Goodbye beautiful.

This is it. Our flight is at 9pm today. We woke up a little late to pack stuff last minute, clean the apartment - we do have to clean it spotless and take out the trash. Reheat our last lunch and by noon we checked out from the apartment. I need to come back at 2pm to collect my deposit since I gave them in cash.

We decided to head off to Harbour Town again. Hehe tak puas shopping. So, we drive about 30 minutes to Harbour Town and the shopping galore starts again. Feeza and I bought two Rip Curl tshirts worth AUD10 a piece. Syima bought a lot of stuff plus another bag!We arrived back at the apartment at 2pm to collect my deposit, then we fill up the tank and off we go to cross the border to New South Wales.

We are intending to go to Cape Byron to see the Byron bay Lighthouse. During Spring, you can spot whales here. The journey took about 50 minutes per way. Here comes my biggest regret - My SJ4000 and camera were packed away and I miss the most beautiful scenery of NSW. You know you enter New South Wales when you see green and luscious farms on the side of the Pacific Coast highway. Syima was asleep and Feeza is trying to stay awake. It was late in the evening so we rush to the Byron Bay Lighthouse. I intended to stop at some beach but time does not permit it.

We went half way up and park at the parking bay provided - we were lucky that there are no crowd. We walk for 5 minutes and began to gasp for the beautiful scenery of the coast! Subhanallah!!! Truly magnificent view. The coast is stretch to as far as your eyes can see with waves rolling over. We walk up until we found the Cape Byron Lighthouse. First lighthouse for all of us.

We were standing on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. We went around the lighthouse and went down for some photos. There is actually a trail to go further down but as I mentioned, time just doesn't permit us.

Cape Byron Lighthouse

From the parking lot. Thats a cliff!


Below the lighthouse. The lights were switch on!

Sunset at Byron Bay





While we descend down to the car, we witness the beautiful sunset of that day. I really wish we could spent more time here. We went down and Syima and I again have to perform prayer at a local car park. Some surfer dudes were giving a weird look. We then went straight to Coolangatta Airport. We promised Europcar to return the car by 7pm. Since the fuel decrease a little, we filled it up a bit at the airport petrol station. Parked the car, drop the keys at Europcar and we checked our luggage.

We went inside and buy dinner at a cafe. We were then greeted by 2 ladies that is on the same flight as us. They are headed to Langkawi for a girls trip. Instantly I wish this was us when we are at that age. Being in Langkawi so much, I gave them loads of tips like place to go, where to eat and recommend them the spa. They were so friendly we ended up chatting for an hour while having our Fish and Chips.

8 hours later, we arrived to the land of Durian and Nasi Lemak at 4 a.m. We part ways and although tired, we find this adventure to be very pleasant and full of enjoyment.

Thank You Australia for a memorable trip. I do love Australia! Until next time.

Previous post: Australia - Gold Coast Day 4





I have always loved the idea of scenic drive since we drove in Switzerland. There is something very calming about driving. I have studied about the route I am taking for this short scenic drive and also find those sweet lookout spots.

We had breakfast and packed our lunch. So, in short today we are going to drive inside the Lamington National Park to visit Alpaca Farm and the lookout point name Kamerun. Then, we planned to head down for some shopping at Harbour Town - its like JPO, but better.

Check the petrol and off we go on the early morning. We drove thru some suburbs and see schools, clinics, grocery store and people going on with their lives. The weather was amazing with blue skies above and sun is out.

We can easily spot the transition of city to suburb and it gets more greener as we journey to the inland. There are two places you can venture out for some nature appreciation which is Lamington Park or Mount Tamborine. I've tried to squeeze Mount Tamborine but these two locations are on the different side of the national reserve.

There is a lot to see here - there's the O'Reilly's place which you can have tree top walks to Glow worm cave. I just wish we had more time to explore Gold Coast. To get to the national park, we usually go on the same route as the Mount Tamborine. There are few routes you can choose but all will pass a town call Cannugra.

This was the road signs for places in the National Park



Overtaking lanes

Beautiful clear blue sky


The total journey take almost 1.5 hours to get to the lookout point. There were only 2 lanes of traffic and there were a lot of hairpin corners especially when you are at Springbrook. I suggest you drive according to the speed limit and be careful on blind corners.

Also, they have a lot of a one lane street - You have to wait at on your end to let some one on the opposite traffic pass the road. There were 5 of these along the way but it was mark clearly. These one way lane is usually 250m long. So please stop at the STOP sign. Look if there is a car approaching from opposite direction. Blind corners here put Genting Highland to shame.

