Victoria Day 2 - Melbourne City Centre

Assalamualaikum. G'day Mate.

As we were allowed to check in early (here), we went straight to our room. Time to refresh & recharge ourselves. Pretty satisfied with our room. Double decker bed (lower bunk is queen size), separate toilet & shower room. Sink outside. Spacious enough to accommodate us three + our bags. 

While waiting for the 2 jemahs settle with their urusan, I chose to sail away to dreamland. Labuhkan curtain, and bergelaplah bilik. Perfect condition for a 'good night' sleep. Adalah terlelap sejam dua, and when I woke up the 2 Jemahs were also in dreamland. 

We had brunch in the room before our walkertapaki around Melbourne city. Ms G only had plain water early this morning while Ms H's last meal was at KLIA2 before her flight to Melbourne last night. Whilst me? Sempat lah layan perut with croissant & hot tea while waiting for Ms H to arrived. 

27 Jul 2015 

Melbourne City Centre

First thing we did right after hitting the street in Melbourne was to top up our MyKi. We had 3 cards with us courtesy of Ms Dzulichan. Thanks babe for lending. 

For more about this reusable travel card please refer here. 

Melbourne has always been in my wishlist. And having to tick it off from the list is something so meaningful to me. Selama ni cuma Melbourne jom, Melbourne jom jak. Never dream I'll be here for real. Alhamdulillah for this opportunity ya Rabb.

Ibis Budget hotel is super love by us. Only a stone away from tram station, convenient stores & restaurants. All is simply reachable by walking. Most attractions pun dekat juga i.e Flinders Street, Yarra River, Flinders Walk etc. Ndak sempat berpeluh pun (provided u're NOT here in summer). 

#1 Turun hotel, terus nampak Collins Street tram station

#2 And finally, my own picture of Melbourne's tram. 

#3 Bright clear Melbourne skies welcome us that morning. Good vibes from the start made us more excited to explore the city

#4 The love I have for signboards. Ibarat irama & lagu. Gituuuu

We didn't have proper itinerary for this trip. Purposely went with 'mana dan, kami jejak' concept. Mana ndak sempat, insha Allah next trip boleh jejak. We wandered around as long as our legs don't give up on us. Sakit kalu, balik bilik rest for tomorrow gonna be a pretty long day for us. Tapi haruslah masing² gigih, bukan selalu jejak Melbourne kan. 

#5 The unique facade of Building 80 Swanson Academic Building of RMIT (Royal Military Institue of Technology). 

Lepak at one of the benches in front of the Swanson Academic Building (SAB). Pastu berangan, tu jak mampu lah. Mau jadi student balik macam semua malas ke laut. Mau jadi lecturer or tutor, bakat ke laut. Tapi paling win bila ada orang declare Melbourne as her kampong. Fuh, only after few hours landed terus mengaku kampong. Itu dia! Berjangkit sudah gen lupa diri to each one of us. Semua ndak mau kalah; sorang Seoul, sorang Melbourne, sorang Beijing (eh???).

#6 Forgot what building is this but I took it mainly because of the Australian flag. Although it's not clear what flag it is from this picture

#7 Some monument near the City Square

#8 Among the first row of shops we encountered that sells souvenirs. 

Bila nampak souvenir shop, memang boleh teka siapa paling excited. Hopping from one shop to another. Bersinar mata dia masa nampak all the souvenirs & gifts. Automatically laju congak dalam kepala total orang yang bakal dapat & juga sang² pemesan. Aku perhati dari seberang jalan jak sambil sapu bibir with pretty striking red color lipstick. Sambil snap few gambar of the buildings around me. And I fell in love immediately. Suka tengok all those old, Gothic & 'rusty' architectures. Patutlah beria masukkan Melbourne dalam wishlist kan Bie. Albeit it took ages for me to accomplished, alhamdulillah sangat. 

