Behind The Scenes

It's been a truly amazing I Love Mum We Love Sydney trip, with each of us bringing home different stories, and certainly heart-tugging moments that we can never quite express it fully here. (you have to be there to really feel the full extent)

I've been priviledged to travel with these wonderful people who had made my trip not quite a business trip! Often, many of us struggle with even travelling with a bunch of friends/ family -quirky behaviors, contrasting ideas of what a holiday should be, different interests. Hence to travel with 4 complete strangers was certainly an interesting task, and i am truly blessed that within the second of our nine days Sydney NSW whirlwind discovery, these 4 strangers instantly became my friends :)

Some of the poignant/ hilarious moments that etched within my memory are these:

1) The biker moms all wrapped up in leather jackets and whizzing down the streets of Sydney with their burly rider. Very cool indeed.

2) Mothers' Day dinner at Jordons Seafood Restaurant: To complement our dessert platter, each of us ordered a tea/ coffee. Stan ordered a pot of earl grey tea while i requested for peppermint tea. As i was pouring my tea into the cup, Stan commented that the peppermint was so fragrant that he could smell the peppermint from his end of the table. So as we sipped our tea and chatted, Stan commented that his tea tasted weird, and asked me if i was drinking earl grey instead. It took me a few minutes to realise that i was drinking his order, and he mine (with a good dose of milk). If you ask me, the earl grey was soothing. I'm not too sure about milk-infused peppermint tea though. You have to ask Stan. Haha..

3) Everyone loved Yarramalong Macadamia Nut Farm, which had a pretty backyard/ garden with a beautiful maple tree and rose shrubs. I believe we went a little trigger crazy here and snapped a record number of photos at this farm...and we even took photo in the toilet, would you believe it? these are wooden carvings and the reason why they were displayed the toilet was because the cafe underwent a minor renovation and they stored in the carvings/paintings in the toilet temporarily.

4) Dinner at The Cowrie- While I've tasted a few degustation menus on other trips that I've led, nothing comes close to this one. The food and wine were superb (even Aunty Gim Kuan and Tze Min who are not fans of western meals agreed in unison), service was excellent and the company was just too wonderful!

5) The million-dollar spectacular view of Nelson Bay from the parasail. Our cheeky skipper decided to dunk us into the sparkling waters of the bay, so Tzemin and i had wet bums throughout the day, while Stan came all prepared with a change of clothes! How clever!

6) Seeing Stan overcoming his fear of rays and sharks at the Australian Shark and Ray Centre. I coerced him into doing the snorkle while i do the hand-feeding tour in water-proof waders. I mean, you've got to get close to the lovely creatures to really appreciate them! But he was truly truly afraid (i am not kidding) after he gingerly stepped into the ray-infested waters. After a few minutes of courageous moments in the water with his snorkle, he decided to join me at the hand-feeding tour instead. At the end of the tour, Stan became friends with Fred the Manta Ray!

7) At Kings Tableland, both Tze min and Stan had loads of fun pretending to climb out from the valley. It was hilarious... and we almost wanted Stan to do the bare-body pose that qi yuwu did in the Sydney 8 Days Supplement photoshoot, but alas, there was no wind (though we all offered to blow really hard) :P

8) While the rest were shopping away at Katoomba town, Tze min and i headed to the Katoomba library! We needed the internet connection to upload photos and update blog entries. So each of us were given 20-minute access to the internet. Tzemin had 3 days' worth of blog entries to upload hence she used the computer first, and quickly the 20-minute was used up, and i gave her my 20 minute access too, with the hope that i'd get at least a good remaining balance of 5-10 min to upload photos. So when Tze min exclaimed that she's finally done with the blog, and i was all geared up to upload photos to this blog, the computer screen went blue as it prepared to shut down. I looked at Tze min with utter disbelief, and she said when she meant she was done, she meant the time's up! In my state of shock, I 'beat her up' for consuming all my allotted time.. As a form of 'punishment', she had to report for 'work' at 8am to upload her blog entry. Hehe.

9) Stocking up on chips, chocolates, candies and Australian-made biscuits at Coles at Katoomba. Our boot was completely filled with these yummies, and we even trailed Coles staff as they unpack goodies from big carton boxes so that we could have them to pack ours in!

