Trip down under – Western Australia (Part 5)

Day 6: Perth, Fremantle, and finally…Home..

We stayed in Perth on our final day in Western Australia…taking things much more slowly, since..well..it’s our final day..

Went to walk around and checked out Perth’s Harbour Town, which basically is well…a shopping area..

And then headed out to Fremantle for fish and chips at Cicerello’s..for apparently, they served the best fish and chips ever…

The food was pretty good… =)

Camwhored a lil in Fremantle..

before heading back to Perth to return the rented car, and then headed back to the apartment and called it a day…
We slept exceptionally early..at 8+pm…for our flight is at 6+am the next morning, which means…we need to wake up at 3am~!
(o.O) *Faints*
I then came up with the brilliant idea of bathing and changing (to my head home clothes) before I sleep…so that the next morning, all I needed to do is brush my teeth and wash my face..smart eh? Ok…it’s the lazy way out, I know…bite me!

Touched down in LCCT about 12…and not long after…back to reality…with a call to remind me to head back to work tomorrow..
Boring, mundane, routine…work..

I was totally knackered after the trip…but it was all worth it..
not only because it’s the first time I get to see dolphins and whales..but also because they were time well spent with the family…the whole family.
Overall, it was a good trip…a fantastic one actually…

Special thanks to Jasmine for the great hospitality, bringing us around, and of cuz, taking care of one of our luggage bags..
We couldn’t fit everything into the rented car, so we chucked everything into the 2 bigger luggages, as well as the hand luggages..and left one of the luggage with her..=)
Thank god I have a friend in Perth…or else, wouldn’t know what to do with the luggage bag.. (>.<)
She was sooo nice that she even sent the bag to me when we got back to Perth…*hugs*
And oh…not forgetting, thanks a bunch for the Atlas too~!

Trip down under – Western Australia (Part 4)

Day 5: Wineries, choc, cheese, nuts & cereals factories, Busselton Jetty, and back to Perth

Had breakfast in the hotel balcony the next morning, as the balcony of the rooms were…well…considerably spacious.

Breakfast…

Once we were done, we checked out and headed for the Chocolate Factory…

Sis wanted to get some wine for Jonny boy, so we decided to stop in one of the wineries that’s on the way…
The only question: Which one? They are probably close to a hundred of wineries along the way…
o.O
We randomly chose one…and went in for wine tasting..

Their white wines are pretty nice I reckon…there’s one with a tinge of passion fruit..I likeeee…

But I didn’t get any because I can never finish the whole bottle by myself and there’s no one to drink with..

And my sis? She brought 3~! *Tsk tsk..alcoholic*

We then proceeded to the cheese factory, nut and cereal factory, and of course, the all-famous chocolate factory…

Nuts and cereals factory…While Mom and Sis were busy trying the nuts and cereals…dad was…

busy ordering ice-creams…But they were good! =)
One strawberry and another one, blueberry..or is it raspberry…errr…well..some berries..

Basically, you choose the fruits..and then they blend it with vanilla ice-cream…
Dad wanted to be adventurous and try this thing called “paw paw”..
I looked at the frozen fruit…with hesitation…I’m not too sure about that…whatever paw paw is…
I decided to play safe, and asked dad to hold on…went to grab my sis to ask what’s paw paw…and to my horror…it’s PAPAYA!
Lucky thing we haven’t ordered it…for
1) I’m not a fan of papaya to start with..and papaya ice-cream? errr…thanks but no thanks
2) Hello~! There are like sooo many papayas here in KL…and they are dirt cheap…and hence, there’s no way I’m gonna pay AUD4 for blended frozen papaya with vanilla ice-cream! (Blardeee accountant, I know)

And then I realised I have no pictures of the cheese factory…oh well..

Finally..the chocolate factory everyone has been telling me about that it’s a must go if I head south in WA..

Outside the factory…

Making of the chocs..

There! Chocs left, right and center!

Another picture of sis in the chocolate place..

And on the way out, sis randomly wanted to take a picture…how peculiar… (=.=)

And so we head back to Perth…but not before checking out the famous Busselton Jetty!

It was super duper windy the moment we got out of the car…

On the jetty…too bad they closed most part of the jetty for repair and maintenance works..only opened the first 200metres of it.. (=.=)

Sis on the jetty, with the souvenir shop behind..

Inside the souvenir shop..

And right after lunch…we head back to Perth…

Scenic, isn’t it?

On our way back…Mandurah…Another very nice, very scenic..and apparently, very expensive suburb…
I can totally understand why..

