After a week of splitting housework & childcare amongst my parents and us, I was glad to be finally heading for our family holiday, which I started planning 3 months or more earlier.
But first, we gotta get through packing for Ian, no joke because of the cold weather & the restricted Australian customs. I decided to pack enough milk powder & diapers for 2 days only (so that in case it's confiscated, I will not waste the expensive Enfa milk ;) ) & buy the rest in MB. To add to that, Ian's leg infection had not totally healed so there were prescriptions &meds to take care of. Leaving nothing to chance.
When it came to my clothes, I realised I was severely under-prepared. No warm clothing for my pregnant size at all! Totally overlooked that part so I just had to make do.
Slept at 5am getting everything organised for the family.
Day 1
Our flight was at 10pm & though we had the entire day to finish up, it still seemed like a rush to the airport.
Near late noon, Ian had started having runny stools every other hour. Glenn managed to buy diarrhoea meds from the pharmacy, but changing diapers & feeding 2 types of meds right before entering the gate was pretty tiring. Our spirits were not dampened though.
As expected, Ian was excited about being in and around the "big big" planes. He could not stay still or seated, it was hard to belt him up.
We were seated at the front row, which meant the bars between the seats could not be lifted. So after 3 hours of trying to keep Ian entertained with Thomas the Train on flight channel, Glenn had to hold him tosleep, acting like a sort of human cushion. Both slept upright. It was pretty hard on Glenn.
Day 2
Arriving in Melbourne, the customs process was easier than expected. We reached our hotel Mantra at Russell right in the heart of CBD at 11am & headed to Queen Victoria Market. The weather was just right, sunny yet cool - probably 20 deg - & it was only a short walk to the free circle tram.
Not surprisingly, Ian was as fascinated by the trams. The ride was slow, crowded & shook quite abit, but it was an experience. We settled for our first MB meal - eggs breakfast style at lunchtime - the start of many more of these to come. The cheena men would soon grow tired of the ang moh food. :)
Queen Vic Market is vast & the most interesting sections are probably the fresh produce.
We were only 2 hours before the travelling tiredness set in. Check out the shag faces on our way back.
The apartment was a pleasant surprise, very cosy with kitchenette, laundry & dryer. The only thing was my brother had to sleep on a sofa bed.
Noon was spent recovering from lack of sleep. My mum's 3 cousins, their daughter & son-in-law, & their adorable grandson Aidan - all MB residents - met with us and brought us to Sharkfin restaurant. As it turns out, our hotel is beside Chinatown & near the Greek street.
We were expecting Chinese food that tastes bad, but Sharkfin was excellent. The dishes tasted different, but they were good. After dinner, we walked opposite to Woolworths, where we stocked up on our essentials: oats, milk, toiletries et al.
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