the moments

travel mates: lj, raymond, ling, gary, stewart, joyce & alex
date of travel:
duration: 5 days 4 nights
route: seoul -> andong -> seoul
accommodation:

kim's myungdong hostel, 1/5 we were being packed into the basement of the house, which offers almost no ventilation in the room, not even a window or an exhaust fan to duct out the hot air. it smells funny and it was very difficult to fall asleep while you are sweating on the bed. space in the room is very limited as well. i will never recommend this place to any of my fellow travelling friend
jirye artist's colony, 3/5 we had a great chat on the last night of our stay with the owner, whom is a very artistic poet with his name on several books. the location is very isolated and serene but there is limited things that you can explore in that area. 2 nights are definitely more than enough for the experience staying in an ancient architecture with some quality meditation hours. owner's daughter brought us for some berry plucking activities to keep us busy.

travel mates: allan, alvin, lj & raymond
date of travel: 18th august 2010 to 22nd august 2010
duration:5 days 4 nights
route: hobart -> bay of fires -> oatlands -> hobart
accommodation:

narrara backpackers, 4/5 we arrived late at the hostel due to a delayed flight and were greeted at the doorstep by the friendly owner, mo. lots of smile from him even though it was already 8pm and he was still waiting for us before heading for his dinner. hostel is clean and comes with thick and comfy mattress with great hot shower in cold winter night. he charged student price for all of us despite only allan and alvin are still studying. highly recommended and do visit mo's site at www.narrarabackpackers.com
dolphin lookout cottage, 4/5 the cottage occupies a very good spot which provides clear view of binalong bay. the only complaint is the lack of dryer and good heater. it was raining almost everyday when we were there and we have difficulty drying our clothes and at the same time, the heater is unable to warm up the place properly. the flooring felt a bit dusty when we first stepped into the house but nevertheless it was a good 2-nights stay in the cottage
armytage house, 5/5 this is probably the most beautiful and cosy place i ever stayed in. nice little 1800's barn with its' interior extensively renovated to a luxurious self-contained accommodation, and managed by a lovely couple, gil & june, what else can you ask for? stayed at armytage house during the last night for our tasmania trip and it was the perfect ending for our tasmania's chapter. visit my blog entry dedicated to armytage house for more photos (http://blackandwhite-themoments.blogspot.com/2010/08/armytage-house-bagdad-australia-moments.html) or visit their website at www.armytagehouse.com.au

~ hobart ~

first impression when we arrived in hobart city, it is filled with beautiful buildings and lovely people. we drove to salamanca place for a great dinner at ball and chain grill and we loved the place so much that we came back the next morning for a picnic breakfast. mount wellington is a short drive (45mins?) from the cbd and the city view from the mountain is simply astonishing. it was winter when we were there and there were lots of snow lining the roadside towards the peak. supposed to head back to mount wellington for a sunset shot on the last day of our trip but did not manage to make it and am still regretting over it. had our last dinner in tasmania at hobart waterfront before flying off to melbourne, nothing fantastic about the fried seafood and chips but the waterfront sure looked lovely.

~ wineglass bay lookout ~
it was a 45mins walk to the lookout point, the view is alright but would prefer to have a more elevated view so that i can capture more of the bay. upon viewing the photo i took from the lookout point, a friend told me that i can actually trek higher for a nicer view which i did not know is possible when i was there. there were many wallabies at the carpark and you could get really close to it for a good photography opportunity. did not visit the beaches as the lookout is only a short stop over for our journey towards bay of fires. freycinet marine farm was closed during winter time, a big disappointment for us who were hoping to try the fresh and succulent tasmanian oysters.

~ bay of fires ~

the bay is just gorgeous! the sand is unbelievably fine and water is amazingly clear. we wish we could swim in it but the temperature in winter just killed that thought. this place is so blessed with not only white sandy beach and crystal clear water, but also colourful stones that add substance to this serene bay. we saw lots of seaweed near the beach and were thinking that it is probably a sign of a healthy sea. take your time to explore every single beach from one end to the other, starting from binalong bay towards the gardens and rest assure there won't be any disappointment. angasi restaurant, the award winning restaurant is also located at binalong bay. drive along main road and you should be able to spot the restaurant easily. as for the quality of the food, it's 3/5 from my perspective and the reason for it not getting 4/5 is simply due to the lack of "surprises". a lot of asian element was added to the food and such fusion probably did not suprise me as an asian.

~ ralph fall ~

we drove pass winding mountainous road and muddy field to reach ralph fall and the direction to the fall wasn't sign posted properly. we struggled quite a bit to get there and it took us much longer time than expected. the view wasn't rewarding enough to justify the hassle so i would recommend to skip this, probably try other falls in the area.

~ launceston ~
after dropping alvin at launceston airport, we did a quick tour around the city but since it is already pretty dark, we didn't get a good view of the place. my impression is that launceston is more modernized and city is not as attractive as hobart.

~ oatlands ~
we took the coastal road to binalong bay and decided to come back via midland highway for a different view of tasmania. did a quick stop at oatlands before heading to arthur. oatlands did live up to its reputation, a beautiful historical village with lots of colonial sandstone buildings. the street is so quiet that we didn't get to see anyone on the street when we were there. we did not stay in oatlands, instead we moved on to bagdad and stayed for a night at the fantastic armytage house.

~ port arthur ~
port arthur is rated as one of the "must-see" for visitor to tasmania for its importance in tasmanian history. we decided to give up the sunset photoshooting session at mount wellington, also a visit to barilla bay's oyster farm, and made our way to port arthur but were slightly disappointed by that decision. port arthur has undergone an extensive "makeover" and we felt more like visiting a park than the eerie prison that it is supposed to be. i would prefer if it is in original state as the prison itself should be able to tell more stories than the guide. one man's meat is another's poison, it's just not my cup of tea.