En Xi's Very First Vacation

Apart from the cruise that En Xi went with Mommy's side of the family earlier. This is the first official overseas trip for her. Good thing Grandpa & Grandma came along, the extra luggage space sure came in handy. There were so much to worry about, from the availability of milk powder to the pampers; and of course the countless amount of clothes for En Xi's fashion parade.


Then, there's another worry, record breaking heat waves have been set in Melbourne of recent. It has been bush fire after bush fire with the highest temperature recorded above 40 degree celsius.


Somehow, Daddy kept having thoughts of En Xi crying hysterically on the plane. But after some tips from friends, we decided on the game plan. The plan was simple. (1) Wear En Xi out before take off, so that she could sleep through the flight. (2) Time En Xi's feed for take off, so that the air pressure doesn't get into her ears.



The result? I'm an energiser baby! Me not gonna sleep on my maiden flight. Fortunately, the milk feed did her some good. Nonetheless, En Xi couldn't get any rest, which means Mommy didn't get much rest either. In the end, Mommy had to hold En Xi throughout the flight. Not too bad, at least for Daddy.. :P



Apart from having her first vacation and first flight on a plane, En Xi also had the privilege to miss her 2nd flight. Luckily, there was a connecting flight in an hour's time from Sydney to Melbourne


Our initial fear of harsh weather were quickly dispelled when we stepped out of the airport. Weather was great, going between 18 - 24 degree celsius. As the taxi pulled into the city, we were greeted to the after effects of the scotching weather. The parks were filled with a sea of hay, nothing like the famous greenery so many have spoke about. 45mins ride from the airport and here we are at the service apartment. The apartment was not too shabby, in fact, it was better than we expected.




One of the best thing about visiting another country from a cooler climate is the option of dressing up in clothes you will never don in Singapore. En Xi is a HOT baby, a really really hot babe and I literally meant hot cos she's always sweaty. Never had a chance for her to put on those leggings. Looks pretty neat huh?

First Night Out at Flinders Railway Station

Crown Entertainment Center (aka Casino)

Getting around the town was a breeze with the free tram ride. The trouble was getting En Xi to sit still. You see, Mei Mei is a really busy body, she likes to poke at every new thing and has such a fiesty temper. Anything that does not go along her way is a sure way to be greeted with her highest octane screams.

One thing we appreciated about Melbourne is the endless amount of cafes along the streets. Very relaxing indeed, great place to chill. Mon - Wed are really quiet, not much happening. But the moment it's Thu, the nights never seems to end. Everyone is drinking like they are celebrating the new year.

Our first trip out of Melbourne was to the famous 12 Apostles along the Great Ocean Road. It was quite a thrill driving down those winding roads by the coast. Daddy thought the car was great, an 8 seater Toyota Tarago, or in S'pore version, an Esteema. However, Mommy beg to differ, as she threw up at a certain point of the trip.

First stop along the Great Ocean Road was to Geelong (pronouced as Cher Long). Nothing much here really, except for the scenic wharf and a traditional merry go round with hand made wooden horses.

We stopped by this light house (which I forgot its name), its free, so we stopped for some pictures.

This Cape Otway Lighthouse was just crap, must pay money, so Grandpa & Grandma jst took pictues & pretended that we actually went inside. Then, finally, we reached our destination...

Daddy & Mommy struggling to take a family picture with En Xi.

There's also the penguins parade at Philip Island. This one, a total rip-off. Total waste of money. You see the word parade brings to mind, a march, an assembly; but "NO" the little penguins had other ideas. what we saw were just drips and draps of little penguins making their way to their homes.

After close to a week in Melbourne, the grass had finally turned green and we decided to head to the parks. En Xi obviously had a great time; and it was a challenge trying to get her back to the apartment.

At the end of the trip, En Xi was most well rewarded. A pretty baby is a happy baby.

Daddy just bought a DSLR in the recent IT Show. More picture perfect photos coming in the future, but first, Daddy must learn how to tune the settings.