Melody's Reading Corner: Perth

Showing posts with label Perth. Show all posts

Melody

(Continued from Part 1 and 2.)

We woke up to a sunny morning the next day. And looked at what we had for breakfast! The staff packed us a basket of assorted jams and butter, bottled orange juice, milk, cereals, some slices of bread and yes, they even had a small tupperware of coffee powder!

So after our breakfast, we figure it would be nice to take a walk around the farm before the activities began. It was a warm morning indeed, but not humid which is so unlike Singapore. Anyway, we applied some suntan lotion to prevent ourselves sunburnt, although I have to say we had already got some tan due to the activities the previous day. Nevertheless, the activities began at 9a.m. where a staff showed us a tour around the farm and fed the animals.

I find feeding the animals to be quite fun, after all I was brought up and lived in a city since I was a baby so I find this experience is so new and refreshing! We visited the poultry, fed the chickens and ducks (there were also a few ostrich-like birds but I do not know what they are called), and snapping away with the camera as we went along.

The staff also showed us the way of cooling and bathing the pig after he had fed it with a bowl of oats. A girl volunteered to try it while we looked on. The pig looked quite satisfied as it sat there quietly and enjoyed the cooling water sprayed on its back. A few of the girls shrieked in shock when the pig stood up and shook its body, sending some droplets of muddy water flying. Luckily, most of us stood within a distance so we were not being 'hit' by them, haha.

After feeding the farm animals (I did not post a picture of the goats feeding though), it was back to our own leisure time. We took a little walk around the farm some more and found this place full of gum trees! It is situated near to the place where we had our campfire the last evening. We were hoping to find some wild kangaroos around but unfortunately, we had no such luck.

After the walk, it was near to noon so we had a barbecued lunch at their recreation room where they had set up the table and the dishes ready for the three of us. We had salads, barbecued sausages and chicken, french fries and some iced water. We checked out from the cottage after lunch and a coach brought us back to Perth city.

So when we were back to Perth city and checked into the hotel where we stayed earlier, we were out exploring again on our own. We visited Hay Street again and then, to Murray Street (I could not get enough of these shopping areas!) And of course, I had to stop by Borders and came out with four books. They had "3 for the price of 2" promotions and I was extremely thrilled to find a copy of Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (which I read and reviewed here) since I had a hard time looking for it at the local bookstores.

Next we went on our way to this place where Corica's apple strudels are sold. Our local travel agent had highly recommended this bakery to us before the trip so we were very much looking forward to it. However, the staff told us that the apple strudels have to be ordered in advance so we had no choice but to collect it the next day.

And this is how it looked like...

The pastry is soft and flaky, with an abundance of sweetened custard lined with soft, sweetened apples. Yum!

And guess what I found besides the 'yummy-licious' 'apple strudels? The library! I know I just could not resist taking a picture of this. Heck, I would be so happy if I were to stay around that area - nice pastry and good books! I could not ask for more, could I?

The next day was a half-day city tour (I was glad we did not have to visit these places all on our own!). Our first stop - Kings Park and Botanic Garden. A place for nature lovers.

As for the above two pictures, I know they must be some kind of a memorial thing but unfortunately I have no idea about the event or the history. There was no guide for our city tour (and the coach captain had drove off and would pick us up at a specific time) so we (as well as the other tourists) were pretty clueless but we were happy enough to just take a walk and snapping pictures along the way.

A view of Perth city - taken from the Kings Park.

Wittenwoom Floral Clock (I loved this little garden with the cottage in it.)

Our next stop was to Fremantle Markets. The coach picked us up on time and off we go, out of Perth. At this point, we did not really enjoy the trip because my dear husband realized that he had left our passports in our hotel room!! We prayed and hoped that whoever cleans our room would not take away our pouch (which also contained some cash and was hidden underneath my husband's pillow).

There was no way we could make our own way to Perth city without getting lost (It is a distance between Perth and Fremantle). Needless to say, we were all feeling very grumpy and had no mood to enjoy our sightseeing (I still took a few pictures of the market though). Anyway, Fremantle Markets reminds me of our local markets where we could buy fresh vegetables and fruits and shop other individual shops (e.g. clothings, shoes, bags etc) all under one roof.

The coach drove us back to Perth city during noon and you can imagine how anxious we were when we got back to our hotel room. So did we find our precious pouch? What do you think? Lady Luck must be smiling at us on that day because the housekeeping staff did not clear our room until later in the afternoon! We were so happy (and not to mention relieved) that we murmured our thanks. What a thrilling morning for us all!

Later in the afternoon, we went to Hay Street and Murray Street to shop for some souvenirs for our family and friends since we were back on our own again. We had apple strudels for lunch, can you believe it? (Not that we were complaining though. Moreover, we saved the time and trouble of looking out for food.)

So after all the shopping and we put all our shopping bags back to our hotel room, it was nearing to six o'clock so we had a Chinese dinner nearby the hotel and took a walk further to this park. At this time, there were not many people around except a few natives jogging. I felt so peaceful and relaxed there! I wish I had brought along a book and sat on a bench to read (just like the lady in the pic).

We waited for the sun to set before we made our move. This was the last evening we spent in Perth as we were to depart the following day.

As we only had to reach Perth International Airport by noon, we had the whole morning to explore around so we visited the Perth Mint (which is situated near to the hotel we stayed). The above picture is the entrance to the Perth Mint and it is the only picture I could share with you since they do not allow phototaking inside. We returned to the hotel right after this and waited for the coach to bring us to the airport. And that marked the end of our Perth trip; so sad yet it brought us wonderful memories (except the hoo-ha in Fremantle).

I want to thank you all for being so patient and for taking the time to read my posts. I hope you have enjoyed them.

Labels: Australia, Perth, Vacation 23 comments |

A Trip to Perth, Australia - Part 2

Melody

(Continued from Part 1.)

So the next day after having our breakfast at the hotel, we packed and left one of our luggage with the hotel concierge since we were to stay at The River Retreat farmstay in Swan Valley. But before that, we had some free time before meeting up with the other tourists for the local tour at 1p.m. so we visited these places.

The Swan River

Landscapes in Perth City

The Bell Tower
(Unfortunately, due to time constraint, we did not take a tour of The Bell Tower)

We had such a fun time exploring these places that we lost count of the time and nearly could not make it timely for the local tour. Needless to say, we could not afford to spend more time at some eating outlet to have our lunch so we stopped by a McDonald's outlet for a takeaway.

Fortunately, we were five minutes early before we reached the entrance of the hotel where the coach was supposed to pick us up (along with the other tourists) and then that began our journey out of Perth. We filled our empty stomachs with the McDonald's meal in the coach, careful not to spill anything and were very grateful that no one had lodged a complaint on us after the trip. We were also thankful that our groups are small and thus, make it a more enjoyable trip as I feel bigger groups are harder to manage.

Anyway, we passed by the historical town of Guildford and made a stop at the States oldest and best-known vineyard, Sandalford Wines for a wine tasting session. They have an extensive cellar and wine emporium gift store featuring stunning wine accessories and also works by local artists. Not a wine person myself, I too was captivated by the rows of various bottled wines on display and tasted two kinds of wine (one white and one red, although I could not remember their names!).

We then visited the vineyard on our own, while the others were still inside the shop tasting the wines. I have a thing for fruits so I was especially happy to have the opportunity to visit the vineyard and viewing those luscious-looking grapes.

My four-year-old daughter loves grapes so after seeing them, she innocently asked me if she could pick them for consumption. My husband and I couldn't help chuckling after hearing her remark, and so we had to tell her no and further explained to her what these grapes are for. (I have to admit I felt the urge to pick them myself upon seeing them the first time; don't you think they looked delicious?)

Our next stop was at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. Now did I pique your interest at the mention of chocolates? It was a wonderful experience and an eye-opener trip for us. Being a chocolate lover, this place seems like paradise because we got the opportunity to try out two types of chocolates (the regular chocolate and the white chocolate. They were in small bits and were served in a big bowl and the visitors are free to help themselves with them).

Rows of chocolates on display

We then proceeded to watch the staff on preparing and making the chocolates through a glass window and this had also attracted a lot of other tourists (besides the chocolates that is) as I am sure most of us are very curious how our chocolates are made. I admired the staff for their nonchalance and seemed not to be bothered by the attention we showered on them during their work, because I know I probably could not concentrate having so many eyes on me.

Our next stop was at Caversham Wildlife Park, where we had a close up experience with native Australian animals and had the opportunity to feed kangaroos and take photos of the adorable koalas. This was another wonderful experience for us, and I know my daughter had enjoyed herself immensely. She was really excited seeing those kangaroos hopping around and was curious about the koalas when she had the chance to take a close up picture with them.

The kangaroos resting under the shades

Don't you think the koalas are adorable?

I just love the name of this little guy - Tasmania Devil

Emu, which I had mistaken as an ostrich initially

A beautiful peacock which shy away from my camera when I tried to follow it around.

Our final stop was at The River Retreat in Swan Valley and this is where our farmstay is. We were the only family among the group who had opted to stay overnight at this place so the coach left for the Perth city after leaving us here.

I just loved the feeling that I was being so close to nature.

We were assigned to a cottage which is fully self-contained with cooking facilities. It has a huge living room with dining area (with air-conditioner), and two bedrooms and a bathroom. There are two double-decker beds in a room, and a queen-sized bed in another. It reminds me of a chalet but this is definitely much bigger and better! When we opened the back door, we could see nothing but the wonderful greenery as shown below. It was such a quiet and peaceful place for relaxation. If you step out from the back door and walk further, you could see a playground and some farm animals lazing around at their designated premises.

After our dinner, we had an outdoor activitity where we had a little bush camp and had fun watching a native representative making billy tea. First, he set up the fire with sticks and placed a billy can of water with tea leaves sprinkled into it. When the water has boiled, he used a towel to hold the handle and then he lifted the can and swirled it round and round in circles. The purpose of doing so is to allow all the tea leaves to settle down to the bottom of the can without filling your cup with leaves. I did capture a shot of the man swirling the can at a distance (I was so afraid the tea would spill but funny enough, it didn't. I suppose one required skills and experience for doing so) but I will not post it as it is not a good shot.

After hearing him sing and taking some pictures with him, we bade each other goodbye and we returned to our cottage. It was really a fun day and we looked forward to the next day as we would get the chance to feed the animals.

[To be continued...]

Labels: Australia, Perth, Vacation 27 comments |

A Trip to Perth, Australia - Part 1

Melody

First and foremost, I apologize for this late post. (Especially to Jennifer: Sorry! My bad!) Anyway, here is the post of our first day of the trip. I hope you enjoy the pictures if not my writing!

When my husband asked me one day if I wanted to go on a trip, I said, "Why not?" Who wouldn't want to go on a trip, right? I love travelling. I love seeing new things and experiencing other cultures. So after calling several travel agents about their packages and making comparisons, we finally decided on Perth, Australia (initially we had thought of going to Pennsylvania or Japan, but that is a long story!) since we heard it is a nice and relaxing place to visit. Moreover, my husband and my eldest daughter have not been to Australia before (I had been to Gold Coast several years back with my mother and my youngest sister).

At first, we had wanted to join a tour package but the travel agent said there wasn't any at that moment due to low demand and that the school holidays were already over. He suggested a two-to-go package, which is actually similiar with a free-and-easy package and to join the local tour when we are there. So we decided on a 5 days 4 nights stay in Perth, with a half-day city tour in Fremantle and a one-night farmstay in Swan Valley. The day arrived on 13 January, and we bade goodbye to the in-laws and our baby (who agreed to take care of her) before we lugged our luggage and began our journey.

Everything seemed to be in a rush after we arrived in Perth International Airport. It was nearing to mid afternoon and there was no time for photo taking as we were arranged to pick up by a coach captain (through a local agent) to fetch us to the hotel. We checked into the hotel ourselves and after dumping our lugguage in our designated room, with a map in hand we are free to explore around. At that time, it was towards five o'clock and most of the shops are about to close so we had a simple dinner (Chicken Kebabs and Fish and Chips) and walk around the area.

Here are a few places we stopped by. We did not explore much since night was falling and it was funny that the weather was getting colder even though it is summer (however, the subsequent nights were extremely warm though).

(In chronological order.

You may wish to click onto the pictures for a larger image.)

I simply like the structures of some of these buildings. I especially like the London Court in Hay Street (Pic 3 - 8); there are a lot of shops there and I am sure anyone who love to shop would be thrilled with this place. As you can see, the shops were already closed by the time we reached there. I whipped out our camera to take a few pictures, enjoying the peace and freedom since there were not many people around. Being a shopaholic, I told my husband that I wanted to come here again. Of course, he had said, it is not like we are following any tour groups.

Yes! That is it. We are in total control of the schedule and time and we could go anywhere we like (given that we are not lost!). Anyway, we decided to call it a day (or night) and walked all the way back to our hotel (it was a distance but we are not complaining). We had to wake up early the next day to join a local tour to visit to more places. With this in mind, we slumbered into dreamland.

[To be continued...]