Perth... Here we come!!! ~ Part 4

9th June 2013


It was a Sunday morning yet we were not found in the church.  Instead, we set out to The Maze, a family fun park located in Bullsbrook.  ‘Breakfast with the Koalas’ , a unique experience at the park’s Café Iguana.  We headed into the small koala enclosure which is part of the outside deck and pat one of the koalas whilst waiting for our meal to be ready.

There's also plenty of room for the kids to run around as the café is surrounded by a 9 hole mini golf course and big garden chess game area.

Daddy used to play chess A LOT during his younger days.  He won quite a number of competitions.  Following Daddy's footstep, lately Elyse has acquired a passion to play chess.  She remembers how each chess piece moves.  So naturally when she saw this big garden of chess game area, she was excited and couldn't wait to play!

On the other hand, our little boy who is known as the mimic king, tried to follow his Jie Jie by carrying (with all his might) the pieces and moved them around.

Breakfast is served!  We ordered the pancakes, Maze fry up (scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, baked beans, hash brown & toast) and a smoothie.

Who is cuter?  The koala or me?

After filling our tummy, it's time to get our brain working and our feet wet.  It was drizzing when we entered the maze.  Nevertheless, we proceeded and thank God that rain stopped and the Sun was shining brightly for the next few hours.

Do you trust the sign?

Oh no!  It was a trick!!!

Moving on... Elyse, our leader

Toward the end of the maze is a big tower that the kids can climb up and then a slide to go down. The other four mazes are fairly small but are harder (if you want to follow their brain teaser rules like 'only turn left' whereas our kids just walked through).

The kids park is fairly small but has some swings, a climbing net, climbing wall, slide, and four person spring see-saw.

One of the best things that our kids loved was the ‘jumping pillow’ which is just like a mix between a jumping castle and trampoline. It is surrounded by sand and has a huge sail shade overhead.

A helping hand to get our boy up.  Thank you Jie Jie!

There were lots of older children jumping up and down.  Whenever Erwyn tried to stand up, he fell down.  Finally he resolved to crawling around.  Well, the big smile on his face indicated that he had so much fun, even by crawing around!

There is also a walk through nature section and aviary with plenty of birds, emus and kangaroos on show.

We finished off the morning with a free round of mini golf – it is 9 holes and is a fairly easy course.  This was the first time the kids and Mommy played it.  Both children really enjoyed it as they both like to play with balls, eg basketball, and bowling.

paying attention...

big boy vs small boy

Our dear Aunty Audrey joining us in the fun game

Daddy tried to teach Elyse the proper posture but she happily following her own style

Now it's time to welcome the Queen of the house

Our recording secretary

Erwyn trying to 'help' by putting the ball into the hole

All in all we had a fantastic family day out.

Later that evening, we dressed up to attend the Kingdom City Church.  We found out that they have a branch in KL as well.  There was a guest speaker that evening, and his testimony was indeed powerful.  Elyse attended the Kids programme and Erwyn was in the baby room.

A welcome pack for the visitor

That concluded our 4th day in Perth.

Perth... Here we come!!! ~ Part 3

8th June 2013

The next day, we headed to the train station for a ride. 

Waiting...

Today our itinerary was to visit The Beach House Kids Fun Centre.  It is a popular spot for parents and grandparents alike to come and relax while the children can safely play.  The clean, spacious children’s fun centre includes a bouncy castle, triple deck play structure, car track, themed party rooms and two fully fenced toddler areas.  There's also a café which provides a full range of hot and cold drinks and gourmet cakes, foccacias, kids sandwiches, biscuits and etc.  Adults can easily observe their children while relaxing in the café.  Both Elyse and Erwyn have lots of fun in the centre.  A great place to burn out kid's unlimited energy.

For more information on The Beach House, you may check on the following website:
http://www.thebeachhouse.org.au


That afternoon, we took out the presents flew all the way from Malaysia.  It took me quite awhile to hunt for all these treasures.  Nevertheless, when we see the smile on their face, it is worth the effort and energy, and $$ of course.  :p

Looks like the kids are more excited than the receiver...

Talking Tom

In the evening, we visited Je Ee and Uncle Lloyd.  They invited us for a lovely dinner.

