Yorkeys Knob/Palm Cove/Port Douglas

15th -19th September

Our next stop was ‘Yorkey’s Knob’ – Yup you heard right. A very large hill, hence the name but with gorgeous views from the top.

We parked up at our Airbnb and looked out over the sea, the beautiful clear blue water and the skies – the next three nights here would be perfect, we were sure. We sat out on our balcony and got accustomed to the spiders and bugs, which was just lovely. We were in the tropics though! And this is Australia! There was a lovely little seating area on the grass and we had our eye on it for later on in the day after we had done some exploring. The house had a sweet little whippet called Phoebe and she was our bezzie mate within minutes, so cute! She welcomed us in to our new home, before we wandered down the hill to the yacht club.

The sun was out and we sat by the water drinking wine and feeling fine, lovely views over the harbour and we thought about what we would do for the next few days!! After a steep walk back up the hill, trying not to fall backwards, we sat on our balcony and listened to the wildlife and dodged the spiders. Ryan kindly moved a large one on that was blocking our entrance in to the house – it clearly didn’t want us staying there!

We were uming and ahing whether to do a Great Barrier Reef trip as we had really wanted to but because we didn’t have an awful lot of money, it seemed silly to do a cheap one, when we knew we could come back and do something amazing. So we decided to venture out to Palm Cove the following day as we had heard lovely things about it and it was once again a gorgeous day. We lay on the beach, read our books, dipped in the sea a couple of times and just lazed in the sunshine. It was glorious!! I think we may have even tried to play frisby, but my skills aren’t great and I think Ryan got a bit fed up – oopsie. The beach and the surroundings were so nice and there were lots of great cafes/restaurants – great value too!

Feeling peckish we went to one of the many beach cafes for lunch and had lamb sliders, fish tacos and chips. Ryan loves fish tacos and these were AMAZING. The sliders were on some sort of green bun (interesting) but it was delicious and we were satisfied and very full – I even had to unbutton my shorts! Not good!

After a wander around the rocks, we walked on the beach and made our way back to the AirBnB Yet another amazing view from the top of Yorkey’s Knob, we enjoyed our balcony again having nibbles and wine for dinner.

 

Port Douglas market was on the following day so we made our way there. So excited for breakfast (as per), we went to the ‘Little Larder’ and sat outside watching the hustle and bustle of the busy morning, whilst drinking iced coffee and eating delicious food! Port Douglas was a really lovely town, lots of trendy coffee shops, boutique clothes shops and the market was good too – Lots of homemade goods, artwork, clothing etc.

We didn’t fancy anything but had a good browse and then walked round to a little park by the sea and had a lie down with our books. Bliss!! We saw turtles having a little swim. People next to us were high rope walking and everyone was enjoying this lovely lazy Sunday! Such a nice day and very relaxing!

We walked back through the town, had another coffee, did some more browsing and stopped on our way back at the side of the road to see lots of Cairns (in Cairns) All stacked up by the beach, very cool!

We spent the afternoon in the garden and then got all packed up for Melbourne – tomorrow’s adventure. Our flight was in the morning and our northern chill weekend was coming to an end. You didn’t get the same end of holiday blues as you usually would at home, as the holiday hadn’t really ended and you were just on to the next bit!

Melbourne

19th – 24th September

We were excited for Melbourne once again – mainly for the food and also to see Ryan’s family and my parents when they were due to arrive on the 21st!

Sujatha and Richard (Ryan’s great Aunt and Uncle) were kindly putting us up for the next few nights. They had been away in England when we visited in May, so it was lovely to see them and they happily greeted us at the airport!

They took us to Fitzroy (Vietnamese area) for lunch and we had a very yummy Pho and caught up, hearing all about their trip to England and what they had been up to since we last saw them in England in 2013. We wandered around the markets and picked up some yummy fruit and veg.

We settled in to their spare room after a very good lunch and I think I even had a nap – oopsie. Richard, Ryan and I went for a walk by the water, where Richard walked most nights. We watched the sunset, which was gorgeous and the whole thing strangely reminded me of the Sea Wall in Lymington. A beautiful walk and not too chilly, much warmer than when we visited in June, thats for sure! Richard told us all about his upcoming play, which sounded like great fun and we even got the hear some of his hilarious lines. Shame we wouldn’t be around to watch it in a few weeks.

Shanta, Bella and Jai were coming round for dinner (S&R’s daughter and grandchildren) who we had met in June (when we crashed Bella’s 18th birthday party) and so Sujatha stayed home to prepare for dinner. We were being very spoilt and dinner was gorgeous, with a delicious dessert too! We had some prosecco and chatted the night away. It was nice to see everyone again and hear about what had been going on since June!

The following morning, feeling energetic we decided to go for a bike ride. The sun was shining and there was a lovely breeze so we borrowed S&R’s bikes and ventured out towards Altona beach. It is Richard’s usual route and blooming eck I was in need of coffee by the time we got there! We stopped at a cute little coffee shop opposite the beach and sat in the garden. The weather was lovely and it was the perfect morning for a ride. The cycle paths are so good and we cycled along the sea wall the whole way.