#9 St Paul's Cathedral, Swanson Street

#10 Flinders Street Railway; another moment of truth for moi

#11 Kalau boleh aku mau ambil gambar tiap sudut station ni

Can't help but to smile widely while taking picture of this station. Finally, my very own picture of Flinders Street station. No more layan gambar orang lain nor do I need to go to its website just to cuci mata. #bukanstatementriak

#12 The view we'll see when coming from Ibis Budget (esok punya cerita)

#13 Federation Square with Melbourne city sightseeing double decker buses in front of it

We also went to La Trobe Reading Room at Victoria Library, had snack time at QV Mall, and appreciating the murals at Hosier Lane but I will write about those in different entries. I think they deserve an entry in its own. Gitu tiba² rajin si Err, quite frightening jugalah I must say. 

So, before we went back to the hotel (again to refresh & have dinner), we stopped by at My Chemist. Beli shampoo, perfume (as suggested by many kunun perfume sini al-murah), and whatnot. Then singgah Woolworths beli sayur-mayur sebab mau tunjuk skill masak esok & hari² seterusnya. Aku bab² beli bahan mentah gini memang suka. Kadang boleh habis berjam² telek semua benda. Shopping these things excite me. Adakah faktor umur? 

#14 Can I say browsing through them is some kinda therapy for me? 

Ms H & I collected money to buy our barang mentah. While Ms G didn't join us for she wanted to buy food we can't consume. If the 2 other jemahs (Ms C & Ms P) join us, we would have our own 7E. Diorang dua tu memang terpaling juara bab beli & angkut makanan dari Malaysia. I so cannot wait for our NZ road trip, mesti masing² sibuk berkungfu di dapur caravan. And speaking of which, ntah lah bila boleh execute our NZ plan. Itinerary sudah siap terperam berabad lama, nowadays masing² sibuk with life. Timing bercutian semua ndak sama. Sobs. 

#15 Ms G opted to pay at thd counter & Ms H paid at the self service counter. Mencoba katanye

We went out after dinner. Saja mau ambil angin malam near Yarra River. Tapi yang tu macam biasa, next² entry lah. I have another 3 entries before scribbling about our first night in Melbourne. Koh!

Gigih melantun² sekarang siap mau buat separate entries ha. Tabahlah. Janji ada, jangam gebang jak lebih sudah.

eryantierdabdulkarim

Victoria Day 2 - Melbourne City Express (SkyBus) to Melbourne City (Southern Cross Station)

Assalamualaikum. G'day Mate.

Ms H came out to the arrival hall an hour late from the estimated time. Sambil peluk cium Ms H who had just arrived from Malaysia as if spoloh tahun ndak jumpa, ada lah orang tu busy bentang laporan kebijakan si Err with the declaration thingy (story here). Sambil membentang, we exited the airport via T3 gate.

We are going to the city centre via SkyBus. Sign for SkyBus ada merata, so sila alert. Ah, Melbourne City. Selama ni cuma mampu menyebut, ndak sangka Allah bagi peluang menjejak.

27 July 2015
Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne

#1 Where we waited for Ms H. Tidur bangun, tidur bangun atas kerusi jaklah kerja kami

Coincidentally, I booked the same hotel DJ & her friends stayed at when they were here. The cheapest that fit the criteria we wanted. Paling penting, ensuite bathroom. Malas sudah mau bersharing is caring bagai. Nowadays; comfort is the main priority for the Jemahs. Tapi kalau aku jalan sendiri, haruslah dorm option paling teratas. Sebab masih bersifat berjimat cermat kedekut dewa kan.

Thanking DJ again for the information she shared in her blog. She went there in 2013 so haruslah kita guna every resources available. Melbourne accommodation rate is definitely no joke peeps (well at least for my pocket that is). 

#2 Ticket counter for SkyBus City Express at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport

#3 Bus Fare. Pilihlah mana berkenan

Sebenarnya berangan mau beli ticket Family tu tapi haruslah ndak menepati ciri. Family ticket is for 2 adults & 1-4 children. Between us three, sorang pun tiada layak pegang title children. Sobs.

