Montville Magic

The Sunshine Coast is a destination I have been fortunate enough to visit on numerous occasions, so when we found ourselves with some airline tickets to use, I thought we would spend a little time in the one place I hadn't been, the picturesque little town of Montville.

Eumundi Markets

We drove from the airport via Eumundi. On Wednesdays and Saturdays they have an incredible, eclectic market that offers everything from Organic soap to Hula Hoops!, I bought some strawberries grown on a local Glasshouse Mountain farm, that were the best I have ever eaten, so sweet, it was like they had been soaked in sugar. After keeping Ian happy by finding a German Sausage stand, I was free to wander and take it all in, amazingly we were even lucky enough to see a Diamond Python climbing one of the trees, I found it fascinating, Ian spent the remainder of the visit looking up in fear..

Montville is located 30 minutes from Maroochydore and the Sunshine Coast Airport, it is 430 metres above sea level and has a residential population of about 350 people. On the weekends and school holidays, I suspect the population would double!

The View from a Lookout just out of Montville

This time of year, it is a beautiful winter getaway, the days were crisp and sunny and the nights were cold enough to sit happily by a log fire with a warming glass of red!

We stayed at a lovely property named 'The Falls Rainforest Cottages', adjacent to Kondalilla Falls National Park, about 1 minutes drive from the centre of Montville. Our lovely host, Denise, sat down and gave us advice on local restaurants, walks and the general area, before taking us personally to our beautiful cottage.

Tamarind Cottage

Nice Spa with a view

Our lovely rainforest outlook

Tamarind Lodge is situated about 100 metres from the main house, nestled in amongst the rainforest growth, it felt like a world away, the only indication of other cottages around were plumes of smoke rising from within them.

Walking to our Cottage

We wandered around the quaint little shops of Montville, they offer everything from Swiss Cuckoo clocks to Homemade fudge to beautiful antiques, then when tired of shopping (Ian more so than me!), we enjoyed a lovely Devonshire tea overlooking the valley and the beaches along the coast.

Montville

After stocking up on Triple Camembert and Smoked Chedder from Maleny Cheese, we spent the next few

 days enjoying the log fire and the misty rainforest outlook from our retreat. The excuse of stormy weather, meant we could justify lazing around and doing a whole lot of not much!

 A wonderful getaway and a perfect chance to see a little bit more of this lovely country of ours!

Cambodia- Land of Smiles (Part 2)

After our interesting snack stop, we continued on our way until we reached Chheng Ek Village, better known to most as the 'Killing Fields'.
During 1975-1979, Ultra communist Khmer Rouge Regime (UCKRR) converted Choeung Ek into the most barbaric killing field on earth. The regime lead by the infamous Pol Pot slaughtered people in the thousands without mercy and buried them in mass graves. In the years that the Khmer Rouge was in power (around 5 years), almost 1/3 of the country's men, women, children were killed.
I have visited a number of places during my travels that have stirred emotions within me, but nothing to the extent of Chheng Ek. I wandered aimlessly around the area with tears streaming down my face. The horror and the tragedy is incomprehensible, even more so because of how recently this all occurred and the fact that the entire world was oblivious to it!
During heavy rainfall, clothing and bones can still be uncovered on pathways around the area, a gruesome and confronting sight, unfortunately, just one of many at Chheng Ek. Two such things in particular stood out for me, the 'Magic Tree' and the Memorial Stupor. The 'Magic Tree' is a Banyan tree from which a loudspeaker was hung that played revolutionary tunes while people were being tortured, it drowned out the sounds so that no one could hear what was taking place!

Clothing that the rain has exposed

The Magic Tree

 The Memorial Stupor was constructed in 1988 as a lasting reminder of the Khmer Rouge period. It is 62 metres high and contains 8,985 skulls, a tragically awe inspiring site.

The Memorial Stupa at Chheng Ek



8985 Skulls are in the Memorial Stupor


Our next stop was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. This horrific place was better known at S-21, formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School. It was converted into a place of torture, the sole purpose of which was to extract confessions from political prisoners before they were taken away for execution. Nearly 20,000 people are known to have entered Tuol Sleng; of these only six are known to have survived.

The most upsetting part of the visit to Tuol Sleng were the pictures. When the soldiers fled, they left behind over 5000 pictures, many of young children and they are all on show in the Museum, a heartbreaking display to say the least.

The exterior of the Tuol Sleng Museum



The pictures of the children were the most heartbreaking



Some of the 5000 photos on display in Tuol Sleng Museum


The trip on to our hotel in Phnom Penh was a very quiet one for the group, each of us lost in our own thoughts and degrees of sadness. Travelling is obviously about relaxing and having fun in the countries you visit, but another huge element is learning about the rich history and culture, both good and bad and in a country like Cambodia, both play significant roles in shaping the country into what it is today.

