Still Here, Still Bloody Hot.
I just got in from this little English pub down the way and I DROVE HOME ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!! That was interesting.
Yes, I'm alive. A few of you have written to see if I have been effected by the cyclone that hit Oz, but the only rain I've seen was a five second misting when we were down south in Albany. Thanks for the concern though. It's still over 35 degrees and I am scared as to what to expect when we go deep into the "real" outback on Thursday for our visit to Alice Springs and Ayers Rock.
For those of you who don't know about that leg of my trip, Don (my mom's boyfriend) is still really close with his ex brother and sister-in-law (Rob and Sharon). They have money to play with (if you get my drift), so they are flying all three of us, Troy, Amanda and themselves out to Alice Springs for four days. We have no clue what they have up their sleeves, but by the sounds of it, we might be camping one night in the outback! How neat will that be? But it's all very secretive.... and we know they have the means to plan some very cool things. I do know that we are taking a day trip up north to the McDonnell Ranges and Stanley Chasm on day one. The following day we are on our way down to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Other than those details, we know nothing. I'm excited.
We went to Sharon and Rob's place last night to celebrate her birthday. Rob wasn't there though, because he has been heli-skiing in the Canadian Rockies for the last few weeks. He arrives home today. We BBQ'd some snaggers (sausages) and chops (of lamb) and bought her this yummy pavlova cake. She figured it was a special occasion, so she popped a bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon. I've had my first taste of "real" champagne now.
My palette for wines and such has greatly improved since I have been in Australia. The other night in Margaret River, we raided Rob's wine cellar (with his permission) and drank a bottle of 1999 Piero Chardonnay. Holy hell! Like drinking honey! I have no clue what a bottle of that costs, but I know it is well over $100. Even the cheap shit tastes phenomenal here.
This morning I woke up and challenged Troy to a game of tennis. I sucked, but I chocked that up the to fact that I've never played on a grass court. I felt like a shoddy Wimbledon pro. I don't think I fooled anyone with my claims of being at a disadvantage not knowing the court, but we were rewarded with a lovely breakfast down at Oceanus on City Beach for being the morning's entertainment.
Last week was a busy one. On Monday we went up to the AQWA (Aquarium of Western Australia). That was mind-blowing! I got to see some beautiful aquatic life up-close and personal. They have one of those nifty underwater-tunnel walks like at Sea World where you get to watch the sharks, sea turtles and stingrays glide over-head. Magnificent! I am amazed at how well they got the personalities down-pat for the movie, Finding Nemo. I kept laughing watching all the fish and turtles because they really do look like cartoon creatures. Mom got some great photos that'll I'll post at a later date.
The next day we got up bright and early, and with bags packed, drove 4 hours south to Albany. The route down was pretty desolate, but we got to see some neat old ranches and farmland. We stopped at a gas station and were right creeped out by the toothless attendants and didn't waste much time there; the movie, Wolfe Creek, still fresh in our minds. (If you want to see a disturbing film, go rent that bugger).
We stopped at this gorgeous vineyard called Gilbert's for lunch just outside of a town called Mt. Barker. Mom and I decided that it reminded us of what Tuscany must look like (from what we know of it by watching movies). They even grow olives there. So beautiful, and great wine too. Too bad it is out in the middle of nowhere.
We rented a room in Albany for the night, and got up early and on the road again the next day. There are two mountain ranges not far from there, so we decided to go explore them, as Troy had never been up that way before. They were pretty neat, but having moved to B.C., and getting to see those mountains on a daily basis, they weren't as spectacular as what I'm used to. The vegetation was awesome though. There are over 80 species of flowers in the Sterling Ranges that are found nowhere else in the world.
The next night we spent in Denmark. There were a few families of kangaroos that hung out in the field next to the cabin, so that was pretty spectacular. When we woke up in the morning, there was a great big bugger sitting under a tree directly out our front door. He didn't mind us hanging around and we got some good photos. When he decided to take his leave, I watched him hop over a 5 foot fence like it was nothing. I wouldn't want to get in the way of one of those guys if on a mission.
We saw some phenomenal coastline; water the colour of turquoise. The pictures we took just don't do it justice. I wish I could have spent some more time there.
After walking the beaches, we hopped in the car again and drove up to Wolpole to The Valley of the Giants. The area is named so because of the towering trees called Tingles. The Tingle trees are indigenous to the area, and there are only 6000 hectares of them left in the world. Mom and I braved the terrifying Tree Top Walk. That was a bit challenging for me, who is afraid of heights, but I'm glad I did it. At one point we were 40 meters in the air, swaying on one of the suspension bridges. I actually felt quite safe up there though, because they've done such a magnificent job of it.