We bought the return ticket for AUD 26. Was given only one ticket for us three. Tu jugalah tiket yang kami kena guna untuk pi airport dari city centre on our last day nanti. Bab simpan tiket aku memang cuai level maksimum hence to Ms G I put my trust in. At least kalau hilang, aku boleh buat muka relaks sebab ndak terkaitan. *flip tudung* 

#4 Bersinar lip lap lip lap mata upon seeing this sign

Bolehlah teka apa kejadian once nampak sign Free Wifi. Automatik mata masing² melekat di skrin hp. Terus lah anti-sosial mode on. Update sana sini. Dasar! 

#5 View inside of the bus from the last row

#6 Thing I like, ndak payah susah payah angkut anak gajah sampai seat. 

#7 SkyBus Express Airport Transfer hub at Southern Cross Station 

#8 Segala persoalan terbuku di hati (related to SkyBus service of course), bolehlah diajukan di kaunter. Insha Allah kaunter eonnie is more than willing to help. 

SkyBus offers complimentary hotel transfer shuttle service as well. Alhamdulillah rezeki kami. Although cuma booked budget hotel, tetaplah hotel kami tu dalam route shuttle ni. Boleh jak walkertapaki sebab jarak untuk sampai hotel sepelaung cuma. Tapi macam biasalah kan, benda free dilepas jangan. Gunalah semaksimum boleh. 

Boleh refer sini to find out which route services your accommodation. 

#9 Hotel transfer bus

Lepas inform sama kaunter eonnie where our hotel is, we were told to wait for the bus (Hotel Transfer). We didn't wait long for our bus to arrived. Ndak sempat beramah mesra sama sejuk winter Melbourne.

Journey from Southern Cross station took almost half an hour to reach our hotel sebab banyak stops, we alighted at the 7th stop (Bond's Street). Once pijak Melbourne street, barulah rasa macam terharu dalam dada. Akhirnya menjejak bumi Down Under. Semua live depan mata. No more cuci mata tengok gambar orang, tengok website promoting Australia yadda yadda. Unsangkarable! 

Perancangan Allah sungguh Maha Hebat. Sampai sekarang masih belum dapat lupa that 'sebak feeling'. Selama ni cakap jom Melbourne, jom Melbourne. Finally, Allah realizes my dream. Alhamdulillah, bersyukur perlu.

Melbourne City Centre

#10 Kerja mendongak langit jaklah sepanjang hari. Tengok bangunan, tengok langit biru nan lawa...layan feeling indahnya bumi Allah

#11 Para Jemahs semangkit usung & angkut anak gajah

Ndak sempat sesat untuk sampai hotel pun. Signboards everywhere. Bold & big enough to notice even from afar. Kalau sesat juga, memang sah Drama Queen level bingai. 

Anyway, big thank you to SkyBus for the free service. Berganda² jimat $$ tau. 

We were allowed to check in upon arrival because the room was ready. Memang rezeki melantun² for us. Penat travelling Malaysia-Australia tu belum habis sebenarnya, hence it felt so good to be able to check in early. At least we have plenty of time to refreshed & melelap sebentar. Bila sudah fully recharged barulah dengan macho-nya boleh ukur tanah Melbourne. 

Kami keluar lepas Zohor. Misi adalah untuk menjejak attractions wajib di Melbourne sebanyak boleh. Memang trip ni tiada itinerary proper. I just jot down places to go; and once semua sudah gather baru decided mana yang dan. Tapi untuk trip keluar dari city memang plan sebaik²nya lah juga. Yang tu banyak cost involved; therefore kenalah bijak merancang perjalanan. Kataku!

Cerita pasal walkertapaki Melbourne city, aku continue next entry. Macam terlebih karang sudah entry yang ni. Over nau hormon R di kala ini. Semoga kekal rajin memunculkan diri. Insha Allah, amin

eryantierdabdulkarim

Victoria Day 1 - Arriving in Melbourne

Assalamualaikum. G'day Mate!

Finally boleh mula update Victoria Trip. *clap clap clap* 

3 years has it been but the memories still vividly linger in my mind. My first oversea birthday trip with my two Jemahs. The other two Jemahs had their Australia's trip earlier that year (they went to Perth) so berpecahlah kami. Orang ndak ajak pi Perth therefore kami yang tertinggal ni buatlah trip Australia sendiri. Ngeh

Ms G & I departed for Melbourne earlier in the evening. While Ms H took the midnight flight; alone. Akibat beli tiket last minute. She was the last among us three to joined this Victoria trip. Bertabahlah nak, flight fare pun al-mahal dari kami. 

