| | Multi-coloured strands of hair lay strewn across the boutique floor. At one end of the shop was a make-up artist readying a model with her final touches. Right opposite, a stylist was busy sculpting a fluorescent pink hair piece with razor-sharp angles followed by lashings of hair spray to keep the new style in place. These were the artistic preparations from Studio Ebony. The one-of-a-kind Afro Hair salon first open its doors in Shanghai last November and today was their first foray into a fashion event.
F.Y.E.S.T.A. (Forever Young Extravaganza of Style and Arts), now in its fourth showing, was set up by French entrepreneur Sylvie Wen who has a desire to provide Shanghai’s emerging artistic community a platform for showcasing a variety of concepts and designs.
| | Taking place at the pedestrian zone of Jiashan Market, the monthly event recently moved to Café Sambal, a Malaysian bar/restaurant, taking full advantage of the venue’s spacious rooftop terrace.
The place was buzzing as people socialised and meandered between stalls which included unique clothing wear and accessories and a couple of foodie tables - a scrumptious display of Brazilian hand-made chocolate balls (Effa’s Brazilian Treats) and food from the motherland (Eat Ethio). |
Helina and Fatima selling Ethiopian food - 'Eat Ethio'.
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People selling unique clothing lines/accessories.
| That was our dinner right there. On our plates was a good helping of Minshet Abish Wot (beef stew) with Tikil Gomen (cabbage, carrot, potato stew) and Misir Wot (lentil stew) – all loving prepared and spiced by Ethiopian native Helina. Helping alongside her was Fatima (Morocco) who, between them, were doing a roaring trade and a couple of hours later had completely sold out.
Walking in between the different groups of moving people, you literally drifted past a different language being spoken each time. And, that international audience was about to feast its eyes on some of the outspoken Afro hair creations courtesy of Studio Ebony. | | Founders Bryonie Richards and Camille Lindo (both Jamaican nationals) were frantically looking over the models and tidying up any loose ends just before the show was to begin. Even Lezil got in on the act by assisting with straightening some of the hair designs. We realised the hair used wasn’t 100% human hair so she had to be super careful with the flat iron’s heat setting and how long she tended to the hair strands without risking burning them.
There was certainly a lot of curiosity bouncing about as this was to be a first for an event in Shanghai – displaying African/Caribbean hairstyles by a Caribbean-owned salon. The models, too, were an international affair with countries like Gabon, the US, Antigua and China all represented. Each came with their style-design name which was as colourful as the hair pieces themselves: Rastaman Vibrations, Flower Power, Cleopatra’s Creation, Cocktail Beret, Ebony Dragon. Café Sambal’s main restaurant area was packed wall-to-wall with people who, in turn, created a kind of human catwalk passage for the models to parade through. |
Backstage at the boutique, Lezil straightening hair.
| Each one strutted her stuff while Studio Ebony’s Camille gave a running commentary over some happening house beats played by Australia’s DJ Cherokee (one of three guest DJs to play that evening). China is a whole new market when it comes to the Afro hair industry. Unlike nearby Japan where a fascination towards Caribbean culture, in particular Jamaica, has spread the growth and understanding of this fast-growing hair sector – China still has a long way to go. But with Shanghai being the mainland leader in all things Western and with Studio Ebony’s presence right in the heart of the city – the salon is certainly in the right place for pioneering a new trend into the Chinese marketplace.
Studio Ebony stylist, April (Bahamas), working on one of her creations.
People enjoying the spring time weather on the terrace at Café Sambal.
Lezil with FYESTA founder, Sylvie Wen.
With Helina (left) and Fatima (right) from Eat Ethio.
My delicious plate of Ethiopian grub!!
The models and the Studio Ebony team getting ready.
Camille creamin de legs!!
April (left) with her Ebony Dragon design.
With the gorgeous ladies, before they work the runway!
Australia's DJ Cherokee laying down some soulful house tunes.
Out on the show....
Style: Cocktail Beret
Style: Cleopatra's Creation
Studio Ebony co-founder Bryonie Richards braids 8-year old French girl Camille's hair at the show.
 Outside the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Shanghai. | The sign on the counter stated that the Ramada Hotel’s pool had been privately hired out for two hours that morning. It’s not uncommon for pre-organised events to book one of many facilities on offer at any given hotel. As for as those guests walking past the leisure centre’s reception area were concerned, it was some kind of pool party taking place.
Yes, it was a celebration and yes, it was taking place in and around a small pool. But most would never have suspected that it was related to someone’s personal faith and that the people gathering there had been invited to be witnesses for such a poignant moment.
| | Our friend Vivienne was taking the plunge and outwardly declaring her commitment to God as a follower of Christ. This act of water baptism was to be her life changing day.
A few close friends from both her Church and social circles, including Lezil and I, all congregated by the indoor sun loungers. At the far end, two of the hotel’s life guards curiously watched on as to what exactly we had all booked the place out for. With Vivienne making her entrance from the ladies changing rooms, emotions were running high. |  Lezil and I out to support Vivienne's big day. |  The whole group praying for Vivienne. | The step of water baptism is a defining statement in a Christian person’s faith, where it boldly shows the letting go of an old life and receiving the expectant embrace of a new one.
The whole experience was led by New Zealander Mike, or as he candidly said in his opening statement before praying “…they don’t call me ‘Crazy Mike’ for nothing…” referring to his larger-than-life belief in God. He led us in prayer with everyone positioning themselves around Vivienne extending their hands towards her as a sign of unity. Words of encouragement floated in from all angles. | | A believer or not, there was no denying the sense of power in that pool area as Vivienne’s tears freely fell where she stood right in the epicentre of a tightly-packed group of God-fearing people. The two life guards on the side were transfixed by what was happening.
Prayers soon led into a time of singing with Touby, a friend from Church, taking out his guitar and prompting a few modern day Church songs. The acoustics within the gym lent itself nicely to our melodies, almost amplifying our sound to double the number of voices singing along. |  Singing some songs in unison. |  Mike and Karsten baptise Vivienne. | The focus switched back to Mike who gave a brief summary on the significance of this key step that Vivienne was taking.
