The trip started our with a bang! On the right of us, a monster tour bus cruised at high speeds when suddenly we heard a loud noise. Something had hit the Freeca but we were in no position to stop and hoped for minimal (meaning that we would never notice) damage. A few moments later, the steering column ceased to respond and I managed to get over to the shoulder. The rear driver-side tire was flat, flat, flat.
No problem. Audrey hopped out of the back, we pulled all the bins and bags for this camping trip out, lifted the faux-carpet and voila! The solid metal flooring of the Freeca's body. There was no hidden compartment for the jack and tire iron. Ok...The spare tire is attached to the back so we thought the equipment would be nestled in with the spare. Nope. Well, this was a situation. Cars zipped by and some drivers politely waved as they sped past but no signs of assistance were given. Fortunately, we had passed an emergency phone and I jogged back towards it. After a few moments convincing the operator that I have no operational level of Chinese someone's voice suddenly spoke out in perfect English. He told me to wait and stay away from the road. Fifteen minutes later, a tow truck arrived and the Freeca pulled onto the bed. A police car also showed up and the policeman ushered the three of us (Audrey was still in the back of the Freeca on top of the tow-bed) into the cab of the truck. Infant car seat? There weren't even seat belts!
We arrived at a hole in the wall garage and found out that the side wall of the tire was punctured and the tire was not repairable. Krista hopped onto the back of a scooter with the mechanic's wife for a quick trip to the ATM and a new tire was soon on the car. Our southerly expedition to Kenting was again rolling.
Pulling into the small camping area, we quickly set up a tent and raced down to the beach to see the sunset.
This trip was our first foray into camping with Xian. With the long Thanksgiving weekend, time was on our side. A night or two at the beach and then back home to recover before the end of the weekend. The four of us hopped into the tent after a short excursion into town. Audrey quickly migrated to the bottom of the tent and set-up shop on her thermarest hoping that she would not be bothered during the night. Xian seemed to enjoy snuggling into sleeping bags.
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| (thanks Auntie Kristie for my awesome blankie!) |
Babies love car rides, right! It helps them sleep are what we've been told. That means that if a car trip takes five hours the little wee one gets plenty of sleep. She was well rested that night so we didn't get that much sleep but all in all the first night camping was a success. The next day we went to the beach to enjoy the sand and warm water. A few shots...
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| all smiles as Mom protects Xian from the wind |
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| Yay! I''m a beach girl. |
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| hello tongue! |
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| woohoo! |
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| I'm exhausted. Let's get outta here. |
Unfortunately, the wind howled and howled with few areas of shelter and we decided to go ahead and make the return trip after a morning on the beach. The car ride home featured another diversion. All the water Audrey absorbed during her swim came gushing back up. Yuck.
Our first camping trip was a success! Xian was awesome and the "hiccups" came from the car and dog. I guess we're hoping for another trip in the near future.
