Sydney 22 Jan – 28 Jan 09 **Days 6 & 7

Old fashioned bus

Day 6 Vacation in Sydney

Today saw us waking up at 0530hrs as we had two persons in our group who were going for the Sydney Sky diving adventure. At AUD275, you get free return transfers from their office along Wentworth Ave, a full colour jump certificate and an awesome, unbeatable mad minute of freefall from 14,000 ft. If you would like a DVD of your tandem skydive jump, that would cost another AUD99 or AUD120 if you include the DVD and photos on CD as well.

The plane that brings you up

Cramped in the plane

For every additional person who wished to go along to witness the extreme adventure experience of their loved ones had to pay AUD30 just for the free return transfers.



Fortunately, the drizzle stopped and the sky cleared up enough to carry on with the jump.


Being briefed on safety aspects

All ready for the jump!

If you are prone to motion sickness, my recommendation is that you do not do the jump as it can be quite dizzy especially when they spin the parachute. If you have a heart of steel and game for some exciting extreme adventure, then go for it.
Danger - Parachute Landing Zone

Preparing to jump out of the plane

Am I a bird, a plane? Superman!

Admiring the view...

Exhilirating!

Passed with flying colours!

Give yourself half a day for this although getting into the plane and jumping off lasts less than fifteen minutes. It was an exhilirating experience for the skydivers and though it was a heart-stopping moment up there during the jump out of the plane, they all agreed that it was worth the experience!

Walking by St Andrew's Cathedral

Interesting sight

After the amazing experience and the return to Wentworth Ave, we walked past Elizabeth St and strolled along Pitt St where we entered any shops we fancied along the way. Interestingly, it was still drizzling in the city.

As we passed Piccadilly Arcade along Pitt St, we saw Kumfs, the shoe store which has a long history and strong reputation for making women's shoes with style, quality, fit and uncompromising comfort. With its origins as a company founded by podiatrists, Kumfs continues to use in-depth anatomical knowledge of feet as the basis of footwear design. However, we were not able to get the design and size that we wanted. What a pity as they were good buys!

shopping for souvenirs

No worries… As we walked into Sydney Central Plaza along George St, we saw Ecco, another shoe shop that combined their vast experience in advanced footwear technology with an incredible diversity of design tastes, and comfortable shoes in many styles.

Shoes, shoes, shoes....

**Interesting fact:- On an average day you take 15,000 steps and the foot perspires 200ml of sweat. With every step you take the 26 bones, 20 muscles and 112 ligaments in each foot are subjected to approximately twice your body weight. **

A cafe

We had a quick lunch at Hungry Jack’s, the exclusive Australian master food franchisee of Burger King Corporation, and continued on with our shopping before we fly off tomorrow.

We passed by Sydney Tower, previously known as Centrepoint. It was shrouded in the clouds due to the weather today.

Queen Victoria Building

Spiral staircase in QVB

The emblem

Walking along Market St, we entered Queen Victoria Building, also lovingly known as QVB. With its stunning architecture, intricate tiled floors and domed roof, the QVB was build in 1898 as a monument to the reigning monarch. There are jewelers, cafes, antique stores and a wide range of international boutiques in QVB.

Just outside the shops

Passing by George Street, you will come across Myer, a major department store in Australia offering Australian and international designer couture, cosmetics, gifts and homewares.
You will also pass by the Strand Arcade, another Victorian-era shopping hub between Pitt and George Streets, with shops and eateries.

Dinner saw us at Steersons Steakhouse on Lime Street, King Street Wharf. A sleek and stylish venue with spectacular water views overlooking Darling Harbour. With an air of sophistication this modern restaurant offers an elegant dining experience in a tranquil environment.

