Hello, hello! :)

Welcome to the first day of the Sydney series! Yeayyyy! \(^o^)/ *am I the only one getting excited? XD

Anyway, I'd been dreaming of coming to Sydney ever since I was a little girl when I first saw a photo of my dad posing in front of the Sydney Opera House. He went there alone as a reward trip for reaching the sales target of something (I don't really remember) and he bought me a Kangaroo bag as a souvenir. I was probably around 9 or 10 years old at that time, but I remembered clearly that upon seeing his photo and listening to his story about the trip (and being too happy with the bag too, I guess?), I told myself, "It's where I'm gonna live one day". :) 

Well, it hasn't come true for now, but we never know, right? :D

So, when I had the chance to visit Sydney, I was elated. I was granted a single entry visa for 1 month stay (although I did fervently pray that they would have granted me multiple entry visa, but well, it's fine), and I decided to stay for 26 days in Australia. (of course, I was not going to waste that visa! to the fullest, 'ait?) 

Long story short, I left Melbourne and arrived in Sydney in the evening of 9th June 2018, and my dear cousin, Sella, who had been living in Sydney for years, came to pick me up at the airport. She took me to Spice Alley in Kensington St to have dinner. I didn't have any footage of it, I was just so happy to see her after years, and we were so busy catching up while having dinner.

Spice Alley is this alley hidden behind tall buildings in Kensington St featuring a line-up of Asian-cuisine stalls. For me, the idea, the concept and the decor was so cool, authentic, and also very oriental. At the end of the alley, we would find the Koi Dessert Bar, owned by the famous Master Chef Australia contestant, Reynold Poernomo. And what's more interesting is that there was this see-through floor-to-ceiling glass window that showed their kitchen, so I got a glimpse of him working in the kitchen when we passed through the end of the alley that night. *fangirling 

 *I found out from Koidb's instagram account recently that they're moving out from that location, so it might not be there anymore now. 

10th June 2018 - the official first day in Sydney

Walking pass the Royal Botanic Gardens while heading to the first stop of the day...

It was after the rain, hence the clouds, but it was still a very lovely walk through the garden. (I love how rain always has this "romantic, sentimental" after-effect <3) 

You see, travelling in Australia for an Indonesian was expensive (at least for me!). So I knew right from the start, that I had to set a budget, and not to splurge too much on the first days. I still had to survive for 20 more days, you know. Even with limited budget, I still want to experience one of the must-dos in Sydney, which is museum-hopping. I read in the internet that there are lots of good museums in the city and to do it "budget-style": I listed down all the free museums in Sydney. Yes, you heard me right, free admission fee. :D (how cool is that? seeing some artworks, some culture, yet saving money at the same time, okay, admit it, it's quite cool, right? *desperately needed to be praised XD) 

And so, my very first stop of my free museum hopping was: 

Walk along with me, will you? :)

I spent almost the whole afternoon in the Art Gallery and afterwards I was heading to Chinatown to look for my cousins as they were working in a restaurant there when.. unfortunately, I got lost. 0.0

...to be continued...