My Sydney blog posts have come to a conclusion. I have to say it felt so great writing all my experiences down and reminiscing the 5 magical days I spent with my soon-to-be husband in the land down under. For the convenience of my dear readers here are the itinerary and the actual expense we spent. Believe me, it was cheaper than what I expected (even cheaper than Singapore and we were in Sydney one day longer than Singapore)
Do you happen to stumble upon a picture of a place you found on your Instagram feed and while checking all those lovely photos, you vowed you'd visit it even if it's far from where you are. For me, the answer is yes, a lot of times and one of those times was this. I saw photos of The Grounds of Alexandria on a friend's account and I just couldn't help stalk the Instagram feed of @thegrounds. So of course, going here wason my #sydneygoals.
I love all things pretty and cute so when I discovered a quirky tea room in The Rocks area I just had to put it on our list of where to eat. In fact, when we got to Sydney,Tea Cosy was our first meal. Yes, on our first day!That's how excited I was to visit this place.
Walk with ChaMike at Angel Place, Lindt Cafe, Hyde Park and St Mary's Cathedral
Walking is advisable when you're in Sydney especially if the weather is pleasant. Aside from the safe environment, you'll get to enjoy all the lovely sceneries Sydney offers. So for our last afternoon in the city, Mike and I decided to walk around the area, starting from our hostel we walked going to Wynyard to find Angel Place then went to Martin's Place to try the chocolates at Lindt Cafe. Ended the trip by wandering around Hyde Park and St Mary's Cathedral.
As I've mentioned, Sydney itself is an enormous city and its famous tourists spots are not only contained in the Central area. Blue Mountains is a two long hour drive from Sydney but then again because of #fomo (I've been using this hashtag ever since I've known it's meaning, apt for my travel habit) I told myself, I have got to see the Three Sisters in person.
While I was doing my research months before our Sydney trip, I was convinced that staying in the Rocks District would be the best option. This charming area was our home for 5 days in Sydney.
Aside from Bondi Beach, there is another beach that is also popular in Sydney. Manly Beach was the first beach Mike and I visited. If you haven't read my previous post, this place was magical especially for me as this was the venue where Mike popped THE question. (Read The Leap Year Proposal: Four Years to 4-Ever)
What animals can only be seen in Australia? I am definite that you will automatically answer - Kangaroo or Koala Bear. Right? Kangaroos and Koalas are two of Australia's unique wildlife animals and seeing them up close was ChaMike's ultimate #sydneygoals. However in Sydney especially in the city, you won't find any roaming Roos or Koalas around, unlike in other suburban areas where you'll encounter wild Kangaroos wandering around. So, to be able to see these animals, one must visit Featherdale Wildlife Park.
Mike and I were certain that whatever the weather might be, we will surely visit Bondi Beach. Remember that we visited Australia post summer and pre-autumn so we were unsure if the water was bearable to swim. Nonetheless, I wore my swimsuit underneath just in case.
Mike and I have always been fond of biking whenever we travel and when I learned that Sydney is a bike-friendly city, I instantly included biking on our Day One itinerary.
Walk with ChaMike around the best places to view the Sydney Opera House & Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge are the two most iconic landmarks in Sydney. These two are the most visited and most photographed, it is also the main reason why I was so excited to visit OZ. Just the thought of staring at them made me so giddy.
Going to Sydney was merely a dream. A kind of dream I never thought would ever happen because I knew how expensive it was to score an airfare ticket and how difficult it was to get an Australian Visa. Although I already bought seat sale tickets via Cebu Pacific last year, I was still in denial since I had to wait for our visas to be processed. But after the long wait, when I finally got a hold of our visas (which was just sent via email btw) everything began to sink in. I was going to SYNDEY AUSTRALIA! And Mike and I were not just headed to a new country but also anew continent. Hurraaaay! We were both indeed blessed #thankyouLord
Looking for an affordable place to stay in Sydney is HARD. Mike and I wanted a place near famous tourists spots yet easy on the pocket. It really was difficult as Sydney already is a melting pot for tourists, more so when staying at a prime location. Good thing I was able to book ahead of time (as in 4 months advance), so I was lucky enough to score a cheap accommodation in the Rocks District via booking.com.
It was such a breeze going around Sydney. Mike and I enjoyed traveling because Sydney has an excellent transport system. Trains, Buses and Ferries are the major transportation used when going around the city and these three were all experienced by ChaMike.
G'Day Mate! My mate and I had five very g'days in Sydney. Aside from the fact that #ChaMike got engaged here, this was also the first country we visited together outside Asia, so Sydney was quite special for us. This highly developed country instantly became our favorite - the iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, the dreamy surf beaches and our close encounter with koalas and kangaroos (to name a few) made this trip even more memorable.
The process of acquiring an Australian Visa was the longest one out of all the visas I've applied for (China, Taiwan, Japan & South Korea). Mike and I waited for a month, from the date of application, for our visas to be released and luckily we were able to get a multiple entry visa good for one year. Yay.
I never
thought that February 29 would be The Day. It was the moment I had been
waiting for ever since we became a couple four years ago. Yes, I waited
for him for four years to propose to me because I had known and felt
from the start that he was the one I wanted to grow old with.
I
had always thought that he would do it in the Philippines with all our
loved ones to witness it, so what happened in Australia was totally unexpected - that on
this particular date, which only occurs once every four years, our
four-year relationship would take a big leap to "4-ever."
And knowing
Mike, it wasn't a coincidence that he proposed on this date. This was
perfectly planned: 4 year relationship + Leap Year (4 years) = 4-Ever. How clever, babe! :)
