Selfie Friday!!!

What is it with selfies?

What shall I do next?

The pool here at Avani is a beautiful infinity pool but there are not too many sunbeds, so we’re surprised to easily get a sunbed in the shade and settle down to read. We’re not there long before a group of Chinese tourists arrive, go in the pool and perform every pose possible all the time taking selfies of themselves. I honestly don’t think they’ve looked at their surroundings. They obviously don’t go to the pool to swim, sunbathe or relax, just to pose and take endless selfies. God knows what they do with so many pictures of themselves.

This process of groups arriving, posing and taking selfies continues all morning and not a stroke was swum by any of them. Finally, an older family arrives, not more selfies, I think. No, they start trying to drown with style because you couldn’t describe their efforts as swimming, more like controlled drowning!

All this picture taking is too much, we retreat to Smiley Beach for a beer and sit there watching the tide come in. Oh no, more Chinese, more selfies!!!

Sunset at Avani

Sun, sea, sand and shopping

I enjoyed sitting on those sunbeds so much that we return for the morning and just watch the world go by. In the afternoon we join the coach for the Mitsui shopping mall and to be honest we have no idea where it is, the journey is an opportunity to see the surrounding countryside. We’ve already given our names and room number to book a place on the coach but, when it arrives, we realise booking was not necessary. It’s a 44-seater coach and there only seems to be 7 of us on it. But first, there’s the essential step of establishing who you are.

We eventually understand the driver is asking for our room number, 093, “mmm, 096? No, 093. Mmm, ok 093.

The next passenger is more complicated, “room number?” “122, I come back”, “ahh, you go mall?” “mmm, I come back” “come back?” “Yes, I go mall, come back!”

There are 3 passengers who are only going to the mall and not coming back! What happens to them Dave and I wonder. When we reach the mall, we realise that there is also a free shuttle bus to the airport, hopefully they reached their destination!

Sepang Motor circuit near the airport and Mitsui Mall

Over-water villas

Paradise is...

We’ve both always dreamed of staying in an over water villa and here at Avani we’re living that dream. The room is large with a high-pitched roof and an exposed thatched roof both on the inside and outside, it’s beautifully cool with both air conditioning and a ceiling fan. This is just as well as it’s a steamy 34⁰C outside and 80% humidity. Dave has woken early and spends a peaceful hour sat outside watching the sun rise, I’m apparently unrousable. Breakfast outside of the main restaurant Bila bila, which in Malay means Anytime, contains every kind of food you could wish for from toast, to omelette and Asian style congee and curry.

Over water villas

The resort is shaped like a palm tree with villas off the trunk and fronds and restaurants at the junction of them. The main reception is a huge round space with a high conical thatched roof and many areas to sit in the cool and admire the beautiful surroundings. The private beach has rattan sunbeds set under palm trees and powdery white sand as far as we can see. This really is a little bit of paradise.

The evening brings a meal at Bia bila with so many groups of Chinese people I think we may have been transported to China. Then there’s the walk to the beach for the fire show. They are a group of 5 or 6 young men and initially I think oh, spice boys as they strut their stuff while twirling their fire sticks all to music. But then the big boys appear, breathing fire. The show continues to hot up with the moves getting ever more daring, one of the guys even stands on the sunbed in front of me swinging fire either side of me! I now understand why these guys have no hair on their chests or face….

Fire show

Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur

Our Australian adventure comes to an end today, it’s time to go to the airport and check in to our flight to Kuala Lumpur. As we approach the check-in line it becomes clear that a good number of Malay people look like they’re moving back to Kuala Lumpur. We’ve never seen so many overstuffed, overweight cases and boxes all destined for the hold of our flight. Every case seems to need to be repacked then reweighed several times before being accepted. Needless to say, this creates pandemonium and an ever-lengthening line to check-in for the flight. I’m getting stressed that we’ll miss the flight, Dave’s just annoyed, “why can’t they just obey the rules!” Eventually, we’re checked in and yes our bags were well under the weight limit! We make a bee line for the airport lounge which, is a haven of peace and quiet.

