Solo Journey To Sydney

Solo Journey to Sydney!

Every girl’s dream is to experience solo travel, so, to mark my #dirty30’s, I took courage and traveled – alone, to Sydney, Australia.

*Late post. Travel was completed two years ago, during the last week of November 2015.

One of my major adventure goals is to experience solo travel before I hit my thirties. It’s a daunting thought, but, I knew in my heart that I have to do it. And it turned out to be the most rewarding travel experience I had.

Flashback to May 2015 - I acquired a one-year multiple entry visa to Australia for a month long resource training in Perth, W.A.

To maximise my visa, I planned to visit other places in Australia such as Sydney in New South Wales and Melbourne in Victoria.

So, when I chanced upon the promo fare of Cebu Pacific for Manila-Sydney flight for PhP2,500, I booked straightaway without second thoughts. This is it! I’m going to Sydney to mark my 30^th year - and I’m going to do it - just by myself.

24 November 2015

Start of travel to Sydney coming from Agusan mine site so I took a Davao-Manila flight first. I was anxious that I might encounter a problem in immigration at NAIA terminal 3 but everything went on smoothly and hassle-free from check-in to boarding. I was also worried that my hand carry luggage might exceed the free 7 kg baggage allowance, but I guess I packed accurately to the last kilogram, therefore, I had no over-baggage problems at all during check-in.

How to kill boredom? Take a selfie pic! Taken at Davao airport  as I wait for the boarding call of my Manila flight.

25 November 2015

Touchdown Sydney.

Aerial view of Sydney before plane landing at Kingsford Smith airport.

My heart was fluttering and I was controlling myself not to look nervous. Australia is known in the world for having a very thorough immigration processes and baggage check for arriving passengers. Luckily, I passed the inspection at Kingsford Smith airport without any difficulties.

I texted my family and Ma’am Tootsie to inform them of my safe arrival in Sydney. Ma’am Tootsie was my professor back in college, now an Australian citizen residing in Melbourne, and my contact person in case of emergency.

I took a coach to bring me to my backpacker’s hostel. The driver seemed not to be familiar with the address and it took us more than an hour to locate the hostel.

I checked-in right away in the all-female dorm room I booked. I tried small talk with my roommates and I’m quite disappointed because they seemed snobbish and not chatty at all.

It’s past lunchtime in Sydney. I changed clothes and grabbed my shoulder bag.

Using the Sydney tourist map I acquired in the airport, I was all set to discover nearby attractions by foot.

First stop was Hungry Jacks (popularly called Burger King in the rest of the world) for my lunch. I ordered burger and ate it at Hyde Park. There are lovely gardens in this park and found in the middle is the Archibald Fountain.

Agapanthus flowers brigthening Hyde Park with purple blooms.

My next stops were St. Mary’s Cathedral, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Garden, Opera House and Harbour Bridge. By this time, I was already tired due to lots of walking, hence, I ordered a cold Stella Artois to refresh me in one of the many bars lining the Sydney Harbour. I slumped in my chair and enjoyed the cold beer while taking in the captivating sights. A Scottish couple in the nearby seat chatted with me. The old lady’s name is Caren and she excitedly recounted to me her Australian holiday.

St. Mary's Cathedral - perhaps the most beautiful church in Sydney.

Interiors inside St. Mary's Cathedral.

Asked a random stranger to take this photo of me in front of Art Gallery of New South Wales.

After the refreshing Belgian beer, I boarded a ferry to Milson’s Point for me to check out Luna Park. The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge at this vantage point were exquisite. The moon was already up in the sky and it rendered a dreamy, surreal view of the city.

Harbour Bridge and Opera House taken at Milson's Point vantage view.

Luna Park - one of the oldest amusement parks in Australia and patterned after the glory days of Coney Island in New York.

It’s getting dark, but I knew it’s still late afternoon in my country. Sydney's time zone is 2 hours ahead unlike Perth which shares the same time zone with Manila.

Moonlit Opera House. Photo captured during my ferry ride from Milson's Point back to Circular Quay.

I travelled back to Circular Quay and boarded the train to Town Hall Station. I stopped by at Macca’s (Australian name for McDonald’s) for rice and chicken but sadly, it’s not available so I settled for burger again. I also dropped by at Woolworth (Woolie’s) and bought a three socket adaptor for my charging needs.

Day 1 was so tiring but I cherished every part of my city tour. The highlight was seeing the Opera House in person which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Australia’s distinctive landmarks.

Mandatory Sydney Opera House tourist shot.

My soles were absolutely sore, but my soul was pleasantly full.