Prelude to Gold Coast

My brother and his girlfriend arrived 2 Fridays ago, deliberately coinciding with the start of KK's school holidays.

Seasoned Picker

That weekend, together with my parents, we revisited Mornington Peninsular with them, bringing back memories of our 2005 holiday there, picking strawberries at Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm, visiting the Red Hill Estate (vineyard) and even stopping by Arthurs Chair to take in the view.

It started to rain heavily around lunchtime but this didn't stop us from having a picnic steamboat instant noodles lunch. Yes, we bought along our portable stove, 6 litres of water, soup ladle, utensils and a pot. I even took along a small fry pan and we fried eggs there to go along with our spicy noodles with thinly sliced pork. It was a great meal for a cold wet afternoon. Later in the afternoon, we stoppped by another rest area and made expresso coffee and milo standing around a BBQ stove. We were all prepared with sugar sachets, expresso coffee powder, a litre of fresh milk and our expresso coffee pot. And of course, our portable stove again.

Warm drinks on a cold day

This Easter long weekend, all of us took a domestic Tiger Airways flight to Gold Coast. It was to be a 5-day holiday of theme parks fun.





For a group our size (6 adults and 2 kids), we booked a 'maxi-cab' to the airport. The rate is 1.5 times that of the normal taxis so it's still better than booking 2 cabs. Just before we set off, XX decided to throw one of his tantrums, refusing to budge from the sofa. He was upset that we had to turn off his X-box game. Such tantrums are almost daily affairs and I can only hope it is just a phase of 'The Terrible Twos'.



It was our first time taking a budget airline, though the price of the tickets was far from budget, given the peak season that we were travelling. Thankfully, it was only a 2-hour flight of no in-flight meals and entertainment. With a restless toddler, I don't think I can make it any further. Just to be on the safe side, I sneaked in my own supply of biscuits and water. Surprisingly, XX was rather cooperative on board, though he didn't sleep. He seemed quite excited as we walked on the tarmac towards the waiting jet. From his angle, the A320 must have looked like a huge metalic bird to him.