We finally arrive at the Alpaca Farm- AND IT'S CLOSE! What kind of business is close on Tuesday? We parks anyway and got to see the alpaca from outside. The souvenir shop was open and the ladies were very kind to let us in the alfresco cafe that overlooks its gorgeous valley. The travel buddy even got to use the toilet. We took gazillion of pictures and bought some cookie and postcard from the shop. It's a shame that the farm were close that day.

Hello! They do spit.

The Alfresco view of the Lamington valley
We move to our second location which is the Kamerun lookout - dubbed the best look out point in Lamington. It is tricky to get up here but we got it handled. It was starting to be cloudy. The grass were green and the look out was beautiful. We hang out for a while with some "Hindustan photoshoot" going on. There are no one else besides us up there.

Although while doing the Hindustan moves, we are caution about the Kangaroos poop everywhere. Come on guys.

3 stooges

Almost twist my arm to get this bloody shot. 
Magical.

Panorama view

This was the most descent Hindustan pose we had.  Trust me you don't wanna know.
The clouds, the blue sky makes the experience slightly magical to us. We fell in love with this spot. This will forever be our favourite spot in Queensland. It was just us, no one else. So we take one good look/photo/selfie/wefie and we're off to the shopping galore of Harbour Town.

It took 45 minutes to reach there and it was raining when we descend from the Kamerun lookout. Drizzling is the best word to describe it. Syima was asleep as always. My SJ400 battery died during halfway of journey - that explain why I have few footage on the journey. I screw the camera to a bicycle mount attached to my rear view mirror.

We arrived at HB and had our lunch in the car then we went out hunting! We first went to Target - there was a clearance sale. I picked 2 tshirt and 1 cardigan, gave syima $30 to pay while I went back to the car to get my wallet. *facepalm*.

When I returned to Syima, she told me that ALL of our clothes are $30. I was shocked and check the receipe. Indeed!!!! There was a 80% discount on top of the already discounted price. I ended up to pay ONLY AUD8 for 3 piece of garments. Cheap! Thought of going back but the queue diminish my desire.

We went our separate ways inside the huge complex. What we buy:
- Went in Cotton On to buy my nephews tshirt, Feeza got some for her friend's kid.
- Went to Sunglass hut where I bought a Ray Ban Aviator for AUD86 = RM 240.8. It was on Sale. Ko gila ray Ban dap at harga ni?
- Went to Sketchers where Syima and I bought our shoes for AUD29 = RM81. Damn cheap!
- Chemist to buy perfumes for my friend and had some churros.

We lost track of time and the Harbour Town is closing. Syima and I ended up praying at an empty parking lot because the surau there was closed. The adaptability of Muslim women.

We headed off to Surfer Paradise where we cook dinner and rest. We went out again to shop for souvenirs at Surfer's Paradise. We ended up buying from several stores including one own by a Malaysian. It was cheap. You can get a tshirt for AUD5-8. I already got the magnets in Cairns and we went to a store to buy some nougats.

It happens that it was St Patrick's Day and the pub's are full with people wearing green. At first I thought of buying Nougats but then I tasted the macadamia nuts mix. It was awesomely delicious! It came with several flavour - I bought chocolate coated and original. Travel buddies bought them too. It was a hit at the office. Syima finally decided that she need an extra luggage - imagine the horror of our face. We went back to the hotel for packing and some laundry. This was our last night in Australia!

Next post: Australia - New South Wales Day 6
Previos post: Australia - Cairns Day 3

I woke up at 4-5 a.m for Subuh prayer – I walked like a zombie due to exhaustion. Sun rise pretty early in Australia. At 7 a.m we woke up and get ready for breakfast. Boil the water, heat up the food for lunch and take shower in turns (thankfully we have 2 bathrooms). For breakfast, we have some OJ, omelet, fries and maggi. We made omelet and fries for lunch, packed it up and get ready.

While I was watching the TV, there is a headline for Movie World. The Green Lantern Coaster derailed yesterday leaving riders stuck on air. I was shocked. They are dangling by 2 wheels. Ya Allah, we are thankful that we did not go there yesterday since Green Lantern coaster was in one of my must-ride list! The park is still open but the GL ride was closed. The riders were brought to hospital with minor injuries.
Superman Escape roller coaster


We depart from apartment and reached Movie World in 30 minutes. We are early so they were a lot of parking space. The gates open and we went inside with smiling faces. I took a glimpse at the closed Green Lantern ride. The crowd was okay I guess. Coming in, you will be greeted by DC souvenir shop and the view of the Superman Roller Coaster (ride goals).

