Hols in Oz

Something that was a major consideration when we came to Brunei was that we could travel and see places that it is unlikely we would have ever gone to.

The main ones were Australia and New Zealand, so we took the plunge and booked a week in Perth, WA as it is the closest at only 5 hours flight time and no time differene.

We stayed at the Novotel Langley which was very central, however a word of caution, if you value a good nights sleep then it is not the place to go as the beds were awful.

I really hadn't thought that much about going or what I would expect, but surprisingly Perth reminded me of a really big Edinburgh. Loads of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars with a real eclectic mix of people. Although I have to say it didn't seem to be that easy to find somewhere centrally to eat with 2 small children, so I think that if or when we go back a hire car would be a must.

We went as total tourists and decided that we would hit as many of the main tourist hot spots as possible. First we went to Perth Zoo, took a taxi from the hotel and got there in no time, our taxi driver was really friendly and gave us lots of information and told us where we could get the ferry or bus back to the hotel once we'd finished.

As Amelie is only 3 and often thinks that walking is something that she shouldn't have to do on a regular basis we decided to hire a buggy, this was $12 to hire and well worth the money, there was a little pull along wagon, but the lady advised the buggy as it had a hood and would provide some protection from the sun. This was a lifesaver and made the trip much easier.

We decided to walk it instead of going on one of the guided tours, we got maps (these were a $1 each) and headed off, investigating each section of the zoo. First we went to the Australian Wetlands, then we did the Bushwalk followed by some lunch and before we headed off to the Asian Rainforest and the African Savannah. It was great we saw Kangaroos, Koalas, Lions, Tigers, Wallabies and loads of different birds and reptiles. The girls loved it and the shop was a must so that they could get T-Shirts to mark their visit (plus cuddly toys).

We took the ferry back and then decided to go on the Ferris Wheel, a sort of mini version of the London Eye, this was great and the views of the city were fantastic. We then booked a trip to Fremantle and took the boat ride up the Swann River which was great.

Fremantle was nice, we took a trip on one of the 'hop on, hop off' trams and in doing this we probably saw lots more than if we had just gone on foot, we stopped at the Fishermans Wharf and had our lunch at a place called Cicerellos, fish and chips (naturally) and it was fantastic, all around were massive fish tanks and the food was amazing.

We left there and got back on the tram and carried on with our tour, ending up in the city centre where we had a wander round the shops, this is where I found a second had bookshop which seemed to be employing the rudest person I have ever met, the bookstore was called Elizabeth's Bookshop, personally I cannot recommend this store as when asked a basic question I was told to just "look for the book", I wouldn't have asked if I had found it!!!!!

We also went to the Aquarium at Hillarys Boat Harbour and that was another brilliant experience, which all of us really enjoyed, then we walked over the car park and went to the Naturaliste Marine Discovery Centre (NMDC) which was really interesting and the girls got to touch Sea Stars, Sea Cucumbers and a Bamboo Shark in the touch pool. Once we'd finished we went to eat and then headed back. You could have spent your entire day just at the Harbour as there were loads of shops, cafes and restaurants as well as having the harbour itself where people had their chairs and towels at and were just relaxing.

All in all we all really enjoyed Perth, there was lots more we could have done but we tried to pace ourselves throughout the week. Would love to go back again and go to Rottnest and re-visit some of the sites we went too, people were nice and very helpful (except in the book shop) and with the Fremantle Doctor keeping you cool in the afternoon it was just perfect.

Wildlife

One thing I never really thought about was the different types of wildlife we would have in Brunei. I did have a fleeting thought in relation to mosquitos and other types of creepy crawlies but that was it. Little prepared me for the extremely cheeky monkeys and the mad Hornbills (a type of bird).

The Hornbills here seem to be slightly deranged and fly from a branch in one of the trees at the back of the house right into either our bedroom or dining room window. To start I thought it was simply a mistake, but I stood in our bedroom watching these rather odd birds fly back and forth, hitting the windows and then looking a little shocked. I have tried leaving the blinds down but this seems to make no difference to their crazy behaviour, so I have learnt to accept that when I hear very loud bangs on the windows I know the Hornbills are playing chicken!!

As I also mentioned we have monkeys, so far we have seen 2 different types, a large grey macaque and a smaller (but not by much) brown macaque. So far the only ones to totally plague us are the brown ones, they have no respect for anything and like eating cockroaches and dropping the remains on our veranda. They also adore the bin and like to have a good rummage, I feel that on this one we have deeply disappointed them as we don't put anything out until late at night so it is slim pickings!

On returning from a week away we were shown that they had got hold of a bottle of floor cleaner that was in a box on our veranda and had been biting it, as well as trying to destroy the box it was kept in. Nothing is sacred!

The large grey macaques are amazing and swing through the trees around the perimeter of our garden (you don't see the other monkeys when the grey ones are around). There must be around 30 of them and they a go one by one from tree to tree, I have to say it beats telly...

Other than ants, cockroaches, mosquitos and other buzzy insects we have Monitor Lizards, these also seem to be the main form of road kill! There is also a crocodile that lives up the road and has based its home at the Panaga Club Golf Course, so far have not seen it and in all honesty I am not overly worried about this, I feel that crocodiles are best left alone.