No internet available for many days. Thank goodness I am keeping a written journal as well. However, that was also difficult in the outback as there were no lights (other than my "miner's reading lamp!") So, bare with me as I just write as I cannot do any photos today.
April 3: We awoke very early, 4:45, to travel to Uluru (Ayers Rock), to see the sunrise. That was very impressive. Then we hiked 2 1/2 hours around the base. Aborigines request that no one climb the rock and because of the windy conditions, no climbing was allowed. We also had a guided tour by an Aborigine man...somewhat longwinded but interesting. There was an educational center there but we were only allowed 30 minutes..
Had an OK campsite and at night we found the Southern Cross and other southern hemisphere constellations. Off to bed with a mice alert! Do not keep any food in backpacks or in the platform tents!
April 4: Up at 5:15 after a night of fierce winds. Ladies room had no bathroom tissue so I had to knock on the men's door to get a roll. Someone had to take the initiative! Then, off to King's Canyon.
This is Australia's Grand Canyon and it is impressive and the hike was simply marvelous. It was quite steep and rocky but we all accomplished the almost 4 hour climb and return. Early on during the climb, my left contact lens fell out. Due to the winds I felt it was a gonner, but a gal from Germany spotten it. Yeah!
Arrived at our hotel in Alice Springs and once again were greeted by a mice alert. Due to all the rains, the mice are coming out in droves! People are laying bait and dogs are eating it and dying. Anyhow, I found out later in the afternoon that there was indeed a mouse in my tent the previous night! My roommate had snacks in her backpack, and while she slept out under the stars, a little mouse was munching away in a bunk next to mine!
April 5: Ahhh...clean sheets! Slept until 8:00!! Heaven! Did some shopping before our flight to Adelaide. Arrived at our 175 year old hotel--kind of funky. There is a set of two elevator doors to enter and another set of two doors to exit. The sink didn't drain, and the wattage of light in our entire room must have been 70W!
While drying my hair, the hair dryer caught on fire! Fortunately, I bought one early on in New Zealand, so I didn't have a bad hair day (although it was almost fried!)
April 6: Today was a day of wineries in McLaren Vale. We got there by train, then bus, then by foot! Had wine tastings and lunch. Tasted some unusual wines, but was pleasantly surprised by two red wines--sparkling merlot and sparkling shiraz! Also tried spiced mead...all were wonderful.
April 7: Time to check out and leave for our flight to Melbourne. Upon landing, there was a security breach at the airport as someone exited a secure passage way and was out of camera view. Luckily, we only were on the tarmac for about20 minutes. Our hotel room was quite small with three twin beds but the location was perfect. Near the action, trams, and trains. Took both the free city tram and city bus to get a feel for the city. We were quite impressed. It's a great place. Ellen didn't feel well in the evening, so we had an early night.
April 8: Outside our hotel after breakfast, we were looking at a map when we were approached by a Melbourne "greeter." He chatted with us and gave us transportation information and suggestions of sites to see. If we had known, we also could have booked a volunteer to take us for a personalized 3 hour walking tour of the city! All for free!! So, we saw the Royal Botanic Gardens, took a bus to Victoria Markets where we had lunch and checked out the stalls, visited the ACMI, Australian Center for the Moving Image, and then caught a tram to St. Kilda. Our hectic day was rewarded by seeing the Little Fairy Penguins coming in after sunset to tend their chicks in the rock breakwater. What a thrill! These little guys are about 12 inches tall. It was fun to see them as I taught my second graders all about penguins and the various species of penguins.
Returned to the city after dinner, walked around Collins Street, a very ritzy place, and then headed to the hotel.
April 9: Had a wonderful time in Melbourne but it was time to say goodbye. Off to Sydney! Got to our hotel about noon and relaxed a bit. Another room with three twin beds, which is always good! Bought a ticket for the "Hop On, Hop Off" bus and got a city tour. The Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge were all I expected! There was a bachelorette group on the bus, and I left my camera case on a seat. As the bus was about to take off, another passenger threw the case to the gals who hopped off the bus. Couldn't believe I saw it, and one of the gals gave three tries to pitch it up to me on the double decker bus! Caught it on my third try and I was indeed lucky as my photo card reader was in it! Yes, the day was glorious...
The city is quite large and not as tidy as I envisioned. Did lots of walking and toured "The Rocks" area on our own and ate at a German restaurant. Ellen and Pat had pork knuckle with mashed potatoes but I opted for chicken schnitzel atop Caesar salad. A German band also played...
April 10: Did the laundry this morning and walked to a lovely cafe for breakfast. Used the rest of our 24 hour "Hop On" ticket and headed to Bondi Beach. The day was getting grayer and darker as we approached but the rain held off. The water was cold and the surfers were out. We didn't swim but did enjoy a nice gelato!
Then the rains came. We looked so fashionable in our $5 rain ponchos! Got back to Sydney and scheduled my bridge walk for tomorrow morning. Pat and Ellen will do the islands via ferry and we plan to meet for lunch.
Had dinner in Chinatown. Hoping for a nice day tomorrow!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
April 2
Today we met our new guide, Martin, for the last leg of our ten day tour. Destinations: Kata Tjunta, Uluru, and King's Canyon.
Still lots of driving and we had a full bus of 24 people, and Martin, mid-forties, has only been a tour guide for two months! Previously, he taught Aborigines in Kimberley. He definitely followed each and every rule on which he was trained.
One of our first stops was Stewart's Well Camel Farm. High estimates put 2,000,000 camels in Australia. Another stop was Erldunda, practically smack center in Australia. At Curtain Springs we were able to purchase wine and beer. Usually this can only be done after 2:00 to 4:00 in he afternoon to prevent Aborigines from purchasing too much alcohol and getting drunk.
