Day 10 – Going home to my hammies but I’m missing here already…

20th April

All good things must come to an end, as the phrase goes. So no matter how much fun I had during the last 9 days, I had to go home today. After making sure that everything was packed and nothing was left behind, I went up to have my breakfast for the last time (who knew when I would be coming back?) and the sumptuous corncakes with bacon did not help to lift my spirit. After breakfast, Amy helped us to carry the luggage out (goodbye, my Islington room!) and into the van waiting outside. We thanked her for the past few days and off we went, bringing the beautiful memories we had in this hotel with us.

Our next stop was the Henry Jones Hotel where the guys were also checking out. It was obvious that we had to wait for a while so we went to Jam Packed to buy some more stuff (Juliet bought a few more chocolates while I bought another pack of licorice). After everyone and everything were in the van, we stopped Barilla Bay Oysters which is one of the largest Tasmanian producers of Pacific oysters and it’s near the airport. We mainly looked around for a while and didn’t buy anything. And then it was time to head to the airport.

There was a problem during check in, apparently due to excess baggage. The person should be more flexible with it since the crew had a long travel period and they would have a lot of stuff plus the equipment as well. Finally it was solved and we moved on to the boarding gate. I looked around longingly for the last time before I boarded the plane. I’m so glad that I have chosen you as my preferred destination. Goodbye Tasmania!

We reached Melbourne in about an hour’s time. The check in was a little long and there was even a problem with my name or something. Everything was resolved soon and we headed for our lunch at Hungry’s Jack (which is something very similar to Burger King). Joyce wouldn’t be going back with us as she still had something to attend to so we bided our farewells before we went into the transit area.

We still had quite some time before boarding so we did some window-shopping and took some more pictures. It was really goodbye as I boarded the plane. I looked out of the window, feeling so emotional all of the sudden as I recalled the good and wonderful times I had in this beautiful place for the past few days. Before the plane even took off, I was already missing Australia, Melbourne and especially Tasmania. Even if I were to ever come back again, the feeling would not be the same again (I would never be able to have the same funky travel companions!) and those experiences as well…I would definitely come back again someday. Australia is a place everyone must definitely visit, coz it’s where you’ll definitely have an unexpected adventure!

Day 9 – Flying off Mount Wellington

19th April

Today would be another active day coz we would be doing a 3 hour Mount Wellington Descent tour! I couldn’t believe that I would be cycling down that beautiful magnificent mountain which I could see clearly from my room. We would be doing some shopping first at Salamanca Market, which happens every Saturday at the Salamanca Place. The guys must had partied till quite late the previous night coz they were not ready when we picked them up at 9.30am so Cheryl brought us to the market first.

It was quite amazing how within one night, this place was transformed into a busy market place with endless number of stalls selling so many different colourful things. From fresh vegetables to hotdogs, honey to clothes and so much more , I don’t think I could finish seeing everything within the time frame I was given, which was about 2 ½ hrs coz there was really too much to see!! We started walking towards one end and soon, we were spending about ½ hour at a stall which was having a clearance sale. Ended up buying a few stuff before moving off again. It was really awesome how people could really make stuff themselves and sell them here (I could make cookies and sell them here!)

After buying a few more things, we saw Uncle Jimmy and together, we walked towards the other side of the market. It was about 12pm, which was the time that we were told to gather at Zum, where we would be having our lunch so we started to make our way there. We had ordered what we wanted the day before (I ordered squid!) so lunch was served rather fast. Next I had honeycomb cheesecake for dessert (Would be doing hard work later so gotta eat a lot!) Cheryl, Juliet and I quickly made our way back to the hotel where her car was parked, thinking that the rest of the guys were already there but instead we were there first!

After everyone had gathered (Uncle Jimmy won’t be joining us for the bicycle ride), we headed to the summit of Mount Wellington. The journey up the mountain was rather long (it’s over 1270m!) so I ended up falling asleep. The view at the top of the mountain was so amazing and everything looked so tiny down underneath my feet! And of course, the temperature was even colder! It was essential to choose the right bike coz it would be riding down a mountain, never know what could happen! After listening to further instructions, putting on the essential equipment and taking a funky group photo, we were finally ready to descend the mountain! The guys moved off first and soon, they disappeared from sight. I waited for Juliet who seemed to be having some difficulties in riding the bicycle at the start and she told me to move on once she was on the track.

