Perth - Part 2

Our Breakfast place

Chris was the welcoming party at the airport. He had taken leave for one week to chauffeur us around and hired a Toyota Camry for that. The road from the Airport to the City was one long stretch of bushland. Bushland looks like something out of the “Terminator” desert scene if you ask me. Scraggy, tough barked trees, and dull green bushes interspersed throughout a stony sand landscape.

Our hotel, the Perth Sheraton on Hill Street, was very near to the Swan River waterfront Esplanade. This modern hotel has everything except not one single ashtray in its lobby. The morning was still early and we for breakfast at this chic Italian café at the end of a slopping road with some very nice apartment buildings. I learn to order a new type of coffee. The “long mac” , short for long macchiato is quite similar to kopi susu tarik, but with a strong expresso base.

View from the Sheraton. One of Perth's famous Tramcars passes by.

It was Saturday morning and we see a lot of chic people in and out of the café in their branded shorts. Nymphs were jogging outside, testing out Howard Hughes’ theory of “Jane Russell” harmonic motion. ( read Carpetbaggers). The breakfast came and the Eggs Benedict were really superb.

Fremantle is the port for Perth and it’s about an hour’s drive away to the west. We were still early for anything. Chris took us to this enormous warehouse turned into a brewery “Little Creatures”. Yes, it’s the one shown on Globe Trotter, with the huge, stainless steel vats in the background and a welcoming bar and staff in the middle. Four types of beer are brewed here under their own brand ranging from very light to dark. We sat sipping our beers in the damp, cold, but cozy patio. Out in the dark blue sea, rows of yachts and boats of all designs and sizes were parked. I could have sworn one of them looked like Donny Chan’s junk.

The scenic Fremantle North Quay

NZ WINE TOUR

Visited 3 vineyards in NZ during our recent trip,.






Stoneyridge at Wareke Island













with pleasant wines















and tasty food













Mission Estate Vineyard on Church Road, Napier, Hawke's Bay.














Started by the monks ( they know how to have a good time). Lovely food and cheese at the restaurant.










Everybody knows Church Road, so just have to visit.

A Side Trip to Perth

1. A smoker’s traveling dilemma

Photo Caption: My son Christopher, also our official driver outside Little Creatures - a warehouse morphed into a brewery with outstanding atmosphere.

One of the greatest obstacles facing a smoker-traveler is the long intercity hiatus. So it was that I found myself again on the rooftop of Singapore’s Changi Airport. This is one of the three what you can call a smokers’ deck. Two are hidden below in back of all the branded shops. Here, in the midst of a Chrysanthemum garden you can mingle with your fellow tobacco hobbyists and enrich the air with more carbon emission. Sometimes we also play ping the exhaust – you time your puffs to coincide with the jet exhausts and see if you can catch the timing.

Six smokeless hours later, Irene and I found ourselves at the Immigration hall of Perth International Airport. I was abit drawn back by the travel back in time aspects of the airport. It looks like Penang Airport 20 years ago albeit with modern computers. Everything went smoothly except when the immigration lady officer asked about our occupations. I said “retired”. Irene had to say “housing developer” which made me feel like a gigolo escorting his boss on a holiday.