I will no longer be publishing blogs here on Marissa Takes the World.
I started a new website, gingerandivory.com which will now host all my new blogs, as well as my old ones.
I started a new website because I wanted more control over the layout, fonts and colors. I wanted to make it more my own rather than on a free template on blogger.
My mumsie, Amanda and I decided a nice trip to Australia over New Years would be a BLOODY RIPER. (Please note that I plan to write most of this blog in an Australian accent so feel free to read it in one). CHEERS.
I nannied for an Australian family back in college so I like to pretend that their Australianness rubbed off on me, so if I ever traveled to their motherland, I would fit right in. I know all the terms like nappy, petrol, vegemite, tim-tams, milo, boot, etc.... I'm so Australian.
OFF TO SYDNEY!
We took the Virgin Australia red-eye from LAX to Sydney so we could wake up there with no jet-lag. Or at least minimal jet-lag
I reeeaaaalllyyy wasn't looking forward to a 13 HOUR FLIGHT. But I managed. Slept almost the entire time. But woke up for the snackz.
Day 1: Sydney
After we landed (over a day later), I was stopped at the self passport scanner, in customs, by a security guard because you have to be 16 YEARS OLD OR OLDER TO USE IT. My good sir, thank you for such a compliment. But, I'm like... old and stuff.
Since we couldn't get into the airbnb until the afternoon we sat in a bar... with our luggage. Such tourists.
After checking in, we set off to explore the city!
Hyde Park
Hyde Park
Weird to see Christmas decorations in the middle of "summer"
I couldn't believe how HOT AND HUMID it was. My body was confused as to why we went from winter to summer and JUST STARTED PROFUSELY SWEATING. Thought I was going to pass TF out. We were starting to feel the jet lag (and our lack of water) so we had an early dinner at an Italian woodfire pizzeria place called Macchiato (DELISH) and went to bed.
Day 2: Sydney (NEW YEARS EVE!)
Being in Sydney for New Years and seeing the fireworks has always been on my bucket list. Every website told us to stake out a place to watch the fireworks (at the free places) around 9am on New Years Eve. HOOOKKAAYYY. We didn't feel like sitting and waiting for 15 hours for some fireworks so we explored more of Sydney!
We enjoyed a nice brecky and then wandered over to the Surry Hills area and I must say, it might have been my fav area of Sydney.
This pancake. Let me just say... It was the most magical lemon ricotta pancake I have ever had in my life. Not only was it the prettiest thing I have ever seen... It was delicious.
THEY PUT ICE CREAM IN MY COFFEE I REPEAT ICE CREAM IN MY COFFEE!!!
My mode of transportation
She started scaring the local children
So many shops and cafes
We figured we should head back to the airbnb to have a rest if we were going to try and stay up till midnight.... but we ended up in a wine bar somehow...
I am SO glad we stopped in here because it was SO fun. The people who worked there were just the nicest. We hung out and talked to them for about 2 hours. Everyone is just so friendly and kind.
Since we didn't get in our afternoon nap we figured we should grab a quick bite to eat before heading down to find a place to watch the fireworks.
Right around the corner from Handpicked Wines, is Spice Alley. My family is a huge lover of Asian Cuisine and Spice Alley was... right up our... alley... pun intended.
There were TONS of different places to choose from. Did we want Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Sri Lankan, Malaysian???? I WANTED IT ALL!
I think if I lived in Sydney I would want to be as near to Spice Alley as possible. 'Twas delish.
We headed down to the Circular Quay area to try and find a good spot to watch the fireworks around 6pm. I packed some snacks, water, games, candy and one tiny bath towel for us 3. We had a few places in mind but weren't set on any particular area. Pretty much wherever there was room for us... we would go.
Dawes Point. Right under the bridge! With all my new friends
And we waited......
So we ate our snacks and played some card games.
And then we waited some more.....
