It was the start of the December school holidays and my family planned to go to Australia for the rest of the December holiday. We had a small holiday home over there and planned to stay there. Since we knew how to surf, we were going to the beach as the waves are huge.

            When we reached there in the morning, the first thing we did was to change into our trunks and start to surf. We surfed for hours enjoying the cool sea breeze that caressed my cheeks. As noon approached, our parents cooked some sumptuous meals and we devoured them with gusto. 

            When evening approached, we went surfing again but this time, a shark appeared out of nowhere. “There’s a shark in the water!” I screamed, my brother froze in shock and stared at me blankly. The shark knocked my brother off his surfboard and dragged him underwater. 

            I was in a dilemma, I did not know if I should save my brother or swim to the shore. Finally, I made up my mind and dived in to save my brother. When I saw the shark, the shark seemed to surrender to me and freed my brother.

            Swimming back to shore was challenging as my brother was quite heavy and he was unconscious. My parents brought my brother to the hospital and praised me for almost sacrificing my life to save my brother. Next time, I would not surf at night to prevent  getting ambushed by sharks again. 

 

On the second day , we went to the rental shop to borrow ski equipment . The ski place was very steep , i was afraid that I might fall off the mountain . My brother just ski down he did not ski properly and I was scared that he might fall off the cliff I quickly pick up speed and ski towards him .

 

Luckily , I stopped him in time before he could drop off the cliff . It was an unforgettable experience .

I had never seen quite like it before. When we got inside I saw a massive number of people everywhere and i could hear people shouting excitedly as they were on the roller coaster ride.  While we were waiting to get our bracelets to enter, my uncle disappeared for a minute, and when he came back, he surprised us with passes to the front of every line for all the rides in Universal Studio. The first ride we went on was called the Hulk Coaster. It was a tremendous roller coaster with more loops then I could count. We watched it go around once before we went on. My uncle saw how many times it went upside-down and decided not to ride it as he thought it was to scary for him. My dad and I made fun of him, but once I was strapped onto my seat, I was having second thoughts myself. We took off in what felt like a fraction of a second. Before I knew it, I was being whipped around sharp turns and flipped around loops. It was so much fun! When we got off and walked towards the exit, we saw a wall of television screens, which was showing candid shots of us on the ride. We both looked terrified. It was hilarious. We went on a few more rides and then stopped to get something to eat. We then walked to the next ride. It was called 'Dr. Dooms Fear Fall'. We sat down in a row of four, with our legs dangling. After a few minutes, the voice of Dr. Doom was heard. I cannot remember exactly what he said, but I do remember him saying 'Prepare to Die!' All of a sudden we shot up 150 meters into the air and then pushed back down faster then gravity could. We thought it was over, but it shot us up again! It was a very exhilarating experience. The day was coming to an end, but before we left I knew I had to get something from the gift shop as a souvenir. After I bought everything I wanted there, we left thus one of the greatest days of my life came to an end.

You can see why I think that this is my favorite vacation of all time. Like I said before I can never really think of a time in my life where I had a vacation that made me so contented. There just was not any dull moment to me in that whole trip. I got to go to Universal Studios for the first time, and I saw my uncle for the first time since I was born. I just have so many good memories of that whole trip. Everything was great, but what made the trip even greater was the fact that I was able to spend time with my uncle and together with my parents. 

We waited at the void deck as the van would arrive.We had already arranged a driver to drive us there.We waited at the void deck as early as 620 am.We were waiting there in high spirits.

  We did not expect this call to come unfortunately the driver called to tell us that he would be delayed at the customs in Singapore was super long.We could not blame the driver as it was not his fault.After waiting until 730 am he came.Moreover he could not  come into the carpark as the carpark only allows Singapore registered cars.We had to push my grandmother wheel chair to Guangyang secondary school and that distance was quite far by the way the van was there.

To make things even worst the van was too small.I could barely move.to add on the aircon was not as strong as a normal one.I was sweating pesperation dripped over my body.As we were behind time the driver drove with full speed. The van’s speed could be compared to a lightning speed. 

After 2hours long driving in full speed the van had to stop to refil petrol.after refilling he drove like no body’s business.it took us 2 hours to reach the mountain.Unfortunately the van cant go any further. He said the engine was hot so we had to wait even after an hour the engine was still hot I was so pissed.the driver got 2 taxis to drive us there.

We reached our destination safely.my mother called the driver to check if he was safe as he was stuck there and there is many cars there.

That was the first problem the second problem is when my cousins were forced to bring their sister along that means the could not play.After making up reasons to tell my aunt we can play without their sister.

From that time onwards we have to spend our time wisely as there is not much time left.Even though things were messed up I still had fun as it was with my family.