10) Die-hard bloggers: It was aptly named The Workers' Cottage as Stan and myself (and sometimes Tze min. hehe) stayed up most nights till past midnight (the latest being 1.30am at the Blue Mountains) to upload photos and compose blog entries. At the end of the trip, all of us had darker eye bags cleverly hidden by our new sunnies (all of us bought new sunnies in Sydney!)

So.. here's my little entry of the behind the scenes of our unforgettable trip, and i'm quite sure other business trips will pale in comparison to this!

Hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as we had, and have started planning your own too! (apparently, Stan wants to take over my job and be a part-time Sydney guide. haha. He doesn't know what he's in for!)

Here's to share some of the unforgettable behind-the-scenes moments...

The Fullstop of ILM,WLS 2008!

This blog entry marks the official final entry. Nine days have passed us by in the wink of an eye! I was really melancholic when I filed my final 'live' roving report from the Grand Dining Room of the Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains; a spirit that was shared with all in our tight travelling group. Tze quipped in jest, "I love mum (but) we love Sydney MORE!"

We had a warm continental breakfast at the hotel - an historic icon in Medlow Bath. Built as Australia's first health retreat in the early 1900s, it's now been converted to an 84-room hotel. The grandeur of its high ceilings, intricate interior designs and commanding long couches that line the plush carpetted-corridors speak of a class like none other. The hotel offers uninterrupted panoramic views of both the Megalong Valley and Kanimbla Ranges.

After breakfast, we said au revoir to the gorgeous mountains and drove back to the Sydney to catch our flight back home. Tze Min and Gim Kuan had a chance of a lifetime and have no regrets on this trip, okay maybe only one - that it wasn't long enough. I personally had gotten used to the cold, wearing only two layers on our final day on the mountain top, when only 8 days earlier, I was decked in three layers in the city and feeling the biting cold.

Listen out for my chat with Tze and her mum in The Living Room on 938LIVE this Wed, 21st May 2008 from 10.10am - 10.30am as I speak with them about their experiences and which are their favourite picks on the trip!

Thank you for being part of our journey! I have attempted to reflect the truest essence of each place and the most honest of feelings in every report and I trust you've enjoyed following us on this journey!

Now it's your turn to win some great prizes for coming along with us. Visit 938LIVE now to find out more!

Stellar Stalactites at Jenolan!

This was the day we’d be exploring the much talked about ancient limestone caverns of Jenolan Caves. I’ll relate our experience in the tunnels a little later on. But it was rise-and-shine on our eight day in New South Wales with our first self-prepared breakfast, thanks to my mum at the Workers’ Cottage – our lodge at Old Leura Dairy. Setting the table in our cosy dining room and laying out fresh fruit, toast, jams, butter and muesli, my mum seemed to be on breakfast duty. I wasn’t bullying her; she just happened to be the first one out of bed. Gim Kuan and Tze came over from Buttercup Barn to join us for a meal that would power us to climb the hundreds of steps at the caves later in the morning.

As promised, we went around the premises taking photographs of just about every nook and cranny, the landscape, the architecture, the signages and the gate posts. It was just too pretty to resist and we just want to share as much of the place with you as possible; it would do this B&B grave injustice not to take home lovely memories of our shelter of two nights.

Hopping into our wheels from Hertz, we activated the HertzNeverlost System to help us navigate our drive to the Jenolan Caves, recently awarded the title of 'the world's oldest open cave'. It was an easy drive from Leura to the labyrinth of tunnels, taking us just about an hour and ten minutes. There are ten magnificent caves there and we had expected to visit the most popular cave of them all – the Lucas Cave. But since the next tour would be the Imperial Cave when we arrived, we decided we’d get onto the first tour than wait for the next. The guided tour was an easy and informative walk. Covering about 258 steps, the cave follows the path of an ancient river passage. We got up close to sensationally stunning stalactites and stalacmites (the latter is the mound that forms from bottom up, while the former are overhanging limestone structures). Some parts of the cave were so narrow only one person could pass through at any one time and even so. Certain portions of the cave were so low you had to bend over or risk having a bruised head. Among the most stunning formations was the chalky-blue underground river that flowed through it; it’s a pity that what was captured by our cameras couldn’t really bring out the true colours that were captured by our eyes’ lenses. It was bitterly cold in the tunnels with no natural light penetrating the caverns. The only illumination was by way of the spotlights that had been strategically positioned in the tunnel to bring to attention the most amazing features. After a quick bite at Jenolan Caves’ Trail’s Bistro, we headed back to Leura to visit the rows of shops at the mall.

