i climbed it! yes, one of the activities that i wanted to tick off 2 years ago. i did it last wednesday on th 23rd. yup, 23 days into June.

weather was not ideal, pouring rain cause the photos not to turn out well. but we did have the experience of climbing the bridge both in dry and wet conditions.

because it was raining, we had to put on extra clothing to prevent us from freezing at the top of the bridge which means that the preparation time took a lil bit longer. Pretty exciting when we departed for the summit. the only "danger" part is when we climbed the vertical ladders from the bottom of the pylon to the road level. with the slippery steps, we need to take extra care and all came good in the end, everyone was safe and sound

the climb on the arch was very enjoyable. wide space for us to enjoy the view, less the rain, and kinda like the expedition kind of walk. down part, as I say, were the photos.

thanks to denise for organising this, although the weather was not perfect, it was good that everyone could get togther and do something that will be memorable for all of us for the rest of our lives. i like it and dinner/desserts after was enjoyable as well and we got to buy some souvenirs to remind us of the climb. driving past the bridge every morning will be different now and will remind me of the experience that we've got on the 23rd June 2010.

Port Stephens

before I forget

we went up to Port Stephens/Newcastle/Hunter Valley to bring Derrick and Darian for sandboarding. Denise was amazed with the animals we saw

Whales!

Dolphins!

Pipis!

Falcon!!!

yes we saw a falcon on the roadside, nibbling on a roadkill. Amazing to see the wildlife in nature.

It was a nice drive too. always love to drive up to the north. photos will be uploaded once Darian sorts out the thousands of photos he took!

good shots w/o dslr?

taken @ Dubbo

Denise's Birthday 12 Feb 2010

is Denise's big day again! 12th of Feb. and this year, this special day coincides with Chinese New Year and Valentines Day which make it extra extra special.

Plans for this day includes visiting the Western Plains Dubbo Zoo. A good 6 hour solid drive. The birthday girl didnt want to catch some sleep before set off and we did, according to the bday's girl request, set off at 2.30am in the morning, hoping to get there by 9am so that we could have a full day @ the zoo. Good and Bad choice.

Bad choice. Blue Mountains drive was dangerous. Hilly Road + very very poor visibility due to the fog. Visibility was about only less than 10 metres. I could only look at the reflective lights at the centre of the road and drive accordingly. Dangerous moments when you suddenly get 2 huge head lights and a heavy truck, sometimes a B-Double zooming past you in the opposite direction.

Good choice. Once pass the mountains. The scene was breathtaking from Orange to Bathurst to Dubbo. Sunrise + Greenery + Fog. Makes you feel like you are in heaven. I love driving and these are the factors that encourages me to drive. Although after 4 hours of drive, I've gotta pass the task to Denise to finish the leg for me to catch some sleep for the long hot day at Dubbo Zoo.

weather was hot. very hot. both of us got sunburnt cycling around the zoo. We got a good deal @ the zoo and got a "complimentary" entry based on "everything happens for a reason". Rented 2 bikes and ask for the daily programs with "no questions asked". lets move on to explore.

Cycling around the zoo was a good experience. Other than that, with the weather so hot, hardly any animals were active. In the end, at around 3+, we seemed to be only ones cycling round the zoo, singing out loud with only the animals listening to us. Overall experience, average but the weather played a huge part. and also the bicycles. haha. some trouble at the start when we did not realise how to operate the brakes.

went back to the hotel and got take-away vietnamese at Dubbo. Seriously, Dubbo, as they say, has nothing but the zoo and hog's breath. haha. still wondering why a small town like that would have 4 major supermarkets servicing the area. btw, we get stares wherever we go.

buffet breakfast was satisfying the next morning and we were woken up with a lot of bugs @ our bathroom. Yes. and I meant a lot! due to the weather. and when we step out, grasshoppers, big or small, were everywhere.

nothing else to do, decided to head back Sydney for another nice 6 hours of drive. stopped at Wellington to take some photos, Orange to collect some brochures and Bathurst for some rain. Until I struck up a brilliant idea, to search our GPS system for Denise's Road, Street, Avenue etc. Found it and it near Blue Mountains. Good stuff. Under the instructions from "Alice", we found it. WooHoo!

reach Sydney at around 5+, and decided to go for dinner at Cantina after much persuasion. Didnt regret the choice. turn out to be really good and for a tapas experience. Of course, I belive the meal was made better because Denise knew the duty manager at that time. LO-mi. Sorry. I meant Romy. hehe.

nice filling valentines day menu. went back and did the "Happy Dolly" cake for Denise. Received some pretty good comments from the birthday girl. =).

Glad we had a good time celebrating your special day and also trying out many many new experiences!

2009 Phuket Trip

Phuket 2009 - saw another part of the world and I would say, another experience. Different culture, different types of people. No OH&S. No Nothing. Just different compared to a developed country. But I'm glad I did make the full use of our 3 days 2 nights over there. Elephant Trekking, Snorkelling, Turtle Reseach Centre, Shooting Range, Bamboo Rafting, LadyBoys, Phi Phi Island, Speedboats, LadyBoys, Ladies, PingPongs. Some of the memorable experiences brought from the below pics.

Elephant Trekking - This naughty elephant seen peeping at my basket of bananas, caused a stir as we approach bamboo trees on our way back to camp. For about 2 minutes, this 'friendly' giant charge towards the bamboo trees and began pulling down them. Yes, the whole tree. What a roller coaster ride without the proper safety belts. Denise and I were amazed by the power of its trunk. No matter how hard the keeper tried to get him back, he just wouldnt give up. I would say, fortunately, we didnt fall off our seats. The keeper gave him a whack on his skull with a hammer-like tool which caused him to bleed a little. Naughty and cheeky as the photo suggests. Most importantly, we had fun! OH ya, denise's hair nearly got pulled off by a gibbon while posing a photo with him. One of those moments you see on TV.

65kg groupers @ the fishery research centre where we saw almost every growing stage of a turtle.

Fantastic views of the islands. Hopefully they are still around in the future with the global warming issue worsening every day. Love the snorkelling as well. First time doing it and was glad that in this small part of the world, unpolluted waters with variety of tropical fishes still exist.

Hope Denise enjoyed the shooting experience. First time for me with a handgun.

It was all right for me. More of the thrill of firing off with no safety instructions or any form of strict guidelines.

Beers (Singha and Chang) are cheap everywhere. $1.50 per can.

Drinks, Ladyboys, Ladies Pole Dancing are everywhere when you walk down Bangla Street of Patong Beach. Not surprising that after much persuasion, we got swayed to watch one of the 'shows'. *Eyes widening experience* How did they do it?

Thanks Denise once again for organising the trip.

Nice hotel. Good Deal. Highly recommended - Ban Thai @ Patong Beach

The tours were fantastic as well. Cheap and got the most out of it. 2 snorkelling opportunites. Covered majority of the islands.

Overall, Phuket is very tourist orientated. Don't be surprised if "Wai Lao" gets priority better services. Generally safe, but the locals will try to get every single dollar out for you, to join their dodgy tours or airport transfers services. To be fair, tourism is their main source of income.