We reached Perth right before 5pm, and checked into a serviced apartment…
Took a rest before heading out for dinner…
Sis felt like having Thai…but the only problem? We don’t know where to find one…
We parked around Chinatown area, and walked around…and out of nowhere, I saw a Thailand flag…and yeaps! We found Thai food…
Quite authentic actually…
Sorry no pictures cuz we were all very hungry…and gobbled down the food the moment they came..

On our way back to the car…I noticed that the moon looks very nice that night…
and hence…

My lame attempt to take a pic of the moon…
(>.<)

We went back to the apartment for a rest, before sending my sister off to the airport…She's going home..to Melbourne..a day earlier..
(T.T)

Day 6: Perth, Fremantle, and finally…Home..
To be continued…

Trip down under – Western Australia (Part 3)

Day 4: Yet another action packed day..

Unsatisfied that we didn’t meet the whales the first try, we decided to go again the next morning…hence, delaying the whole trip.. (T.T)
But none of us wanted to move on…or more of, to have driven so far to only see rainbows and seals…

So, again, we woke up early, had breakfast, packed, checked out and headed for the catamaran again…
Thankfully…it wasn’t raining…

While waiting to go on the catamaran..Nice sunny morning..

Happified sis and mom

Mom & I…both looking extremely hopeful of whale sighting..(^o^)

That’s me, helping to raise the sail…No joke k… =D

While dad becomes the skipper for the first half of the catamaran ride..

Not long after we head out for the open sea, we sighted a pod of dolphins…
Detour-ed a lil to have a closer look at them…

Could you spot them??
No?? It’s ok…cuz there’s none in the pic..
(>.<)

Well…we really did see them…but apparently, it was feeding time for them, and hence, they weren't in the mood to entertain or play along with us…unlike most other dolphins..
They surfaced just to swim away, and considering the powerful cameras we brought…we didn't manage to capture them…not surprisingly..

After a while, we left the dolphins behind, and continue our search for whales….
We waited….and waited…had more tea and scones…and suddenly, the skipper shouted "Right in front! Can you guys see it?"
We excitedly ran to the front….and after some squinting, and trying my best not to blink…just in case I missed it… then, lo and behold! I finally saw it!
Far far away….

The skipper then repositioned the catamaran, stopped the engine…and everyone started looking around…
First…we saw one…then…another one…

Apparently, it’s the mom with its calf..

See the light blue patch underwater? That’s the whale..
Humpbacks. =)

Sadly, none of the 2 did a “National Geographic style” flip, but they got really really near….it was, at one point, literally next to the catamaran…
What a sight!

Isn’t it beautiful??? *Breaks bottle and stabs everyone who says no*

Ahhh…that made the whole trip worth the wait, the hardship, the time, the money… (^o^)
And oh…we saw another 2-3 more on our way back…but none of them came near us…
=(

We reached back at approx. 1pm, and we then left Albany for Walpole..the tree top walk…
the journey from Albany to Walpole was reasonably short *phew*

and rather scenic too..

And after about 40 mins drive…we reached there…
Valley of the Giants..

And thus, began our tree top walk adventure..

At the start of the walk…

Another with sis..

Further up, a pic of Mom and Sis

Nearly reaching the top…

There! The pinnacle of the walk…

alright alright..fine…the walk was actually pretty light and easy…and the whole walk only took us approx. 30 mins..

One part of the walk…from afar…

Dad was walking so fast that he’s soooo way in front…

Once we were done with the tree top walk, there was another pathway to walk on…just to see trees:

A rather peculiar looking one…with a “face”

And finally, one with the family:

Under the tree… =)

Once done with the Valley of the Giants, we continued our journey back up North…and planning for the night at Margaret River…
The drive? Approx. 4 hours… The driver: Me..
My sister was the navigator, and the parents? As usual, they get to rest..
But after a while…my sister took a short nap herself too..(Since we had the GPS, and so her job was then only to see where we can stop for petrol, as well as to check on the atlas once in a while to ensure we are on the right track)..while I drove on…
It was a rather challenging drive, as mostly, there were just trees and trees on both sides of the road, and as it gets dark…it gets foggy in the jungle…
As it was rural road..had to stop twice..once for the kangaroos, another for the cows…
blehh…even cows bully me..just when I was trying to get us to Margaret River soonest.
And after dark, the whole street was just…deserted…no cars, no lights..can hardly see the road with just the normal lights…*faints*
After what seems like eternity..we finally reached Margaret River at approx. 7pm…

Drove around looking for hotels…and had a mini scare when the first 2 hotels we visited…were…well..closed. ie. No receptionist..
Nonetheless, we managed to get ourselves a place to stay for the night not long after…

Checked in…
The room this time was much smaller…
but decent nonetheless…




The room…which is really, 2 connecting rooms..but only 1 washroom..
weird..o.O

Headed out for dinner at a tavern…because quite a number of restaurants were no longer open at 8+pm…
geez…what a healthy lifestyle they have got there..

