aug-sept '24 wrap: a wedding in brisbane
We were in Australia for a wedding!
Hey there, long time no hear! We’ve been off the radar because we’ve been preparing for travel + actually traveling + catching up with backlogs as a consequence thereof lol but I’m glad to have been able to carve out some time to put this together. What follows: some notes on our first trip to Australia, what we did in Sydney, and of course, Mary and Cindy’s wedding in Brisbane! Thanks in advance for indulging. -K
Getting to Australia
It’s been a while since we’ve had to apply for a Visa (again) after multiple, marathon applications last year to Korea and Japan. This wedding was actually two years in the making—it was originally scheduled for last year, but due to changes in my friend’s personal circumstances, they had to move it to the following year.
Since the wedding was slated for September, we started gathering our documents by June so we could submit by first week of July, when we had our biometrics taken. We received our Visa approval notice by end of July, as we were returning from our Japan trip and following weeks of anxiety (we were worried that it was taking a bit of time?? we were told it was usually fast, but I guess it really depends.)
Anyway, everything was done online (with the exception of biometrics collection, which was done in person and was actually quite speedy!). If you’re looking for more information on getting a Visa for tourism in Australia, here’s a pretty informative link.
Leg 1: Sydney
We entered Australia via their Sydney airport, where we were met by C’s teammates! It’s their first time to meet in person, having worked together mostly online, and it was pretty touching. They helped us locate our hostel1 near the Circular Quay station, took a lot of photos by the harbor and at the Sydney Opera House (what a beaut!), walked through the gorgeous Royal Botanical Gardens and had late lunch in a cafe right in the heart of it. The weather was perfect for a stroll—even when the sun was high at, like, 2 in the afternoon, the breeze blew coolly, and their temp stayed pleasant (very very unlike Japan lol).
Later in the afternoon, we dropped by to take a peek into their state library (huge gorgeous thing I would also like my taxes to finance someday maybe!!!) then we rode the train to visit their company’s Sydney office, hung out at their roof deck until sundown, and went to a nearby pub for dinner with even more officemates. It’s a good meet-and-greet for otherwise online-only colleagues! At night, it got a little colder but it was bearable, though having a sweater or a jacket definitely made it more comfortable.
We walked to the train station to get back to our hostel—the walks were long, but with the weather pleasant, the experience overall was not too punishing2. Plus: YAY WORKING TRAINS. Alas, to be Filipino and doomed to just sigh in envy at operational train systems of other countries.
The following day was a relatively free day. We took the light rail (absolutely delightful at-grade things) and had lunch at The Grounds, which was recommended by one of C’s colleagues, then we went back to the harbor area to have gelato at Messina (also a rec). We returned to the Opera House to take more photos, watched people try not to get their pizzas eaten by birds (lots of interesting, if a bit naughty birds in the area), then we took the ferry to Manly beach (which was a recommendation by my colleague haha)—this was an attempt to catch the sunset on the way back, which we barely accomplished hehe.
The ferry ride took about 20 to 30 minutes, and it seemed like a regular commute for some of the other passengers, who brought their bikes and laptops along. When we got there, it was already past five-ish, so some of the shops were already closing. We managed to catch Yo-Chi still open, had some fro-yo, watched some dogs on their afternoon walk. At this point, the breeze was already turning a little chilly. Still, we walked on to see the beach—it was so windy, but people were still out jogging, hanging out. A group of kids were running barefoot, looking like they’d just taken a dip in the sea with their pants hiked to their knees. Man, the water looked freezing. But still, what a great way to end any school day though?? A chilly romp at the beach before sundown with friends??
Anyway, our visit to Manly was brief as we had to get back to catch the ferry and hopefully the sunset there too. We caught a little of it, but I was also thankful to see the Opera House and the bridge all lit up and lovely.
Our main schedule for this day actually was my dinner with Eliza and Jaykie, whom I haven’t seen since their wedding in 2017 (!!!). Incidentally, Eliza also has a new book out—Ascension3—and she was too generous to sign my copy (!!!!). We had dinner near our hostel—Pancakes on the Rocks—and we talked about Life haha! The years we spent together at the Research department feels like a different lifetime entirely—and how many Presidents ago, too!—yet the conversation flowed like we were just picking up where we left off. Always a good time to meet old dear friends; wish I could do more of these during my travels in the future.
Leg 2: Brisbane
The following day, we checked out of our hostel and headed to the airport. Our Sydney-Brisbane domestic flight was via JetStar, and it would be useful to note that they’re pretty strict about letting passengers do bag drop two hours before their flight at the earliest. Not to worry though as this is a domestic flight the queues afterwards are minimal, and we still had time to grab a quick bite at the food court right after security check.
The SYD-BNE flight was only about an hour and a half long, and before I could even get to half of Eliza’s book, we were already there. The Brisbane airport was straightforward and intimate—people could meet you RIGHT AT THE BOARDING GATE upon disembarkation, and that’s exactly what Mary did lmao. I hadn’t even checked my phone just yet and there they were already, the entire coterie of them, running toward me like children haha! What a sweet gesture!
We landed just in time for Mary’s 40th birthday celebrations—it was my first time to participate in a buffet in which it was the food that went around, instead of the people haha! It was an intimate gathering of family and friends, and almost a pre-game of sorts to the wedding itself. We won some sort of human bingo! And took a lot of photos! Afterwards, we took a walk at the South Bank area and took photos with the Wheel of Brisbane.
