Mr and Mrs P's down under adventure Part 1 - Sydney

More than being wed as Mr. and Mrs. Penaranda last September 2017, we are so excited to be traveling together to Australia for our honeymoon. This is also our first out of country together, so imagine how we look forward to be doing this, finally!

Our first stop was the vibrant Sydney. We arrived around 8AM and as my adventurer self kick-in, we ventured our way to the public transport to reach our hotel. It was Bien's second time in the land down under and it was my first. Admittedly, I depended on him that he may already know where the train station is located in the airport. As most husbands are, I still have to help ourselves navigate. :)

We stayed in Base Sydney Hotel and it is in the CBD (Central Business District) so everything touristy seems to be a walking distance. The place is not that highly recommended for honeymooners though as there are so many backpackers staying and it might get rowdy at times. We spent 530 AUD for 3 nights for lodging. Since we arrived early, we cannot check-in yet so we just left our luggage and stroll to the nearest attraction - Queen Victoria Building.

We were so excited yet exhausted from our flight so we had a hard time choosing where to eat for brunch. We ended having salad and sandwich.

After having brunch, we can finally check-in and freshen up. The room we had is a king room with private bathroom. After napping, we regained our strength and head off to our first order of business - The Sydney Tower Eye. I pre-ordered our Skywalk and Observation Deck package as part of my wedding gift to Bien. There is no queue, so it was hassle free. We were acquainted with others who availed the same package. It was breath taking to be doing that with the love of my life. I had an experience with Skywalk back in 2014 in Cebu, and boy I must say, it is really different if you do things with love. 

In doing this kind of activity, safety is the top priority so make sure you are secured and proper attire must be worn at all times. Sydney Eye Tower is the tallest building in Sydney so the view is really spectacular. The tower stands 308 m above the ground. After doing the skywalk, we stayed in the observation deck to further appreciate the view of Sydney for our 1st day in the land down under.

We did not stay long to witness the sunset so we already started strolling again until we reached Sydney Opera House. Weather in October is perfect. I love the coolness so it is perfect for strolling. It took about 25 minute walk as we capture tourist spots in the area as well. Upon arriving at the iconic structure, we took a minute to appreciate solely the view. It was a dream come true for me! 

The Sydney Opera House up close and in person. There are a lot of people unwinding (probably because it was a Saturday night) so we got confused where to dine for dinner. We ended picking up a place where they served quite expensive steak along Circular Quay. We called it a night after our stomach were full.

For Day 2, we started early to visit St. Mary's Cathedral to hear mass on a Sunday. We just walk again to our destination while taking photos of everything amazing around us.

Sydney Eye Tower view from Hyde Park

St. Mary's Cathedral 

Gothic Inspired Cathedral

We passed by Rose Garden to appreciate nature more en route to Sydney Opera House again so we can see it in the broad daylight. 

Spring time! Flowers blooming beautifully

So much great architectural works.

We head to The rocks for another walking tour. Too bad it was too early as the shops are just prepping up to open. We had coffee and visited Cadmans Cottage, a former water police station and sailor's home.

We learned about the nearby The Rocks Discovery Museum, so went inside and explored a little. There are exhibitions that demonstrate the history of the area and the impact of European settlement.

Exterior of The Rocks Discovery Museum

There is also the nearby Museum of Contemporary Arts so we also took time to visit it. I had been fond of visiting this genre since 2015 when I was exposed to it in Singapore followed by Seoul the following year.

The view from the topmost floor of the Museum. There is a nearby event happening near the overseas passenger terminal. 

Posing at the market in The Rocks. Chill Sunday vibes everywhere.