Mom’s catch of the day…

Sis and her…err…fried squids? (Did I get it right, my dearest sister?)

My caesar salad…I’ve decided to be more…vegetarian since it seems like I was deprived of vegetables the past few days…

And dad’s seafood platter

Before calling it a day….

Day 5: Wineries, choc, cheese, nuts & cereals factories, Busselton Jetty, and back to Perth

To be continued…

Trip down under: Western Australia (Part 2)

Day 3: The excitement begins
Started early, as we need to board the boat at 9am, for the whale watching…got ready, breakfast, and then…(o.O)
It’s r-a-i-n-i-n-g..
Got out, and started searching high and low for shops that sells ponchos..
After a few tries…we finally found a place, that’s open that early (or at all, on Sundays) and sells ponchos.

The catamaran that would be bringing us out to the sea for some adventure – Whale watching. *yay*

That’s how the catamaran looks like once the sail’s up…I reckon it looks pretty good…How I wished I have one..

Boarded the catamaran at 9am, and we were briefed on the geography of Australia, how to handle sea-sickness, etc etc..

One with the family, when we just went up to the catamaran…still warm and dry…

Once the catamaran leaves the port, I decided to head out for some fresh air…before I get sea-sick inside…
It was pouring! And the moving catamaran, with the strong wind, wasn’t really helping…we were getting wet….but hail the ponchos! We were considerably dry….for the first hour or so..at least..

When it was not raining…

One with John…(hmm…I think I got his name wrong…but I can’t really recall…I think there was a John among them), the person that takes care of us, served us scones, hot tea and coffee.. =)

So, as some of you would have known, and perhaps others would have guessed, the highlight for the trip:

Seals…and…

Rainbows…(yes, rainbows, as we spotted 2 of them)..perfect weather for rainbows…and I was there to spot rainbows..I would be very satisfied..
how nicee…. (T.T)

The rain was…well…having fun playing a practical joke on us I reckon..rained a lil..then stopped a bit…and then poured cats and dogs..and then drizzle…
As it was raining, it was a whole lot more difficult to spot the whales due to poor visibility…
either that, or the whales decided to sleep in since it was raining..*shrugs*
It was soo quiet, that not only did we not spot any whales, there were also no dolphins…or wait…we didn’t see a fish too!!

Oh oh…but but..we saw squids..
.
..
…
..
.

from the people who went fishing that early morning..
(T.T)”

And on our way back…the rain stopped altogether!
!&*&$~!#*~!%
(@.@)

And so, we managed to take one decent picture with the catamaran, without the ponchos..
It may not seem like it…but we were…especially I was soaking wet…knee down..my shoes? Well…my toes were swimming inside them..

We reached back at 1ish…utterly disappointed…
The good thing was, if you didn’t spot the whale…you can go back again and again, free-of-charge until you spot one..
So, if you’re into taking a trip out to the sea with a nice catamaran, it was all goodd…

Went back to the hotel, get changed, and we headed out again..

To the blowhole..
The blowhole is actually a crack-line in the granite rocks along the coast noisily shoots air (and if you are lucky, water) and spray high into the air.
This spectacular natural attraction is best seen on stormy days when the seas are rough.

We parked the car, and walked down to the blowhole…but before we even started walking, we thought we spotted a whale in the sea, far far away! We got so excited over it…only to realised, 5 minutes later, it was just water splashing into the rocks… (=.=)”

Nearby the blowhole..

The view while walking down to the blowhole was rather spectacular, really..

Shadows…since there was no way I could have captured the “air” from the blowhole…there were only 2 times where there’s actually water splashing out (although minimal)..but still…there’s no way my powerful camera could have captured that…so, resorted to taking our shadows instead…yes, I’m that sad. Bite me.

Another one on our way walking back up to the car..

And hello there, Mr. Roo…
yeaps..we spotted a kangaroo on our way up…wild one..

The proceeded to our next destination: Gap and natural bridge.

I’m sure you guys could figure out which is which…for if you can’t..go hang yourself now.

At the look out spot..Don’t mind my hair…I know I look like a crazy woman..

Another candid one, with mom…

I think it was already about 4 by the time we were done…and hence, we rushed to our final destination for the day…
The Windfarm..

From afar..

And we finally reached the first wind turbine..
There were 12 of them in total…
It was actually quite…huge…Yes. I’m that jakun…never seen a windfarm before, k?

