The Cube

When our driver first brought up about Albert Hall, my first thought was, "Here goes, he's going to bring us to buy pewter." Somehow Albert Hall striked me as a place which sells pewter (Read: Royal Selangor), let alone that fact that Royal Selangor is a Malaysia brand. So it was a rather pleasant surprise to see this beautiful building when we were finally there.




Albert Hall which is also known as the Government Central Museum, was a design by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob. It was commissioned by Sawai Ram Singh II to honour the visit of Albert, the Prince of Wales in 1886. This architecture, has a Indo-Saracenic style, a hybrid from that combined modern European with traditional Indian elements.

The foundation stone of Albert Hall was laid during the visit of Prince Albert Edward in 1876. At that time, it had yet to be determined what use it would be put it.

In 1880, Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II approved a suggestion by Dr Thomas Holbein Hendley to open a museum of Industrial Arts to display products of local craftsmen. Albert Hall was completed in 1887.



We were here twice actually, the first time was the day we reached Jaipur but it was already closed for the day. We took some photos from the outside and proceeded to Birla Mandir. Needless to say, we bought tickets to enter the museum the second time.

Ground floor displays decorative shields, metal ware, pottery and an Egyptian mummy.


First floor has a collection of miniature paintings, wood carvings, ivory pieces, jewelleries, textiles and pottery objects.




After looking through the exhibits, we took more photos outside while wishing no bird poops landed on us. One can't ignore that fact that there were a lot of birds...



Side note: All these posts on India makes me feel like having some masala....

I stumbled upon this one of the day after work when I was assigned the task to check out those Korean barbecue place opposite Queen Victoria Market. As I was walking about trying to look for another establishment - a American grill restaurant, I saw them just next to the market.

Grin - it almost feel like it is put there to avoid people putting padlocks on bridges...


Side note: We ended up going to another restaurant though... not Korean barbecue nor the grill place

He offered a photo together, but Little P reminded me that I would need to pay him later...

Jaipur City Palace, located right smack in the heart of Jaipur is a palace complex in Jaipur. It is a very short walk from Jantar Mantar. Occupying the heart of Jai Singh II's city, the City Palace has been home to the rules of Jaipur since the first half of the 18th century. This palace complex is now open to public as the Maharaja Sawai Man singh II Museum, or popularly known as the City Palace Museum.

Rajendra Pol

This gateway is known as Rajendra Pol. Rajendra Pol is a magnificent gateway that separates the Diwan-i-Khas (one of the open hall) from Mubarak Mahal in the palace complex. On both sides of this gateway are two large elephants, each carved from a single block of marble.

Can you see the giant urns at each side?

In Diwan-i-Khas, one would notice two giant silver urns. These two urns are listed in the Guinness Book as the largest silver vessles in the world, carried sacred Ganges water for Madho Singh II's visit to London in 1901.


The yellow or cream colour building at far end is Chandra Mahal. Chandra Mahal is a seven storied palace translated as Moon Palace. Each floor of this palace is extravagantly decorated with paintings, floral decorations, tiling and mirrors. Each floor has a specific name according to its function.

Also, the far end door is the entrance to the Arms Gallery. The door is flanked by field guns.

Field guns but these were after passed through the door

This was our last landmark visit accompanied with a guide. The driver dropped him shortly after a brief photo shoot at Hawa Mahal (that'll be in another post). He left us wandered by ourselves in our last landmark visit ourselves - Albert Hall. According to him, we could easily read explanation in Albert Hall ourselves.



Side note: Special thanks to Little P for some of the photos I put up in my India posts

As I was scrolling on the phone while trying to coax myself to get up in the morning, I stumbled upon this ads in Facebook. Generally, I skipped pass them, but the this article did have a rather tempting title - Secret routes: The cheapest ways to get to airports in Australia, by Tim Richards.

I clicked on it, read the article and make a mental note of the link - I'm publishing it here with the link source because I wanted to easier access in event I want to look it up. The article talks about cheap options to get to the airports in Australia, specifically the city capitals. I have already known of a few and used them, namely when I was in Adelaide and Perth. As for Melbourne, I know of it but have yet attempted using the option. Despite Sydney was my home for the longest period in Australia, I have always used either cab or the train.


