Honeymoon

Since we both do not earn in the millions or even many thousands, we both sort of “broke our bank” to go for our honeymoon. Okay, fine, I’m exaggerating. We didn’t break our bank but we saved a whole lot just so we got to go on a holiday together. I remember that about 4 weeks leading to the trip, we stared at our Shin Chan “piggy bank” with longing every single day.

To be very honest, out of all the things which have happened in the span of the past 10 months or so, my favourite is my honeymoon. Call me cheesy or whatever, but I really enjoyed myself during the 6-day trip.

I know that it’s selfish to simply tell everybody that they MUST go on their honeymoon, but really, please go. If you must know, we never really planned on Perth at all to begin with and I was ready to settle for Sabah because my Sabahan friend kept telling me how beautiful the islands are. Of course, she could be biased but I knew that her recommendations rang truth. In fact, if it wasn’t Sabah, it would have been Pangkor or Penang.

But after comparing airfares and hotel prices, we decided we’d try Sabah some other time. This was our first trip together and if we were going to spend that much, we’d better make it super worth it and make the trip last a lil’ while longer.

I can say with conviction that it was worth it.

Because if I could repeat one thing, I would repeat my honeymoon again and again and again.

This morning, when my husband called, I told him I was looking at our honeymoon photos. He then asked me,
“Oh, tengok gambar masa tengah comel lagi?”

To which, I of course jumped to my own defence,
“SO SEKARANG I TAK COMEL LAH?”

“Sekarang you hot.”

Hmmph. Bodek. Hee.

Nak bodek lagi jum pergi Babymoon, jum? Pretty please? Heee.

Someday, I’m so going back to Perth. InsyaAllah with the lil’ one of course ;)

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autumn breeze.

Waktu terus berlalu, tanpa ku sedari yang ada hanya aku dan kenangan.

Wah, drama.

Most nights, before going to bed, we would talk about Perth. The places we went to and the places we didn't get to visit. The wedding ceremonies are done and there's not much of that that we talk about.

But now that my honeymoon is over, I reminisce it so often and sometimes even tear (happy tears of course) at the memory and now, I feel like I have to start looking for something else to look forward to. Something new. Something worth anticipating. Something exciting. I just don't know what yet.

We had a wonderful time in Perth. Our last day there was rainy and I was so disappointed though not for long. After that short "storm", it was just breeze, breeze and more breeze! It was so much fun taking photos with our hair all over the place. Even wearing our jackets became a challenge! Haha. But we laughed it off and took more silly photos.

It was a tad cold but we went on the Hop On Hop Off City Sightseeing Bus anyways. I insisted on sitting under no roof. I let the wind blow in my hair and my face like I had no care in the world.

This time, we went for the whole tour, since we ended our tour at Harbourtown the day before. The tour actually takes us into 2 circles, which forms number eight (8) around the whole City of Perth. At most places we didn't stop but we heard the commentary play and replay again and again and again and times, we even prompted the driver to play the CD properly because we already knew which commentary should be at which part of town. Oh, what a great day that was.

Of course, we already had plans for a picnic and that's why we were so flabbergasted when it rained that morning. I was so thankful that it stopped. After 2 rounds on the bus, we stopped at King's Park.

It was a nice day. Wait. It was a wonderful day. We walked down the small paths, mostly in silence, soaking it all in. Just enjoying the day as it is.

We managed to get a good spot under a tree. We laid our lunch spread on the grass and made ourselves at home. I managed to read many chapters of a book while my husband slept. More breeze came. And... the next thing I know, it started RAINING again.

We scurried like little rabbits and I think we were a funny sight to witness.

After getting dry under a shelter, we decided,

"Let's make full use of the self-timer, now, shall we?"

After all, it's going to be some time before we actually go back there and by the time we do, no one's going to remember us for our silly poses, right? God, I hope I'm right.

And so, we camwhored like no one's business.

About 15 shots later, an elderly couple passed by that path, clapped their hands and told us, "Well Done!" They must have enjoyed reminiscing their younger years just by watching us from afar.

After we were done with that, we waited for our bus and we got on. By then, we were freezing a bit and sat at the lower level. And we continued the tour to Harbourtown (AGAIN).

And this time... we (I mean, I) FINALLY has the mood to shop! Everything looked so nice and cheap and nice and WOW, I just went crazy at the factory outlets, I did last minute souvenir shopping and basically bought ALOT of things.

Guess how many kilos I brought back? Heehee.

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City Sightseeing on the Bus.

From my previous travels, I learnt that the best memories throughout a trip are actually those you make in the town you are staying itself. It's not really how far you go or how long you stay on the road that matters, it's what you do in the town that you stay that counts the most.

So, I voiced this out to my husband and he said let's try that tactic. After all, after all that traveling the day before, we needed a break from long road trips anyways. So, we decided to just hang around town.

From my previous experiences also, if the city offers a hop-on-hop-off bus/tram service, it shouldn't be missed as that is the best way to learn about the city. You might not understand what the commentary is all about during the first ride, but after at least 2 rounds, you'd find out more about the city that you're staying in.