The stairs which leads to the inside of the wind turbine…

See that small thing at the bottom of the turbine? Well…that’s the stairs…can’t see? Ok..eyesight fail.. =P

It was already getting dark while we were still venturing around…

And this…is the power of flash!

We were totally knackered after the whole thing…I reckon it was mainly due to us bracing the wind, the rain and the choppy sea for the first half of the day…

We headed for dinner..

Myself with spaghetti marinara, aglio olio style..

Sister with her chilli mussels…

Dad with his catch of the day..

And finally…mom with I-can’t-recall-what-she-had..

It was then back to the hotel…to rest

Day 4: Yet another action packed day..

To be continued…

Trip down under – Western Australia

NOTE: A pics intensive post.

Yes, a pretty overdue post, but well…I have really been extremely busy since I got back…had no time to organise the photos, what more to blog about it..Phone calls and smses were already flooding in when I touched down from Perth..(>.<)
Not to mention, I just got the "full collection of the photos" from my sis, to be combined with the pics taken by my camera…
Anyway, here's one for the trip, my sanity break, and family gatherings.. =)

After the "forced" leave (take it, or risk the comptime being burnt)…we made some last minute arrangements, and tadaa~! We were heading to Australia, but this time, Western Australia.

Boarded the plane at 0010 on Friday, 05062009…that means whole lot of rushing to do as I was still working on 4th June…But it was smooth nonetheless. Touched down in Perth at 5+ in the morning (way too early)…took our own sweet time getting out of the airport and by the time we reached the Parmelia Hilton,our hotel, it was 9 in the morning. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that one of the 2 rooms we booked were ready for check-in..

The room was nicer than I expected.. =)

Yes, I even took picture of the bathroom… bite me. =P

So we checked in, bathed, and then headed out for brekkie, and the hunt for a car..

My first meal in Perth..

Once we got the car, we headed back to the hotel for a rest..afterall, all of us didn’t get to sleep in the plane..till we drove to pick my sister up from the airport at 5pm..
We were obviously late, and she had to wait for 30+ minutes…for we got a lil lost on our way there.. (Which I thought was reasonably impressive considering the only map I got was the map of Perth, from the free brochures avail. in the hotel)

Met up with my “long-lost” high school friend for dinner. She brought us to this Korean place, at some alley in the apparently Chinatown of Perth…

Jasmine (My high school friend), and Sis during dinner..

After dinner, she brought us to King’s Park (I think I read somewhere that it’s the biggest inner-city park in the world)..
and the view there…was absolutely gorgeous..

View of the city, Swan river..from Kings Park

Proceeded back to the hotel after that, and it was then head cracking session on how and where to proceed from Perth…
A part of us wanted to head down Margaret River as there more to see along that route…but another part of us wanted to head straight to Albany to have a lil meet up with the whales..and taking the Margaret River route would mean we could potentially have to cut this out due to time constraint…
After much discussion, it was finally decided and all of us headed for the bed..as all of us were sleep deprived…only to find a tad bit too many pillows on the bed…

And then a lil note…

Ahhh….such pampering..

Day 2: The day of havoc, long drives, work, and no play
Woke up the next morning, and headed for breakfast in the hotel before starting our journey south…

With sis…at breakfast..

The start of the journey out of the city to the right highway was…a confusion. She was made the driver to drive down Albany, while I navigate. The parents? Well..they get to relax at the back..
It was supposedly easy-peasy since my sister brought with her, the GPS..*Woohoo*…only to not able to work that thing out… (T.T)..So it’s back to placing reliance on the free maps…and the Atlas from Jasmine’s boyfriend, which wasn’t very helpful in getting us out of the city, as it was a rural atlas..hahaha…
Then, there were parents at the back, that were supposedly be relaxing, giving opinions on which way we “should” go…while I try to give directions from the oh-so-not-helpful-map and at the same time, trying to get the GPS to work…oh, talk about multi-tasking..
The result: Angry sister.. (>.<)

But after some drama and wrong turnings, we finally managed to get the GPS to work, and well…we weren't exactly lost…*phew*..
Just that the "highway" were really full of traffic lights in the beginning..

Happified sister after we finally got the right directions, and no more traffic lights every other minute…

The journey down to Albany took us a painful 4 hours, which was reasonably fast, as we were told it would be 4-6 hours drive…
We reached Albany before dark *jumps around with joy* (It gets dark about 5.00-5.30pm during winter)

Took some pics at the ‘look out’ spots.. (or something along that line..)

We then proceeded to check out the whale watching timetable, made bookings, and then the hunt for hotels…
And we called it a day…

Day 3: The excitement begins
To be continued…