Singapore (GMT +8)

OK, need to do a bit of catching up....  First:  HAPPY 2011 Everyone!

I'll start with my week in Manly Beach followed with my departure from Sydney back to Singapore followed by Rosie's arrival.
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December 19-24, 2010
Manly Beach, Australia (GMT +10)

At the end of a long, thoroughly invigorating day touring the Blue Mountains, Featherdale and Little Vietnam, Hoa dropped me off at my hotel in Manly Beach - The Sebel - located right at the end of the beach strip. My room is on the 4th floor, 417, facing the beach in the South building which is detached from the main hotel.  The easiest way to get to my building is through the bar/restaurant via the lobby and out the back. :-)

Lobby of the Sebel, Manly Beach

Christmas tree in lobby

Restaurant/bar in Sebel

Entrance to Sebel Hotel

I'm amazed that this place is one of the preferred hotels Dell visiting employees can stay. The location is incredible! I took a couple of extended walks along the boardwalk in both directions taking photos along the way.  Once I get back to the States, I'll post more photos of the area.

Each morning I'd wake up, do a little work catching up with the US, occasionally exercise, go down to breakfast in the bar and take a cab to French's Forest, the area where our Dell offices are located.  Taxi ride there cost about $25-30Au. Most days after work I'd get a lift back to the hotel by one of my Dell colleagues. Only had to taxi back once.

One day for lunch, Hoa took me to Dee Why Beach, another beautiful beach north of Manly.  We bought pies and sausage rolls from his sister-in-laws bakery and spent a very pleasant hour overlooking Dee Why Beach and walking around some.  The beach has a huge pool built into the rocks that you can enjoy or just jump into the surf from the rocks near the pool - very cool! 

Hoa's Family's Bakery near Dee Why Beach

View of a portion of Dee Why Beach from our lunch spot

Looks like sporting fun!

Dee Why Beach in background, pool in rocks

Better view of the pool right on the Pacific Ocean

My host, Hoa, after lunch

Another view of the pool, surf and Dee Why Beach

Somewhere between Manly and Dee Why Beaches

Worked most of the week but on Thursday, 12/23, decided to leave work a bit early to catch the Manly Ferry service over to Sydney just to say I did. :-)  Quite the nice, relatively fast - ~25mins - trip. There is a high speed cat boat you can buy a ride on for a bit more $$ but, why hurry?  For $13Au round trip the normal ferry ride was just fine.  It's quite scenic motoring out of Manly down the bay, past the entrance to Sydney Harbor off the port side which opens up to the Pacific Ocean, making a leisurely right turn to head towards the bridge and opera house.  Sail boats all over the place enjoying the wind. The ferry drops you off right in Circular Quay very close to the Cruise ship terminal and the 'Rocks' to the right and the opera house to the left.

Manly Cove

Manly Wharf and ferry boat departure point

Sydney Harbor entrance from Tasman Sea

Manly Ferry coming from Sydney

Sail boat flying spinnaker with Sydney skyline in view

Coming 'round HMAS Sydney point

Sydney skyline in the setting sun

Mast of the HMAS Sydney

Pretty red spinnaker

Ft. Dennison guarding the middle of the harbor

Woolloomooloo Naval Base

Opera House

Better shot of Manly ferry aka: 'push me, pull me' ferry

One of many different views to the Opera House

Opera House

Opera House

Opera House

Sydney Harbor Bridge

Approaching Circular Quay and ferry docking area

Some of the eager crowd on the ferry

As I exited the ferry and headed left towards the opera house, I could hear the distinctive sounds of a 'diggeri-do' being played set to an upbeat, modern, rhythmic harmony. There was actually a native Aborigine playing the instrument right on the pier for donations supported by a woman I assumed to be his partner/wife.  Sounded great and I did leave a tip before moving on to the opera house. :-)

