Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Finally a little catch up...
I have posted three lengthy catch ups today... sorry to get behind, but now you've got fodder for at least a few minutes of reading.
Sydney
Arrived in Sydney missing a night of sleep due to leaving at 10 pm, losing 3 hours from a time zone shift, and sitting next to a very nice but talkative old man from Tasmania. This of coarse backed up to 2 post 4 am nights out before even getting on the plane. But, who’s complaining? This is a freaking blast. Spent the first day walking the magnificent botanical gardens and going through a photography exhibit before catching up with Laura from Austin. Had a blast with a long lunch, red wine, and my first conversation in months with someone I’ve known for longer than a week. Planned to go out that night but fell asleep around 7 and slept until 11 the next day. Up for a run, through the streets of Sydney which is a beautiful city, through parks, and finally around the Opera House. Back for a shower and off walking again. Ended up back at the Opera House where I bought a ticket to a show that started in an hour and a half. Passed the time with a glass of wine along the water and met a nice German gal on her 3 month paid vacation she gets every year! I asked if they were hiring… no luck. Great play that was a social satire about right wing shock jocks (ala Rush Limbaugh) and the hatred and polarization they engender. There was a “working poor” character who is finally able to afford meat for her family at the end. I just about fell out of my seat because the character talks about how she could finally go on a holiday with her family. It made me realize that in Australia, only the utterly destitute, practically homeless; don’t take holidays – which here are at least a month. God forbid there be an American in the play – they would think we couldn’t afford shoes with the holidays we take. In the contrast I know I’d rather swing the Australian way. Walked around until the rain drove me into an Italian restaurant and then back to the hostel. Have I mentioned I’m rooming with an Irish guy, 2 Swedish girls, and 2 Canadian girls? The girls are all 20 and going through the same “girls gone wild” self-discovery we get at home with college freshmen. Came home to the room having just finished a drinking game and loving life. Joined them for a drink in a bar downstairs but then snuck back to sleep and answer emails.
Today the weather sucks - rained all day so I have literally spent the day writing these three entries for my blog. Finally caught up and happy to have a day of sitting around. Tonight off to another play at a local theater and tomorrow if it clears I bounce over to Manly Beach. Hope these entries find everyone enjoying themselves. --Trey
Today the weather sucks - rained all day so I have literally spent the day writing these three entries for my blog. Finally caught up and happy to have a day of sitting around. Tonight off to another play at a local theater and tomorrow if it clears I bounce over to Manly Beach. Hope these entries find everyone enjoying themselves. --Trey
The Last of Freo
Upon return to Fremantle I am reminded how much at home I am with my friends here. I even manage to not go to sleep the first night back. A day at the beach, then a 3 hour dinner at one of the best restaurants in Fremantle with Anne-Lise. We ate and drank fabulous food right over the water. If the food, wine and company weren’t enough – a dolphin swam directly up to us and we were able to see it from 3 feet-away. My final week here had a schedule consisting of going to the beach with Anne-lise, drinking Guinesses with Alex, and playing cards until 5 am with Steve and Craig. There was of coarse my last night celebration when we all went to a club until after 4 am and danced among kids I could have babysat. My night was made by this Swiss-German guy that was hilarious and kept calling me JR (as I am the only Texan most of these guys have ever met, and of coarse Texas is just like Dallas). Oh and did I mention I saw freakin’ Norah Jones in concert? Alex let me borrow his wonderful Swiss-German girlfriend Vicky, and we sat in the natural grass amphitheater in the botanical gardens of Kings Park, Perth, Australia watching Norah Jones with the Southern Cross hanging in the clear sky above the stage. Top it off with a bottle of Australian Shiraz and I’ve got a night to remember. All this fun and great people made me quite bummed to be leaving Freo. I would really like to catch up again with the friends I made here. In one of the more touching experiences of my life, when my shuttle for the airport showed up and I grudgingly picked up my backpack to go get on it – half the hostel got up and walked out with me to see me off. Hugs, kisses and waves and I was off to Sydney via Melbourne.
9 days, 10 people, 4500 Kilometers
Here’s the long awaited, long procrastinated entry on what I did on my Australian “Safari”. In asking myself why I write on this blog if I put if off this way, I realize the dual purpose of these writings: first, this is my journal for posterity’s sake. Second, this is my way to keep friends and family up to date with my exploits. The fact that people read it motivates me to actually do it, and that I have to try to write something mildly worth reading. The only problem is if I want to include embarrassing facts… good thing it’s next to impossible for me to be embarrassed.
So here goes with the safari log.
Day 1 Perth to Lucky Bay ~650 KM
Picked up at 8 on a rainy day in Perth by Glyn the driver and proprietor of Southern Cross Safaris. 10 People in a modified 89 Landcrusier: bull bar, safari racks, snorkel kit, and trailer it looked like we were definitely leaving the city. The inside was comfortable, but torn up every surface impregnated with red dirt – as we would soon be. As I was last to be picked up I got the front seat and began to try to talk to our fearless leader. Glyn immediately struck me as an old grumpy uncle that acquiesced under pressure to allow you to join him on his favorite camping trip. This impression really stuck, only changing as Glyn warmed to us and I realized that this grumpy uncle really likes the company, he just hates admitting it. We left Perth and drove north. The landscape looks like rolling Texas hill country. We drove through Jarrellton and Glyn informs us that this is the last actual city before Darwin, which is about 6000 KM to the northeast. We stop at our first roadhouse for morning tea – I love this! Out in harsh wilderness, in this rough old truck, with our burley guide, and we stop for tea every morning and afternoon. We arrived at the Pinnacles, which were nothing short of alien and beautiful: endless fields of rocks sticking straight out of the yellow sand into a blue overcast sky. People begin to open up, learn the first few names and find out that I’m the only native English-speaking passenger. 3 Germans, 3 Dutch, 1 French, 1 Swiss, 1 Japanese, & me. Following the pinnacles we have a lot of driving, and finally around 4 we turn off the road on to a dirt trail and started cruising down a narrow trail of rough vegetation until we find our first campsite in a peaceful and very secluded pasture. So we get the camp setup instructions and I realize we are sleeping on the ground…oh damn…err, cool. Campfire, spaghetti bolognese, wine/beer and then breathtaking stars; so amazing I could barely go to sleep as I didn’t want to stop looking at the splash of the milky way above.
Day 2 Lucky Bay to Nanga ~450 Kilometers
Up at 5:45 – oh damn it’s early. Watched the last star extinguished by the sunrise from my “swag” (the ground sleeping bags we’re in). On the road by 7, we head towards the large hills on the western horizon which turn out to be massive sand dunes. Drop the trailer and most of the air pressure from the tires and go into L4 to climb up these 10 story dunes. We creep up to a precipice and drive off an unbelievably steep drop –crossing the edge I could almost hear the click of a roller coaster that I felt I was on. We arrive at the beach and go sandboarding, which is basically snowboarding on wooden boards on sand dunes. Once done with that, we go for a swim in tide pools. I realize standing in waist deep water I can see angelfish swimming round my ankles. Back in the truck on the way out and I realize it’s not even 9 am yet – it’s amazing what you can do when you get up before 6. Tea cliffside at Pott Ally with beautiful views. Then a drive to the zed bend, or Z bend as we Americans would say. (Apparently Brits and Australians say “zed” for “Z”, except of coarse for the growing population of kids watching Sesame Street). Fantastically beautiful rock and amazingly hot (~100). We climb up and down the gorge for a few hours and then off to our campsite for the night. This time we are at a caravan park setup at a sheep station. A caravan park is basically defined campsites with showers and grills. A station is a ranch – except that here they are normally around 2 million acres. That’s right, million with an M. So it’s funny to be at this holiday caravan park and know that you are hundreds of miles from a town. Beautiful sunset, great dinner, and conversations begin to really open up.