Then Mike led Vivienne into the 28C water-heated pool with another supporter, Karsten, acting as an assistant. Quietly, Vivienne glanced at all her onlookers in a movie-magic momentary pause, peering over that that spiritual wall readying herself to finally climb down to the long-awaited other side. “…in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost…,” said Mike as he and Karsten gently manoeuvred Vivienne back-first underwater. | | Two seconds later and she sprung out of the pool’s watery surface like a volcanic geyser spewing hot steam into the air.
Instantly everyone applauded and cheered her on. Her emotions were uncontrollable by now. “If you only knew what it has taken to get here today. Over six years…,” she said, her words broken in between by soft sobs. It was undeniable how proud everyone was of her. Still dripping she stepped out of the pool and hugged the nearest person to her. We all waited our turn to personally congratulate her. What a day for us all. |  Vivienne goes into the water! |  I decide to go in for a dip. | For Lezil and I, this was our first time to experience a water baptism in Shanghai outside the conventional walls of a Church.
I realised that I was the only one decked out in swimming gear. Despite the warmth of the indoor pool area, everyone was still dressed against the cold elements. I thought, seeing as though I had my trunks on, why not go for a dip. While people lingered on conversing I managed to churn out a few laps. | | The last I was in a pool was a spectacular open-air one in Perth, Beatty Park Leisure Centre. Not quite the same surroundings but still nice to do a bit of exercise.
Quickly showering off, I met the remaining waiting group in the hotel’s gym reception. We ended up going for an unplanned lunch at one of my favourite Chinese eateries – Yeli Xiali. The restaurant chain specialises in food from China’s northwest region Xinjiang which is predominantly Muslim. Needless to say, the seasoning and cooking styles draw heavily from Middle Eastern culture – super delicious. We order a banquet selection of dishes and desserts and the total per person came to a bargain RMB 60 each. |  Some of the group go out for lunch at Yeli Xiali - an excellent Xinjiang restaurant. | What a beautiful day, sharing in our friend Vivienne’s special occasion. It was truly an honour for us to take part.  All gathered at the poolside of Vivienne's baptism.  Vivienne (centre right) in deep prayer.  Everyone applauds Vivienne's big step!  Just out of the water, (left to right) Karsten, Vivienne, Mike.  All proudly supporting our close friend Vivienne.  Yeah! She did it!!
A clear indication that you are still not over holiday mode is when you keep using the phrase “this time last week…”. It felt so unsettling – almost unreal – when we touched down at Pudong International Airport. At 6am Shanghai was just waking up and a thick fog hung over the city. Fifteen hours before and we were saying goodbye to a cloudless Perth and Lezil’s family.
As we opened the door to our apartment everything inside was unchanged, exactly how we left it a month ago. That was that, our incredible holiday experience over. There was clothes washing to do, a supermarket run, pay the outstanding water and electricity bills and get my mind zoned in for my first day back at work on Monday. Thank goodness it was only a Saturday and I had those two days to settle down a bit.
In the meantime, Lezil and I started to look back over the last four weeks allowing the memories and photos to imprint themselves permanently into our minds. I soon realised there were a number of images I didn’t put up. So instead of my usually meaty blog, I will allow the photos and captions to tell some of the additional stories from our unforgettable time down under. And I’m pretty sure we will be casting our thoughts back quite a bit over the coming weeks. To the Hendricks family (Lezil’s side) – thank you! To some of the additional friends met along the way: Brook, Joe, Jeff, Lenor, Cheryl, Wayne, Luke – thank you! And all the other random once-only people we came across – thank you! To Western Australia (our home for the month) – you truly are blessed with some of the best beaches and lifestyle culture anywhere on earth. We will be back!
(And, what was I doing this time last week? Well, it was so hot that I was in the back garden catching some sun when the sprinklers suddenly came on. What a refreshing feeling sitting in the midst of all those falling droplets!)
(For the photos below, click on them to enlarge.) Busselton Jetty
The longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere at 1.8km located in Georgraphe Bay, Western Australia.
The lighthouse at the start of the jetty.
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Getting ready for the long walk to the end.
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View of the shoreline from the start of the jetty.
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The jetty's full length which bends to the right in the far distance.
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And so, the walk commences!
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Lezil takes her time, enjoying the awesome views and weather.
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Poems and sayings can be found all along the jetty.
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There was a train you could catch but we opted to go on foot instead.
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Dad and daughter.
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Finally reaching the end, with Brook (Lezil's brother Jesse's girlfriend).
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Back by the beach in Busselton. Great water for swimming - so clear and lots of fishes!
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Tucking into a yummy portion of fish & chips!
| Leighton Beach, Perth
Just north of Fremantle in Perth, runs a line of beaches literally one going into the other. This particular one we went to was Leighton Beach. Clean, great for swimming and popular with dog owners.
Soaking in the sun and sea on our last week in Perth.
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Look at Lezil the beach babe! LOL.
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Nothing like going for a run along the sea!
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Lezil feeling so laid back as the waters gently lap the shore.
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A couple of doggies go for a paddle.
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Lezil at home by the beach.
| Beatty Park Leisure Centre, Perth
In an area called Vincent north of central Perth, you can find an excellent swimming complex - Beatty Park. First opened in 1962, there are two outdoor pools and two indoor pools, a gym and a spectactor's seating area. Just $5.70 gets you in. Well maintained and brilliant to be able to swim outdoors.
The impressive outdoor 50m pool.
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Getting a few laps in!
| Kings Park, Perth
Just over 4 square kilometres in size, Kings Park is one of the largest city parks in the world. With a number of walkways, spectacular views of the city, botanical gardens and grass which you can picnic on, it was inspiring place to spend a morning at.
Lezil and I at one of the view points with Perth central in the background.
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An outdoor concert venue at Kings Park.
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More awe-inspiring views of the city and Swan River.
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A map detailing points of interest around the Swan River.
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Walking over one of the elevated bridges.
| | Final Night BBQ, Perth
Our very last night in Perth and we decided to do an evening BBQ with some family friends over to join us. It was a full on South African affair and the night ended with a intensely contested game of charades! Fun times.
These free BBQs can be found all around the neighbourhood. Just one push of the 'on' button and you are ready to cook!
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I do the honours of putting on the first sausages (beef of course, I don't eat pork!).
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Family friend Jeff and I at the grill.
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Darkness quickly falls and the cooking continues - Dad H and Lezil.
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Waiting for the food, Jesse and his girlfriend Brook.
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Family friend Cheryl (Right) with Mom H.
