Pre - Traveling Notes - Tasmania and Victoria, Australia

Another 6 weeks to go before I can say HI again to Australia. And by the way, having transitioning my life, from unemployed to officially employed, I feel at ease a little. But I am still worrying about my unfinished Master project which is important too. May Allah lead me till the end of the day

I just could not restrain myself from thinking of this upcoming trip. I guess this is a good reason to go for a holiday after being mentally stressed for 2 months. But then, I have not renewed my passport and of course, without the renewed passport, I am unable to apply for the Australian Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). This must be done after Christmas, or else I will not be able to fly to Australia.

Having all flights and accommodations booking done, I can now focus on other travelling expenses while in Tasmania and Victoria. My past experiences visiting Perth, Sydney and Canberra have helped a lot for my budget and planning.

As of for today, here is my rough planning for my another trip to Explore Australia

Day 1 (7th January)
            Fly to Melbourne from KL

Day 2 (8th January)
            Arrive Melbourne Tullamarine airport at approximately 9.30 am
            Depart for Hobart (Virgin Australia) at 11.15 am
            Arrive Hobart airport at 12.30 pm.
            Check-in at Central City Backpackers
            Groceries shopping at nearby supermarkets
            Stroll around Hobart city (it is summer, so it's going to be a long day)

Day 3 (9th January)
            Sullivan's Cove
            Parliament House
            Salamanca Place
            Battery Point
            Constitution Dock
            ABC Buildings
            Richmond
            Richmond Bridge
            Richmond Gaol
            (Tour by Discover Australia - booking confirmed)

Day 4 (10th January)
            Port Arthur Historic Site
            Devil Conservation Park
            Waterfall Bay
            Devils Kitchen
            Pirates Bay Lookout
            Federation Chocolate Factory
            Richmond Historic Village
            (Day trip operated by Tours Tasmania - to book)

Day 5 (11th January)

            Cadbury Chocolate Factory

            Mt. Wellington

Day 6 (12th January)

            Salamanca Market

            Depart for Launceston

Day 7 (13th January)

            Cradle Mountain

Day 8 (14th January)

           Bridestowe Lavender Farm

           Depart for Melbourne (Jetstar) at 2.00 pm

           Check-in at Melbourne International Backpackers

           Checking out around Melbourne area - Federation Square

Day 9 (15th January)

            Great Ocean Road

Day 10 (16th January)

             Phillip Island and Puffing Billy

Day 11 (17th January)

             Melbourne

Day 12 (18th January)

             Depart for KL at 10.35 am.

I am experimenting my travelling style and I am eager to know if everything that I have planned will be as it is, or will it be different entirely. As far as I concern, my plans never turn out to be as it was before (travelling with mum/buddies).

Land of the Sunrise - Tokyo Disneyland

Our final day in Tokyo has enabled us to visit the most interesting theme park in the world, Disneyland. Our departure was at 23.30 pm so we have A LOT of time to spend. It was easy to get to Disneyland , thanks to the JR Tokunai pass where it really did save us time and money. The Tokunai Pass can be used until Kasairinkaikoen, so we need to disembark at this station, and purchase the 130 yen to get to Mahaima station, which is where Disneyland is accessed. Maihama station is only a station ahead of Kasairinkaikoen.

It took only 5 minutes (brisk walking) to get to the ticket booths. Of course before the ticket booths, there is an arch which indicates that we are on the right way. At the booth, we bought a ticket for 6200 yen (adult) and 5500 yen (senior citizen) each. It is a day pass which one can spend the hold day at Disneyland till closing time. 

You are on the right track when you see this

There were soooo many people here which we somehow spoiled our mood. Then again, which Disneyland does not have such a big crowd? On top of that, we need to line up at the important landmarks, and of course, famous figures such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. So mum and I just walk wherever we can. Funnily, we saw many people, especially the youngsters, wearing various costumes resembling various Disney characters such as Cinderella, Princess Jasmine, Snow White and several others. We thought they might be the staff who would be participating in the events in Disneyland, but later we found out that the Disneyland park management was encouraging the visitors to put on costumes, at given dates. I forgot why exactly they have this thing going on. Seriously, the party was really great here. 

Fake Princess Jasmin and Cinderella...haha...sorry girls, but you look cute

How they blend themselves with other 'impostors'

Sweet friends The 'prince' looks cute with such haircut (or wig)

They came all the way from the Wonderland I guess

Owh, and by the way, the theme was Halloween, so the park decorations were all Halloween-ish.

A visit to any Disneyland is not complete without taking the glorious Disney castle. Well, this day was rather cloudy and I was hoping to get a picture of this castle with a nice clear blue sky. Reminds me of the weather when I visited Hong Kong 

Entrance to the Fantasyland

The most awaited time was the parade which all Disney figures would parade on a lavishly decorated moving vehicles, together with the performers and interesting musics. I never fail to love all theme songs in all Disneyland cartoon movies. The parade here was called 'Jubilation'. I could not recall what it was call in Hong Kong Disneyland. I really enjoy taking pictures during this parade, as much as I enjoy the parade itself. As for mum, she kept on saying that this was nothing compared to Anaheim Disneyland, but she seemed to enjoy the time here though she has been to Anaheim Disneyland before. So, she has yet to visit Paris Disneyland and I am not sure if she still wants to go to Paris.

Cool, colorful

Lively

The parade was really moving and I thought this was time I was busy with my camera. It was kind of hard to get a great shot when I have to stand behind the crowds and it was pretty challenging too. Thanks to my Nikon travel lens which made made my interest became doable. 