Day 3 Nanga to Gladstone ~350 Kilometers
Awoken by a downpour the night before – thank goodness we are near structures that proved some shelter. Up by 6, off by 7. We drive on a 120 KM road that is perfectly straight (only in Australia). We arrive at Monkey Mia and animal reserve where wild dolphins swim right up to you. Amazing but touristy and we all agree to get out as soon as possible. Everyone jumps on an optional sailing tour, but I must admit I hate to pay to sit on a sailboat and not actually be the one sailing – so I went for a walk down the beach. Got to the end of the foot prints and continued on to a perfect place to sit and stare for a couple hours. Watched hermit crabs, fish, and sting rays scoot by in the crystal clear water in front of me and soaked up some sun. We actually skipped morning tea and headed off to Big Lagoon which was an hour down a 4x4 trail on some station (I am continuously amazed with Glyn’s local knowledge of this endless land). Great swim with white sand, bright blue water, and red dunes. More 4x4ing to Eagle’s Bluff were we could look down on sharks and eagle rays swimming about. 200 feet above and Glyn clues me in on scale, the sharks we see are Tiger and Hammerhead and between 6 and 12 feet,… damn. Well at least there were only about 20 of them. Back on the highway where I’m lost in though watching the endless expanses when Glyn begins to slow… and of coarse we turn on some completely indiscernible trail that leads to an amazing beach. Flats that go on forever we walk out and can actually see the tide moving. This is on another sheep station and it has an old jetty and pier from the 1800’s. We climb out to the end balancing on the few timbers left. Feet dangling off the edge of timbers with grooves as deep as canyons, hundred year old cleats on the corners and I’m truly struck with the thought of they don’t build them like this anymore. Looking over the water with my new German and Dutch friends watching the sun dive into the ocean, I feel a pang of homesickness as this pier reminds me so much of sitting in Rockport on the end of the pier watching the sunset (albeit not in the Indian Ocean). I’m ashamed to admit it as a sailor, but I’ve always confused the direction of sunrise and sunset, west to east, east to west – but at this point I realize I’ll never forget again sitting Western Australia looking towards Africa. (Nothing like continents to help you see how big you are)
Day 4 Gladstone to Coral Bay ~450 Kilometers
Off by 7 and arrive at Coral Bay and resort town in the middle of nowhere, as everything is here. Actual campsite and a dive shop. We get snorkel gear and go hit the Nangaloo Reef which is on par with the Great Barrier Reef, yet there’s no one else here. It is amazing but the coral are spawning and the visibility is poor (this week out of the year). Hang out of the beach, swim, and then a rest at the campsite. Funny after sitting for hours on end in the car I can’t wait to lie down and read; yet snoozing in the sunshine reading my book is wonderful. I’ve finished my book and I’m nervous with how I’ll pass the rest of my time in the car (thank you Economist and iPod). We go to a restaurant/bar that night and enjoy happy hour with good food, plentiful drinks, and great new friends. We find ourselves exhausted and going to bed at 8:30.
Day 5 Coral Bay to Wyloo Station ~400 Kilometers
We slept in today, 6:30 wake up. Take off for morning snorkeling trip on a local boat, water was much better but not what it could have been without the spawning. Amazing and enormous corals, cresting one underwater cliff I see a 9 foot reef shark about 30 feet below and I have never had my belly feel so exposed before. After snorkeling we are charged with more beach time – so I went traipsing off to see the enormous dune in the distance with my camera. Great scenes to shoot - yet a problem with beautiful environments like this is that I ended up paying a fine of one broken toe for not looking where I’m going. Saw some wild goats, lizards, and beautiful views of white sand jutting out into light blue water broken up from the dark blue by a reef I can’t begin to imagine the end of. Dropped off Emily the French girl for her transfer to Exmoth and road northeast for 5 hours. The thermometer in my watch (thanks Bro for the bad ass watch) is not accurate when being worn so I set it on the seat beside me to figure out the temperature. But for the first time my wrist had lowered the temperature – in the shade it was 108. The wind from the windows was like putting your face in an oven – did I mention no A/C? Stopped at another roadhouse, which are these gas station/micro-communities. They are so far away from everything that the employees live there, where they have to provide for there own water and electricity. In one I met a girl with an Irish accent, she and a friend ran out of money and were there for 3 months to earn a bit more. (Guess it would be easy to save!) No phone, no internet – only a radio phone to call the Royal Flying Doctor (that’s right, doctors fly here because everything is so far apart) and an Ambulance so you can go pick up folks from the neighboring stations in an emergency. We have passed signs warning us that we were on the runway sections (that’s right the road and the runway are one in the same) and that we were crossing the Tropic of Capricorn so far on the highway. In the back of the roadhouses I’ve seen pet Kangaroos, wild monitor lizards, and piles of cars that apparently weren’t going to make it any farther. We passed 1 car in 8 hours and pulled off the road to sleep in endless expanse.
Day 6 Wyloo Station to Karijini National Park ~400 Kilometers
The flies are atrocious and we broke camp in record time. 40 or 50 on you at once and they are attracted to moisture so the crawl into your ears, eyes, and nose. Saw more wild Kangaroos (I saw them every day of the trip). Sitting on the road staring out the window I notice the black hair of my arm is now blonde. I’m listing to Aimee Man’s “Save Me” and I remember it coming from this great movie but I can’t remember the title. Tom Cruise, frogs falling from the sky, yet no memory of the title… It fells like I’m trying to remember things from a previous life. Somehow I’m now in a whole new life disconnected from what it was previously. We cross a train track and power line and it looks dramatically out of place and I realize I haven’t seen one in 5 days of driving. No fences either – expanse like I have never experienced. We arrive in the Karijini and walked to see junction pool 300-400 feet below in a steep gorge. It’s beautiful and unbelievably steep – so Glyn in his nonchalant way says “let’s go for a swim down there”. We begin our hike down the gorge and I am continuously more impressed as the land is nothing like I’ve seen before. Stones that look bronzed, jagged, broken off at a thousand angles, whole landscapes leaning over so much that I feel like I can’t stand up straight. The walls become steeper until we are climbing with our bodies like an X with hands and feet on opposite sides of the gorge. We have to climb over a small waterfall this way and I can see that the gorge goes up 200 feet from here. At the surface you could nearly jump across the jagged scar of sky that I can see from here in the bottom. The rock is amazingly beautiful. If it rained up stream from us now, death would be a certainty. Scale around a beautiful round pool and we get to the really hairy stuff. Glen has us look at a wall and sign another release form as we are about to climb over 120 feet and down 40 feet. This is very steep free climbing, with no helmets or ropes and nothing but rock to catch you. One slip of the foot and you would be dead or paralyzed, yet in 10 years Glyn’s had nothing “serious”. I love being in a country where lawyers haven’t taken away your ability to hurt yourself. Nonetheless, Glyn informs us we are some of the last that will be allowed through this “trail”, just because of the people that started dying on it last year. The trail is amazing and upon return we eat the best tasting lunch of my life (when your this hungry beef jerky tastes like fillet mignon). Then it’s off to another gorge trail, yet this time we swim the majority and it’s is fantastic. Floating on my back in water that could be 50 feet deep, looking up 200 feet to the surface, and touching both sides with my arms. The sky is framed by the narrow sides of the gorge and it contains white clouds whisping across the picture. The natural beauty here makes my heart ache. Majestic is a feeble word to describe it. Back up the gorge and into the truck for the short 4x4 ride to the campsite. Here in the middle of nothing but endless beauty the sunsets on our campfire and our trip is coming to an end. Silent lightning on the horizon temps me away from camp and I take a campstool a quarter mile down the trail and sit in complete darkness and quite. Watching flashes of light on the horizon over the mountains and hearing a few insects. Yet the quite of this place is driven home by the fact that I can barely hear anything over the sound of the blood running though my ears. The peace here, sitting alone with a glass of wine, surrounded by hundreds of miles of nature is something I will long remember. We set up tents for the first time because of the threat of rain; they are amazingly hot, yet Murphy has an Australian accent as we go all night with the only moisture being our sweat.
