tell from this photo how fabulous my hotel room was? Here’s the evening view.



My curtains are usually drawn but every morning, I had the habit of looking out the window to this view. On Sunday morning, it was taken over by runners of the Sydney marathon.

I hardly slept on the plane so I took a long nap. It was past 10 when I stepped out again. Most of the establishments were serving only drinks by then but I found a small café where I ordered a roast beef sandwich. Sydney was alive with club-goers on a Saturday night.