Sweet Cinderella

Beauty & the Beast

Princess Minnie

Pocahontas

Tigger and his friend

Lilo

Naughty Stitch

Donald Duck

Prince Mickey

Tinkerbell

Boo

Pinocchio

Simba

Everyone knows her...Minnie the Mouse

And everyone knows her too...Daisy the Duck

Princess CInderella

Snow White

Beauty

Seriously, I do not have any words to write here. In fact, I have hundreds of pictures which I wanted to post here but that was not a good idea at all. What I really want to emphasize here is that, it was simply awesome and I had such an enjoyable moment on our departure day back to Malaysia

Land of the Sunrise - Mt. Fuji and Kawaguchiko

This day was the most long-awaited trip from the day I planned trip to Japan...view of the infamous Mt. Fuji. Well, we made all the necessary booking and information acquisition from Odakyu Rail service counter at Shinjuku a day before. We booked a return bus ticket to Kawaguchiko Station (3400 yen return) which departed at 8.10 am. Departure point was opposite Shinjuku station via the west exit, exactly in front of a big electronic store (I could not recall the name).

We woke up earlier and I prepared tuna carbonara spaghetti for our lunch later, and later mum and I had breakfast of mushroom soup, breads and cereal drinks. At 7 am local time, we were off to Nishi Kawaguchi and took the JR train to Shinjuku, interchanging at Akabane.

Our bus was supposed to depart at 8.10 am, but it was rescheduled to depart at 8.40 am. I was impressed with the general staffs at the bus station there. Each of them handles all the documentations, boarding process, ticket inspections and the cleanliness of the station. They dressed neatly and tidy and they really respect each fellow colleague. They do their job fast enough, they do not smoke while on duty and they smile to all passengers, internationally and locally. I have no intention to downgrade such employees in  my own country, but seriously, Malaysia needs to improve a lot in many aspects, especially work ethics and discipline.

We finally boarded the bus to Kawaguchiko station. We sat beside an Israeli couples, husband and wife, who are going to see Mt. Fuji too. I spoke mostly with the wife, as we were sitting at the isle. We chit-chatted along the journey and she showed me the picture of Mt. Fuji from the balcony of her hotel room  in Tokyo. It was beautiful and clear, and how I wished I have stayed at the same hotel (I forgot to ask her which hotel she was staying in Tokyo). We were lucky that the weather was absolutely fine, sunny and cloudless. About  an hour after departure, we managed to see the beautiful Mt. Fuji, clearly and shining brightly from the bus. I was trying to take some pictures but since my mum was sitting at the window and the curtain was down, I could not take any. I was supposed to change to other seats so that I could get to take a few shots but I was not sure if it is appropriate to do so while the bus is moving. But no biggy. I have several pictures of Mt. Fuji though not the nicest ones.

So let the pictures tell bits of my trip to Mt. Fuji....

The sign says it all

Mt. Fuji viewed from behind Kawaguchiko Station

To move around Kawaguchiko, there are several bus services which transports visitors to every attraction. The famous is the Retro bus, which the buses look cute and of course, retro. It is wise to get a 2 days pass for this bus service which costs 1300 yen, where one can get unlimited hop on and hop off the bus at any of the designated stops. Seriously, it will be such a regret if visitors visiting Kawaguchiko do not consider this kind of pass, and mum and i were the regretted ones. Heeee....

We stop at a point, Chobosakasafuji, when translated in English, is upside down Mt. Fuji. The schedule of the Retro bus service can be found here ----> Retro Bus Kawaguchiko Station

This point, one can see the reflection of Mt. Fuji on the lake surface, of course when the lighting is right, and lesser or no clouds at all. We thought that we might be able to get our own pictures with Mt. Fuji view as background but seriously, we were too late for such agenda. My word of advice, try to arrive Kawaguchiko very early in the morning, if possible around 9 am, which means one need to take the 7 am bus from Shinjuku and WAKE-UP EARLY!! And make sure to check the weather there. Have a look on my shots of Mt. Fuji, which with some editing.

When clouds started to interfere

Disappearing Fuji-san

Portrait mode

A little disappointed for not being able to view Mt. Fuji like what we saw on the bus, we started to stroll along the lake, and enjoyed the beautiful views around the lake. Personally, Kawaguchiko is one of the best places for its beautiful landscape, based on my traveling experience. The beauty is added by the dramatic colors of autumns which got my head over heals for awhile. The sunlight, however, was really a little too strong and lucky we had our sunglasses on and umbrellas in our bags. 

After 20 minutes strolling, I was starting to feel hungry and I proposed to mum to have our lunch. We chose a spot under a maple tree, where the leaves were all red and really looked like red flame. I took out our packed lunch which I have prepared earlier in the morning, some biscuits and tuna. Seriously, I started enjoying preparing my own meals when traveling because that saved a lot of money and halal is guaranteed. 

We ate at a slow pace while enjoying the view in front of us and breathing fresh air. 

After lunch, we continued walking and we found various interesting spots with beautiful landscapes. Again, let the pictures reveal what we saw.

I am so love being here

I do not why I love this view. It was just rocks and some plants with colors

Freaking red

The maple tree

Mi madre

Flamelike

Crimson red

Could not resist inter-framing

Lovely autumn

Do not ask me what is this tree called

Ummi

Colorful

Duckies

Poor kitty

When we felt that we could not any longer, we stopped at Retrobus stop no. 5, and took the Retrobus back to Kawaguchiko station. We departed for Shinjuku station at 3.10 pm.

Though this was a real short trip, I know I will be returning back to Japan (in dreaming mode!!) to see the view of Mt. Fuji at its best.