Drooling...

The kids were so happy to see Je Ee

We are indeed honoured to have the entire Smith clan to welcome us. Initially when we mentioned Je Ee to Elyse, she wasn't sure of who was she.  However, the dark cloud soon disappeared.  The moment we stepped into Je Ee's house, Elyse was screaming in joy.  She ran to Je Ee and gave her a bear hug.  As usual, our little prince 'copy' whatever the sister does.  So he too, ran to Je Ee and hug her.

The food was simply irrisistable.  Thank you so so much to Je Ee for preparing such a presumptuous meal for us.  Je Ee specially prepared the chocolate fountain for the kids to enjoy.  It turned out to be the mother's favourite.  I could have skipped the main course and have chocolate fountain as my dinner.  Missing it till this day....

After dinner, we have a wonderful time watching some of the old photos - Andrew's childhood photos.  The weather may be cold outside, but there's so much love and laughter inside the house.  It was a pity that my mom in law, Bi Ee and Bi Ee Ean were not there with us.

Time passed so swiftly and it's time for us to say goodnight.  I couldn't stop wondering when will be the next time we gathered like this again?

Perth.... here we come!!! ~ Part 2

7th June 2013



Woke up bright and early the next day and got ready for a fun day at Caversham Wildlife Park.   The weather promised to behave and play out to be one of the sunnier days for us during this trip (based on weather projections) so we just had to make full use of it.

After a 45minute drive the kids were ready to be let loose and had no idea what to expect! 


Entering into this wildlife park, the first animal encounter was the kangaroo!  Lots and lots of them! The kangaroos in this den were free to roam and we could just walk right up to them.  Roo feed was also free for all so those who wanted to get their hands dirty could just grab a handful (or two, or three or five hundred) and feed the kangaroos to their hearts' delight.

Up close with this creature... hmm, do I smell like food?

Erwyn was very excited feeding the kangaroo

Help!  Help!  I am surrounded by kangaroos....

Erwyn is a brave young man.  He loves the kangaroos and Koala and was not afraid to be close to them.

Whenever Erwyn saw an animal, he wanted to feed them

Not tall enough?  Nevermind, Mommy carried you...

After that, we proceeded to the Farm Show.  Pushchairs were to be left outside in a designated area and we were herded into a large barn with viewing seats.  The show started promptly and we sat back and enjoyed a historical and informative talk by Mike the farmer about farming in Australia. The park ranger showed us how to do whip cracking.  Any volunteers?   Two men went up.  Mommy was so tempted to do it as the whip looked like a ribbon that Mommy used to play in tambourine dance.  But of course, she was too shy to do it.

Elyse was more courageous than Mommy.  She volunteered to feed the little lamb.  She was a little afraid though.  So, Daddy was standing by her side all the time.

The sheep shearing process was a little scary for Elyse.  After that, we took turn to milk the cow.

Explaining to Elyse on how to milk a cow

Our next stop was to visit the wombat and his friends!  The show is standing room only and we walked around the display of animals and birds. The handlers helped us to stroke/touch them and educate us on them and have our pictures taken with the wombat’s, owls and reptiles. We were not allowed to hug the wombat but to sit next to the keeper holding the wombat.  Anyway, I am not really fancy about this cuddly, a little bit lazy, and looks a bit fat animal.  Trust me, he is very very heavy.  About 30kg if I remember correctly.  No photos?  There is, but I did not upload it as it is not one of the great photos.  Elyse was thrilled when she saw the snake.  She has one snake soft toy given by a church member, accompanied her to sleep every night.  Weird, isn't it? 

Our last stop was the Koala Experience.  This was the only area that was closely guarded and monitored by park rangers.  Nine years ago when Andrew and I visited Australia I was priviledge to hug the Koala and snap a photo with it.  Honestly, though Koala is such an adorable creature, but it stinks and is rather heavy.  Elyse was looking forward to hug a Koala.  Sadly, we were not allowed to do that anymore. 

And... that was it! We reached the end of the park! Soon, it was back in the car and back on the road.  The kids were quite worn out... wait a second, I think the adults too were worn out.  Most of the time, the kids sat on their strollers and the adults have to push them.  Anyway, we have a great day out in the park.