So, I insisted that we purchase tickets for the bus ride. After all, the ticket is valid for 48 hours and you can get off at any of the stops and rejoin the tour as and when you feel like it. I just thought that that was WONDERFUL!

We waited for the bus to arrive and when it FINALLY did, I couldn't resist getting those rooftop seats! I mean, why would I want to waste a breathtakingly beautiful day sitting under a roof?

And so our ride began. And so did the lovely commentaries. I learnt that Langley Park was once the place aeroplanes landed. I learnt that Perth is closer to Indonesia and Singapore that it is to Canberra and that's why it has it's own Parliament. I learnt that even if we put the whole of Western Europe into Western Australia, there would still be space to move because Western Australia is THAT big.

I also learnt that King's Park is one of the most beautiful parks I have been to so far. Sorry, Abang in Adelaide, but King's Park trumps Adelaide Botanical Gardens without even having to lift a finger. We were in awe most of the time. Both of how well maintained the place is and how HUGE the place was. Most of all, we were just speechless with the lovely, lovely view from King's Park.

We decided to not drop off there as we had other plans. And by other plans, I meant Harbourtown. Surprisingly though... I didn't get anything while I was there. Sorry, what was that again? I SAID I DIDN'T GET ANYTHING WHILE I WAS THERE. That was pretty amazing, even for my standards. It was a "waste" because there were actually many, many things there which could have been bought, but... I wasn't in the mood to shop!

We grabbed some lunch at ISPA Kebab and spent the day in Perth City itself before heading back to the hotel. Perhaps we were just too tired from traveling the day before. We slept pretty early that night.

I don't think I've posted an I ♥ you baby in a while now. Here goes. Teeheeheehe.

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The Pinnacles.

Are you bored of my honeymoon yet?

Sorry, but I don't think I will ever get over it until I finish writing about it, so please bear with me. I don't know if there are any people "bearing" but I hope I haven't killed you with my mushy posts.

As I said earlier, our next destination was the place with many lalats (flies). On the way to The Pinnacles, we were told that we were given an hour to roam the place. One hour?

I could have fled the place after 20 minutes max.

First, it was so, so dry and hot. But that was okay because we're used to dry and hot.

What really bugged us were the flies. Yes, flies were EVERYWHERE, I kid you not. It's like everywhere you turn, there are flies. Everywhere you hide, the flies follow suit. The flies even followed us back onto the van. *die like this*

But like I also said earlier, it was an interesting (albeit a tad bit annoying because of the flies) visit. Sorry, did I go straight to my complaints without introducing what the Pinnacles is all about? Tsk tsk.

The Pinnacles is a desert with limestone formations on it in every shape and size. It's situated in the Nambung National Park and up until today, no one really knows how the limestone formations appear. There have been quite a few theories which scientists and researchers alike have come up with but none have been proven to be true. Some people said it's spooky, but to be honest, it's more lonely than spooky.

You can see miles and miles and miles of sand dunes. It's like a sea of sand with no end. I don't know if I'd come back here again, but I'm glad that I went to experience it anyway.

We stayed there for just a lil' while more than 25 minutes and left via the Great Indian Ocean Drive which coincidentally just opened about 6 months back. Due to the heat and irritation with the flies, I slept throughout the whole journey back to Perth City.

It was a good day and our money well spent. Oh, and of course, some of the photos while we were there.

on the way there.

LOADS OF LALAT!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: MEN WILL ALWAYS BE BOYS. HAIH. AHAHAHA

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Western Travel Bug

When I said I called the Western Travel Bug, did I mention that the tour bus said it would pick us up at 6.45 a.m.?

Well, if I didn't, now you know. And breakfast starts at 6.30 a.m. You know what I'm like where breakfast is concerned right? Especially when I didn't get my supply of rice the night before =.="

But, in all that rush, I managed to eat a bowl of cereal and 2 pieces of croissants I think? I even brought along some jam-filled doughnuts I bought at Coles the day before. Hebat? Sangat hebat bukan? Bab-bab makanan, serahkan pada yang pakar. Hahahaha.

It was just a mini van with the capacity to fit 15 pax at most. It was very cosy and clean and we were lucky to get a tour guide by the name of David who was really nice (because he let us finish all the cookies in the van).

As we boarded the van, we were given a menu from which we were to choose our lunches. At first we wanted to take the fish burger but that was before we realised that it was made with a beer batter. So, we settled for the Vege Burger in the end. A bit sad, I know, but a girl's got to eat so she better eat what she can.

After a few other pick-ups at some other parts of the City, we began our journey. David had already told us beforehand that there wouldn't be any commentary on anything, but every once in a while, he did tell us the history or background of certain places while we passed by them.

Our first stop was at the Whiteman Park, in which the Caversham Wildlife Park is situated. While waiting for it to open, we had some coffee, tea and biscuits (part of the package) and of course, took some photos.