SYDNEY
Taxi from CBD to airport: About $50.
Airport train from CBD: $16.40.

Cheapskate option:

• Catch an Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line train from Central, Town Hall or Martin Place stations to the end of the line at Bondi Junction. 
• From the Bondi Junction Interchange take a route 400 bus towards Burwood. This bus drops off at both the Domestic and International terminals at Sydney Airport.
  The 400 runs from 5am to 11pm every day, departing about every 20 minutes. There's one catch - between 7am and 7pm weekdays, you must buy a pre-paid ticket before boarding the bus.

Cheapskate fare: $8.40 ($3.80 train fare plus $4.60 bus fare)

Reader's comment: Get off the airport train at Mascot, catch the 400 bus (or walk) from there. Should take about 20 mins at the most, and its cheaper.

Transport NSW: http://www.transportnsw.info/


MELBOURNE
Taxi from CBD to airport: About $50.
Skybus from CBD: $18, return $30 (valid three months from purchase)

Cheapskate option:

• Take a Craigieburn line train from any CBD train station and get off at Broadmeadows. 
• Walk out of the station to the bus bays and catch the route 901 bus to Melbourne Airport.
• The 901 operates 5am to midnight weekdays, 6am to midnight Saturdays and 7am to 9.30pm on Sundays. It terminates next to Terminal 1 (used by Qantas and Jetstar), from where you can walk to the international and other domestic terminals.
• The route's frequency is every 15 minutes on weekdays and half-hourly at weekends. 
• You need a $6 Myki public transport card to use the service (and any public transport in Melbourne). These can be bought from train stations, various retail outlets and on board buses.

Cheapskate fare: $6.06 weekdays, $6 weekends.

From Melbourne Airport website: 

• SmartBus Route 901 Melbourne Airport to Frankston – connects to Craigieburn line at Broadmeadows Station 
• Route 478 Moonee Ponds to Melbourne Airport – connects to the Craigieburn line at Essendon Station
• Route 479 Sunbury to Moonee Ponds – connects to Sunbury line trains at Sunbury Station
• Route 500 Broadmeadows to Sunbury - connects to Sunbury line trains at Sunbury Station

Public Transport Victoria: http://ptv.vic.gov.au/


BRISBANE
Taxi from CBD to airport: About $45.
Airtrain from CBD: $16.50.

Cheapskate option:

• Catch a train from Brisbane Central Station to Toombul, on the Shorncliffe and Caboolture lines. 
• At the bus interchange, hop aboard the route 590 bus towards Garden City. 
• This runs half-hourly from 6.30am to 7.30pm weekdays and from 8am to 7.30pm at weekends.
• It's a ten-minute trip to the Skygate shopping centre next to the airport, from where the free orange TBus shuttles to the Domestic and International Terminals between 6.40am to 6.20pm on week days (from 8.40am at weekends).

Cheapskate fare: $7.20, or $4.91 using a Translink Go Card.


PERTH
Taxi from CBD to airport: About $40.CONNECT shuttle bus from CBD: $15.

Cheapskate option:

• There are two choices here – either jump aboard a route 40 bus from the Esplanade Busport, or a route 37 bus from stop 10121 near the corner of St Georges Terrace and William Street. 
• Each runs half-hourly from about 6am to 11.30pm. 
• Both routes terminate at Perth Airport's Domestic Terminal, from where you can catch the regular free shuttle bus to the International Terminal.

It must be make known that this option takes 55 minutes, visiting many, many residential area/suburbs!

Cheapskate fare: $4.40, or $3.74 using Transperth's SmartRider card.


ADELAIDE
Taxi from CBD to airport: About $20.
Northern Flyer shuttle bus from CBD: $10.

Cheapskate option:

• As Adelaide Airport is 5km west of the CBD, you could walk it in an hour or so if you had a light backpack. 
• However, Adelaide Metro's J1 and J2 bus routes present a less tiring airport-bound option, operating 5am to 11pm daily. 
• These buses can be caught from several stops along the south side of Grenfell and Currie Streets in the CBD; the most central is Stop V2 at 37 Currie St.

