Bush & Beach
2 Nov 2005 — For a while now, Billie and I have tried to get our visitors to go bushwalking with us, but other than my parents who were kinda tricked into it at the Blue Mountains, no one has actually took up the invitation till Ah Meng and Siew Yin came along. In fact, not only did they agree, they were so onz as to prepare a whole picnic meal! Wow, and familiar with how well Ah Meng cooks, we knew we were in for a treat.
That morning itself, Siew Yin woke up bright and early to prepare the ingredients even before the rest of us were awake. A couple of hours later, with beehoon and chicken wings in tow, not to mention some desserts and mangoes, we were all ready to set forth! Destination: Middle Cove.
Just look at how pristine and unspoilt the environment is!
After about half an hour’s walk, we finally came to “the spot”, which is this huge flat piece of rock that extends over the lake, perfect for a picnic. Just check out the view from it. But man, the wind was so strong that day! We even joked about how the beehoon might take flight if we’re not careful.
So Ta-ta and Ah Meng went in search of some heavy object like some rocks or something to hold the picnic mat down before it’s blown away.
Alamak! All they found was this tree trunk, pose until machiam like they caught a marlin or something!?!
With everything in order, we finally settled down to some makan.
On the menu: homestyle fried bee hoon and grilled honey-soy chicken wings, which was marinated from the night before! Hwah-hwah-hwah…
The girls…
…and the boys.
It was such a nice and relaxing way to spend the afternoon… nestled by the great outdoors. Haha, picnic somemore! Haven’t done this since… secondary school? Now this is what living downunder’s all about!
As a sidenote: I introduced Siew Yin and Ah Meng to my Goddess Oracle Cards, and for two days in a row(!), Ah Meng picked the “Sulis” card, which says to spend more time near water. How timely, ‘cos the itinerary today consists not only of Middle Cove which has this lake, but also a few beaches in the Eastern suburbs. So onward march…
And before long, this is the view that greets us. Yup, it’s none other than the most celebrated of all Aussie beaches — Bondi! And as usual, the initial reaction of first-timers is simply to gasp in awe… followed by many a Kodak-moments. Here we go!
But that wasn’t all the water we were gonna encounter. Recently I discovered Bronte beach when Sumie suggested we go there for one of our gatherings. And honestly, I actually prefer it to Bondi. A lot less touristy and hence less crowded, and the best part is that it has this natural swimming pool which is enclosed by a series of rock formations — much more interesting to me than the flat sandy beach that was Bondi. In fact, Shellee a classmate of ours even said that previously, this was a site where Aboriginal women would come down to deliver their babies. Amazing stuff hey?
And for the second time today, like kids we played. Hopping from rock to rock to discover all their hidden secrets. Fishes and crabs, more than you can count!
In addition to the natural pool, there was also a man-made one right next to it that still tries to maintain its natural characteristics.
The setting sun and an emerald sea…
…perfect for those “beauties by the beach” shots. Haha!
With just the slightest bit of daylight left, we hurried down to Tamarama beach where they were having a sculpture exhibition.
Having spent all that time near water today, the natural choice for tonight’s dinner is of course Seafood! Especially since at the point of departure from Tamarama, the smell of BBQ seafood permeated the air, whetting our appetites even more! Buay tahan, must get our hands on some too!
And for affordable seafood that’s outta this world, it’s back to Hurstville once again!
On the menu tonight: Steamed scallops, oysters and abalone served with a light soy sauce, XO crab in hotpot with a 伊面底, BBQ pigeon, seafood served on steamed egg-white tofu and deep-fried salt and pepper cod fillets! Wah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah!!!
Just look at how excited Siew Yin is when faced with this beauty! And at only $3.80 each, it is indeed something to smile about.
With all of us bursting at the seams and leftovers to take home, the bill only came to $115! Pretty good for Sydney standards. I think I speak for all of us when I say we were totally blissed out that night!