Surfer's Paradise, Gold Coast

It's been a week since I've been staying at my friends' place since our new place is only available on Sept.15. It really helps to have your closest and bestest friends when you really need them :-).

Anyway, back to regular programming. Here's another photo dump from my recent Gold Coast trip and this one is in and around Surfer's Paradise.

Eco-friendly toilet at the airport upon arrival..

 

Look for "Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle" at the arrival area to buy your "Go Card" - for use on public transportation. 

The bus stop for 702 is right across the desk where you purchase your Go Card. Thanks to the wonders of the internet I managed to find a cheap way to go to Surfer's Paradise.

 

You can top up any amount in your Go Card. I topped up AUD30 since each way to and fro the airport is around AUD6 I think, plus the card comes with a AUD5 deposit (any unused amount can be refunded).

Saw this on the way to Surfer's Paradise... I've never seen this sport before. 

It's a short 40 min. bus ride to Surfer's Paradise from the airport, by the way.

I got down several stops early but it was good because I got to walk around and catch my first glimpses of the area. This was their version of Singapore's "Flyer" or London's "Eye".

 

After Dreamworld on our first day, this was our first proper meal... thai food recommended by Jason and Jen :-).

Either we were hungry or the food was really good. It really tasted authentic.

It was very pricey though as this restaurant was in one of the hotels. I think all 3 of us paid AUD25 each, if i remember correctly.

After dinner, we decided to rest first at our hotels before meeting up another highschool classmate Mark, who is now based in Logan City, Brisbane. I took the chance to stock up on supplies and came across Cole's - which was just in front of my hotel. I was in heaven! haha.

Heaven!!! :-)

I was so tempted to get these but stopped myself haha

I think I ate ready-made Lasagna for 2 nights in a row haha. It was so good and convenient, plus cheap! (AUD6)

Pause for a vanity shot hehehe

7D? Seriously??

There was a night market at the beach, too bad I didn't get to explore this...

Hungry Jack's = Burger King

(from L-R) Mark, Jason and Jen

I was really glad to see my highschool mates Jason and Mark, whom I haven't seen in ages. Jason is also based in Singapore. Thanks for the company guys! :-)

The next few days I just pretty much took it slow and easy. Since budget was an impending issue (hahaha) and I was only there for 4 days, I didn't really do much of the touristy stuff - aside from Q1 (in my next post) and Dreamworld.

You can basically tell where someone is from by the way they call McDonald's... Australians call it "Macca's", Singaporeans = "Mac", Filipinos = "Muckdo" hehehe :)

When booking a hotel, make sure it's near the main shopping street - Cavill Avenue. I pretty much spent most of my time here. Especially at Macca's where Wifi was free hehehe.

Not bad but the Kebabs I've had in Spain and The Netherlands are way better ;-). They were huge though, AUD8 a piece. I had to eat them in 2 sittings (with a short break in between hehehe).

 

Woolworth's was also right in front of Vibe Hotel. I found the selection at Cole's a little bit better though.

Ahhh such a lovely day at the beach...

I thought it was actually good great that ALL the fastfood chains flashed the caloric content of their food on their menus. Really, this stopped me from upsizing my meals! haha. Well, I shouldn't be eating fast-food so often in the first place but this was what my budget could permit :-P.

KFC was a major let-down - no rice, no gravy, no chili, no hot & crispy chicken. Boo! :-P

On the day of my departure, I took the bus again. I am so glad their public transportation is so efficient. My flight was very early at 9am which meant I had to catch the 5:50am bus. It's so convenient that they have buses as early (or as late) as 2:30am.

Coolangatta airport was not bad too. Clean, simple yet sufficient.

Anyone could actually go into the departure area to send off your loved ones (after going through screening and x-ray) - which actually meant more business for the airport. I think this is a great idea for Singapore's Changi Airport, where everyone basically loves to shop.

 

I was thrifty til the end hahaha. My home-made ham sandwich while waiting for my departure. In fact, I still had money at the airport and spent them on knick knacks and goodies just to get rid of the last few dollars I had.

Change of career? yes? :-P

There's Surfer's Paradise for you! From the point of view of a budget traveller! hahaha. My last post on this trip is on Q1 - amazing 360-degree view from Australia's tallest building.

In 3 weeks is our trip to Germany :-). Not sure if I already mentioned it here but I already booked my flight on Lufthansa. Best of all, I can finally try the A380! Yeba! I've been checking train tickets on Bahn.de as I'd like to visit Paris since I'm already in the vicinity. Definitely looking forward to that! :-)