Something special...

On our recent visit to the Gold Coast we visited the Surfers Paradise markets. These markets are a wonderful place to visit on a Friday evening, located along a small stretch of the beach. 

You can find all sorts of goodies including the most beautifully fragrant soap (I spoiled myself with lavender, tea tree-eucalyptus & lemon myrtle, and lavender & geranium) as well as lots of handmade arts and crafts.

Many, many years ago... perhaps around 18 years ago, whilst on a holiday in Brisbane we visited the Riverside Markets. Here I saw a man creating the most amazing pendants I had ever seen. He was using old coins and using a fine saw to cut within the coin. One of the coins he had was a coin from Thailand. I had visited Thailand twice many years ago and it has always held a special place in my heart. Unfortunately I could not afford to buy the pendant at the time, being a young unemployed teenager!

So to cut a long story short, whilst we were at the markets on our holiday we found another guy using the same technique and I was lucky enough to find the same Thai coin I had seen all those years ago. Ok so it wasn't the exact coin but you get the picture.

I wasn't going to let this one go this time...look how special it is.

This is how the coin looked before he turned it into my beautiful pendant.

Spencer also found himself this awesome pendant that had been crafted using a coin from Portugal!

The talent of these artists just blows me away. The work is so fine and detailed.

I also found another artist making name pendants out of wire.

I have always been amazed by the craftsmanship of these pendants, especially as wire, tools and my  hands do not go well together.

Keep in mind this is one piece of wire!

I love my new pendants, especially my Thai pendant that I have wanted for oh so long.

Spencer loves his necklace too and thinks he is now a Pirate of the Caribbean!

Is there something you had seen when you were younger that you wished you bought and have found many years later?

♥ 

Penguins and Dutch chocolate chip ice cream are awesome!

To mark the 2nd day of January 2011 we visited Sea World on the Gold Coast.

The day started with a 2 hour drive to the park... normally around an hour... we didn't realise there was a major music festival taking place across the road from Sea World!

We got there in the end but the three of us were a little frustrated by the time we arrived... let's say that other drivers weren't as patient as us with the definition "road rage" coming to mind!

Anyhoooooooooo.........

They have just installed an awesome new penguin exhibit, Penguin Encounter, which houses some incredibly beautiful King Penguins as well as some smaller Gentoo penguins. 

I could have stood and watched these amazing creatures for hours... I was so intrigued by the way they slept, the way they stood ever so still for ever so long and their stunning feathers.

Another new feature was Castaway Bay... 

...an awesome pirate themed play area for little kids and big kids alike!

Check out these cool pelicans.

Apart from their amazing bills they have such beautiful eyes. 

Look at the gorgeous rings around this guy's eyes as well as the markings on his bill... they almost look like they have been drawn on with a permanent marker!

Sea World wouldn't be what it is without the dolphins.

I didn't manage to get a decent photo of one... they jump out of the water so quickly and well... I was just too slow with the camera!

But here is a shot of Alan and Spencer watching them...honest... there are dolphins under the water!

I love this photo... even without the dolphins! 

My two boys standing side by side... it's amazing to see how tall Spencer is now in comparison to Alan who is quite tall himself!

Here's a shot of Alan and I enjoying a few seconds of quiet time!

I am a sucker for souvenirs so I bought Spencer a cuddly penguin.

Like his polar bear, shark, dolphin and seal adopted from Sea World on recent visits, he and Spencer soon became best friends.

 And of course everyone had to have a cuddle!

On leaving Sea World the traffic was still horrendous. 

It took us nearly 40 minutes just to get out of the car park so to pass the time we took goofy pictures of ourselves!

As it was already 5.30pm we decided to drive into Surfers Paradise for dinner to avoid the traffic on the way home.

Here are a few shots of us at the beach on the day to dinner!

Boys will be boys!

Unfortunately we couldn't get into our usual tiny Chinese restaurant that seats about 15 people but serves the most delicious chicken and sweet corn soup and spring rolls so chose the Thai restaurant opposite.

We discovered this awesome little restaurant in an alley of Asian eateries a few holidays ago. It has a very authentic Asian feel... it almost makes me feel like I am back in Hong Kong.

Every trip we have to the Gold Coast results in at least 2 dinners of soup and spring rolls... and a plate of noodles costing us around $35 for the three of us!

The Thai food was ok... I think the worst thing about the meal was having to sit and watch everyone sitting at the other restaurant eating the food I wanted to be eating!

Oh well... to compensate I treated myself to a cup of Dutch chocolate chip and maple macadamia ice cream from Royal Copenhagen Ice Cream...mmmmm... the chocolate chip is wickedly naughty and I will only admit this publicly once that this is another regular meal for me on the Gold Coast... last trip I had ice cream 3 nights in a row!

But my new motto is if it makes you happy it can't be bad!

♥