"And so this is Christmas..."Christmas Day in Australia. The sky was overcast as we walked to the beach on Christmas morning. We were lucky to have caught the good weather the past one week. The overcast sky was somewhat a blessing in disguise as it meant that the children could spend a longer time at the beach. We were at the beach for three hours from 10am.
The children had, what teens would say, MEGASUPERDUPERFABULOUSAWESOME fun! They waited patiently for the strongest waves and as the waves rushed to shore - jump! It's splish, splash FUN!
[Fourth picture down is one of my favourite pictures - Three against the World :)]
The boys were most reluctant to leave, but eventually they had to say farewell to the beach. Son No 3 had revised his timeline for the next visit to the Gold Coast. Instead of of 5 years, he was saying that we should return in 3 years' time instead :D
For lunch, we had our own home-cooked HarMee instant noodles from home. Slurp, slurp!
As all the attractions and shops were closed that day, we just stayed in and enjoyed the in-house facilities. It had been Son No 3’s constant grumble that the facilities here did not include a children’s pool. There was an outdoor lap pool and jacuzzi and an indoor heated swimming pool with a jacuzzi. The depth for both the pools was a minimum 1.1m. Not much fun for a non-swimmer like him.
Due to the wind factor, we only went to the indoor heated pool (below). I loved the warm water - if only we had a heated pool in KL, I promise I would go swimming everyday - nghahaha!
The first time we went for a dip in the pool, both hubby and I were in the pool to hold on to the two younger boys. But I guess it was not much fun to be clinging on to parents all the time. So, Son No 2 eagerly learnt to swim with the help of his daddy and elder brother and coupled with his own determination and guts, he SUCCEEDED. Hurray!
The Mandarin Court Restaurant was obviously done up with westerners in mind. In our part of the world, its interior decoration, with dragons, red and gold arches, would be totally out of place. The restaurant deco was probably more suitable for a Jackie Chan movie in Hollywood! The food was a-oh-kay. I had not had plain stir-fried chye sim with ginger and onion for a week and I realised how much I missed the greens. The kung-po chicken, however, was a disappointment - done western-style with a sweet red sauce. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
[Picture story above, clockwise: Mummy enjoying some solitude at the beach, Son No 3 came to complain about something to do with his brothers, wanted some sympathy and action, no action forthcoming but still walked away smugly, satisfied at last ....!]
The boys were most reluctant to leave, but eventually they had to say farewell to the beach. Son No 3 had revised his timeline for the next visit to the Gold Coast. Instead of of 5 years, he was saying that we should return in 3 years' time instead :D
For lunch, we had our own home-cooked HarMee instant noodles from home. Slurp, slurp!
As all the attractions and shops were closed that day, we just stayed in and enjoyed the in-house facilities. It had been Son No 3’s constant grumble that the facilities here did not include a children’s pool. There was an outdoor lap pool and jacuzzi and an indoor heated swimming pool with a jacuzzi. The depth for both the pools was a minimum 1.1m. Not much fun for a non-swimmer like him.Due to the wind factor, we only went to the indoor heated pool (below). I loved the warm water - if only we had a heated pool in KL, I promise I would go swimming everyday - nghahaha!
The first time we went for a dip in the pool, both hubby and I were in the pool to hold on to the two younger boys. But I guess it was not much fun to be clinging on to parents all the time. So, Son No 2 eagerly learnt to swim with the help of his daddy and elder brother and coupled with his own determination and guts, he SUCCEEDED. Hurray! Son No 2's achievement spurred him on to practise and practise… These holidays must be very special and memorable for him.
Son No 1 showed maturity and responsibility in taking care of his younger brothers. Son No 2 literally trusted him with his life.
Below is a another favourite picture of mine.
This was our last night at the Gold Coast - we would be flying off early the next morning. In the best "tour group" tradition, we decided the last meal should be the best meal to erase previous bad memories of food. And so for dinner, we went to a proper Chinese restaurant. Why Chinese food? Actually, there was not much choice because, as far as we know, only the Chinese restaurants remained opened on Christmas Day. The hardworking restaurant owners added a 10% public holiday surcharge to the bill and the workers got triple pay. Why not?
The Mandarin Court Restaurant was obviously done up with westerners in mind. In our part of the world, its interior decoration, with dragons, red and gold arches, would be totally out of place. The restaurant deco was probably more suitable for a Jackie Chan movie in Hollywood! The food was a-oh-kay. I had not had plain stir-fried chye sim with ginger and onion for a week and I realised how much I missed the greens. The kung-po chicken, however, was a disappointment - done western-style with a sweet red sauce. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
After dinner, we took a short drive to Broadbeach Central to get breakfast. To our surprise, there were a few shops that were opened, including Starbucks and 7-11.
That night, we tackled the astronomical task of packing to go home.
That night, we tackled the astronomical task of packing to go home.
2 comments:
You still on Aussie time? What an early hour to be blogging....
That's observant of you! Ya, been waking up early. The two younger ones too. Some of us here have early-to-rise genes!
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