Month: September 2013

We teared down the outback highway after our dip in the pool. Each time we hit a highway the bus erupted in cheers as there are only three highways we were driving on so it was a rare experience. Tour guide Mark loved it.

Next stop….firewood and beer! We stopped on the side of the road and grabbed logs of dry wood from the outback. They are very brittle and we could snap them easily from their still standing brush. Vero ended up with some nasty splinters later on but we managed to get those out with some tweezers from Landa (Ireland).

After strapping the wood down to the trailer, we picked up some beer for the next two days at a truck stop. A truck stop which looked like the local watering hole and I was thinking we should hang out for a bit! I also stole some toilet paper from the bathroom realizing I never packed any for the trip! Turns out I didn’t need it as Mark packed some for everyone. Imagine being in the Outback without the essentials!

We pulled into a field with not much cover and set up for the night. The winds were crazy fierce. I would say over eighty km/hr. Vero and I were on fire duty and Vero got it going as she always does…with style! It was way too windy for Canada fire standards…the flames were moving horizontally by a few feet…but I guess it wasn’t an issue in the outback.

Supper was prepared by all…we had a great meal of chili, grilled veggies and rice. Fantastic after a long day out in the hot sun! It was super warm this night and there was no need to wear my pants.

We got to know the rest of the group…Tom (Belgium), Betty (Germany), David (England), Dmitri (US), Simon (England), Elaine (Ireland). It was a great night with a few beer and Ciders.

The campfire had a few stories from the guide but overall, not many people had great stories to offer. I think everyone was getting themselves psyched out for the sleep!

The night was quite cloudy which was strange for the Outback. Not many stars could be seen. I had my eyes peeled for critters every time I walked out behind a bush. I was glad when the moon peeked out behind a cloud on my walk away from the campfire.

We settled in for the night with an intro to Aussie swags. Essentially, you sleep in a sleeping bag and then a canvas swag envelops the sleeping bag and has a giant monster flap to hopefully save you from any monsters crawling towards you in the night. This did not zip up so I wondered how the critters wouldn’t find the little cracks in the flap. Also, how can I breathe with a honking huge monster flap over my face? Mark told us to form it into a tent to have air go through. Like bloody hell! Basically there can be tarantulas, snakes and probably Bigfoot roaming around!

Mark recommended drinking some beer to make the sleep more comfortable and I took him up on the offer!

We settled in for the night around the fire which was hot on a night like this. It was easily still twenty degrees outside and here we are bundled up in canvas…what a sauna! But we knew it would drop temperature soon enough.

Was it the best sleep ever? No way. Did any monsters show up? Not at all! Bonus!

We awoke before the sun came up and it was pretty cold. We groaned at the morning that awaited us, but I think we were all relieved that nothing dangerous happened during the night. Vero slept with her knees up at one point and then dreamt there was a snake under her which she wrestled. When she awoke she wondered where that snake went!

First night of sleep in the Outback…success!!

Vero and I get picked up at six in the morning by the tour bus. Up comes a twenty seater hauling a large trailer where we throw our bags into.

Our tour guide Mark introduces himself and we hop on with six other people who also look groggy this morning. Vero brings us to the seat at the back and I whisper that we should sit with the others, but in hindsight Vero’s choice of the backseat was the best seat in the bus. You never need to turn around to talk to someone and you have a view of everything happening on the bus. Plus it was next to the cooler of beer!

We ended up with a full bus to the point where someone even had to sit up with the driver for the next three days! We chatted with Melanie (Germany), Sabrina (Austria), Natalie (Belgium), Andy (Melbourne), and Astrid (Sweden) who were all sitting near us. After chatting for awhile, everyone dozed off for awhile until we hit up Elrdunda truck stop. Actually, I am not sure if Erldunda is the name of the area or the truck stop. I think in the outback there is not a lot out there so it centres around truck stops which double as pubs and the center of the area.