Day 7 Karijini to Newman ~300 Kilometers
A day of light hikes, great swimming holes and finally enough time to take a few pictures. We are in our first swimming hole by 8, then tea, and on to easy gorge hikes with beautiful swims, waterfalls, and crystal clear, cool water. We ate lunch in the bottom of a gorge at our 3rd swimming hole. On the way back I try to shoot a magnificent waterfall and find people swimming at the bottom, damn it I’ve gotten used to be alone out here, where did these people come from? Nonetheless I get a few photos that due absolutely no justice to the beauty of this place. Another group picture and back to the truck. I say good-bye to everyone but two of the Dutch as we drop off most of the tour for there bus ride to Broome. The 3 of us will now spend long hours cruising back to Perth. Our stop that night is in the Mining town of Newman where I see a truck large enough for me to stand up straight below its lowest point! Then again, this Discovery Channel sized dump truck carries 25 tons in one load. As we go to sleep we see a bright red glow in the distance that Glyn tells us is a brush fire. No worries here because they seldom threaten people so the just let them burn (that’s what I call space).
Day 8 Newman to Paynes Find ~800 Kilometers
Up at 5 and off to lots of driving. Yet so much as to keep us from stopping for tea and “bickies”. Even got a bad picture of a Kangaroo. 400K of nothing and then another unexplained slowing on a barren road and we pull off on another invisible trail. ½ mile of the road we stop and Glyn informs us we are going for a swim. This is curious as there is nothing around us but dry prairies and a mound of dirt to our south. I am suddenly nervous he wants us to swim in a cow trough, but on climbing the mound we see an enormous open-cut retired gold mine. We stroll past a sign Glyn refers to as just “legal stuff”, but I would call a “DANGER – Closed Mine – Keep Out” sign. We climb 200 feet down a road to the bottom and swim in beautiful and refreshing blue water. Here we join some black swans that are native only to Western Australia. Beautiful, yet there forte is not flying up as one can’t even get out of the mine and avoid us at the same time. Yet, he relaxes at one end, we are at the other, and his pals join him for moral support. Get a few photos and back to the road. iPod back in my ears, thank you Steve Jobs, music is like heroin to me here. We pull off to our last campsite. We watch the most amazing sunset yet, the sky on fire to the west, green to the north, and purple storms to the south. It’s our last night together. Stay up the latest yet (10:15) drinking wine and beer and I am utterly impressed with the authenticity of our host. Conversations about family, life, death, and religion between 4 people representing 3 countries, and 2 generations.
Day 9 Paynes Find to Perth ~450 Kilometers
Awaking to my 9th sunrise in a row (definitely a record in my life). Flies wake up to though and we hope on the road. We listen to more history lessons on the comparatively short jaunt the final 4 hours into Perth. Good byes and then back to Freemantle. Amazing experience has come to a conclusion and 10 more amazing people have passed through my life. I’m curious, but highly doubtful we will ever meet again – but that’s okay ‘cause the time we had was a blast.
So here goes with the safari log.
Day 1 Perth to Lucky Bay ~650 KM
Picked up at 8 on a rainy day in Perth by Glyn the driver and proprietor of Southern Cross Safaris. 10 People in a modified 89 Landcrusier: bull bar, safari racks, snorkel kit, and trailer it looked like we were definitely leaving the city. The inside was comfortable, but torn up every surface impregnated with red dirt – as we would soon be. As I was last to be picked up I got the front seat and began to try to talk to our fearless leader. Glyn immediately struck me as an old grumpy uncle that acquiesced under pressure to allow you to join him on his favorite camping trip. This impression really stuck, only changing as Glyn warmed to us and I realized that this grumpy uncle really likes the company, he just hates admitting it. We left Perth and drove north. The landscape looks like rolling Texas hill country. We drove through Jarrellton and Glyn informs us that this is the last actual city before Darwin, which is about 6000 KM to the northeast. We stop at our first roadhouse for morning tea – I love this! Out in harsh wilderness, in this rough old truck, with our burley guide, and we stop for tea every morning and afternoon. We arrived at the Pinnacles, which were nothing short of alien and beautiful: endless fields of rocks sticking straight out of the yellow sand into a blue overcast sky. People begin to open up, learn the first few names and find out that I’m the only native English-speaking passenger. 3 Germans, 3 Dutch, 1 French, 1 Swiss, 1 Japanese, & me. Following the pinnacles we have a lot of driving, and finally around 4 we turn off the road on to a dirt trail and started cruising down a narrow trail of rough vegetation until we find our first campsite in a peaceful and very secluded pasture. So we get the camp setup instructions and I realize we are sleeping on the ground…oh damn…err, cool. Campfire, spaghetti bolognese, wine/beer and then breathtaking stars; so amazing I could barely go to sleep as I didn’t want to stop looking at the splash of the milky way above.
Day 2 Lucky Bay to Nanga ~450 Kilometers
Up at 5:45 – oh damn it’s early. Watched the last star extinguished by the sunrise from my “swag” (the ground sleeping bags we’re in). On the road by 7, we head towards the large hills on the western horizon which turn out to be massive sand dunes. Drop the trailer and most of the air pressure from the tires and go into L4 to climb up these 10 story dunes. We creep up to a precipice and drive off an unbelievably steep drop –crossing the edge I could almost hear the click of a roller coaster that I felt I was on. We arrive at the beach and go sandboarding, which is basically snowboarding on wooden boards on sand dunes. Once done with that, we go for a swim in tide pools. I realize standing in waist deep water I can see angelfish swimming round my ankles. Back in the truck on the way out and I realize it’s not even 9 am yet – it’s amazing what you can do when you get up before 6. Tea cliffside at Pott Ally with beautiful views. Then a drive to the zed bend, or Z bend as we Americans would say. (Apparently Brits and Australians say “zed” for “Z”, except of coarse for the growing population of kids watching Sesame Street). Fantastically beautiful rock and amazingly hot (~100). We climb up and down the gorge for a few hours and then off to our campsite for the night. This time we are at a caravan park setup at a sheep station. A caravan park is basically defined campsites with showers and grills. A station is a ranch – except that here they are normally around 2 million acres. That’s right, million with an M. So it’s funny to be at this holiday caravan park and know that you are hundreds of miles from a town. Beautiful sunset, great dinner, and conversations begin to really open up.
