Travel Archives | Page 7 of 30

Wanderlust Wednesdays: Night Market at The Rocks

1 August 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Food, Travel, Wanderlust Wednesdays

Happy 1st day of August!

The Rocks Markets has become one of Sydneysiders’ after work hang out every Friday. It started being a weekend market but once there were more people going to The Rocks on Friday night, they now start at 5:00pm every Friday.

Set amid the sandstone and cobbles, the colourful markets have grown to include more than 200 eclectic stalls. Visitors from near and far come to find fashion and accessories by emerging designers, locally-produced homewares, linen and beauty products and original photography, art, crafts and jewellery.

Other than shopping, we love the food available from the market. This is where we usually take the chance to eat kebabs (shawarma), dim sums, pork buns and red bean buns.

In one of the nights we were there, a busker provided entertainment for us by playing a guitar.

It is always a busy place, hence, we just eat anywhere we are able to find a seat. In the photo below, I was seated at the side of a big pot of plant that serves the street’s decoration too.

The best way to enjoy the market is to be early. If you can’t be early, be ready to brave the crowd, wait in lines for food and probably eat standing up.

Getting to The Rocks

The Rocks is in central Sydney, just a short stroll from the city’s two most recognisable landmarks, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. It is also just around the corner from the Circular Quay transportation hub. The Rocks extends from the harbour in the north and east, to Kent Street in the west, and Grosvenor Street in the south.

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Vivid Sydney 2012

28 June 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 6 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Photography, The Married Life, Travel

Hooray! This is my 1,000th post in this blog! I just have to acknowledge that because I never thought I’d keep up with this blog for a long time. Just a quick thank you to readers and people who pass by AWCL. I sometimes wonder why I still do this but knowing that there are people who read and learn from things I share is something that inspires me to continue and soldier on. So thank you. Thank you for spending a few minutes of your day browsing thru my articles, appreciating my photographs and joining me in my travel and food adventures.

Since this is my 1,000th post, I would like to share one of my favourite events, the Vivid Sydney.

Vivid Sydney is Sydney’s 3-week celebration of light, music and ideas. It is a way to promote art and encourage people to come out and enjoy the sights and sounds of Sydney during winter time. Every year, more and more people come to see Vivid Sydney. Even tourists visit the city just to see this.

Vivid Sydney has become a tradition for us. Since 2009, we’ve been coming to see this event so we can enjoy the city at night and revel in art. This year, we went twice. We had a bit of disappointment with the Lighting of the Sails (Sydney Opera House) because we found it a bit “un-vivid” and boring. However, the light projections on Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Customs House and Argyle Street Tunnel were stunning. There were over 50 interactive and immersive light art sculptures all around Circular Quay and The Rocks area which we enjoyed too.

The light projections on Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA).

The light projections on Customs House.

Light installations in Circular Quay and The Rocks.

This light installation lights up in some areas when you place your hands on a platform.

This reminds me of an onion.

This one’s a friend from the sea.

A giant Tic Tac Toe.

Hop Skotch, anyone?

The Colour Cubed which the kids loved because they can rotate it by hand.

I’m fascinated with lights. I remember when I travelled to Dubai and arrived at one o’clock in the morning, I looked out the window and saw sooooo many lights from above (Me: OMG! Ang daming ilaw!!! I want to live here!). I thought it was such a great welcome. That’s why I love Vivid Sydney–it’s about lights! I’m grateful that the Husband took photos of how much I enjoyed this show.

The Enough Ropelight (by Brian Thomson) installation above me.

This was my favourite. I liked it so much, I wanted one at home haha. Sooooo pretty. I forgot the name though.

Gelato on a winter’s night, anyone? Australia is ice cream country. Other than our passion for coffee and good food, we love our ice cream so much, the city is surrounded by ice cream shops. People wait patiently just to grab a cone or two of ice cream even on a cold night.

I had to get on this platform (which I think was for kids) so I could get the attention of the staff. That’s what you call determination.