I felt like flying as the bicycle seemed to have a life of its own and my surroundings zoomed past me. My hands were placed steadily and firmly on the brakes and I would use them frequently especially at corners. The cold air rushed straight into my eyes and they became very dry soon. However, I liked the cooling air on my face as cars drove past me and I felt so free! Soon, I caught up with the guys while Audrey and Juliet slowly appeared behind, followed by Cheryl and the rest who were in a van plus other vehicles who were trailing behind. The next hour was really fun, cycling down the mountain surrounded by nature. I had to constantly stop to check on Juliet, who was lagging behind but couldn’t stop very long as there would be cars coming up from behind. Throughout the journey, I did not need to pedal at all; just had to occasionally brake when rounding a corner or when the bicycle was going to fast. I’ll never look at cycling the same way again!

Soon we had to turn and head down a steep slope into a park where the guys were already there having a break. The path was really steep and Audrey, who was in front of me at that time crashed into the fence, instead of the poles (thank goodness!). I managed to go down the slope smoothly, but not my sis who, after seeing what happened to Audrey, immediately stopped in her track and asked for help. In the end, she got down her bike and pushed it down the slope. We had a short break with yummy cookies and refreshing juices before continuing on the main road. Audrey and Juliet did not join us so I was the only gal who joined the big guys.

It was rather scary riding on the road as we had to cross lanes at times. Also, there would be slopes going upward so I would have difficulties controlling the bike (I didn’t really understand how to use the gear thingy…a bit embarrassed) However, it was nice to see Hobart this way, those beautiful neighborhoods and other interesting stuff along the way. The cycle tour soon came to an end and I was tired but very happy and excited. They had even printed out the photo that we took earlier on the summit and gave me a copy for remembrance. I’ll never forget this ride of my life!

Dinner was at a Chinese restaurant called Me Wah Restaurant. I suddenly felt at home as I entered this lavish restaurant, coz it was so Chinese! It was really a different feel from the previous restaurants that I’d visited, including the food which was yummy. As it would be the last night in Tasmania, Australia and having dinner with this group of fun people, I couldn’t help but felt sad that we would be departing tomorrow. And speaking of which, I had not even packed my luggage yet! Juliet and I were enjoying the last few moments watching the sunset against Mount Wellington from the garden outside our room, enjoying a cup of delicious hot tea when we returned from our cycle trip so we had not really packed yet. So partying with the guys after dinner would be out. Well, it would be nice to spend a few more moments inside our beautiful room before we check out...hopefully with some sweet dreams to fondly remember this place!

Day 8 – The day I met and fell in love with an Aussie guy!

18th April

I woke up feeling fresh and all set for my kayaking adventure (thank goodness, my headache was gone!) Breakfast was eggs with salmon…very yummy and there was no way it would be leaving my stomach today! We headed straight for our paddle tour after picking up the guys from Henry Jones. Simon, who was our guide, told us to put on the different layers necessary to keep us safe and dry and I ended up looking a bit puffed up (which was good coz it kept me warm too =)) It gotta be a guy-gal partner so I went with Rod while Juliet went with the expert.

After listening to further instructions, we were ready to go! My initial fear was that the kayak would capsize and even though I had the life jacket on, it would not be nice to be out floating in the middle of the sea, in the cold. However, I totally forgotten about this fear as I started out on my first kayaking journey and even though it was rather tiring, I enjoyed every second of paddling, while Rod who was sitting behind guided me along. The houses along the shore were very beautiful (some even had docks with their own boats!) and I could just imagine how perfect life would be, to wake up every morning and face the calm sea, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying breakfast. Man! How I wished I could do just that everyday.

We moved around Salamanca and the docks and Simon briefly described the place to us. There was this huge cruise ship which was called the Sapphire Princess right in front of us which looked so magnificent. There was even a security boat to prevent any vessel from going too near to it. Rod and I were a little more competitive and tried to be ahead of everyone else. Once, we even hit a wharf! We spotted oysters on the pillars of the wharf and Rod was even thinking of getting some! After hanging out for another few minutes, it was time to head back to shore (time really flew when I was enjoying myself) The water was really so damn clear and I could see starfish and the seabed when I was reaching the shore (so unlike S’pore) It was really an enriching experience to see Hobart from another angle. Awesome!

We dropped by Henry Jones hotel for a quick change of clothes (need to change into some dry pants and wash our feet as they were covered with sand). Juliet and I used Pree’s room and also made use of this opportunity to explore the hotel. I must say that the room was really unique (of course not as pretty as compared to our Islington room!) and I could see that beneath those splendid décor was the hotel’s history…a jam factory! A few minutes to change turned into several minutes as I managed to find some time to visit Jam Packed which is a store in the hotel that sells a lot of sweet and munchy stuff and bought a pack of strawberry licorice, which should be some hard gummy made in Australia. Then it was time to set sail on the Peppermint Bay Cruise!