Day 3 Nanga to Gladstone ~350 Kilometers
Awoken by a downpour the night before – thank goodness we are near structures that proved some shelter. Up by 6, off by 7. We drive on a 120 KM road that is perfectly straight (only in Australia). We arrive at Monkey Mia and animal reserve where wild dolphins swim right up to you. Amazing but touristy and we all agree to get out as soon as possible. Everyone jumps on an optional sailing tour, but I must admit I hate to pay to sit on a sailboat and not actually be the one sailing – so I went for a walk down the beach. Got to the end of the foot prints and continued on to a perfect place to sit and stare for a couple hours. Watched hermit crabs, fish, and sting rays scoot by in the crystal clear water in front of me and soaked up some sun. We actually skipped morning tea and headed off to Big Lagoon which was an hour down a 4x4 trail on some station (I am continuously amazed with Glyn’s local knowledge of this endless land). Great swim with white sand, bright blue water, and red dunes. More 4x4ing to Eagle’s Bluff were we could look down on sharks and eagle rays swimming about. 200 feet above and Glyn clues me in on scale, the sharks we see are Tiger and Hammerhead and between 6 and 12 feet,… damn. Well at least there were only about 20 of them. Back on the highway where I’m lost in though watching the endless expanses when Glyn begins to slow… and of coarse we turn on some completely indiscernible trail that leads to an amazing beach. Flats that go on forever we walk out and can actually see the tide moving. This is on another sheep station and it has an old jetty and pier from the 1800’s. We climb out to the end balancing on the few timbers left. Feet dangling off the edge of timbers with grooves as deep as canyons, hundred year old cleats on the corners and I’m truly struck with the thought of they don’t build them like this anymore. Looking over the water with my new German and Dutch friends watching the sun dive into the ocean, I feel a pang of homesickness as this pier reminds me so much of sitting in Rockport on the end of the pier watching the sunset (albeit not in the Indian Ocean). I’m ashamed to admit it as a sailor, but I’ve always confused the direction of sunrise and sunset, west to east, east to west – but at this point I realize I’ll never forget again sitting Western Australia looking towards Africa. (Nothing like continents to help you see how big you are)
Day 4 Gladstone to Coral Bay ~450 Kilometers
Off by 7 and arrive at Coral Bay and resort town in the middle of nowhere, as everything is here. Actual campsite and a dive shop. We get snorkel gear and go hit the Nangaloo Reef which is on par with the Great Barrier Reef, yet there’s no one else here. It is amazing but the coral are spawning and the visibility is poor (this week out of the year). Hang out of the beach, swim, and then a rest at the campsite. Funny after sitting for hours on end in the car I can’t wait to lie down and read; yet snoozing in the sunshine reading my book is wonderful. I’ve finished my book and I’m nervous with how I’ll pass the rest of my time in the car (thank you Economist and iPod). We go to a restaurant/bar that night and enjoy happy hour with good food, plentiful drinks, and great new friends. We find ourselves exhausted and going to bed at 8:30.
Day 5 Coral Bay to Wyloo Station ~400 Kilometers
We slept in today, 6:30 wake up. Take off for morning snorkeling trip on a local boat, water was much better but not what it could have been without the spawning. Amazing and enormous corals, cresting one underwater cliff I see a 9 foot reef shark about 30 feet below and I have never had my belly feel so exposed before. After snorkeling we are charged with more beach time – so I went traipsing off to see the enormous dune in the distance with my camera. Great scenes to shoot - yet a problem with beautiful environments like this is that I ended up paying a fine of one broken toe for not looking where I’m going. Saw some wild goats, lizards, and beautiful views of white sand jutting out into light blue water broken up from the dark blue by a reef I can’t begin to imagine the end of. Dropped off Emily the French girl for her transfer to Exmoth and road northeast for 5 hours. The thermometer in my watch (thanks Bro for the bad ass watch) is not accurate when being worn so I set it on the seat beside me to figure out the temperature. But for the first time my wrist had lowered the temperature – in the shade it was 108. The wind from the windows was like putting your face in an oven – did I mention no A/C? Stopped at another roadhouse, which are these gas station/micro-communities. They are so far away from everything that the employees live there, where they have to provide for there own water and electricity. In one I met a girl with an Irish accent, she and a friend ran out of money and were there for 3 months to earn a bit more. (Guess it would be easy to save!) No phone, no internet – only a radio phone to call the Royal Flying Doctor (that’s right, doctors fly here because everything is so far apart) and an Ambulance so you can go pick up folks from the neighboring stations in an emergency. We have passed signs warning us that we were on the runway sections (that’s right the road and the runway are one in the same) and that we were crossing the Tropic of Capricorn so far on the highway. In the back of the roadhouses I’ve seen pet Kangaroos, wild monitor lizards, and piles of cars that apparently weren’t going to make it any farther. We passed 1 car in 8 hours and pulled off the road to sleep in endless expanse.
Day 6 Wyloo Station to Karijini National Park ~400 Kilometers
The flies are atrocious and we broke camp in record time. 40 or 50 on you at once and they are attracted to moisture so the crawl into your ears, eyes, and nose. Saw more wild Kangaroos (I saw them every day of the trip). Sitting on the road staring out the window I notice the black hair of my arm is now blonde. I’m listing to Aimee Man’s “Save Me” and I remember it coming from this great movie but I can’t remember the title. Tom Cruise, frogs falling from the sky, yet no memory of the title… It fells like I’m trying to remember things from a previous life. Somehow I’m now in a whole new life disconnected from what it was previously. We cross a train track and power line and it looks dramatically out of place and I realize I haven’t seen one in 5 days of driving. No fences either – expanse like I have never experienced. We arrive in the Karijini and walked to see junction pool 300-400 feet below in a steep gorge. It’s beautiful and unbelievably steep – so Glyn in his nonchalant way says “let’s go for a swim down there”. We begin our hike down the gorge and I am continuously more impressed as the land is nothing like I’ve seen before. Stones that look bronzed, jagged, broken off at a thousand angles, whole landscapes leaning over so much that I feel like I can’t stand up straight. The walls become steeper until we are climbing with our bodies like an X with hands and feet on opposite sides of the gorge. We have to climb over a small waterfall this way and I can see that the gorge goes up 200 feet from here. At the surface you could nearly jump across the jagged scar of sky that I can see from here in the bottom. The rock is amazingly beautiful. If it rained up stream from us now, death would be a certainty. Scale around a beautiful round pool and we get to the really hairy stuff. Glen has us look at a wall and sign another release form as we are about to climb over 120 feet and down 40 feet. This is very steep free climbing, with no helmets or ropes and nothing but rock to catch you. One slip of the foot and you would be dead or paralyzed, yet in 10 years Glyn’s had nothing “serious”. I love being in a country where lawyers haven’t taken away your ability to hurt yourself. Nonetheless, Glyn informs us we are some of the last that will be allowed through this “trail”, just because of the people that started dying on it last year. The trail is amazing and upon return we eat the best tasting lunch of my life (when your this hungry beef jerky tastes like fillet mignon). Then it’s off to another gorge trail, yet this time we swim the majority and it’s is fantastic. Floating on my back in water that could be 50 feet deep, looking up 200 feet to the surface, and touching both sides with my arms. The sky is framed by the narrow sides of the gorge and it contains white clouds whisping across the picture. The natural beauty here makes my heart ache. Majestic is a feeble word to describe it. Back up the gorge and into the truck for the short 4x4 ride to the campsite. Here in the middle of nothing but endless beauty the sunsets on our campfire and our trip is coming to an end. Silent lightning on the horizon temps me away from camp and I take a campstool a quarter mile down the trail and sit in complete darkness and quite. Watching flashes of light on the horizon over the mountains and hearing a few insects. Yet the quite of this place is driven home by the fact that I can barely hear anything over the sound of the blood running though my ears. The peace here, sitting alone with a glass of wine, surrounded by hundreds of miles of nature is something I will long remember. We set up tents for the first time because of the threat of rain; they are amazingly hot, yet Murphy has an Australian accent as we go all night with the only moisture being our sweat.
