Exploring Salento in the South of Italy with Locals

Travelling in COVID-19 times

Recently governments across Europe produced a list of countries that are able to enter their borders with wishes to travel. Luckily residents of the UK was on Italy’s list with no requirements to quarantine upon arrival.

This is the new way to travel. Government travel guidelines updates are constant and travellers have to check that requirements are met before arriving at the airport. A new form had to be filled if you were flying in from the UK. And everyone’s temperatures were checked at border control.

As soon as Bianca and I passed border control at Brindisi airport, there was so much relief and excitement! In COVID times, making it into a new country with no visa issues or temperature issues feels like an achievement. The flight from Stansted to Brindisi was also only 3 hours worth of anxiety.

Exploring Salento with locals

We were meeting up with Bianca’s friend Francesca and her group of friends in Posto Rosso. Posto Rosso is by the coast and is a one hour drive away from Brindisi airport. We organised a lift with our Airbnb host and his son Andrea (who was visiting from London and speaks English). On the way to our first home in Salento, Andrea and his dad were very lovely to do a pit stop at Sa.Keer and introduced us to our first bite of the famous local sweet pastry called pasticciotto. Here, I also had my first Ginseng, an alternative to the Americano coffee.

Andrea and his dad owns a beautiful guest home minutes away from the water. We were spoiled with sweet figs, tomatoes, pears and many more fruit trees that were waiting to ripen.

With our bikinis on, our first stop to meet Francecsa and her friends was at our doorstep. The water was pristine but you had to go in with rock shoes on. The boys local to the area, Riccardo and Mario were diving for fresh sea urchins with their special knife and sharing the slivers of sea urchin flesh with the rest of the group.

For lunch we drove around the corner to a local shop and ordered a plateful of the fried pizza stuffed with ricotta cheese and other snacks including sandwiches with horse meat which is a local specialty that may sound distasteful to foreigners but can’t be left out of the local food story.

After some time-out at home we were off again to the next beach, a sandy one this time by Isola di Pazze. 

Our first night in Salento was sealed with a magical sunset and moonrise at  a beach bar. But before heading home we stopped by a food truck along the side of the road for a greasy panini with chorizo and the lot.

The next day we went to a big Italian grocer with their own deli and bought speck, fresh mozzarella knots, panini, olives and fresh fruit for our trip to the next beach, Porto Selvaggeo. We also stopped by a shop by the road where I bought my first pair of rock shoes. At the beach I also discovered ice coffee with almond syrup that is sold by locals. It’s my new addiction!

That night we dressed up and drove to a restuarant in Gallipoli for dinner for our 10pm booking. Everyone eats dinner later over here! We ordered many seafood dishes to share around the table including the raw red shrimps that is famous in the region. I’ve never eaten so much raw seafood in my life. They were so fresh, sweet and juicy. We managed to also fit in a seafood pasta dish and dessert. I ordered a divine ricotta and pear cake and finished my night with a limoncello!

The next sandy beach on the list was a short drive away, Baia Verde. 

We finished the day with a visit to the local fish monger for fresh fish, octopus, mussels and prawns for the wood fired oven back at Francesca’s villa. Side dishes also included store bought marinated seafood salads and bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and basil on frise bread (a hard dough dunked in water at the table).

One of my favourite parts of the Salento trip is probably the day we hired boats and took them out for a ride in Santa Maria Di Leuca (and we all took turns driving the boat and pulling/dropping the anchor). We were blessed with great weather on the day. I don’t know how to swim but with the help of Riccardo and Simone I got the life jacket over me and did some snorkelling until I panicked and had to get back on the boat asap again. But being in the middle of the sea for most of the hours of the day was as healing as being in a forest!

The next day, Bianca and I decided to stay local and do some shopping in a small town called Torre San Giovanni. I just had to take a photo with one of the cactus fruit plant! These plants are everywhere in Salento. Fruits are pink on the outside when they are ripe and you can’t pick them with your bare hands because I made this mistake and got pricked all over (I used my face mask in the end as a glove). But the fruit is so delicious. A must try when you see them on the streets. 

In the evening we linked up with our previous Airbnb host Andrea and joined his family for dinner at a local restuarant called La Conchiglia back in Leuca.

On the last day with Francesca and her friends, we did our last road trip to Cala dell’Acquaviva and visited Castro for a nice walk and dinner.

