![\"Passionfruit](\"http:\/\/mayl.id.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Passionfruit-Extraordinaire.jpg\" "\\"Passionfruit")
Passionfruit Extraordinaire<\/p><\/div>\n
They were massive as passionfruit go and not wrinkled and shrivelled and old looking.\u00a0 They were also really heavy and once we got them back to the hotel room we couldn\u2019t believe how full they were, and how sweet.\u00a0 Definitely the most delicious I\u2019ve ever tasted. \u00a0I have no idea if we\u2019d get a crop like this if I grew some here in Perth but I think I shall give it a try!<\/p>\n
We had a really lovely time with Rita.\u00a0 She kept trying to get me to buy something so we were laughing about that because I did not, but when she showed us a yogurt shop we did succumb after a free sample and were walking around after that eating from our little containers.<\/p>\n
The talking never dried up at all but we eventually had to pry ourselves apart as she had to go and pick up her children from school.\u00a0 To finish the coincidence of how close we\u2019d been to one another when we met, our cars were about 40 metres apart in the parking area too.<\/p>\n
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at some traffic lights and I got all excited \u201cWow, David look at the name of this street!!!\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Rode](\"http:\/\/mayl.id.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Rode-Road.jpg\" "\\"Rode")
Rode Road<\/p><\/div>\n
and I groped quickly for the camera and did manage to get a photo.\u00a0 Rode Road, har har.<\/p>\n
The journey home went without events worthy of remark.\u00a0 Always a good thing, though it did rain pretty heavily the whole way.<\/p>\n
![\"Rain](\"http:\/\/mayl.id.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Rain-on-the-M1.jpg\" "\\"Rain")
Rain on the M1<\/p><\/div>\n
But now we felt that the holiday was coming to an end and started to discuss where we were going to have our last supper.\u00a0 We decided on the RSL Club as that had been so nice.\u00a0 David wanted to buy a new book as he\u2019d almost finished his library book that we\u2019d taken with us so we got our umbrellas and toodled off across the road to the 2nd<\/sup> hand book shop where he chose something or another.\u00a0 But on the way we passed a little Indian restaurant.\u00a0 Oh boy did it smell good.\u00a0 So on the way back we decided the RSL was too far to walk in the rain (hehehehe read \u2018instant gratification from the Indian smells required!) and our feet just took us inside after choosing what we wanted from the blackboard outside.<\/p>\n It was still early, barely after 5pm when they\u2019d opened, so we were the only ones in there \u2013 which suited us fine.\u00a0 The weather didn\u2019t help to attract crowds either.\u00a0 We had a delicious meal of butter chicken and a sweet prawn curry which had fruit in, even grapes, and tasted naan bread for the first time as we\u2019ve always been pappadam people.\u00a0 In fact we had naan instead of rice just to be different.\u00a0 Then, grateful for the cars stopping for us as we crossed the road, we splashed back to the hotel for a night \u2018at home\u2019.<\/p>\n We read our books for a while and then I wrote a timing schedule for the morning which showed us it was going to be best if we packed our cases before going to bed so that is what we did.\u00a0 Then we were hungry as we\u2019d eaten dinner so early and we polished off some more of our fruit, though there was still more than we\u2019d be able to eat for breakfast.\u00a0 David turned on the TV and there was a bad weather report for the Sunshine Coast and heading south for the morning.\u00a0 Fears of bumpy take-offs floated through my head.<\/p>\n Wed 13th<\/sup> Feb We had a delicious fruity breakfast but there was still more left over.\u00a0 We put it into a bag to take with us and see who we could give it to as of course Perth customs do not allow fruit in from other states.\u00a0 We also made up some ciabatta rolls with mozzarella cheese that Rita had kindly bought for us from the international shop in Chermside yesterday, despite our protests and attempts to pay ourselves, and these were to be our picnic lunch along the way.<\/p>\n We checked out of the hotel and made our way up the now very familiar Pacific Motorway once more, but this time needing to get off at the Gateway exit and pay a toll for the bridge.\u00a0 After that we hacked a left and found a nice little park near the cruise ship terminal in Hamilton to have our lunch in.\u00a0 We chose a park bench and table under a gazebo and unpacked our yummy lunch and water bottles.\u00a0 David finished his before I was halfway through mine which is nothing new, but then noticed that 2 cars had pulled up nearby in a little car park and one guy was getting into a recycling bin outfit \u2013 a big box shape with the recycling emblem on the side and his stockinged arms and legs hanging out. \u00a0As you can imagine we wondered what was going on.