Returning back to Old Leura Dairy, some of us began our packing for our departure tomorrow. I haven’t told you, but we bought a trolley load of edibles from Coles supermarket the night before and we had to collect some cardboard boxes to pack them all in. To all my colleagues and dear friends, you know you’ll be a beneficiary of some of these yummy foodstuffs!

Our final dinner on the trip was at Solitary Restaurant. The history of this restaurant dates back to 1913 when was known as the Leura Falls Kiosk. After changing hands about ten times, it’s now owned by John and Georgia Cross. Apart from serving Australian interpretations of French and Italian cuisine, the Solitary also serves diners magnificent views on the Blue Mountains, overlooking Mount Solitary some distance in the foreground (one of two reasons why it’s so named; the other being that it’s an obscure standalone restaurant amidst private housing) and Kings Tableland to the left. Back to the dinner table, we were having rabbit meat for the first time prepared and served in three ways – rabbit rillettes, pate and fillet, aptly named Trio of Rabbit on the menu. The fillet was pink and tender, but Tze and her mum opted not to try it on this occasion. Us youngsters opted for the Blue Eye Fillet with Moreton Bay bug tails, Gim Kuan had Roasted Quail and my mum Mary ordered the Roasted Duck Breast. The food was excellent, which is no surprise since the restaurant’s made it into the Good Food Guide compiled by the Sydney Herald Tribune. Unlike the previous night, we made sure we had room for dessert tonight. We cleaned out the plate of Caramelised Banana Bavarois with Coconut Sorbet and the Bitter Chocolate Delice with Walnut Dacquoise and Caramel Ice- Cream. That says a lot about their desserts. So if you go while the sun is up, the desserts would certainly have to compete for your attention given the stunning views from the place.

This is my final evening blogging from the Blue Mountains, but it sure won’t be my last. I’d still be throwing in more entries tomorrow and in the days to come as a wrap up to this amazing journey so far. We hope you’ve enjoyed following us.

We’ve still got half of tomorrow to enjoy in New South Wales, and before we return to Sydney to catch our flight home, we plan to visit the markets at Flemingtons in Parramatta enroute to the airport.

Check back soon for more entries, photos and videos on this blog!

Not Letting Bygones Be Bygones

Put an ‘a’ in ‘bygone’ and it’s a brand of pest control spray we’re all familiar with, ridding homes of pests like roaches. But ridding something of its natural charm, intrinsic beauty and sheer existence isn’t the way it’s all done here on the Blue Mountains, just an easy one and half hour drive west of Sydney.

Opting for a self-drive, we had at our disposal a powerful Toyota Kluger from Hertz. The MPV will be our means of getting out of the city and into the mountainous region and back. Equipped with the Hertz Neverlost System, the drive was so easy we barely had to look at a street directory. The satellite navigation system came with a voice-prompt which told us which direction to take, which exit to take, right to the precise destination that we key into the system right at the start of the journey. I didn’t even need a human navigator to locate the Kings Tableland, which was our first stop on the famous mountain range (the second most visited tourist attraction in NSW after Sydney). Kings Tableland offered magnificent views of the commanding ridges, steep cliff faces and dense green forests and valleys below. Mist flooded the plains while clouds danced overhead. It was like being in second heaven. Gim Kuan was taken in by the stunning view and the views at the Blue Mountains hasn’t disappointed a single bit. As to brilliant blue the hills seem to reflect, Physics Professor Harry Messel from the University of Sydney attributes this to an optical phenomenon called the ‘Rayleigh scattering’. This effect causes the rays of light which impinge on small particles (like water droplets) to be scattered in various directions. When an observer looks at a distant object in the intervening atmosphere illuminated by sunlight, the eyes will perceive a shade of blue. This pretty much debunks the theory that it’s the chemical reaction released by the gum trees that gives the mountains the bluish hue.