That night we were back in Margaret River at the wonderful house we started our trip at. It was nice to kick up our feet after all the driving we had done. We figure that by the end of our little week-long excursion, we covered well over 2000 kms.
We used Margaret's as a base for the next couple of days and drove around to various destinations. One day we drove down to Hamlin Bay and got to walk in the water with huge Stingrays. A totally natural phenomenon there. I can't believe how gigantic and friendly they are... just had to stay out of the way of their tails as they swam about over our feet. We also made an excursion down to Leeuwin Lighthouse, which is where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet.
The next day was spent climbing through natural caves. We explored two, Mammoth and Lake. Beyond anything I've ever seen in my life! I can't really explain how beautiful they were, but I've taken lots of photos, so hopefully some turn out well. I think I have the bug now. Poor Don couldn't do the second cave, because he is claustrophobic, and the first one almost did him in.
Mom and I got to spend a few hours on the beach that afternoon. Later, Don and Troy joined us with a bottle of bubbly to watch the sun set. It was a great way to spend our last night in MR, and we said our goodbyes the next morning before we left. Sad I probably won't get back there again, but I did buy one of those cheesy coffee table books (it was on sale for $13) so I can look at it and remember.
On the way back home to Perth, we stopped at the Bussleton Jetty, which is the longest pier in the Southern Hemisphere. I think it reaches about a kilometer into the sea. It was definitely a tourist-trap, but still cool non-the-less. We didn't walk to the end though because it was blistering hot.
It's nice to stay put here for a couple of days, but as I mentioned earlier, we are packing our bags again in a couple days for our trip to Ayers Rock. I'm almost considering buying snake boots, seeing as I hate the nasty buggers and apparently they are everywhere (although, I've yet to see one, thank god!). I still have a shitty tan, but I expect that after 4 days in the desert, I will want to stay out of the sun forever. Hopefully I will have some amazing stories to tell when I get back from there. Sadly, when we return, we'll only have a few more days to enjoy beautiful Australia before hopping the big jet back to Canada.
I miss everyone, and as always, hope all is well with you. I am looking forward to my own bed, but I'm not complaining about all I've seen and done.
Yes, I'm alive. A few of you have written to see if I have been effected by the cyclone that hit Oz, but the only rain I've seen was a five second misting when we were down south in Albany. Thanks for the concern though. It's still over 35 degrees and I am scared as to what to expect when we go deep into the "real" outback on Thursday for our visit to Alice Springs and Ayers Rock.
For those of you who don't know about that leg of my trip, Don (my mom's boyfriend) is still really close with his ex brother and sister-in-law (Rob and Sharon). They have money to play with (if you get my drift), so they are flying all three of us, Troy, Amanda and themselves out to Alice Springs for four days. We have no clue what they have up their sleeves, but by the sounds of it, we might be camping one night in the outback! How neat will that be? But it's all very secretive.... and we know they have the means to plan some very cool things. I do know that we are taking a day trip up north to the McDonnell Ranges and Stanley Chasm on day one. The following day we are on our way down to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Other than those details, we know nothing. I'm excited.
We went to Sharon and Rob's place last night to celebrate her birthday. Rob wasn't there though, because he has been heli-skiing in the Canadian Rockies for the last few weeks. He arrives home today. We BBQ'd some snaggers (sausages) and chops (of lamb) and bought her this yummy pavlova cake. She figured it was a special occasion, so she popped a bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon. I've had my first taste of "real" champagne now.
My palette for wines and such has greatly improved since I have been in Australia. The other night in Margaret River, we raided Rob's wine cellar (with his permission) and drank a bottle of 1999 Piero Chardonnay. Holy hell! Like drinking honey! I have no clue what a bottle of that costs, but I know it is well over $100. Even the cheap shit tastes phenomenal here.
This morning I woke up and challenged Troy to a game of tennis. I sucked, but I chocked that up the to fact that I've never played on a grass court. I felt like a shoddy Wimbledon pro. I don't think I fooled anyone with my claims of being at a disadvantage not knowing the court, but we were rewarded with a lovely breakfast down at Oceanus on City Beach for being the morning's entertainment.