To finish our trip nicely in the South of Italy, Bianca and I stayed a few nights in the beautiful city centre of Lecce, just the two of us and spoiled ourselves with sleep ins and date nights.

Oh what a special trip it was. I cannot wait to visit again. And I look forward to seeing Francesca and everyone back in London. x

Three Day Diary of Life in Lockdown

During the early days of lockdown in the UK where there was a lot of uncertainty and fear, many businesses including Womankind Magazine engaged with their customers by creating social media content that empowered the community to ride out and overcome COVID-19 together. I stumbled across an Instagram post by Womankind asking their readers from all over the world to share a Three Day Diary of Life in Lockdown which was going to be published on their online platform.

Here’s mine…

16.03.20 

I am sitting at Tonkotsu. It’s my second time here. When I walked through the door I got asked to sanitise my hands. The waitress brings me water and my ramen noodle soup with her hands in clinical blue gloves. I actually really appreciate that the restaurant takes these precautions.

I had a strange but good job interview this morning. Dominika has not called me back just yet. I am hoping they are just busy and will get back to me tomorrow. I pray to Buddha and the gods of money to help me out!

While being free today, I also did some art on my blackboard. It is very pretty. It says abundance in the middle and I drew some Australian gum leaves on the side.

19.03.20 

I woke up this morning with a text message from the recruiter. My other job interview for today has been cancelled. Danny the recruiter believes it is linked to coronavirus.

I was looking forward to framing my day around the job interview to help me feel productive and accomplished. The news brought down my mood so I stayed in bed for longer.

I did finally open the window and let the light in, put my phone on silent and picked up The Secret. I am borrowing it from my housemate Bianca. It’s quite inspiring to read a book. There was a really good section that talks about waking early so you can manifest and play out how your day will come about. I get this. This resonates.

20.03.20 

It was hard to wake up this morning. But I looked forward to the jog with Bianca. I got up and was excited that there are eggs that we bought yesterday at the bulk buying organic store. It did cost 45 pence per egg. We also stocked up on olive oil and regular oil. I am feeling quite grateful that there is 3 of us in the house doing our bit and sharing love, food and company with each other.

Bianca also took out the sewing machine from the attic. We’re going to do some sewing lessons between us while we are unemployed.

Last night, I also made vegan Vietnamese banh canh for the house. I thought to do handmade noodles because I knew we were running out of pasta. And I wanted to be rolling some dough and making a yummy soup broth.

Me and my housemate Nick also ended our night with a movie. We watched The Elephant Man by David Lynch. We have been doing a David Lynch marathon since watching his documentary called The Art Life the other day.

 

 

Life in London Starts Now

On the same night that I officially paid my first rent in London, my new housemate Nick invited the house (myself and Bianca) to enjoy a home cooked dinner and a movie for the following evening. That started many more family dinners to come. Nick enjoyed cooking (but vegan only) as much as I do and that brought a homely and cosy-ness to the house. Bianca was the Airbnb queen so she brought the creative ideas and DIY-ness to the table. All three of us were also single which meant that our lifestyles were similar and we had time to form our friendships. I also have to mention that thoughtfulness, sharing and kindness was very common in this household.

One morning Nick took me to the Barbican Centre to see a photography exhibition on Masculinities. I discovered the Barbican Library and signed up to borrow a few books including Normal People by Sally Rooney ( I wrote a review on Goodreads).

Myself and Bianca also had our first trip out as friends. She lent me her bike and we half rode (I’m a massive beginner) to Broadway Market. We chose La Bouche to people watch, read and have a snack. On the way back home we stopped by London Fields to grab a soft serve cone from the parked ice-cream van.

I was also looking forward to a day trip to Brighton with an Australian friend and a date (thanks Hinge) with a Bristol boy who was going to visit London that weekend.

However as the weekend crept up, social media and the news was plagued with rising numbers of COVID-19 deaths all over the world. Lockdown was already in place in countries like Italy, Spain, New Zealand and back home in Australia. There was talk of the UK being next to announce lockdown. It was inevitable that Brighton and a visit from a Bristol boy had to be cancelled.

Lookout for my next blog post where I share three journal entries in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. x

Settling in Hackney Central, London

I was so looking forward to coming back to London (from Manchester) to attend job interviews, enjoy a new suburb and start settling in!

I had a weeklong Airbnb stay in Hackney Central booked whilst I was subletting in Chiswick. The host is a super host, and there is mention of other people living in the home which was comforting as I was very open to meeting locals and making new friends!