Day 7 Karijini to Newman ~300 Kilometers
A day of light hikes, great swimming holes and finally enough time to take a few pictures. We are in our first swimming hole by 8, then tea, and on to easy gorge hikes with beautiful swims, waterfalls, and crystal clear, cool water. We ate lunch in the bottom of a gorge at our 3rd swimming hole. On the way back I try to shoot a magnificent waterfall and find people swimming at the bottom, damn it I’ve gotten used to be alone out here, where did these people come from? Nonetheless I get a few photos that due absolutely no justice to the beauty of this place. Another group picture and back to the truck. I say good-bye to everyone but two of the Dutch as we drop off most of the tour for there bus ride to Broome. The 3 of us will now spend long hours cruising back to Perth. Our stop that night is in the Mining town of Newman where I see a truck large enough for me to stand up straight below its lowest point! Then again, this Discovery Channel sized dump truck carries 25 tons in one load. As we go to sleep we see a bright red glow in the distance that Glyn tells us is a brush fire. No worries here because they seldom threaten people so the just let them burn (that’s what I call space).
Day 8 Newman to Paynes Find ~800 Kilometers
Up at 5 and off to lots of driving. Yet so much as to keep us from stopping for tea and “bickies”. Even got a bad picture of a Kangaroo. 400K of nothing and then another unexplained slowing on a barren road and we pull off on another invisible trail. ½ mile of the road we stop and Glyn informs us we are going for a swim. This is curious as there is nothing around us but dry prairies and a mound of dirt to our south. I am suddenly nervous he wants us to swim in a cow trough, but on climbing the mound we see an enormous open-cut retired gold mine. We stroll past a sign Glyn refers to as just “legal stuff”, but I would call a “DANGER – Closed Mine – Keep Out” sign. We climb 200 feet down a road to the bottom and swim in beautiful and refreshing blue water. Here we join some black swans that are native only to Western Australia. Beautiful, yet there forte is not flying up as one can’t even get out of the mine and avoid us at the same time. Yet, he relaxes at one end, we are at the other, and his pals join him for moral support. Get a few photos and back to the road. iPod back in my ears, thank you Steve Jobs, music is like heroin to me here. We pull off to our last campsite. We watch the most amazing sunset yet, the sky on fire to the west, green to the north, and purple storms to the south. It’s our last night together. Stay up the latest yet (10:15) drinking wine and beer and I am utterly impressed with the authenticity of our host. Conversations about family, life, death, and religion between 4 people representing 3 countries, and 2 generations.
Day 9 Paynes Find to Perth ~450 Kilometers
Awaking to my 9th sunrise in a row (definitely a record in my life). Flies wake up to though and we hope on the road. We listen to more history lessons on the comparatively short jaunt the final 4 hours into Perth. Good byes and then back to Freemantle. Amazing experience has come to a conclusion and 10 more amazing people have passed through my life. I’m curious, but highly doubtful we will ever meet again – but that’s okay ‘cause the time we had was a blast.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
I'm still alive
Having to much fun, and distracted by a Muse/Siren (time will tell). Staying in Fremantle until Saturday, then to Melbourne and Sydney. (Finally Fiji after that) Getting photos edited and uploaded. I'll post my Safari adventures soon, but now I'm off to try and get into a Norah Jones concert (outside in botanical gardens overlooking the Swan River!). Hope I can find a ticket.
Friday, March 04, 2005
I'm slipping into a lifestyle.
This could be dangerous. There has to be a problem with being this comfortable with a lifestyle of leisure.
Sunday through Tuesday schedules were a bit goofed up due to either working or waiting to see if there was more work. As it turned out over three days I did about half of my previously normal day of work. Then got a photo gig at the hostel in which I'm residing - two hours of taking photos for a week of free accomodation (this is where my Guinn smile spreads across my face). I then turned to entertaining as a way to fill my days. Have I mentioned that this hostel has a Weber? Well it was put to good use for two birthdays and a dinner party. Continued to have a blast, and once the hostel began to feel too homy I realized I need to be doing something (found out that average stay here is 3 weeks, so lots of folks are here for months at a time).
Cleared up my work and headed off to "Roto", or Rotnest Island (Auzzies apparently never use more than two syllables). This was good for sleep and a bit of "drying out" (last few days filled with card games, late nights, and copious amounts of red wine). Rotnest was beautiful and quite. Spent two nights and three days there. I love that Rotnest has no private motorized vehicles (just some busses), it has been kept almost completely natural, and is encircled with picturesque limestone and white sand beaches. The water, I'll reapeat again, is phenomenally clear (Looking over the side of the 100 foot ferry coming into port, I could see the bottom). Going in the middle of the week was great as I felt like I had the island to myself. My memory of Rotnest: sitting at the Dome cafe's porch over the bay, drinking tea, reading the Economist, and watching a dolphin swim within 20 feel of the beach. The best part was that there were so few people, or that kind of beauty was so natural here, that none (of the 3 others at the coffee shop) made much notice other than in passing "Did you happen to see that dolphin a few minutes ago?"
I got myself lost on deserted beaches, went upwards of 8 hours without interacting with humans, and was surrounded by Cape Cod postcard views. Finished up the trip with finally spotting the Southern Cross and going to bed by 9 with a good book.
Today I'm back at the hostel in Fremantel, have BBQ'ed again and attempted to get to an art show opening. (Met another French girl who is a photographer and painter during my slow days earlier this week and had her opening give me a highlight to my week) Alas, everything closes early here and an art show that started at 6pm was closed up with the lights out by 8:45. (Quarter of 8 for the British and Three quarters of 9 for the Norwegians).
So it has been a pretty mellow week - but I guess that's what holidays are for. Had another haircut this week and have decided that's how I should start measuring time of vacations.... So far my vacation has been 2 haircuts long, how long will your next be? I realize now that one of my biggest hopes with this blog is to inspire others to take traveling more seriously. Do long trips and go places that challenge you (even better, force yourself to have no itinerary). I don't think I've gotten there yet, but I'm working to express here how much one gets from travel. And, more importantly, how accessible this kind of travel really is (99% of the people here don't quite their jobs and sell everything as I did, they just take 3 month vacations). Oh, to have European vacation time....
Well it's midnight here (10 am yesterday for you guys) and I'm to be up in 6 hours to catch the 4x4 for my Safari. I'll do my best to not fall in a gorge or be eaten by something crazy in the outback, and I'll be posting here again in 9 or 10 days when I get back to civilization.
PS Fun slang I've learned:
"Texas" in Norwegian - when a situation is crazy and out-of-hand
"Texas" in Indonesian - to be rich and decedent (apparently comes from the TV show Dallas)
Chin, Chin - Cheers in French
Tosser - British word for chump
Geazer - see Tosser
Gaffer - see Tosser
Sorted - Australian and British for everything from getting a situation worked out, to selling someone drugs, to beating someone up (well used)
Pissed, or Half Pissed - depends on how much you've had to drink
We'll leave the Cockney slang for another day...
Sunday through Tuesday schedules were a bit goofed up due to either working or waiting to see if there was more work. As it turned out over three days I did about half of my previously normal day of work. Then got a photo gig at the hostel in which I'm residing - two hours of taking photos for a week of free accomodation (this is where my Guinn smile spreads across my face). I then turned to entertaining as a way to fill my days. Have I mentioned that this hostel has a Weber? Well it was put to good use for two birthdays and a dinner party. Continued to have a blast, and once the hostel began to feel too homy I realized I need to be doing something (found out that average stay here is 3 weeks, so lots of folks are here for months at a time).