The last leg of our Vivid Sydney adventure was at Argyle Street. This one’s called Light Breezers, a playful light show of colour and fabric.

It changed colours every few minutes.

The prettiest light installation was at the tunnel in Argyle Street. This one’s called Argyle in Bloom. I call this my Spring in Winter.

Related Posts:
Vivid Sydney 2009 – Sydney Opera House in a Spectacle of Colours
Vivid Sydney 2010 – Lighting of the Sails of the Opera House, Macquarie Visions
Vivid Sydney 2011 – Lights Up, Sydney!

Wanderlust Wednesdays: Life in Sydney

27 June 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 3 Comments Category: Deep Thoughts, Travel, Wanderlust Wednesdays

I have always shared life in Sydney thru my photographs, thru this blog and my column in Ang Kalatas. Although I haven’t made an exclusive account of what I think of living here, I do love living here. Maybe one day I will write about it some more, when I have the discipline to sit down and write; and when I have no more hesitations in doing so. In the meantime, I hope you get to appreciate my photos, blogging and tweets about Sydney, my beloved city.

I found this video online yesterday and I just had to share it. It shows a few things that Sydneysiders do: start the day at the beach, have coffee (we’re passionate about our coffee), enjoying nature even if we’re in the city, find beauty in unexpected spaces, the Vivid Sydney during winter time. It shows the simple ways we live life here and how laidback we are.

P.S. I’ve been told by some friends overseas that they cannot access this video. I’m not sure why but I’m sorry if you’re having trouble accessing it.

This City and You from Johnny Abegg Films on Vimeo.

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Wanderlust Wednesdays: Chinatown in Sydney

6 June 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 3 Comments Category: Travel, Wanderlust Wednesdays

Australia is a multicultural country and we have lots of migrants from around the world who have moved here. I once mentioned to the Husband that I never feel isolated in this city. Living here makes me feel a certain freedom being who I am while communing with different nationalities. Chinatown is one of the places here where multicultural diversity is very evident. People from all walks of life, whether living here or travelling, are seen enjoying what Sydney has to offer.

People who personally know me and those who follow me virtually (twitter and instagram) know that one of the places I frequent in Sydney is Chinatown. It is located at Haymarket, between Central Station and Darling Harbour.

I like having a walk in Chinatown whenever I have an hour or two before meeting up with the Husband after work. Chinatown is a big place so in this entry, I’ll share with you some of the places I frequent.

So…walk with me?

The centre of Chinatown is in Dixon Street, a pedestrian street mall with lots of Chinese restaurants and shops. It is here where we sometimes dine at Super Bowl Chinese Restaurant, shop at Morning Glory and have yum cha at another Chinese restaurant (the name escapes me at the moment).

Ever true to theme. Chinatown has a Tourist Information Booth likened to a small temple.

When craving for Hainanese Chicken Rice, we go to Singapore Shiok! located inside Eating World Food Court. It’s cheap and the serving’s very generous.

I sometimes devour some freshly-baked Cream Puffs from Emperor’s Garden Restaurant while walking around Chinatown.

There are a few Asian DVD stores in the city but this store at the north end of Dixon Street is where my Husband and I hang out and buy DVDs/CDs from.

There are lots of shops/boutiques in Chinatown but the biggest shopping area would have to be Paddy’s Market and Market City, both housed in one building. This is where one can shop for food, souvenirs, trinkets, clothes, bags and shoes. In Market City you’ll find factory outlets of Esprit, Cotton On, Giordano, Preview, Rubi, Converse, etc. They also have a food court and lots of restaurants.

Whenever I’m at Market City/Paddy’s Market, I start walking around Paddy’s Market to look at trinkets and cute items. Then I go up to Market City and explore the shops. Once I’m tired from all the walking, I get a drink at Chatime and sit down for a while.

One of my favourite churches in Sydney is located at Chinatown. I sometimes hear the 5:30pm mass at St. Peter Julian’s Church after work.