Ok, gotta admit that I was a bit afraid that something similar might happen since the cruise would also be bobbing up and down (but not really that extreme lar). But it turned out to be rather smooth-sailing and I was starting to enjoy the ride (unlike Juliet, who was feeling rather queasy) I even went out to the deck to take photos of the gorgeous cliffs and scenery. Couldn’t really stand being outside for too long coz it was very cold and windy so I went in after a while. It should be now that I started to notice this really cute guy, Brodie who was one of the friendly crew around. He looked a bit like the actor, John Cusack (but of course he’s younger and cuter!) I stopped eyeing on him when the ship stopped for too long, probably there was a problem. It seemed that there was a passenger who was not feeling well so we had to stop by for a while so that an ambulance could pick her up before we proceeded with our journey…to lunch!

Our stopover for lunch was at this really cool-looking Peppermint Bay restaurant which had a nice view of the sea. While waiting for the food to arrive, we went out and took pictures. Both my scallops and fish were mouth-watering (and dessert which was organic Tasmanian ice-cream served by Brodie later couldn’t be any better!) We visited a little shop which sold really cute but expensive items after our sumptuous meal before hurrying back to the cruise which would be leaving soon.

Not long after the ship started sailing, ice-cream was served by Brodie. Gosh! The smile on his face could easily melt anyone’s heart! It was raspberry ice-cream and it tasted real good! Very original, unlike those selling in supermarkets which used artificial flavorings. It was really, really good but due to the filling lunch earlier on, I couldn’t finish it. I was waiting for Brodie to drop by and clear the unfinished cup of ice-cream coz there was the only time I could interact with him! Well, actually he just asked me whether I had finished eating and I just said ‘Ya’…that’s all (so exciting)

Next, we were introduced to the sea life via underwater cameras. It was really cool to see the seabed, with those aquatic marine lives swimming pass the cameras as a female crew shared with us some information while Brodie was operating the camera. We also stopped by a salmon farm and every now and then, we could see salmon leaping out of the water! It seemed that they were exercising. I also learnt a bit about the Hobart bridge, how there used to be an accident that involved several casualties. And finally, we hit shore. Knowing that this might be the last time I saw him, I took a picture with Brodie, who seemed rather surprised by the request. At least I had something to remember this trip!

We did our broadcasting tonight, since we missed it yesterday and had quite some fun coz we were joking about Brodie (and his boss was around somemore!) Then it was off to Smolt (which was rather a distance from the cruise at the Salamanca Square and we actually walked there!) for our dinner. It seemed like a nice place to hang out after work. As usual, I couldn’t really finish my medium rare fillet (it was really delicious) and thus, I couldn’t finish the dessert either. We slowly made our way back to the cruise and were shocked to see captain Richard locking up the place. It seemed that Cheryl had brought the crew back to the hotel and had not come back. Luckily, Richard was kind enough to stay with us till Cheryl go back…with the crew. It seemed that they were heading to some place for a drink and they even invited Richard to join in.

This would be my first time going to a pub for the sake of partying and in a foreign one too. After ordering our drinks (we had lemon, lime and bitters coz we had wine earlier and don’t think we could handle too much alcohol), we started grooving on the dance floor. The DJs were really enjoying themselves as this would be the last night they were doing the broadcasting and they stayed on till quite late when Uncle Jimmy (the poor man looked tired), Juliet and I left at about 1am. After sending Uncle Jimmy back to his hotel, we headed straight to ours. I tried to update my blog coz it was rather behind time but was too tired to do so. So off I went to my dreamland…with Brodie!

Day 7 - I became Merlion in Hobart!

17th April

Today was supposed to be an exciting day coz we were going to experience the Tasair flight to Tasmania’s spectacular south west World Heritage Area! (we missed the Melbourne seaplane so I was quite looking forward to this) Breakfast was extremely yummy with banana pancakes. I’m not exactly a fan of banana but the combination with pancakes just tasted heavenly. After picking up the rest of the crew from their hotel, off we went to our wine & wilderness experience.

Andre, Audrey and Pree would be joining us while the rest would be doing some other fun activities like visiting Mt Field National Park and Something Wild (the latter sounded fun coz it is a wildlife park which nurtures injured wildlife so animals like Tasmanian devils and possums can be spotted) Initially, I didn’t mind doing the park visits but I was told that the flight would be nicer so I went for it. We were told to take our weights and for that moment, I was 53kg! (with my jeans, clothes and bag…what a bummer!)