Cleared up my work and headed off to "Roto", or Rotnest Island (Auzzies apparently never use more than two syllables). This was good for sleep and a bit of "drying out" (last few days filled with card games, late nights, and copious amounts of red wine). Rotnest was beautiful and quite. Spent two nights and three days there. I love that Rotnest has no private motorized vehicles (just some busses), it has been kept almost completely natural, and is encircled with picturesque limestone and white sand beaches. The water, I'll reapeat again, is phenomenally clear (Looking over the side of the 100 foot ferry coming into port, I could see the bottom). Going in the middle of the week was great as I felt like I had the island to myself. My memory of Rotnest: sitting at the Dome cafe's porch over the bay, drinking tea, reading the Economist, and watching a dolphin swim within 20 feel of the beach. The best part was that there were so few people, or that kind of beauty was so natural here, that none (of the 3 others at the coffee shop) made much notice other than in passing "Did you happen to see that dolphin a few minutes ago?"
I got myself lost on deserted beaches, went upwards of 8 hours without interacting with humans, and was surrounded by Cape Cod postcard views. Finished up the trip with finally spotting the Southern Cross and going to bed by 9 with a good book.
Today I'm back at the hostel in Fremantel, have BBQ'ed again and attempted to get to an art show opening. (Met another French girl who is a photographer and painter during my slow days earlier this week and had her opening give me a highlight to my week) Alas, everything closes early here and an art show that started at 6pm was closed up with the lights out by 8:45. (Quarter of 8 for the British and Three quarters of 9 for the Norwegians).
So it has been a pretty mellow week - but I guess that's what holidays are for. Had another haircut this week and have decided that's how I should start measuring time of vacations.... So far my vacation has been 2 haircuts long, how long will your next be? I realize now that one of my biggest hopes with this blog is to inspire others to take traveling more seriously. Do long trips and go places that challenge you (even better, force yourself to have no itinerary). I don't think I've gotten there yet, but I'm working to express here how much one gets from travel. And, more importantly, how accessible this kind of travel really is (99% of the people here don't quite their jobs and sell everything as I did, they just take 3 month vacations). Oh, to have European vacation time....
Well it's midnight here (10 am yesterday for you guys) and I'm to be up in 6 hours to catch the 4x4 for my Safari. I'll do my best to not fall in a gorge or be eaten by something crazy in the outback, and I'll be posting here again in 9 or 10 days when I get back to civilization.
PS Fun slang I've learned:
"Texas" in Norwegian - when a situation is crazy and out-of-hand
"Texas" in Indonesian - to be rich and decedent (apparently comes from the TV show Dallas)
Chin, Chin - Cheers in French
Tosser - British word for chump
Geazer - see Tosser
Gaffer - see Tosser
Sorted - Australian and British for everything from getting a situation worked out, to selling someone drugs, to beating someone up (well used)
Pissed, or Half Pissed - depends on how much you've had to drink
We'll leave the Cockney slang for another day...
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Hey, Pops! It's a Pilot Boat.
For anyone who hasn't suffered through my singing along with Jimmy Buffett. I am a son of a son of a sailor. And here's a Pilot's boat coming into Fremantle Harbor in memory of Albert senior.
Ahh...Fremantle
Where did I leave off… Gotta read back and find out… Oh that’s right I left off on Wednesday and a check of the watch tells me it’s Saturday. Gotta love that I have no idea what day it is.
Well, Wednesday afternoon walked into the hostel and a solicitation to go to Rottness Island by way of a chartered 65 foot catch. Being only 20% more than the ferry ride, I was definitely in. Cooked ravioli and sautéed bell pepper – no idea where this came from but it wasn’t bad. Went to bed after an ice cream and a walk in the park, the good and the bad. Three ice cream shops on our street and a beautiful park at the end overlooking the harbour and sea.
Awoke through mere excitement before 8 and walked to the Sundancer for a 9 am departure. It was a bit crowded with 16 people, yet the size of the yacht still allowed for plenty of room to stretch your legs (Or even fall asleep on the aft deck). We sailed to Carnac Island first were we snorkeled with Sea Lions, yet I stayed in the dingy in hopes of catching a few pictures (Oh the sacrifices…). They were hilarious and very playful, one came up to the stern of the dingy and rolling over to take in a good eyeful of me. Sitting 2 feet from this guy smiling at me made me wonder how much of a difference there was between the two of us.
Hoped back aboard the yacht for the 2 hour sail to Rottness Island. The wind built to about 20 knots and it was glorious. Full genoa, staysail, and main on a broad reach; cruising in 30 feet of water and able to see the differences in the sea bottom - royal blue for the rock and emerald green for the sand. The smell of fresh sea air, no humidity, and 75 degrees under blue skies: days like this are what I live for.
Amazed by Rottness’ beauty and peacefulness. No private vehicles, salt lakes, white beaches, rocky cliffs, and crystal clear Indian Ocean. A stop at the bakery for my new favorite Australian dish, a meat pie (basically a fresh, homemade pot-pie you eat with your hands) and then a walk around for 3 hours before the sail back to Fremantle. The night then commenced with a good-bye night on the town with a group from the hostel (these happen every other night due to the simultaneously transitory and jolly nature of the residents).
Friday was another day for relaxing. Booked a 9 day outback safari commencing on the 5th of March (I can’t freakin’ wait! Check it out here). Then looked into bus rides and accommodations to the Margaret River area where I intend to tour wineries and excellent food for a few days. Burned some CD’s for friends in the lobby and watched another tearful goodbye. Feeling the sting of impermanence a bit today. You make friends everyday with amazing people, and everyday you say goodbye to them. Spent the afternoon having tea at a café thinking about how alone one can be surrounded by people. But I had to wonder if this is not just a magnification of the issues we face in permanent life as well; everyone always leaves your life. Maybe the lesson to learn is to just enjoy the time you have. Then I was brought out of my funk by Ina, the picture you have in your mind of a friendly 6 foot, blonde, German girl with a permanent smile. Joined me in the sun for an hour. Got an ice cream and walked to the shore with my camera. The sun promised to set in an hour or so and I was blessed with the warm red light that comes at the end of a clear blue day. Walked about watching the birds, people, water, sun. The end of the day at the end of land is so peaceful somehow. It exemplifies closure of the day and the infinity of the world simultaneously. When traveling and having nothing but possibility lying before me, the horizon taunts with the next movement. The next sunset, the next ocean, the next day.
Came back to the hostel only to be offered a job. Some guy walked into the hostel needing “computer help”, so I nearly jumped off the couch at the excitement of working. (I’m pathetic) It’s funny how I miss being challenged, or maybe it’s that I miss being needed. Lately I’m this anonymous shadow floating through foreign countries and ephemeral relationships. Nonetheless, I love the flexibility to change plans by at least a week and maybe more at the drop of a hat. And I finally went for a night tour of the old Fremantle Prison. Built by convicts in the 1850’s and used until 1991, it was a pretty creepy place. After all, that’s the point of the flashlight lit night tour.
Today went to “work” for about 3 hours and was presented a project by a scatterbrained but apparently very successful entrepreneur. We then sang happy birthday to someone in the hostel, when I leave I’ll never see her again, but I still meant then wishes. I might have meant it even more. Then I crashed the German “girls night out”, but was welcomed as the pseudo-gay friend. We watched “Finding Neverland”. It was a truly magical night, possibly my best ever movie watching experience. Two Germans, a Brit (Yorkshire, the accent is endlessly entertaining) and myself went to an outdoor theater. We had oven-fired pizzas before the show and then watched a fantastic fairy tail with a bottle of Shiraz from a Poplar lined lawn and watched the clouds playing peek-a-boo with Orion.