Steersons

Waiting for the meal

Angus top loin

Angus strip loin - more juicy & tender

We were there before 1800 hrs and the sun was shining into the restaurant pretty strongly at that time. In fact, it was still bright at 2000 hrs. Guess that is summer. Those of us who took the Angus top sirloin found the meat thick and slightly tough. A better alternative was the Angus striploin which was more juicy and tender. You could also have the set meal of Angus beef with a glass of Shiraz, the housewine for less than AUD40.

Water taxi

Beautiful sunset

Next stop was the IMAX theatre which houses the world’s largest movie screen which is more than eight storeys high. This high-tech screen is designed to give audiences the ultimate film experience.

IMAX films are ten times larger than in traditional cinemas and are created specially for the IMAX format in both 2D and the incredibly life-like 3D. Open 7 days a week, the IMAX theatre screens various films from 1000hrs. Most of the films that were screened lasted between forty to fifty minutes and cost AUD19.50 per adult ticket, AUD14.50 per child, AUD16.50 for a concession ticket and AUD56.00 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids. Full length features lasting sixty minutes or more cost AUD25 per adult. We booked the ticket for Haunted Castle at 2200hrs.

As we had approximately two hours to spare before the show, we decided to visit the Sydney Aquarium and take the journey through Australia’s rich and diverse marine ecosystems and discover over 12,000 all-Australian aquatic animals. Here, we were fortunate to find someone with a 25% discount coupon and managed to buy our tickets together with his at a discounted rate. The Aquarium opens from 0900hrs to 2200hrs.

There were lots of underwater walks and you could see dozens of fearsome sharks and majestic giant rays as they pass overhead. Many interesting sea creatures could be seen including the dugong, a large, strictly-marine herbivorous mammal.

Sydney Aquarium

reef

Nemo?

After the Sydney Aquarium, we headed back to the IMAX theatre to watch the Haunted Castle. Here you are given those special spectacles in order to see the 3D effects. I have to admit that the 3D movie experience was on of the most immersive I’ve been to. The images just seem to leap off the screen and creating the illusion that it is so close to you and that you are able to touch it. A very unique effect. The storyline though could have been better.

With IMAX glasses on


Day 7 - last few hours in Sydney

It seems that our short and enjoyable time in Sydney has come to an end. We woke up late and the youngsters went to the small little arcade in the complex. Check out time was 1100hrs and we did some last minute shopping at Coles, just five minutes walk away. Lunched at the Chinese noodle restaurant in the Star City complex before the coach picked us up at 1300 hrs to the Sydney International Airport for our flight on SQ222.

The lift area of Star City Hotel

Had a walk through the duty free shops and there were some pretty good bargains especially for the cameras where you could get a Panasonic LS80, 8.1 mega pixels at just AUD99 with any purchase.

Boarding time was at 1540 hrs and the flight was smooth. This time we managed to sit on the upper deck. Somehow it seemed to be a better experience than the trip to Sydney. Reached Singapore Changi Airport approximately 2100 hrs and it was a breeze going through the immigration and customs.

Star Cruises 15th Anniversary Cruise 12th – 14th Dec 08

In Christmas mood

This was a special weekend cruise to nowhere on board the Superstar Virgo departing from Singapore. The ship sails every Friday evening for a 3-days, 2 nights cruise to nowhere. Boarding starts from 5.30pm. Porter services are available for those who require them. Passengers check in by producing passports in order to be given a boarding access card which serves as a room key as well as a charge card throughout the duration of the cruise. Go through custom procedures just as you would if you are leaving the country.

The Superstar Virgo - a resort-style cruise vacation

Embarkation photos with various cartoon characters as well as dancers/performers will be taken. You can view them when you are on board at the Photo Gallery. There is no obligation to buy these photos which will be bundled together with key chains and photo frames.