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(left to right) Jeff, his wife Lenor, myself and Lezil.
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South Africans (with an Australian/Ecuadorian/British thrown in) all ready to feast on the BBQ food!
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The street lights haven't come on yet, so we use a couple of tablets for light!
| | And The Final Goodbye...
The holiday started as it ended - with the family and with unbroken sunshine, both of which was making it very hard to tear ourselves away from Perth.
Arriving at Perth International Airport to check in for our return flight.
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Waiting to check in (left to right) Mom H, Lezil and me!
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Final pose - (left to right) Dad H, me, Mom H and Lezil.
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The family together for our last lunch before we go through to boarding.
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Our Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 getting ready for the 4hrs 45min flight to Singapore.
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Can't believe it's all over! :(
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Several hours later, we arrive the next day in cold and overcast Shanghai.
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Kitted out for our afternoon of Supa Golf!
| Australia as a whole lends itself to a very outdoors lifestyle. With the amount of space and the great weather (especially in Perth where it’s pretty much consistent all year around) you are spoilt for choice when it comes to activities.
That afternoon it was all about Supa Golf. It’s a variation on the real game. Bigger club heads, bigger balls and putting holes that are twice the original size means that virtually anyone can play it. And that suited first timers Lezil and I. A well-priced $12.50 each got us kitted out with our own set of clubs, tees and balls.
| | The other thing about Supa Golf is the actual golf course itself which is only nine holes and the longest driving distance is just over 100 metres.
Lezil’s parents and brother were regular golf players, so already we were at a disadvantage. Nonetheless they were happy enough to share some of their insider tips to ensure that when we teed off, our ball wouldn’t go wildly off course. There was a strong crosswind that we had to contend with too. Most of the holes were either 3 par or 4 par and the first couple of holes proved difficult getting the ball in on par.
Once you got the feel of swinging the club and the flight of the ball, we all started to get into our stride. Melville Golf Centre, where we were playing, was well maintained with a simple club house overlooking the greens, a driving range and a practising putting green. |
Lezil getting some tips from her bro Jesse.
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In the middle of our game, Lezil with her mom.
| There were a number of people out playing that day and I was a bit worried that our slowish pace was holding up some of the groups behind us. But I was told that golfing etiquette was to wait.
Nearing the end, the eighth and ninth holes were tightly contested as some of us hit or sweet spots and others lost concentration giving way to unnecessary errors. All our balls were scattered around the putting green on the last hole when Lezil’s brother Jesse received a phone call from a long-time family friend back in Cape Town. His name was Carlo who I had met back in 2010 – the year I proposed to Lezil. I remember him pulling me aside and giving me the whole “if you mess with Lezil, you mess with me speech…” (in a nice way though!). So I was delighted to report back to him that our marriage thus far was going swimmingly well! | | Jesse’s mobile was handed from person to person as we all had our few minutes with Carlo. This, according to Dad Hendricks, was what made his own downfall getting 3 over on the last hole. With the entire course completed, we camped to one side as Dad H counted up the final scores. In reverse order: Lezil 15 over, me 9 over, Dad H 7 over, Mom H 5 over and the winner…Jesse with just 3 over. I presented my brother-in-law with his commemorative tee trophy. A game well played.
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And the winner is....
| | | The following morning and we went down to the weekly Sunday Community Market which happens at Market City – a purposed built zone in south Perth for market sellers. It started back in 1990 and today it’s Perth’s largest attracting over 5,000 people each week. The stalls were housed in a huge hanger-type covering with open sides. You pay a $1 admission fee and then have free reign to hunt down that bargain. Originally more of a fruit and veg place, nowadays you can pick up anything from vintage wear and frozen meat to crystals and tents.
| | They had a great plants and flowers section, in particular selling a selection of herbs for your garden. I was also surprised to see the amount of chilli plants being sold considering the amount of Australians that I have come across who dislike spicy food. There were a number of second hand book sellers and as it’s difficult to get a good selection of foreign books in Shanghai, I set out to find me some good reads. I found one for a dollar which was, ironically, about China called ‘Socialism is Great!’ by Lijia Zhang. Lezil managed to pick up an excellent reference book to help her with her reflexology studies.
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Chilli plants on special at the market.
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South Africans Sammy and Kay with their excellent Indian-influenced sauces.
| Midway through our wanderings we walked up to a table which was doused in South African flags. Run by a couple originally from Pietermartizburg (not far from Durban) they moved to Perth three years ago after a six year stint in New Zealand and now run their South African sauce business from home. The range was branded as ‘Aunt Kay’s’ (after its inventor) where they had small wooden sticks which you could use to dip into different sauces for sampling. Lots of fire and lots of flavour – a great combination of that South African Indian heritage to be found in cooking from KwaZulu-Natal.
| I instantly fell for their Garlic Chilli Sauce which packed a mean punch – perfect as a marinade and for simply dipping your nacho chips into. Or, as was the case, the right accompaniment to my Mexican taco meal I was to cook for the family later that evening.
Towards the end of our market meander we came to a seller who had Australia’s famed UGG Boots proudly on display. These were the real deal priced anywhere from $100 over. The man responsible was busy in conversation with, what I thought was a customer, but as we drifted past where they were standing I caught some of their conversation which was a deep theological discussion. Interesting. | At the end of one of his tables, he had written a cardboard sign saying “Free Please Take”. If it’s free, I’ll take a look! I knelt down to the low table soon realising that the coverless DVDs all had a running theme – Christianity. Titles like “Friend of God”, “The Godhead and the Holy Spirit” and “The Final Events” all teased my curiosity. Wanting to be polite, I walked back over to the stall holder to ask him if it was fine that we took a couple of his DVDs. This was the catalyst to instigate a conversation.
His first question was “Are you Christians?” Yes. “Great!” he said.
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A varied selection of Christian-themed DVDs.
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With Peter, the 'UGG Boots Preacher'!
| The journalist in me absolutely thrives on knowing a person’s back story and in the few seconds of hearing him speak, I was eager to know his nationality. His vowels sounded Australian but some of his consonants had a foreign-tinged accent to them. “I am from the former Yugoslavia,” he said satisfying my urge to know. He introduced himself as Peter and informed us that he moved over to Australia at young age where he has lived ever since.