Mark then laid down the rules of the trip. We are a family for three days so we better get to know each other and have fun together. All the people on the bus were roughly in the same age range which was great and there was a lot of energy with the group. We each took our turns on the microphone on the bus to introduce ourselves and answer some funny questions like “Who would you like to sleep with?” And “what would you bring the outback if you were lost.” Some funny stories were shared and then we settled in for the five hour trip.

I have to admit that after the first hour, the view was pretty monotonous. It’s like driving through Northern Ontario. It consists of dirt, bushes, and hills in the distance. No wildlife other than some cattle. In fact, we pretty well saw some cattle and horses. We did see a wild pack of camels once in the three days which was cool.

After a few pitstops, we ended up at Kings Canyon for a hike. It was a hot day but with a strong wind and a lot of clouds. Very different than normal days in the Outback. It was a blessing.

Mark checked that we had our mandatory three litres of water and recounted some tales of a girl last week who needed to be air lifted out because she didn’t drink enough water. Message received!!

The first step started us out on Heart Attack Hill which was a straight up climb of two hundred (or more?!) steps. I would like to thank the gang at work who walked/jogged/climbed fifteen flights of stairs with me for the past month because without that I would have:

– lost a lung
– kept huffing and puffing until Christmas
– cried like a baby.

Those are not multiple choice…they would have all happened. It was pretty tough.

Luckily that was the worst trek for the entire three days. Good to get it done in the first fifteen minutes. It also helped that we had Marks water gun in hand at various points. I am pretty sure I pissed off some people with my spraying!

The rest of the hike was great. It was all amongst the rocks of Kings Canyon. We stopped at various points to hear about the wildlife, plants and Aboriginal culture. We bonded as a group during the trek and we got to see that the tour guide had a good sarcastic side to him which would grow in the further days.

2.5 hours later (an hour under schedule!) we arrived back at the bus with more water than we needed. Bonus!

Next stop…a quick dip in a pool which was fabulous. I especially appreciated Thomas (Denmark) who decided to cannonball into the pool a few times which the rest of the locals were not impressed with!

Tired of updating this tonight…more later.

I just remembered that the third season of Survivor was in the Outback? I have to rewatch that.

The airplanes have been a real bonus in that there was another tv screen at my seat on our trip to Alice Springs. I watched Oblivion which had a decent sci fi premise.

Arriving in Alice Springs, we realized that THIS is where things get different in the world! Welcome to the Outback! Walking into the airport we were already getting annoyed with the flies around our heads. Would this be worse while sleeping under the stars?

We hopped onto the shuttle bus to town and ended up at the Alice Springs Motor Inn which is a ten minute walk out of the city centre. The town itself isn’t too large…probably a little smaller than Hearst. Very easy to find your way around the city center.

Alice Springs Motor Inn reminded me of the hotel that Aunt Lana and Uncle Tony had in Spanish, Ontario. Gee was an excellent host and let us know everything we needed to know about the town. It was pretty hot (thirty) so far and he said its around fifty degrees in the summer months! His family enjoy running the Inn and it looked quiet packed while we were there. We loved the rooms and the hospitality. Two thumbs up!

We walked into the city center and witnessed the Aboriginal culture hanging around the local liquor store. Very similar to some Canadian sights. We were informed that Alice Springs is safe enough at night but be prepared for drunks who like to get into a lot of fist fights. Luckily on the last night when we decided to walk home, the only drunk we encountered was the one in the mirror!

The Rock Tours eased some fears of mine as I was worried how I could fit three days clothing in the backpack as well as the mandatory three litres of water for each hike. Luckily they said we could leave things on the bus whenever we headed to a hike for the day. Vero and I went to the local KMart (When is the last time we saw that store?!) and picked up some bags and some snacks. We also picked up our water and some pepperettes which were definitely not the best tasting! I didn’t want them stinking up our bag all trip long so I ditched them.

I decided to bite the bullet and pick up a typical outback hat to cover my head for the trip. We checked out a few stores and settled on a fine kangaroo leather hat for seventy bucks. It was a little pricey but I figured it would be a useful souvenir and I wanted to see if it worked better than my ball cap. I have fallen out of love with souvenirs that don’t have a useful purpose.

