11 Hours in Sydney (My First Aussie Trip)

So, today I'm gonna talk about Sydney. I never thought I was there. Honestly, this country isn't on my bucket list (sorry for that). My trip to Sydney is on October 24, 2019. I transited for 11 hours before going to Auckland. I only spent 6-7 hours in the city because I was afraid of traffic jams and the immigration line. So, I decided to go early to the airport. However, it's not necessary, as I don't have any problems. Everything was so fast and easy. By the way, I ended up too early at the airport, haha. Sydney is the best.

Okay, so let's talk about what to do in a short amount of time. I usually go to the iconic place every time I travel, and it happens here. So this is my itinerary:

Circular Quay: Sydney Opera House – Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House is an Australian landmark, so there is no reason not to visit this place. There are lots you could do here. There are restaurants near the Opera House or the lake. I took a train to come here. I needed 5-10 minutes to walk from the exit to the Opera House. It all depends on how fast you can walk. There is also a ferry to explore the lake. But I wasn't doing it because I am on a budget :’). So, after taking lots of photos in the Opera House, I walked to the Harbour Bridge.
The Bridge location is on the other side of Opera, so I need to walk back, and that requires a few steps. It's like exercising in the morning. I arrived early, around 7 in the morning. So, the shops or the restaurants aren’t open yet. But I enjoyed my time here. I stayed until 10 am.

Koi Dessert Bar and Dining

If you love sweets as I do, coming here is a must. The first time I heard about this cafe was on TV. This place belongs to one of the MasterChef judges and is managed by his family. I forgot his name (pardon me😅). There are two places of Koi in Sydney. I was going to Koi Kensington Street. It’s not hard to find the place. Every food here is worth it. If I could eat all of them, I would.

Queen Victoria Building

After being full and filling my energy, I went to the mall. Here, I bought a macaron, haha. Once again, another sweet food. This mall is cute, and I like the interior.

King Faisal Mosque.

After walking all over the mall, my stomach was full of the sweetest food, and I did not know where to go. Time goes so fast, it was already noon, and I hadn't prayed yet. It was Dzuhur time.








As a Muslim traveler, every time I go, I try to find a mosque. By the way, for me, every Mosque has different vibes that I can’t explain. It gives me calmness. The mosque has an extraordinary atmosphere that always fills me with energy. It feels like I have to find a mosque wherever I go (absolutely, because I have to pray 5 times a day). But seriously, in my opinion, there are cultural things that make every mosque different. There is another thing, finding a mosque in an Islamic minority country makes me feel I have brothers/sisters, so I never feel lonely even though I travel solo, because they always welcome you.

Okay, back to the King Faisal Mosque, from the front door, I had to go upstairs cause the women’s praying room is upstairs. It’s really comfortable, there are Al Qur’ans and Books about Islam. Ahh, I forgot, the difference between the Indonesia Mosque with the other mosques that I’ve visited so far was that they don't have a Mukena (a cloth to cover a woman's body for prayer). Actually, I cannot remember whether it is the same for Malaysia or Singapore. It’s been a while since I went there. Tell me if you know.

After praying, it turned out that I still had a couple of hours left, so I decided to return to Circular Quai. Why? First, because it’s not too far from the airport. Secondly, I became familiar with the area. And the last, cause I wanna taste Gelato with Harbour views Haha.

The Gelato shop is not open in the morning, so yeah, I come back again here.

Honestly, as I said before. Sydney is not on my list, so I have no plans here. No offense, guys✌🏻. Now, Australia is on my list. See you in 2021, maybe. Okay. As I said, I don’t have plans. I don’t know what to do. I decided everything when I was in the waiting room, waiting for the plane. I called my mom and asked for her advice, as she had been visiting Sydney, which is why I needed it. I didn’t know what to do. So, I decided to hang out around Circular Quay, and I did it. The rest I decided when I was at Circular Quai, and that time, I suddenly remembered Koi Dessert.

So, there you have it. My little story about spending time in Sydney. It was wonderful, beautiful, easy, and worth it. Well, at least for me. I will return to explore every corner of the city, and of course, enter the Opera, enjoying the show. Thank you for reading it. See you later, Bye.

Honestly, I lost some of my photos. So I can't upload images properly. But I promise, as soon as I get my photos back, I will re-update my blog.
- XO, Tita