Cheapskate fare: $5.10, down to a mere $3.39 on the local Metro Card.
I bought a daytrip metroticket the last time, it costs $8.60 at that time, now it costs $9.70 as stated in the website. 

Adelaide Metro: http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/


DARWIN
Taxi from CBD to airport: About $30.
Darwin Airport Shuttle from CBD: $16.

Cheapskate option: 

• First, catch the route 4 bus from the downtown Darwin Bus Interchange to the Casuarina Bus Interchange. 
• From here, transfer to the number 3 bus. Running between five and seven times a day between 6.30am and 6.30pm, this route deviates to a stop on Charles Eaton Drive, just 500 metres from the airport terminal. 

Cheapskate fare: $3.


CANBERRA
Taxi from CBD to airport: About $30.
Airport Express shuttle bus from CBD: $12.

Cheapskate option: 

• Officially there is no regular public transport route to Canberra Airport, but there is an easy weekday-only alternative. 
• From the City Bus Station in the CBD, catch one of the half-hourly route 10 or 737 buses in the direction of Fairbairn Park. 
• From about 6.30am to 4pm, as they pass Canberra Airport, these buses leave the main road for a loop through Brindabella Business Park. 
• Get off at the stop after the bus rounds the top end of Brindabella Circuit, and it's an easy 500 metre walk to the airport entrance.

Cheapskate fare: $4.50, or $2.84 on the local MyWay smartcard.


HOBART
Taxi from CBD to airport: About $40.
Airporter shuttle bus from CBD: $17.

Cheapskate option: 

• There is no regular bus route to Hobart Airport and there isn't even one that drops you close by.
• The nearest option is to catch an infrequent 665 or 668 bus from Hobart City Interchange to the bus stop located in an industrial zone at 1066 Cambridge Road, Cambridge.
• From here, it's a one-hour, 5km walk along Kennedy Drive and Holyman Avenue to the airport terminal. Only for die-hard budgeting backpackers carrying a light load on a sunny day.

Cheapskate fare: $4.20, or $3.36 on Metro Tasmania's Greencard.


Side note: Again, majority of information obtained from here. 

♫ Music cue - "Everything is AWESOME"

The Sunday we planned for our little excursion to Jenolan Caves falls on the the annual Sydney Sydney to Surf run. As we cut cross the Domain to get to the car rental place, we saw Lego Superheroes! I couldn't be bothered running to get the front of the Lego characters, so... all you get to see is the back of Lego Superman and Lego Batman.

I'm still on my measly L license, it is in the plan this year, but now depending on what happens in line. Long story. Anyway, back to as I am still on L, Little P has the full driving responsibility and I resumed my duty of eating, drinking and taking random photos.



After many trials and contacts with tour operators in attempt to join a tour instead of self drive, it was finally concluded that the best way was still to self drive. Reason being both of us have been to Blue Mountains and all tours to Jenolan Caves includes a tour to Blue Mountains. We wanted to spend more time in the cave than the mountain. The second reason was because after Little P did some research, she has concluded that she does not want to go to the caves covered by tours.

Approaching the caves

Tickets to the right

We have initially wanted to do both Diamond Cave and River Cave but the earliest we could get the car rental was at 7 in the morning and given the travelling time, we missed the tour time for Diamond Cave which was scheduled at 10.30 am on weekends. The helpful staff in Jenolan Caves suggested that we do the self guided audio tour of Nettle Cave, which was a complementary entry as we purchased the tour for River Cave and have a quick bite before entering the River Cave.

We decided that we would treat our tummy first before starting on Nettle Cave.

Pasta and pumpkin soup

There were not a lot of hot food option, mostly sandwiches and cakes. We had some muffins as breakfast in the car, and it wasn't really time for lunch yet, so Little P and I shared a plate of pasta and pumpkin soup.

Nettle Cave doesn't bring one to underground, in fact it feels more on level ground. Jenolan Caves' own website described this cave as a 'twilight' cave which featured huge open caverns. A difference compared to other caves on offered.




After spending about an hour odd, it was soon about time for us to get ready for our show cave tour - River Cave. I had some time to sneak in a cup of coffee, enjoying the good weather at Jenolan Caves.


