The bourgeoi-Vieve

Day 7 - Surin Beach

nobody@vox.com(C&N&Gen) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:26:34 +1000

The first time we went to Surin Beach, we found a few shops where we might want to buy a few gifts. We also found a half-decent coffee there, so we thought it'd be worth another go. Especially, seeing how there was a free shuttle to get there.

So, we were on the beach by 10am. This time, because we'd already been there, Genevieve was pretty keen to go and play on the sand, and in the surf. She also found a couple of local buddies who had some beach toys so that kept her going for an hour or so.

We then wandered up the beachfront to see what was there. Although not as hard-hit as other parts of Phuket, Surin beach did get flooded. It was quite obvious what had been built post-tsunami. It was also reasonably obvious what had been cleaned/fixed post inundation, and what... err... hadn't. There's a big resort about 500m off the beach, and that had a cafe and a club right on the beachfront, with a nice covered path leading back to the resort. (We decided not to get a coffee there - generally, the more Western-looking, the more things cost). We wandered up past a tailor, a general store and many cafes and bars. We finally found one that had a sandwich board out the front that said 'Espresso' and 'Cafe Latte' amongst others... so we thought that was a good bet. That, and the fact that the two women waiting for clientele ran out and started talking to Genevieve.

The coffee was good... VERY good. And cheap. And Genevieve's regular orange juice was the same as it always was - full of ice and sugar... more the 'Tang' side of orange juice really.

We walked back down and had another paddle in the beach. We then went back to the roadside and bought a few things to take home, and a few ice-creams. Lunch was a rarity. Rare, because we had the same as we'd had before. The BBQ chicken was SO good last time, I felt the need to have it again. And we all enjoyed the banana pancakes (the pancake being made from a rubbery dough). So it was 'same again thanks'. They were both sourced from a row of vendors in the beach carpark. This crew arrives every morning, and leave at the end of the day. How do they get there? Well... their BBQ, or fridge, or flat grill, or gas ring with pot for soup, or whatever, is on a sidecar attached to their 100-125cc motorscooter. Yep... just put-put down in the morning, and then ride it home again that night. You often see them on the commute, on the road.

After lunch, we needed a few supplies so Naomi took Genevieve to a playground about 200m from the beachfront, and I wandered off about a 1km up the road to the closes 7-eleven (I reckon there's one every 2-3 km all over Phuket... even in the middle of the jungle!) So, all stocked up with jellies, mixer drinks, milk and other things, we headed back. A quick hit of the ATM and then back down to the beachfront to catch the shuttle - and just in time, as the rain was about to hit. Genevieve slept well after what was a few hours at the beach. When she woke up, she could watch the footy on the Australian cable channel.

One of our purchases was an inflatable car... errr... boat... errr 'carboat' for the pool. So the 'carboat' it was deemed, forevermore. Dinner was down on the deck again... except this time, we remembered the mosquito repellent. (We did learn, eventually).

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Meeting someone else from BubClub

nobody@vox.com(C&N&Gen) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 11:53:55 +1100

We organised a BubClub meet earlier in the year, and managed to get one person turn up.

But, seeing how we were heading to Adelaide, it was a chance to finally meet Sami and her daughter Melissa. Sami had only recently got her driver's licence, and drove to meet up with us at our place at West Beach.

We had a cuppa, and the girls sorta played separately. Then we walked the block to the beach and that's when they really started to get along.

So yeah - can't recommend http://www.bubclub.com.au highly enough. Full of the nicest people!

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Weekend at the beach

nobody@vox.com(C&N&Gen) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:56:07 +1100

After our big weekend of Around the Bay in a Day, we decided we needed a little rest and recreation. We had stayed at Tobermory Cottage in Barwon Heads a few years ago, and we thought it'd be a good spot with kids. It supplies a dinner and a braekfast and is close to the main shopping strip, as well as a 5 min drive from the Ocean Grove surf beach. So we booked it with Genevieve's boyfriend harry, and his parents Tim and 'Chele.

We headed down on the Friday after lunch (Vievey had swimming in the morning and then both kids could sleep for the journey down). The backyard was great for letting the kids run around and tire themselves out. Probably the longest either of them had been out of doors in a single day. The hammock and the swing were both big hits.

Saturday was scheduled to be a hot one, so we got down to the beach early for a surf. Whilst the adults took thruns catching a few waves (thankfully, those skills hadn't been forgotten), the juniors were kept amused with sand, buckets of seawater and stairs. Our friend Andrea, who lives in Barwon Heads also swung by.

We chilled out in the backyard all afternoon, shaded by trees and a market umbrella. Genevieve discovered the Australian joy of a lemonade icy-pole on a hot day. It was supposed to be Daddy's, but he didn't get much. It was Fish and Chips for dinner and a few more drinks (of course), once the kids were asleep.

Sunday was both windy and cool (with no swell) so we relaxed again before packing up and heading home. We'll definitely book this place again - and we'll certainly get down to surf a few more times over Summer. Especially once the water warms up a tad.

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