Our time in Beaconsfield is sadly coming to an end. Roh, BB and the kids you have been wonderful to stay with. Your generosity with your home, your time, everything about our stay with you these last few days has made our family holiday just so totally and utterly stress free.
Today was a day for us in the city centre, seeking my mate Aaron, his wonderful girlfriend Rhiannon and all the culinary delights of Melbourne's Chinatown district. Well the trip in to the city found us switching freeways halfway there as good old Google Maps thought it would get us to the parking of the Queen Victoria Markets via the Eastern instead of the Monash. Bad decision Google as we headed away from said markets and had to turn around.
Finally at the Queen Victoria Markets Miss 9 and Miss 6 found more plush teddies to add to their ever growing family at home. Master 10 was on the hunt for more Pokemon and other cards, he still remembers the man who had packs for $2 each. A Geelong Cats flag (loyalty is deep in the heart and soul of my gorgeous girl), a pair of sneakers and a few other bibs and bobs later and it was time for doughnuts.
Faces wiped clean of jam (those doughnuts were epic) and we trusted again in Google Maps to take us to where we were meeting Aaron and Rhiannon. Epic fail number two... We had to ring Rhiannon so they could come and find us!! Aaron mate, you should have known me better... No direction sense and an inability to find meeting spots...
With our city guides finally with us Aaron and his girl took us another 100 meters further on than where we had wandered as a family but decided to stop. The changes in scenery as we stepped into China Town was amazing! With tummies rumbling despite the doughnuts we saw forty of so different Asian restaurants, some where you could even see the dumplings being made in the front window. The dirty, rundown joint where Aaron and Rhiannon loved going sadly didn't open on a Sunday. Next time I say Heidi and I will come in on a Saturday instead. This meant though we had another thirty to forty places to choose from. I wanted to go to the most exquisite place in the whole of Melbourne, a place so amazing and so popular you need to know the chef and still book six months ahead... We didn't know the chef though and hadn't booked at all and also we had three kids tagging along. I got the feeling from the way Aaron described this joint kids were probably NOT welcome.
We ended up finding a place just down from the Dragon Bowl. For the first time ever many of us tried Yum Cha. This is where the staff bring out baskets of things for you to try and for every basket of two of something you ask for you get charged. We offer a humble thanks to our city guides for covering an amazing meal fifth seven, plus jasmine tea and egg custard tarts. We will pay you back in kind next time you are down our way with Shiraz and gourmet style barbecues (a couple at least). It was so awesome to spend the afternoon chatting away with a great mate and it was just so good to see my girls all chatting away to Rhiannon just like best friends. A stop for Nitrate ice cream was just the perfect icing on an already perfect catch up session.
The funniest thing though was when our two guides escorted us to the right tram stop and told us when to hop off (now that is a service you don't get from Google).
One more night in Beaconsfield now and the fantastic company here. Roast for tea in the Webber and maybe Ninja Turtles for movie night. Can life get any better than this? I don't think so...
Next stop Mount Gambier, perhaps a little side stop at Geelong to stretch the legs and to give Heidi a chance to go Tom hunting. Cannot wait to checkout the library at Geelong (massively epic and very funky from what I have seen online) and the Mount Gambier library too where there is supposed to be a brilliant children's area.
I would like to end my post today wishing Aaron luck with his attempt at 50,000 words in November. One day I may give the same challenge a go. Until tomorrow... This is Trippin Timmy signing off...
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