Once on board, you may proceed to any of the restaurants for dinner. Some of the restaurants where you can dine for free include Bella Vista for Western food, Pavillion for Chinese food and Mediterranean Buffet for International food. There are also a la carte restaurants which serve Asian, Italian, Japanese and Indian cuisine. Moderate charges apply. Do take note of the dinner dress code and child restrictions in certain restaurants. On board, you can also find a karaoke, a pub and a disco. If you are game for some great ice cream, just head on down to the Gelato Ice Cream & Juice Café. As this was a celebration, we had a special barbecue with lots of food. The barbecued meats were especially tasty & we couldn’t help but go for seconds.

Dinner Dress Code Juice Bar

The Gelato where you can chill out

As safety is the number 1 priority, a safety drill is conducted before the ship sets sail. Participation is compulsory.

If you had used the porter service, your luggage should have been dropped off outside your cabin once you finish dinner. If you like, you may wash up and change into a more casual wear. Take note of the Star Navigator, a program guide that will list the various activities and information that would be available for the night. Most of the programs and activities are free.

Of course, there are casinos on board for you to invest and try your hand with Lady Luck. However, the casinos, which are of international standard, do not open until the ship is in international waters which would be approximately one hour after the ship starts to sail at 9pm. You can have your choice of roulette, jackpot, blackjack, baccarat and star pontoon amongst the offerings. As Singapore does not have its own casino for the time being, there are many die-hard regulars who go on board almost every weekend.

The Picture House

For the non-gamblers, you can either view some blockbuster movies at Picture House, have a quiet read or surf the internet (chargeable) in the Library, have your hair and nails done at Oscar’s Hair & Beauty Salon or just spend some time in the Apollo Spa and Universal Gym. Here you can make use of the facilities and choose to experience some of the massage services or the foot reflexology. Or you can use the steam room and the sauna. For those who love the outdoors, you can swim, use the Jacuzzi or just sun-tan yourself if the weather is right. To end off the night, you can chill out with some music entertainment if you are not keen to watch ‘A Las Vegas-Styled Topless Revue’.

The Sports Unlimited show at The Lido is a show not to be missed! The amazing Power Duo comprising European and World Champion male gymnasts as well as the aero gymnast are the highlights of the show. You will be awed by the skill and perfect timing, the bedazzling costumes and human acts that defy gravity.

Superstar Virgo sometimes brings in guest artistes. You would need to pay to watch these special guest artistes.

For those who can’t find any activity to keep you occupied, you can always do what most Singaporeans love. Eat… You can have breakfast, followed by morning tea and then lunch. In the afternoon, go for another round of tea, followed by dinner and if your stomach still can accommodate, you can finish off the day with a late-night supper.

Sushi making (left) and dragon beard candy making (right) demonstration

The children are not forgotten. Baby-sitting services is available. A range of activities specially for kids include morning exercise, sushi making demonstration, dragon beard candy making demonstration, Nintendo Wii – Tennis, Captain Charlie’s Chocolate Party, Ice Cream Party and Wall Climbing Amazing Race. The more creative kids loved the construction game and crazy Christmas crafts. Not to be outdone, the kids also had a special Christmas Drama Night Party. It seems that the kids have an even more fun-filled program.

The main pool (left) and the children's pool (right)

Singaporeans can collect their passports on Saturday. However, travel documents for all other passport holders will only be issued on Sunday after Immigration Clearance. Generally this is around 9.30am. You need to vacate your rooms by 9am. Disembarkation begins anytime after 10am depending on the local authorities.

A wide range of suites and staterooms are available to suit all tastes and budtgets. There are basically three types of cabins to choose from:-

• Inside Stateroom (cheapest)
• Window Stateroom (with a fixed window)
• Balcony (most expensive of the three)
  

Balcony room

Of course if you are celebrating a grand occasion and looking for a more luxurious cabin, you can opt for a suite which comes with a personal jacuzzi.

This is a more relaxed, resort-style cruise and allows you to escape the stress of everyday life. Some people view it as a world-class exclusive floating resort on the high seas offering you an array of facilities, entertainment, recreational activities and services coupled with warm Asian hospitality. So if you are looking for a dream vacation, look no further.