So, my ride goals:
1. Superman Return
2. Arkham Asylum
3. Scooby Doo Dark Coaster
4. Green Lantern

The Superman Coaster was already up and running but it was too early for a G Force ride early in the morning. We opt to walk around the park and ride a kid coaster (I am embarrassed). Syima and Feeza chickened out for roller coaster ride so we ride the Road Runner Coaster which is a loop coaster with thrill level cater for kids. I even stole the front seat! Aha!

Just like universal studios, there were a lot of building here according to ones theme. We managed to walk the boulevard, met some characters and watch some shows. The next ride was the Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster. Well, this ride was special as it was an interactive dark ride. They have a cart that fit 4 people. I was separated from Feeza and Syima - they rode with a couple of young kids and I rode with an Indian couple. Its dark, spooky and thrilling! They have elevators for the cart - yes actual elevator and they have a backward drop. So, be prepared for that! The waiting space consist of an old spooky castle with videos from the Scooby Doo movies.
With shaggy and scooby foo

Willy Wonka Chocolate Shop

Survived the cool dark ride!


Right after, we went to see some live action show for "F&F-like" movie. There were stunt men riding fast cars as part of a movie shooting set.

Large crowds here

Then myself went to my 1st thrill ride which is the Arkham Asylum. Travel buddies ditch me for this ride. The ride seems to extreme for them. Well, it is. I kin of understand why it was called Arkham Asylum. One main cool thing was the entire section, commentary and even the ride staff dressed according to the theme. Arkham Asylum was home for the Joker in batman series and this ride was supposedly a treatment for patients.

It was full of 360 loops and never ending corkscrew. I was seated next to a middle school boy. See, this boy is braver than my travel buddies *evil laugh*. Then I went to my last ride which is the Superman Escape. As always, complete portrayal of Metropolis. The coaster interior was a subway station. I was waiting in line - about 2 more batches left and suddenly the ride experienced technical difficulties. -____-

I waited for 10 minutes then gave up. We decided to have our lunch. Then, the moment I stepped outside of the gate, the ride was on again! OMG! We keep our lunch plans by retrieving the lunch pack and ate our lunch at the bench outside.

Joker as a welcoming committee. 

Superman!

To celebrate my bravery





After lunch, I decided to on the ride with a full stomach - bad idea, I know. But since this ride does not have loops I think i'll be fine. I tried one last time to persuade Feeza to get on but I failed. She taught this ride has loops - which she can't stand. It turns out it does not and she later regrets it.

My heart was beating fast and I was in the coaster. I heard that it launch from 0 to 120 km/h in 2 seconds. We were going through a mini coaster inside the building. I hold the restrain so hard the moment I heard "Don't worry folks, I'm gonna get you outta here, fast - superman fast". In 2 seconds I was on the top hat of the ride. :')

Yeah, I have to insert my hijab inside my shirt. It was so fast that my brain couldn't comprehend my whereabouts- I only feel winds on my face. This ride offers a positive and negative G Force and boy, it does not disappoint. It was a quick, violent ride. When we are done, I felt hangover.

Bugs bunny himself. 

I choose not to buy my ride photographs because they are all ugly. Hahaha. We spent the evening shopping at the souvenir shop. Syima bought loads of stuff. I bought a jumper and a tshirt. We then watch some parade before heading home.

Cik kak ni action je amek gambar depan coaster tu hahaha. Padahal tak naik pun. Gayat katanya.

 We head back home, rest a little bit and head out to the Surfers Paradise Boulevard. It was a reasonable walking distance. We surveyed some souvenir shops and enjoy the sea breeze. We head back to cook dinner and tomorrow's lunch. We are having a mini road trip tomorrow!

Good night from SP.
Next post: Australia - Lamington National Park Day 5
At 3.30 a.m., we checked out of the hotel with the same night shift guy. When we went down, we heard a couple of drunken pals from backpackers hostel next door chilling at their lounge. At 4 a.m, our airport shuttle pick us up.

We reached the airport pretty early. We then go through security as usual and went to the boarding terminal. Luckily there was a coffee joint that opened 24 hours so that we can have our breakfast – I ate my kebab leftover.

One problem – there is no prayer room for our Subuh prayers. Since they are not many people at the airport at 5 a.m, we manage to pray behind an escalator at the end of terminal. We sneaked and pray comfortably. At 5.30 a.m, we begin the boarding process. Due to full flight, Jeststar made everyone go through the hand luggage scale routine. Yes people, don’t assume this is Air Asia where they just let you pass. Jetstar is very strict on 1 piece hand luggage with handbag where BOTH must not exceed 7kg. Yep, they made us weigh both our handbag and hand luggage.

There was no issue for us since we are prepared for this. Even Syima passed the scale because we distributed some our stuff around. There are some Asian tourist who are being stubborn. They bring like 4 pieces of luggage and insist on going on board – they were escorted to check in their luggage.