The next few days we spent exploring the capital Phnom Penh. We took in the Central Market, the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the Riverfront area. Our highlight was dinner at the 'Friends' restaurant, a restaurant run by Mith Samlanh that provides street youths training in the hospitality industry. They were the most wonderful children, so polite and friendly and it is always so nice to be able to give something back.

Have a look at the 'Friends' website below-
http://www.friends-international.org/

The Silver Pagoda

Mum and I enjoying dinner at 'Friends'

Meat for dinner anyone?

After saying goodbye to Pnom Penh we headed south to the relaxed beach area of Sihanoukville for a few days R & R. We relaxed on the beach, drank fruit shakes (some of the group tried 'happy' shakes) and spent time at the 'Starfish Bakery & Cafe', an NGO run garden cafe that offers a little oasis for weary travellers. Starfish provides employment opportunities for Cambodian people with disabilities. All employees suffer from some form of physical disability which makes it difficult for them to obtain employment elsewhere. We enjoyed coffee, cakes, head massages and I even managed to spend the remainder of my money in the store! I never can resist the combination of shopping and helping out the local people!!

Jodie enjoying a fruit shake

Mum and I relaxing at the beach in Sihanoukville



The peaceful beach in Sihanoukville

 One of the most amazing things we saw whilst in Sihanoukville was a hospital patient being driven home from hospital on the back of a motorbike, hospital gown flapping open at the back and drip pole in hand! It made us feel like the idea of using an ambulance is being a bit precious, maybe we Westerners need to tough up a little!

The trip concluded with a night on the Thai island of Koh Chang, we had a wonderful afternoon drinking cocktails by the pool, followed by a seafood dinner on the beach and a drink watching Fire twirlers, a brave venture that was as scary to watch as it was fascinating.

Relaxing by the pool in Koh Chang

Jodie and I having a laugh in Koh Chang



Fire Twirlers



Fire Twirlers

In conclusion, Cambodia is a country that pushed many emotional boundaries for me. I fell in love with the beautiful people, incredible souls who are so optimistic and positive about their future, even given the fact that so many of their family members had their own futures tragically taken from them. I think we could all learn a lot about resilience, forgiveness and healing from the people of this wonderful country.

This blog is dedicated to my wonderful friend and true sister Jodie, you are an inspiration to me and the world would be a better place if more people had a heart like yours.

Cambodia- Land of Smiles (Part 1)

Sometimes you enjoy holidays that feel like they last forever and other times, the trip is over before you know it! For me, Cambodia was a combination of both and therefore I am going to dedicate 2 blogs to ensure I do not miss sharing a single moment with you!

The Kingdom of Cambodia is unique; a contrast of beauty, tragedy, warmth and fascination.

Being the intrepid adventurers that we are, Mum and I opted not to fly in comfort from Bangkok to Siem Reap, choosing instead to suffer through a 12 hour marathon ride over some of the worst roads in existence! Add to that our wise decision not to opt for the comfort of the jeep cabin, preferring instead to perch ourselves precariously on tyres in the back (you can't really experience a country from inside the car Mum!), throw in a Monsoon storm of torrential proportions and you can imagine the result! We arrived at the guesthouse, met up with the remainder of the group who were dry, relaxed and well into their afternoon drinks, the decision was made then and there always to choose comfort over adventure!!

How to travel in style....

A pre dawn wake up call the following morning dragged us out of bed and had us wondering what could possibly be worth the sacrifice of many more hours of slumber! Bleary eyed, we boarded our mini bus and made our way to Angkor Wat. The pre dawn darkness was so complete that our little torch beam did little to guide the way, but huddled together in a little group, we stumbled along until we found our viewing spot. Some entrepreneurial Cambodian teenagers were waiting with the offer of a plastic chair to anyone who bought coffee, needless to say, they did very well that morning!

As the sky began to get light and the sun eventually rose, I realised it was well worth the sacrifice of sleep and is something that everyone visiting this beautiful country should do- absolutely magic!

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

The ruins of Angkor are located amid forests and farmland near Siem Reap and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are over 1000 temples, ranging in scale from rubble to the incredible Angkor Wat, which is widely renowned as the world's largest single religious monument.  We spent the entire day exploring and barely scratched the surface.

The incredible ruins at Angkor

Not a climb for the faint hearted!

When visiting countries like Cambodia, I think it is so important to give back as much as you can. Whether it is buying locally made products, eating at local restaurants or visiting children in orphanages, the choice is yours. For us, we decided to donate blood to the children's hospital in Siem Reap.
This may sound like a good option for most people, but for me, it was a terrifying prospect, giving blood is something I had never been able to do, partly because of my fear of needles and partly because the sight of blood tends to make me faint!
I regretted my decision for the entire Tuk Tuk ride over, but I tell you, the minute we pulled up outside the hospital and saw the queue of families with sad, sick little children, I realised I had made the right choice. Such a small thing on our part can make such a huge difference to so many people!