I arrived in Hackney Central on a Sunday afternoon. I realised I needed my ritual hair chop for a confidence boost for the week of job interviews. You may have already heard of this top tip via my featured blog post for The Construction Coach! But I was very last minute and the trusty salons nearby were all booked out. My Airbnb host was away in France but was very quick to reply on Whatsapp (super host!) so I thought to reach out to her. Turns out her Airbnb cohost and best friend was a very experienced and trendy hairdresser who lived only a 5 minute walk away AND she was happy to book me in for a trim that night (I think I manifested this)!

On Monday I had interviews scheduled in with two construction recruiters, Randstad and Carmichael. It was a great opportunity to also explore the area while I was at their offices so I made sure I had lunch and tea locally. I was recommended Porterford Butchers in the city by one of the recruiters. They were super busy and have great lunch deals. I had the slow roasted lamb roll which was divine! I was also recommended UNIT SIX CAFE in Stratford for tea and access to the internet and power points.

Porterford Butchers

Tuesday I had an interview with another construction recruiter called Amida Recruitment.

That night my Airbnb host and the other housemate arrived home from their trip in France. I finally met Bianca (Airbnb host) and Nick (other housemate). It explained why the house was empty! There was supposed to be another housemate but he disappeared with all his things when I arrived.

Oblivious to having company that evening I entertained myself by cooking a favourite meatballs with pasta dish. There was lots leftover so I ended up offering Bianca some dinner (and Nick but he is vegan) and she offered me some French goodies. I guess that’s how our friendship started!

Another detail I didn’t realise was that Bianca was going to stay in the room of the housemate who disappeared whilst I continued my Airbnb stay in her room. However, the room was locked and without the key. Myself and Bianca ended up negotiating her sleeping on the sofa in her/my room that night in return for getting my nails done as I discovered that she is a nail technician. You can check out her work here: https://www.instagram.com/nailsartori/.

The following day I met up with a colleague from University who just arrived in London from Amsterdam with a job lined up in transport engineering (well done you!). We had coffee in the area and ended up doing a one hour walk from Angel along the canal to Camden Market. It was a wonderful walk and I was so pleased with the Bookshop on the water with the talking parrot. I felt like I was in another world in there!

On Thursday morning I managed to book in a Vinyasa Yoga Community class for 5 pounds with Paper Dress Yoga down the road. I am told that the space upstairs also hosts gigs and events and sells vintage clothes downstairs. Such a cool place!

On Friday I had my first job interview with a fit-out company. My ex construction manager referred me to the director whom I reached out to on LinkedIn. The Kiwi who sublet the room to me in Chiswick coincidentally also works at this company (it’s a small world!).

That same morning I also caught up with another colleague from University who currently lives in LA with his partner and who also works in a similar job to me! He was visiting his brother (who was my Engineering Mechanics tutor at university!) in London for the weekend. We did a massive shopping spree at Selfridges which I LOVE and for lunch we had jerk chicken, goat curry and plantains at BOXPARK which I also LOVE.

For the rest of my stay I did some work on my podcast and blog on my laptop, read and journalled at two AMAZING vegan and vegetarian cafes right at my doorstep WAVE and PALAETTE. WAVE does healthy smoothies and juices, has free wifi (no power points) and the space is so gorgeous and has Bali vibes. They also hold yoga sessions on Friday mornings and I was yet to go to one but lockdown cancelled this dream! I go to PALAETTE for the banoffee pie, falafels and tea. They are family owned and run and also have free wifi and power points!

I also highly recommend Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak featured above. I found it in the Airbnb room and Bianca later told me it was gifted to her by a good friend who said ‘If you are to read one book in your life, it should be this one!’. I gave the book 5 stars and wrote a review on Goodreads.

When the end of my stay at the Airbnb came around you guessed it…I scored the room next door that was abandoned by the housemate who disappeared! And so my life in London officially began…two weeks before full Lockdown was announced on the 24th of March.

Look out for my next blog post about life as an official tenant in Hackney Central before Lockdown creeped up! x

 

Looking for Work from Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester

Whilst in Chiswick, I put down ‘Manchester’ in the Airbnb search bar and looked out for a room that I vibed with the most. My vibe is cosy, creative, personal touches, fully equipped kitchen, inspiring, female friendly, local restaurants and shops, easy access to public transport, hosts who embed themselves socially locally. I found a gem in Chorlton-cum-Hardy and cannot wait to come back here (https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/40021855)! It’s not the first time I picked a getaway out of a hat. I once put down ‘Victoria’ in the Airbnb search bar and found a gem in the bush in a suburb I’ve never heard of before called Barjarg.

