China 2009: Beijing - The Forbidden City...

"If you're not making mistakes, then you are not doing anything..." - John Wooden

Day 1 : 19 October 2009

The Summer Palace

Arrived at Beijing Capital Airport early dawn and was greeted by Selena, our guide for the whole week. We checked in the Sheng Hao Hotel and took a short nap before exploring Beijing city.

(A painting on the sliding door)

After lunch at one Muslim restaurant, we visited the Summer Palace or Yiheyuan in the western outskirts of Haidian District about 15 km from Beijing. Designated as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China it is the archetypal Chinese garden, and in 1998, it became one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.The Palace was constructed in the Jin Dynasty and during the succeeding reign of feudal emperors, it was extended continuously. Like most of the gardens of Beijing, it could not elude the rampages of the Anglo-French allied force and was destroyed by fire. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit, changing its name to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). She spent most of her later years there, dealing with state affairs and entertaining. After the success of the 1911 Revolution, it was opened to the public.

(A glimpse of the Summer Palace)

Due to strong winds the day before, we could not enjoy the leisure boat ride across the Kunming Lake which made up almost 60 percent of the Palace area. But we did take in the wonderful vistas of the Palace and the visitors.

The Pearl House

We stopped at the Freesky Pearl House specialising in freshwater pearls. Each bred oyster normally produces up to 30 small pearls each. We bought a couple of souvenir pearl bracelets for the ladies in the family.

The Tea House

We ventured into Dr. Tea’s teahouse to experience tea tasting. With the aid of a pee-pee doll to check water temperature for perfect tea making, we went through the rituals of proper tea making, cup holding and tasting.

(The Tea House)

We had dinner at one of the numerous Muslim restaurants available in Beijing. After a good dinner, we headed back to hotel for a good night rest.

Day 2: 20 October 2009
The Tienanmen Square

After breakfast we headed to Tienanmen Square. It is the geographical centre of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world and is able to accommodate 10,000,000 people at one time! The square is flanked by 56 pillars depicting the various ethnic groups in China. It has two gigantic TV screens showcasing the Beijing 2008 Olympics Opening grandeur.

(The Tienanmen Square)

With the towering Monument to the People's Heroes at the centre, Tienanmen Square has the magnificent Tienanmen Tower in the north, the solemn Mao Zedong Memorial Hall in the south, the National Museum of China in the east and the Great Hall of the People in the west. Surrounded by these lofty buildings, the Square looks majestic and attracts thousands of tourists daily. Tour guides with flags held high to keep their group together were in abundance.

We snaked our way through the jostling crowd to enter the underpass to get to the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is situated in the heart of the Beijing and was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In ancient times, the emperors claimed to be the sons of the heaven and their supreme power conferred upon them from the heavens. Their residence on the earth was built as a replica of the Purple Palace where the God lived in the Heaven. Such a divine place, forbidden for the ordinary people was called the Forbidden City. However, nowadays, visitors can get a glimpse of these residences and their surrounding abodes.

(The Forbidden City)

The Forbidden City houses treasures of Chinese cultural and historical relics, and is recognized as one of the most important five palaces in the world (the other four are the Palace of Versailles in France, the Buckingham Palace in the UK, the White House in the US and the Kremlin in Russia). The splendid architecture of the Forbidden City represents the essence and culmination of the traditional Chinese architectural accomplishment. In 1987, it was nominated as Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. It is the best preserved imperial palace in China and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world.

We traveled back through time as we walked through the City.

Reflexology herbal Medicine

Before proceeding on with the tour, we stopped at the old Olympic Stadium for a foot massage. The massage was not as good as the ones we frequent in Malaysia. We thought that we’d get a good reflexology session. We were disappointed.

The Royal Silk House

We stopped at a silk house and watched the ladies work the silkworm all the way to the finished products. The place was full with tourists and after a look see look see, we left for more interesting sights.

Hutong Rickshaw ride

A hutong is an ancient city alley or lane with quadrangle courtyard residences typical in Beijing. Surrounding the Forbidden City, many were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. In the prime of these dynasties the emperors, in order to establish supreme power for themselves, planned the city and arranged the residential areas according to the etiquette systems of the Zhou Dynasty. The centre of the city of Beijing was the royal palace -- the Forbidden City.

