CNY 8th day: 15 Feb 2016

15 Feb 2016 (Mon):

We had a 9-ish (am) flight back to SG.

So we decided to have a takeaway brekkie at Mac. Well, they only open at 6am. Hubs went down to get the breakfast while i get the kids ready and do some last min packing .

This the view at about 6am from our apartment. There were already people jogging by the beach front when i zoom in. :P

We took the G Link to Broach Beach South Station and took bus # 777 to Coolangatta Airport.

The tram station was the same as the day we went to Currumbin Wildlife.  From Broadbeach South station, it was another half an hour - 45 mins to the airport.

Okay, folks... sorry I took so long to update my trip but it was work work work and I was so tired during the weekends that I just did not have the mood to update my blog.

CNY 7th day: 14 Feb 2016

14 Feb 2016 (Sun):

Happy Valentine's Day to all :)

Our 2nd last day Gold Coast. The day before, we enquired with one of the travel and tours booth around Surfers about the admission to Dream World and it was expensive. Then we caught sight of a promotion at another booth for admission to Dreamworld, Whitewaters and Skypoint. Bingo! We got that.

Skypoint, even at 8am was crowded. The view was as clear as what we saw when we had our heli ride, except this was in the morning.

Dreamworld and Whitewaters... of cos no photos at the water theme park.

Sand Safari at Beachfront Market. The market opens only every Wed, Fri and Sun from 3pm to 8pm, subject to weather conditions. They feature a variety of premium products, including fashion, jewellery, accessories, artworks, photographs, beauty products and home wares and many more.

CNY 6th day: 13 Feb 2016

13 Feb 2016 (Sat):

We went back to Sea World for half a day as we did not manage to look at all other attractions Sea World has to offer. (With our unlimited entry to the parks, this was worth the while).

We caught the Dolphin show and the ski show, saw the penguin sanctuary and sharks bay.

Then we went over to do a Heli ride. Perfect end to the day. We caught the sunset and it was magnificent. We flew over Gold Coast and the skies were clear and spectacular.

CNY 5th day: 12 Feb 2016

12 Feb 2016 (Friday):

We had a full day at Movie World today. Movie world seems to have shrunk in size (area). The last I came; some 13 years ago... it was much bigger or so I thought. Now, once you have walked towards the Hollywood Stunt show from the main entrance after passing by Shrek 4D show, it seems only either you walked towards the left where Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster and West Wild Falls Adventure Ride are or towards the right where WB Kids Zone is.

The Country Fair Games station were not open that day and the parade is not till 3pm. Basically we were left wondering aimlessly. Yes, we went to Shrek 4D, watched the Hollywood Stunt show, ( I still prefer Police Academy), rode Scooby Doo coaster, sat on the log ride and then.... nothing left... we over to the Kids Zone just to keep ourselves occupied... the kids went on practically ride even though the queue for it was long - gosh... we had plenty of time to waste...till 3pm.

We had thoughts of skipping the parade. We had an evening show at the Australian Outback and it was on the same stretch of road, next to Paradise Country Farm

Either we could go back to our hotel first, and then come back later in the evening for the show or we could come back later at 3pm for the parade and then proceed for the show. But we felt it was silly to go off and return again. So, we sat around and waited for the parade to start.

(Come to think of it, we might skip the parade and visit Paradise Country Farm instead, then proceed to Australian Outback... why did we not thought of that)

The Australian Outback was excellent! The story line and the performance were wonderful. Though the tickets were expensive, it was worth it. At least hubs, the cheapo one found it worth the $$. Thank goodness. Else my ears would be ringing non stop with his " why this...why that "

CNY 4th day: 11 Feb 2016

11 Feb 2016 (Thurs):

Good morning from Gold Coast!. At 6.40am (which is only 4.40am in SG), we woke up to a beautiful morning and delish breakfast.

Kinda weird cos at 6.40am, even in SG, i would have complained at having to wake up so early but here in GC, no fuss at all. Of cos! We are on a vacation. :)

We bought the breakfast stuff right at COLES the night before - bread, ham, cheese, eggs, juice, etc..
A tad too much, i believed.

The agenda for the day was Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Park which was located at Currumbin itself.

So, how to get to the park? Fastest way and most expensive way, take a cab.

But no, we did an alternative.

Since the G Link was just round the corner of our apartment, we took a tram to Broach Beach South Station and from there, we took bus # 700 which stops outside Currumbin Wildlife Park.

Walk 2 mins to Cavill Avenue Station, have your GO card ready and tap at the gantry just before boarding.

