Country Kid

I've been to 5 major cities in Australia, enjoyed every single one of them. Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns. I think I'd like the pace of life in the smaller cities (Perth, Brisbane, Cairns). You have amazing scenery, slow lifestyle, great food, nice changing climate. Farid's over in Perth now. Should be winter there, maybe transitioning to spring later on. I wish I were on holiday. Perhaps in the future... Kathy and Elaine have said we should do a trip in time to come, perhaps Uluru eh (Ayers Rock).

Anyway, Perth. Its a nice city, the one they say dies after 5pm. Pretty true. But I suppose that gives you more time for people instead of using it for shopping and things for yourself. It strikes me as a quiet, peaceful city area. The Margaret River winding through. Oh, and Cicerello's if you're at Mandurah or Fremantle. Fresh seafood. There's something very different about the Fish & Chips you get over in Oz and the Fish & Chips you get here. One major difference is the servings. Try going to LJS here and you get a meagre thing that looks more like a fish stick than fish & chips. Haha. That adds to the charm of Australia and Perth.

Coming back from Sydney earlier this year and seeing all these travel shows to Sydney made me feel that there was soooooo much I didn't get to do and see. I would've loved to have walked across the Harbour Bridge again, climb up to the pylon open for tourists, gone to the botanical gardens, walked around the opera house more and the list continues. At least I'll know what I want to see the next time I go now that I've been there recently. The last time I went was in 1994. I mostly remember Nana's 80th birthday and the numerous birthdays in March that we celebrated in Aunty Dah's northshore home. And how can I forget Boris and Stephy, their dogs?Oh, and Uncle Bob bluffed me that there was a dinosaur in his backyard. Even as a young kid back then, I knew that they didn't exist though. Haha. I remember Aunty Tina buying me a paint set over a helicopter toy too, cause I insisted on it.

Sydney's an interesting metropolis. Next time I go there, I want to attend Hillsongs church. Hopefully I'll be able to drive and can rent a car there to get around instead of relying on public transport. Places like Glenmore Park didn't seem to have much public transport coverage. But its such a big place that you can't expect public transport to serve every single street, unlike here.I loved Sydney. I doubt I'd ever make my home there though.


The recent trip down was my first time to the rest of these cities. Brisbane was another interesting city, kinda like Perth in a way. In the sense that it is a city, but lacks that metropolis feel. Its very different to say, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. You get a busy feeling when you go to such cities (ala Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Washington DC). Brisbane probably feels like some small city in the country like Melaka or Portland maybe (never been there, but trying to find something to compare it to).

The CityCats added a nice touch to the city as well. Great way to see the city too! As they say, you haven't been to Brisbane if you haven't been on the CityCats. Excellent way of getting around. Locally, they'd be similar to our bum boats, just that the Brisbane River is way wider than the Singapore River and able to accomodate bigger boats and I think it seems to lie lower than the Singapore River does. And the Brisbane suburbs were quiet too. Not too far off from the city either.


Melbourne I loved too, maybe more so than Sydney. It seemed to have more character than Sydney did. Culturally, it seemed more vibrant than Sydney too. And it was more compact. Not in the density sense, but it wasn't as sprawling as Sydney was.

Then there's Great Ocean Road in driving distance from Melbourne too. GOR was magnificent. Truly a wonder from God.Words can't describe how awe inspiring it is. Especially when there happens to be a storm out in the sea and the huge waves come crashing against the cliff faces. I don't think you can see that and come away saying that there is no creator. Could man ever think of there being such a beautiful sight?


How can you not love Cairns? Its not really a city at all, but feels like a small town. Quiet, not much traffic or too many things going on. It was rather serene. You feel like you could walk down the middle of one of the streets without getting hit or run over and with people playing guitars or singing here and there, the atmosphere was rather welcoming. You could walk along the Promenade at night and just feel very relaxed. Land constraints here porhibit the availability of such places. Go to East Coast Park, Pasir Ris Park or West Coast Park and you're able to see the lights of freighters on their journey. Not just one, many.. Unlike Cairns where you see maybe one or two boats here and there on their way to the Great Barrier Reef and beyond.

I suppose deep down, I'm more of a country kid that loves and appreciates smaller towns over large metropolises. Why do they appeal to me? Maybe because I simply like taking things slower? Maybe because I don't like feeling as if I have to be constantly busy with something. I think it'd be nice to sometimes just lay back and stare into the sky looking at the clouds or the stars, only that its somewhat impossible here with the climate and development we have here. What is your preference? Country or Metropolis?

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