Kangaroo Island Day 2 // Organic, Markets, & Fields of Gold

Despite the absolute exhaustion that was hitting me, it was an early rise and shine at 7am.

I wandered into the kitchen to search for food, and found that almost everything in the kitchen was labelled 'organic' or 'natural' in some way, shape, or form.

And most definitely labelled 'Kangaroo Island'. It was such a jolt to see almost everything being made on Kangaroo Island. Since it was an island, most businesses chose to produce their own goods rather than import them (which would be less cost effective, and also a hassle).

Yoghurt and water.
The yoghurt was surprisingly tasty, actually.

So after adding a few dollops of Natural Kangaroo Island Yoghurt into a bowl and dosing it with Kangaroo Island Honey, I devoured it down.

Within a few moments I had grabbed my camera and was ready to explore the area. This was the moment I had been waiting for ever since arriving on the island. Being set free to just adventure out, with no phone signal, no distractions -- just myself, my camera, and time. And hopefully a pinch of creativity.

The sun was bright and it looked like a lovely winter day out

So I headed out. With no way of contacting my family when I'd return. Though we'd agreed that this entire place was so quiet that our plan would be to just scream out each other's names, if in the case that we lose each other. Surely the echo would be heard by the entire neighbourhood.

First stop? The greenhouses. It caught my eye last night and unfortunately, it was so dark yesterday that I didn't have the opportunity to take a photo, so I vowed to return in the morning.

The sun made a nice, natural lighting source

The air smelt so fresh in here. Everything was so protected and huddled up -- it was pretty cute, I'll admit. As I left I made sure to shut the door tightly; the owner had warned us that if we failed to do so, possums would break in and essentially destroy all the greenery.

With more time to spare, I went exploring the hills and stumbled across wonderful sights. Landscape, after landscape, with a backdrop of clear blue skies and green hills. Wow.

I also managed to find a caravan hanging around the house, which was pretty amazing. I'd always wanted to check out a caravan (or better yet, try caravanning sometime in my life), so I guess this is one to check off the list.

Nice and cosy

Soon enough, I heard the familiar calling of my name. My father was letting me know it was time to go -- we had to go to the airport to pick up a few more family friends. 

Stumbled across my brother trying to brace the cold winds.

Winter in South Australia is pretty harsh. Eskimo mode, engage.

With clear blue skies, a photo opportunity was had. I realised I hadn't taken a proper photo of the airplane we arrived in yet. Yep, they were small, with only a few window seats on each side.

It felt somewhat homely, really.

With everyone arrived safely, we headed out towards the East coast of the island, stopping on the way to check out nice views and have a bit of a stretch. 

The island was bigger than I expected -- whenever I pictured 'island' I always imagined a very small, quaint little location. Ironic, considering I essentially live on a giant island named 'Australia'.

There were views that made me question whether I was in a movie. Sights and brilliant colours that made me wonder whether I was actually seeing these things with my eyes. 

Sometimes we forget how much is around us. Bending down near the shore of the beach we found a mass amount of tiny little crabs (not sure of the species). They were incredibly docile and unafraid of human disturbance -- a family friend explained that they probably hardly had any human-contact at all, so hadn't yet developed that Pavlovian instinct to avoid us.

With an overwhelming sense of curiosity, my brother and I caught a few to look at. (Don't worry, they were soon released and ran quickly back to shore).

The drive was long. And somewhat boring, I will admit. With no phone signal, no internet (or, barely any -- there was very, very limited Telstra internet), and nothing except ourselves, it really made for an opportunity to take in our surroundings and take some breathers from the busy life.

And of course, no island is complete without its monthly farmer's markets! Coincidentally, it coincided with our stay, so we headed over to check-out the newest and freshest organic produce, made locally by locals on Kangaroo Island.

Organic eggs, hot chocolate, honey, dried figs, wine -- you name it. And of course, a street performer playing some relaxing tunes on the guitar. Just as I pictured it to be.

Right next door was American Beach (ironic, in Australia), which we took the opportunity to take some jumping shots. And to create a real life oxymoron by being decked-out in winter gear on the beach.

LOOK AT THE SKY

I looked up to the sky and it was absolutely beautiful. It's a strange thought to think that this is the same sky that I look at in Sydney, and in China, and the same sky that everyone in the world also sees. That is, as long as we remember to look up.

And then I looked down and saw another world.

They look like tiny, mini-trees

The sand was also the finest sand I'd seen in a long, long time. So smooth on the skin -- it reminded me of fine craft glitter.

With lunch-time soon approaching, we drove off to reach one of the two restaurants on the entire island. And of course, as expected, were greeted with a stunning view of the ocean around us.

With the limited number of people on the island, bookings were essential for this restaurant. There really wasn't a point in opening on days where only one or two customers would show up, so all orders were on a booking-basis. This rang especially true with a group of nine people, like us.

Due to the lack of people, this meant that everyone on this island was relatively close and acquaintanced with each other, so we were let into the kitchen to observe what happened behind-the-scenes.

With a menu that looked scrumptious, we sat down with empty stomachs and began devouring the food. Well, at least, after a photograph.

Fine dining, with wonderfully beautiful views. For real. The food was great, too.

The view.

With excess time on my hands, I went for a bit more of an exploration around the area. For once in my life I had nothing but time, which meant I could fulfil my desires to just explore -- to have nothing in mind or plan except to 'see where my camera takes me'.

So of course, I stood in the middle of the road and took photos.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To take photos.

Another hour long drive and we arrived at a privately-owned wine yard, the last location of the day.

We were to spend the rest of the evening here until night fell, from which we'd dine for our second dinner and then head on home.

With a fair amount of time and a big open space, and a few props here and there, I tried to let my creativity flow a bit. Though, really, we all know that all I was doing was killing some time by taking photographs.

It's not everyday you come across a scene like this, though!

So I gave it my all -- I gave it my time. 

I took in the experience just for as it is -- walking around large grass fields and happy-snapping at the sunset, rustic decaying chairs and wagons, the sun slipping slowly over the horizon with its last light blanketing the view.

It looked even more spectacular in reality

You start to see things you don't usually see. Especially when you're so used to empty-time being filled with social media, Internet, and phones.

This isn't the first time I've taken this kind of shot, I admit.

The field was beautiful and I realised how much I loved just walking around this area. I will admit, the occasional kangaroo and wallaby droppings weren't pleasant (I was unfortunate enough to step on a fair few piles), but the view made up for it completely.

And the time spent there, filled with laughter and failed attempts at jumping shots (compensated for many candids and the sunset), are moments that I've never felt before. 

In that moment, there was nothing more important than the moment itself.

Truly, truly smiles all round.