(the rickshaw ride)

One kind of hutongs, usually referred to as the regular hutong, was near the palace to the east and west and arranged in orderly fashion along the streets. Most of the residents of these hutongs were imperial kinsmen and aristocrats. Another kind, the simple and crude hutong, was mostly located far to the north and south of the palace. The residents were merchants and other ordinary people.

We took a rickshaw ride through a hutong filled with small criss crossing alleys. The ride wasn’t smooth due to major earthworks being done. The hutong we were in had been designated as protected heritage areas and conservation work was being done. It gave us a glimpse of the locals in their natural surroundings.

Acrobatic Troupe Show

After the trishaw ride, we relaxed at the Children’s Park. While waiting for the show, we saw men and women alike exercising in the park. It seems that exercising in various forms is a way of life for the Chinese here. Taichi, lion dancing and traditional dancing is a common street sight.

(A cultural and acrobatic show)

The show itself covered a large variety of acrobatics ending with more than 15 youths on a bicycle circling on stage. But the highlight was the face changing (Bianlian in Chinese) Bianlian was the fascinating part of the show. This is where two performers changed through half a dozen or more fearsome and brightly-coloured face masks seemingly by magic!

Day 3: 21 October 2009
The Great Wall of China

After about a 2hr drive north and two shopping stops at a jade and crystal factory, we had lunch at a Chinese Cloissone enamel factory. We watched them produce the enamelware. Cloisonne enamel is high-grade artwork. During the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty, it became popular. Handicraftsmen used the dark-blue enamel that gave the cloisonné the blue colour, hence it is called Jingtai blue, and is still used today.

(A walk on the Great Wall)

The making of cloisonné integrates bronze and porcelain-working skills, traditional painting and etching. It is the pinnacle of traditional Chinese handicraft. Cloisonne is also known as "inlaid enamel", which refers to the unique technique of the combination of porcelain and bronze. Lunch was good but the portions were huge. Fellow Malaysian travelers who crossed our paths agreed that while the food was good, the portions were impossible to finish. Our guide said that the Chinese ate large portions yet remained slim. Slimming Chinese tea must be their secret :)

The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 5,600 km from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

We walked, climbed, crawled and made it up the peak at the Badaling Great Wall situated in Yanqing County, over 70 km north of Beijing. It is the most well-preserved section of the Great Wall, built during the Ming Dynasty. This section has an average altitude of over 1,000 m and is the outpost of the Juyongguan Pass. The mountain slope is very steep and the roads are tortuous. These features made it a military stronghold. The Badaling Great Wall is like a strong dragon winding its way along the mountain ranges. And we successfully scaled this dragon :)

Masjids

We had the opportunity to visit the Nan Dou Ya Qing Zhen Si Mosque, serving the Hui community in the area.

(A pagoda shaped mosque)

Like most of the mosques in Beijing, Nan Dou Ya mosque is a combination of traditional Chinese architecture and Islamic art, with a series of pavilions and courtyard buildings and the Arabian characters and touches.

At the courtyard, we were surrounded by the courtyard chambers comprising the main prayer hall. It’s like being back in time!

After performing our prayers, we bought some sweet bepang like snacks outside the masjid. Our guide said that the snack was sold by the muslim chinese outside mosques only.

Wangfujing Street

(A shopping street)

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Wangfujing. It is now considered the central heart of the city. It is close to the Forbidden City. Wangfujing is a long shopping street! A walk from end to end would take about 30 minutes, and that's without looking at any shops. A major portion of Wangfujing consists of a pedestrian mall. It is comparable to most pedestrian malls worldwide. The street was full with local and international tourists. It reminded us of Vienna’s Stephenplatz. 'We had dinner and met with a couple of Malaysian visitors at another muslim restaurant before heading back to the hotel to rest after a full tiring day.