Our next lookout of the grandeur peaks were from Echo Point, which gave us unobstructed views of the iconic Three Sisters and Jamison Valley below. It was truly a sight to behold and our cameras never worked so hard till this point of our journey. My camera battery chose to give up after our first lookout point; I can only guess even the camera couldn’t handle the expansive breath-taking beauty that was being captured on its lens. Our stomachs were rumbling and we were all looking forward to our first meal on the mountain, but not before we caught The Edge Movie at the Edge Cinema. The 38-minute documentary presented to us the most inaccessible parts of the mountainous wilderness, all this projected on a 6-storey high giant screen. The illusion sometimes got me feeling like I was plummeting down the waterfalls or flying over the canyons. To ever find words to describe the majestic mountains would still do it injustice.

We had a light lunch of scones, sandwiches and other sweet pastries at a quaint tea pot store, restaurant and museum called Bygone Beautys. We were surprised when they wheeled out a serving trolley with the food platters and tea pots with a familiar national anthem blaring from camouflaged speakers in the lower trolley tray. Even the waitress was most polished, suited up in a tuxedo top and gloved as she laid out the food on the table. The winsome tea pots are really the talking point. Lining the walls on shelves beyond our reach are some of the more than 3,000 pots from acquired from other Australian states as well as of other countries of origin. One of the proprietors, Maurice Cooper, came by and even told us he’s bought three tea pots from Singapore to add to his collection. When asked how he decided where to display which tea pot and whether it was according to how financially dear they were to him, he smiled and said one pot in the sub-hundreds could be sitting beside one that ran into the thousands. He had good reason for this – should a shelf give way and all the pots come crashing down, it wouldn’t be too painful. He’s one smart guy with a wonderful tea pot collection, each spout with a different story to spill.

When you come to the Blue Mountains, you’ll never fall sick of investigating different lookout points. Our next views came from Scenic World in Katoomba. This is one of the most popular privately-owned tourist attractions in Australia, featuring three rides. We first boarded the Scenic Skyway that whizzed us over the Jamison Valley some 200 metres below. To realize the heights we were travelling over the valley, the cabin has a glass panel on which you can stand and look straight below you, plunging your sights deep into the forest floor and making your knees go weak. We were then led by our personal guide Eddie to the Scenic Railway. This ride earns the title of ‘World’s Steepest Incline Railway’. Tze Min sat in the first row as we descended down the rail, with the steepest point at a 52 degree angle! We held on tight despite already sitting in seats that were already reclined to counter the sharp gradient. The old rails over the same passageway were formerly used to transport coal from the now disused coal mines. Upon disembarking, Eddie gave us an informative tour on the boardwalk of the rainforest the ecosystem under the thick canopy cover. It was a real show-and-tell and it made Geography come alive! The Cableway was our ride back up to the starting point. This cable car is Australia’s steepest and revealed more of the amazing World Heritage-listed spectacle.

Our next two night up on the mountains will be at the Old Leura Dairy. By its name, you can tell it’s got its roots in the dairy business. This lovely unassuming bed and breakfast accommodation has 6 different types of lodging all in the same plot and can cater to both mid-sized travelling groups and the couple. Tze Min and her mum are my neighbours at Buttercup Barn (a two-storey lodge with just the bedroom on top and pretty fireplace and living room). My mum and I are in the Workers’ Cottage with three bedrooms, a long kitchen and a working fireplace with fire wood! It was too late to snap some shots of our lovely accommodation from the outside, so I promise to do so tomorrow so you can tell how this old milking shed has been transforming into a charming B&B.

Dinner was as the nearby Silks Brasserie. We each ordered different main courses and didn’t need much prompting to do some swaps during dinner (typical Asian practice). We all sampled a bit of the Tasmanian salmon fillet, the pork fillet, the snapper and the braised chicken. Nothing was out of order for our taste buds to work overtime. The dessert menu looked enticing with warm chocolate cake and lots more offering, but alas, our tummies were stretched to the limit. Perhaps on our next visit here…

We head to the Jenolan Caves tomorrow. I hope my pictures turn out in those dark musty caverns. Wishing you were here with me to soak in the beauty of the place.

p/s: more photos will be uploaded at a later time. pls check back tomorrow!

you know how connections are in the mountains.

Shark-smitten, Bay-bitten

Tuesday was our chance to view the offering at Port Stephens. And to cut down on time, we packed breakie for the road and set off from Central Coast for the hour and a half long ride on an overcast morning. I reflect and count it a blessing that we’ve had sunny skies throughout since we arrived last week and thought that if the local farmers had been pleading for rain for their crops’ sake, that it would be alright if the skies did open. God must have heard for He beckoned a thunderstorm later in the day, but still kept us and our itinerary of things to see and do in mind, leaving us the fairer part of the day to do all that we’d traveled here for.