So now I’m back, coping CD’s into iTunes (Portishead, Morcheeba, and Spearhead). Looking forward to hearing these tunes walking on my next beach or mountain. I’ll go to my “work” tomorrow, but I really have nothing but possibility for the next few months. Wait, no… nothing but possibilities forever.
Well, Wednesday afternoon walked into the hostel and a solicitation to go to Rottness Island by way of a chartered 65 foot catch. Being only 20% more than the ferry ride, I was definitely in. Cooked ravioli and sautéed bell pepper – no idea where this came from but it wasn’t bad. Went to bed after an ice cream and a walk in the park, the good and the bad. Three ice cream shops on our street and a beautiful park at the end overlooking the harbour and sea.
Awoke through mere excitement before 8 and walked to the Sundancer for a 9 am departure. It was a bit crowded with 16 people, yet the size of the yacht still allowed for plenty of room to stretch your legs (Or even fall asleep on the aft deck). We sailed to Carnac Island first were we snorkeled with Sea Lions, yet I stayed in the dingy in hopes of catching a few pictures (Oh the sacrifices…). They were hilarious and very playful, one came up to the stern of the dingy and rolling over to take in a good eyeful of me. Sitting 2 feet from this guy smiling at me made me wonder how much of a difference there was between the two of us.
Hoped back aboard the yacht for the 2 hour sail to Rottness Island. The wind built to about 20 knots and it was glorious. Full genoa, staysail, and main on a broad reach; cruising in 30 feet of water and able to see the differences in the sea bottom - royal blue for the rock and emerald green for the sand. The smell of fresh sea air, no humidity, and 75 degrees under blue skies: days like this are what I live for.
Amazed by Rottness’ beauty and peacefulness. No private vehicles, salt lakes, white beaches, rocky cliffs, and crystal clear Indian Ocean. A stop at the bakery for my new favorite Australian dish, a meat pie (basically a fresh, homemade pot-pie you eat with your hands) and then a walk around for 3 hours before the sail back to Fremantle. The night then commenced with a good-bye night on the town with a group from the hostel (these happen every other night due to the simultaneously transitory and jolly nature of the residents).
Friday was another day for relaxing. Booked a 9 day outback safari commencing on the 5th of March (I can’t freakin’ wait! Check it out here). Then looked into bus rides and accommodations to the Margaret River area where I intend to tour wineries and excellent food for a few days. Burned some CD’s for friends in the lobby and watched another tearful goodbye. Feeling the sting of impermanence a bit today. You make friends everyday with amazing people, and everyday you say goodbye to them. Spent the afternoon having tea at a café thinking about how alone one can be surrounded by people. But I had to wonder if this is not just a magnification of the issues we face in permanent life as well; everyone always leaves your life. Maybe the lesson to learn is to just enjoy the time you have. Then I was brought out of my funk by Ina, the picture you have in your mind of a friendly 6 foot, blonde, German girl with a permanent smile. Joined me in the sun for an hour. Got an ice cream and walked to the shore with my camera. The sun promised to set in an hour or so and I was blessed with the warm red light that comes at the end of a clear blue day. Walked about watching the birds, people, water, sun. The end of the day at the end of land is so peaceful somehow. It exemplifies closure of the day and the infinity of the world simultaneously. When traveling and having nothing but possibility lying before me, the horizon taunts with the next movement. The next sunset, the next ocean, the next day.
Came back to the hostel only to be offered a job. Some guy walked into the hostel needing “computer help”, so I nearly jumped off the couch at the excitement of working. (I’m pathetic) It’s funny how I miss being challenged, or maybe it’s that I miss being needed. Lately I’m this anonymous shadow floating through foreign countries and ephemeral relationships. Nonetheless, I love the flexibility to change plans by at least a week and maybe more at the drop of a hat. And I finally went for a night tour of the old Fremantle Prison. Built by convicts in the 1850’s and used until 1991, it was a pretty creepy place. After all, that’s the point of the flashlight lit night tour.
Today went to “work” for about 3 hours and was presented a project by a scatterbrained but apparently very successful entrepreneur. We then sang happy birthday to someone in the hostel, when I leave I’ll never see her again, but I still meant then wishes. I might have meant it even more. Then I crashed the German “girls night out”, but was welcomed as the pseudo-gay friend. We watched “Finding Neverland”. It was a truly magical night, possibly my best ever movie watching experience. Two Germans, a Brit (Yorkshire, the accent is endlessly entertaining) and myself went to an outdoor theater. We had oven-fired pizzas before the show and then watched a fantastic fairy tail with a bottle of Shiraz from a Poplar lined lawn and watched the clouds playing peek-a-boo with Orion.
So now I’m back, coping CD’s into iTunes (Portishead, Morcheeba, and Spearhead). Looking forward to hearing these tunes walking on my next beach or mountain. I’ll go to my “work” tomorrow, but I really have nothing but possibility for the next few months. Wait, no… nothing but possibilities forever.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Actually Slowing Down...More
So I am slowing down even more, which 2 weeks ago I would have told you was an impossibility. But here's the catch up on what's been happening:
Went sailing on Sunday and it was fantastic. We competed in the sixty something annual HMS Perth regatta (celebrating the heroic sinking of the ship in WWII). There were 110 boats racing on the Swan River, which is the main body of water for Perth and it's suburbs. There are two 24-foot bridges leading to the ocean, so most boats in the Swan are quite small. We raced on a 22-foot E-Boat outfitted for racing, and it was one of the largest. Arriving at the Yacht Club was fantastic. Mostly dinghies and of every type you could image. A huge green lawn along the water covered with everything from 50 year old skiffs, Lasers, Hobie 16s, 29ers, 49ers, to even a hydrofoil sail boat which was amazing to see sail. As we started off with a crew of 5 the wind began to build. On the first test jibe of the spinnaker the "Doctor" came to town and we had to douse the kite for the day. (Now for full effect you have to imagine doctor pronounced with an Australian accent) The doctor is the seabreeze that kicks in around 2pm. Race started at 2:20 with sustained 35 knot winds and gusts to 45 - it was a blast. Especially fun watching the 49ers come screaming by double trapped, spinnaker flying on a broad reach.
Finished the day with Rum and Cokes at the awards ceremony, dinner at the hostel, and a sleep of the dead.
Monday was filled with... not really filled at all. Walked around Fremantle (I've been misspelling this and was corrected with "nothing’s free in Fremantle") Planned and invited folks for dinner and fixed the sound system in the TV room for the hostel. Then I went on to one of my 4 hour dinner preparations. I was in heaven, made grilled salmon (they have a Weber here!) , steamed broccoli, fettuccini with a sautéed garlic sauce, and bruchetta. This was complemented with 3 or 4 bottles of excellent Australian wine. My guests included Nanni an Italian (whose help with the pasta was invaluable), Jeroen from the Netherlands (my bunkmate), and the beautiful Anne-lise of France who could seduce me with her accent even if she was calling me a boar-faced toad. The dinner actually attracted photos and then more guests to enjoy more wine. First there was an Austrian chef proclaiming she was impressed with the salmon, and you could trust this chef. Then a German, a Swiss, an Irish, a British, and then a few hours later we finally repeated with a second German. (Thank God everyone speaks English)
Tuesday I went and finally invested in some running shoes and jogged a path along the coast which was phenomenally beautiful. The grounds are natural, but manicured. The beach is white and the water bright blues and greens (Indian Ocean is amazing). And top it off with 75 degrees and zero humidity. Upon return Anne-lise invited me back to the beach for a swim followed up by great conversation lounging on a pristine beach we had nearly to ourselves. Conversations I’m having with travelers tend to always include discussions of non-commitment. They don’t know where they want to live, how long they want to stay somewhere, but especially they don’t want to commit to any decision that stops perpetual movement. Then Nanni joined us for a trip in to Perth's Kings Park to toast sunset with a local Shiraz. Finally made dinner around 10 (chicken piccata) which again drew representation of at least 5 countries.
