The Winter that was not bitter - Part 1

Chuck away your short pants and put on a pair of thermals instead. Throw away those thongs (called slippers in Malaysia) and put on a pair of warm shoes. Put away your hairstyling wax and put on a beanie instead. Mate, it's winter! And, whoever said winter is no fun cannot be more wrong!

Just a brief "F.Y.I." moment before I inundate this blog with pictures (which is what most of you guys are here for anyway). So, yeah, Sarah Khor and Jia Ren came down to Tassie for a short holiday from the 1st-5th July. I did not think I would enjoy going around Tassie in winter. But, boy, was I wrong. It just goes to show that in be-a-u-ti-fuuul Tassie, anytime is a good time. Yeah, it is a little cold and chilly during this time of the year. But, heck, who really gives a stuff when you are continually awestruck by nature's beauty. Besides, Sarah and Jia Ren were fun to hang around with. :)


Port Arthur convict site - This place is pretty cool! Imagine a whole town which was built hundreds of years ago by the British to cater to the containment of convicts from Britain. The history there is just mind blowing. After the jails were shut down, the early government were thinking of just letting the whole township fade into oblivion because most Australians at that time were embarrassed to recognise their convict history. This place is a must-see if you love history.









The fare-free alternative to take a picture with a Tasmanian Devil. The admission fee was a friggin AUD24, just to see them Devils and some other wildlife. Bugger!


Knowing me, you know I couldn't resist doing this. It was right there! :P


Tessellated pavement.


Tasman blowhole.


Devil's Kitchen.




Tasman Arch.


Out and about around Hobart city.








Snow angel-ling on top of Mt Wellington! Always wanted to do this. Oh, despite the oh-so-happy pics you see here, there's a memorable(almost traumatising) story about the trip up there. The winds were soooooo strong when we were up there. Couple that with the cold weather, and you get Arctic-like conditions. Anyway, after we went out to trod in the thick snow, touch the snow and also EAT the snow, we decided to head back down. But, lo and behold, we couldn't get our car started. I tried to phone for roadside assistance but the signal up there was really bad. So, imagine being trapped up a 1200 something mountain with wintery wind blasts and with no way to get your car started while the sun is setting fast. It can get a LITTLE daunting. But, God bless this Aussie bloke who happened to have hiked up there(how on earth he managed in those conditions I still can't fully understand) and was soooo helpful. To cut the long story short, we managed to get our car started after pushing the car a little. Apparently, it had something to do with something called an immobiliser and a giant radio tower on top of the mountain. >.< But, in all seriousness, you do NOT want to get stuck up on a mountain with no way to get down.


Somewhere on Bruny Island.






Jia Ren, Sarah and I on the ferry en route to Bruny Island.






The Neck - a narrow strip of land separating North Bruny and South Bruny.


An artsy fartsy shot dedicated to Judson Lim.




The St John Catholic Cathedral - Australia's oldest existing Catholic church.




Richmond Bridge - built in 1823, it is the oldest bridge in Australia which is still in use.

Watch this space for Part 2 to this entry. :)

p.s.: If you're wondering, my second semester has just started. So, I'm trying to get all this mucking around (viz blogging) out of the way a.s.a.p before Uni starts to get insane - again.

p.s.s: If you're really that interested in my life, I got Credit for all three units I took last semester - Intro to Econometrics, Intermediate Microeconomics and Tort Law. Contract Law results to be made known SOON. :S

p.s.s.s: I've gotta stop saying 'p.s.'.