Another area in Chinatown I frequent is the Capitol Square Shopping Centre. The Husband and I usually meet up here when he needs to buy computer parts. While waiting for him, I indulge in one of the best hotdogs I know at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels.

Sometimes I have a cup of coffee at Starbucks. It is worth mentioning this Starbucks branch because it is the biggest in (probably the whole of) Australia. It also has a different interior design–they have a bar-like table on the ground level and a long table on second level for people who need to study or for a group of people who need to meet over coffee.

It is in Capitol Square Building where the Capitol Theatre is housed. This was where we watched “Phantom of the Opera”, “Love Never Dies” and “Wicked”.

I know there are a lot more things and places I’ve yet to discover in Chinatown and I’m taking my time in unravelling them.

I hope you enjoy that little walk around Chinatown with me.

Fri-date: Korean Movie, Coffee & Food Tripping, Vivid Sydney 2012

28 May 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Food, The Married Life, Travel

The last time we had a Fri-date was in Summer. We enjoyed our Fri-date so much, we decided that once in a while, we will in sync our day-offs together so we’ll have one whole day just for us. Three months ago, I was in a shirt-shorts-sandals ensemble but the weather has grown so much colder since then. We still have a few days of Autumn left but the temps are definitely Winter-ish. Our agenda for the Friday will extend up to night time so we left home all bundled up.

“As One Korea“, a Korean film. We discovered that a few selected theatres in Sydney feature Korean films and we were lucky to find that there’s a film being shown in Broadway Shopping Centre until 30th May. The film is based on a true story of the first unified Korean team who competed in the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan. It’s a story of teamwork and friendship that blossomed between the North and South Korean teams. The film was so heartwarming it brought tears to the women watching in the cinema (including me!). The cast was lead by Ha Ji-won from the famous KDrama, “Secret Garden” and “The King 2 Hearts“.

After the movie, we trooped down to Glebe and had coffee and pastries at La Banette, a rustic French patisserie.

As mentioned in my instagram, La Banette Patisserie was my beautiful find that day. I love cafes with eccentric interiors and small spaces that doesn’t intrude on my personal space. Even if there were people seated near us, there was a sense of privacy and we felt comfortable. We enjoyed their pastries which were freshly-baked. I will write a separate entry about their food soon.

Visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art Store. From Glebe, we took the bus to Circular Quay and spent the rest of the evening at The Rocks. We visited the newly-renovated Museum of Contemporary Art and had a look at a few items at their store. The store sells books, bags, jewellery, lomo cameras etc. I saw Pochi purses which I find very cute. Maybe one day I’ll buy one for myself.

Early Dinner of Kebabs at The Rocks Market. I waited two weeks just to get a hold of these yummy kebabs at The Rocks! When I saw that Shawarma scene in “The Avengers” movie, I just knew it was time to have that kebab date with the Husband. We were there early so we had the kebab stall all to ourselves.

We enjoyed their Meatball Kebab and Grilled Chicken Tikka Kebab as we roamed around The Rocks Market.

Vivid Sydney 2012. Twenty minutes before the stroke of 6PM, we’re all setted up (camera gears and all) at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay waiting for the Lighting of the Sails of Sydney Opera House. Naging panata na namin ang Vivid Sydney (We have a devotion to witnessing Vivid Sydney). This is the only evening event during Autumn/Winter that we go to because it’s (1) about art and technology; (2) a family event; and (3) we like taking photographs of light shows.

The Lighting of the Sails of Sydney Opera House was a miss. This was so far the worst Lighting of the Sails and we were very disappointed.

We tried to enjoy it but the truth was there was nothing enjoyable about it. We appreciate the art and light show but overall, we didn’t like it.

The only saving grace was the light show on the Museum of Contemporary Art and Customs House and few light installations around Circular Quay.

After exploring the light shows of Vivid Sydney, we went back to The Rocks Market to eat again. Taking photographs and walking in the cold left us famished so we had pork buns and bean buns before finally going home.

A separate feature on Vivid Sydney 2012 and The Rocks Market will be shared soon!