#2 My very first time of Courchsurfing

As I said, xt and I were in red.We barely wanted to spend extra money for anything else in the trip, except for daily basis.

We wanted to visit Southwestern Australia, meaning moving down as the picture below. Well, it was a long distance travel and thus we were not gonna turn back to Perth. We had to travel down from Perth to Bunburry to Busselton, Margaret River, Augusta and Pemberton.

For this reason, we were trying to look for some cheap accommodations in Augusta, Margaret River and Bunburry. But to no avail. Mainly because the prices are ranged too high.:(

So I suggested couchsurf. Couchsurf meaning staying on an acquaintance's couches rather than in a hotel. It is a cheaper form of lodging for travelers all over the World.

 All you have to do is drop a message to people who live in area you want to travel.Talk to them, tell them your journey plan, time of arrival and departure, describe yourself and just be friendly. If they would love to take you in, then he/she is your 'HOST'. And you a 'SURFER'.

I am a tense person. So I was trying to contact my HOST long before I depart.

We planned to spend a night in Augusta. And another night in Busselton. So two night spent in Southwestern Australia and back to Perth again.

Sara and Bruce in Augusta accepted us.
Kim and Mal in Busselton accepted us as well.

The day I arrived in Sara's house was a rainy day. It had been raining all the way from Perth to Pemberton. That was a six-hours-drive. When Sara opened the door, she took me in and hugged me. She said she worried that we got lost.

I instantly felt that warmth.*Wipe tears* She welcomed us with open arms. We shared stories. Sara and Bruce talked about random incidences in their life. They had been to Sarawak and they miss the trip. A slow-paced city they said, and the people were all friendly.

In fact, we were quite nervous but excited. It was our first time to couch surf after all. The tips is just keep talking, try not to be shy.That was what I learnt. LOL.

They cooked us dinner. Barbeque lamb gotten in the farm, bacon and salad.

They grew corns, lemons and other crops. Sara suggested that we can help ourselves with tea. And asked if we would love to have some lemons. I said 'Yes'.

Then surprisingly Bruce was out there picking fresh-juicy lemon for us.*O-shaped mouth*Lemon tree in the garden. Feeling great leh!! They even reared their own chicken--the source of eggs.

That was really healthy and organic, wasn't it?

Bruce gave us a ride to the nearby Cape Leeuwin, Blackwood River and showed us what they got in this neighborhood. Too bad it was still raining cats and dogs.It was dark out there (the Sun sets early at 6pm), so basically we can barely see any scenery la. We just sat in the car, and listened to the stories.

Though, we spotted the piercing beams from the landmark, Cape Leeuwin. Bruce said 15 seconds per turn. The lighthouse is 39 metres from ground level. It is a tourist spot. People usually go up there in the morning or afternoon so they can enjoy the sea view. But in our case, yea, Cape in the dark was not bad too!^^

Back in the house, we took some photos. We asked Sara and Bruce to keep the Polaroid photo. So the photo will always remind them of us. But too bad la, because Polaroid got no self-timer, so somebody had to hold the camera. That's why Xt was not in the photo. *evil laugh*

But we got this in our digital :D

Rain were still drizzled. We decided to go for a walk with Bruce and Jenna (their brilliant dog). Sara was afraid that we might get a cold, so she let us to wear their waterproof coat. Not to forget the hat. I wrapped myself like a Chinese dumplings.=P

Jenna showed us the route. Bruce said :Just follow her. The night was dark. There were very few lamps standing on the roadside.

And even NO LAMP at the riverside. Xt and I walked with extra care. I could banged into a tree anytime or fell into the river. But Bruce, he walked really fast. He has good eyes. *Salute*

We had a really good experience over here lah. The walk showed us how healthy their lifestyles are, unlike us, couch potatoes.

The night was warm indeed. Three blankets, heater, woodfired-stove in the living room and a hot water bag Sara gave to me accompanied me for the night. By the way, they offered us with their daughter's room. Not really a couch.

I miss Sara and Bruce already.

Kim and Mal on the next day.

They just gotten their new car and they were celebrating by the time we arrived. Their home was beautiful, with a lot of paintings on the wall. Kim said her mum did all the paintings. I couldn't take my eyes off them! So nice and artistic!!

They cooked us dinner again. We were so lucky to have such a good host. Feeling wonderful. *Grin*

Chicken Tart with egg. And of course cheese on the top. Why am I being a cheese hater?! Blame the tongue!!

But it was not too cheesy.Taste like cheese on the pizza though. Ahaha, and so I enjoyed the dinner very much.

Kim and Mal were such a sweet couple.I can tell from their eyes that they love each other very very much.
And their pet, a dog again, called Parol, was cute! He loved leaning on my leg.


I really appreciate what Sara and Bruce, Kim and Mal did for us!!! Thank you very much. Xt and I really enjoyed staying with them. This gave us a better insight of Australian locals and the way they live.

We made a great choice!!♥♥♥

p/s: Couchsurfing in chinese is 沙发客。