After we shopped, we went back to the hotel. While I was walking back to the hotel with my parents, I lost sight of them. I felt nervous and terrified as I went to a corner to sit down. After a few minutes of resting, I went around looking for my parents. I felt more worried as I kept on looking for my parents. After long hours of finding, I rested at a quiet corner and think of ideas to find my parents. 

Suddenly, I saw some people. I thought of ideas as these people walked by.After thinking, I finally thought of a solution. It was to find a kind stranger and asked for a phone to contact my parents of my whereabouts. 

Finally, I found a stranger and asked bravely “Can I use your phone to contact my parents as I am lost?” the stranger agreed and lends it to me. I called my parents and told them where I was so that they could look for me. I sighed. I returned it back to the stranger and thanked him. As the stranger walked away, I saw my parents and they took me back to the hotel.

At the hotel after dinner, my parents taught me to always stay close to them whenever in other countries.I learned that when we are lost, we should bravely ask strangers to contact our parents.

 “Wow!” we exclaimed as we entered the Adventure Cove theme park. There were many wonderful sightings and thrilling rides to take. First off, we went into the pool called the  “Tidal Twister” which had a tidal wave device which caused the water to make a small wave to a big wave in an ascending order. Then my dad and I went to see the snorkelling exhibition to swim with coral reef fishes.  I had not snorkelled with fish before. Oohs and ahs filled the air as the other people who went ahead were bowled over by the sight

 When it finally came to our turn, my dad and I went to grab the life vests and snorkelling gear. As we sat down on the platform, dad was busy putting on his gear and did not pay attention to the safety rules given by the instructor. When we went into the water, we saw many fishes that swam around us, with some as big as a guitar and others as small as a finger. Halfway through, my dad saw a guitar shark and started to panic. I turned around to see my dad frantically trying to calm himself down but that made it worse and the shark swimming towards him. I bravely swam over to stop the shark.  I swam in front of the shark, hoping that it would not attack once I got its attention. Thankfully, it suddenly turned its attention away to something else. We quickly swam and climbed onto the platform.

 After everything, I told my dad about the safety rule if you have troubles in the water.  He apologised for not listening to the instructor and I apologised too for not telling him earlier. Then we went to see my sister and mom. They were worried when they saw my dad in danger.

That night as I reflected on the day’s events,  I was thankful that my dad was not injured and we enjoyed on vacation.

         

            Finally , the day arrived. Adrenaline was pumping in me so quickly that i was jumping in joy. Eagerness aroused in me to meet my friends who were accompanying us. The airport was teeming with life as it was a holiday season.The place was choked with hundreds of people. As our other friends joined us, we could hear the boarding announcement of our flight . Our legs took us as fast as it can and we managed to be seated before the flight door was closed . Numbed with exhaustion, our tired eyes could see the plane take off. The long 7 and a 1/2 hours journey gave us ample time to have a good rest.

 

          As my eyes opened , Sydney Airport welcomed us. Though it was summer time, the cold breeze still chilled our faces . Our road trip journey started with hiring two rental cars. After we check in to the hotel and refreshed ourselves, we started our trip to visit the Opera House . It was the famous landmark of Sydney .The Opera House was a skyline dominating arts centre for opera, music and dance theatre and guided tours. Sydney was indeed very cold and windy. 

 

            Besides the Opera House , stood the Darling Harbour surrounded by the seas . The sea breeze was cold and smelled so fresh. The aroma of chicken wings cooking wafted from the nearby restaurants, a few meters away. It was such a great evening spent on the first day of the trip. 

 

          The second day journey was to Blue Mountains. It was a rugged region, west of Sydney, known for its dramatic scenery. It encompasses steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and villages dotted with guest houses, galleries and gardens. Echo point offered views of the storied 'Three Sisters' sandstone rock formation. Its elevation was so high that gave a beautiful stunning view of the whole scenery around.

 

            Our next destination was the Gold coast which took 8 hours drive in road. As we continued our road trip along the coastal areas, the scenic beauty of the landscape was so mesmerizing and it took our breathe away. We saw many interesting sights, more of theme parks and entertainment places. We were so enthusiastic and spent 5 days in that wonderful place. Time passed very quickly and it was soon time for us to leave this beautiful country Australia.

 

            I have learnt that even if it is summer time in Australia, the weather is still cold. Their culture was a western culture, derived primarily from Britain. Aboriginal people inhabited the whole of Australia. Australia celebrates Easter and Christmas and its school holidays were Australia Day on January 26th and Boxing Day on December 26th.

            

            It was one holiday, I will not be able to forget. When i left Australia, i was convinced that it was the most beautiful land in the world. In spite of that, I am quite sure that the most beautiful thing about Australia was its people. They were so kind and gentle and made us feel so welcome that i determined that I will visit their beautiful country again and again in the future.
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