Phew finally back in Malaysia!
Flew into Coolangatta by Air AsiaX, stayed in Surfer's Paradise. I was a bit dissapointed with Air Asia this time though. First time flying on their new and enhanced Air AsiaX, never expect our experience to be so bad. The 7 hours flight was awful and torturing. They publicize so much about their 'reclining chair'. They are described as full flat bed, but in fact they can only inclined up to a very minimal angle, so they're not horizontal which is what I had assumed from the name! Oh well I probably shouldn't complain too much as it is a low-cost carrier :1
12 days in Gold Coast was awesome and I'm becoming very Gold Coastie now! No doubt GC has great sandy beaches, beautiful subtropical climate, lovely people, theme parks and yummylicious food - Hong Kie style abaloneeeeeeee ♥.♥
Let's view the record. I've been walking around the Surfers Paradise like everyday I'm there, especially from the hotel to Jack Ko's restaurant, to Hard Rock Cafe and to the beach area. I can almost walk blind folded on the street lol.
Number plates on all GC cars indicate the fair state to be Australia's Sunshine State.
GC will always be the gateway of entertainment and joy with 4 major theme parks - Dreamworld, Movieworld, Seaworld and Whitewater World. I visited Dreamworld for five-freaking times! Whenever Dreamworld needs an ambassador, I'm up for it ;) I just loveee the rides in Dreamworld and Malaysia has nothing to compare with that! Remember I was so excited to ride on The Claw! I had DM to go up with me for the first time and I remember how he ranaway from me when I wanted to go up for the second time haha!!
It was really fun enjoying the rides and stuff... but having to queue up for the ride was no fun at all because the crowd is crazy! In the end CT got us a Q4U =)
Q4U is a cool gadget, reminds me of the childhood handheld virtual pet 'Tamagotchi'. With this Q4U, it help us to make ride reservations 'virtually', anywhere in the park! It means we can still try other rides, catch a show or visit a restaurant, while Q4U holding our “virtual” spot in the queue isn't it cool?!
Do as the locals do!The weekend offered all kind of activities along the coast, from Friday night markets and street entertainment to Sunday morning markets by the beach. We always made an early start because the sun rose very early compared to Malaysia. The locals were already out walking, jogging, cycling and skateboarding at 6am! Even the seniors were having a good time playing croquet in the park. The Aussies certainly take their sports seriously, so no wonder they managed to win so many medals during the Olympic game for such a small population.
During my time in GC, Fish and chips has taken over my everyday-rice-only lifestyle. I had fish and chips for lunch and dinner like almost everyday (Yeah, thank God breakfast is exceptional)
Most of the time I had my lunch in Charis. My visit to Charis for the first time was great but it has becoming less and less exciting then haha. Charis is a seafood outlet/ market located in Labrador - small suburb in GC (approximately 20 minutes drive from Surfers). The local loves it here. It's like... imagine in Malaysia where the Malays always like to go to the parks, sitting on mats, under the tree with family and friends, foods and drinks that sort of thing... that's how Charis looks like. And with an extra added entertainment, it makes Charis is not just an ordinary place to just picnic. Everyday at 1.30pm visitors get to watch pelican feeling behind the outlet (no wonder mom said I smell funny lol). Dozens of enormous pelicans waddled up from the beach as their internal clock told them it is lunchtime!
Dinner in Ashmore - 5 times. This is a huge seafood restaurant that serves hugeeee serving with good food (it spoilt my diet!) and nice cozy atmosphere. Trust me, if you hasn't been eating for days this is the perfect spot for you! It's a bit expensive though but it's really worth the penny! Here, you don't need to order an entree as they actually try to fill your stomach up with their delicious garlic bread, chips and salads! We always make sure we eat slowly, enjoy and have space for our main haha! Another thing I love about Ashmore is, I get to have the all-you-can-eat Moreton Bay Bugs and oysters thanks to CITP =))
On our day of departure we decided to head to Harbour Town - a factory outlet haven in Southport for last minute shopping. I wasn't disappointed. If you're a shopaholic, I would suggest you to bring an empty suitcase along as you're sure to be able to fill it with great buys! You can find most of the well-known brands from David Jones to Quiksilver, Billabong, Nike and Royal Doulton here. What amazed me even more were the Happy Hour deals. For a short period of time, shoppers in certain stores get to enjoy further discounts on top of the already low prices. Another serendipitous find at Harbour Town was the Tourism Lounge, where tourists can register as a visitor to receive a book of Tourist Coupons that entitled them to more discounts!