Day 4 :22 October 2009
The Yashow Market

As today has been designated a shopping day, we went to Yashow Market. Yashow is a paradise for bargain hunters in Beijing, a big draw for the tourist with some money to spend and some serious shopping to do too. It is located in the northeast of Beijing. Yashow is surrounded by the bars, restaurants and cafes of the Sanlitun area, the hottest eating and drinking area for tourists in the city.It's a 4 story building with shopping inside. The general quality of the goods here is not bad. The Yashow Market itself provides various articles of clothing a well as a lot of cashmere garments, down jackets, leather goods, shoes, hats, watches and some handicrafts and trinkets. It also has custom-fitted suits available. Good bargaining skills is a must to survive here. Our guide advised us to start at 30% from what was offered!

We people watched more than shopping :) We had a good seat across a shop selling wigs and hair stuff. Wigs must be cheap here because many western tourists were trying and buying them. Redheads became blondes instantaneously. One lady walked off buying a blue haired wig. Wonder when will she get to use it?

After a filling dinner which was largely unfinished, we headed back to the hotel.

The Bird’s Nest

As a last stop before returning home, we visited the Beijing 2008 Olympic Stadium. The spectacular Bird's Nest stadium, hailed as the finest arena in the world and the centre piece of the most expensive Olympics in history, is full of hidden symbolism.

(Beijing Olympic Stadium)

In Chinese mythology, the sun is represented by a circle and the moon by a square, reflected by the shape of the bird's nest and the Water Cube aquatic centre opposite, reinforced when the venues are lit at night, red for the Bird's Nest and blue for the Water Cube.

The shapes also echo the Chinese symbols for male and female, and are built either side of the north-south axis road which runs in a perfect straight line for three miles through Beijing, centered on the Forbidden City.

Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, the stadium has a revolutionary design, comprising an outer skeleton of 42,000 tons of steel, and an inner 'skin' of double-layered plastic which keeps out wind and rain and filters out UV light. It is designed to last for 100 years and withstand a force eight magnitude earthquake.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by hundreds of local and foreign tourists gathered between the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube. It was the official opening ceremony of the Beijing International Tourism Festival. There were brightly colored floats with hundreds of colorful participants. Since we have a plane to catch, we couldn’t enjoy the whole event. We had lunch on the way to the airport.

The flight home was on time and we reached home just past midnight. It had been a perfect week break. What would be the next greatest wonder of the world to visit eh? Somewhere in the Middle East or South America kut?

Till then....

👈Next Trip: 2009: Uzbekistan Ancient Silk Route

Australia 2009: The starting point of a caravan holiday...

"The happiness of your life depends the quality of your thoughts..."

(Our reflections on the sand)

Australia Caravan Holiday

(13 -27 June 2009)

Our flight to Sydney departed 0900 and transited Sydney for 11/2 hours. It took another 2 hours to reach Brisbane. We arrived Brisbane International Airport at 2200. We booked a double room at Annie Shandon's Inn from the airport list and took a bus direct to the inn’s door step. It was a modest B&B hostel room with communal facilities, good enough for us to clean ourselves and had a good night rest. The weather was cool around 11C.

(Our camper van for two weeks)

👈2009: Moonee Beach, Australia

2009: Taj Mahal, India 👉

Australia 2009: 01 Moone Beach - Watching The Ocean Tide...

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth..." - Marcus Aurelius

After a hearty breakfast, with Annie’s help, we managed to contact Apollo, a well-known campervan company, and booked us a caravan. With the campervan we can enjoy the freedom of a self drive escape that can take us anywhere. And there'll be a special offer of 10% discount if we stay at any of the Top Tourist Campsites. It cost us AUD 1,889 for 2 full weeks complete with comprehensive insurance coverage and GPS navigator. We headed for Coffs Harbor and stopped for provisions at an Asian Groceries Market.

(A beautiful day for the caravan drive)

We drove along the coast using the Pacific Highway, via Kemsey, Port Macquarie, Taree, passed a historical bridge crossing Clarence River. We saw our first kangaroo along the hi-way. A few kilometers ahead, we saw another one on its back with 4 legs pointing to the skies. Must have played too near the road and got knocked down by vehicles that passed by. We witnessed 2 accidents along the way too.

