18th August. Since the last blog we have completed our travelling through the length of Australia!
11th August we travelled to the world famous Kings Canyon. 12th to Ayres Rock and seeing the sunset on Uluru. The 13th started with a 5am awakening to see the sun rise on Uluru! The nights of the 12th and 13th were my first experience of sleeping in a swag bag, and it was under the cold Australian sky. The stars were awesome even though it was minus 2 degrees and frosty, the bag was so warm and comfy! We also visited the Olgas, a group of rocks very near to Uluru and equally impressive.
The 14th meant a long journey to Coober Pedy, made famous by the discovery of the worlds best opals. Coober Pady is a desert town and the safest place to live is underground. Everything was underground even the churches and we visited the 'underground Catholic Church' which sounds very suspicious! But not to be left out the Anglican Church was also underground. Our accommodation was a large dormitory cut out of the rock which was surprisingly comfy and warm on a freezing evening - it was the remains of an Opal mine!
The 15th meant another long drive to our first large Australian City. Adelaide was impressive and the girls on the bus were very happy to find out the shops were open late for a bit more shopping. The 16th meant that Narrandera was our destination. A small out of the way place with very good camping facilities. We were told that we were only 100 kilometres away from the snow line here and it felt like it. With the exception of Adelaide, Coober Pedy and Darwin our evenings were spent under canvas! The other nights have been in hostels.
The 17th was the final leg, leaving Adelaide and going via Canberra to Sydney. Canberra was reminiscent of an old American town of the east coast and it was great to visit the Capital and the Parliament building. We arrived at Sydney just after 6 last night to have photos taken overlooking the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Last night meant a PARTY!! And we all enjoyed ourselves at "The Gaff" which provided us with free meals. (Great to have fish and chips).
So what else can be said? Australia has meant really long days on the bus travelling on really long roads through deserts and between salt lakes seeing sheep, kangaroos, cows, wallabies and loads of wedge tailed eagles eating road kills. And loads more!! Our guide Mark Raine of Venture Tours Australia made this part of the trip extra special. So thanks to him.
So much more has happened. There have been arguments and fall outs and making up and laughing and crying. Making new friends and also meeting people who you perhaps wish you never had. In fact this journey would have been a great Big Brother TV programme. Perhaps this will happen soon.
But this has been a wonderful time and has given me so much to think about. I have especially been challenged by the faith of many people from all over the world from all types of religions. (Also the faith and spirituality of those who say they have no faith!!)
As I am running out of time all I can say is "Thanks" to all who have accompanied me on this journey and made it so special. I have moaned at times but it has all been a part of the journey. I'll try to update the blog with photos soon or even get up and running with Facebook!!
Thanks for reading.
Martin
Saturday, 30 August 2008
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Darwin to Alice Springs
Getting to Oz (6th) has been another culture shock. Leaving behind the rice and noodles and cheap food of Indonesia and Asia generally, to be served a beef pie on the plane to Darwin (delicious) and then experience the reality of having to pay a proper price for your meal.
Oz is now in winter but Up Top (Northern Territories) and here in the centre it is not too cold during the day. The nights however are freezing and we notice it in our tents when our sleeping bags most definitely require the additional liners we were advised to bring with us.
Darwin was a sleepy kind of city and we awoke on the first morning having to find our own breakfast due to a mix up with bookings. This was no problem and for me, egg and bacon was on the cards.
We wasted no time and by 10am were on the road with our new tour guide Mark. He is FAB and gives us so much information about Australia and the Aboriginal tribes of the NT. There are about 700 tribes in Oz with their own languages and religions, and the places we have visited have had numerous examples of Aboriginal art that needed to be described for us. Many have children’s stories behind them that underline a moral or principle of religious belief.
The understanding of the earth and various rocks are also described in similar ways. The Devils Marbles which we visited yesterday were breathtaking and again our guide told us how they were formed and about the Aboriginal beliefs surrounding them.
We have seen some interesting pieces of water while being here. Edith Falls was a great place to swim but we were warned about salties! Katherine Gorge (8th) was a great place to canoe or take a boat. In fact the very first morning in Oz we visited the local river to see salties being fed. Some of them are over 100 years old and can still jump for their dinner!! (Catching pieces of meat dangled from a rope).