We finally went back to our hotel to rest for a while since we did a lot of walking. After being energized, we decided to head to the world renowned, Bondi Beach. The beach runs about a kilometer long. There are a lot of visitors having a good time - sunbathing, exercising, swimming and surfing! For us, we weren't dressed for the beach as the weather is too cold for us. Nonetheless, we enjoyed watching sexy men and ladies! :)

Strong waves welcome us in Bondi

All smiles for all the sexy people we saw! :)

We were surprised that almost all the buses are full on our way back to our hotel. We decided to be adventurous, so we walk for about 2km to the nearest train stop. However, we forgot to account that the way would be uphill! We were so tired and cold and hubby was kind of irritated as he was carrying all our stuff. 

Our third day in Sydney was allotted for our Blue Mountain Tour. I purchased in advance our activities as this was also part of my wedding gift to Bien. I am glad we allotted time for this as truly the view was majestic. Our tour guide also is very informative and entertaining. He was also the one who toured Oprah when she visited Blue Mountains.

I was hoping we can spend longer time in the Blue Mountains as there are a lot of activities to do, but our stay in Sydney is limited. The Blue Mountains is considered to be the "Grand Canyon of Australia". It is also World Heritage Listed. 

Our first stop was an overview of the place. It was so amazing. A little bit scary too because we are literally at the edge of the mountain. There are no safety rails separating us, so falling is truly a hazard. After some historical background and introduction, we head to the beautiful town of Leura where we had our lunch. It is a good thing we had our packed lunch (from woolworths) as restaurants are so crowded by tourists,

Amazing view with my one and only

The colorful town of Leura where cherry blossoms are everywhere!

I thought I can only witness Cherry Blossom Trees in Korea or Japan, glad we were able to do so here in Australia.

We then went to Scenic World were we toured the rainforest. Our tour guide really knows a lot about the types of trees and aboriginal culture. We also rode the surprising scenic railway. It was truly an experience we will never forget.

Riding the Scenic Cable to see the Katoomba Falls

Amazing View from above

Our trail to have a better look 

This time, there are already safety rails in this viewpoint. 

Our tour ended in a ferry ride, dropping us off in Circular Quay. We had another spectacular view with Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House. 

Our  fourth and final day in Sydney is jam packed. We met with my college friend, Tricia for breakfast. Such a lovely catch-up time with her. Our breakfast was superb too. I just can't remember the name of the restaurant. We parted ways and said our goodbyes as me and Bien head to Taronga Zoo. Good thing, I had an advance booking as we head straight to the cable entrance. It was so fun visiting a zoo because the animals are free to roam around in a specific area. This is the case for Kangaroos. Some of course needs to be caged for safety purposes of the visitors.

Our power breakfast as treated by our friend, Tricia

Quick catch-up with my friend who I miss so much!

Taronga Zoo Kangaroo

Oh, hello there! We can freely pat this little creature

Bien with apes as his background

Too bad we still had a flight to Goldcoast to catch, so we hurriedly left the Zoo. I remember we spent only about 2.5 hours I think roaming in the area. We got our luggage from the hotel and went straight to the airport already to catch our domestic flight. 

Our time in Sydney was short, but we sure had collected a lot of loving memories in vibrant Sydney. Next Stop - Goldcoast leg!

Northern Cebu Escapade

In the middle of wedding preparations last year, I took my last vacay as a single lady with two of my closest friends to unwind, to reflect and to just plainly get a good time. Our chosen destination was Northern Cebu (Bantayan Island and Malapascua). Both of course requires long hours of travel before one can reach the magical islands. 

We arrived past midnight in Cebu and was enthusiastically greeted by our Cebuana girl friend. We took the taxi to Northern Bus Terminal in the hope of catching the early bus to Sta. Fe. The first aircon bus that drives directly to Sta. Fe though arrived at around 3AM. Only Ceres Bus lines served that route during our visit. The fare is 200 php per head. However, the Roro payment is separate upon reaching Hagnaya port, one must buy a different ticket at 180 php per head. There are a lot of stores in the port so one can also buy breakfast such as pandesal, sweet corn and banana to fill your stomach. 

Our chosen hotel is along the route of Ceres Bus Line, so we were easily dropped at Coucou Bar Hotel and Restaurant. We arrived around 7 AM, but we were not allowed to check-in yet. We just had our heavy breakfast in the restaurant and deposited our bags so we can roam around the area.