Last week was a busy one. On Monday we went up to the AQWA (Aquarium of Western Australia). That was mind-blowing! I got to see some beautiful aquatic life up-close and personal. They have one of those nifty underwater-tunnel walks like at Sea World where you get to watch the sharks, sea turtles and stingrays glide over-head. Magnificent! I am amazed at how well they got the personalities down-pat for the movie, Finding Nemo. I kept laughing watching all the fish and turtles because they really do look like cartoon creatures. Mom got some great photos that'll I'll post at a later date.
The next day we got up bright and early, and with bags packed, drove 4 hours south to Albany. The route down was pretty desolate, but we got to see some neat old ranches and farmland. We stopped at a gas station and were right creeped out by the toothless attendants and didn't waste much time there; the movie, Wolfe Creek, still fresh in our minds. (If you want to see a disturbing film, go rent that bugger).
We stopped at this gorgeous vineyard called Gilbert's for lunch just outside of a town called Mt. Barker. Mom and I decided that it reminded us of what Tuscany must look like (from what we know of it by watching movies). They even grow olives there. So beautiful, and great wine too. Too bad it is out in the middle of nowhere.
We rented a room in Albany for the night, and got up early and on the road again the next day. There are two mountain ranges not far from there, so we decided to go explore them, as Troy had never been up that way before. They were pretty neat, but having moved to B.C., and getting to see those mountains on a daily basis, they weren't as spectacular as what I'm used to. The vegetation was awesome though. There are over 80 species of flowers in the Sterling Ranges that are found nowhere else in the world.
The next night we spent in Denmark. There were a few families of kangaroos that hung out in the field next to the cabin, so that was pretty spectacular. When we woke up in the morning, there was a great big bugger sitting under a tree directly out our front door. He didn't mind us hanging around and we got some good photos. When he decided to take his leave, I watched him hop over a 5 foot fence like it was nothing. I wouldn't want to get in the way of one of those guys if on a mission.
We saw some phenomenal coastline; water the colour of turquoise. The pictures we took just don't do it justice. I wish I could have spent some more time there.
After walking the beaches, we hopped in the car again and drove up to Wolpole to The Valley of the Giants. The area is named so because of the towering trees called Tingles. The Tingle trees are indigenous to the area, and there are only 6000 hectares of them left in the world. Mom and I braved the terrifying Tree Top Walk. That was a bit challenging for me, who is afraid of heights, but I'm glad I did it. At one point we were 40 meters in the air, swaying on one of the suspension bridges. I actually felt quite safe up there though, because they've done such a magnificent job of it.
That night we were back in Margaret River at the wonderful house we started our trip at. It was nice to kick up our feet after all the driving we had done. We figure that by the end of our little week-long excursion, we covered well over 2000 kms.
We used Margaret's as a base for the next couple of days and drove around to various destinations. One day we drove down to Hamlin Bay and got to walk in the water with huge Stingrays. A totally natural phenomenon there. I can't believe how gigantic and friendly they are... just had to stay out of the way of their tails as they swam about over our feet. We also made an excursion down to Leeuwin Lighthouse, which is where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet.
The next day was spent climbing through natural caves. We explored two, Mammoth and Lake. Beyond anything I've ever seen in my life! I can't really explain how beautiful they were, but I've taken lots of photos, so hopefully some turn out well. I think I have the bug now. Poor Don couldn't do the second cave, because he is claustrophobic, and the first one almost did him in.
Mom and I got to spend a few hours on the beach that afternoon. Later, Don and Troy joined us with a bottle of bubbly to watch the sun set. It was a great way to spend our last night in MR, and we said our goodbyes the next morning before we left. Sad I probably won't get back there again, but I did buy one of those cheesy coffee table books (it was on sale for $13) so I can look at it and remember.
On the way back home to Perth, we stopped at the Bussleton Jetty, which is the longest pier in the Southern Hemisphere. I think it reaches about a kilometer into the sea. It was definitely a tourist-trap, but still cool non-the-less. We didn't walk to the end though because it was blistering hot.
It's nice to stay put here for a couple of days, but as I mentioned earlier, we are packing our bags again in a couple days for our trip to Ayers Rock. I'm almost considering buying snake boots, seeing as I hate the nasty buggers and apparently they are everywhere (although, I've yet to see one, thank god!). I still have a shitty tan, but I expect that after 4 days in the desert, I will want to stay out of the sun forever. Hopefully I will have some amazing stories to tell when I get back from there. Sadly, when we return, we'll only have a few more days to enjoy beautiful Australia before hopping the big jet back to Canada.
I miss everyone, and as always, hope all is well with you. I am looking forward to my own bed, but I'm not complaining about all I've seen and done.