This would be my first time flying on such a light aircraft so I listened rather attentively to Captain Ian as he explained about the safety procedures (which I hoped that I would never have to use!) Then it was squeezing into the tiny aircraft and putting on the headset, which seemed awfully heavy on my head. I tried my best to be in a comfortable position while the plane was getting ready for the takeoff. And then we were off the land and into the sky!

Everything looked so amazing! Perhaps the fact was that every time I was on an aeroplane, my view would be blocked by the wing. However, I could see everything below clearly from where I was sitting and immediately, I took out my camera to record the beautiful views below. Everything seemed fine in the first place but when the plane started to get rather bumpy, going up & down and left to right, I knew that sooner or later, the wonderful banana pancake which was seated nicely in my stomach at the moment would come out…from my mouth. Before I could control, I started puking and thankfully, I managed to grab hold of a plastic bag from my bag before anything came out. I couldn’t really warn anyone about it coz firstly, the headset was getting on my nerves as the volume was rather loud and it was rather heavy and secondly, I was so afraid that everything would just come out once I opened my mouth. Anyway, it was over soon and everyone on board knew about it =(

We reached our first destination rather soon. It was really extremely cold but the place was serene and gorgeous, with the mountains and greeneries. We came to a bird observation deck to have morning tea. I couldn’t drink anything and wanted desperately to get rid of the bag but to my horror, I realized that there was no rubbish collection here so I had to carry my puke bag to the next destination! (oh shit!) Couldn’t remember much details as I was very sick and stuff but I did remember that we passed by this house which used to be occupied by a man who stayed there to look after the nature but he had passed away. That was really sad and I thought that was rather caring and courageous of him. We took a few more photos of this gorgeous location before heading back to the plane and well, I thought every bit of my delicious breakfast was out already so the trip to Meadowbank Wines would be a clean and nice one. I forgot about the tasty orange juice and tea.

With a stomach that was completely empty, I reached Meadowbank Wines and was greeted by two lovable Labradors, Chewy and her son, Henry James. I’m someone who is extremely afraid of dogs so initially when they came running to the cars (which we took to reach the place), I tried my best to dodge them. However, they were too friendly and adorable to avoid and before I knew, I was hugging and playing with them. Gerald, who was the host had prepared a simple yet wonderful feast (there was salmon!!) but after what happened earlier on and knowing that I would be taking the same plane back, I did not dare to eat anything. It was only when Gerald told me that wine would be good for the stomach then I dared to take a few slices of salmon and some yummy mushrooms (which went well with the wine!) And then it was playtime with Chewy and HJ (plus many photo-taking of the gorgeous scenery) They really took my mind off the facts that I went really sick just now and that I had a phobia for dogs (especially big ones!)

It was really true, that when one is having fun, time flies pass real fast. We had to go and I couldn’t bear to leave Chewy (spent most of the time with her coz HJ was always sleeping!) Gerald was kind enough to ask his daughter whether she would be going to Hobart so that she could give me a lift. I was a little disappointed when she said no but thanked him for the kind offer anyway. After bidding farewell to my loveable companions, we headed back to the plane where I prayed that what Gerald said was true and that the delicious lunch that I just had would not come out the wrong way.

The flight was about 25minutes but to me, it seemed like eternity. Way before the plane even took off, I already held a puke bag in my hand. Andre told me to look at a far distance and I ate some sour gummies while my mind was on Chewy and HJ. I held my breath as I finally saw Hobart and sighed with relief when we finally landed. My legs were rather wobbly and my head heavy so I decided to rest for a while first at the office while the rest of the crew headed back to prepare for their broadcast.

We took a cab back and dinner would be at 7.30pm at this restaurant called T42 Café Restaurant. Cheryl brought us to the Peppermint Bay Cruise for broadcast first. Even though it was my first time on board the cruise, I couldn’t really admire my surroundings coz I was still feeling sick and the fact that the ship was bobbing up and down did not really help. Thus, it was decided that we would do the broadcast the following day and we would go for dinner.

Actually, I wanted to go back to the hotel to rest so that I would be ready for the activities the next day but Juliet hoped to eat at the restaurant so reluctantly, I followed. The food on the menu was really simple and I ordered calamari (even though I didn’t feel like eating anything) I only touched the fries so I guessed dessert was out (they had cheesecake...oh man!) They had a cute way of displaying their desserts – no dessert menu but their list of desserts was written on a board which was carried from table to table. It was really innovative! In the end, I asked the waiter to pack my remaining food (hopefully, I would get hungry later and munch on the calamari?) and we headed back to the cruise where Cheryl drove us back to the hotel.

