Sugaaarkimberly

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Perth 2013 Posted at 6:36 PM 0 comments (+)

So over the holidays, I made a 6D5N trip to Perth with my family. And within that short period of time, I fell in love with that beautiful country.
We went free-and-easy, which meant that we were not following any tour buses. So a week prior to this trip, my dad and I planned out some things to try and places to visit.
There will be a video at the end of this entry that shows some parts of our trip.

We first visited a place called London Court. After all, the city was just a short walk away from our hotel. Just as it's name suggests, London Court looks like your typical medeival London. I swear I felt like I was walking down a Harry Potter movie.
Despite it serving it's purpose to be a place to take good photos, the things there are pretty expensive.

Just a photo of me and my mom in front of some random building.

Here's a family portrait with the Nissan we rented to get around. If anybody is planning to go to Perth, I would highly suggest renting a car. It's so much more convenient.

It almost looks like this picture was cut out from a car advertisement.

We then went to Kings park. Where my dad and I insisted that the scenery was "Twilight saga" worthy.

So here's me pretending that my face glitters under the sunlight.

And my dad pretending he can run up the tree like Edward.

So I guess... this is one of the vampire fights?

Dad: "Kim! Help me take a photo! I'm twisting this tree!"

I've drank so much hot chocolate from almost every place I visited during my stay. I can conclude that no matter where you eat, as long as you're buying from Perth, it will be good.

My sister is a neanderthal. Period.

Look what I saw! And yes, you have no idea how many people stared when I did the Rexaz pose.

The "graffiti" in perth is amazing. Art at it's finest.

The Fremantle market is a must-go for all travelers. It sells just about everything. (By everything I mean tons of interesting trinkets and food.)

Claudia's heaven. Wish I bought more. HAHA
The caramel-coated cashews doesn't only sound amazing, they taste amazing.

I did henna while I was there. She moved so fast. Not only were her lines close to perfect, she finished the entire design within 5 minutes.

I present you guys, the artist.

Here's something I like about Australia. They have funny and original signs and advertisements everywhere you turn.

On one of the 6 days we were there, we drove to Swan Valley. Which I also think should be visited by everyone traveling there. It's basically a region whereby wineries, breweries, chocolate/nougat/honey factories are all side by side.

So we first had a typical english tea set at Margaret River Chocolate Factory. I'm personally not a fan of scones, but these changed by entire outlook on this particular english pastry.

So we then drove a few minutes to our next stop of interest, The House of Honey.

I was pretty reluctant to take a snap of this swarm of bees as it is no secret that I have a major phobia of insects. But I felt it was important to include this in the House of Honey. And so, I took a brave step and zoomed as far in as I could. These are living, breathing bees. (If bees even breathed at all).

They put out honey samples. Which is another reason why I love Australia. At least I know that I like this particular flavor of food before buying it. Why can't Singapore do the same? Because many will take the entire jar home.

In swan valley, there is also a Cuddly Animal Farm, which I enjoyed a little too much.

So who is Rocky the Cocky?
It's this annoying bird that knows very well how to say Hello. But every time I whip out the video camera, it just shuts up. I stood in front of his cage, holding on to the video camera, for at least 3 minutes, constantly repeating in different tones the word "hello". He just didn't want to do it. But once I put down the camera, it says "hello".
This. is Rocky the Cocky.

Despite my disappointing encounter with Rocky, I managed to love a few other animals like this adorable Guinea pig.

Oh look, a pony!

Spot the llama.

There was a total connection between me and the rabbits.

Here's the llama. I didn't like the llama. It tried to kick me. Stupid llama.

We also took a mini-train ride around the farm.

Guess what, Directioners! I SAW HARRY STYLES WHILE I WAS SHOPPING. His head got damaged.

We also visited Perth Mint. Which is basically a place where they melt gold. Admission into the galleries has to be guided by tour, but I assure you, it is worth the money. The tour guide made the entire 45 minutes very interesting.

The tour also includes a chance for us to watch actual gold melting. Trust me, it's a hundred times more interesting than it sounds. But pictures and videos could not be taken in the galleries and during the gold melting so I guess you guys just have to visit for yourself.

Here's mommy trying to reach for imaginary gold.

While we were there, mommy bought me an early birthday present. A Pandora charm bracelet with a present box charm. You have no idea how long I've wanted it. Can't wait to fill in more charms.

Hey dude, cute car.
(Look at the car plate)

Just a snapshot of the hotel we stayed in during the last 2 nights. Fremantle Esplanade Hotel.

Everywhere you go, there'll be these interesting looking water dispensers. Only downside would be that drops of water splatters all over while you're drinking. So I got a little wet.

Whether or not you're a chocolate/churros lover, this place is a MUST TRY. The Churros are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. When combined with their perfectly melted chocolates, it tastes like heaven.
So thank you, my dear friend Greg, who told me I had to try it.

During our stay, we visited some art museums. Surprisingly enough, entry was free for most of the museums we visited.

This is Western Australia's best fish and chips. Cicerello's.
Ignore the other claims that you may have heard before. Fish and chips at Cicerello's may be a little bit too pricey for fried fish, but it's definitely worth the try.

I forgot to take a picture of the food with my camera. But my instagram has a picture of the standard fish and chips. So check it out!

My favorite tour of the entire trip would be Fremantle prison's "Doing Time Tour". The tour guide was so charismatic and informative. I've learnt so much within that short span. How the prisoner's went about their daily life in jail, What were the punishments they had to go through, and so much more. I wish I had went for the other available tours.

Another thing I like about Perth is that Art is EVERYWHERE.

At the Roundhouse. One of the earliest prisons in Australia. My sister belongs there.
I'm just kidding.

Another place worthy of a visit would be Little Creatures Brewery. Food there is really good.

I was quite hesitant to give this place a chance because many recent reviews claim that the service is horrendous.

To my delight, it was not true at all. The staff were very friendly and the food came faster than expected. With quality.

The brewery for their own label of beer is also just an arm's length away. So who wouldn't like a glass of freshly brewed beer.

It may be odd to mention, but the corridor towards the restrooms were too interesting to ignore. It was a stretch of chalk-written walls. Most of which, were life goals and wishes.