We were told to be at the meeting point about 10 minutes of so before the tour starts. There was a short briefing of what we could bring or not to, this includes eating even candy or chewing gum to preserve the environment inside the cave. We were also pre-emp of having to climb some vertical staircase. Just like when we were in Kata Tjuta, Little P happily picked the one which coincidentally rated as the highest difficulty = ="
I would've taken a picture of the brochure as a proof but seem to have misplace it somewhere in the house. Umm...

A clear and still river

This was formed after a supporting structure was placed there... cool eh?

It was fairly obvious why the tour we went were named as River Cave as the river was spectacular, so I thought I'll put another photo here, taken on the way out.


We were lucky that on our way out, we saw some wallabies!


Shame I didn't get a good photo of them, as that was the first time handling my new toy and I was also worried that those wallabies pound on me :|

On the brighter side of things though, the day was still bright, and we were greeted with a view of the blue pond.



Side note: Got to cut down those carbs!!!!

Due to some strange obsessive compulsive idea I have in my head, I generally prefer to complete blogging about one trip before starting on another one. Maybe it was the craving for ramen or food in general (despite I have been eating non stop since morning, it is now 4.39 pm on a Sunday) or that I was hoping for quick wins so I could transfer my photos to be stored in a separate HDD (that's another obsessive compulsive idea story), I thought I'll start on a post on Sydney, which I did a 4 days trip in early August.

This feels like I'm writing advertisement for Ippudo but I am not a famous blogger so no one would ever thought to pay me to write to promote their shop. Regardless, Ippudo is the one restaurant that we frequent each time we visit Sydney. As I said again and again, I'm sorry Melbourne, Sydney has better ramen shop and Ippudo wins hands down... at least until Ippudo decides that have an outlet here too.





We touched down Sydney after a short flight from Melbourne on a Saturday evening, and our first stop for dinner after checking was Ippudo in the Westfield branch. I could do with a ramen right now actually.

We spent the whole Sunday on the road, and visiting Jenolan Caves (I'll do that in a separate post) but returned to Sydney for dinner. Dinner was at Din Tai Fung but we were so hungry and couldn't wait to gorge on the food, no photo taken, not even one. LOL

My ever supporting manager allowed me to work from the Sydney office for a couple of days, so I didn't have to take annual leave. Of course, I could opt to take the last flight back to Melbourne on the Sunday night but it makes the trip less hectic when I could spend a couple more days, rather than fly in fly out.

Dinner on Monday night with a Malaysian work mate, in a 'new' Malaysia restaurant. 'New' in inverted comma simply because it wasn't entirely a new establishment but opened after my move to Melbourne, so it was new to me.

Penang Char Kuey Teow

She brought me to this eatery called Sedap, at Regent Place. I ordered Char Kuey Teow and she ordered Bee Hoon Goreng Kampung (not sure why the menu spelt Kampung as Kampong though - don't think there's any change made to the word though). I finished my plate of char kuey teow and she had at least half a plate left and asked to be packed to take away. Umm.. let's not talk about me being a glutton...

I met up with my ex Japanese class classmates. So naturally we had Japanese food! Dinner reservation was made at 6 pm and I was a little hunger before dinner. To keep the hunger pang away, I thought it was high time I try out the hyped cronuts. I read that Adriano Zumbo has his version of cronuts named zonut so I headed to the nearest outlet, in QVB. It was my lack of luck that his outlet/stall in QVB only sells macaron, so up till now I have yet tasted any cronuts. And yes, I am fully aware that Zumbo has an outlet in South Yarra and this outlet does sell cronuts. ;)

I think it was salted popcorn and bread pudding?

Dinner was at Masuya. It wasn't a cheap Japanese restaurant, more of a mid range but definitely serves awesome food! We left all the decision making on ordering to E, that was the best decision made :P

Tofu & Avocado Salad

Sushi & Sashimi

Karaage Chicken

Nasu Miso

Sapporo Hot Pot

We each had a dessert to ourselves... no sharing :P

Just in case you wonder how many people did it take to finish all the food, there were four girls polishing everything on the table. It was very good food. I am getting hungry, please excuse me while I go dig some food in my kitchen :P


Side note: Yes, this is a schedule post as Little P told me to ration my blog posts, lol