This is a real problem in Australia. Later, we thought we spotted Uluru out the bus window but were informed it was "Foolaroo," otherwise known as Mt. Conner.
We stopped to gather firewood along the roadside and the flies were quite annoying so we had to don those attractive fly nets. However, we were so thankful to have them.
We arrived at Kata Tjuta and this area is comprised of 36 domes. It is 200 meters higher than Uluru which is 383 meters. Martin led a fast paced hike and the rocks on the ath were very loose. It was a very steep and exhausting climb, especially at the end of a day.
Finally, we headed to view the sunset at Uluru. We were treated to champagne (although it was sipped from plastic camp mugs!) Many folks came to view the sunset and it was spectacular, especially the sky. Hard to believe I was there!
Still lots of driving and we had a full bus of 24 people, and Martin, mid-forties, has only been a tour guide for two months! Previously, he taught Aborigines in Kimberley. He definitely followed each and every rule on which he was trained.
One of our first stops was Stewart's Well Camel Farm. High estimates put 2,000,000 camels in Australia. Another stop was Erldunda, practically smack center in Australia. At Curtain Springs we were able to purchase wine and beer. Usually this can only be done after 2:00 to 4:00 in he afternoon to prevent Aborigines from purchasing too much alcohol and getting drunk.
This is a real problem in Australia. Later, we thought we spotted Uluru out the bus window but were informed it was "Foolaroo," otherwise known as Mt. Conner.
We stopped to gather firewood along the roadside and the flies were quite annoying so we had to don those attractive fly nets. However, we were so thankful to have them.
We arrived at Kata Tjuta and this area is comprised of 36 domes. It is 200 meters higher than Uluru which is 383 meters. Martin led a fast paced hike and the rocks on the ath were very loose. It was a very steep and exhausting climb, especially at the end of a day.
Finally, we headed to view the sunset at Uluru. We were treated to champagne (although it was sipped from plastic camp mugs!) Many folks came to view the sunset and it was spectacular, especially the sky. Hard to believe I was there!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
April 1
This was no April Fool's Day, or was a it? The day was damp, fray, and misty...what else was new on this part of the tour?
Finally the rain subsided as we approached Devils' Marbles. Juno chose an extremely difficult set of rocks to climb and I did it...hiking shoes were a definite assist. A dingo was sleeping nearby and he just moved when buses or cars pulled away. Did you know dingoes howl but not bark?
Along our various pull offs, our stops brought us to small towns where Aborigines would be wandering around or sitting in parks, at roadside tables, etc. They are a lost people and are caught between two worlds.
Juno finally got us to Alice Springs and we stayed at a backpackers' place called The Haven. Fortunately we had a room with three single beds and private bath. We joined the group for dinner and then Pat and I decided to return to the room. We got lost! We were in an arrea where we were not supposed to be. Fortunately, an Aborigine couple asked if we were lost
and they actually escorted us back to the hotel. Needless to say we were a bit nervous but arrived safely. He asked for $5 but we told him we had no money. We quickly put our key card in the gate and closed it. Whew! Take note: know the address of your accommodation!
Finally the rain subsided as we approached Devils' Marbles. Juno chose an extremely difficult set of rocks to climb and I did it...hiking shoes were a definite assist. A dingo was sleeping nearby and he just moved when buses or cars pulled away. Did you know dingoes howl but not bark?
Along our various pull offs, our stops brought us to small towns where Aborigines would be wandering around or sitting in parks, at roadside tables, etc. They are a lost people and are caught between two worlds.
Juno finally got us to Alice Springs and we stayed at a backpackers' place called The Haven. Fortunately we had a room with three single beds and private bath. We joined the group for dinner and then Pat and I decided to return to the room. We got lost! We were in an arrea where we were not supposed to be. Fortunately, an Aborigine couple asked if we were lost
and they actually escorted us back to the hotel. Needless to say we were a bit nervous but arrived safely. He asked for $5 but we told him we had no money. We quickly put our key card in the gate and closed it. Whew! Take note: know the address of your accommodation!
March 31 - Daly Waters Pub
Oh my gosh! What a pub! As Juno says, there are lots of "Knicks and knacks" in this place! What memorabilia adorning the walls! There are collections of baseball caps, bras, panties, business cards, license plates, worldwide currency, antique car parts, and much more.
Rain keeps following us-- part of another cyclone.
Due to the long bus ride, we played games. One was to see who could eat a "wheetabix" the fastest. (This is similar to zwieback.) Each person had a chance to be at the front of the bus while Juno played a song. I chose "Waltzing Matilda" while trying to chew and swallow this piece of sawdust. It made a paste in your mouth which made it difficult to swallow. I did mine in 2 minutes, 16 seconds. The fastest was 1 minute, 19 seconds.
We also divided ourselves into two groups and played trivia. We make up 12 questions based on anything and everything. Winners had the evening free of dinner clean up. My team won!
Still raining and the campsite was a muddy and full of holes and stumps...not easy to see those holes in the dark!
Rain keeps following us-- part of another cyclone.
Due to the long bus ride, we played games. One was to see who could eat a "wheetabix" the fastest. (This is similar to zwieback.) Each person had a chance to be at the front of the bus while Juno played a song. I chose "Waltzing Matilda" while trying to chew and swallow this piece of sawdust. It made a paste in your mouth which made it difficult to swallow. I did mine in 2 minutes, 16 seconds. The fastest was 1 minute, 19 seconds.
We also divided ourselves into two groups and played trivia. We make up 12 questions based on anything and everything. Winners had the evening free of dinner clean up. My team won!
Still raining and the campsite was a muddy and full of holes and stumps...not easy to see those holes in the dark!
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