Arriving at Kuala Lumpur or rather the transit through the airport is just as stressful, trying to follow the signs to baggage reclaim, walking miles, being transported by train to another city, or so it seems. Then there’s the interminably long line for immigration all before we reach the carousel for baggage reclaim. We stand there for ages until we realise someone has removed our bags into a pile on the floor between the carousels! Now the bags have to be x-rayed to go into the country, Dave is beginning to be quite vocal and politically incorrect shall I say!!!

Time to purchase a voucher for a taxi ride, easily done, but we’re both more than a bit edgy when we’re escorted to a quiet area of the terminal before being loaded into the taxi. However, all is well, the taxi ride is smooth and 45 minutes later we’re checking into Avani Sepang Goldcoast resort.

Mount Wellington

It’s more than a bit cloudy today but still worth the drive up to Mount Wellington or Kunanyi as the Aboriginal people call it. It’s at least 10⁰C colder up at the top so today it’s a very chilly 4⁰C, the 2 Dave’s, Toni and I are needing all our layers to keep warm. The clouds keep parting briefly on the way up to the top and for a time keep Hobart and the surrounding area shrouded in cloud and hidden from sight. But, one section at a time the clouds part and show us the various views of Hobart, the Derwent River, the islands and surrounding hills. It’s almost as if nature can’t reveal all of its magnificence at once as it would be too much to take in.

We don’t have time to explore the walking tracks in this area, but we do make time to enjoy lunch sitting outside the Last Freight, the only café up here on Mount Wellington. Afterwards there’s time for a bit of sightseeing around the apartment before we catch the flight back to Melbourne.

Mount Wellington with Hobart in the background

Mad MONA

Another aspect of Hobart is MONA, now, this is not the children’s cartoon caricature, no, it’s the Museum of Old and New Art. It was started by David Walsh as he attempted to put back into society after he had made millions at gambling and wine making. The museum is quite a way up the Derwent estuary, so Dave W has booked us on the ferry to MONA, unknown to us he’s booked us in the Posh Pit. What a great idea, turn left as you get on the cat, sit in a comfy leather seat and drink bubbles while eating canapes, awesome.

X-Rays but what's the subject!

Cement mixer on low loader

The river approach is the best way to get your first view of the museum, along with the magnificent views along the Derwent and of the houses overlooking the river. There are 99 steps up to the museum entrance and the first exhibit visible is a low loader with a cement mixer on the back, but it’s made from galvanised filigree metal. 

The prism house

There’s also a prism house and a filigree metal chapel. As we enter the museum, we’re given a programmed iphone which tells us about each of the art works, its artist and as it says “art wank" the collection is huge and varied, Dave and Toni do a great job navigating us through the floors, which incidentally are underground, and corridors to see all the exhibits. The art ranges through every medium imaginable, paint, electromagnetic, water, metal, air, sound and light. It’s all very mind blowing and, in my case induces an attack of vertigo in the blue light tunnel!!

Water and metal beads connected to internet search

Live subject with tattoo art

Back on the ferry in the posh pit, more bubbles and canapes before a stroll back to our “pod” for a bit of washing, packing and relaxation before a final evening meal together at Peacock and Jones. 
The restaurant is warm and intimate with a floating gas fire in the centre of the room, lots of wood and leather comfy chairs. The meal and wine are equally impressive with heritage tomatoes and olive tapenade to start and Lamb with Farro, roasted vegetables and feta to follow. Good food, good wine and the most important ingredient in any day good company makes for another perfect day.

Salamanca Market to Battery Point

Antarctic Explorer's Statue

How do you describe a perfect day, well, it probably goes something like this. Got up when we woke up, enjoyed breakfast together looking at an amazing view, wandered down to the 300+ stall Salamanca market minutes from our apartment, spent 2 to 3 hours wandering through the stalls admiring the craft work, have a coffee in a bar, lunch in our apartment on the deck, then walk to Battery Point via the old town before returning home. Oh and on the way plenty of chat and laughs, sounds pretty perfect to me.

The evening is spent having a lovely Italian meal at Maldini’s. Yes, it was the perfect day.

Old Houses in Battery Point