Manly to Spit Bridge Walk...almost

Suddenly realise I didn't write about Sydney itself as much as I should... so here is one of the walks I did with a friend sometime last year, the scenic Manly to Spit Bridge Walk.

We took a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly one fine Saturday morning and started our walk there.

From the ferry

The return ferry tickets itself, isn't cheap. The walk is said to be about 4 hours. You could either start at the Spit Bridge, or Manly. We picked the latter.

I think this is still somewhere in Manly Cove

Hmm.. let's not try to pinpoint where I took all those pictures... :P it was a good walk.. but boy, I am so unfit.. :P

Haha.. and no, there is no picture of Spit Bridge... cos we didn't reach the bridge :P


Side note: Want to attempt another walk tomorrow... will see how it goes :P

JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters

... now in Sydney, umm.. since 8th April. Ending this 28th May though... enough time to dropby still :P

It is organized by Japan Foundation Sydney and here's the link. Admission is free. Before you build up your imagination that it has a few rooms of exhibition, there isn't. It is a small scale exhibition but there are, however some life size characters on display :)

I won't go into details of the exhibition, it's on the website but here's some pictures, taken with phone. Forgot to bring my camera to work, I went after work on a Wednesday evening (open until 8.30pm on Wednesdays)

Japan Foundation is strategically located in Chifley Plaza, in CBD. Can consider to drop by either during lunchtime or after work :)


Side note: To go or not to go..

Short eating trip to Perth

I was back to Perth, after my first visit in 2007. This was a much shorter visit, only around Perth, main objective was to bring my mom on flight from Perth to Sydney.

Sis and bro-in-law's hospitality was top notch. Prior to my departure from Sydney, my lunches and dinners venue has already been set. The only miss was the squid ink pasta. Well... there's always next time then.

Late night supper the night I touched down in Perth Airport - apple strudel from Corica. I flew on Saturday night, no thanks to Jetstar which re-scheduled my flight from Friday night to Saturday night, they cancelled the Saturday morning flight. Anyways, back to the apple strudel. Corica does not open on Sundays, so sis bought it on Saturday morning and I had it for supper. LOL :p

Pardon the photos, it doesn't do any justice to the taste. I was too eager to dig in. It was awesome.

I didn't do much on the 3 days there, totally pigged out - literally eat and sleep, with minimal walks. Seriously.

Lunch on Sunday morning was dim sum, didn't take any picture, too hungry then. Pizzas from Little Caesers Pizzeria's was set for dinner on Sunday night. We travelled all the way to the shop in Mundaring. 4 savouries pizza to feed 5 people, and another 1 sweet pizza as dessert.

One pizza missing as it was with background of people busy eating, so I decided to omit it. Unfortunately, I didn't jot down what pizzas we had, and there are too many varieties, umm.. I can't remember the name :P

I believe this is Janes Addiction (garlic prawn, mozarella, cream cheese, lemon) but I could be totally wrong

CBGB (sauce, mozarella, garlic, chicken, seeded mustard, brazil nuts, capsicum, onion, roasted butternut pumpkin)

BBQ (bacon, shaved ham, mozzarella, chicken, pepperoni, bbq sauce)

Black Forrest (choc cherry cake, dark chocolate, icing sugar, vanilla ice-cream, cherry syrup)
This is for serious sweet tooth, eating pizza without ice-cream won't last you very long. The ice-cream really cuts cut the sweetness of the chocolate!

Duck rice for Monday... and a home-cooked meal before flying off on Monday evening. I'll be back for squid ink pasta! :P

There you go, my eating trip in Perth.... with just a little stroll in the city. Very little.

The signature black swan outside Perth Train Station

Side note: Is Kangaroo Island worth it?... *ponder*

A walk in the Capital

Little P said I stopped blogging after I finished the Japan trip series, and that to promote more posts, I should go travel more often. LOL.. *ponder

Anyways... I found myself back to Canberra, ACT. Hmm.. not that there are a lot going on there for me to go back again and again. Despite my 3rd visit to the capital of Australia, I have not step my foot at the Australia War Memorial. This trip was more so of running an errand, an important one.

I took a Murrays Coach this time round, and googled up on public transports in Canberra, as I did plan on going to the Australia War Memorial (as there wasn't much choice left) and Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets, just because it was a more feasible distance destination. But no, I ended up walking the whole time I was in Canberra, no buses, no Australia War Memorial and no Fyshwick Market. Blame the weather, it looked so threatening to rain but it didn't *roll eyes*I stayed in Rydges Lakeside Canberra, after being conned by google map. I promised when I first googled it, it told me this said hotel is on the same side as Malaysian High Commission. Just like this...

Walking direction and it's 3 minutes away! I was a happy girl. Note the 'was'. Imagine my horror when I reached there.. and it told me walking time about 45 minutes (from memory). I googled many, many times and it told me it was 3 minutes away.

Despite coaches stop at the other side of the city, I decided that I would stay in this 3 minutes away from Malaysian High Commision hotel, in spite of not so good review in tripadvisor. By the way, those reviews are pretty much hit on the spot, nice lobby but the room were old. Overall it was clean but the carpet makes me tip toe when I walked and hotels in Australia doesn't provide slippers.

