In & Around Perth, Australia

Our plans to return to Raptor in Trinidad via the US in early December was cancelled due to some unforeseen circumstances.

Alex's sister very kindly invited us to visit her and her family in Perth. And so, on 30th December 2015, we flew into Perth - the capital of Western Australia {my first visit}.

Here are some of the places we visited during our stay:

Fremantle also known as Freo is a port city, located at the mouth of Swan River. Just 30 minutes drive from the city. 

Fishing Harbour

Little Creatures Brewery

A Ferris Wheel not far from Little Creatures

Couldn't stop watching these birds, trying so hard to stay upright on the line, but pretty much ends up swinging upside down most of the time

Further south of Fremantle, you'll find Rockingham, where we took a short walk in the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. Quite pretty.

A little rock pool

King's Park Botanical Gardens is one of the world's largest inner city parks. It's located on the western edge of the CBD area in Perth. Amazing views of the city.

State War Memorial

It's a huge park - 4.06-square-kilometre (1,003-acre)

It is home to over 324 native plant varieties, 215 known indigenous fungi species and 80 bird species

A small pond

Lovely picnic at the park

Did you know? Perth is the fourth most populous city in Australia. The city's population grew substantially in the late 19th century when gold was discovered in a number of locations i.e. Kalgoorlie, Kimberly, Murchison, Yilgarn and Coolgardie. The gold rush attracted lots of prospectors from overseas and interstate. I wonder if the gold rush is the reason why prices in Perth are dearer than Melbourne?
 
Thank you for having us! Very happy I got to catch up with an old high school friend and a college friend that I've not seen in ages as well!

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Royal Botanic Garden, Melbourne

A day out with my high school bestie MW & her husband SJ in Melbourne. First stop, Cafe Domain which is located opposite the Royal Botanic Gardens. A great place to catch up with friends or watch the world go by. Food was good too!

Salt & Pepper Calamari

Lovely Cold Cut Platter

MW & I :)

A short stroll at the Royal Botanic Garden in Melbourne.

A wefie!

Thanks for spending the day with me MW & SJ! :)

After that, I met up with Alex and his high school friend Suresh at Hosier Lane -- a graffiti alley in the heart of Melbourne.

That's all for now!

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It's Back to Singapore

If you read our Haul Out in Trinidad post, you might already know why we decided to head back home for a while. A silly and painful mistake that turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

We flew back to Singapore on 12th May 2015. I was really glad and grateful that I was able to see my family and friends again. Even though we've been back once a year for "holidays" it was always too short. So the plan was to get a job for six months, save up and get back to Raptor in December for the next sailing season in the Caribbean.

Alex and I were both extremely fortunate to find work again in our former companies. Travelling for such a long period of time without income definitely takes a toll on our savings. Especially when everything on a boat is so expensive to buy, maintain, or replace. Any product that is meant for "boats" or labelled "marine grade"; expect the prices to be doubled or tripled and sometimes quadrupled!

So I was happy as a clam at high tide to be back home, on a payroll, wear pretty clothes and see other people i.e. my family & friends again. Did I mention how happy I was? ;) The only drawback was that I was based in Singapore and Alex was based in Melbourne, Australia. But after being on a boat together 24/7 for 3 years, 6 months apart was.. nothing we couldn't manage. With today's technology, we were able to communicate via WhatsApp and FaceTime everyday!

6 months of work came and went by quickly. It took me a while to get back into the rat race (I mean I had kinda literally "gone fishing" for the last 3 years) but just as I was getting used to it, it was already over. Truly thankful and grateful for the opportunity. 

I'm also thankful that I got to attend my dear friend's wedding as the maid of honour and what an honour it was. A beautiful fairy tale wedding celebration between two of the most kind & loving people I know at Sentosa island.

Also would like to thank my dear friends for having us in their home when we first got back to Singapore. Thank you so so much! xx 

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