Heading to Christchurch

The trip didn’t really start very well. I almost couldn’t board to New Zealand. I was informed that I need a return ticket to go out from NZ and I am unaware of this policy, anyhow I ended buying the return ticket on the spot. Thanks to the helpful jetstar team. I was the last person to check in and the baggage carousel was already stopped by the time I wanted to check in. Someone from Jetstar helped me with it.

Finally, almost 2-3 hours flight I reached Christchurch. The weather is colder than in Melbourne. Without thinking much, I just hopped into the airport shuttle and reached the Coachman Backpackers Hostel. It cost me NZD 20.

I went for a walk around the city. By the time I finish walking it is almost 5 pm. It’s dinner and lunch time, I went to a Russian café called Red Square. I had buckwheat with mushroom in the hot pot. The taste was so-so or maybe it’s just it doesn’t suit my taste. It cost NZD 16.50. I will start hunting for a cheaper food tomorrow. Besides, I need to hunt for job too. I am living on a budget ..hehe..

Will post the pictures in the same blog entry later because I left my cable to transfer the pictures from my camera in the hostel.

Summer in Melbourne

The weather and the air is really nice here, during the day the temperature can be quite hot from 32 degrees Celsius and at night it can drop to 12 degrees. There a lot of flies here, even walking along the roads there are flies flying around my face. The place that I stay is in Clayton. A lot of Asian here, by taking a train to the city I can hear people speaking in Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian Malay and Korean. Melbourne is just like another small city of Asians. I can easily find Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Malaysian and Indian food here too.

I did not go to a lot of places in Melbourne because this is just a stopover I will visit more places in Melbourne when I return from Christchurch. In Melbourne, I spent most of the time walking at the streets and some windows shopping.

Spectacular view of the melbourne city from the top of the mountain(Skyhigh Mount Dandenong)

Giant Chair
St. Paul Cathedral
Trams along the Chinatown
Sorry I dont have sufficient time to align the pictures and the captions nicely. ;-)
I will be leaving melbourne tomorrow morning and will be heading to Christchurch.

Salted fish experience in Melbourne

My travel began at 24-November-07, 2 pm from Ipoh to KLIA. Reached at Melbourne at 25 –November-07 8.40 am (Melbourne Time) and was so tired and feeling jet-lagged. It made my day worst when I found out that someone bought some salted fish, some of the bottles got burst and the ‘seasoning gravy’ spilt all over my backpack. The stinking smell of the dead fish was really unbearable. I could even see the fresh of the salted fish stuck at my bag! At that moment I wish I can just throw the bag and get a new one!

It is a 13 kg backpack that I need to carry it on my shoulder and I have no choice but ended with the dead fish smell all over me. I felt so embarrassed by the smell, imagine I took a bus to the train station from airport and my bag ‘polluted the air’ in the bus! From there, I need to take another 30 minutes train.

I did everything I could to reduce the smell, I used some tissue to absorb the ‘seasoning gravy’ from the bag. I even used the hand dryer to blow it but it just doesn’t help. Luckily, I brought along a mini sized perfume. I used half bottle of it, it did help a little. I think the smell was reduced to 20-30%!

Personally, I don’t really fancy on salted fish and I don’t hate it but after this experience I doubt I will still want to eat it or not.

Notes to all salted fish lovers, I know you would like to share this ‘precious food’ with people around the world, but please seal it properly if you would like to check in to the plane!

It’s now or never

I know I must do it, if I don’t I will regret. Counting down for the day to happen, I m really looking forward for this day but I still have the fear that I need to overcome. After weeks of searching job in Christchurch, seems like it’s not that easy. My initial plan to get a job before flying to Christchurch failed. And I don’t want to wait anymore, I decided to go to Christchurch on 29 Nov. I will be staying at the Coachman Backpackers Hostel. I will fly to Melbourne on 24 Nov and from Melbourne, I will fly to Christchurch, New Zealand. I bought a Deuter backpack. My ‘everything’ will be inside this 65+10 liter backpack but it’s super heavy! Even though I keep telling myself to travel light but I still ended up with a long list of items to carry. ;-)

Good bye Penang

6 years in Penang is going to end tomorrow. I have been postponing the date to leave Penang. I always tell myself I haven’t finish packing my stuff and there are still many things that I have not settle in Penang. Perhaps, I am just giving myself a lame reason to stay longer in Penang.

It’s time to leave behind my friends and Penang. I remember seeing my friends leaving penang one by one and now I am following their footstep too.

Thanks to those who had been giving me love, guidance & help.

I'm gonna miss u all.