After having a look around the market and just generally wandering around we made our way back to Williamstown (where we were staying) and took the train in to the city. We were hungry by this point and made a quick decision (which isn’t like us) to have a yummy lunch at a Korean chicken joint called ‘Chicken and Beer’ It was delicious and a very good choice! Dessert usually followed a meal and Ryan wanted waffles! We walked passed ‘Waffee’ and they had the perfect combo – waffle and coffee. The one I went for was like a pain au chocolat and Ryan had a white chocolate and oreo one. What piggys we are!!!

Walking off our masses of food and mooching around the city, we popped in to the gallery and wandered around their whilst in our food coma. We had 4pm plans to meet Sujatha at the cinema to watch the Beetles documentary so we took the train back and met her there. The cinema was very cool and art deco, the seats were lounge and very comfortable! You even got cushions! Neither of us were really in to The Beatles, but the film was actually really, really good and definitely worth a watch! We learnt a lot about them and how they were really just four normal guys. It was very well made and very interesting! We had time for a cheeky vino stop at a bar that Sujatha quite liked down the road from the cinema, it was a lovely, cosy spot with some very nice wines!

Back in time for dinner – Richard had cooked up an Indian feast that was ready for us when we walked in the door. It was typically Keralan, as that is where Sujatha was born and it was super tasty! We will definitely be needing the recipe S&R!!!

We slept very well after our day of fresh air, exercise and delicious meal and woke up the following morning feeling refreshed. My parents were arriving today from Adelaide and we were meeting them at the train station, so we decided to have brekkie in town before they arrived. We said see you soon and thank you very much to Sujatha and Richard – hoping to see them over the next few days before we left.

We found a gorgeous spot called ‘Higher Ground’ for breakfast and coffee, it was a gorgeous building with high ceilings, exposed brickwork and lots of leafy plants. It was a popular spot for the business folk and it was obvious why – very convenient location, great coffee and delicious food. The open kitchen meant we could get a sneak peak of what was good to eat and we started with a yummy coffee, whilst staring at everybody’s breakfasts. We decided on the ricotta hot cakes and a pastry to share and we were not disappointed, but we were beaten as the hot cake was MASSIVE and more like a sponge than a pancake. It had berries hidden inside – covered in more fruit, seeds and edible flowers then topped off with a quenelle of cream – insanely delicious and something I would recommend to everyone! Ryan’s ‘escargot’ pastry was just as yummy and feeling very satisfied, we slowly walked to meet Mum and Dad, mid food coma.

Mum and Dad had been to Adelaide for a few days, seeing their friends and also popping in to Glen Ewin (where we had worked) to meet Wendy and Bill and have a little tour around. Dad had of course already been when he visited earlier in the year, but it was really nice for Mum to see it and meet W&B! They had previously been to Sydney for a few days whilst we were in Cairns and did the usual touristy things – Opera house, harbour bridge etc. Mum loved it! They also met up with a couple of friends in the city and then went on a boat trip with some other friends and saw the city from the water, which sounded lovely! It was great to catch up with them and hear about all they had crammed in to the last week.

We wandered down the lane ways and had another coffee and then had a small bite to eat at ‘Gyoza Gyoza’ in China town. We were still so full from brekkie but M&D had a nice meal. Dad had been to Melbourne before but Mum hadn’t and she was loving the city. We were loving walking around the city again, taking them to all of our favourite places. It felt so European and homely and fortunately a little warmer than when we had visited in June which was soo nice!

Sujatha and Richard had invited us out for dinner with their friends at their local Malaysian restaurant that night, so we picked up M&D’s bags and went to our Airbnb. It was a gorgeous house in a little town called Newport, just a bit further out of the city than Williamstown.  A lovely little house on a nice, residential street, with a perfect coffee shop down the road that would do for our coffees the following morning. The kitchen was great and opened out on to a lovely backyard which orange and lemon trees (I could definitely see myself living here)

We had a cuppa and Sujatha came to pick us up to take us back to her house before walking to the restaurant. We took them some wine to thank them for having us to stay (very kind of them) and it was great for mum and dad to meet S&R. There were about ten of us at the restaurant and and we all had a very yummy meal. Richard was entertaining us with his lines for his upcoming play and we were telling everyone about Mum and Dad’s visit and where we had all been. It was a lovely evening full of good food, good wine and great company. A good end to M&D’s first day in Melbourne!

We popped in to the coffee shop ‘The Stepping Stone’ before heading in to the city the following morning. It was a very cute cafe that looked fairly new. The coffee was good and we were now fuelled up ready for another day in the city! The Queen Street market was on today so we browsed at the masses of cheese, chocolate, meat and yummy things. Mum and I found Ryan and Dad at a beer place (of course) picking out a few to put in the backpack. They are just as bad as each other! After stocking up on booze, we found ourselves in T2, smelling and tasting lots of different teas, in love with all of the colourful teacups and gorgeous teapots. I convinced Dad to buy a teapot along with some yummy tea! I hope it made the flight.