(A brief walk along the beach)

We reached Moonee Beach Camp site late and got into difficulties to get the caravan to power up and ended sleeping without a heater. Luckily the night was not that cold and we kept each other warm…

(A lone beach bird)

👈 2009: Coffs Harbour, Australia

2009: Brisbane, Australia 👉

Australia 2009: 02 Coffs Harbour - The Big Banana...

"Fake riends believe in rumors. Real friends believe in you..."

(The Moone Beach)

From Moonee Beach Camp site we drove to Coffs Harbor Yacht Club to walk along the beautiful beach and have some photo shots. Coffs Harbour is the commercial and administrative centre of the Mid North Coast and is the major resort of the NSW North Coast. Coffs Harbour is popular with retirees and tourists.

(The Big Banana R&R)

'
It is also famous for its banana plantations, celebrated by 'The Big Banana' tourist destination. Apart from banana growing fishing is important here. The Jetty area of the city includes a marina, a large harbour with an accessible jetty, shops, restaurants and cafes, as well as the Muttonbird Island reserve, famous for its muttonbird population.
' '

(A whale-watching activity)

Coffs Harbour is a vibrant coastal city brimming with holiday fun. Between June to November, whale watching is Coff’s prime activity. We refueled and bought some provisions at the petrol station outside town. Lunch was fillet-o-fish at McD.

(A sail boat for rent)

We headed towards Sydney and stopped at Forsters Great Lake campsite for the night.

👈 2009: Forsters Great Lake, Australia

2009: Moone Beach, Australia 👉

Australia 2009: 03 Forster - The Great Lakes lonely pelican...

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit..." - Harry S Truman

This morning we had cereal for breakfast. Lanis Great Lake campsite is located within peaceful natural surroundings where you get sunset and serenity absolutely free. As it was a working day, the campsite was quite empty except for long term tenants who stayed a week or more to enjoy the serene ambiance and wildlife of the Great Lakes.

(The Great Lakes)

The Great Lakes is only a 3 hour drive from Sydney but it seems a world away. The magnificent eastern dividing range forms a backdrop to one of the most dazzling stretches of coast. There are many things to do in the Great Lakes; there are amazing program of events including visiting stunning natural attractions and National Parks. If you are seeking relaxation or craving adrenalin fueled adventure - the Great Lakes is the perfect holiday destination to visit all year round, even in winter!

(A lonely pelican)

We circled the Great Lakes and headed towards Seal Rocks Camping Reserve, passing Booti Booti National Park and a few small beach towns with wide range of accommodations for visitors. Along the way we saw a few kangaroos merrily crossing our path.

(Black rocks on sandy beaches)

Seal Rocks is a fishing village and is accessible by a pleasant drive through Myall Lakes National Park. With great scuba diving, fabulous surf and beach fishing and clear turquoise water, Seal Rocks is an uncrowded natural paradise. One can stroll to the lighthouse and be rewarded with a panoramic view of the coastline. We expected to find a light house at end of the road at Seal Rocks but there was none in sight, most probably we need to access through another road. The spectacular sandy beach is beautifully surrounded by black rocks with stunning blowholes. The site is also famous for its dive with the sharks program and the 1992 whale rescue.

(A holiday camper park)

We drove on and stopped at Hexham for lunch. It was raining dogs and cats during the rest of the drive and the road was slippery. We saw an accident that caused a massive 24 km traffic jam. Our next stop for the night was the Sydney Hills Holiday Park situated at Dural, a suburb of Sydney.

👈 2009: Benalla, Australia

2009: Coffs Harbour, Australia 👉

Australia 2009: 04 Benalla - Passing through the outback...

"It requires less character to discover the faults of others, than to tolerate them..." - J Petit Senn

This morning it was still raining quite heavily. We decided to pack and continue our journey towards the Great Ocean Road. If we have time, we’ll visit Sydney later during our return journey.

(Vast livestock farms)

It took us 2 hours to get out of Sydney. We were caught in the morning jam as well as constantly rerouting our direction to avoid the M7 Motorway which required the use of either the E-tag or e-pass. No cash was accepted. We finally decided to use the motorway anyway and paid the toll using our visa card. We did it through one phone call. It was a great customer service experience!

