Day 3 in Gold Coast

15 September (Continued)

After our seafood lunch, we made our way to Tropical Fruit World - it's a huge fruit orchard - ah, you can't tell from the photos, not a single photo of a fruit tree. I assure you there were rows and rows of sugar canes, lychee trees, banana trees, papaya trees, pineapples, macadamia nuts - but the place was so huge, we travelled around in a tram and my hands were full holding onto both kids. They somehow decided that it was more fun to stick to mum for some unknown reason. The only photo was that of Peanut cracking macadamia nuts as that was the only stop we made on the ride. We could eat as many as our 'little farmer boy' could crack - heavenly.

The place is full of surprises - mini train ride, boat ride, all the animals (ducks, geese, wallabies, a donkey and sheep) for hand feeding, bunches of hanging mulberries by the banks ripe for our plucking at will. Commercialised for tourists? Absolutely, but great fun for the kids. There was even a fruit tasting session where we get to sample custard apples, papayas (considered exotic for the Aussies and in native speak known as "popo"). Dave, our tour guide in white shirt, must have been wondering why my sons called their grandma "papaya" or probably assumed it was some kind of nickname? Term of endearment in Chinese, perhaps?