Upon arrival at Nelson Bay at Port Stephens, the two mothers parted ways with Tze (in the interest of time, space and the blogger’s convenience, Tze Min shall henceforth be referred to as ‘Tze’) and me. They boarded their Moonshadow Cruise vessel and made their way to the middle deck for their 1.5 hour cruise. Almost concurrently, I was getting into the harness in preparation for the parasailing adventure we were going to go on. Our waiting speed boat with a launch platform at its rear ed (operated by Port Stephens Parasailing) was ready to propel us into the air over the bluish-green waters of the bay. Our only connection to land (or should I say water) was a red cord that was slowly released as the boat picked up speed. The cheery coloured canopy behind us began to swell as it caught the wind and soon, we made our way skyward on our tandem flight. With nothing more than the clothes on our back, it was chilly up there with the wind slamming into our bodies. I was literally having ‘cold feet’ in the air and to make matters worse, our skipper Ian decided he’d let us enjoy some Nelson Bay spray by lowering the boat’s throttle and dunking us feet and bum into the water below before teasingly pulling ahead again, thrusting us back into the air. While Tze took some hours to dry off naturally, I was glad I’d packed along an extra set of clothes to change into after the flight. Poor Tze.

We met our mums on board their cruise vessel for lunch thereafter. They reported they’d seen the bottle-nosed dolphins residing in the bay as they scoured the water body. They also heard from the ship’s captain Steve that the whale-watching cruise begins this weekend! So if getting up close to these huge creatures appeals to you, make Port Stephens a port of call soon by calling Dynasty Travel today!

After lunch, Tze and the two mums got off at Anna Bay for their sand dune adventure ride operated by Port Stephens 4WD Tours. They climbed into their vehicle as Ian their driver got the engine started and drove deeper into the undulating Stock Bight sand dunes. Apart from catching sight of the 32-kilometre beach of fine white sand, they also slid down the steep slopes on sand boards. My mum reportedly couldn’t stay on her board. Tze enjoyed her ride down but grumbled at having to climb all the way up to come sliding down again. But grumbles aside, we knew the climb in the soft sand was worth the effort given she slid down not once but five times!

While they were slippin’ and sliddin’ away, I was fighting off paralysis. I knew I was going to be feeding the sharks at the Australian Shark & Ray Centre, but I didn’t know I was going to be standing waist deep in their tank doing that. Before arriving at the centre, I had pictured myself standing on a platform a metre or two from the creatures. Razor-sharp teeth, ferocious and flesh-eating – these are what sharks are, at least that’s what I understand from Jaws. Centre director Andrew Tindale asked if I’d like to snorkel and I don’t know what made me say yes. I got myself into a wet suit and was given a pair of snorkels. But I confess I chickened out when he brought me to the two huge shallow tanks filled with curious sharks and rays. The most intimidating creature in one tank was Fred, a black ray that looked wider than a metre when it was gliding with its wings outstretched. I made my way gingerly down the wooden planks into the tank and goose-bumps started to landscape my skin as the fish came to check me out. This was some ‘checking out’ I wanted to check out of, but for the camera, I faked all my initial smiles. I narrowly missed stepping on some of the lower-gliding rays in the tank and watching my every footing made me slightly uncomfortable. We know what dogs do to you when you step on their tails, and I suppose it wouldn’t be too different with the rays. Besides, the Steve Erwin story was still fresh in my memory. Andrew however put my fears to rest by saying all the rays there had no barbs. Phew!

Thinking the worst was over, I was asked to climb into the second tank beside. Unlike the first, this tank was filled with sharks and one seemed as long as two metres. How could anyone be comfortable in a tank full of sharks with my wet suit only going down to above my knees and leaving the rest of my flesh exposed? There must be a reason why I had on wet slip-on shoes. It was feeding time and Andrew armed me with a pair of tongs that had pinched some piece of squid, a clump of shrimp or fish for the hungry sharks. Soon, the sharks with their powerful suction jaws were sucking those pieces of food off the tongs. They got really excited while I was getting more comfortable with these playful sharks who would rub and slap you as they walloped the food. Seeing I was getting into the swing of things in the tank, Andrew then put some food close to a part of me I’d rather leave attached and before they bit, I stumbled backwards for posterity. I’d never imagined I’d be in a tankful of sharks, petting and playing with them at such close personal quarters. This 6-month-old attraction at Port Stephens is a must-visit and will certainly change your perception of the nature of sharks. If I couldn’t have a dog for a pet, I’d get a shark!