Once I reached my room, I quickly went for a bath and headed straight to bed, without touching the calamari at all. I wished and prayed that my stupid headache would be gone soon so that I would be all ready to do the kayaking activity tomorrow…

Day 6 – Goodbye Melbourne and Hello Tasmania!

16th April

Well, today was the start of another new adventurous journey coz we were going to Tasmania! We checked out early in the morning after breakfast and headed straight to Melbourne Airport. There was a slight problem with the baggage but it was solved after a while. While waiting to board at Gate 22, I realized that I was missing Melbourne already. The great seafood, the wonderful activities, the cute old guys (Tony the host and Tony the driver!)…Well, a new adventure was waiting for me!

It took about an hour plus to reach Hobart Airport. The security had a cute dog which was in charge of sniffing passengers’ bag (I thought that they always used those rather fierce-looking ones). A lady’s bag caught its attention and she was asked to stop for a check. We then waited for quite some time for our luggage and our host for Tasmania, Cheryl appeared (She looked like a sweet lady, like Tony minus the tummy!) It seemed that she would be the driver too. Without a guy to lug our luggage up and down the car, we tried to do it ourselves (Gosh, I couldn’t even carry my luggage!) We were given a brief intro about Tasmania and even got a shopping bag with a thumb drive! Our first stop was our luxurious hotel, the Islington Hotel which would be our accommodation for the next 4 days. (the rest of the crew was drooling with jealousy…haha)

The hotel was located in the midst of private housing and my oh my! It looked drop-dead gorgeous just on the exterior. Amy, who was the owner welcomed us and Kelly, her assistant brought us to our room first to put our luggage while the rest went on a tour around. If it looked drop-dead gorgeous on the outside, then I would use “heavenly” to describe the room. It was very spacious and with a garden where I could see Mount Wellington and breathed in the world’s freshest air, I was in heaven! After a while, the rest of the guys came into our room (the envy on their faces was funny!) and went “wow” .We bided farewell to them before they went to their accommodation, which was the Henry Jones Art Hotel (it used to be a jam factory, cool!)

As usual, my sis who loved taking videos, did one with me as the host and I introduced our beautiful room, the pretty garden and the gorgeous hotel and ended with Amy! After taking some pictures, we got ready for lunch at Fish Frenzy which was located at Elizabeth St Pier. I ordered Fish Frenzy, which I guessed should be the signature dish of the restaurant (I meant, the names were the same right?)They had an interesting way of displaying their food in brown paper cones and we would need to pour them out into our plates. While helping my sis to figure out how to get the ketchup out of the package, Rod accidentally got tomato sauce on his t-shirt! It was rather hilarious and I couldn’t imagine if he had placed it near his face! (I was really, really bad. Sorry)

After such a sumptuous meal (I was rather sorry about the plate of untouched chips but was too embarrassed to suggest ta pau), we went on a tour around Hobart…on Cheryl’s car. Maybe it was due to the lunch I had earlier on or perhaps Cheryl’s describing Hobart sounded like lullaby, I couldn’t help but slowly drifted into my dreamland…and only woke up when we reached Henry Jones. The DJs and crew needed to prepare for their broadcasting later (they were gonna do it on the Peppermint Bay Cruise. Sweet!)

Dinner was at Marque IV, which was also located in Elizabeth St Pier (guessed that was where the restaurants from which we would be having our meals were located) It was such a classy restaurant (I felt a bit underdressed in my jeans and top) with a very nice ambience. The waiter who attended to us was so tall (he was 1.98m!!!!), I felt like a dwarf. He recommended us a Krelinger Vintage 2001 sparkling wine which was marvelous and I had sashimi (my favourite) and Juliet had mushroom soup for appetizer. Entrée was crab soufflé for me and coriander bisque for Juliet (soup again). For main, I decided to have duck meat for a change. I had a feeling that they had forgotten about our order coz we waited for quite a looong time before the main courses arrived. Was trying real hard to save enough space for my yummy chocolate tart with muscatel ice-cream and could only squeeze in the latter…geez. We took a photo with the extremely tall waiter (oops! Didn’t get his name) before leaving. My mind was on the delicious dinner and that wasted tart as Cheryl drove us back to the wonderful hotel with that fluffy bed waiting for me…=)