#1 Masa ni ramai ingat aku balik kampong. Sebab poyo ber-annyeonghigyeseyo bagai dalam instagram.

26 Jul 2015

Tullmarine Airport, Melbourne

After almost 8 hours on board, we safely landed at Tullmarine Airport T2 half past 11pm (Malaysia is 2 hours behind). Masa turun dari kapal, aku memang half mamai. Perlu cari tempat landing sebuah badan ASAP. Kunun tu plan asal si Err. So aku just membontot Ms G, masa ni memang super malas mau refer signboard bagai. 

#2 Taken right after disembarking from the flight

I was assigned by the two Jemahs to carry the luggage that contained our food (that includes segala mak-neka sambal, Maggi, buns, breads). Aware of how strict Australia law is towards food brought to their country, we made a list of the food prior coming. Untuk mudahkan proses declaration sebab baca tips dari si John, list ni akan senangkan kerja personnel officer di airport. Ndaklah custom officer tu perlu tanya each food yang ada dalam luggage. Memang ada risau sikit, banyak jak dengar cerita foodstuff ended up getting thrown in the trash.

Tapi yang paling win, berkat membontot Ms G...aku sampai terikut dia jalan di lane 'Nothing to Declare'. Dengan penuh condifent oii! Nasib jak ndak buat lambaian ratu. And aku menonong jalan sampai Arrival Hall tanpa ditahan (muka habis yakin). Alhamdulillah tiada kejadian anjing polis datang dekat & hidu luggage bagai. Tiada additional screening whatsoever. Masa sudah keluar tu, aku masih blur. 

To be honest, I was actually wondering. Why did it takes so long to arrived at the Food Declaration area. 

"Eh, kenapa jauh betul ni mau declare food."

Siap merungut kau!!! Ms G was extremely shocked when she saw me behind her. Berjalan ayu tarik luggage as if nothing to worry.

"Mana mau declare ni food? Saya sudah kasi keluar ni list since we landed."

Gituuuuuu! Pegang list of food ketat² katanye. 

"Kau gila kah ikut Nothing to Declare lane?? Astaga luckily no sniffer dogs nor officer tahan kau. Betul² ooo kau Pisang!"

Like seriously lah muka minah tu. Muka kajutan + muka marah + muka frust + muka tahan diri dari panggil aku palui + muka pasrah dapat kawan al-bingai. And apa kejadian si Err? Selamba jawab

"Ha? I thought ada special area just for food inspection" 

Parah gila lah bah perangai ignorance kau Bibie oii! Kalau baru first time turun naik kapal, keluar masuk airport...bolehlah difahami. Ini?? #bukanstatementriak

I reckoned, Ms G took few hours jugalah untuk settle with her disbelief towards my kebingaian. She shook her head endlessly every time she looks at me. Pastu saiko, tengok luggage...tengok aku. Then, smirked. Hampunlah, si Err mamai tiada sempadan. First time bah sampai Down Under (alasan minta duku sangat). 

#3 Luggage Controversy; kataku!

Ndak palah, ada juga kenangan menjadi selamba-bingai di negara orang. Negara yang strict gila pula tu. Adoilah perangai, baru landing sudah kau shoot drama kan Bie. Betul bersyukur lah ndak kena tahan, worst...denied entry. Tu memang lagi super win lah kan. Nauzubillah (jangan diminta Biee!)

Lepas pusing arrival hall, we decided to lepak at Hudsons Cafe (which was already closed at that time). Ada power point; senang charge phone. And dekat sama arrival hall juga so esok pagi ndaklah kelibut huru hara tunggu Ms H. Ada juga kerusi untuk tidur tapi each adalah berpalang; sila lupakan niat menselesakan diri. Aktiviti pelunjuran kaki adalah ke laut.