After toweling off, we headed back to Sydney for our final evening in the city before setting off tomorrow to the beautiful Blue Mountains that everyone’s been raving about. Gim Kuan is getting excited as she’s read about the mountains and had always harboured a desire to visit it. Tomorrow, her dream will come true.

Our final meal in Sydney was Vietnamese cuisine on George Street at Saigon Metro Restaurant Cafe. We had five sumptuous dishes including rice-paper rolls with shrimp, pork chop, spicy salted prawn and tofu, spinach and beef noodle soup. This place comes highly-recommended. Gim Kuan's review 'die-die-must-try' speaks volumes of the true delight the food brings.

Check back tomorrow for my next entry and more food reviews. Meantime, hope you’ve been compiling your answers to the ten trivia questions we’ve listed for you on the 938LIVE website. Ten winners will be getting some lovely prizes when the trip’s over, so keep following our journey!

See ya tomorrow mate!

Central Coast’s Top Notch Hospitality!

Credit goes to the warm representatives and guides we’ve met at Central Coast. We had takeaway breakie (or ‘breakfast’ in Aussie slang) on board our coach as we made our hour-long drive out of Sydney. We managed to break free from the morning traffic city crawl and made up for the slight delay on the smoother Pacific Highway.

We whizzed past the sign that pointed to the turn off to the Australian Reptile Park, but we would back track to the attraction later this morning, after we’d visited the Yarramalong Macadamia Nut Farm. Rows of macadamia trees no higher than a storey and a half lined the path to the farmhouse. We were greeted by its director Phil Davis and told to have a seat in his cosy dining space while he prepared some morning tea for us. Soon we were lapping up hot tea (much appreciated for the slightly cool morning slightly inland) and Phil turned on the indoor heater after enquiring if we were feeling chilly. We nodded in harmony. While he prepared some bites for us, we loitered outside and were taken in by the litter of leaves by a tree preparing for winter. Once satisfied with the photos we’d taken, we scampered back in almost like kids who’d gone outside to play till they were called to come back in. There, Phil readily served us macadamia scones with cream and strawberry jam. He took pains to give us background to his farm and how the 900 trees in his farm are about 35 years old. We learnt there are 9 species of macadamia, and did you know the nut’s native to Australia? We hear the Americans have tried to pass it off as one of their own crops when the seed was brought into Hawaii. It was then aggressively propagated because the climate in Hawaii’s ideal for planting the nut. Coming back to our visit to the farm, we had a hands-on feel of the unprocessed seed and its leaves and even took nibbles of a moist, almost coconut-like texture of an unprocessed macadamia nut. One bite was all it took for us to leave with some shopping bags of macadamia nuts and products.

We overstayed and were hurried back onto our waiting bus so we could get to the Australian Reptile Park in good time for a tour and an Aussie barbecue lunch. We were warmly welcomed at the park by General Manager Mary Rayner and Jan Richens, who’s in charge of Marketing, Sales & Events. Mary had a baby possum in her arms, who kept trying to find cover underneath her coat only to be cradled out for us to pet and take some pictures with. Two grand tortoises of poise, Hugo and Dimmy crawled out to greet us. Their sure footedness wasn’t as deft and sprightly as Doomy the dingo whom Mary put on a leash to greet us. The animals were adorable and as we found out, the park doesn’t only just house reptiles but many of Australia’s native mammals too. My mum gathered enough courage to pet a 4-metre python. Lunch was a fantastic sun-baked affair in the open under the trees in the picnic area of the park where we saw down for some good ‘ol Aussie BBQ with steak, sausages, salad and fresh fruits.