The GO card works the same way as our EZ Link Card or NETS Flashpay card. Alight at Broach Beach South station (4th stop after Cavill Ave - Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise, Northcliffe, Florida Gardens and Broach Beach South).

From BBS station, take bus #700. Just a note: the station is an open station and upon alighting, there are 4 bus stops. 2 stops on each side of the tram track. Board #700 from bus stop A.

Clear instructions on the map above.

There are many native creatures at CWSP. Actually, there are 2 such parks in GC. One is CWSP, the other is PCF - Paradise Country Farm.

I read the many reviews and the CWSP won my vote. Well, that being said, I kinda regretted having said it. 

We spent practically the whole day there and wasted quite a fair bit of time just walking. Example: you can spent 5-10 mins looking at Koalas but spent the next 20 mins to half an hour just to get to the next enclosure. And then, there is nothing inside??? ( or rather, the animal was hiding somewhere)

We saw wallabies, emus, tasmanian devils and of cos my favourite, the Koalas. We caught the many different shows and performances throughout the day as well.

  BUT the worst thing, enduring the hot hot sun. 

After a long day with tempers rising and many arguments, we rewarded ourselves at Surfers Paradise.

Spending the evening fooling around, kicking in the waters, running around in the sand, enjoying the cooling weather, taking selfies, splashing and screaming, chasing each other... taking in the sights and sounds.

CNY 3rd day: 10 Feb 2016

10 Feb 2016 (Wed):

Our flight to Gold Coast, Coolangatta Airport was about 7 hrs plus. The flight itself was uneventful except my gal got a sudden nose bleed after sneezing a few times halfway through her sleep.

I asked the cabin crew if it is possible to just provide a glass of warm water and she told me a bottle of mineral water is chargeable. Hey SCOOTS, if you are reading this, I am only asking for a glass of warm water for my gal for her nose bleeding incident and you, instead of providing the warm water with no questions asked, told me the water is CHARGEABLE!!!

Okay fine. I asked for a blanket instead, just to keep her warm for the time being and you again, told me its CHARGEABLE!!! I am not buying from you. I just need it for a little while.

In the end, i paid for the so called warm water. What did you bring me? An empty cup and 1 bottle of mineral water. I asked for warm water right? You went and came back with a cup, filled with water, yes but room temperature water???!!! Can you please check your bloody SCOOTS dictionary??? What is warm water? Do I have to ask for ice water before you know how to bring me hot water? And I would have to mixed the two cups myself. Pissed!!!

I should have checked your bloody name tag or speak to your superior there and then. Stupid woman!

Enough ranting. A real horrible experience. Scoots management. Time to give your crew more training.

Upon arrival at GC, we actually spent quite some time there on purchasing the prepaid Nano sim card and deciding on what tour packages to sign up for. The process in buying the sim card was real slow. Somehow or other, there was no connection and the lady did all she can to help. Finally we got it.

We signed up for the VIP Magic Pass with Australian Outback Spectacular Show free with a hot deal to Movie World, Sea World and Wet n Wild, valid till June 2016. Price: AUD 110 per person.

We told a cab to Surfers Paradise where our resort was. Now, this resort has several names to it.

When we did our booking with Agoda.com, it was given as Mantra Towers of Chevron, and then we saw Chevron Renaissance on the outside of the building, and when we came back from the Australian Outback via cab, the driver told us this is known as Skyline Tower, not Renaissance...

There are all actually the same apartment. Located on 23 Ferny Ave, the G Link (tram) was just a mere 2 mins walk along Cavill Avenue. The beach was within walking distance and the bus stop was just located from across the apartment, where you can take bus# TX2 to Movie World, Wet n Wild, Paradise Country Farm and even the Australian Outback. They are all located at the same area, within walking distance, alongside each other. Bus #705 takes you to Sea World.  Bus# TX3 brings you right to the doorstep of Dream World.

But you need to study the operating hours of each bus service as the operation would cease at about 6pm each evening since the theme parks closed at 5pm. Take note that the bus stops and G Link (tram stops) are on different sides of the apartment, though I am not sure which is the front and which is the back.

Visit http://translink.com.au/goldcoast for more info.

I got you covered for the majority of the theme parks. I will touch on Currumbin Wildlife and how to get there in the next post. Oh yes, behind the bus stop, there is a pub called Helms Bar. Right behind Helms Bar next to Vibes Hotel is the place for boarding the Jet Boat Extreme: http://www.jetboatextreme.com.au/

Our apartment was superb. We stayed at Tower 2, 15th floor and we got a magnificent view of the ocean. The weather was good to us every day, except for 1 gloomy morning when we were at Wet n Wild. But that cleared up within mins from the1st bout of rain and was sunny from then on.