Having been in various states, he now resides in Western Australia with his UGG Boots business but it was clear his passion for God was his true calling. The ten minutes or so we spent chatting with him was inspiring as his infectious upbeat view of life was unstoppable. A straight forward talking guy with a no nonsense attitude concerning his beliefs, to me, he instantly became the ‘UGG Boots Preacher’.
| (I’m sure he must be the only one out there!) It was the most unlikely place to have come across a God experience that day and just as well as we didn’t go to Church that Sunday morning!
The oversized balls for Supa Golf.
Choosing the right club for my next shot!
Lezil takes a swing but doesn't quite make contact with the ball!!
But then she comes up better on the putting green as Mom H cheers her on!
I manage to get a couple of good holes in too.
Dad H shows his skills on a long shot here.
With the game finished, the scores are tallied up.
The bargain hunters are out in force at the Sunday Community Market, south Perth.
All sorts off second hand goods are sold from a back of a car.
Lezil at the pets section.
Unsurprisingly, a large bulk of goods has the infamous 'Made in China' tag on them.
Wallets from China with a considerable mark up in Australian dollars. These go for about $5 in any market in Shanghai. In Perth, some were at $20 and above!
You can’t not go to Australia without having an encounter with one of the country’s icons – the kangaroo. In fact both the kangaroo and the emu are symbolised in the Australian coat of arms which is meant to represent progression as the animals always move forward and never backward.
Entering Caversham Wildlife Park in Perth.
| Having said that, we’ve been in China for more than three years now and still we have yet to visit the Great Wall (it’s on our travel list!). But back to Australia. In order for us to get into Dr. Doolittle mode we headed for Caversham Wildlife Park. It’s actually a park within a park as the actual ‘zoo’ is located inside Whitman Park in the north eastern side of Perth. What sets it apart is the fact that the whole operation is family owned and is entirely funded by revenue generated from visitors.
We arrived nice and early, 9:30am and the gates had just opened.
| | $24 dollars per person gets you access to all areas and activities. I had researched a couple of other animal places that were slightly cheaper to get into but then you had outlandish fees of $15-25 per photo charged with, say, a koala. Here, once you were in, that was it, no added costs.
The grounds weren’t huge but ample enough to make you feel you were getting your money’s worth. It was divided into different regions of Australia with its creatures and plants reflecting that specific terrain. Right in the middle was the kangaroo enclosure. We had originally been making a beeline for the opening farm show, but walking past the gate to see a load of kangaroos lazing about was too difficult to resist.
There were no wildlife professionals around. The few signs as you entered gave you some tips on how to interact with the huge marsupials.
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Which way to the animals?
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Hopping over for a closer look!
| I wasn’t sure on their temperament so I was overly cautious as we ventured in. Immediately a couple of them came hopping over for a closer look. Wow! It was the first time I was seeing kangaroos close up. Their heads were like a cross between a camel and rabbit with very sleepy eyes.
At the far end was a sealed bin which you could help yourself to pellets for feeding them. I scooped up a handful, knelt down on the grass and within moments I was inundated with kangaroos – white, red and grey colours. They were so docile. I particularly liked it when they put their tiny paws on your hands, claws slightly digging into your skin, as they contently munched away on the food you were offering them. What an unforgettable experience to be up close to so many kangaroos.
| | After a good 30 minutes interaction, we moved on to a makeshift covered dome which was where ‘Meet the Wombat and Friends’ activity was taking place. Set in, what looked like, a movie set for a cowboy movie, around five wildlife experts had their stations where you could, again, have a personalised animal encounter.
There were parrots, birds of prey, lizards, kangaroos and, by far the biggest (literally) star of the show was the wombat. In my ignorance, I had no idea just how bulky they were.
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Meeting a big cuddly wombat!
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Lezil with a dozing koala.
| Weighing up to 35kg, it looked more like a potbellied pig than a member of the marsupial family. You had the opportunity to stroke it and have a photo but all the while it was held tight by its keeper. They are particularly sensitive around the head where its whiskers are and any agitation could set it off.
The other biggie, when it comes to Australian animals, has to be the koala (not ‘koala bear’ as its often mistakenly referred to). Again, you could walk into an enclosure, supervised by a wildlife official.
| These were incredibly lethargic animals quoted as sleeping up to 20 hours a day. This is primarily because of its diet of mainly eucalyptus leaves which doesn’t contain a lot of protein. So the koalas have to conserve their energy as much as possible. | Their fur was soft-to-the-touch and I felt almost self-conscious that we were disturbing their nap as we spent a few minutes in with them but the animal keeper assured us it was fine. At the opposite end of the grounds was the farm section which had your chickens, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, goats and llamas. The goats were a cheeky lot always trying to take a nibble on our clothes. Just as Lezil was in her animal communication mode, a flock of ducks got up and waddled in a straight line around her – a perfect picture moment. |
Having a good conversation with a couple of goats!
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All the kangaroos trying to escape the heat.
| By this time it was nearing 1pm and we had pretty much covered the whole wildlife park. Just before leaving we went for a final goodbye to our kangaroo friends. The peak of the heat was just hitting 40C and they were all sprawled out in the shade trying to keep cool. It seemed like they too were joining their koala cousins in having a good afternoon sleep. And so laidback they were that you could have quite easily curled up on the grass next to one and it wouldn’t have flinched. Definitely one of those memorable experiences.
Walking to our parked car, we noticed a small recreational area in Whitman Park which had a paddling pool (or a ‘Mussel Pool’ as it was called).
| | Meant for kids, but everyone was taking advantage of the cool waters to try and bring down body temperatures. We sat there with our legs immersed in the water and started to reflect on what a good lifestyle Australia does offer. It’s always the case of seeing it through holiday-glasses, but so far it does seem like people living here do have a very good standard of living. And everyone we have come across has been talking the place up to high heaven as if it’s the one and true promised land. So far, I can’t fault them (except the prices…still too expensive for my liking!).
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Cooling off in a nearby kids pool.
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Being silly sausages!
Hanging with the koalas.
A mummy kangaroo and her joey!
Holding some food, one comes up for a nibble!
Soon, they all want a bite (of the food, not me hopefully!).
Lezil has her fair share of takers too!
More eating...
Having had their fill, Lezil helps them to nap!
Adorable little Shetland pony (no, that's not my new nickname for Lezil!).
