Solo Journey To Sydney - Day 4

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.

28 November 2015

Day Four. The Hunter Valley Wine Tour.

Grape and wine culture are not a thing in the country given our tropical climate with high humidity, searing temperature and copious amount of rainfall. That’s why seeing vast expanses of vineyards is a novelty for me.

My first time to see vineyards was in Swan Valley in Perth during May of 2015. It was fall season in Australia hence most of the grape vines were of the reddish brown colour. There were also no grapes hanging from the vines at that time for it was already past harvest season.

Fast forward to summer of that year, I joined a vineyard and wine tasting tour in Sydney’s nearby Hunter Valley.

The vineyards of Hunter Valley wine region.

I was picked up early in my hotel and together with other tourists we departed Sydney in a comfy white coach with our perky tour guide on board. We crossed the Harbour Bridge and I was delighted because it was my first time to go across it.

After an hour, we had a quick stop in a gasoline station for breakfast. After another hour, we reached our first cellar door – the Brian Ridge Wineries. A table had already been set in the cellar for our group. After settling in our chairs, our host sommelier introduced us to the basics of growing vines, fermenting wines up to proper drinking etiquette. We were provided with wine glass, water and a bowl to throw the wine if we don’t like the taste of it. Wine after wine, I learned the difference of whites versus reds. Glass after glass, I was taught how to properly drink my wine and how to pair it with food.

Wine appreciation lessons in our first cellar stop.

Most of the wineries also include food pairs to their wines. Cheese, chocolates, crackers, pickles, olives were served.

When drinking wine, one must lightly swirl the glass before drinking. This releases the aroma of the wine. Swirl then smell. Wine aromas can be grouped into three major groups – fruit, flower and herbal aromas. After identifying which aroma group the wine belongs to, the perfect food pair can now be determined. For example, Semillon (with origins in France) has that citrus fruity aroma.  This wine pairs well with seafood such as oysters. Another example is Shiraz which is a red wine with origins in Persia. Shiraz smells like berries and the best pair are red meats such as steaks. 

OOTD pic in one of the cellar stops.

I was already a bit tipsy and light-headed after three cellar doors. I drank all of the wine samples and I found the wines at Iron Gate Estates – our third vineyard stop the most delightful. (Or, I was just too tipsy at that point therefore my taste buds gave poor judgment.) Nonetheless, this winery provided the most pleasing visuals. This wine estate is a Tuscany-inspired winery with a beautiful flower garden set in a backdrop of rolling vineyards. It’s such a treat to have our wine and food pairing surrounded with these lovely sights. My personal favourite was the Mandala wine infused with the distinct taste of olives. I bought a bottle of it for Charm whom I will be meeting after the wine tour.

Getting tipsy with my wine tasting buddies.

Iron Gate Estates Tuscany-inspired garden.

The lovely flowers of Iron Gate Estates.

After the third cellar door, we stopped in Hunter Valley Garden for our lunch. I had my favourite roast chicken and salad. There’s also a quaint bookstore in the corner where I bought my The Little Women paperback.

This homey bookstore inside the Hunter Valley Garden complex.

After lunch, we had another go of wine tasting paired with different types of chocolates. In here, I had my first taste of spicy chocolate. We also stopped by at a cheese store and had our fill of the free smelly cheese samplers.

We did wine and chocolate pairing in here. Aside from wines, beers are also offered for tasting.

Lots of smelly cheese to choose from.

I was too tipsy and full and so I was asleep the whole duration of our trip back to Sydney. It was such a remarkable day, but, it’s not yet over for me.

The friends I made that day a.k.a my wine tasting buddies.

Back in central Sydney, my high school friend Charm and her family was waiting at the lobby of my hostel. I checked-out at YHA and we went to Darling Harbour for her dinner treat. Later that night, we witnessed a spectacular fireworks display in the harbour and I got a taste of Sydney’s pyrotechnics flair.

Darling Harbour with Charms' family.

Fireworks display in Darling Harbour.

I spent my last night in Sydney with Charm and her family. I stayed at their apartment and we updated each other with our lives. High school days seemed a long time ago. And I’m just thankful for all our blessings.

29 November 2015

Day 5. Goodbye Sydney!

I flew back to Manila via Air Asia and in that flight I experienced another first. My luggage was left behind in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, so, I arrived home without any pasalubong. It was a test of patience waiting for my baggage to be delivered in my place. But all is well in the end. I received my luggage after two days.

My solo journey to Sydney might have ended but it left me a lot of valuable lessons. It taught me independence and how to enjoy things just by myself. It boosted my self-confidence and challenged me enough to discover my inner strength. This trip also gave me time for some introspection and self-knowledge. I realized even though I’m an extrovert, I’m really shy around strangers. 

Quality me-time in Sydneys' well kept parks. This one was taken in Royal Botanic Garden.

At some point in our lives, solo travel becomes inevitable.

But we pack our bags and go because there are some journeys that are meant be traveled - alone.