The time difference between SG and GC was 2 hours apart - if SG was 10am, GC would be 12 noon.

Our apartment was spick and span, clean but kinda oily at the kitchen area. Basic facilities were provided, such as: clothes line / rack and pegs for hanging your clothes, broom and vacuum for maintaining the cleanliness, dish washing liquid and sponge, laundry detergent, shower and shampoo, clean towers, pot, pans, bowls and plates, utensils, microwave oven, dish washing machine, washing machine for the clothes and tumbler / dryer, cooling air condition, soft beds, bathtub and standing shower.....

Asked for Tower 2 on the 15th floor with the ocean view, the next time you stay at Mantra Towers of Chevron. Do not get mixed up, there are many different Mantra apartments here and there.

Right below Tower 2, you can gain access to the supermarket - COLES, pharmacy, bakery, cafes, pubs, restaurants many more. Talk about convenience. Choose Mantra Towers. You can't get wrong.

CNY 2nd day: 09 Feb 2016

09 Feb 2016 (Tues):

Thought I would skipped this day. We were basically in Malacca, the only reason was to visit the temple. My fil was not in good health and hubs would like to pray for his well being.

And as usual, our friends (the Kueh family) joined us. Siew Min prepared lunch and the kids were reluctant to say goodbye when it was time to go.

We had a plane to catch for our trip to Gold Coast, Australia that night and we did not want to get stuck in the jam, in case. Luck was not on our side.

We left Malacca at 230pm. If traffic was smooth all the way, we would reach back SG by 5pm latest.
We would still have some time to shower, changed and head for the airport in good time.

But at 6pm, we were still stuck on the NS highway. READ: JAM!!!! For no reason. No accidents, no roadblock, what the heck!!! The traffic was slow moving all the way.

At 8pm, we were just approaching JB customs and voila, MAJOR jam. Our flight was departing at 1030pm via Scoot. Die la... sure missed the flight.

Finally we snail crawled into the checkpoint and something bloody idiot happened. The driver in front of us did not have enough cash in her Touch n Go card and was preparing to jam up everyone by heading over to another lane, far away, to top up!

Hubby horned at her and asked her to use our card; just pay us in cash. Stupid woman! Couldnt even find her wallet in her bag. Arrrggghhhhh.... God! We were running very late already...

We managed to arrive at the airport by 9.20pm and there was still a long queue. Luckily, it moved fast and we even managed to grab a bite before we walked towards the boarding gate.

CNY 1st day: 08 Feb 2016

08 Feb 2016 (Mon):

Slept at 2am, woke up at 9am...  Happy Lunar New Year! Showered, got dressed for the occasion... 1st stop, breakfast @ Macs.

Quite crowded on the 1st day of CNY.  Seems like Macs was on everyone's agenda for that day.

We visited our cousin who just gave birth a week ago, or was it 2 weeks ago, to her 2nd child. She has an older boy and the kids played while the adults chatted. It was already lunch time before we knew it. Her CL prepared the lunch and asked if we would like to join in. We politely rejected.

We went over to my Grandma's place and we were like couch potatoes there. Thought I would be able to see some of my other relatives but no one turned up.

(We ,7 families in all, used to gather for lunch at my Grandma's place during CNY. And when each daughter or son got married and had kids, the number grewed bigger. Then one year, my Grandma announced she would have to stopped preparing lunch for everyone as the amount of work needed was to tiring for her. From then on, the gathering stopped and lucky enough, you might just see one or two families coming at the same time, otherwise, there were none.)

It was almost 2pm and we still had my mum's place to go. My mum prepared lunch and we ate at least 3 rounds...  Steamboat filled with individual preference of ingredients. My cousins were all there and there were much laughter and gossips.

The only regret. My Grandma (mum's mum) was not around. She passed on last year.

My in laws were going to Adelaide in the evening and we sent them to the airport. After which, we drove all the way to Malacca.

CNY Eve 07 Feb 2016

07 Feb 2016 (Sunday):

2015 has come to an end and mine 1st blog post is in Feb 2016 instead of Jan 2016. Oppsss!

Seriously, I envy some of those bloggers who seems to have almost something to blog everyday. Their lifestyle draws many memories for them to jot it down online. Me??? Well, well, well....

Okay. No more lamenting!

On this very day as the blog title mentioned, it is the Chinese New Year Eve. The very last day of  " Mr Goat " and welcoming a new " Mr Monkey ".

3 cheers to a Prosperous and Wealthy 2016.