Ducks waddle past in a line by Lezil.
Rather blurred-eyed, I yawned and stretched my way out of our Bayview Resort villa at 7am. The rest of the group were still sleeping, but I wanted to steal a few moments alone by the beach. Being by the water, at that time of the day, gives me time to reflect as I gaze across the vast ocean in front of me. The busyness of life seems to no longer matter as the simplicity of nature oozes its way into my consciousness.
7am and descaling his catch from the night before.
| Being a bay, the water was more like a lake than an ocean with barely any movements lapping the shore. We certainly do not have scenes like this anywhere near Shanghai, so I was overly happy soaking up every moment. I went for a walk and came across a man who had spent the night before catching herring (38 in total) and he was contently de-scaling the fish to be cooked later. It was all-so relaxing as we conversed about his life and how he takes a month off every year to spend at his campervan home not far from the beach.
| | An 8 am tennis game followed with Lezil’s dad and brother before Lezil and I jumped in the car for an afternoon exploring the coastline together. This is what really gets my juices flowing – an open road, a map and an innumerable amount of tiny towns and villages to drop in on. Going due west along Geographe Bay we eventually drove downhill to the shore, arriving at a remote place called Eagle Bay. A handful of houses clung to the low-lying hills overlooking the spectacular shoreline.
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The deserted beach at Eagle Bay.
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The limestone lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste.
| The beach itself was made of silky smooth white sand and the clearest water I have ever seen. A number of outlaying rocks created knee-high lagoons allowing you to venture out without going in too deep.
Like so many occasions before, we had the whole place to ourselves. Back in the car and we drove up to the tip of the bay’s headland known as Cape Naturaliste. It’s limestone lighthouse, built in 1903, still stands today working as a warning for ships to keep their distance from the dangerous reefs and rocks dotted all along the coast. Paying for a guided tour ($11 AUD per person), our 35 minute walk around the lighthouse and up to the top, was a blustery affair. The wind had picked up pace, so much so, that our guide’s glasses were blown off into the nearby shrubbery.
| | The views from the top (123m above sea level) were literally breathtaking as you struggled to get your words out against the prevailing wind. Clinging tightly to the metallic white painted rails, we did the 360 degree walk to capture the views all around before getting down to ground level. Seeing as though it was so windy, I thought we’d go to Yallingup which is an aboriginal word meaning “place of love”. Nowadays, the main thing associated with the seaside town is surfing.
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Very windy at the top of the lighthouse!
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Record sleeves for menus!
| With huge rollers crashing in, this was the place to try and tame a wave. Before getting in on the beach action, we decided to park up for some lunch at the only visible outlet – Shaana Café and Restaurant. We walked in 45 minutes before the advertised lunch closing time of 3pm. A friendly lady seated us at two comfy arm chairs that looked like they had come from an English tearoom. Two LP covers were handed to us as she said, “Here are your menus,” in a decidedly European-sounding accent. How cool!
We slipped out the laminated menus from within the record covers. The menu was an Italian fanfare with authentically described dishes and ingredients.
| | I ordered a calzone filled with mozzarella cheese and spinach and Lezil went for a type of oven-baked pumpkin dish saturated in an intense tasting tomato sauce and cheese. Both dishes got a 5 stars rating. This was all too real Italian to be made by an Australian. Ordering our chocolate hazelnut cake to be boxed up to go, we got chatting with our friendly European lady.
The story goes like this. She, Chiara, and her husband Alfonso and three year old daughter moved to Australia and bought the place last June, spent two months doing it up and opened their restaurant in September. |
Siiting in our comfy armchairs with our Italian food.
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With Shaana Café co-owner, Chiara.
| They employ a staff of around eight people including two chefs in their early twenties brought over from Italy (that explains the perfection of the Italian recipes we tasted!). It was so captivating hearing her story. After a few years running their business there in Yallingup, they plan to do an incredible overland trip from Singapore back to Italy with a six-month stint in India – now that’s what I call global citizens.
Doing and email swap and promising to keep in touch (what a friendly bunch!), we could hear the commentaries of an ongoing surf competition as we stepped out of the restaurant. | | There was a gazebo, rather struggling against the crazy gusts of winds, where spectators stood to watch surfers battle it out in the water below. There were different categories, each awarded for their style and the wave they managed to catch. We stayed for the stand up and paddle segment which uses a thicker board than a surfer’s one and comes with a paddle.
I really admired the determination of the competitors as each wave rose up like an angry dragon unravelling its breath of fire with venom. And seeing the odd person getting caught in the wave was pretty nail-biting to watch. I wasn’t all clued up with all the rules and points. |
Some of the surfing competitors at Yallingup Beach.
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With Peruvian surfer Geraldo who has been in Australia for more than 20 years.
| So I approached one official behind the competition stand area. The split second he uttered his first few words, I had to stop him in mid-sentence, saying “Eres tú latino?” (“Are you Latino?”) He paused looking at me wondering if I actually had spoken to him in Spanish?
It transpired that we were neighbours – Geraldo was Peruvian, and me the Ecuadorian. He works as a surf teacher and competition organiser and fell in love with Australia after a simple holiday trip more than 20 years ago. Despite his long time down under, his South American accent was as thick as ever and he was equally passionate about his adopted country. | His motto was, “live where you feel most comfortable, if it’s not for you, then move on…” He literally spends every day by the beach and at 64 years old – it certainly has done him a world of good looking nothing like his actual age. | The day wrapped up with a major indulgence at one of the region’s best loved ice cream brands – Simmo’s. It actually came over from Northern Ireland and was first set up by a father and son team in 1993. Today it has several outlets in Western Australia with over 100 flavours to choose from. The scoops were generously placed on the cones as we took them to the garden out the back. My Apple Pie flavour was spot on with the chunky bits of cooked apple seasoned in cinnamon, tasting like it had just come out of the oven. Lezil had the flavour of the day, Burnt Caramel with Salty Caramel Swirl. Ice creams put away in record time, it was back to the resort for an early evening match of tennis and swim (much calorie-burning needed!).
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Arriving at Simmo's for some delicious-tasting locally produced ice cream!
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Playing giant Connect Four before our guided tour of Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.
With our tickets to the lighthouse.
Going up the lighthouse's winding stairs.
View due north from the top of the lighthouse.
Stopping for a Shaana Café lunch at Yallingup Beach.