\u00a0 It turned out it was a radio station with give-aways as one of the guys came over to us and gave us a little show bag each which was very nice.\u00a0 Only about 2 other cars arrived to get any goodies but we had a bag of cheesy snacks each, a can of cool drink, some movie passes, a river cruise pass, a pencil and I think a few other bits.\u00a0 It was rather sweet that they brought them over to us.<\/p>\n After this we travelled a little distance looking for a petrol station to fill up the hire car and then found our way to their office which was not far away.\u00a0 Got through all the paperwork and then asked if they would like 2 cans of cool drink that we\u2019d just been given and don\u2019t drink, and a few bits of remaining fruit including a delicious looking mango which I just could not fit in.\u00a0 They were all gratefully received so it was really nice to know that they weren\u2019t wasted.\u00a0 And then they gave us to a very grumpy seeming guy to drive us in their mini-bus to the airport.\u00a0 He turned out not to be too bad in the end, though he did seem to have a bit of an issue with women.\u00a0 If I was that way inclined I could have been rather offended but I just laughed and agreed with him.\u00a0 I\u2019m used to David\u2019s ways with words and this guy was no different \u2013 just lacking the obvious cheek which makes you know David\u2019s joking.\u00a0 David mentioned once again about us being tickled by the way cars screeched to a halt at cross-walks and the guy said \u201cYou\u2019d want to stop, it\u2019s a $500 fine!\u201d\u00a0 Ah, so now that mystery was solved.<\/p>\n And then we were at the airport and checking in and all that boring stuff, and had a very expensive drink in the airport meal area, as you do, to pass the time.\u00a0 Brisbane airport really needs an overhaul I think when you think that the city is a similar size to Perth and we have 2 airports which are both, in my opinion, better equipped.\u00a0 Brisbane has 2 as well and of course I\u2019ve only seen the Qantas one.\u00a0 Maybe the other is really stylish?<\/p>\n The flight home was almost as good as the one going and certainly no sign of bad weather or turbulence for the take-off.\u00a0 (By that I include the climb to cruising altitude.)\u00a0 As always I spent almost the whole trip with my nose stuck on the window, completely fascinated by the view and the shadows that the clouds were casting on the earth far below.\u00a0 I was really surprised that we flew over Adelaide, then the Great Australian Bite to Esperance and finally north to Perth.\u00a0 This seemed a very strange route to me, but after Googling and asking a question on Yahoo Questions, which did not answer my question but gave me further clues to research, I did find that once you allow for the curvature of the globe, the Great Australian Bite IS actually the shortest line from Brisbane to Perth.\u00a0 Adelaide and Esperance are not, but I suppose they were just small adjustments for jet streams etc.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like unanswered questions so was happy to discover this.<\/p>\n And then we got to Perth and it was pretty warm!\u00a0 We joined an incredibly long queue for a taxi but it moved along very speedily.\u00a0 We spent some giggle time in the taxi queue corrals as we moved along the zigzags trying to avoid being level with 2 guys who had perhaps been travelling for a long time.\u00a0 They were rather \u2018on the nose\u2019 so it was not pleasant standing there in the heat near them.<\/p>\n We were horrified that the poor taxis have to pay a fee to be able to leave the taxi rank once they\u2019ve picked up a passenger.\u00a0 The airports are all so very greedy it\u2019s very sad.\u00a0 Just a short drive away and there was Monty parked in Rachan\u2019s driveway, and Rachan had so kindly put up the sun shades in the front and back windows for us.\u00a0 We were very grateful for the head start that this gave the air conditioning.<\/p>\n So home we drove without delay, and that’s the end of the holiday story for Feb 2008.<\/p>\n Please feel free to leave a comment in the fields below before leaving this page. Email addresses will not be used in any way, nor displayed for anyone to see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We went into the shopping centre and found ourselves outside a Target store but went for a little walk before meeting Rita as we were still early.\u00a0 On the way back to Target I gave Rita a ring, as we\u2019d … Continue reading
\nDavid had set the alarm for 6:30 Perth time but when he awoke before it, as he always does, he turned the time the wrong way in his head and woke me up at 5:30 Brisbane time instead of 7:30.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you just love husbands?\u00a0 Anyway it didn\u2019t matter, we were able to potter around at a non-rushed pace which is always a good thing before flying, in my opinion.\u00a0 The less flustered the better.\u00a0 And, despite the weather forecast last night it was a beautiful day.<\/p>\n