Penguin Parade Experience 2018

Last November 3, 2018, we originally planned to fly to Perth but due to airline issues, our flight was cancelled. Not wanting to waste the day, me and Joel thought of something else to do and finally decided to drive down to Philip Island. It is just 90 minutes away from Melbourne and is Victoria's wildlife island.

We arrived at Philip Island at about 4pm and had a bit of time to eat. We chose to eat at the Fat Seagull.

With this amazing view in front of us.

We knew from the website that penguins arrive at sunset every evening but we also checked their penguin arrival time calendar. Since it was November, they were projected to arrive starting at 8:15pm.  We went to the center at 7pm and we had time to look around. It was also suggested to arrive an hour early to explore the visitor center which contained information about different kinds of penguins and facts about them. It also had penguin merchandise being sold as well as refreshments.

We chose to pay for General Viewing, the rate for adult is $26.20. Other ticket options on their websites include Penguins Plus, Underground Viewing, Guided Ranger Tour, VIP Tour, Ultimate Adventure Tour and Little Wonders Family Tour. 

After going around the visitor center, we then started to walk towards the viewing platform. We chose our seats nearest from the shore. This is clearly one advantage of being early. We braved through the cold and sat there for about an hour waiting for the penguins to come back home. We were given the instructions not to take photos with flash to protect the penguins and that we can grab photos from their website instead.

Also, we were fortunate to get the seats on the side since the rangers/ park staffs said it is a good spot. At first, it was hard for our eyes to get used to the dark and see their beaks from afar. But it did not take long when our eyes can spot them.

They were in groups and sometimes can't make up their mind if they would like to go to the shore or return back to the water. Understandable as they don't want to be eaten by their preys for dinner. It was fun spotting them and in total we saw 4 groups of penguins parading to their homes.

photo taken from https://www.penguins.org.au/photo-gallery/

Then people started to go. We thought that was it but much to our surprise the penguins can be seen on the side of the walking platform. It was much fun to watch them closer this way. 

photo taken from https://www.penguins.org.au/photo-gallery/

They were so cute to see but its just that they smelled fishy! Well, if you're out in the ocean catching fish all day then that explains it haha! There were other things to do such as Antarctic Journey, Koala conservation and exploring Churchill Island but it was already late and maybe we'll come back for it soon.

We drove back to Melbourne feeling accomplished with what we have experienced.  I almost gave up on making that day productive because of the unfortunate thing that happened with our first plans but our day turned out still interesting. One more tick in my Melbourne things to do! Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

My Son Half Day Tour 2018

Since I cannot travel yet, I am reminiscing about the travels I had at the beginning of 2018. I will try to remember them as best as I can as I feel that a lot of things have happened after coming to Australia and starting a new life. So here it goes..

One of the things that we did in Hoi An, Vietnam was visit My Son Sanctuary. The temples built there were from the 4th to 13th century. We booked our ticket through the Sinh Tourist shop in Hoi An. We could have easily bought it online but we chose to physically get it from the shop the day before the tour. We originally planned to have the sunrise tour but it was not available. We then decided to just do the half day bus tour for 99,000 VND or 5 USD. 

At 8am the following day, we were picked up by a bus from our hotel. I remember it wasn't full and only a total of about 10 people. I remembered I was sick from cough and colds during this time but I can still manage to smile for a good photo! It's really hard to be sick while travelling, over the counter decongestants helped me to live during these times lol

It was a 2 hour drive from Hoi An and we arrived at about 10am. The guide collected the entrance fee from each of us which was about 150,000VND or 7 USD. 

We thought that we were to trek to where the ruins are. Here is the main entrance of the protected site. 

I was so excited to see the ruins but I cannot see it from here. We stopped after crossing this land bridge to ride a shuttle bus to get us nearer the ruins. The ride lasted for about 2-3 minutes. 

Then our guide showed us this miniature model of the whole place. Giving us the details of where we are to go and of course the history of the place. 

There were a lot of tourists with us and it was quite difficult to get a good photo but nonetheless it did not bother me. 