Shaana Café co-owner, Chiara, serving a customer.
Some of the wave action at Yallingup Beach.
At Simmo's ice cream with a great little saying!
With our two delighful flavours of Simmo's scoops!
 The gang, up bright and early ready for our trip down to Margaret River! | Margaret River – an area known for its wine production – was our destination for a long weekend’s stay. The journey south from Perth would cover over 200km using mostly free-flowing freeways to get there in around three hours (including a couple of stops).
By 10am our party of two cars pulled into the quaint town where the Bussell Highway we had used to get into the region, formed the actual high street with shops and restaurants lined up on both sides.
| | We grabbed a cooked brekkie before Lezil’s entire family (Dad, Mom, brother Jesse) myself, Lezil and Brook (Jesse’s girlfriend) went just south of Margaret River town to A Maze’N. The main attraction there is its imposing hedge maze which was first planted in 1994 and has been growing ever since.
Perhaps because it was lunch time, we were practically the only ones there and so we had free reign to enjoy this real-life Alice in Wonderland adventure. To add that competitive edge, we split into three couples teams. |  Arriving at A Maze'N for our hedge maze challenge. |  This way to the maze! | There was one entrance and one exit but you also had to reach the central look-out point. And, for extra points, you had to come across eight different benches – each a type of animal or object. To make sure we played by the rules, photos of each bench and one from the middle look out platform had to be taken.
Slapping on some sunblock and armed with bottles of water each, a cloud of dust kicked up as we hurriedly ran into the maze’s entrance. | | The hedges were exceptionally well laid out as it was impossible to tell if you were coming to a dead end (as was the case with Lezil and I quite a few times!). Jesse and his girlfriend Brook were the first to reach the centre, noted by their taunts of “We are here…!” In the meantime we played cat and mouse with Lezil’s parents trying to lose them and lead them down wrong paths.
The earlier speed we had gleefully displayed had slowed down to a gentle walk as the sun’s heat was beginning to take its toll. We eventually stumbled across the central lookout point for a breather before launching into the mission of finding the exit. There were a few times where I was tempted to sneak through one of the emergency exits and run around the outside to fake a win, but my moral side told me otherwise. 40 minutes later and we could hear that both other pairs had completed the task. |  Getting somewhat lost inside the giant hedge maze. |  Going up against Mom Hendricks in the final of outdoor noughts-and-crosses! | Now, it was just the case of saving face by at least completing the maze which, thankfully, we managed to do five minutes later. The winners: Jesse and Brook.
Apart from some paths and gardens, there were other solving-type games including a brick maze (far simpler to complete) and a left-hand maze where you could only get out by taking left turns and going straight – a lot harder than it looked. Over at the hibiscus garden was an outdoor version of noughts-and-crosses. Here, I managed to redeem myself by winning my rounds to become eventual champion. | Escaping the sun’s strong rays we made the short drive back into Margaret River to get some sandwiches and eat them at a nearby nature reserve in the shade of the forest. The great thing about the whole South West area, of which Margaret River is at its epicentre, is that a whole host of attractions are all within short driving distances. The roads are teeming with brown-coded tourism signs alerting drivers of any number of factories or wineries inviting people to sample anything from dried fruit and chocolate to seeing silk worms in action and, of course, local wines. | I absolutely loved our visit to the Margaret River Dairy Company where they had different cheeses to try (hands up, I am a cheese addict). The Port Club Cheddar was the winner for me and I immediately bought one to take away. It had a light but sharp taste, leaning on the mature side. I could already seem myself savouring slices of the stuff on crunchy water crackers with a stick of celery on the side.
Another 15 minutes down a couple of country lanes and we arrived at the Margaret River Chocolate Company – somewhat of an institution in the area.
|  Wonderful selection of locally produced cheeses. |  It's chocolate time! | This place was huge with every conceivable chocolate variety under the sun and moon. I’m not usually a white chocolate person (I prefer my darker varieties – read what you may into that!) but their white chocolate button samples were simply sublime. It was also great to see them stocking chocolate produced from other countries including my native Ecuador which I was particularly proud of. What caught my eye, or my palette to be exact, was the combination of chilli and chocolate – sweet and fiery at the same time. | | Having been on the go since 5am that morning, we were more than ready to head to our accommodation. The Bayview Geographe Resort, as its name suggests, is right on Geographe Bay with direct beach access. The hotel is made up of 28 acres of parkland with mostly villa-style accommodation. Ours was a spacious three-bedroom holiday home with kitchen, dining room, living room, TVs in all rooms and ensuite. Other facilities included two swimming pools, three tennis courts and a games room.
As Lezil and I had lost the maze challenge, our forfeit was to make dinner that night.
|  Our villa for the weekend at the Bayview Resort Geographe Bay, Western Australia. | I rustled up a healthy cous cous salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, spring onions and seasoned with pepper and pure lemon juice. Lezil made a delicious chicken stew to accompany it. With dinner over, we were well and truly ready for some solid sleep.  The path from the Bayview Resort down to the beach.  The stunning beaches of Geographe Bay right by our hotel.  Finally finding the central point of the maze!  Brook & Jesse, eventual maze winners.  Mom & Dad Hendricks show some of their gymnastic skills!  Being silly on the rocks! (yes, I know what it looks like I'm doing!!....LOL)  A lot harder than it looks - the left hand-only turn maze.  Striking a pose on the red, white and black brick maze!  High-Five as I win the noughts-and-crosses competition! (or 'tic tac toe' for my American readers!)  Time for some cheese tasting at the Margaret River Dairy Company.  A range of great tasting cheeses to sample!  I buy myself some Port Club Cheddar for $5 AUD.  At the Chocolate Factory, trying some white, dark and milk chocolate.  Great to see some Ecuadorian cacao chocolate stocked!  We drive along the west coast for a quick stop at Gnarabup Beach. (left to right) Brook and Lezil.  A kite surfer sets off from the shore at Gnarabup Beach - plenty of wind!!
Arriving at Cottesloe Beach for swimming and sunbathing.
| Settling down on my big blue beach towel, with my earphones in and music pumping away I was enjoying the awesome views of Cottesloe Beach and the coastline further up. I was still dripping wet having just got out of the water after a 30 minute swim in the warm Indian Ocean.
