I have motion sickness since I was young.
As a result, carnival rides especially ferries wheel have never appealed to me. In fact by just looking at spinning objects, I would already feel nauseous. I learned later that this is called Visual Vertigo or Visually Induced Dizziness (VID). Well, I had no choice but to live through this nausea even when I ride a bus.
December 12, 2025 (Friday) was our return to Sydney for an overnight stay before our flight to Manila the next day. We checked out from Meriton Suites past 10:00am, yet we're not in a rush since it would only be a 10-minute trip to Jolimont Tourist Centre where our reservation with Murrays was secured.
Johanna was able to secure our tickets for the 11:00am trip from a very friendly, indulgent and humorous female kababayan. Standing by for our coach was less than 30 minutes. I was given time to calm and ready my nerves to prevent motion sickness by looking around the terminal.
At 10:50am, our departure was announced. We handed our pieces of luggage to the bus driver who carefully placed them in the roomy under-floor compartment. At 10:55am, we were already seated. My sister Cristy was my seatmate again. The interior of the coach was different from the ones that I was used to seeing. Clearly its spacing focuses on safety and passenger comfort which I felt at once. It put me at ease. Another favorable aspect was my not smelling any air freshener. Synthetic fragrances are strong triggers of my dizziness and headaches particularly in a poorly ventilated enclosure. I remember when I would be with my Mother on a bus trip, she would often bring with her ransas (Tagalog, dalandan; English, sweet or sour orange) as natural aid and White Flower embrocation oil which I could inhale in taming my motion sickness. Hahaha. I carried over this habit with me when I became an adult, but in most cases, they were not that effective. Even the invention of Bonamine did not help much. Waaaaaaaaaa!!!
With the expected 3.5-hour bus travel, I now leave myself at the driver's mercy when we left the centre on-time.
Travelling from Canberra to Sydney by bus was faster than by train! This we found out when we arrived at our destination, which by the way was not the original stop. Well, this was Waning's excusable temporary memory lapse. Hehehehe... All the same, I was grateful when we were unloaded a little farther from our drop-off zone since I had the chance of snapping these photos while still on the bus. And hooray, there was no symptom of an impending vertigo attack!
Finally, we alighted on a terminal which was a little familiar to us since it was near the Central Station.
This is where we booked and waited for our ride to Silkari Urban CKS Sydney Airport Hotel, our third and last accommodation in Australia.
Checking in was swiftly accomplished after the almost 30-minute trip due to hungriness. Hahahaha. Good that there was a restaurant that's a walking distance from the hotel. We trekked towards Rowers on Cooks River, referred to its menu quickly but only to be informed that we came a few minutes before closing time for its afternoon break. *sighs* So no Australian steak tasting for Cristy and me????!!! Bwahahahahahahuhuhuhu! We could only order coffee and had no choice but to return to Silkari amidst the drizzle and temperature drop...
... and just order online for our late Aussie lunch.
Hunger appeased, we turned in to our respective room. But for Johanna, Dan, Jai, and me, we had to do some grocery at Woolworths which was also near the hotel. Looking for additional pasalubongs eh?
At 7:00pm it was still bright and our pep level, especially mine, was still at its peak. Oh absolutely, I have to release this built-up energy! The Sydney soil beckons me.
Video Credit:
Johanna B. Llasos
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