(A horse farm)

From the M7 Motorway we changed into Hume Highway which led us through the towns of Goulburn, passed Canberra to Yass and Albury. Along the way, we stopped to refuel in Gunning, a small town with a population of 531 and had our lunch at the Yass Rest Center.

The journey was uninteresting as there were a lot of road-works which required us to slow down to a crawling pace. However, there were numerous farms along the way. There was even one Arabian horse farm. There were also many family owned wineries along the highway. On one stretch of the highway we saw huge windmills that reminded us of Spain.

(A windmill farm)

The scenery that greeted us in Victoria was pleasantly green as compared to the harsh browns of New South Wales. Unfortunately we didn’t see any skippies but only a few scattered koala remains which had the misfortune of venturing too close to the highway.

(The cabins in the Camper Park)

We reached our campsite at Benalla around dusk and had time to do the laundry before having a hearty dinner. Ever notice how we tend to eat more when the weather is cold :)

👈 2009: Port Campbell, Australia

2009: Forster, Australia 👉

Australia 2009: 05 Port Campbell - The Twelve Apostles...

"If you think about giving up, remember why you held on for so long..." - Hayley Williams

(The Great Ocean)

We drove from Benalla early morning and headed on the Hume Motorway towards the Great Ocean Road bypassing both Melbourne and Geelong. Taking the new inland motorway to Colac, we ventured through the Great Otway National Park winding road down to Apollo Bay.

(The Twelve Apostles Museum)

The Great Ocean Road later transformed into a mountain drive, winding through the tall timber of the Otway Range jutting over the Southern Ocean, before descending to the eroded cliffs that served as a grandstand for the Twelve Apostles, previously known as The Sow And The Piglets.

(The Twelve Apostles against the sun)

Further up the road, some visitors descended Gibson Steps onto Gibson Beach to take a closer look at the iconic Lord Ard Gorge limestone stacks. We decided to watch the sunset over these steep limestone cliffs.

(Lord Ard Gorge)

We parked at Port Campbell Holiday Park for the night. The weather is chilly to the bone...

👈 2009: Traralgon, Australia

2009: Benalla, Australia 👉

Australia 2009: 06 Traralgon - A glimpse of Melbourne...

"As long as you can laugh yourself you will never cease to be amused..."

We packed and drove out of Port Campbell at 0845 and stopped at the Twelve Apostles again for some more photo shots. With full sunshine, hopefully the pictures are better than yesterday's.

(The Twelve Apostles)

We headed towards Apollo Bay but stopped at the Cape Otway Lightstation. We saw our first koala bear on the way to Cape Otway! Cape Otway is in natural bush setting, with an abundance of birds and wildlife, excellent walks and close to secluded beaches. There is easy access to hundreds of waterfalls, the natural beauty of the Great Ocean Road and the Great Ocean Walk.

(A koala bear on the tree)

The lighthouse, which has been in operations since 1848, is perched on towering sea cliffs 80 m above where the Bass Straits and the Southern Ocean collide.

(Cape Otway Light House0

For thousands of immigrants, Cape Otway was their first sight of land after leaving Europe or North America and after many months at sea. There is even a meticulously restored Telegraph Station, and a World War II radar bunker.

(An old Telegraph Station at Cape Otway)

We had lunch at one of the stunning beaches along the route. After refueling, we headed towards Melbourne passing Geelong. As Melbourne is the Australian epicenter of the swine flue, we decided to bypass the town completely. However, we managed to get a fleeting glimpse of Melbourne skyline before we entered the 3.4 km Burnley Tunnel which is one of the longest urban three-lane tunnels in the world.

(By-passing the city of Melbourne)

We stopped for the night at Traralgon Parklane Tourist Park.

👈 2009: Batesman Bay, Australia

2009: Port Campbell, Australia 👉

Australia 2009: 07 Batemans Bay - Lakes, valleys and parks...