Lezil had gone down to the nearby outdoor shower to wash off the sea water. I closed my eyes, preferring to allow the sun to dry me. Moments later, I took my iPod out to see what track I was listening to. It was the 2009 Hed Kandi compilation mix – an album I had heard, literally, hundreds of times.
| But there was something in the track that I don’t remember hearing before, a siren – the type you hear blasted to hype a club up. That was odd. I decided to skip the track back to the beginning and the momentary one second gap before the replay, it made me realise the siren wasn’t from my music but it was coming from outside. | I sat up to see three Australia lifeguards moving swiftly along the beach blowing whistles and calling people to urgently come out of the water. The siren was endless, a bit like the one you’d associate with air raids during a war. I grabbed by camera and headed down to the shoreline to get a closer look. Standing next to me was a young lady from Perth and I asked her to let me know what was going on. “Two sharks have been spotted close to the beach,” she said.
Suddenly a loud helicopter sound came roaring above.
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With the shark alarm sounding, no one dares swims.
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A Surf Life WA helicopter following the movements of a shark in the water.
| I remember seeing one up beach while we were swimming earlier. She told me the coast guards use helicopters to monitor the waters and any potential threats to swimmers. And the fact that they had been flying around pretty much all afternoon, meant that the inevitable shark alarm was bound to go off. It’s no joke – being shark aware. A local website Shark Alarm has a page dedicated to sightings which practically has daily updates. A large number of people had gathered on the rock jetty where shark movements had been spotted in the water. | | As it was a clear day, water visibility was good. In the frantic rush to get out, one kite surfer lost his foot and his board was left drifting away in the water. I managed to grab a quick chat with one of the lifeguards who was very a-matter-of-fact about the whole thing.
He said that it was dangerous to allow anyone back in the water because of the high shark activity and that the beach would remain closed for at least an hour. Strangely enough, a fatal shark attack occurred on this very beach one year ago. A 64 year old man went for a morning swim whilst his family waited on shore to have breakfast with him. By 9:30am the alarm was raised and eventually his swimming suit was recovered with clear signs of shark bites. That time around, Cottesloe Beach remained shut for two days. |
A number of people gather on the rocks to catch a glimpse of the shark.
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Active in waters around Western Australia - the Great White.
| There are around 370 species of sharks of which over 100 can be found in Western Australian waters. According to the Surf Life WA rescue helicopter service, there have been over 246 shark sightings so far this summer. Ironically, the fact that there is so much shark activity in the area is clear indication of water cleanliness and a healthy marine environment.
I must admit, experiencing a shark warning firsthand has made me slightly wary of swimming in too deep. There was I earlier doing breaststroke in about two metres plus of ocean water, not realising the potential danger lurking further out.
| As another friend in Perth said, he swims in the water and doesn’t even think about sharks because, “if you look for them, you will find them…” he told me eerily. All I can say is a massive respect to the Australian life saving crew – they carry a large responsibility on their shoulders.
 A packed Hengshan Communty Church for Christmas Day service. | The 25th itself was a very different affair for us. There was no turkey, no Christmas crackers with terrible jokes, no Brussels sprouts (thank God!) and definitely no Queens speech broadcast live on CC TV (China Central Television).
There was, however, one tradition we managed to uphold and that was attending a Christmas morning service at Hengshan Community Church. Usually there are two English-speaking services on a Sunday, but on Christmas Day there was just the one at 11am.
| Combining the normal Sunday attendance plus the expected seasonal extras – the main hall and overflow areas were filled to capacity. Led by Pastor Dale Cuckow from the US, we enjoyed singing a number of traditional carols surrounded by an indoor winter wonderland of twinkling lights and a grand Christmas tree with a bright yellow star perched on top. There was a heart-warming segment where a couple of Sunday school teachers dressed up as Old Testament characters Abraham and Sarah with many of the congregation’s children sat up front listening to the Christmas story unfold. | In just over an hour the service had finished. Slowly, one after another, we spotted various friends who we greeted with hugs and kisses. Everyone was in a festive mood as we took photos and chatted about our plans for the rest of the day. By the Church’s entrance stood a short elegant lady in a long winter coat with her hair kept up in a stylish clip. It was Miranda, our Shanghainese mama (as we call her), who was hosting us for the day. And so, our Christmas got a very Chinese makeover.
|  (left to right) Lezil, Graham, Christal, Shanae. | In addition to Miranda’s friend Connie, we also had two of our friends join us – Sunni and Lee, both who are Chinese but of Swedish and Norwegian nationalities respectively. Miranda had decided to avoid the overly priced western restaurants opting instead for a locally run Chinese joint for lunch. It was already 1pm and as most Chinese love to have lunch early (11am), the place was pretty empty by the time we sat at our circular table.
 Random TWA poster in a traditional Chinese restaurant. | One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the randomness of some of the décor choice of Chinese restaurant owners. Inside, you had the usual Asian good luck signs dotted about. But among the paw-swinging cats and money-bringing charms were destination airline posters including one advertising New York City by bankrupted airline TWA. Glimpsing at the menu, we left it to our Chinese friends to order as the entire selection was in Chinese characters (still haven’t got the hang of it yet). Miranda pointed out, that there are very few other cultures in the world which can rival the Chinese when it comes to food variety. And as if to hammer home the point, over 15 dishes of meats, vegetables, sauces and cold entrées were ordered.
Fitting together like puzzle pieces, each plate was squeezed on to an elevated round glass platform in the middle of the table.
| | Steadily, we moved it around as we all helped ourselves to delicious morsels of bites which ranged from the very spicy to the tastefully sweet. There something about continually eating with small bits of food using chopsticks that fills you up quickly. Unlike the western way of one plate to the one person, where we shared and ate to our heart’s content and still at the end of it, we couldn’t finish it all having to dao bao (takeaway box) it for later. Total bill RMB 320 (£32) for six people including unlimited Chinese green tea. No Western restaurant’s Christmas menu would come close to that amount. |  Our magnificent Chinese Christmas feast. |  Setting up the mahjong tiles for the next game. | The traffic outside was at its normal midweek tempo and we had to wait a good 15 minutes until we eventually hailed an available taxi. A half an hour ride to the west of the city and we arrived at Miranda’s two bedroom apartment located in a neat urbanised complex. There were plenty more guests to arrive later that evening. To wile away the hours, out came a box of newly bought mahjong pieces – a popular Chinese pastime. With traces of the game rummy, mahjong and its 136 tiles was a lot more intricate as we had to learn and remember Chinese characters for the numbers and the four winds – North, South, East and West. Not to mention using terms like ‘pong’ (three identical tiles) or ‘chow’ (sequenced tiles)
| | Even the start of the game had a specific process. Tiles facedown, everyone used both hands to mix them up before creating four two-tiled walls all starting from each corner of the table. A roll of the dice determined who went first and then picking the tiles had to run in a pre-determined order. There was a kind of ceremonial finesse that you don’t ever see in Western games of this nature. Connie was our teacher and very quickly, Lezil seemed to catch on to the strategy involved in winning. “This one, very smart,” said Connie with her thumbs up as she grinned at Lezil.