These tower temples were constructed over ten centuries. The Champa's unique culture owed it spiritual origins to the Hinduism of the Indian sub continent. With this influence, many temples were built to the Hindu divinities such as Krishna, Vishnu and above all Shiva. 

I love that our guide was very knowledgeable and explained a lot of things about the ruins but still I could not remember any of them. I was just awed at how the temples were still standing even if they were made centuries ago.

During World War II, many tower temples were damaged. However, conservation work has been carried out and have been maintained and preserved. 

Weather conditions especially the rain, has made the temples conducive to plant growth. 

We were given ample time to explore on our own as well. 

By 12 noon, the tour has finished and we arrived back to Hoi An at 1pm. 

It was another tick off my bucket list of Unesco world heritage sites! For me, nothing beats the temples of Ayutthaya in Thailand but I could not be more lucky to have the chance to visit both sites in this lifetime. 

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

Gunther Von Hagens' Body Worlds Vital in Melbourne

This excited me the first time I saw this exhibition being featured on the news. I find it interesting and at the same time educational especially that I work in the healthcare field. The exhibition is called Body Worlds Vital. It is an original exhibition of real human bodies by Gunther Von Hagens, the inventor of Plastination. Usual admission price for an adult is $30 which was a bit expensive for me. But then, they had a promotion for $50 for 2 people and so I dragged my cousin along last 25 October 2018.

Before going in, we were given these tokens. The staff informed us that at the end of this exhibition, we could choose which change we would like to do with our lifestyle.

We also chose to rent an audio for AUD 5 to hear more information about the displays. All we had to do was press the corresponding number and place the speaker near our ears.

At the start of the exhibit, I saw this on the wall. All the exhibits here are from an ethically reviewed Donor Program managed by the Institute of Plastination in Germany. Also, all anatomical specimens on display here are authentic.

The exhibit was divided into bodily systems. The first system discussed was about the muscular system. It showed how the muscles looked like to achieve our bodily movements. 

It also featured about the skeletal system. From my anatomy class before, I've learned that the smallest bones in the body are found in the ear. These are the hammer, anvil and stirrup. But I didn't really realize how tiny they are until I saw it in this exhibit.

photo courtesy of Paolo Ungab

I was particularly impressed on how the nervous system looks like in the entire human body. It is an amazing sight. And just amazing how the messages are sent to the brain in less than a second for the brain to interpret.

Another striking thing I saw was the obvious difference between a normal lung and the black tarry lung of a smoker.

The exhibit also featured video presentations like this which is about cells behaving badly and becoming tumours and cancer. Also, I saw a very interesting and educational video presentation about dementia and how it affects the human brain.

These are the small blood vessels running underneath the skin in our face. No wonder we blush quite easily!

The man behind this exhibition.

At the end of this exhibition and after seeing all the lifestyle changes that we can do to make sure our bodies are kept healthy and strong, we were then asked to drop our token in one of these choices. The choices were sleep more, exercise more, less alcohol, less sugar, stress less, work less, stop smoking and switch off.

There was also a gift shop wherein more educational books and toys where on sale. 

All in all, it was an afternoon well spent and I felt happy I got to see it while they are here in Melbourne. I do hope that they get to visit more cities and spread these awareness to adult and kids.

P.S. Before I released this blog, I was watching a James Bond movie called Casino Royale and just realized that it was featured in the film!Proud to say I've seen the display in real life :)

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

Tesselaar Tulip Festival 2018

When I was a kid, my mum had a garden of anthuriums. They were nice but I just could not get why my mum liked them a lot. Now that I am older, I understand. There is something about flowers that make people appreciate them. Speaking about flowers, when I saw on Facebook about a Tulip festival and it interested me. My aunt originally planned for us to go but since plans have changed, I asked my friends to come with me instead. They agreed and off we went last October 14, 2018.