Today I am nursing a bit of a sunburn and think I'll try to pick up my reading again that has stopped since I left Indonesia. The hammocks in the backyard of this place look very inviting. Freo as it is called (all names are shorted in Australia), is fantastic. I am really treating myself like I'm just on vacation here, and I'm finally beginning to feel a little less guilty about it. Curious how this will effect my overall work ethic. The Europeans can't believe how little vacation we get in the States - and I'm starting to agree that taking 4 month vacations are a good idea.
Went sailing on Sunday and it was fantastic. We competed in the sixty something annual HMS Perth regatta (celebrating the heroic sinking of the ship in WWII). There were 110 boats racing on the Swan River, which is the main body of water for Perth and it's suburbs. There are two 24-foot bridges leading to the ocean, so most boats in the Swan are quite small. We raced on a 22-foot E-Boat outfitted for racing, and it was one of the largest. Arriving at the Yacht Club was fantastic. Mostly dinghies and of every type you could image. A huge green lawn along the water covered with everything from 50 year old skiffs, Lasers, Hobie 16s, 29ers, 49ers, to even a hydrofoil sail boat which was amazing to see sail. As we started off with a crew of 5 the wind began to build. On the first test jibe of the spinnaker the "Doctor" came to town and we had to douse the kite for the day. (Now for full effect you have to imagine doctor pronounced with an Australian accent) The doctor is the seabreeze that kicks in around 2pm. Race started at 2:20 with sustained 35 knot winds and gusts to 45 - it was a blast. Especially fun watching the 49ers come screaming by double trapped, spinnaker flying on a broad reach.
Finished the day with Rum and Cokes at the awards ceremony, dinner at the hostel, and a sleep of the dead.
Monday was filled with... not really filled at all. Walked around Fremantle (I've been misspelling this and was corrected with "nothing’s free in Fremantle") Planned and invited folks for dinner and fixed the sound system in the TV room for the hostel. Then I went on to one of my 4 hour dinner preparations. I was in heaven, made grilled salmon (they have a Weber here!) , steamed broccoli, fettuccini with a sautéed garlic sauce, and bruchetta. This was complemented with 3 or 4 bottles of excellent Australian wine. My guests included Nanni an Italian (whose help with the pasta was invaluable), Jeroen from the Netherlands (my bunkmate), and the beautiful Anne-lise of France who could seduce me with her accent even if she was calling me a boar-faced toad. The dinner actually attracted photos and then more guests to enjoy more wine. First there was an Austrian chef proclaiming she was impressed with the salmon, and you could trust this chef. Then a German, a Swiss, an Irish, a British, and then a few hours later we finally repeated with a second German. (Thank God everyone speaks English)
Tuesday I went and finally invested in some running shoes and jogged a path along the coast which was phenomenally beautiful. The grounds are natural, but manicured. The beach is white and the water bright blues and greens (Indian Ocean is amazing). And top it off with 75 degrees and zero humidity. Upon return Anne-lise invited me back to the beach for a swim followed up by great conversation lounging on a pristine beach we had nearly to ourselves. Conversations I’m having with travelers tend to always include discussions of non-commitment. They don’t know where they want to live, how long they want to stay somewhere, but especially they don’t want to commit to any decision that stops perpetual movement. Then Nanni joined us for a trip in to Perth's Kings Park to toast sunset with a local Shiraz. Finally made dinner around 10 (chicken piccata) which again drew representation of at least 5 countries.
Today I am nursing a bit of a sunburn and think I'll try to pick up my reading again that has stopped since I left Indonesia. The hammocks in the backyard of this place look very inviting. Freo as it is called (all names are shorted in Australia), is fantastic. I am really treating myself like I'm just on vacation here, and I'm finally beginning to feel a little less guilty about it. Curious how this will effect my overall work ethic. The Europeans can't believe how little vacation we get in the States - and I'm starting to agree that taking 4 month vacations are a good idea.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Some fav pics from Indonesia
There are tons, but here are my favorites. Any others I should include/exclude from the favorites category?
Pictures at last!
Well it only took 27.5 hours to upload the photos. Thank you locker + wireless internet. A few scragglers to upload but labeling and organizing the mass now. I'll post some favorites to the blog as well.
By the way, today I went to the Freemantle Nautical Museum and saw Australia II, the boat that took the America's cup in 1983 (which I somehow remember). Fantastic museum, beautiful day, and great company.
Followed up with an afternoon in the park, dinner from the hostel kitchen, and The Motorcycle Diaries from the artsy film cinema next door. Great movie to finish off a great day.
Going sailing with someone named Angela tomorrow (only spoken on phone so far) in the Freemantle "Doctor". (Local name for the seabreeze)
Travel is really some good stuff - I'm wishing you all to go and enjoy it.
By the way, today I went to the Freemantle Nautical Museum and saw Australia II, the boat that took the America's cup in 1983 (which I somehow remember). Fantastic museum, beautiful day, and great company.
Followed up with an afternoon in the park, dinner from the hostel kitchen, and The Motorcycle Diaries from the artsy film cinema next door. Great movie to finish off a great day.
Going sailing with someone named Angela tomorrow (only spoken on phone so far) in the Freemantle "Doctor". (Local name for the seabreeze)
Travel is really some good stuff - I'm wishing you all to go and enjoy it.
Looking for inspiration?
Just glad he didn't grab my camera when I was in his face like this. (Thought the monkey's in Ula Watu would have taught me)
Friday, February 18, 2005
G'day, mate...
No, seriously they really speak this way. It's hilarious to be somewhere that speaks English I can't understand. (Of course not as bad as the Scottish guy I bunked next to in Bangkok).
Well, I've made it to Australia. I was very pleased to make it through customs out of Indonesia and into Australia without any hitches (One more passport stamp!). Stayed last two nights in Perth and arrived in Freemantle this morning. Perth was very pretty, clean, and white. It was a bit anti-climatic as I am ~10,000 miles from Austin and the city felt very similar. Ran some errands, slept another night in the far from clean "Planet Inn" and hopped the train to Freemantle. It is quite beautiful here, still very much like the US, but now I'm surrounded by the India Ocean, great food, and lots of boats - so I'm a happy camper.
Another advantage of being back in the West is I'm now on wireless internet again and getting pictures uploaded. It's taking all day - but I'm on no schedule. I'll post some to my blog soon, but for a preview check out my flickr sight.
FYI my cell number in Australia is: 61-424605716 (I know your disappointed, Paul)
Well, I've made it to Australia. I was very pleased to make it through customs out of Indonesia and into Australia without any hitches (One more passport stamp!). Stayed last two nights in Perth and arrived in Freemantle this morning. Perth was very pretty, clean, and white. It was a bit anti-climatic as I am ~10,000 miles from Austin and the city felt very similar. Ran some errands, slept another night in the far from clean "Planet Inn" and hopped the train to Freemantle. It is quite beautiful here, still very much like the US, but now I'm surrounded by the India Ocean, great food, and lots of boats - so I'm a happy camper.
Another advantage of being back in the West is I'm now on wireless internet again and getting pictures uploaded. It's taking all day - but I'm on no schedule. I'll post some to my blog soon, but for a preview check out my flickr sight.
FYI my cell number in Australia is: 61-424605716 (I know your disappointed, Paul)
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