|  Lezil on a winning streak in mahjong! | Despite the obvious linguistic disadvantage, Lezil rapidly transformed into a ruthless player even beating Connie – the master – at her own game. Both skill and luck are honourable elements in Chinese culture and that afternoon, Lezil combined the two taking home eight games in the five hours we played. No one could quite believe it. I joked with Connie telling her that I will be grooming my wife to be a champion mahjong player, ready to win us some big bucks.
 Incredible Christmas Day host and our wonderful friend, Miranda. | Whilst we were busy outdoing each other on the mahjong table in the living room, Miranda had coordinated a feast even greater in variety than our lunchtime experience. It was already 8pm and the rest of Miranda’s closest friends had arrived. Most of them were from the south and therefore Cantonese speaking which was a stark difference to the Mandarin that Lezil and I were used to.
Huge steaming pots of food were laid out, centred around a rice cooker. Each person grabbed a ceramic bowl and chopsticks, thus beginning the second eating-fest. A truly memorable way to spend Christmas in China. But the night was far from over for us. We had one more item to tick off the to-do list. Thanking Miranda for an awesome time, we jumped in another cab speeding back towards the city centre.
| A table spread of Caribbean dishes awaited us at our friend’s place. Camille, a teacher from Jamaica, has long been our partying buddy, especially at every party organised by the Caribbean Association in China. It was already late but Camille was gracious enough to have kept some food aside for us. Having stuffed ourselves twice that day already, all we could muster was a nicely seasoned vegetable broth and homemade apple pie courtesy of the lovely Christal who is also renowned for her Caribbean Banana Bread.
The other guests left shortly after we arrived. So it was just the three of us – Lezil, myself and Camille. Making ourselves comfortable on her large furry rug, we talked about the year that was 2012 and expectations for the coming year. Personally, I am more of a fan of one-to-one or small group conversations. I find you get to really experience more depth and insight into a person’s thinking. Camille is one such person who is so vibrant and positive that you can’t but help feel inspired to grab life with both hands and get the most out of it. And that had to be one of the best gifts she could have shared with us. Plus, we left Camille’s apartment with enough Jamaican dishes for lunch and dinner the following day. What a Christmas Day!
 Outside Hengshan Community Church.  With our friends (left to right) Sunni and Lee.  Lezil with friend Snow.  With my buddy Vova from the Ukraine.  Friends at Christmas Day service.  Christmas Day lunch - Chinese style!  Back at Miranda's - opening our Christmas gift.  Getting into the serious business of mahjong.  I manage to win just the one game!  People enjoying Miranda's incredible cooking.
 Coming together at Alex and Kwandi's apartment for Christmas Eve dinner! | Christmas as an actual holiday in China is non-existent. Most of my colleagues actually had to work on Christmas Day, but I thankfully had the one day off. This year, we were honoured enough to have been invited to a number of places to share in the festivities.
Most foreigners who stay in Shanghai for the holidays are away from their families and so it only makes sense that people would gravitate towards one another to re-create that feeling of belonging. For our friend Kwandi this couldn’t have been more relevant. “God’s love at Christmas has always been real for me through the love of my family. This year it was through the love of my friends…,”she said.
| Together with her French flatmate Alex, they had organised an intimate Christmas Eve dinner for eight people. And it was a right multi-cultural mix of nationalities from Spain, Italy, Indonesia, Haiti, Zimbabwe, USA and of course Lezil and I.
 Opening presents at the table. The warm heating in their spacious apartment had hints of oven baked potatoes wafting from the kitchen. Dinner was in the last stages of preparation and as an appetizer, bowls of avocado mix with tortilla chips were washed down with bubbly cups of champagne. The dining table had been decoratively laid out in Christmas-themed colours and snowmen napkins. And on each plate was a neatly wrapped present with a personalised tag. “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without opening some presents,” laughed Alex as we sat in our appointed places.
Suddenly we had all become like kids excitedly opening our unexpected gifts. Each gift had been thoughtfully chosen - they couldn’t have got it more right. For me, I was given a bright neon-green tie (yes, I like my bold colours!) and Lezil a blue and grey shawl. Then followed a hearty meal of: chicken stew, broccoli and cauliflower pie, roast potatoes and pork and chestnut stuffing. Adding in the continental touch, Alex put together an excellent cheese board accompanied by freshly baked pieces of French baguette. I was in total cheese-heaven! A fridge-chilled raspberry Pavlova was the ideal dessert to round off the meal.
 Delicious dessert - Pavlova. | With such a broad selection of identities around that table, conversation was thoroughly enlightening. But it was Spaniard Haritz's recount of his near-death experience in Tibet that had us all gripped like teenagers around a camp fire listening to a spooky story. Having adapted badly to the high altitude, he ended up passing out in his hotel room only to be discovered 24 hours later barely alive and unconscious. Eight gruelling days of hit and miss had his friends on tendon hooks wondering if they would ever see him back to his former self, let alone speak. Much to the doctor’s amazement, he made a remarkable recover and a couple of weeks later he was making his way back to Shanghai.
If there was ever a time to be thankful for good health and loyal friends – Haritz's story definitely encompassed all those sentiments.
| Being so far from all that is familiar, it could be easy to complain about what seasonal traditions might be missing. But just the simplicity of having good people around you to share experiences with, despite not being obvious family, does make the feeling of gratitude all the more vivid. I’m thankful for life, thankful for my wife and thankful that I do have such wonderful people both physically near and far. Thank you Lord!  Saying a prayer before eating. |  Around the Christmas dining table! |
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