We have seen some amazing sunsets too. The evening at Ubirr watching the sun go down sat on the huge red rocks overlooking the plains to the sea was ...!! (Can't describe the beauty). However, we were warned to get off the rock asap after sunset as it took only 10 minutes for the rock to be covered by mosquitoes!
Yesterday (10th) was the longest travelling day in Oz, we left at 5am and arrived in Alice Springs at 8pm last night. We did of course make a few stops at interesting places on the way and last night was a first for many of us as we arrived at Bojangles Saloon for a meal. SUPERB! I had Kangaroo whilst others had crocodile or camel or buffalo. I managed to taste most of what was on offer and it was GREAT!
We have swam and walked and laughed and done so much in a short period of time here in Oz. Perhaps the funniest experience was whilst camping at Daly Waters (9th). Only about 6 people live here but the pub and camping site had about 150 people there. We enjoyed the beer and food whilst being entertained by an old Australian touring entertainer. He sung us Waltzing Matilda whilst wearing a hat in the shape of a house and he then put his live hen on top. He described this chicken as some type of Eagle...He got us laughing and having a real good time.
Thank you to him and the rest of Oz for giving us such a great welcome!
Oz is now in winter but Up Top (Northern Territories) and here in the centre it is not too cold during the day. The nights however are freezing and we notice it in our tents when our sleeping bags most definitely require the additional liners we were advised to bring with us.
Darwin was a sleepy kind of city and we awoke on the first morning having to find our own breakfast due to a mix up with bookings. This was no problem and for me, egg and bacon was on the cards.
We wasted no time and by 10am were on the road with our new tour guide Mark. He is FAB and gives us so much information about Australia and the Aboriginal tribes of the NT. There are about 700 tribes in Oz with their own languages and religions, and the places we have visited have had numerous examples of Aboriginal art that needed to be described for us. Many have children’s stories behind them that underline a moral or principle of religious belief.
The understanding of the earth and various rocks are also described in similar ways. The Devils Marbles which we visited yesterday were breathtaking and again our guide told us how they were formed and about the Aboriginal beliefs surrounding them.
We have seen some interesting pieces of water while being here. Edith Falls was a great place to swim but we were warned about salties! Katherine Gorge (8th) was a great place to canoe or take a boat. In fact the very first morning in Oz we visited the local river to see salties being fed. Some of them are over 100 years old and can still jump for their dinner!! (Catching pieces of meat dangled from a rope).
We have seen some amazing sunsets too. The evening at Ubirr watching the sun go down sat on the huge red rocks overlooking the plains to the sea was ...!! (Can't describe the beauty). However, we were warned to get off the rock asap after sunset as it took only 10 minutes for the rock to be covered by mosquitoes!
Yesterday (10th) was the longest travelling day in Oz, we left at 5am and arrived in Alice Springs at 8pm last night. We did of course make a few stops at interesting places on the way and last night was a first for many of us as we arrived at Bojangles Saloon for a meal. SUPERB! I had Kangaroo whilst others had crocodile or camel or buffalo. I managed to taste most of what was on offer and it was GREAT!
We have swam and walked and laughed and done so much in a short period of time here in Oz. Perhaps the funniest experience was whilst camping at Daly Waters (9th). Only about 6 people live here but the pub and camping site had about 150 people there. We enjoyed the beer and food whilst being entertained by an old Australian touring entertainer. He sung us Waltzing Matilda whilst wearing a hat in the shape of a house and he then put his live hen on top. He described this chicken as some type of Eagle...He got us laughing and having a real good time.
Thank you to him and the rest of Oz for giving us such a great welcome!
Monday, 11 August 2008
Monday, 4 August 2008
Clancye is the greatest!
Not long now before the short flight to Oz!
In the meantime Indonesia has been a surprising discovery. People are so friendly and the scenery has become more breathtaking the further south we travelled. I always imagined that crossing the Equator for the first time would be special with the sun shining. However the reality was a very dull day. But we still enjoyed the moment with plenty of photos being taken.
