G'DAY MATE!
As many would have already known, recently I was down for a trip back Australia's sunbaked coast, Gold Coast. Mind you that the last time I was back here was somewhere around in 2003 and much have changed since then. Nevertheless we got ourselves all geared up for the trip and was looking forward to some fun in the sun!
[We weren't suppose to take pictures here but we were quite stealthy]
As we boarded our flight via Air Asia's latest deals straight to Gold Coast, it took us 8 grueling hours of travelling before we reached the sunny coast. I say grueling because as per usual, my luck didn't hold up during my flight with two families with babies crying the entire night and a pack full flight. Bliss...
[bit of Air Asia promo there....]
[Banking into a gorgeous Gold Coast view]
[Still relatively empty in Gold Coast Airport]
As we were flying we did have a bit of a debate on whether it is worth taking budget airlines to long distance flights compared to the regular airline services. That I will leave for another post.
As we were flying we did have a bit of a debate on whether it is worth taking budget airlines to long distance flights compared to the regular airline services. That I will leave for another post.
Since we were in a tight schedule, we decided to take the overnight flight meaning that we were scheduled to arrive in sunny Gold Coast early in the morning. Despite it being sunny as day, it was still mildly cold at around 9 degrees in the morning.
Once we got ourselves settled in the hotel, we had to jump straight to our first activity for the day.
Whale Watching. :)
[Reaching the port just in time before sailing off!]
[Casting off from Titanium Bar]
We took part with the tour from a company called Whales in Paradise which is a bunch of really friendly people who are set to give us a 3 hours educational tour and first hand sightings of whales. Interestingly enough this guys are so good at this, they guarantee whale sighting every time and they don't even use radars! Only depending on human observation.
[Our awesome travelling gang, Pam and Davie!]
[They started distributing sea sickness pills... hmm...]
For those of you who didn't know, whale watching would require us to travel around and hour to the middle of the sea which is of course the Pacific Ocean. We were warned that the waves there are not as nice and cozy as most places and would even test the stomach of even the experienced sea crews. They weren't kidding...
We started off in a slow pace along the river bank, which houses some of the most beautiful coastline houses I have ever seen. Of course each of them has at least a 7 million Australian Dollars price tag on them. Go figure...
[Some examples of houses and buildings along the coastlines. One of them is actually owned by a Malaysian it seems...]
But once we exit the river bank, the sea was there to welcome us.
To explain how it feels, imagine a 30 foot boat with 20 people being tossed in the air and back down again by a wave that is at least 1 meter high, giving the same rush that you get from a roller coaster. While some felt super sick in between, I was having the time of my life!
As seen in this video. :D
[Yes I said aiyo....]
As we reached the coast area where the whales are expected to pass by, we were out on the look out for whale puffs being blown into the air as they take a breath. Whale watching in Gold Coast are governed by strict rules and regulations which means that we were not allowed to go any nearer than 100 meters to the whales. Of course the whales are not aware of this rule and curiosity might sometimes get the better of them...
[Big splash made by the whales!]
[Spotting the big air puff made by the whales]
Most of the time, whale watches get the opportunity to chase the trail of these whales as they move about in the ocean and have a look see on what they can do. We were extremely lucky that day because we got to see two couple whales who were travelling together that day. Very "whaley" romantic story indeed!
[One started coming really close to our boat]
[Couple whale dived in together in front of us!]
Once we came back to shore, we decided to take some rest before exploring the town throughout this trip. This I will do in Part 2 on this you can do while you are in Gold Coast Australia so keep a close eye on this post tomorrow! :D
check out more posts like this under Teh Tarik Travels
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Looking forward to Part 2 :D
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