TRIP TO ADELAIDE, KANGAROO ISLAND & BAROSSA VALLEY
(11 to 20 Oct 2007)

Day 1 - 11 Oct 2007
Mommy, Daddy, Ipa and Sri shed tears at the airport when they saw me off, but that touching scene didn't deter me from boarding the plane to Oz. The lure of being a flowergirl and seeing a foreign land was just too strong! Ah Gong later told Mommy that I was a model passenger on the plane. I read the inflight safety instructions, slept when it was time to go to bed, woke up when I was expected to, and ate when I was served food.


Day 2 - 12 Oct 2007
Ah Gong, Ah Ma and I arrived in Adelaide the next morning. It was a little chilly in Adelaide, but nothing which I couldn't handle with a little sweater.

After checking into the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel, we walked about Rundell Mall and its surrounding area. The sculptures of pigs in the shopping district were really cute!

Thereafter, we caught the free beach tram to Glenelg. I was really excited about going to the beach, but it was too cold for us to go swimming. Ah Ma had brought along my sand bucket and spades, so I spent a lazy afternoon on the beach playing with sand and chasing seagulls and pigeons. Ah Gong and Ah Ma also took me to an amusement centre in Glenelg.


Day 3 - 13 Oct 2007
Ah Gong had promised me a visit to the Adelaide Zoo today. We have a zoo in Singapore, but Mommy only had time to take me there once, more than a year ago! I had read about native Aussie animals like kangaroos, koalas, wombats, emu, Tasmanian Devils, etc. and was really psyched about seeing them up close.

Adelaide Zoo was great fun! I saw all the animals I had wanted to see and more. I enjoyed the lion, pelican and penguin feeding sessions. The animal shows were entertaining as well. Adelaide Zoo is a lot smaller than the zoo in Singapore, but it was the perfect size for a 2-yr-old kid like me.


We had lunch at the Zoo's picnic ground.

That night, Chia Yee and Uncle Craig arrived in Adelaide and checked into the same hotel. Chia Yee read to me before I went to bed.


Day 4 - 14 Oct 2007
We visited Chinatown in Adelaide, and we had lunch at a dim sum restaurant. I was the waitresses' favourite customer. I stopped their carts and ordered everything on their carts, till our table was overflowing with food. I had such fun till Ah Gong and Ah Ma came to their senses and stopped me from ordering more!

When it came to dinnertime, we returned to Chinatown once more to dine at a Teochew restaurant.

Day 5 - 15 Oct 2007
Uncle Craig drove us to Barossa Valley today. Chia Yee and Uncle Craig had to sort out their wedding plans at Chateau Tanunda, meet their wedding photographer, hairstylist, Justice of Peace and DJ. It was my first visit to a vineyard, but I didn't get to taste any of their produce!


Day 6 - 16 Oct 2007
Chia Yee had booked us a trip to Kangaroo Island. We had to wake up super early to catch a short flight to the island. The plane was a small one with propellers! Ah Gong let me touch the propeller before take off, and I was fascinated by how we were propelled to Kangaroo Island by those shiny blades.


On Kangaroo Island, we joined a bus tour which took us to various places of interest. Amongst other places, we visited an eucalyptus oil factory, the Kelly Hill Caves (underground limestone caves), a natural habitat of koalas, the Remarkables Rocks, Seal Bay and a goat cheese farm where I came face-to-face with Lucy Lamb!


The scenery on Kangaroo Island was like nothing I had seen before, so I was really captivated by the whole experience. Ah Gong later told Mommy that I was a model tour bus passenger as well. I napped whenever I had the chance, and woke up when we reached the next destination. I didn't miss out on any sightseeing. I even apologised to everyone on the bus when we were the last few up the bus because my short legs couldn't take me to the bus any faster. Everyone was really forgiving. I even entertained an Italian family on the bus by belting out an Italian classical song, which took everyone by surprise.

