A blessing in disguise!

 

A sudden turn of events turned out to be a blessing in disguise… at least for me. Well, let me share this and see if you will agree with me.

 

Inside the Church of St Charbel

A couple of days ago, on our ferry ride into the city, we saw that massive cruise liner, Anthem of the Sea by Royal Caribbean, moored at Circular Quay. Malcolm told me that his former schoolmate, Geradine, was booked to join a 10-day cruise from Sydney to New Zealand.

 

She lives in Kuala Lumpur and should fly to Sydney and Natasha, her daughter based in Melbourne, will join her on this much-anticipated cruise experience. She had arranged hotel stays in the city before and after the cruise.

 

Geradine and Natasha at
the Church of St Charbel

Ahead of her arrival in Sydney, Geradine had reminded Malcolm of this impending trip and hoped to meet up with him again while she was here.

 

Closer to that date, Malcolm received a message from her, informing that she had arrived in Sydney. She also told him that on her arrival, she received the news that the cruise they were booked on, was cancelled.

 

Apparently, the cruise liner had engine problems and could not travel at the optimum speed, so the cruise was cancelled and guests were duly compensated for the inconvenience. [Later on, we read online news that confirmed the report about the cruise liner’s situation.]

 

Since Geradine and her daughter were already here, they decided to stay and explore Sydney together. They arranged to meet friends – like Malcolm – who were happy to spend some time with them, showing them the sights in and around Sydney.

 

The sanctuary for the spiritual tomb
of St Charbel

When he learnt about their predicament, Malcolm, a gracious host at heart, offered his help and asked them what they would like to do.

 

She replied, expressing her desire was to visit the Saint Charbel’s church of the Lebanese Maronite Order, located in the Punchbowl suburb.

 

So Malcolm invited me along to join Geradine and Natasha on an outing to visit the church and thereafter, to sightseeing after a spot of lunch.

 

Lunch at Pho An in Bankstown

On the way to pick them up from the hotel that morning, Malcolm took me on a quick drive through the city center, pointing out landmark buildings and sights along the way, both old and familiar and those which are spanking new.

 

After collecting Geradine and her daughter from the hotel, we headed out to the church. On the drive, Geradine shared with us, more about this church and Saint Charbel.

 

Saint Charbel Makhlouf is renowned among the Lebanese Christians as the Miracle Monk of Lebanon because of the favours received through his intercession and is revered as the “doctor of the sky” associated with more than 30,000 reported miracles.

 

Steaming bowls of pho served at super speed!

Saint Charbel was beatified in 1965 and canonized as a saint by Pope Paul VI in 1977. He was a beloved Maronite Catholic monk, the patron saint of Lebanon, revered for numerous miracles especially after his death.

 

Malcolm said he was familiar with this area and frequently passed that church. But this time, however, he will stop by with visitors.

 

The forecourt of the church compound was marked by a sculpture in the image of St Charbel. The church hall was directly behind this statue while the adjacent hall to the left, housed the spiritual tomb of St Charbel.

 

The sandy beach at La Perouse

A small door at far left, opened into the Souvenir shop that was well stocked with a wide range of merchandise for the faithful to buy.

 

Among the handicrafts were paintings and artworks designed with the portrait of St Charbel. As we observed that in every portrayal, his eyes were closed, a curious question arose as to why his eyes were always closed?

 

With a little help from Google, this was the explanation to clarify as to why:

 

“His eyes are always depicted as closed, as if veiling an infinitely greater mystery. Through the eyes of Saint Charbel, which were closed in order to see God more clearly, we continue to perceive God’s light with greater clarity,” a quote by Pope Leo during his visit to Lebanon, 1 December 2025.

 

The Boatshed is a popular dining
destination at La Perouse

After the church visit, we headed to Bankstown where many eateries and restaurants served Vietnamese cuisine. Malcolm, the prolific tour guide for good food, took us on a walkabout to see the many options available before he led us to one particular restaurant that offered a menu, limited to just pho or Vietnamese beef noodles.

 

Known as Pho An, this restaurant serves traditional Saigon style pho in slow-cooked bone broth, highly recommended by food reviewers and of course, Malcolm.

 

Yes, the only item on their menu is authentic pho, in a choice of chicken or beef, slow-cooked for hours in their family recipe, freshly made every day in a quality that has remained unchanged for decades.

 

Another view of The Boatshed La Perouse

When we were shown to our table, Malcolm mentioned that this restaurant is renowned for their speedy service. I thought that it should be so as (after all) they only had one main item on their menu.

 

So, as soon as we placed our order for pho, three with beef broth and one in chicken broth, Natasha, clicked on the timer on her phone – just to see how long they will take to serve the order to our table.

 

Then in just one minute and 45 seconds, the first steaming hot bowls of pho were served! This was certainly super speedy service, something they should be proud of.

 

The deep bowl of pho placed in front of me was supposed to be ‘regular size’ but it was large by my standards.

 

Through the clear beef broth, I could see rice noodles and pieces of beef meat and tripe. To this hot broth, I added the raw ingredients of bean sprouts and mint leaves, soaking them in for a quick blanch.

 

When I discovered the slabs of meat within, I had to use a pair of scissors – provided by the restaurant – to cut it up. Yes, slurping is allowed here. But I preferred to eat with more [ahem!] elegance.

 

Fortified by such a comforting meal of soupy noodles, we headed out for a drive to see more of Sydney, this time to the Eastern suburbs of Sydney.

 

En route, I spotted stacks of containers which reminded me of Johor Port in Pasir Gudang. As we drove on, I realized that this was indeed a port, Botany Port.

 

Malcolm said that we were heading to La Perouse, located about 14 km southeast of Sydney’s central business district.

 

He shared briefly about why this place was named after Laperouse (1741 – 1788), a French explorer who was commissioned by King Louis XVI for a scientific circumnavigation to chart new territories in the Pacific.

 

It was good to be in the shade on
such a bright and sunny day!

This destination is famous for its scenic beauty and a popular spot for picnics, walks and exploring history in the Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Nearby Bare Island Fort is a picturesque backdrop for events and the location for some thrilling action sequences in the Hollywood film, Mission Impossible 2.

 

Ah! It was fun to learn that this place was made famous by one such as Tom Cruise.

 

As Malcolm and Natasha headed to Bare Island Fort in the scorching sun, Geradine and I sought the shelter of the outdoor dining section of The Boatshed La Perouse, a restaurant popular for its modern Australian seafood platters.

 

We observed other diners enjoying their seafood platters, served with attractive plating, and watched with wonder at how they were polishing off their plates with gusto.

 

A tangy Lemon Tart treat!
 

If we were not so full from our pho lunch, we may also indulge in the juicy seafood. So we just sat back and enjoyed the balmy breezes over refreshing drinks and snacks.

 

It was indeed a wonderful way to spend an afternoon chilling out at La Perouse.

 

We were pleased to hear about Geradine’s plans to explore various sites in Sydney with the help of other friends, the theatre show they would go to and other interesting activities they had in mind.

 

Later we dropped Geradine and Natasha off at their hotel and on our drive back, I thanked Malcolm for letting me benefit from this outing with them. I heard them talking about meeting up again and I hoped to be included in the excursions planned with them to see more of Sydney.

 

While I share their disappointment in having a much-anticipated cruise experience cancelled at the last moment, I am glad that they had the opportunity to meet friends and explore the charms of Sydney at their own pace.

 

To me, their change of plans seemed to turn out like a blessing in disguise, not just for them but also for me. Thanks for letting me part of the sightseeing experiences!

 

#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue

#MyJohorStoriesJanuary 2026