We checked in at Oaks Waterfront Resort about 3pm and within ten minutes, we met in the lobby to head out to the shore of the Tuggerah Lake where the pelican feeding was to take place. Already a group of visitors had gathered and so had a flock of about 50 pelicans. The feeding hadn’t started, but already both parties were studying each other closely. We took our seats and at precisely 3.30pm on my watch, a volunteer from the community carrying a blue tray of fish walked up to the pelicans and started tossing fish into the waiting beaks and pouches. The feeding frenzy had begun and with the ruckus the birds were making, it was evident no one in watching the feeding was really paying attention to the commentator. A tin went around to garner support for the volunteer group’s efforts in giving attention to these friendly creatures who seem to have an internal clock built in to know when to swim up to the shore for their daily ‘supplements’. Tze Min and my mum were the privileged two to hand feed the pelicans before they dispersed about half an hour later. The crowd of visitors broke up too and we decided to stroll up the street to peer into the local shops. We found one that sold very cheap items, including sunglasses, and so we grabbed a few pairs for ourselves. As promised, I insert a photo of Gim Kuan wearing one of her latest pair of sunglasses added to her collection.

There was still time before dinner, and so I headed to the resort pool on the second floor for a few laps and a dip in the Jacuzzi. The heated saltwater pool was therapeutic and it was great to have some time to enjoy the resort facilities. The gym was on the same deck, but I resisted temptation for fear of being late for dinner.

All too soon, it was nightfall and we were driven to multi-award winning restaurant The Cowrie at Terrigal (about a 20-min drive away from Oaks Waterfront). We had the 5-course degustation menu and it was a winner! The salmon sashimi that folded over orange slices with orange soy glaze got our appetite up for seared white scallops with crispy Tullabung pork belly sitting atop a piece of fragrant Thai fish cake. What followed were the blue eye cod a la mariniere and Black Angus beef fillet; almost got us smacking our lips and giving the thumbs up. Our group could only sing praises for the quality food served up at this fine-dining restaurant that offers a spectacular view overlooking the bay. Each course was well paired with wine which hailed from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales’ very own Hunter Valley. If you have deep pockets, you could even arrange a helicopter flight from Sydney to this restaurant’s helipad just two minutes away. We were also honoured to have the pleasure of the company of Central Coast Tourism’s CEO Horst Endrulat join us for drinks at The Cowrie. He told us that his office had received two phonecalls direct from Singapore after the promotion’s commercials on 938LIVE were broadcast. He had been assured by the two callers that they’d booked their passage over to the Central Coast next month in time for the whale watching season. Makes me think about coming back this way in June too!

What’s up tomorrow? Well, Tze Min and I plan to go parasailing while our mothers will hopefully be able to see some dolphins at Port Stephens when they go on their cruise. That’s only for the morning. Do listen out for the thrice-daily live reports around 7.10/40am, 12.10/40pm and 6.10/40pm for updates on our journey.

A Full-Filling Mothers' Day....Burp!

It was a Mothers' Day treat like none other for two mums today - Tze Min's and mine. Sydney has thus far unveiled spectacle after spectacle of gems that get you excited about city holidays.

Apart from dinner which I've blogged about farther down, we were left to our own devices with our mums.

Being efficient bargain-hunters, our ILMWLS winners made Paddy's Markets (the weekend market in Chinatown) and Birkenhead Point their pitstops. Birkenhead is renowned for a three-storey mall with goods at warehouse prices. I peer into Tze Min's shopping bags and pull out a brown leather bag, an 'ice cream' sun dress and a few tops. Gim Kuan indulged in a pair of sunnies ('sunglasses' in Australian speak) and heels. She's gamely promised to model for me with her shades tomorrow when we head up to Central Coast.

Check out Tze Min's blog for more photos of her outing with her mum today.

My mom and I had a quieter day, beginning with a visit to Chatswood Baptist Church on the northern shore, where some friends attend on Sunday mornings.

Lunch was at Ten Ren's Tea - a Taiwanese teahouse in the same suburb, followed by coffee at a streetside cafe.

Dinner at Jordons Seafood Restaurant (at Darling Harbour) was impressive, befitting of the two mothers at the dining table! The sheer portion of the two-tier seafood platters was a sight to behold. Since Tze Min wasn't excited about shellfish raw or cooked, I was left to devour the oysters and mussels single-handedly. Come to think of it, this is the third consecutive day I'm feeding on oysters in Sydney and I can understand if this is a point of envy for you the reader. If there's one thing we can collectively say about dinner tonight, it'll be 'Burp!'. Don't be surprised if we've each gained at least two kilograms from this one meal alone! *burp* Gim Kuan was shaking her head, almost in disbelief, at the amount of food before her. But what's a celebration without a handsome spread of fresh seafood and some champagne?! *burp* Besides, Gim Kuan deserves it as she's every bit a winner! Tze Min was visually expressive of her state after dessert. *burp*

It's definitely been a full and filling journey and we're only just entering the mid-point of our travels. It's an early start to Central Coast tomorrow where we'll literally go 'nuts' in the morning. Check back on Monday evening for more updates.