Kangaroo Island didn't have much of a nightlife. We only came across one takeaway restaurant which was still open at dinner time, so we all had takeaway pizza for dinner that night.


Chia Yee had rented a vacation home by the beach for us. The house was big and new, and the landlady was so thoughtful. When she found out that I would be visiting, she arranged for a huge box of toys to be placed in the house so I would have plenty to do in the house. I had a ball of a time there!

Day 7 - 17 Oct 2007
Ah Ma and Chia Yee made breakfast in the morning, with me as their little helper. The landlady had stocked up the fridge with eggs, sausages, bacon, milk, etc. generously, so we had plenty to eat.

After breakfast, we continued with our sightseeing on Kangaroo Island. Chia Yee drove us to the places of interest in our rental car. Today, I saw many seals on a white sand beach, Little Safari sand dunes and Vivonne Bay - voted by experts as the best beach in Australia.


Today, we ran into Uncle Toh Lick and his fiancee Ilke. Uncle Toh Lick is Mommy's cousin. He and Aunty Ilke had flown from London to Australia to attend Chia Yee and Uncle Craig's wedding. They were on a packaged tour of Kangaroo Island when we ran into them, so we arranged to have dinner together at their hotel that night.


After dinner, we went on a night tour to visit an aquarium, see penguins in their natural habitat, and stargaze at the brilliantly clear Spring skies.

That night, Uncle Craig showed off his juggling skills with balls of socks. I love to watch jugglers at work and I couldn't stop giggling at Uncle Craig's antics!


Day 8 - 18 Oct 2007
It was time to leave Kangaroo Island, which I love so much. We bade farewell to our lovely vacation home by the beach, and flew back to Adelaide.


We waited for Mommy's cousin, Aunty Yan, to arrive at Adelaide Airport, before going for lunch together at Central Market.

After lunch, Uncle Craig drove us to Barossa Valley and we checked into Tree Tops B&B.

Day 9 - 19 Oct 2007
Uncle Craig and Chia Yee are getting married today!!! And... I'm going to be the all-important flowergirl!!! Ah Ma dressed me in my white and pink flowergirl dress, handed me my flowergirl basket filled with flower petals and I was set for the time of my life!!!


The ceremony took place in a lovely garden in Chateau Tanunda. It was Spring. Roses were abloom and the weather was perfect. Aunty Yan was Chia Yee's bridesmaid and one of her tasks was to make sure I did my job. I walked down the aisle daintily and scattered petals the only way I knew how i.e. in large clumps, few and far between. Don't think Chia Yee was too pleased with that, as she had imagined an aisle which was perfectly scattered with petals. *LOL! Sorry*


After the ceremony, I took a nap in the car whilst the wedding couple had their photos taken at vineyards, a mausoleum and a lookout point.

We returned to Chateau Tanunda for cocktails followed by dinner. Chia Yee had arranged a special kid's meal for me, but I was too excited to eat because there were so many activities during dinner. Family members gave short speeches and I wanted to participate as well. I took the microphone, gave a short speech about not eating tigers and sang a song from a Broadway musical - Be Our Guest! There was a cake-cutting session. The cake was a fabulous chocolate cake on top of a wine barrel. After the cake-cutting session, the wedding dance started. I danced with Ah Ma and Chia Yee's good friend from Hong Kong, Uncle Kenny. I partied tirelessly till close to midnight. It was an unforgettable evening!

Day 10 - 20 Oct 2007
That morning, Uncle Craig's brother, Uncle Graeme, drove us to Adelaide Airport to catch our flight home. Again, I was a model air passenger. I read the inflight safety instructions and the Qantas goodie bag for kids kept me entertained.

Daddy, Mommy, Ipa and Sri were waiting for me at Singapore's Changi Airport. I was so happy to see them, and had lots to tell them about my fascinating trip. I had so much fun on the trip that I forgot to buy them presents, so let's not talk about that! *sheepish*