Degil jugak diorang ni sebenarnya. Lepas tu buat buat tak paham. Lepas tu pelik kenapa kena check in. Dahla bag dia besar lepas tu banyak and berat memang staff pun x leh tolong lah.
The day was sunny and beautiful – my heart sank because this is the weather we dreamt for our Great Barrier Reef Trip. If only we stay one more night. If only. During the flight, we fly over the Great Barrier Reef. We only experience it from air. Sob. Tengok dari tingkap plane pun jadilah.
Sea World Dolphins.

We arrived in Brisbane as scheduled and we ran to the car and straight away we drove to Sea World – our first themepark. We first have to queue to change our ticket to a plastic pass where they took our picture. Sea World was huge with a lot of shows and rides. We organize quickly on our time in here. We went to Penguin House before going to the famous Sea World Dolphin Show. BTW, you can see the dolphins near the main entrance. Their pool are located out here so you can actually see them outside of show times. This time, we already cooked or heated our lunch at Cairns. We had the Fried Rice from Brahim as our lunch before sending Syima off to her special Dolphin Adventure. She bought this online which entitled her to experience dolphins up close complete with DVD and picture. There’s a lot of package but her’s was AUD 200. They will provide you swimming attire. Meanwhile, Feeza and I went around to see Polar Bear and we go to the touch pool where you can touch Stingrays! They are super friendly and slimy. You just have to put your hand inside and they will give you a ‘handshake’.
What the VIP Pass looks like.


Penguins

Ray hand shake. 



Cute little butt

Polar bear

World champs for jet ski. Pick which one you prefer


We actually went to ride the Storm Coaster. Aha! My first roller coaster ride in Gold Coast! Feeza whose afraid actually went on it because this coaster has no corkscrew or 360 loops. I know it’s a wet coaster but we ‘assumed’ that if we sit at the back we will be fine. We put our stuff in the locker provided and changed to flip flops. The queue was not that long and we managed to be seated at the back. It was a coaster simulating a Cyclone hits a city – there’s ruins and flipped cars and sirens. Then we accelerated to the first drop. It was fast and fun – not to terrifying since Feeza enjoyed it. Then, cam the plunge. Okay, we were a little wet and it’s what we expected. Entering the complex again came the unexpected waterfall. Our jaw dropped. Feeza was seated on the right so yeah, the waterfall got her. She was drenched. I was not – hehe. We didn’t go in the dry pod since it was very sunny today.

We met with Syima and went to the Tropical Aquarium where you can see sharks. Yes, you can pay AUD110 for a tropical reef snorkeling in Sea World. We went to the polar bear and stingray enclosure the second time so Syima can see them. We then went to see the Jet Ski Show by Jet Ski world champ. Did I mentioned that they’re hot? At one point my eyes were fixed. *cough*.
Post-Storm coaster
The tropical aquarium
We bought our souvenir on our way home and I bought a Sea World towel. You can buy some Dora Explorer and Ninja Turtle stuff here too. We went out at 5 p.m and straight away to the apartment. The apartment was easy to find thanks to Google Street. I was pretty cautious since Gold Coast tram rail has begin operation. So, watch out for the tram!

Since we arrived outside of office hours, we checked in on our own with instructions from the intercom. They gave me a code for the safe and in it was our car park key card, apartment key and receipt. We only have to fill the paperworks tomorrow. We parked our car at the basement and headed to our 15th floor apartment.
The million dollar view

Master bedroom

Fully functional kitchen

Our apartment was excactly the same as in Agoda pictures. Clean, huge and pretty! 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It is a fully equipped apartment. After prayers, we went out by car to the supermarket 5 blocks down (its so near we regret taking our car). We parked the car and went to the 1st supermarket below the Grand Chancellor Hotel which sells halal chicken meat. Yeay! We bought chicken, eggs here and went to the supermarket inside the hotel to buy rice, oil, French fries, 2L orange juice, vege mix, 2 fillets of fish, prawns and seafood mix (fish, mussle, prawn, squid). How much it costs for all of these? AUD27. Yes, you heard me. AUD27 for all 3 days’ worth of cooking. Murah kan? Mewah sebab beli banyak seafood.


We went back to the hotel and samak our cooking utensils, plates with Sabun Tahara. Kalau tak bawak sabun ni macam mana nak samak, nak masak. We cooked 2 dishes – for dinner and lunch tomorrow. Our dinner tonight was rice, ayam madu, mix vege and omelet while for lunch we cook chicken kurma. Feeza and I took the master bedroom while syime took the second bedroom. We cleaned the kitchen, watch a little bit of TV and sleep, very well. We unintentionally leave the window open so Feeza and I were freezing.
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