On the ferry to Java the highlight was seeing Darren attempt to dance with a karaoke singer in the executive suite! This sounds posh but only consisted of a comfortable seat and air conditioning for which we had to pay a small fee.
Reality also set in well and truly with some very long days again on the bus, some of up to 14 hours, e.g. today we left Mount Bromo at 5am to arrive in Bali 14 hours later! But it has all been worth while. We have seen whole communities fishing on the beaches of Pangandaran. The beautiful Buddhist stupor of Borobudur was followed by what for me has been the most breathtaking scenery of the whole trip - Mount Bromo, a volcano over 2200 meters above sea level. We walked to the volcano passing a Hindu temple at its base. Then climbed the side and looked into its heart. Several of us (including me) managed to walk the circumference of the peak and spot several other volcanoes in the distance, this included Clancye which is described as the greatest! (I did promise to mention this on the blog). The late afternoon meant a jeep ride to the nearest mountain top for photos of the sunset. I can't describe the beauty. Several volcanoes were spouting out their smoke and were lit by the fading reds and oranges of the sleeping sun.
Today the crossing to Bali was choppy and one of the first things to notice was that this island is most definitely Hindu. This contrasts so much with the rest of this former Dutch colony which is Muslim with a significant Christian population too.
I suppose I should also mention that the bus has certainly had some tensions amongst its people. The main difficulty being the rush for a good seat with leg room each morning. This has got worse in Indonesia as the bus had seats with different leg lengths. The bus was also smaller that previous busses used so we have had to carry luggage in the passenger area. Not a too pleasant experience for some!! Hopefully this will not happen from now on. I have been told that the busses in Australia are good.
We now rest in Bali tomorrow before going to "The Land Down Under".
As a final note I think I should mention something our guide Anto said in passing about the religions of Indonesia. He explained that the majority of people are Muslims but that all people here are tolerant to each other and for that reason people all get along together. On that note I think I should go to bed and look forward to a rest tomorrow.
"Night night and God Bless"
In the meantime Indonesia has been a surprising discovery. People are so friendly and the scenery has become more breathtaking the further south we travelled. I always imagined that crossing the Equator for the first time would be special with the sun shining. However the reality was a very dull day. But we still enjoyed the moment with plenty of photos being taken.
On the ferry to Java the highlight was seeing Darren attempt to dance with a karaoke singer in the executive suite! This sounds posh but only consisted of a comfortable seat and air conditioning for which we had to pay a small fee.
Reality also set in well and truly with some very long days again on the bus, some of up to 14 hours, e.g. today we left Mount Bromo at 5am to arrive in Bali 14 hours later! But it has all been worth while. We have seen whole communities fishing on the beaches of Pangandaran. The beautiful Buddhist stupor of Borobudur was followed by what for me has been the most breathtaking scenery of the whole trip - Mount Bromo, a volcano over 2200 meters above sea level. We walked to the volcano passing a Hindu temple at its base. Then climbed the side and looked into its heart. Several of us (including me) managed to walk the circumference of the peak and spot several other volcanoes in the distance, this included Clancye which is described as the greatest! (I did promise to mention this on the blog). The late afternoon meant a jeep ride to the nearest mountain top for photos of the sunset. I can't describe the beauty. Several volcanoes were spouting out their smoke and were lit by the fading reds and oranges of the sleeping sun.
Today the crossing to Bali was choppy and one of the first things to notice was that this island is most definitely Hindu. This contrasts so much with the rest of this former Dutch colony which is Muslim with a significant Christian population too.
I suppose I should also mention that the bus has certainly had some tensions amongst its people. The main difficulty being the rush for a good seat with leg room each morning. This has got worse in Indonesia as the bus had seats with different leg lengths. The bus was also smaller that previous busses used so we have had to carry luggage in the passenger area. Not a too pleasant experience for some!! Hopefully this will not happen from now on. I have been told that the busses in Australia are good.
We now rest in Bali tomorrow before going to "The Land Down Under".
As a final note I think I should mention something our guide Anto said in passing about the religions of Indonesia. He explained that the majority of people are Muslims but that all people here are tolerant to each other and for that reason people all get along together. On that note I think I should go to bed and look forward to a rest tomorrow.
"Night night and God Bless"
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