We did some more shopping (sorry Dad), drank some more coffee, walked some more and ended up at Mamasitas (a yummy Mexican place we had been to on our previous visit). Mum and Dad loved the food and we nibbled on lots of different things – Mum loved it all which was good! V adventurous! We took the tourist tram around the city which was cool and saw the docks and where we would be heading the following day. Cathy, Mum’s childhood friend had moved to Australia in her teens and so before tomorrow, they wouldn’t have seen each other since they were both 18. We had been invited over to her apartment the following evening, so it was good to suss out where we would be going.

We jumped off the tram by the Crown Plaza and walked down to a pub to meet one of Dad’s work friends for a beer or two. The pub was lovely and they had a great catch up which was nice. Heading back to the Crown Plaza so we could see the flames go off by the waterfront, we were there ready for the 7pm show! We watched that and took photos of the skyline, before jumping on the tram and heading back to the train station. We picked up some tapas en route and had cheese, ham and nibbles back in our little house!

Sadly it was our last night with Mum and Dad as they were heading home the following evening. We enjoyed a chilled evening in the house and sampled the beer and cider we had bought at the market in the morning, Ryan was quizmaster as Dad was missing his usual Sunday night quiz, it was very funny. Lovely!

The following morning we took the train to Williamstown and went to the beach for a coffee (where Ryan and I had cycled past a few days before). It was a gorgeous sunny day and perfect for their last day, so we sat by the beach, drank our coffee and watched the world go by. Wandering along the sea front and through the gardens, we made our way to Richard and Sujatha’s as they had kindly invited us round for lunch. As it was such a beautiful day, we sat in the back garden and had wine, curry and custard tart! Delicious and such a lovely setting – they have such a nice garden with lemon, lime and orange trees! It was a perfect, relaxed lunch with lots of food and chatting – very kind of them to invite us and nice for Mum and Dad to spend time with them too.

Back to our house to pack up Mum and Dad’s bags and head in to the city, we arrived at Cathy’s house at about 4pm. It was a lovely apartment overlooking the docks and we had a cup of tea and a bit of cake whilst chatting – catching up on the last however many years it had been since Cathy and mum had seen each other. We went for a walk along the water front and through the shops, as it was nearing dinner time and not long before Mum and Dad were off to the airport, we went to a restaurant for a bite to eat (even though we didn’t really need to eat after our big lunch) Tapas and pizza was perfect and it was a lovely setting overlooking the water. The evening went very quickly and it was now time for Cathy to take Mum and Dad to the airport! Sad times after having such a great time with them over the past three weeks and even though we did so much, it still went too fast! Already planning our next trip for next year, I’m sure this year will fly by too! We said our byes and off they went! Miss you!

Ryan and I were off also – the following morning, for a quick stop over in Singapore before our two week trip to Vietnam! It was all go!

Singapore

24th – 25th September

We packed up, had a good nights sleep and waved bye to Australia for the next few weeks. We only had 24 hours in Singapore (not even that really) and we wanted to see as much as possible. Sujatha had given us the contact details for her nephew – Arthur, so we were hoping to catch up with him and get some local knowledge whilst we were there! We arrived at our hotel early evening – it was so humid and we were melting – thank goodness for air conditioning! Our hotel room was tiny but it was nice and as we wouldn’t be spending much time in there anyway, it did the job.

We headed out to explore the area around our hotel and we stumbled on a craft beer bar! In Singapore! Ryan was very, very pleased and we had a drink there surrounded by fans (woo! Go Ryan and Evie) which made it a little more bearable. We then came across a very busy looking (always a good sign) local place for dinner called ‘Fatties’ and got what we were given (probably best) Spicy chicken and beef! And oh boy it was spicy! Yummy though and we had more beer to wash everything down!

Next it was cocktails at Raffles, so we made our way there, sweating all the way and by this point I was beyond tired (the valium on the plane, clearly hadn’t worn off, oops). I had a mojito and Ryan had the classic Singapore sling. We sat at the bar and ate monkey nuts, strangely throwing shells on the floor, but that just was what everyone did, so we joined in! It was a cool place and seemed to be the place to be – very busy! By the end of the drink, I was almost passed out on the bar, tired not drunk I should add, so it was definitely time for bed now and I slept very well in our little postage stamp room!

Up early in search of brekkie and we spent $12 on coffee! EACH! Singapore was very expensive! Hence why we were only staying for 24 hours. After searching for custard tarts in a few different Marks and Spencer’s, to my sadness it was not meant to be, so we headed off to the Marina Bay Sands and admired the massive building. Quite a strange design but a very grand one!

We didn’t go up but had lunch in the mall, which was impressive in itself. The shops were a little too expensive (just a little) so we didn’t bother to browse and moved on to the Botanic Gardens to meet Arthur and wandered round with him. The gardens were lovely and he took us to where the F1 had been the week before. It was great to get some local knowledge and hear all about another part of the family we wouldn’t have known about prior to September 2016.

Singapore was SO clean and seemed to be extremely well looked after. It was a shame we didn’t have more time to explore but it was now time to head to the airport once again, so jumped in a taxi with Arthur, said goodbye and mooched around the airport for a while. They have a butterfly garden in the airport and the flutterbyes seemed to love Ryan’s top and thought they had found some new flowers to live on.

Off on to our next adventure to Vietnam….

E&R xx