Sebab malam masih muda, and aku pun tiba² segar bugar...aku minta tolong Ms G jaga bag sebab aku mau menawaf airport. Sekalinya hampa. Mostly semua kedai sudah tutup! Midnight pun Bie, what did u expect. 

#4 Keluar pintu kejap, took this pic & ran back inside. Sejuk oiii! 

#5 Then naik escalator pi Boarding Hall. Sendu jak suasana, so aku turun pi arrival hall balik. 

#6 Kesenduan terserlah

Sudah tawaf ala kadar, next agenda adalah untuk cari the Prayer Room. It is located at Terminal 2 near the International Departure Lounge. Very near to where Ms G & I decided to spend our evening at. Masa masuk tu, ada few lelaki tengah solat jemaah. Sebabkan surau tu pun ndak luas mana, aku tunggu di luar. By the way, wudhu boleh ambil di washroom dekat dengan surau. 

#7 Alhamdulillah dapat jama'. 

Aku ada niat untuk tidur dalam surau malam tu. Siap solat, I went to meet Ms G & told her about my idea bernas. Pastu bila aku masuk surau tu semula, sudah ada someone inside. Berselubung dalam sleeping bed. Rupanya homeless. And it's a guy. Haruslah idea bernas direct masuk freezer. Maka melepaklah kami depan Hudsons Cafe tu. Bergilir tidur sebab take turn jaga bag. 

I woke up right after Subuh prayer call. Cuci muka, top up kejelitaan adjust kecomotan sikit...and tunaikan tanggungjawab. Memang automatik refreshed lepas solat. For breakfast, aku jamu perut with croissant & hot tea from Hudsons Cafe. Thanks tumpangkan power point untuk charge gadget kami.

Pastu kami angkut bag pi meeting point near Arrival Hall. Senang kerja Ms H. Takut dia terkial² cari kami, bazir masa lagi. Tapi memang boleh tahan lama tunggu minah tu keluar. Flight awal pagi memanglah super busy. Sniffer dog pun telah kelihatan. Officer pun busy intai beg² passengers.

"Oh hi, u missed me last night" *jeling ratu*

Gitulah ayat orang lupa daratan. Nasib jak kau lepas custom semalam Bie. Else, ntah² kau sudah selamat dalam flight on the way balik Malaysia. 

Dekat 1 hour (++) tunggu Ms H. Sempat aku & Ms G tersengguk² ah. Kemengantukan level parah teratas sebab malam tu kami just tidur² ayam. Sudah jumpa Ms H, peluk cium lepas rindu (walhal baru semalam jumpa di KLIA2).  Girls! And Ms G ungkit balik cerita aku ikut dia limpas No Declaration Lane. Semangkit bentang laporan sama Ms H nampak. Sudah ku hagak, that cerita basi will be heard again the next day. Pasrah jaklah tadah telinga kena saiko.

So, ke Melbourne CBD ke kita lepas reunited sama Ms H? Itu tunggu next entry lah kan. Kayuh pelan², jangan gelojoh. Ingat tu Bie.

Till then, wassalam.

eryantierdabdulkarim

Sarawak Day 4: Last Day in Kuching

Assalamualaikum. 안녕

Finally my Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Sarawak has come to its last entry. Phew, punya bercinta mau habiskan. Took me almost a year. What an achievement I've gained. 

Previous entry (here).

1 June 2015

Since today is our last day in Kuching, we woke up a bit late than the previous days. We're not going anywhere far from the city hence bersenang lenang mengendur urat atas katil we did.  

Yesterday, I informed the receptionist we're gonna take the hotel shuttle service to the airport. Check out is at 11am & based on my calculation we have more than enough time for a last minute shopping. That's for the 3 sisters. As for me & my cousin we decided to check the Waterfront esplanade. Shopping isn't our priority so eloklah berpecah. This time the 3 sisters agreed with my suggestion. Yalah last day kan, cuba hari² sebelum tu harus aku dapat jelingan tajam. Jangan pernah kau berani utter the magic word "berpecah". 

But before acara melabur duit, kenalah breakfast dulu. Permintaan perut adalah super penting as to avoid any grumpy mood arose tengah bershoppingan sakan. 