We decided to kill time by renting a bike. Little did we know it will take us more than 10km ride with rough road to reach the bayan. Our bike has no gear option, so imagine the difficulty. 

We felt like we are in a K-drama with this kind of bike. Bike rental is at 150 php for 24 hours.

We visited the bayan and saw the plaza. We were able to view St. Perter and Paul Parish, which is the oldest parish in Cebu. It was founded way back 1580. We did not enter the church anymore since we are all sweaty and in our shorts. 

This oldest parish in Cebu was founded by Augustinian Missionaries in 1850.

We simply cannot endure the bike ride back to our hotel so we just rented a jeep for 300 pesos to take us back. We were already allowed to check-in by the time we returned. We rested for a while and refreshed ourselves. We managed to go out late afternoon already to check out Kota Beach Resort. Entrance is free. 

We had fun swimming since there were not much waves. We called the night early as we are bound to travel to Malapascua the following day. 

To reach Malapascua, we have to ride the same bus back to reach Santa. Fe Port.  We also need to pay Roro ride at 180 php per head. In Hagnaya port, we rode a tricycle to drop us at the junction. Tricycle cost 30 per head. We waited for almost 30 minutes since we wanted to catch another aircon bus to Maya Port. There are also UV express in the area but almost all are full. Bus fare to Maya Port cost at 40 php per head. Since it is low tide during our arrival, we need to ride a pump boat for 20 php per head before riding the regular boat at 100 php per head to reach Malapascua Island. 

We love Malapascua. I imagined that this could had been how Boracay looks like in the 80s or 90s. I hope they preserve the natural condition of the island. We booked a room at Little Mermaid Dive Resort. We were able to just chill at the beach and watch the beautiful view.

Regular boat ride to reach the island. 

Chillin at the beach 

The following day, we woke up early for our snorkel tour. The whole tour just costs us 400 per head. Good find! The best part was witnessing the beauty of the Coral Garden. I hope they strengthen their environmental protection to ensure that corals will be well preserved. When we visited the place, there were no personnel to charge us for Environmental Fee or even someone to police tourists if they are not aware that corals should not be touched. We also passed by the lighthouse as part of the side trip.

Shipwreck in Malapascua 

A little municipality where we brought food for our snorkeling activity

The lighthouse in Malapascua

After our early morning activity, we were set to return back to Cebu City as our city tour awaits us. We paid another boat ride back to Maya port at 100 php per head. From the port, there are vans that drives directly to Cebu City. The cost is 200 per head. 

Upon reaching the city, we asked to be dropped off in a mall to meet with our City tour driver. We hired him for 3 hours to check Sirao Garden, Temple of Leah and Tops. Our transportation costs us at 500 php per head while the entrance fee we paid is at 200 php total. I just forgot the breakdown.

The beautiful garden of Sirao 

 Tops is really a chill place. You can just have your picnic here with the view

 View from Tops. Might be more dramatic at night!

 So many artifacts here in Temple of Leah

 Feels like I am not in the Philippines anymore

After our city tour, we were all exhausted, so it is time for us to check in at Red Planet Hotel to secure our stuff. For our last night in Cebu, we have to really try Rico's Lechon. This was my third time in Cebu. Third time seems to be the charm as I was able to try the famous Rico's Lechon.

I guess Rico's lechon wins over Zubuchon and  CnT. YUMMY!

We are bound to fly back to Manila the following day but we cannot go back until we pay our respect to Basilica de Sto. Nino. We visited the church early morning.

 It's nice to see the church is being rebuilt after the quake in 2013

We also passed by Tabora to do our last minute shopping before we had a quick lunch around Ayala area. I was happy to meet with an old colleague as well.

It was always a pleasure to catch up with an old friend

So much fun for my last escapade as a single lady! Next blog entry would probably be about the most important day of my life, the day I said I do to my husband.