And then
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
I attached a video from youtube if you care to watch. I recommend it. I have seen many a firework show in my days, but I had never seen fireworks be shot off from a bridge before. And they were shooting them off from every direction and straight over our heads. MADNESS. It was cool to ring in the New Year almost a day before everyone else in The States.
Here is one of the photos I took. It looked like a waterfall of fire falling from the Bridge. SO COOL. (minute 10:30 on the video)
They were also shooting off rainbow fireworks because Australia had just legalized gay marriage (minute 5:42 on the video). Once the finale starting happening (minute 11:30) there was so much happening I didn't even know where to look. Brava Sydney, Brava.
And then we walked back home with 1.6 million of our closest friends.
Because of all the crazies in the world and of recent events, being in large, crowded areas where anything can happen makes me extremely uneasy. That being said, I was blown away at how calm, organized and respectful everyone was being. My mom, Amanda and I talked about how surprised we were that we didn't feel anxious or nervous. Sydney knew what it was doing. Brava again Sydney. Brava.
It took us almost 2 hours to walk 1.5 miles back to the Airbnb. We had a solid four hours of sleep before we had to wake up and catch a flight to Melbourne!
Day 3: Melbourne
It's pronounced Mel-BIN not MEL-BURN. Idk why the Australian language even has the letter "R". They never really use it.
Honestly, we were a bit knackered (tired in Aussie lingo). Jet lag, New Years... it was getting to us. So a bit of brunch and a nice afternoon at the pool was what Day 3 called for.
Amanda ordered the Gold Drip Turmeric Latte. We didn't realize turmeric was such a big thing down here.
Melbourne has some of the coolest architecture I've ever seen. It reminds me of a mix of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and San Francisco. Everywhere you looked there was either a cool building or wall art. AND I LOVED IT ALLLLLL.
Luckily our airbnb had a pool #blessed! So we laid out and got our January tan on.
But if you are a redhead, I recommend you put on SPF 70 sunscreen and wear everyone's swim coverups over every surface of your body.
There is a hole in the ozone over Australia and my skin is a nice snowy white so I wasn't messing around with the sun this trip.
Operation: NO BURN
Day 4: Melbourne
We started the day at the Queen Victoria Market which end up being one of our favorite things we did in Melbourne. We even went back on Day 5. (stay tuned).
They had a whole building just for food. Which is honestly the best and worst thing. SO many choices... so many delicious choices. Flashbacks to Spice Alley....
I would post what we all ate but my Grandma told me I post too many food pictures.
WE LIKE TO EAT GRANDMA
I had a beef pie. And I will be honest with you all. I had many beef pies, pasty pies and sausage rolls over the two weeks in Australia. And since I've been home, I've pinned many beef pies, pasty pies and sausage rolls recipes on pinterest. I know it won't be the same but a girl can try.
Christmas Decor is still throwing me off.
ohhhh baby BABY
And then we stumbled upon these guys! They were SO good. The band is called Opal Ocean.
One of the streets, Hosier Lane is all graffiti. Looked super cool.
It's art, man.
Degraves st
I LOOOOVEEEDDD Degraves st. It was quirky with a European twist. Cute little shops and cafes with Melbourne flair.
Look at this donut we got at Doughnut Time. #OccupyMars. I recommend going to their website to look at all the fun, yummy looking donuts.
The Chai hereeeeeeee. Amazing. Went here twice. Amanda got the matcha chai and I got the honey vanilla chai.
By this time we are POOOOPED. We decided to swing by the store for some snacks, head back to the airbnb, and play some cards and eat snacks.
Day 5: Melbourne
We woke up sore and tired. WE CAN'T SLOW DOWN NOW PEOPLE.
But first things first... we brunch.
Brunch at Higher Ground. Their website is just as cute as the interior. So check it out.
Forever ordering these pancakes
I was in a pancake coma.
But there was still much more of Melbourne to be seen!
What time is it? Vacation time.
