Time can be unkind—not only to your face, your hairline and your gut, but also in that it rarely allows you to go back to correct a past mistake. Mine would be being the precious twit in 2001 who didn’t bring a snapper when I got invited to Sydney, Australia—just because I didn’t want to be readily singled out by the locals as one of those annoying tourists, although I quickly behaved like one (minus the annoying part I believe, but I can’t vouch for it) when I found myself staring out to the iconic Sydney Opera House across Darling Harbour.
Mercifully, the opportunity to correct that mistake came to me by way of an invitation from the country’s leading value carrier Cebu Pacific (www.cebupacificair.com), which launched its maiden flight to Sydney, Australia, in September.
It was an eight-hour flight that seemed fly by aboard one of the planes recently acquired by the carrier from the French company Airbus, a A330-300, which has a 436-seat configuration with well-stuffed and well-upholstered seats, and just enough room to make some shut-eye possible—if you are so inclined—without spurring another reclining-seat uproar that’s made headlines in recent months. (Hello, United Airlines!)
As with Cebu Pacific’s other long-haul flights, inflight Internet was available via CEB Air Wi-Fi ($12 for the entire flight) and while it was most tempting to live-tweet about this maiden journey, I settled on catching up with a bit of Hollywood entertainment courtesy of my Sony Xperia Tablet Z. Other inflight options for Cebu Pacific’s long-haul passengers include prepaid baggage allowance of up to 40 kilos, seat selection, and Hot Meals (the selections include Beef Caldereta, Bistek Tagalog, Chicken Adobo, Chicken Barbecue, among others; pre-ordered Hot Meals come with dessert). Needless to say, I opted for the Pinoy classic—the adobo of course, which had that familiar and comforting blend mix of tartness and saltiness that my mother would have approved (although I imagine she would’ve suggested just a whisper of sweetness from your standard-issue sugar).
And then I was back in Sydney, “the state capital of New South Wales on the east coast of Australia.”
After a quick late but scrumptious lunch at The Brasserie of Grace Hotel, a partner of Cebu Pacific and Destination New South Wales (www.visitnsw.com) located within an elegantly restored, heritage-listed Art Deco building in the downtown area and its bevy of shopping destinations, we were off to one of Sydney’s major tourist attractions: Darling Harbour.
There, I could have spent an entire day just soaking in the early spring chill while marvelling at the lovely views offered by Port Jackson, also called Sydney Harbour—from the waterways and the iconic Pyrmont Bridge that serves as a reminder of Sydney’s past as a busy port of commerce, to the modern cityscape spread out just a short walk away, to the fascinating seagulls that lorded over Darling Harbour, never too shy to entertain you with all their squawking and walking—and remind you as well that, damn right, they own the place.
Instead, I and the rest of the media personalities invited to join Cebu Pacific’s maiden flight to Sydney, had only a few hours to sample the wonders to be had at Darling Harbour before we all settled in for the sublime Mediterranean dinner that awaited us at Nicks Bar & Grill, also in the harbour.
Adjacent to the city center, Darling Harbour (www.darlingharbour.com) has leisure and entertainment offerings aplenty, from the Harbour Shopping Center (which reputedly has a retail jet flight simulator) to the LG Imax Theater, the Star Casino and Entertainment Complex, Aboriginal Center and Tumbalong Park, among many others.
For our sampling, we first ventured into the wonderful marine world of the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium (sydneyaquarium.com.au), which is home to thousands of marine species on view in a variety of themed zones (Shark Walk, Bay of Rays, Discovery Rockpool, Great Barrier Reef). As we toured the aquarium’s shark facility, our affable guide informed us that the predators are fed twice a day and thus are never hungry—which you might take to mean that the sharks are not all that keyed up to hunt for prey for dinner, but, darling, I still wouldn’t suggest you dip your hand into the shark tank.
After a tour of the aquarium, we were off to Madame Tussauds—yes, the museum that first found fame in London with its waxworks of historical and royal figures, along with the usual suspects of global superstars in entertainment and sports, plus the gaggle of infamous personalities. Not surprisingly, its branch in Darling Harbour, just right beside the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium, includes life-sized wax incarnations of Britain’s royal family, including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. Also in the VIP mix are some US Presidents (Bill, Dubya and Barack), plus Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.
Of course, Australia was well-represented at Madame Tussauds’, with Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Eric Bana (whom I seriously attempted to snog), Lleyton Hewitt, Kylie Minogue and Mel Gibson in the superstar guest list. Among the famous nonnatives you could have a selfie with—and these days, who wouldn’t?—there’s Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Brangelina, Johnny Depp, Katy Perry, Rihanna and, yes, Madonna—who, by the way, deserved nothing less than three wax incarnations (from her “Like a Virgin” period to “Sticky & Sweet” sensation to “MDNA” fabulousness).
And in case you’re interested in having your very own wax figure—well, at least a part of you, that is—an All-Inclusive Pass to Madame Tussauds (www.madametussauds.com/Sydney/) will give you a wax cast of your hand along with a small “Oscar” trophy and an official guidebook.
There is, however, more to New South Wales than Sydney and its modern delights, perhaps even more sublime than a shopping trip at the gloriously restored Queen Victoria Building. Up next are blue mountains, koalas and high tea.
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Cebu Pacific operates four weekly flights between Manila and Sydney, every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The flight departs Manila at 12:15 am and arrives in Sydney at 10:05 am. The return flight departs Sydney at 11:35 am and arrives in Manila at 5:30 pm.