In the past, I enjoyed working on construction jobs in regional areas such as Bendigo and West Gippsland so I wanted to explore the option of settling in a smaller city than London. Manchester had popped up a few times in conversation with people so I didn’t need to look further. My stay in Manchester kick started my job seeking journey. It’s very me to start new projects (i.e job seeking as a new project) in a grand way to get the momentum going. It felt very grand to sit in first class on the Avanti West Coast booked via Trainline for the 3 hour trip. It was also expensive but that is the price I pay for a last minute booking in return for comfort (and complimentary food that I didn’t know about), flexibility and spontaneity.

My first night in Chorlton was a Sunday and my airbnb host recommended that I have a Sunday roast down the road at Mary & Archie which is a very English thing. I was told a Sunday roast always runs out by 3pm to 4pm so you need to get in quick! My dinner (I chose beef) was very delicious and a good amount of salty but I was especially confused by the pastry looking thing called the Yorkshire pudding (I think I need to try it again to like it!).

 

The next morning I met the other airbnb guest name Lisa who was exploring Manchester with the intention to settle there with her partner. Lisa is Irish/English and just recently came back from living in Canada on a two year working visa (similar to what I am doing now in the UK!). She was still working remotely for her company in Canada so I didn’t bump into her much for the rest of the week. I liked that we had the same vibe and booked her in for a dinner date for the end of the week.

For lunch that day I visited the Barbakan and ordered a chorizo roll. I absolutely love butchers that also sell hot food that’s cooked and assembled straight from their fresh produce. The first time I came across this kind of service was in Prague at a butcher called Nase Maso. I did a Nase Maso post on an old food blog with my ex boyfriend called Our Melbourne Kitchen. It still exists because I’m proud of my first food blog and because these recipes are still gold!

Throughout the week I also balanced eating out with cooking quick meals at home and doing the shopping at a cute organic shop called Unicorn Grocery. On the weekends there’s also a man out the front with his cart selling super juicy vegetarian Momos with hot sauce!

When I did stay in to do life admin, look for work and cook at home, I rewarded myself with a visit to the cafe an hour before it closes (it’s quiet at this time) and take my laptop with me. One of my favourites is Tea Hive where they have a wide selection of teas and they also serve it in a deal with 2 sugary scones with jam and cream on the side.

Fast forward to Thursday I decided to leave the suburbs and took a 20 minute bus ride into the city to see the Manchester Art Gallery and the Portico Library (an independent library recommended by Lisa). The Portico Library was so wonderful! Inside was a dome roof and along the perimeter are very old books and journals which you can search up via their manual title cards lookup. At the centre of the room are tables and chairs where you can read and work from, with access to power points also (which is always a win for the busy people). The only catch is that you have to order food from their cafe to be able to sit down. So of course I ordered the fruit toast for 2 pounds.

Thursday night was also date night with Lisa and we agreed on restaurant hopping! We started at a fancy place called Oyster Catcher for entree and wine. I chose the creamy mussels with toasted bread and Lisa had the calamari. For mains, we dropped into a pub called Man Bites Frogs. The atmosphere here was very romantic, warm and quirky with the random bits and bobs in every nook and cranny. We had the soup of the day and more wine. Lisa ordered the mushroom soup and I had the sweet potato soup (I loved the kick of spice in mine!). Our final destination was a Spanish bar called Bar De Tapas where we settled for a ginger and lemon tea and I ordered the goats cheese flan (someone give me the recipe!).

Two other areas close by that I enjoyed visiting is Beech Road for independent shops. Love Lucy Chorlton is a favourite and Lucy also directed me to Ivy Green which is a local forest park. Burton Road in West Didsbury was also very cute for restaurants, bars and more independent shops. The Metropolitan was a favourite for the fire place and the spaciousness where you can comfortably find your own corner to stake out.

By the end of my Manchester trip I secured interviews with two construction recruiters and one job interview with a fit-out company back in London (and none for Manchester).

Lookout for my next blog post about my stay in Hackney Central and my progress regarding my job seeking journey! x

Week One in Chiswick, London

I arrived in London on Valentines day, on the 14th of February this year. It was my first time stepping foot onto UK soil. I received my Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa the week before. I hadn’t found a permanent home to settle into yet. I hadn’t secured a permanent job either. I didn’t believe in planning from the other side of the world.