The town where the festival was at was Silvan. It is 40 km east of Melbourne and about an hour's drive from where we lived (avoiding tolls, of course!) We didn't buy the tickets online as I am not happy to pay for online surcharge. When we arrived, there were ample parking spaces and the queue for the ticket entrance was fast and efficient. Entrance fee was $28 per person. Separating the parking lot from the field of tulips was this green wall which commands a photo opportunity :P

When we came in, there were already hundreds of people inside appreciating the blooms. Fields of tulips were there in different colours. It was really a wonderful sight and the weather did not disappoint. 

This was certainly my first time to be in a tulip festival and it felt exciting. I particularly love the deep purple colored tulips as well as this sunset orange colored tulips. Just beautiful!

Of course, there were signs all around to remind visitors not to pick the tulips. There were staff who were quick to call out guests who cross the lines towards the flowers. I guess the patrons just needed to get a good photo as near as they could to these gorgeous blooms.

Aside from the flowers, the place also showcased sculptures from local artists. One of the many that caught our attention were these metallic flowers. It is for sale for $320 for a set of 3 flowers!

A scultpture that looked like an eggplant to me :)

As with any crowded place, people had to make sure that no photobombers are in their photo. This is especially true with me and my friends. To achieve this, we had to do creative poses like lying on the ground :P

There were food booths, a souvenir shop, lots of tables and chairs and a pick your own tulip in the venue. I did buy 2 tulips for $1.50 each to put into our dining table.

The experience was great and that day off was well spent! They posted that an upcoming flower festival would be happening on April 2019 and we might just be back! For now, I have ticked this off my bucket list. Thank you for reading and 'til my next blog :)

My 1st Royal Melbourne Show Experience

Last 22 September 2018, me and Joel went to Melbourne Showgrounds to have my first  Royal Melbourne Show Experience. It is a yearly event when Melbournians and especially kids can come to have fun on school holidays. Tickets were $40 at the door but we bought ours online the week before and it came down to $28! (Lovin' the savings there :P).

Opening time was 10am but since we had somewhere to go to,we arrived at 12nn. Parking was quite hard but there were still ample space and it cost $25 for whole day parking. A lot of people were coming out with their showbags in tow and it definitely made me more excited of what the the showbag pavilion could offer.

Upon entering, we saw pony rides to the left

and Kids Carnival on the right.

Just a few steps further is the The Farmhouse where kids lined up to either pat a chook or pat a pig.

Other activities were to plant a seedling and milk a cow or shear a sheep! There was also a livestock pavilion where hundreds of animals competed for blue ribbon glory. Sheeps, cattles, alpacas and clydesdales stayed here while waiting for their turn to show off their stuff.

There was also a Dogs Pavilion where dogs were kept before they were in a competition. A lot of dogs resting in and out of their cages were there. I was particularly amazed with this long haired dog. He is very pampered by the owner who was so proud to say he won a competition in Germany weeks before.

A lot of  food kiosks were on the way but there were also pavilions dedicated for more food options.

Further ahead is the Entertainment Precinct where Vicproud main stage was. We were able to see the last part of a live performance of a dance group.

 Later within the day, we sat down at the public stand where we can see the grounds were covered with thousands of people enjoying the free concert of Jimmy Barnes.

Another area we visited was the Herald Sun Arena. This is where we saw horses in action, jumping over different kinds of fences. We can also see the horse stables and horse warm-up area from here. In the evening, this place became the venue for monster truck and motocross stunt show and the spectacular nightly fireworks that concluded our night.

Of course, we didn't forget about the showbag. It had a whole pavilion dedicated for it. Kids and kids at heart went there and it was very crowded. A number of showbag options were displayed ranging from popular lollies to brands like Better Homes and Gardens, Roxy and Showpo. They were a bit expensive but there is something about showbags that make you feel happy! I was able to put my self control in play and just bought only one. And because I was too busy thinking what showbag to buy, I forgot to take photos (lol). But I did took a photo of the showbags of the past!

Another popular spot was the Thrill Seekers Carnival. Exciting rides and carnival games were situated here. We were satisfied just watching other people take on some crazy rides so we didn't bother to ride any.

To cap off the first day, there was an amazing show of fireworks!

It was an amazing day for me and we had a lot of fun at the show. Looking forward to another amazing one in 2019! Thanks for reading and 'til next blog!