So much fun to be had in Melbourne
Shrine of Remembrance
Bishhhhh moveeeeee
Royal botanical gardens
I loved walking around the gardens
Others, not saying who, didn't care for walking around the gardens....
She is not a fan of the gardens. Nature 'n stuff.
Amanda gave me a wet willy. ARE WE 8 AGAIN. WHAT IS THIS?
We walked and walked and walked and walked and our feet hurt so bad at this point that instead of walking to the night market (same place we were yesterday), we ubered.
Look at this skyline
Night market time!
The food choices! Errrmuuuuhhhgerdddddd. We took a few laps before we divided and conquered the food booths.
Amanda's kangaroo burger on a beetroot bun
Soft shell crab and arugula slaw burger on a charcoal bun.
Pavlova is a Australian dessert! It is a meringue dessert named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova!! It was magical. It was crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle topped with strawberries and kiwis and passionfruit sauce.
Oh gurlllll, you know I got that sprinkled chocolate filled pretzel. YA KNOW I DID.
And you KNOW I got myself a boba. They don't call me @marissamilktea for nothing. (no one actually calls me that. But hopefully it will catch on soon)
I love trying boba in other parts of the world. This one was meh but DON'T FRET I had some better boba later in the trip.
Back at our airbnb, we decided to play another round of cards (obvi) before hittin' the hay.
Then we took the midnight train going annnnyyyywhereeeeee
Well not anywhere. We were going to St. Kilda Beach. But after a stop into the Matcha Mylkbar
Beetroot Latte
Acai bowl
Beetroot latte, apple pie latte and matcha latte
I know it's a matcha place and I should have got a matcha latte but I heard APPLE PIE and couldn't say no. Plus sometimes I feel like matcha tastes like warm grass. But Amanda loves it. But she's weird.
Matcha burger
Luna Park!
Time to tan
So relaxinggggg
I didn't get burned! Shout out to Sun Bum to keeping me white and not red.
We booked an excursion to take the Kuranda Scenic Railway up to the Kuranda Village. This excursion included a train ride up, admission to a butterfly sanctuary, buffet lunch, Australia wildlife tour, aborigine experience, Army duck boat jungle tour and then a ride down on a sky rail.SO MANY ACTIVITIES. I'll keep the writing short and sweet and try not to make this section too long. Definitely a super fun day. Yo reccomendo, mate.
Lunch buffet. Tried BBQ'd kangaroo and ate about 6 kiwis.
OOOO LIL BABIEESSSSSS
Mighty croc
SO CUTEEEEEEEEE
and onto the next...
Boomerang practice!
was my mom a natural boomerang thrower as well???
no.
But was Amanda????
no. she was worse. Threw it right into the tree.
Great photo. beautiful.
After our boomerang practice the aborigines put on a performance.
Dis homie was just LAYIN DOWN
and then they pulled people on stage.
and they PULLED ON AMANDA HAHAHAHAAHAH
HAHAHAHAHA this guys legs. I die.
And onto a rainforestation tour.
These trucks turn into boats!
First, we were just rolling down the road.
AND THEN RIGHT INTO THE WATER
After our little tour of the rainforest we travel back down via a sky rail.
Amanda swore she saw a couple sloths in the trees. Then we googled it AND THERE ARE NO SLOTHS THERE LOL. dumb arse.
#views
#viewsofme
Look how cool this tree is
Man, we were knackered after this day. So we went back to the hotel and prepared our mind, body and souls for another long day of snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow!
Before I dive into our snorkeling trip (pun intended) maybe take a bit of a potty break. Grab a snack. Do some jumping jacks. This blog is a long one!
Ready?
Snorkel timeeeee.
I'm actually a mermaid so I don't need a snorkel
I took all my nausea pills, dramamine and pepto to prepare for the barf boat journey ahead.
This was pretty much the only photo I got because BISH I WAS SWIMMINNNN
While everyone else was throwing up, we laid out here in-between snorkeling and on the boat rides.