Aborigine native playing on Circular Quay

Walking towards Opera House

Walk continues around Sydney Cove

Opera House

Opera House and Opera Bar

Access to Opera Bar - you go down and under

Opera Bar

Opera House

Opera House steps

One of many different views to the Opera House

Royal Botanical Gardens via Queen Elizabeth II Gate

Opera House

Another entrance to Royal Botanical Gardens

Pretty cool perspective

Restaurant/bar in one of the smaller shell structures

Opera House

View to Circular Quay and downtown Sydney

This shell holds the restaurant/bar

Ramp onto the Manly Ferry at Circular Quay

My last shot of the Opera House in the setting sunlight

Sailing around entrance to Sydney

Racing sail boats... you can make out the lighthouse on the point

On the harbor sailing

Returning to Manly Wharf

Ended up strolling around the Sydney waterfront down to the opera house for a couple of hours before re-boarding the ferry back to Manly.  Tons of people enjoying the weather, shopping, bars/restaurants and, sight-seeing... as did I. The Opera house is impressive.  Really cool design with tinted windows that you can peek into.  I was cheeky enough to have touched the structure several times. :-)  Saw at least 1 restaurant/bar in one of the smaller shell structures.  Nearby, right on the water there's a long bar, the Opera bar, that you get to by walking down some steps.  I didn't enter the bar but, did take a lot of pics.

Glad I took the time to experience the ride and tour the Sydney waterfront by the Opera House.  Had dinner aboard the ferry... my final meat pie - delicious!! Got back to the hotel before dark and called it a night.

Manly Beach photos on my first day there... as overcast as it will get:

A couple of shots of my room on 4th floor

Looking towards my balcony

TV and work area

Balcony view to left...

                                               Looking straight out

View to right.

My balcony on left, 4th floor

One view of the Sebel

The Sebel, Manly Beach

Beach boardwalk looking North Westish

The boardwalk wraps all the way around the point to the South East

Manly beach late afternoon on a dark, overcast day

More later.

Just a few more shots of Manly Beach and surrounding area:

Manly Beach and the boardwalk

Looking the other way on Manly Beach

Manly Beach

Manly Beach

Sebel Hotel through the trees

Walking and bike path leaving Manly Beach

Looking back at Manly Beach

On the walk towards Shelly Beach - far left in this view

Walking towards Shelly Beach

A really cool pool built on the water on the way to Shelly Beach

A kid's club just out on boards raging around

Main Street Manly Beach

Some of many restaurants along the Manly Beach strip

Sebel Hotel

Done!  :-)

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December 24, 2010
Sydney, Australia (GMT +10), to Singapore (GMT +8)

Arranged for a late, 1300, check-out of the Sebel Hotel in Manly Beach. Worked the morning from my hotel room. Taxi arrived right at 1315 for the trip to Sydney airport. Took about 45mins to get to the airport. Was at least 1 bridge opening that delayed the trip. Got dropped off at the International terminal. Cost $80Au for the taxi ride. I thought that was steep until I checked in with Qantas.

Qantas charged me $525Au for an extra 14kg of luggage!  I almost gagged!  That's only ~30lbs of extra luggage! The only sliver of good news is I got upgraded - not sure how or what it meant - to Premium Economy for the flight. We were departing from Gate 8 at 1730 and this was going to be my first ever flight on an Airbus A380-800... the plane that just recently was grounded for Rolls Royce engine failure problems.

Enroute to Sydney airport

Nearly there

Lots of large jets dominated by Qantas

A Qantas A380-800, similar to the one I'll ride on

Sydney skyline

Freckles, my constant companion, with the tail of our A380 in back

Freckles in Premium Economy, upper deck of A380

Out the window, 2nd deck, A380

Anyway, a premium economy upgrade gets you upper deck seating at the very far back of the top deck in nicer, more roomy chairs. And, you're treated fairly nicely.  Boarded on time but took off about 1/2hr late for the ~4,000mi flight to Singapore. We were served a meal and all the beverages, including wine + beer, you wanted.  Gotta admit, nice riding airplane and you're way up high too. Lots of baggage compartments including along the fuselage under the windows.  One other cool feature to mention:  the A380 has a camera mounted in it's vertical tail and you can basically watch the entire flight via that camera... although not much to see while at altitude. :-)

My traveling mate, Barbara who worked for Cap Gemini, was on her way to London to spend Christmas with her family.

Arrived Singapore at ~2245, deplaned and, by the time I had picked up luggage, stood in line for a taxi for 45mins - the terminal was packed with travelers flying into Singapore for Christmas - and the 20min taxi ride, arrived at the Fairmont about 5min before the clock turned over to Christmas morning. I was assigned room #2010 which, unfortunately, looks the wrong way, away from the marina. Tried to have it changed for Rosie's sake but, they said I'd have to pay an extra $30SG/day. Turned that down since our Dell rate had already been increased by the hotel for the upcoming year.

I basically just chilled for a day and a half until Rosie flew in late evening Sunday/early Monday am.

Will pick up later with Rosie's week in Singapore.