I popped it on as soon as we exited the store and felt like a king. Vero thought it looked quite fetching on me.

We walked into the didgeridoo store next door and immediately the owner looks at me and says “You should go to the soup kitchen, am I right?” Or something like that. He was laughing when he said that and all I could think about “What the heck!” Vero started chatting him up but I was so insulted and I thought “This must be a local tourist joke! Get the tourist to spend seventy bucks and look like a chump!” I was ready to return the hat immediately.

When we left the store Vero noted that I was upset. I told her how I couldn’t believe that the guy was making fun of me and my local tourist trap hat. She laughed and said “He was talking to the drunk Aboriginal guy who was leaving the store!” I couldn’t believe it! We had a great laugh after I explained her my viewpoint! I ended up telling this story to the tour group later on and they had a great laugh.

It was around supper time so we decided to try a beer and some wild meats. Luckily we found a great little restaurant with a bushmans plate of kangaroo and camel meats. Kangaroo was good but nothing entirely different than cow beef. The camel sausage was pretty great though. The Coopers Pale Ale was good enough for another to be ordered. Note: We are realizing that food and drink are pricey…nine dollars for a beer.

We headed back to the hotel, packed our bags and Vero listened to my fears of tarantulas, snakes, hiking with too much stuff on my back…she is a great woman in that she pushes me to go on these adventures and also assures me that whatever happens, we will make it through together. Even if it is a snake bite on the ass that she has to suck the venom out of.

Running out of juice on the iPod so I will make this quick. Fabulous trip to the outback. Only setback is that I scraped my leg once we got back into town! I guess there’s the silver lining in that!

Vero celebrated her birthday yesterday and somehow is sneaking another one in today!

Vero and I bid adieu to Sydney where we had an excellent day of going to Manly Beach, the Opera House and the Royal Botanical gardens. Let us not forget about a trip to the Rocks as well as finding the Apple Store (shout out to my mates at work!).

Next stop Alice Springs and then a tour to Ayers Rock where we sleep under the stars. Vero is excited, I am cautious…but it isn’t it always like that?

Radio silence until next week.

September 11

Must admit that it is quite noisy in the morning in our apartment. We are on a main drag. Nonetheless, I think it was time to get up around six as I think I had a mild case of dehydration. I woke up to find myself drinking about nine glasses of water while catching up on the news and blogging. It was a nice way to start the day.

Before I forget, I have to mention the Coopers sparkling ale in the fridge. Quite delicious!

We headed out to the city center to check out the ‘I’m Free’ city tour. Three hours of getting a taste of the city. The city was definitely a lot colder than the day before….I was frozen stiff with my bathing suit ( for the afternoons activities) and a tshirt. Bad move! Luckily Vero kept close to wsrm me up and as the day went on, it warmed up significantly.

Our tour guide Ross/Russ was an entertaining fellow who had a great humour to him. We had a large group of forty people and he handled us well.

Some highlights:

Martin Place: where I found out they filmed the Matrix scene where Neo sees the woman in the red dress!

Tavern: The oldest tavern in Sydney (160 years old!) which would give new visitors all the drinks they could handle…for free! What a nice bunch of people! Too bad that on their last drink, a trapdoor would spring open under your chair, they would you your last drink while you are blazing drunk, and in the morning you would find yourself with a nasty hangover and a new occupation…a slave on a ship!

Harbour: Beautiful spot with a great view of the Opera house. I think we will return again.

We passed Ross a few dollars for his troubles and cut out on the tour early to catch a bus to Bondi Beach. We were excited because the cloud cover had passed and the sun was shining for our day in the surf!

Bondi Beach is a fabulous spot in Sydney. A nice boardwalk around the beach with little shops and bars that cater to the crowd. We found our way to the ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ shop where we met our instructor Ash and Wil who gave us some forms to fill out. We got into some wetsuits where I felt like a superhero when putting it on! They had a good laugh at this.

It was a gorgeous day and we were coupled with some folks from California and England. They were all a great time to be around.