Then, we continued to the Wildlife Park where another Guide took over. His name is Peter.

How do I describe my feelings at Caversham? To sum it all in one word wouldn't do the place any justice but if I had to pick just ONE word, it would be MAGICAL.

Here's why.

We were let into the Kangaroos' den. They were so tame but far from being violent. They would swarm you and nudge at your feet because they know what was coming next - food. All you had to do was to put the food on your palm and feed them from it. It's a win-win situation and the happiness which eminates from this experience is so ridiculous, I cannot even explain it.

Then, we were brought to meet the Wombat. At first, I was sceptical about holding it because... it looks like one huge fat pig. Don't you think so? This particular Wombat weighs about 28 kilos and it had just woken up at the time the photo was taken.

After the Wombat, we were brought to visit the Wallaroos and Wallabies and some other animals.

And last but not least, we met the Koala. It was a pity though that the Koalas were still asleep. If not we would have been able to cuddle it like a baby.

Suffice to say that the next time we come back to Perth (insyaAllah!), we're so going to spend more time at Caversham. Worth every penny spent :)

After Caversham, we headed to the town by the sea - Cervantes. It was quite a long drive, but there wasn't much we could do there seeing that we were pressed for time. We managed to get some good photos there though. So feast your eyes.

Next was lunch. To say that I was looking forward to my Vege Burger is an overstatement but I think I don't give it as much credit as it actually deserves. You want to know why? BECAUSE IT WAS SCRUMPTIOUS (and can you see how HUGE it is?)! I honestly thought that it was Vege patty, but no, no, no. I was mistaken and and totally and completely misjudged the burger.

At the end of lunch, nothing (apart from garnishing) was left on my plate. *Sedap*

After that, we went to the "Lalat Place" which was actually quite amazing despite the lalats.

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once in Fremantle.

Once in Fremantle, there are actually quite a number of things to see and do. And since I had my Master Navigator (husband la siapa lagi) with me, we didn't have much trouble finding the places we wanted to go to.

teeeheeehehee

This is Greg James at the Sculptor Centre. We managed to impersonate him before continuing our journey to the South Mole. I don't ('til this very day) know why we were so intrigued with the South Mole. There was no clear description of what's there and what the place was all about and yet, we continued our journey under the scorching sun (and may I add, on foot).

Turns out that there really wasn't much of anything there but we took photos anyways. Again, the SELF-TIMER and its worldly wonders played a huge role that day.

After that, we went to the Maritime Museum and purchased tickets for entrance into the Museum and also to join the Submarine Tour. Have you ever been in a Submarine before? That was a first for me and I've got to say that it was kind of interesting, though a tad bit scary (not to mention claustrophobic) at first.

We had a very nice and experienced Guide by the name of Mike and he pretty much knew the Submarine in and out. It was a different kind of experience but a very good and knowledgeable one indeed. After the Submarine Tour, we decided to revisit the Maritime Museum. It was kind of interesting and the place and ship replicas etc. were just really humungous.

Then, we were becoming restless (sebab lapar sangat), so we needed to search for food. From the brochures, they kept on recommending the E Shed which happens to (supposedly) be the Shed for food (they also have A, B, C, D Sheds and all are for different purposes). Hopeful, we went there but was disappointed when there were only like 3 shops opened! Dahlah none of them looked delicious or welcoming. *Sigh*

So, we began our quest to look for better food. On the way there, we dropped by at the Round House. Here are some photos, if you'd like to see what we were up to while we were there.

Then, finally, we reached Sweetlips! Ah, bliss! We ordered our meals and simply enjoyed the sea breeze. It was all very nice. The fish and chips was actually quite nice. The batter was light and crunchy and everything was just how it's supposed to be. The only problem was the ice cream. Yes, the ice cream cost us AUD3.50 which I found to be ridiculous (do your math and x 3.2 and you'll understand why I think it's crazy).

Why?

Sebab Grilled Oyster yang jual dekat Sweetlips pun lagi murah. AUD2.20 je satu. Hahaha. Actually, it wasn't much of an issue pon, I just thought that it was a lil' absurd, is all.

After that scrumptious meal and our much needed rest, we visited the Shipwreck Museum and then headed to Fremantle Market. What I failed to remember was that Fremantle Market only opens on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Okay, kalau teringat balik rasa nak nangis because I really want to know what it's all about. Mungkin lain kali kalau ada rezeki kot? But on the bright side of things we managed to find some interesting shops there which sold all kinds of rustic and quirky stuff. Didn't buy anything though.

It was getting a lil' late but there was one more place to head to - the Prison. All the while, my husband told me that it was my call whether or not we were to join the 4.30 p.m. Prison Tour. Following my guts, I told him I didn't want to enter, so we just took photos. Turns out that he didn't fancy a Prison Tour either. Heheheh.

So, a few photos after, we decided to call it a day. But... before that, I already had my eyes on Coles, so apa lagi? Shopping for food lagi. Hahahaha. We managed to bag the most delicious peaches I have ever tasted. Yum yum yum.

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