Friday, August 31, 2007

Perth City to Surf

Perth City to Surf run was held last week. It was a run from the heart of the city to the beach. I was registered in the wrong category of 12km run, instead of my choice of 4km walk. This run turned out to be the longest run in my life; with the fact that I'm not even a runner or have any training. The run was flagged off from the city with a sea of people numbering close to 30,000 filling up the whole 2km stretch from the starting line. That was a sight to behold, to see so many people and the spirit they carried with them. Unfortunately the event was lashed with thunderstorm rain and strong winds. At certain point in the race, it was really difficult to keep up due to large raindrops splattering on the face coupled with strong cold winds. I managed to cross the finishing line without any incident with a time of 86 minutes. That was off the mark of 60-70 minutes for my category. Nevertheless, I'm proud that I have finished the race and am now 12km certified.


Wednesday, August 29, 2007

King's Park, Perth

One fine weekend, I went up to King's Park, overlooking Swan River and Perth city. The views up there are breathtaking, just perfect for my photography session. After sunset, I headed over to Mill Point Road which is on the other side of Swan riverbank. From there, one can see the lit-up city being reflected on the water.






Sunday, August 12, 2007

Badminton in WA

Introducing Team Jandakot aka SFC. Team members comprise of Timothy, Nicky, Leroy and Hoongji. In our first Western Australia Badminton baddy tourney 2 months ago, we were beaten up pretty badly and came in last. In our second attempt few weeks ago, history was about to repeat in the early games. But we fought our way back and some of us endured cramps till the end of the game. We managed to secure runnersup spot after the brilliant fight back. Congrats and kudos to all team members.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Vineyards and Wines @ Swan Valley

Swan Valley is on the East of Perth, about 30 minutes drive away. This place is one of the well known producer of good wines around Western Australia. A drive down the road will bring one to the countryside with stretching green farms and vineyards, with the Swan river flowing down the valley. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong season to visit because it is winter now. The grapes have been harvested and leaves shed off. I could only see rows of tree trunks and twigs in the vineyard.






On the way, I managed to spot a Qantas A330 on a final approach to Perth Airport.


There are various sizes of wine producers ranging from large commercial to small time home wineries. Big commercial vineyards and wineries normally attract more visitors but they do charge for wine tasting. Small private vineyards are more rundown but one feels homely because the winemakers attend to their visitors closely and allow them to visit the wine cellars. Wine tasting is free and I personally like the wines produced by them. The taste is very unique which is different to those commercially produced.




Lunch break at Elmar's for fresh German beers and sausages.


A trip to Swan Valley is never complete without a visit to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory for that mad chocolate adrenaline rush.