We drove to Kopi O Corner restaurant located at Bangunan Mara, Satok. 10 minutes (plus) away from Tune Hotel. On the way to the restaurant, we had a quick stopped for some picture moment with the Empat Sekawan Cats Statue. My friend; DJ named this statue Empat Sekawan because there are 4 cats at the tugu (obviously). It's not that difficult to spot this statue just that we need to be extra careful where to stop & park our car. Fyi, the statue is built on a small roundabout in the middle of a busy & narrow road. Bertabahlah; double park pastu berlari anak... clicked...and rushed back to the car. Demi sekeping gambar bersama si Kucings or also called pusak in Bahasa Melayu Sarawak.

#1 Yours Truly before the Empat Sekawan Cats Statue; but Bunda managed to captured only 2 cats 

#2 Si Tiba²-Debab before the restaurant

#3 Super love this restaurant. The ambiance, the layout, the choice of food...selesa gila. And the restroom pun bersih. Nora bagi 4 bintang

#4 Rambang mata kejap mau pilih what menu to order for breakfast

#5 More menu to choose from

#6 My cousin ordered this because she said the picture in the menu seduced her. Walhal makanan diet sangat.

#7 Roti kalu, mesti Aunty punya

#8 Angah & Bunda share this Mee Kolok

#9 My breakfast. Memang almost everyday balun Laksa Sarawak + Teh Ais masa di sana. 

Aku lupa harga makanan kami pagi tu. Jadinya memang tidak akan ada pembentangan budget for this trip. Next time update lah lepas 10 tahun kan Bie. Grr!

After breakfast, we drove back to the hotel. Wakil from the rental company datang kutip kereta & refund our deposit not long after. Settled urusan kereta, kami pun bawa haluan masing².

My cousin & I decided to explore the esplanade once more. Didn't get to view the Waterfront during the day, selalu pi melepak waktu malam jak. Lagipun shopping-mhopping isn't our thing (boring!).

#10 Cat Teacher with her Cat Students. Or Cat Leader with her Cat Comrades

#12 Artsy partsy work along the esplanade

#13 Dan² ingat kampong upon seeing this. Poyo lah kan!

#14 View of the New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building from across the esplanade

Enough with the view across the Sarawak River, we turned to the road behind us. Cuci mata tengok bangunan lama pula. 

#15 Some of the budget accommodations near Waterfront Kuching. Kalau aku turun with other than the family, harus stay sini. Jimat cermat katanye

#16 Because it's pink. And it says planet Sambal. Too bad wrong timing else boleh compare with SS Indonesia.

Tengah siok jalan² cuci mata, suddenly dapat message from the 3 sisters. Due to time constraint (-lah sangat kan), they commanded me to head to the Bazaar. I forgot what they told me to buy but harapan ke laut bila si Err reply their message along with the picture below. Al-tutup Bazaar nye. Signboard says it is open at 9am, tapi suda half past 10am pun masih tiada tanda Bazaar ni akan buka. Tiada rezeki jadinya redha lah. Ntah ler apa dicari. 

#17 Next time insha Allah boleh singgah although sendiri pun ndak tau bila akan menjejak Kuching lagi

As I've said earlier, we booked the shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel. Cost us RM 10.60 per person. The service is FOC for children below 3 years old; while it is half the price for 4-12 years old. And sadly, none of us apply to both category. Semua bayar full fare. 

We arrived the airport few hours before our flight. Saja datang awal sebab mau ronda Kuching airport dulu. Mencari paste Laksa Sarawak lah bagai. Masa di city ndak lah sibuk kau mencari kan Bie. Mendapatlah bayar berganda masa beli di airport. Lagak orang kayo sangat.

#18 Always a proud Borneon I am.

#19 Kuching International Airport, I'll see u when I see u.

We had lunch at the airport. And journey back to Double K City was nothing but smooth journey. Syukur.

*clap* Alhamdulillah, accomplished my mission to finish this Kuching trip by this week. Biar lambat, asal siap. Pelan² kayuh kataku. Why the suddden semangat? Adalah tu, rahasia gitu.

eryantierdabdulkarim