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow..." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

(A misty morning)

It was cold and frosty when we drove out of the Traralgon Park Lane Tourist Park. We headed towards the Lakes Entrance passing through Sale and Bairnsdale. It was foggy when we passed Snowy River National Park but the weather was sunny and bright when we stopped at the Gippsland Lakes Fishing Club to watch fishing and boating activities. Some pelicans and seagulls were seen anxiously waiting for food opportunities when those fishes caught were being cleaned.
'

(The Pelicans Pool)

Lakes Entrance is the largest tourist town east of Melbourne. It is a family holiday haven ideally located where Tuggerah Lake meets the sea. It is interesting to watch the comical resident pelicans that congregate on the waters edge and wait to be fed.

(The beaches along the way)

We drove along the memorable coastal route of Princes Highway, stopped at Merimbula for a McD lunch. From the restaurant, we had a stunning panoramic ocean view of the South Coast. We continued our journey and stopped for some photo shots of the breathtaking Bega Valley.

We stopped for the night at Batemans Bay Pleasurelea Tourist Park and slept with the sounds of the ocean waves lapping the shore.

(A stop for refreshing rest)

👈 2009: Sydney Hill, Australia

2009: Traralgon, Australia 👉

Australia 2009: 08 Sydney Hills - The Grand Pacific Drive...

"Don't be pushed around by your problems. Be led by your dreams..."

(A rough sea for a good surfer)

(Jogging with the dog along the sandy beach)

We had an early McD breakfast this morning and drove out of Batemans Bay towards the Grand Pacific Drive starting from Nowra to Audley. The Grand Pacific Drive is the award winning coastal drive encompassing 140km of some of the most spectacular scenery and coastline in New South Wales.

(The highway along the Grand Pacific Ocean)

The route traversed through dramatic coastal scenery, quaint villages, and through the bustling city of Wollongong. We stopped for some photo shots at Seven Mile Beach, Kiama Blowholes and passed over the iconic Sea Cliff Bridge. We stopped at the magnificent Bald Hill lookout for a sweeping panoramic coastal view.

(A view from the mountain ridge)

Along the way, some roads in the low lying areas prone to flooding had water lapping at the road sides. During the rainy season, these roads would be inaccessible.

We continued along the Royal National Park and exited at Audley and headed north towards Sydney passing through the Coat Hanger with a glimpse of the Opera House. The roads were full with holiday makers returning to the city after the weekend break.

(A colourful winter at Sydney Hill)

We stayed the night at the Sydney Hills Holiday Park. We have traveled over 3,500 km so far and we still have another week to go!

👈 2009: Port Stephens, Australia

2009: Batesman Bay, Australia 👉

Australia 2009: 09 Port Stephens - Hop-on, Hop-off Sydney Sightseeing...

"Let your dreams stay big and your worries stay small..."

(City sightseeing tour bus)

After breakfast, we parked the caravan and boarded a City Rail from the Thornleigh train station to Sydney. The train stopped at every station and it took a sleepy hour to get to Sydney’s Central, its main train terminal.

(Sydney Opera House)

The weather was cool and sunny and it was a great day for sightseeing. To ensure we could cover most of Sydney’s top attractions, we decided to take the topless bright red Sightseeing bus. It’s quite similar to the ones we see in London, Istanbul and even Singapore. Our KL Hop On Hop Off is related to another franchise and not that popular. We sat at the top and had the cool Sydney wind blowing in our faces.

(The Coat Hanger,  Sydney Harbour Bridge)

The bus wound through the Sydney streets to showcase their Sydney Harbor Bridge (The Coathanger), the Darling Harbor and of course, the Opera House, to name a few. We even managed to stop and walk at the world famous surf beach, the Bondi Beach.

(Sydney Convention Centre)

Sydney is a bustling cosmopolitan city with many nationalities and languages. Aussies and English seemed to be the odd ones out. Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Japanese, Indonesian, Turkish and Spanish were among the nationalities and languages we could pick out in the few hours of our sightseeing.

(The Bondi Beach)

At the end of the day, we got back into our caravan at Thornleigh and proceeded north towards Brisbane. We made it to the secluded Port Stephens for the night. At the campsite, we discovered that our cooking gas is finished. We have to resupply soon or else we won’t be able to cook our meals!

👈 2009: Mermaid Beach, Australia

2009: Sydney Hill, Australia 👉