The pin prick was bad enough!

Mum and I being brave and donating blood at the Children's Hospital

After recovering from my act of bravery, we took a day trip to Tonle Sap Lake. This lake is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and provides half of the fish that Cambodia consumes annually. We took a boat ride through the Chong Kneas floating village and got a taste of how the villagers live- it is quite incredible, floating schools, hospitals etc.. unfortunately it is a bit of a tourist trap, we stopped for a drink at a floating restaurant and we bought bananas off children who appeared in droves out of nowhere!! Very cute, but very smooth talkers. If you get a chance to visit the Lake, make sure you allocate some additional time so you can visit some of the villages that are a bit further away and a bit less crowded. Either way though, it is well worth a visit!

Mum and I enjoying the boat ride through the Chong Kneas Floating Village

A different take on a day at school!

Making friends with the local children

The children are water babies

Bananas anyone?

After leaving Siem Reap, we began our journey south to Phnom Penh, stopping on the way for treats of a different kind. Where else in the world can you pull up at a rest stop and buy live spiders or fried crickets for an afternoon snack? Amazing and disturbing in equal quantities for me!

Hungry anyone?

Some cooked snacks...

I will end part 1 here, stay tuned for part 2 in a couple of weeks!!!

South West Rocks with the family!!!!

For some, the idea of a long weekend away with family is more of a torture treatment than a holiday!

I am very blessed to have a family that are all a bundle of fun and wonderful, caring people to boot.

We have begun an annual tradition of spending the Easter break camping in South West Rocks, a great

chance to relax, eat and catch up. I am constantly amazed at how fast the time flies by these days, so I think spending time with people we care about is something we should all be doing more of. Never have any regrets!

South West Rocks is a beautiful part of Australia located about 6 hours drive north from Sydney. There are a number

of campsites in the area but we stay at the Trial Bay Eco Park, it is 7.5 acres in size and surrounded by the Hat Head

National Park. There is a Saltwater Lagoon at the southern end, Trial Bay Beach is just around the corner and the town is a short drive away. Kangaroos also roam freely around the park and the set up for children is unrivalled. Being an Easter weekend, the Park put on an endless number of free activities for the kids, Easter egg hunts, a visit from the Rural Fire service, craft activities and even a sausage sizzle. Some parents didn't see their children the entire holiday!

After hitting the road at stupid'o'clock (or 5am to some), we made it to Trial Bay by lunchtime and not being campers, we checked in to our lovely little cabin, we like to call it posh camping!

The first afternoon we all piled into my cousins' 4WD and hit the beach to fish; one of the joys of living in a country like Australia is having beaches that are long enough and uninhabited enough to be driven along!

Can you imagine the feeling of  cruising along the sand and watching waves break alongside the car? It was fantastic!

Driving on the Beach

Now, not being a fisherwoman from way back, I was incredibly proud of myself when I managed to lodge a very much alive worm onto a tiny hook, not a whole heap of fun, but worth it when I landed my fish!

What a catch!!!

Fishing on the beach

The afternoon success continued when we checked our traps and found that we had managed to catch a lovely mud crab. Luckily for me, not everyone in the family cares for mud crab, so I happily devoured the whole thing myself. Does it honestly get better than eating fresh mud crab that has been caught barely an hour earlier?

A little different from the deli counter at Woolies, I must say!!

The Mud crabs were not so keen to jump in the bucket!

And this may be the reason why...

There is only one way to eat Mud crabs when camping

As well as fishing, crabbing and relaxing, we also spent an afternoon playing barefoot bowls at the local club, took part in a moving ANZAC Day Dawn service and visited the South West Rocks markets at Horseshoe Bay.

Mum and Cath at the South West Rocks Markets

 

Some Quirky Wind Chimes (purchase info below)

We even spoilt ourselves with a lunch one day at the Trial Bay Kiosk. We sat on the verandah and soaked up the unseasonably warm midday sun, drank a great bottle of white wine and savoured a lovely meal. The staff were faultless and I would go back for that reason alone, well that and the resident Kookaburra who provided us with entertainment as he stole food off diners plates! Needless to say, we were not victims or we may not have found it so amusing!

Lunch with the family

The cheeky Kookaburra

All the adventures and activities aside, the best times on the weekend away were those spent around the campsite, enjoying a drink, some nibbles and quality time with family. May it be a tradition that continues for many years to come.

Wind chimes can be purchased from Frances Robinson- 02 6568 2284