Day Sixty-Five: Malabar Horse Riding

I am on a horse marathon! =)

Malabar Beach is a beach south of Sydney. It is surrounded by bush lands. Quite peaceful and away from the chaotic pace of city life. There is a horse riding school (of course). Horse riding along the beach and in the bush land, not a bad idea eh =)

Me! on my horse, Simbad (pronounce with a British "a"). He is huge and tall. He doesn't like to listen to me and just does whatever he likes. He takes me whereever and doesn't follow my command when I want him to stop. He yanks on the rein. But he is good with beginners. Super tame and patient. He eats a lot. On our walk, he will munch every time we stop. And oh, he was the first horse to poop on the walk >.<" heading out...
The beach...

The ride was about an hour, but my butt hurt like hell man!!! Riding horse can really work your butt muscle...very effective!

Some pictures:
Pony! so cute >.<
Our guide:
eating from Shamika's mouth:
mission completed!

Day Sixty-four: Randwick Horse Race

My first horse race, and probably the last one.

I have seen many horse races in tv or movies, but never really understand the actual excitement that is involved, because after all they are just horses..right?! How exciting could that be.

Now I know.
When you are betting thousands of dollars in one round, yeah you better be more excited.

So....how to win?
Two ways,
You can either bet which horse will be the first, or which ones will be in the top three. Of course, later method yields less rewards.
Before every run, the jockeys will bring out their horses, and we can take a look at a distance. This time, you can see if the horses are in a good mood, does it look confidence or what not. You have about 30 mins to place your bet before the race.

The gate opens, the whip cracks, and the horses out they run. You never know which horse is going to win until the finish line. Some jockeys hold back their horses until the last leg of the race and win the race unexpectedly.

We both bet on a horse that the return is 100x for every dollar you invest. The horse was ahead ever since the beginning, and just went it was going to finish (we are super excited..as you can tell..lol), the other horse overtook it. It was a close race!

My first and last betting experience.
I bet on 3 races. I only won the first one...beginner's luck probably.
Net gain: $5.

Day Fifty-Eight: Melbourne: Great Ocean Road

When my parents visit Melbourne, the travel agent told them that there are three things that you have to see while in Melbourne.

The Gold Rush,
The Penguins,
and the Great Ocean Road.

The name suggests exactly what it is. It is 5.5 hour coastal drive (nonstop) from Geelong to Warrnambool in Melbourne. Vast water scene on the left, rugged mountains on the right, with a cliff drop in between. This place is absolutely breathtaking!! Everything you see there is something you would see on a postcard, but it is real. When you stand on one of the edge, you feel free and light. The wind can carry you away. It is a great escape from the city life...just drive down that winding road and you will forget everything.

No other place sticks to my mind like this place.
Here are some pictures:


The most famous Twelve Apostles. The Twelve Apostles are sandstone towers that were once part of the coastal line. Over the years, the ocean water washed up the shore and gauged out arches. The arches became thinner and thinner and eventually broke, left behind the individual towers. There are now only eleven towers, because one of the towers collapsed. This area is still an active environment, constantly changing.

The area is quite misty, and that gives it a heavenly feel to it. It just appears so unreal like in a dream. Everything with a touch of your finger, and it will be gone.


Warrnambool. What if the sun rises in between??


Five steps from the Ocean: