Travel Bug Bites:: December 2006

31 Dec 2006

It was an early day once again as my sis and I had to send our parents off to the airport. I would be driving the very same route in about a week and it was good to get to know the route a little too. After sending them off, we took the opportunity to get some shopping done but seems like everyone was in a holiday mood and stores opened late. So we returned to the apartment only to be greeted with this view from the apartment as everyone was enjoying New Year's Eve and the nice weather.

After this, I basically slept the whole day only to be woken up by a constant banging that was actually Brendan cooking. They then irritate the shit out of me about going clubbing, and after the lack of sleep and the irritation, I was in no mood to do nothing but stay home and chill. Another thing was I didn't want to bother with crowds. I've never gone out to clubs on NYE, I didn't intend to start now. Well sitting at home enjoying my dinner (at 11pm), I watched some of the neighbours below having a little drunk karaoke. Next thing I knew, they all just stopped and stared towards the other side of the river, and all I could hear was the fireworks going off. Here I thought I had a great view and that I could catch the sparks but noooo.... they had to be blocked by the building and I had to get out of the apartment just to view it.

29 Dec 2006

Then it was the down to the city for some souvenir shopping that my mom wanted to do as she and my dad were leaving the next day. Brendan had to spoil her plans and make a fuss about being late for his driving lesson, and so my sis had to let him have his way and drive himself to Charlie's place. Later on, we hit Perth and my sis suggested some Italian restaurant for lunch and somehow that lunch took about another hour to prepare, getting my mom all worked up and pissed off. Not only did they take a long time to prepare it, they even got the order wrong and by the time everything got to the table, Brendan was back from his damn lesson. Anyway, the food was rather good and it's one of the most hearty minestrone soups I've had. More surprising was the liver that they offered, which was similar to the way some people do it back home, which was cooked to the point of perfection - just cooked right through, still retaining it's juices. It was so good we ordered another helping, and good thing that came in record time.

Police Patrol

After lunch, we had to rush downtown to get whatever mom wanted and I had to listen to her grumble about the whole day, all this while Brendan and my sis were out shopping somewhere else. Mom gets most of the items she wanted and then it was off to get groceries for dinner and just as we were about to step into the supermarket, they tell us that it's closed. Well goody for us. Finally we get everything we need then we left mom back home to do the cooking and the rest of us headed down to the river to fish. My dad was really enthusiastic and happy to teach my sis and Brendan a thing or 2 about fishing. There were 4 of us and only 2 rods, and for me, I'd rather eat the fish than deal with the bait. So I took the opportunity to take a few pics of the dent I made on the car and just enjoy the scenery around us. Walking around the place, I did start to notice this horrible smell of rotting seafood and didn't realise that I was actually standing in front of a pile of dead blowfish that other people had thrown aside. Well it might seem horrible but with the amount of blowfish that eat away your bait in this area, it has become common practice to just let them die in a corner.

28 Dec 2006

Today was a long trip down to Margaret River. It started out really early and I didn't get much sleep, which wasn't good when I had to drive long distance. Halfway through I was getting tired and decided to turn off hoping that there'll be a little cafe somewhere and good thing I did because the decision just led us into a small little place that looked like someone's cottage converted into a cafe and tourist pit stop. It was just really cute. The scones there, however, were to die for - fluffy, moist and soft... warmed up just right to have the butter melt right into it. I mean I haven't had many scones in my life to know what's the best, but if an English bloke can say that it reminds him of home then it's good enough for me. Once again, there's just something about the whipped/clotted cream that they use that makes it all the more delicious. Guess I was too busy stuffing my face to remember to take a pic but I'll just leave it all to your imagination.

Brendan takes the driver's seat after that little stop and my sis navigated us to the first of many stops, a lavender farm. Just enter the place and you're greeted by the colour purple. Step out of the car and it smelled like someone has just placed a bowl of potpourri under my nose. They had interesting products there, all of which had one thing or another to do with lavender. They even had lavender beer, which turned out to be a rather weird combination that my sister likes, but I personally don't. After getting what we wanted, we stopped in the carpark to have a quick bite, and this was a few hours after the scones as the drive to this place was long and tedious.

Wedding Photo?... 26 Years & 2 Kids Later...

Makeshift Lunch

Then it was down to the original Margaret River Chocolate Company and it did have a few more items than the one in Swan Valley but it was really small and crowded. Guess it wasn't built with the intention of having so many visitors or such a wide range of products. Since there wasn't much difference, we left the place rather quickly, but only after getting some instructions on a map they had displayed. Off we went to Evan & Tate, another wine company and mom started to grumble that we've already reached the customs limit on wines. Well maybe it was mom's grumbling or maybe it was the wine itself but nothing interested any of us, except for the nice photo opportunity with the vineyard in the background.

The Original Margaret River Chocolate Company

Continuing on our journey, the next place my sis wanted to show us was the venison farm she went to. My dad was eager to have a look at the deer and wished he could just hunt one of them but what's the use of hunting deer in a farm? Anyway, we were greeted by someone's dog and it looked as though it's been working there a long time, leading you towards the door. We got in and it smelled like beef roasting at home during Christmas but all you see was things made with deer pelt or antlers. Then onlu after the tour group dispersed did I get a glimpse of the deli section where they displayed their consumable products. They gladly gave you portions of salami to taste and would offer you some cheese and crackers to go with it. That just sold me and I almost bought the whole store.... I mean I wouldn't know what to do with antlers anyway.

Dad Wondering If Lemons Would Go Good With The Venison

After stuffing the car with venison, I wanted to check out the cheese company that was on the map and while navigating to that, we ended up at a brewery that wasn't listed on the map. So in we went and we tested the beers they brewed, along with some pork rinds. I badly needed ome coffee and had to get a Cafe Vienna with a nice serving of cream... I'm either was going to have stomach problems or I was gonna get fat. Either way I didn't care, just as long as it was yummy. I also ordered a basket of wedges but it took so long we had to bag it and head onto our intended destination, the Margaret River Cheese Company. Apparently the one we got to was just the little shed they had for tasting and basically sold their products. It would have been nice to have been able to check out the whole cheese-making process but we were in a little rush to make it to the ice-cream factory before it closed for the day. Why do shops here close so damn early?

Something About The Whipped Cream

I Spy... Something Green,....

Getting Close....

After about 10 million rounds around the same place, I finally decide to take a road that didn't seem right and it got us to Simmo's Ice-Creamery. For all the effort it took in finding the place, it sure disappointed me when i didn't even get to see one bit of the ice-cream making process. It didn't even look like it had a cold kitchen. Anyway, what else can you do there other than get though the crowd and then get a cone to enjoy. It was nice that they had such a beautiful outdoor area to enjoy your ice-cream and I would've loved to play mini-golf but the kids were hogging it. Anyway, finished up our cones and we headed back to Perth, stopping at some place with a really long jetty along the way to stretch our legs and head to the loo before we continued on the long drive back. Good thing Brendan was doing the driving most of the day as that gave me some time to nap in the car and keep me well rested for the next day's schedule.

Nice Way To Cool Off

Drop Your Cone & Boo Hoo For You!

Cute Lil Girl Please Don't Get Swept Away

27 Dec 2006

We started off at Sandalford Wines, once again, to let my parents have a go at the wines they offer. Thank goodness my parents know enough to know what they like, but Brendan just gulped them down like water. After choosing the wines and accessories they liked, we were on the road again.

With All Our Purchases....

Next stop, The Margaret River Chocolate Company in Swan Valley. The last time I came here, we had a time limit and basically all I got to do was look around and choose the items I'd like to purchase. This time, the only time limit was the time everything else in WA was gonna close, so we had time to indulge in some of the cafe's yummy offerings. We all got sandwiches and some dessert, I mean who can resist a chocolate dessert when you're in a chocolate factory? Well other than my mom, she's the cheesecake nut who decided to try one of their cheesecakes instead. The sandwich was rather normal, something like what we have back home, but then they do use better ham. The one thing that made the difference was actually the relish that accompanied the sandwich. We each got different relishes and, the good thing is, that allowed us to sample their relish, which made me decide to get some. After the really nice lunch and buying half the store, it was back into the car, on a search for animals.

Death By Chocolate?

Cheesecake @ A Chocolate Company? That's Mom For You

The search leads us to Caversham Wildlife Park where we had to keep dad away from any weapons. Every kangaroo and deer he saw was potential hunting prey and that wouldn't sound good to anyone in a conservation park. Brendan really got up-close and personal, maybe a little too personal, with the kangaroos. Would have been funny if one of them decided to do the same to him after and chased him around, but alas it didn't happen. Mom and dad got their chance to feed the kangaroos and whatever would eat out of their hands. They also got to take a pic with another fat wombat, but they didn't get to carry her. I guess she was either not used to people or she's just really aggressive, unlike the one I held that just was a lump all the way. We get to the "farm" area of the park and got to see awhole load of really cute bunnies and guinea pigs. One little fella that caught our eye was a black bunny that had only one ear. It was so quiet, tiny and shy and I wished I could bring it home. Wonder what actually happened to it's ear though. Either way, it's adorable. With no limit on the time we spend in the place, nor having no guide to follow, we entered a section of the "farm" that held the sheep, goats and some really funky chickens. There were even eggs in a troth and I wonder if they would hatch into more funky chickens or just be fed to someone later. Anyhoo.... once I got in, the first thing that happened was a goat that came up and greedily nibbled at my skirt, attempting to swallow the hole thing but that would just kill the bugger. It didn't give up too easily and only did so after following me for a few more bits. Then just as the keeper came in, all of them just started making a whole load of noise, following him like the rats did the pied piper. It was one funny scene that got everyone's attention.