So, in the end, I spent 15 minutes walking to the city where they have the big Westfield, and 45 minutes to Malaysian High Commission. Also, as I did not bring my mobile charger with me at that time (thinking it was only a night), and didn't want to risk getting lost or late the next morning, I tried walking 45 mins there...and back (another 45 mins).

The whole trip pretty much revolved around me walking back and forth :P

Behind Rydges Lakeside Canberra, there was this little bridge, the beginning of the walk towards Lake Burley Griffin.

See.. there's the hotel, even the building looks yellower than the rest of them.

From small bridge to bigger bridge. View from the bridge.

The lake itself!

Parliament House from afar

Back to the main road after a stretch of walk by the lake.

Crossing the big bridge which connects the 2 side of Canberra.

That was the bridge that I just walked crossed.

The other side of the lake.. Canberra Nara Peace Park

Don't play play, this led to where the embassies/consulates/high comms... I was unsure, looking at the little path...that was what google map said (when it was showing the correct distance.)

Destination.

Side note: I must be more productive tomorrow! Ganbaro!

Kyoto: Shichijo-dori

Lunch was simple Japanese curry rice at ココ一番 (Coco Ichiban). However, it was not short of effort. After missing having it in Akihabara a couple of days before, as well as in Nara. I take note of the location of ココ一番 shop in Kyoto when I passed it whilst on the bus.

The location was reaffirmed on my walk back to Capsule Ryokan Kyoto from Sanjusangen-do Temple. I did not visit Sanjusangen-do temple, it was about 8pm then, I hopped off the bus at what I thought was a nearby bus station. LOL. I suspect it would've been nearer walking back from Gion straightaway the night before. I put it down as getting to know Kyoto better ^_^

Here's how some part of Shichijo Dori looked like.

I had pork curry the last time, this time around I wanted to try エビにこみカレー (prawn curry)

...with a side of soft boil egg.

After lunch, with some more time to kill, I walkabout around Kyoto station.

This is a little random but ... here's a picture of washroom in Porta, a shopping complex adjacent to Kyoto train station.

I am very impressed with the hooks provided for hanging things. How cool is that?

I succumbed to peer pressure and got a bright pink beanie, but it really kept the ears warm!

By this day, the precious 14 day JR pass had already expired. I got myself the JR Kansai Area Pass for 2,000 yen as Haruka Limited Express to Kansai Airport (non reserved) cost 2,980 yen one way. However one cannot use any shinkansen or other limited express using this pass.

I returned to Capsule Ryokan to pick up my fatty backpack and things, shed all the layering before walking back to Kyoto Station to board Haruka 31 bounding for Kansai Airport.

I was sooo tempted to get an ekiben and eat it on flight. LOL.. but didn't in the end as flight was 8ish and I could grab dinner in airport, then brushed my teeth. :)

Last meal in the Land of Rising Sun, Ebi Tempura donburi.

Side note: Alright... thank you for reading my very long-winded journal on my Japan trip undertaken in January. I might randomly write other stuff ... but that's another story...

Kyoto: Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮) & Tenjin-san Flea Market (天神さん)

Breakfast of the day - パターフレーキ

As I finished breakfast, a fellow traveller hang out in the lounge room and we had a brief chat. He was also travelling by himself, a South Korean financial analyst but coincidentally working in the same street in Sydney. LOL but no, we didn't exchange contact. I'm not very good in making friend, aren't I = ="

It was his first day, my last day though :(

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine Flea Market, or commonly referred to as Tenjin-san Market, held on 25th of every month on the grounds of historic Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮). Different websites give different operating times, but approximate 6am/7am to 4pm.

It was at the northern area of Kyoto, nearer to Kinkakuji. I remembered being on the bus forever, I must've got on one of those slow bus.

First morning snack of the day.

There were a few selections. I had とりもも串(100 yen). とり being chicken but I wasn't too sure what もも meant. Not willing to risk eating some internal organ or what not, I fished out the trusty phone and checked. Grin, もも = thigh. :P There's no yakitori on chicken breast meat or I would've got those.

Tenjin-san being a flea market, housed many stalls selling pottery, old kimono and obi, antiques, tools, etc. Of course, there were no shortage of food stalls.

Big wok of oden

There were even plants on sale.

My second morning snack - sakura mochi. I have always been curious about sakura flavour. It was pretty good.

Beautiful piece of mochi, isn't it? I was not too sure about eating the leaf as well, so I asked. Haha.. yes, the whole thing can be eaten. :P

I bought a packet of 七味 (shichimi), the elderly couple who manned the stall was so friendly that they even gave me a candy just for buying the shichimi. :)

How could I travelled all the way but not visit the shrine as well? Here it is... Kitano Tenmangu Shrine.

Not too sure what this is called, but from observation, people will touch the statue and then a relevant part of their body. Example, touch the leg of the animal statue, followed with touching their own leg. I assumed it is to cure some pain of the body.

Side note: Why the chiffon cake I baked don't look like chiffon cake? = ="