Mary’s birthday started off a long weekend of wedding preparations. Our high school contingent stayed at Stanley House, a charming lakeside stay that was a brief drive away from Mary’s wedding venue, Maleny Retreat, a sprawling estate which had a gorgeous view of the Glass House Mountains.
September in Brisbane was actually perfect, weather-wise—sunny days with cool breeze. (I wouldn’t mind having weather like this in Manila from time to time haha!) Even when the wedding rehearsal was in the afternoon, the heat was pleasant (very, very unlike Japan in July, if I may reiterate) and all that sun just made the venue all the more beautiful—the greens brighter, the skies bluer, the mountain view breathtaking.
Come her wedding day, Mary walked the aisle to Ebe Dancel’s “Bawat Daan”, a dapper Cindy waiting for her at the altar. However, it was their dogs Cholo and Chabbie who truly stole the show when they walked down the aisle, joining their parents on their most memorable day.
The ceremony was unique—their officiant Dan retold their love story before Mary and Cindy exchanged their self-written, heartfelt vows. By the time the ceremony was done, golden hour was already upon us, and it was the perfect time to take more photos of the brides and their wedding party.
As for the guests, we headed to the reception tent for afternoon snacks—they started serving drinks and hors d’oeuvres while waiting for the pictorials to finish. As the sun set, the winds picked up and we were very glad to have brought jackets (Mary and Cindy’s giveaways for guests were pashminas—perfect for the chilly evening.)
It was an evening of great food, laughter and dancing, kicked off by a very special dance number courtesy of the entire bridal entourage (!!!), which they practiced the day before. After dinner and drinks, everyone headed to the dance floor, and sweat it out to the live band, who played a range of songs—from slow acoustic tracks to country tunes to dance faves. In all, a night well-spent!
Sharing the reel I put together with clips from that night:
Shortly before midnight, we returned to our Airbnb to rest finally—it’s been a long day, especially for the brides and my friends in the bridal entourage!—even then, we still managed to get a few drinks in before finally going to bed.
We checked out the following morning and headed to Mary and Cindy’s home, where we would spend our last night in Brisbane. We spent it the best way—with the kids playing Mario on Wii, eating nonstop (leftovers from the reception ftw!), and drinking until 3am, while trying to remember the names of old teachers (!!! lmao), settling old scores, and catching up with each other’s lives. We even managed to sneak out for some last-minute Chemist Warehouse and Coles pasalubong shopping! (Given how busy and frantic that weekend was, it’s a wonder how we got so much done, truly!)
It’s far too short a time to be spending in Brisbane truly—there’s so much still left to do (we want to go to a zoo next time, and perhaps see kangaroos or quokkas)—I now understand why people want to spend at least a month in Australia when they come visit. Someday again, maybe! :)
Leg 3: Sydney (again)
We flew out of Brisbane via JetStar—as mentioned, the Brisbane airport is small and intimate, we parted ways with Mary and the crew literally at the boarding gates, it was so surreal. We were even able to have coffee while waiting for boarding time at the Krispy Kreme near our gate! And up until I was walking into the tube, they were calling out to us and bidding us goodbye. Sepanx is real.
Back in Sydney, we stayed at YHA Central this time—which was far better located than the other one. As in, it had a light rail station right in front of it and all that, and was a stone’s throw away from the main train station that had access to the airport. Definitely something to consider for our next trips. For our last day in Sydney, we checked out one last rec from friends—Fabbrica, which served fantastic pasta. Our proximity to the train made going around a breeze, plus the weather made walking around a pleasant experience.
Notes for next time
Here’s what we want to do when we come back (wow plans!)—
Visit cafes around Melbourne
Go to Steve Irwin’s Zoo
Meet some kangaroos and quokkas
Spend the day in a museum
This trip is one of my lengthier ones BUT STILL not enough to do everything we wanted to haha. Guess that’s just enough reason to go again.
We shall return—see you later, then!
XO,
K
PS one last reel—
During the first leg of our trip, we stayed at the YHA Sydney Harbor - The Rocks—which, though yes near the harbor, entailed a lot of stairs, so just a warning especially if you have wheeled luggage (like us). We initially chose this because its roofdeck supposedly had a good view of the Opera House, but unfortunately, throughout our stay we were unable to visit because of some repairs. Wish we had known ahead though! In any case, we discovered a relatively more accessible path from this hostel to the station—a sidewalk along the highway that offered a beautiful view of the harbor actually—which we took on our way back to the airport, on our way out of Sydney to Brisbane.
(Still, I think we could have booked a better hostel that was more accessible/nearer the trains. This was lack of research on my part sigh.)
I read this whenever I could for the rest of our trip, and I ended up finishing it while seated at the dining table in our house—the one place I swore I wouldn’t read it in because it was scary haha! What A Ride! As always, no one does atmosphere like Eliza—I always say this about her works, and I love love the little snippets of life in Makati and the mentions of her hometown Bulacan, and all the little callbacks—intertwined, of course, with all that horror. It always starts out as something, then it turns into something else—something more internal, innate to her characters. Horrifying yet so very human. Which I think is what makes the terror really tangible.