Golden Gold Coast Experience 1

" Imagine... "

Six is the exact number of days i spent in Gold Coast, Australia. Six wonderful days. Hence, i have decided to split this vacation post into two parts and i hope you do enjoy them just as much as i did. As the navigator for the trip, i now have the map around Gold Coast in my mind and as the itinerary planner, i am ecstatic everything followed as planned and lived the trip with no regrets!

Gold Coast is located in Queensland, the eastern part of Australia. It is to the south of Queensland; below of which will be the New South Wales. It is two hours ahead of us here in Malaysia, simply put, if it's 10 am there, it's only 8 am here. It was Summer while we were there. From the LCCT airport, it took us 8 tiresome hours to reach our destination. Upon arrival at the Gold Coast Airport, we got to the car rental booth which i had pre-booked online to collect our car. Credits must be awarded to Australian road users. Malaysians are simply lethal on the road compared to them. Off, here we go!

Trust me, it'll get more exciting than this!

Radisson Resort Gold Coast
I have never experienced any hotel service better than here. This is the best hitherto! The receptionist, Paul, was helpful and friendly; the concierge assisted us in getting the tickets; a management trainee directed us to our rooms. Their warm and cordial welcome was definitely a nice way to begin our exciting vacation.

Pacific Fair Shopping Centre
Recommended by many websites for their abundance of shopping, this place is large. Often, i see myself before a map of the place. Although it was large, there was nothing much we bought except food for our breakfast the next day.

Aquaduck
This was interesting and surely one-of-a-kind. Like a duck, this bus traveled on land and later floated on the water. In the Aquaduck, a lady tour guide explained the whereabouts of the places, mainly the Surfers' Paradise area. This gave us a glimpse to our next 5 days in Gold Coast. However, the fee to ride on one is rather costly.

With the Aquaduck crew.

On land...

On water...

Infinity
Is a light maestro! Endless excitement filled us when we entered the maze made of mirrors and marveled at its superb light effects. We had to wiggle our way out through trap doors, walk pass the bottomless bridge and bounced around. This is a must-do when you are in Surfers' Paradise! Worth the price!

At the entrance of the maze.

Playing around with the lights.

Carrara Market
This market opens on weekends only. You can get lots of fresh fruits from here, that's for sure!

Peaches. Sweet peaches.

Dreamworld
The Big 6 thrill rides were what i looked forward to most. They were the rides that many people dare not even dare to look. Unfortunately, the Wipeout was closed on the day i was there and i managed to complete the other 5 only: the Claw, Cyclone, the Giant Drop, Motocoaster, and the Tower of Terror. If you dare, ride these as they are the more thrilling ones that will leave with you an impact and you'll walk away feeling somehow delighted and satisfied.

The Claw swings you like a pendulum, and rotates you while you are swung above.

The Giant Drop lifts you up 119 metres high before falling down! I screamed until i reached a point where there was no voice coming out.

Along with the Giant Drop is the Tower of Terror which blasts you away at a speed of 100 mph! That's super fast for a ride!

Pointing towards the two thrill rides.

Dreamworld is divided into several sections. At each section, there will be rides and attractions to go for. If you go to Dreamworld, you MUST enter the AVPX, a new attraction in the Dreamworld. We were given a laser gun and divided into two teams: human and infected human. Our mission is to see who survives and scores the higher point. How i wish we have one like this in Malaysia!

The tiger behaviour presentation in the Tiger Island.

Tiger leaping from platform to platform.

I like the setting of the Dreamworld.

Caught the Rugrats mascot around the park.

Bidding farewell to the park.

Dreamworld is a place worth going. Whether or not you enjoy rides, the place will fascinate you and you'll be entertained. My recommendations are the Big 6- if you dare, and the AVPX.

Seaworld
In the itinerary, this park was the most appealing to me. May be because it was my passion for marine animals and my enthusiasm for these magnificent creatures. The sea lion show and the dolphin show are a MUST-watch when you visit Seaworld. The sea lion show was hilarious and creative, yet the message was sent across. The dolphin show was splendid and entertaining, with amazing heights reached by their jump from the water. Even the rides: Bermuda Triangle, Viking Flume and Jet Rescue (Corkscrew was closed on that day) were awesome. The effects were stunning!

Waiting in line to enter.

The awesome sea lion show.

In the Polar Bear shore.

Jump and dive! Way to go!

Trying to touch the rays in the pool.

Big Bird statue in the Sesame Street sections. This park is also divided into several sections.

Jet Rescue caught me by surprise of its speed. I didn't expect this to be fast. Can you spot me? Go for this if you're looking for a thrilling experience in Seaworld.

Patting a statue of a dolphin. Background is the pirate ship, in the making, for a Pirate Unleashed show coming soon in Seaworld.

Seaworld was definitely not a let down. I am glad and truly appreciate the work done by the Seaworld personnel to maintain, preserve and conserve marine animals. There will always be a place in my heart for these creatures. My recommendations are the sea lion and dolphin shows, the Bermuda Triangle and the Jet Rescue. Also, take a tour around the underwater tunnel and get closer to some marine creatures.

More is yet to come, i can assure you that! wc09 will begin constructing the second part...