I have a very strong attachment to Australia and it is like a second home for me. I look forward each year to spend time with my extended family members who live in the Goldcoast. There are just so many fond memories cumulated over the past 20 years. 

In the earlier years, when my children were younger, we would spend a large proportion of our time visiting the different famous tourist places. The recent years were all about just spending time with family members chilling out and chatting with lots of laughters. 

While we are unable to travel the entire year of 2020 due to Covid-19, the memories of the most recent trip in 2019 was enough to bring me smiles. It was one of the few occasions when we had a good attendance of international family members coming together, including my parents. I was so thankful that my parents were still physically very fit to take the 7 hours plane ride. Just for context, my dad was 95 years old during this trip.
  

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Indeed, home is where the heart is.

I felt so at home and relaxed staying with my sister Elsie and her family. My brother Kim’s home, whom my parents would stay, was just a short walk away.

Our luggage was loaded with a few weeks of fresh food supply of fish cakes, noodles, cuttlefish and even Tiong Bahru Chwee Kueh !

We had a wonderful gathering at brother Seng’s home. It was so relaxing to just laze at his garden which is surrounded with a huge compound full of beautiful trees.

My niece, who is a VET, keeps all kinds of animals and the pet horse in the photo is one of them. I simply adored this horse and she kept us entertained.

I would never ever grow tired of the golden sand beach, guessed most would not. I simply loved this photo shot capturing moments of my brother Ben enjoying the beach front houses vs the beach itself. 

It was supposed to be a quick drop by on our way to dinner but we ended up longer than we planned for.

Yummy Fresh Seafood 

What a treat with a feast of seafood ! Freshly cooked seafood from the market.

I could eat a dozen Rock Oysters at a go with Raw Sashimi of Scallops and King Fish.

We also had our fair share of home cooked meals made from the freshly purchased raw seafood direct from the fisherman.

King Prawn Noodles Soup was one key highlight that every single one in my expanded family simply loved ! 

Direct from fisherman, King Prawns from the deep sea and my family all time favourite Rock Oysters.

Redland Bay in Queensland

We had a picnic day at Redland Bay and were so blessed with very good weather. A bright sunny day in a June winter month was the best one could ask for.

I was so inspired by my parents’ energy level. It was pretty impressive at their age to still be able to stay engaged throughout the day. My parents loved to take photos and would make an effort to post for them. Such a beautiful sight and was so glad to have captured their moments with those wild seagulls flying behind the scene.

Ah Gong (grandfather in Chinese) as usual was full of energy.

He was showing off his Kung Fu Steps and teaching the grandchildren to follow and they were amused. I could only share a snapshot here although I had taken a full video of his Kung Fu actions for memory.

A great way to wrap the day with a wonderful family photo captured just before sunset.

Natural Bridge in Goldcoast

We had another great weekend picnic outing to the Natural Bridge. There was a walking trail through the sub tropical rain forest in the beautiful Numinbah Valley. 

As it was too dangerous for my parents to walk the entire trail, we decided to just take a short walk to the bridge for this family photo. The walk alone was filled with adventure and tons of laughter. 

Some of us continued to walk through the beautiful forest while others accompanied my parents in the park picnic area.

RECHARGED AND INSPIRED 

I felt so blessed and grateful to have made this trip with my extended family and parents. It had been a totally relaxing trip and we had so much fun together. Although my siblings lived in four different countries across three continents, we always felt connected and at home, wherever we were.  

I was also very inspired by my parents’ energy level and well being throughout the trip, not something to be taken for granted. They are my role model on how to age gracefully, by keeping active both physically and mentally throughout life.

Lyn 🌻😊