We grabbed our boards and learned some basics of how to go from lying on top to getting up on your feet under a wave. Easier said than done! Ash was a great help and would push us along the wave when it came along to give us a head start.

I don’t know if it was normal. But Bondi Beach had fabulous waves to surf on. It was a neverending onslaught of waves!

I managed to cramp up my thigh muscle to the point that it was near impossible to jump up on the board. It didn’t take away from the beautiful day too much and I spent the time trying my best to get up on the board. I managed to successfully get up onto one knee. Vero was a pro and she was quite happy with that.

The last wave I caught had me on top of the break and I first felt what all surfers must feel…the rush of adrenaline riding a large wave! Ash didn’t want us going on the big ones for now but it was there behind me and I knew she said we had one more wave to go so I took it. It was fabulous. This is what surfing is all about! I figured I couldn’t too that one so I called it a day.

Wil and Ash were fabulous instructors and even gave us some free photos as a honeymoon gift. !uch appreciated!

We then watched the sunset at the beach and headed to a bar called The Beach Hut where we had the best fish and chips ever (even better than Dublin!) and a good dark ale. Food and drink seem a bit pricey in this city…25 for a fish and chip and nine for a pint. Probably because we were directly on the beach.

We headed back in the bus where surfboards clearly are a part of the transit system and relaxed ( read: let our bodies recuperate!!!) for the evening.

I’m writing this the morning after and it feels like another cool morning in the city. We plan to head to another beach and the Opera House today. After this, we head to the outback for three days hiking. Not sure if they have wifi attached to the backs of tarantulas out there!

Years ago, Vero and I travelled to New York City and stumbled upon Angelina Jolie in Central Park.

This morning I read in the news that her family is here in Sydney taking in the sights as we are.

(Definitely not taken by my camera!)

The question is, why does she keep following us?

Look at those surfing pros!!!!

Are we sore? Yes.

Are we exhausted? Yes.

Did we feel like superheroes in those wet suits? Yes.

Was it the best day in Sydney ever? ABSOLUTELY!

Even though we don’t think much can beat today, we’re looking forward to tomorrow!

Vegemite. Still as horrible as I remember it while staying with Kiwis in Dublin. How do they love this salty mess?

It’s 5:30 local time and I swear the sun is going down here already. This might explain why they were offering sunset cruises around five o’clock!

Have you you ever had a flight which lasts fifteen hours and the only thing you can think of when you exit the plane is:

A – boy, I’m surprised I didn’t lose my left leg in there from inactivity!
B – Is it normal for my underwear to be sticking to my person?
C – Where is the nearest shower for heavens sake?!

All these thoughts were swirling around while Vero and I made our way out of the Sydney airport. We took a local train into the city and made our way to a cafe to meet the gentleman who we are renting his apartment from.

All Hell started to break loose when he wasn’t at his place of employment and when a co worker called, there was no response. We finally got in touch with him to find out that the place wouldn’t be ready until two in the afternoon! Luckily at this point, I wasn’t feeling the effects of jet lag so we figured the best course of action was to truck along with our backpacks and tour what we could.

We got a good taste of the city by heading down to the harbour front. It surprisingly doesn’t smell like saltwater so I will find out later if that is a common thing around these parts. I also feel that Sydney reminds me of parts Ottawa, Toronto, and Halifax so far. There is nothing much radically different to be jarring, although their hot dog wieners are quite red!

The jet lag, heavy packs and the 30+ degree took their toll on me and it was slow going to the apartment for the most part. Little breaks here and there helped out. To my walkabout crew back at work reading this…I should have trained for the adventure while carrying thirty pounds of backpack!

At two we arrived and our host was quite apologetic as this was not originally planned. He was nice enough to pick up some breakfast items and some beer for us! In fact, I’m going to try one right now…

Now that I have had a shower and am sitting here writing this, I may have two questions left…

A – Where is the damn bottle opener in this joint?
B – Why are there a slew if rainbow flags hanging in the streets where we are staying? I think I will ask my world travelling father if he knows what is up with this scenario…