With little concrete plans, I was comforted by my ability to be agile, to ask for help, to make new friends, to be open minded, to be opportunistic, to be creative, to think outside of the box, to trust that I will be ok. I chose my word for the year to commit to and it is ABUNDANCE, which reminds me that I will receive abundance as long as I keep my eyes, ears and arms wide open!

My blackboard in my current bedroom featuring Australian blooms and calligraphy inspired by https://www.artbyames.com/

My girlfriend who was living in London the previous year linked me to an Aussies in London Facebook group where I secured a weeklong sublet in the suburb of Chiswick in West London. The girl on the other side of the sublet offer was a Kiwi living in London. She gave me some tips including downloading the transport app Citymapper and signing up for the Monzo debit card. From reading the discussions on the Facebook group I also signed up for the VOXI sim card.

The view outside my window in Chiswick 

Can you believe on my first week in London I stuck by the Chiswick suburb rather than hitting up well known London tourist attractions? My location was a walk or train ride away from two very nice suburbs, Hammersmith and Ealing. I’ve summarised some favourite things about these places below. I also did a day trip to Richmond Park so I’ve added some photos from that adventure below too!

Chiswick

The first supermarket chain I came across was the mini Sainsbury. We don’t have mini Safeways or mini Coles back in Melbourne!

My local train station was Acton Town and there is a little cafe next to it called The Apple Tree where I first stopped for a hot chocolate with coconut milk (I’m obsessed with this combo now) before setting off on foot with my luggage to find my first home.

10 minutes walk away on High Street there is a great fishmonger called Blue Ocean, a cheap supermarket chain called Lidl which reminds me of ALDI in Melbourne, a nail salon I liked called Stylish Nails, a convenient beauty store called Superdrug which reminds me of Priceline in Melbourne except they also have their own eyebrow threading/tinting consultant in house (you pay at the counter to receive a ticket).

I also have to mention the Iranian barber shop on the same street as the train station who agreed to do my undercut for 5 pounds. His service was impeccable. He offered me cultural chats and a complimentary bottle of chilled water.

Hammersmith

The first weekend I was living in Chiswick, the tube (underground train line) wasn’t running due to some upgrade works. That gave me a good excuse to walk from home to Hammersmith Train Station where all the main shops are. The walk along Chiswick High road was wonderful as I got a good view of the red double decker buses and ended up catching one home too. On my walk I also came across More Yoga. I later found a good deal on the Mind Body app and attended a few classes with Meechai (https://www.instagram.com/m22chai/) who I’ve added to my favourite yoga teachers list!

The Kiwi girl also recommended me to check out the charity shop (we call it Salvos or the secondhand shop in Melbourne) called TRAID and I scored my first coat fit for London cold weather at such a good price!

TK Maxx is also big in London and it’s become a favourite shop of mine for good quality products at discounted prices including clothes, homewares and bedding.

Another housemate in my Chiswick home (an Aussie in London actually) recommended me to go on a date at Be At One which is a nice cosy bar with a good range of drinks. Myself and the girls (housemates) had a big night here a few days later!

More Yoga on Chiswick High Road

Ealing

I went for a walk to Ealing one morning and really enjoyed seeing the neighbourhood this way. I stopped by a cafe called Gail’s Bakery (there is free wifi here which is convenient as I was still waiting for my sim card to arrive in the mail) to read, journal, have a chocolate croissant and buy a fresh loaf of bread. I would have liked to explore Ealing more but I ran out of time. Sometimes it’s nice to just prioritise a long sit down and enjoy!

Richmond Park

There’s a public park in London where you can see wild deers, squirrels and chestnuts? I was pretty stoked to be here!

Look out for my next blog post about my stay in Manchester on my second week in England! x

Girl’s February Road Trip in Western Australia

@ Injidup Natural Spa, WA

This was our first trip to WA! There were items on the list that we worked our schedule around. We had to stay in at least one tiny house, see Fremantle and Rottnest Island, have food at a winery in Margaret River, go to an open air market, see lots of beaches and visit my cousin whose family is responsible for my parent’s migration to Australia!

We hired a car with Alamo, picked it up at Perth Airport and made our way along the south coast of Western Australia. With only 12 days, we stayed in Perth the first night and then made our way to Margaret River the next morning via a 3 hour drive. From Margaret River we made our way back to Perth via a few nights stop at Fremantle and Perth Hills where our tiny house was.

