29 April to 6 May 2016
The people I talked to and who had been to Australia kept dismissing Canberra as "boring." And cold. Boring and cold. Maybe the country's meticulously planned capital could be quite dull when you've been there for a while. For me, though, a week in this spic-and-span city is bitin. Mostly because most of my weekdays there were spent for the course proper. We barely had time to go out to the business district before the shops closed, never mind the many museums and parks that are one or two bus rides away.
We stayed in Braddon, a suburb adjacent to the Canberra CBD. When we got there, the autumn foliage in the city was in its full splendor. Those trees could just be talisay, you know. :)) But damn, is the city pretty during this season!
After settling in our hotel, my companion and I went around for a walk to look for the station of the bus we would take for our weekend Sydney trip. Just across the CBD is this park dedicated to ANZAC. It really amazes me how much honor the people of Australia give to that part of their country's history. Lest We Forget markers seem to be a staple in most cities, if not all. (Meanwhile, Filipinos are welcoming the opportunity to revise history. But that's another post.)
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| Pose, how do :)) |
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| Caught the boys of Merlin on Canberra TV. That's season 3, Gwaine's intro! That git. Haha. |
Because we had the weekend free before the course started the following Monday, my batch mates and I decided to take on our respective solo trips to Sydney, where we all have friends and families to host us. I met with my friend who's currently studying at the University of New South Wales, and he took it upon himself to tour me around Sydney.
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| Sydney's Central Station. Not as iconic and as lively as Flinders, in my opinion. But still pretty. |
Sydney is a bustling metropolis, but it's coastal and conducive for long walks. So from the Coogee suburb, we walked and people-watched towards Coogee Beach. I love how how accessible the beach is from the suburb. People thereabouts are so chill. Maybe because it was a Saturday. On our way, I even saw people not wearing any footwear. To each town its own quirks. :)
We had lunch at this Mediterranean-themed place near the beach. Super chill! Ahh, First World life. :))
After some catching up, my friend and I headed downtown so I could look around for pasalubong. With the Opal card, buses and trains are so easy to use. *insert heart-wrenching envy again here*
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| Paddy's Market |
Sydney, like Melbourne is a multi-cultural city with people minding their own businesses. Basically, people are warm but you can do whatever you please, too. It's less intimate than Melbourne, if that makes any sense, but just as vibrant and engaging. The sprawl of the city and all the tall buildings can be quite intimidating, but afternoon strolls like the one I had at Darling Harbour could really make visitors feel quite at home.
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| We chanced upon this installation of quirky road signs from around the world. |
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| Oh yeah? :)) |
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| #AryaLakwatsera in the coastal city of Braavos! Haha. |
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| A view of the Australian Maritime Museum |
From Darling Harbour, we took a ferry to Circular Quay. My tour guide (haha) said that it's more epic if I had my first encounter with the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House from the middle of the bay. True enough, it was really a good view.
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| Luna Park! Someday, I will be able to enter one. :)) |
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| How pretty is it at night! |
After my final chance to shop in Sydney (at the DFO in Stratford) (the plaza near the train station is so cute!), I hurriedly tried to go back to Central Station to catch my bus back to Canberra. (I actually missed my scheduled trip. Luckily, my student ID gave me the privilege to change my ticket for free. Otherwise, that's AUD80 down the drain! Haha. Nawili kasi sa DFO at Woolworth's! :)))
During the three-hour trip back, I had a telenovela-worthy experience. Needless to say, it took all my willpower to walk back from the bus station to the warmth of my hotel room. It was really cold and I could feel my hands freezing. Add that to the struggle of walking with the heavy backpack I was carrying (full of my loot from Paddy's haha).
Anyway, the course proper was a mix of fighting the urge to fall asleep, listening to amazing lecturers, discussing with my classmates, and sharing our experiences in our respective countries. We even had a couple of field trips, first to the Parliament and to the War Memorial.
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| Just a normal weeknight at the Canberra CBD :3 |
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| Excuse my face. Haha. I miss that room. |
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| "The Parliament over there is the heart of Australia. The War Memorial here is the soul." |
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| The Roll of Honor in the War Memorial is laced with red poppies, which have become the symbol in commemorating the sacrifice of the ANZAC members during the First World War. |
Like the Shrine of Remembrance, the War Memorial is a state-of-the-art museum that takes visitors back to the battles and historical moments of Australia as a nation. It is filled with tributes to Australia's sons and daughters who fought and died during the wars and operations throughout the world.
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| Multi-screen movie on Australia's war aircraft history, directed by Peter Jackson! |
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| Last Post Ceremony |
We chanced upon the Last Post Ceremony, which signals the closing of the Memorial. During the ceremony, visitors of the Memorial are invited to witness the commemoration of the story behind one name in the Roll of Honor. Wreaths and tributes were offered by the visitors at the Memorial's Pool of Reflection.
How solemn and profound is Australia's regard for its people who died in the war. How heartfelt is their commitment to never forget, to teach the children the sacrifice people made in the name of their country, that others may live.
That night, we had a dinner with the organizers of our course. Funny how we (us Filipinos) couldn't help ourselves from discussing the mayhem that was happening back then in the Philippines. We were away during the last two weeks before the elections, which was a blessed relief to be honest. Somehow, though, we can't help but be affected.
On our last day, we wrapped up our course and got our certificates. We said good bye to our classmates and we exchanged souvenirs. I got a handful or keychains, while I gave them 20-peso bills.
After we checked out and said goodbye to our glorious one-week hotel life, we were transported to Sydney to wait for our flights. Some of my classmates flew out that Friday, while most of us had Saturday flights.
As a last hurrah for this Australia trip, my friend and I met again for dinner at a pub-ish palce facing Darling Harbour. The view was superb and I enjoyed people-watching as the night wore on. Sydney is a lovely city, and Australia has indeed everything for every kind of traveler.
This was a very important trip for me, considering the challenges and preparations I had to undergo before I was able to take that flight for my first solo trip ever. It was an enriching trip, not only for the opportunity to train with counterparts from other countries but also for the eye-opening experiences as I explored the different facets of Australia, and even Filipino camaraderie.
While the Land Down Under wasn't a place I used to yearn to visit, it is now, and I can't wait to go back.
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Preparing and planning for my next trip is in full swing now, so I finally mustered my will to post this. :)) Hopefully our trip in November would be just as memorable as this one.
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