Australia 8/19/2022 - 9/6/2022 |
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Thursday 9/1/2022 - Araluen Botanic Park Tulip FestivalWe woke up at 9:15 a.m., and Sonam Tshering returned home from work shortly after 10 o'clock. Luckily, things at work had not blown up too badly in his absence over the past few days.We had breakfast: coffee, delicious sausage and onion subs, and scrambled eggs. The Sonams sure are great cooks, and they were spoiling us with all of this tasty food! At around 11:30, we left for Araluen Botanic Park to experience the tulip festival. We had seen photos of the Sonams amongst the tulips in past years, and it seemed like a really cool place to visit. We left Perth and its suburbs behind and drove into the country. It took about 30 minutes to get there, and there was a long line of cars entering. It was a weekday, but maybe people were coming in on their lunchbreak? After waiting a few minutes, we were let in and found a place to park. It was without a doubt the furthest parking spot in the place, which is kind of ironic since Craig walks with a cane. There was a queue of people waiting to buy entrance tickets, but another employee came on the scene and started helping others in the line, so it actually went pretty quickly. We entered the botanic park, which has been in existence for 90 years. The park comprises 34 acres. According to their website: In the late 1920s the founder of the Young Australia League JJ “Boss” Simons was drawn to this valley in pursuit of his dream to create a weekend retreat where YAL members could experience the outdoor life. Whenever YAL members travelled the world they were encouraged to bring back plants for Araluen as they developed the Park gardens which was to complement the aesthetic appeal of the Canadian-style log cabins, water features, and pergolas.The park is beautiful and expansive. We entered near a pond (made from a dammed river) which was flanked by a pergola. The weather was beautiful, with sun and blue skies. There were plenty of trees to provide shade. Signs (and the map that they give you when you enter) contain a QR code which can be scanned to give you a "augmented reality" experience to "chase fairies and catch frogs." We didn't try it out, but it seems like an interesting idea to try to get younger kids engaged with the park. The park is situated on a hill, and there was an adorable small train/tram which would take you up the hill. We thought this might be a good idea; we could take the train up and then walk back down. But it turned out that the train was booked until late afternoon. We decided not to wait, and instead walked up the hill on foot. At first, it seemed like we were just walking from parking lot to parking lot, but we eventually made our way up the hill to the main tulip beds. Depending on what time of year you come, you will see different flowers (roses weren't in season now, but tulips certainly were!) There were over 120,000 tulips of different colors and varieties. Their colors were exquisite in the mid-afternoon sunlight. We saw many bees at work pollinating them. There were also orange flowers that looked like bottle brushes that were a favorite of the bees. There were many people gathered on the main lawn and at the tulip beds, but as we wandered along the wooded pathways we soon found some places which were much less populated. We saw camellias, azaleas, and grand magnolia trees in bloom. We found some public restrooms that were located in trailers, and they were incredibly clean and well appointed. We found a secluded picnic grove near the river where we sat at a picnic table for lunch. There was a large hollow log on the ground and we took some photos of Craig peeking through. Birds gathered as we set up our picnic. The Sonams had packed egg salad sandwiches, seaweed crisps, peanuts, and chips for a nice picnic. Sonam Choki had also prepared some glasses to drink apple juice, but Sonam Tshering had forgotten to pack them. So we had to improvise and drink apple juice out of the lightweight plastic seaweed containers. Much laughter ensued. We crossed the river via some stepping stones and continued our exploration of the gardens. We took more photos by the gorgeous tulip beds, and then took a wooded trail to a manicured waterfall which descended through stone walls and flower beds. The late afternoon sun made the surroundings glow. At around 4:15, we made our way back to the entrance area. We had every intention of buying an ice cream from the ice cream truck. However, the ice cream truck had closed up for the day. Luckily for us, the smoothie vendor was still open. Sonam Choki, Craig, and I each got a mango smoothie, and Sonam Tshering got a fresh watermelon juice. We sat enjoying them on the periphery of the main lawn, watching a steady stream of people hit up the smoothie stand before leaving the park. The ice cream truck's loss was certainly the smoothie vendor's gain. We made our way back to the car, and then drove for half an hour to return to the Sonams' apartment after a lovely outing. We chatted and had a cooking lesson: the Sonams taught us how to make Bhutanese ema datshi (chilies and cheese) and kiwa datshi (potatoes and cheese). I took notes so that I would remember how to make them for Craig, who absolutely loves chilies. We enjoyed the dishes with paratha and rice, cider and beer. The Sonams showed us some of the funny Tik-Toks that they have made with their friends. They showed us how the silly filters work, and we made a couple of videos together. So this is what the kids do for fun these days! We know that our godchildren in Ecuador love making Tik-Toks, but we had never really seen how it works. We felt old but had a lot of laughs. We went to bed at 10:30 p.m. |
 Tulips and a picnic at Araluen Botanic Park  Steph and Craig  The Sonams and Craig after our picnic  Steph and Craig  Sonam Choki and Sonam Tshering  Araluen Botanic Park See all photos from September 1 |
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