See below for recommendations for things to do and places to eat!

@ Melbourne Airport, VIC

Perth:

• Visit the free Art Gallery of Western Australia
• Watch a movie at the theatre on a Cheap Tuesday. On this trip we saw Little Women which I highly recommend as it is very sob worthy (We also did this in Adelaide together. It’s a must do with a girlfriend).
• Bring a book, your rug and sunhat to Kingspark and Botanic Garden. The banksias and native trees on display is breathtaking and so vibrant. There’s lots of open space and walking tracks. You can also do the long walk to the Blue Boat House for Instagram worthy photos (we took the car instead).
• Have lunch or dinner at Veggie Mama. I am fussy with my vegetarian food and what they have on offer here is lots of choice and bursts of flavour. The asian stir fry were my favourite! I had the coconut curry with mushroom and tofu, black pepper stir fry and basil stir fry with tofu, capsicum and long green bean.
• Visit the Scarborough Sunset Market by the beach for food, live music, performances (we got to see oversized Japanese kites) and shopping at independent stalls.
• Cottesloe Beach is stunning and so close to the city so make sure you pass by.

@ Kings Park and Botanic Garden, WA

@ Kings Park and Botanic Gardens, WA

@ Blue Boat House, WA

@ Scarborough Sunset Market, WA

@ Cottesloe Beach, WA

The Drive from Perth to Margaret River:

• Buy some fresh sourdough bread at Wild Bakery (we were so lucky that our Airbnb that we later stayed at was 2 mins away).
• Drop by Injidup Natural Spa for clear calm water amongst rocky terrain.

@ Wild Bakery, Fremantle, WA

@ Injidup Natural Spa, WA

Margaret River:

• Visit Margaret River Farmer’s Market. It’s small but I had good pancakes and fresh plums for breakfast and we also bought fresh eggs and Italian biscuits for home.
• Our Airbnb host recommended we watch the sunset at Surfer’s Point. Instead we visited the cafe nearby called The Sea Garden Cafe, left our car and walked there. It was windy but the walk and also seeing the beach was so beautiful!
• Have lunch at Leeuwin Estate Winery. I had the live caught fish with a glass of white and olives on the side. It was sooo good. Lunch at a fancy winery is also more affordable than dinner.
• Go for a morning walk at Hamelin Bay Beach and if you’re lucky see some stingrays in the water and get the chance to have them rub against your legs.
• Drive to The Beer Farm for beers and food in the sun. I had a really good burger here!

@ Surfer’s Point, WA

 

Leeuwin Estate Winery, Margaret River, WA

@ Hamelin Bay Beach, WA

@ Hamelin Bay Beach, WA

Hamelin Bay Beach, WA

Fremantle:

• Do a yoga class at Spanda Yoga. I loved my class here. The teacher went around and sprayed a perfume mist on us whilst we rested in our pose and also did something with her hand on my back that relaxed it so good! Definitely a special treatment class I didn’t expect.
• Shop at the Fremantle Markets for cheap fresh produce to cook a feast at home.
• Do a day trip to Rottnest Island. Book your ticket early for a weekday, for a discounted price. Once you arrive, book a bike and ride your way around to see the beautiful clear water beaches and spot the incredibly cute Quokkas.

@ Rottnest Island, WA

@ Rottnest Island, WA

@ Rottnest Island, WA

@ Rottnest Island, WA

Perth Hills:

• Do the Beelu National Park trail walk and experience the serenity of being in nature alone. We got to see wild flowers, native spiders and other native trees and plants.
• Also see the Kalamunda National Park. We saw an electric blue fairy wren and a lizard’s bum as it was trying to hide from us! It hadn’t been raining so unfortunately we didn’t get to see the Rocky Pool. We only saw the dry and barren catchment area.
• Drive to Lake Leschenaultia for a swim and hangs. We didn’t realise how amazing this lake was and only did a walk around. Can’t wait to come back to this one. It’s a gem and not very busy.

@ Perth Hills, WA

@ Beelu National Park, WA

@ Beelu National Park, WA

@ Kalamunda National Park, WA

@ Lake Leschenaultia, WA

I absolutely loved the weather, spaciousness and nature in WA and I cannot wait to come back here again and explore more! I am also so grateful to share another fun and adventurous interstate trip with my childhood friend Han Nguyen. X