Oceania

Director Ning seemed a bit fierce, but he was actually very talkative and shared many stories about Australian animals. I learned a lot of new things. Phillip Island, where penguins migrate to their nests, and Cape Nobbes were incredibly wildly beautiful. Although it was a long day trip and tiring, the many rest stops in between made it very enjoyable. 😌

This was my first time purchasing an eSIM, and I had some questions so I contacted them twice, but they responded quickly and were very helpful. I was able to purchase an eSIM at a great price, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone heading to Australia!

I tried it out when I was traveling to Palau, where ahamo's international roaming service was not available. It was my first time using an eSIM, but I was able to set it up while I was in Japan, and was able to use my smartphone immediately upon arriving at Palau Airport. Setting it up is as easy as scanning the QR code sent to your email address after payment. The price was just over $10 for a 4-day plan with 2GB of data per day. It's cheaper than buying a local SIM, and you don't even have to go to a store. I realized how convenient it is. I'll use it again.

The journey to Milford Sound is filled with beautiful scenery, including a boat trip to see magnificent waterfalls, mountain views, and lake vistas.

I found this place while deciding where to go in Melbourne. Since it was difficult to get there on a tour, I just bought a train ticket and took a regular train from Flenders Street Station to Bell Brave Station. My reservation was for a 10:00 AM train, so I took the 8:01 AM train from Flenders Street Station to Bell Brave, arriving around 9:05 AM. It cost $5.50 one way. It's about a five-minute walk to the Puffing Billy train station. First, I showed my voucher at the ticket counter to get my ticket. The ticket indicated which car I was in. While the car was designated, I could choose any seat. After that, I went to the platform, and there were a lot of people there, though I wasn't sure if they were queuing or not. In the end, it didn't really matter if I was queuing or not, and everyone just went along with their own schedule. I'd heard that the right side was better on the way there, so I aimed for it, but since it was first come, first served, I managed to get a seat on the right just in time. The ride from Belgrave to Menzies Creek took about 30 minutes, and it did shake quite a bit, so I had to hold on tightly to the window sill with my legs out. It was something I'd never experienced before, so it was a lot of fun. It was November 7th, and it was cooler than the city, so a long-sleeved T-shirt and hoodie were just right. Some foreigners were wearing short sleeves and shorts. We had about an hour to spare at Menzies Creek. There's a railway museum with a cafe inside, so we had a coffee while we waited. It's popular, so it's best to make a reservation early.

The tour leader was a kind person, the vehicle was excellent, and the itinerary was well-managed, not rushed at all (we didn't go to the zoo). There's a cafe near the Rainbow Hut where you can have lunch, and the one-hour train ride to Puffing Billy was fantastic – it was great not having to get off halfway. There's also a restaurant at the penguin center (the fish and chips were delicious), so I didn't have to worry about going hungry the whole way.