Perth.... here we come!!! ~ Part 1

6th June 2013


"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Perth Airport.   For your safety and comfort, we ask that you please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off.... Thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice day!”


Finally we reached this part of the world - AUSTRALIA!!!
It has been nine long years before we stepped foot on Perth - a place resided by our beloved aunts.
It was an awesome and memorial trip for all of us.
God's timing was perfect.  We are ever so grateful to God that we met our Aunt Kelly, Bi Ee, for the very last time, before she was received into the Father's bosom.
Let's begin our story...

Weeks before the trip, Mommy was busy packing all the stuff.  Since this was her first experience to visit a country during winter, she was nervous on what to expect.  Not so much for herself, but for the little ones.  Thank God that Er Yi has all the winter clothing.  No $$ was spent to purchase any of those jackets.  Finally the day arrived and we embarked on our journey to.... (drum roll) SUBANG! 

We stopped at Dengkil for a nice satay dinner - our very favourite!

Kajang Satay... yummy!

A big surprised when we left the restaurant - double rainbow in the clear blue sky!  It's our very first time seeing a double rainbow.  The kids were excited, especially Erwyn.  After putting a night in Subang, we waved goodbye to Malaysia and flew for 5 and a half hours before we touched down on Perth.

Bye Bye Malaysia!  See you... don't miss me!

Hey, buddy!  Let me give you a hug!

Fasten your seatbelt, we're gonna fly!

This is Erwyn's maiden flight.  As for Elyse, her last flight experience was 2 years ago.  Both were eager and looking forward to board the plane.  However,  they had a difficult time falling asleep in the plane.  Erwyn was twisting and turning the whole trip.  But thank God that they didn't make a fuss. 


The plane landed on Perth safely and we received a warm welcome from Audrey.  Million thanks to her for making our trip a memorable one.  She was our driver throughout the 8 days and our personal tour guide, bringing us to many tourist attraction places.  Not to mention she also spent some $$ giving us yummy treats.

As we arrived in Bi Ee Ean's house, we were exhausted.  The children were fast asleep.  Mommy stayed back to take care of the children while Daddy and Audrey rushed to the hospital to visit Bi Ee - the very reason why we were here.  Bi Ee had been sicked for almost a year. 

After a short rest, Mommy and Daddy found out that Bi Ee Ean has stored up so much food for us.  She even washed the whole house up till the wee hours to prepare for our arrival.  We owe it to you, Bi Ee Ean.  Thanks a zillion times. 

Yummy food!  Cheese....

More yummy food!  Sweet....

More x2 yummy food!  Awesome....

Our lunch was prepared by our super chef - Audrey!  Bi Ee Ean came back from the hospital to making sure we have everything we need.  So thoughtful of her!

Our first impression when we saw her was:  She has slimmed down so much!  She lost a few kgs for the past one year.  It has never been easy for her to be the carer for Bi Ee after she had fallen sick.  Besides juggling with work, she attended to Bi Ee's every need.  We fully understand the magnitude of it as we have gone through it just one year ago when my mother in law was sick.  Of course, Je Ee has also been helping out whenever she's available.  Their love for their sister was magnificient.

Audrey preparing lasagna for the family.  *It's great, Audrey!

After having a presumptious breakfast, the aussie way - fresh milk, cheese, crossaint... and etc.  Daddy collapsed under the cozy blanket and the children woke up from their slumber.  

While Daddy 'pengsan' at home, Audrey drove us to Hillarys Boat Harbour for a short tour.  The children were well rested and fed, now it's time to rock!

Our transport in Perth

Hillarys Boat Harbour

Lots and lots of boats

Boy Boy looking at all the beautiful boat.  *Are you planning to own one?

Fine sand with cold breeze

Happiest moment when the kids saw this.  *Thanks, Audrey, for the treat!

We visited Bi Ee in the hospital again that afternoon.  It was a heart breaking moment.  We did not stay long as the children were very uncomfortable there.  Erwyn was too young to recognise Bi Ee while Elyse's memories of Ah Ma at the hospital still linger in her heart.  We are proud of you, Elyse.  Though she felt uneasy, she talked to Bi Ee and thanked her for the present.

That's the end of our very first day in Perth.