We had two different snorkel stops. I don't know which location I enjoyed more. I know my mom enjoyed the first one more because at the second one she got stung by a bloodthirsty... SAVAGE.. VICIOUS...FEROCIOUS...
itty bitty wittle tiny jelly fish
But it got her pretty good.
So she sat out the last half of the swim to mend her wounds.
Even though my mother had a battle in the Great Open Ocean and lived to tell the tale...
We do recommend the trip!! Here is the link to Adventure we picked -> HERE
Pretty sunset before dinner
Amanda ordred a DIY make your own meat skillet thingy. So while we ate she sat there and watched her meat cook. LAWLLLLL. But it was good! And it was entertaining.
Day 8: Cairns
On our last day in Cairns, we just walked around and explored the town and ended the day at the pool! We needed a chill day after all that adventure we were doing.
Started my day out right with white chocolate raspberry pancakes from Helga's Pancake House
Since you can't swim in the ocean here, they have a public lagoon.
Probs lots of little kid pee in here tho
At lunch here on the Prawn Star. Freshhhhhhh asssssss seafood.
Ate and drank right on the boat! Cheers, mate
Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool, trying to get a tan out at the pool
Notice the rainbow. So purdy
Tide was waaaaaaay out
LOVE the up lighting
We had a nice dinner at the Salt House. I'm not sure how to describe the atmosphere of this place so I'm going to take it right from the website. The Salt House is, "Unlike anything you’ve seen before, relax on our daybeds in the tropical outdoors, surrounded by flowing ponds and fire features. With casual style dining, our tapas bar menu is perfect for sharing with friends, matched with a perfectly made cocktail on a sunny Cairns afternoon." - Salt House content person.
So I laid on a day bed sipping on my sangria while gnawing on various hors d'oeuvres.
Mummsie and I continued wondering around while Amanda went back to the hotel room. Even though I just downed a beer... I got a boba at ChaTime. SO YUMMY.
The ramen we had the previous night, the beer and boba we had were all in this location called World Square. It had tons of shops, restaurants, cafes... you name it.
It's about $200 per person to climb it. And yes it was worth it. Totally worth it. Mary-Kate and Ashley did it in Our Lips are Sealed so we obviously had to do it too.
It was comforting to know that the Bridge climb company puts fashion first.
I mean safety. They put safety first.
The entire time we were attached to the bridge by a cable. Our hats, glasses, and what not were all tied to us. They want NOTHING to fall below into the traffic on the bridge.
The climb is fairly easy. The hardest part would be a few ladders up and down at the beginning and end of the climb. But thats not even that bad. My mother was pretty nervous. She's not a big fan of heights,
but even she didn't think the climb was bad!
See.. attached at all times
Middle of the bridge! At the tippie tipppeeee top
After the climb...
...we continued to explore Sydney! We hadn't even been over to the Opera House yet!
I really just wanted to know what it was made of. It's tiles FYI.
We just climbed dat bitch
Right behind the opera house is the Sydney Botanical Gardens. Not as good as the Melbourne Gardens but they had a huge sunflower field sooooo photoshoooooooooot
After the climb of our lives and wandering around the city... our feet hurt. After 2 weeks of constantly walking and adventuring. We were tired. I grabbed a quick boba (same place as yesterday lol) and we headed back to the airbnb to pack.
Day 12: Sydney
Back home we go.
To beat jet lag, Amanda and I tried to stay up as late as possible so we could sleep the next day on the flight. We made it to about 2am haha. I was soooooo lucky to have a 5 year old kid behind me who kicked my seat for 13 hours straight but I did manage to get a little nap in. Unfortunately... I did not beat jet lag. Jet lag beat me...up. Took me about a week to snap back into it.
Overall the trip was AMAZING. Everything we ate was AMAZING. We had AMAZING weather. We managed to miss a huge heat wave in Melbourne by a day. Missed a huge rain storm in Cairns by a day. And missed a second heat wave in Sydney! Mother Nature was on our side.
. 