*burp* (excuse me ;P)

Over & Under The Sea

Our weekend began with a 5-min walk to Central Station from our apartment to catch a train to Circular Quay just a few stops away. A short stroll later, we found ourselves at the famous weekend Rocks Market. But before browsing the handicraft the stall vendors had artistically created and proudly displayed, we had breakfast in a quaint pink courtyard of a nearby French patisserie, whose walls creepers had made their home. We headed for The Rocks next where my mum and I each bought a wind chime that wouldn't chime. Though it did not let out a sound, it gave off a fragrance that was uplighting, yet calming. Strung together were dried seeds of various wild Australian plants that had been soaked in essential oils - the perfect decorative item that served as an overhanging potpourri for any living space. Tze Min was content with a few bars of home-made chocs to tip the scales even further! :o)

Next, we boarded the 11am Sydney Harbour Morning Highlights Cruise complete with running commentary, operated by Captain Cook Cruises. Not wanting to let the sun's rays go to waste, we chose to seat ourselves on the top most deck to soak in the sights of the beautiful harbour. We disembarked at Darling Harbour with a healthy glow on our skin.

Talking about glowing skin, one marine life species we saw at the Sydney Aquarium was a fluorescent green coral. Home to the most diverse collection of Australian acquatic life, one of the highlights was certainly the Oceanarium within the facility. The only thing that separated us from huge fear-inducing flesh-eating sharks and ourselves were walls of glass. While it kept us safe and dry, an unsuspecting Tze Min shrieked when a black manta ray with a wing span of about three metres glided overhead, casting a huge shadow over her. Her yelp and ducking as if to avoid the ray amused fellow visitors who were with us in the underwater tunnel. There was water all around us and I'm sure some ladies wouldn't be too pleased with the 'walking on water' sensation because the lazier creatures would just lie under the glass platforms we walked on and peer up. Truly, the rich marine life clearly expressed their comfort and grace under water, nothing short of a spectacular close-up display of awesome marine life like nothing like I've ever encountered in other aquariums.

Emerging from the 'depths of the ocean', we popped in next door at the Sydney Wildlife World. Home to over 6000 animals, it had everything from reptiles, to amphibians and mammals in the most natural of habitats. We got to touch green stick insects and a 4-metre snake. The butterfly enclosure was a grand parade of hues.

Lunch was at Chinta Ria - Temple of Love which offered delectable familiar fare like assam fish, sambal prawn, sambal spinach and toufu chinta. The Malaysian touch whet our palattes so much so that I cleaned out an entire serving bowl of rice, while my mum, Tze Min, Gim Kuan and Grace from Tourism NSW shared another.

There's nothing better to do after a full meal than to walk it all off at Harbourside Shopping Centre. Spanning three levels, my mum and Tze Min bought thicker clothing for anticipated cooler nights next week in the Blue Mountains.

All too soon, it was dinner time. Wedged between shopping and dinner was a refreshing round of cocktails at the Astral Bar terrace, compliments of Star City. The setting sun was our cue to proceed to Pyrmont's Restaurant located in the same building. We were still pretty stuffed at dinnertime, which explained why Gim Kuan was content with a bowl of seafood chowder. My mum and I downed succulent pepper steaks while Tze Min tucked into broiled chicken. We shared a bowl of salad and a dozen oysters, wrapping up the meal with two gorgeous slices of cake (Jaffa Chocolate and Banana Caramel Cheesecake). We highly recommend the latter!

So ends another whirlwind day in Sydney. We have nothing concrete planned for tomorrow except a special Mothers' Day dinner. Before that, I believe Tze Min and her mum plan to visit Paddy's Markets and get some great warehouse buys at Birkenhead Point.

Till tomorrow's update...I'd like to wish all mothers reading this a Blessed Mothers' Day from Sydney!

For more photos, click here.