Home Thoughts From Abroad

Sleeping in a bed felt good, and having access to the internet in the lobby before anyone was awake was a bonus. Breakfast for me was all fruit, something that I had sorely missed while we travelled through the parched outback of Oz. Then it was off on our bicycles again, this time to explore the park behind the hotel, where we found a little cafe overlooking the park and stopped for coffee.

Then we ventured into the city itself. Perth is one of the oldest towns in Australia, and it has done a fine job of preserving its historic buildings and incorporating them into a modern streetscape. Several blocks of the core are blocked to traffic, although service vehicles have access through a system of metal posts that can be retracted into the pavement and are activated by a computer console on one of the posts. Many of the stores were closed for New Year’s which limited traffic and gave us easier and safer access to the city.

Perth is truly a lovely town, well laid out, with bus and rail lines all interconnected, wide boulevards showing off its clean and tidy buildings, and plenty of trees for shade. There are also the most playful sculptures scattered throughout its streets, a bit like what you find in Basel. But after several hours of this it was time to head back to the hotel to pack for home. We decided to take the camping chairs back to KL with us, but souvenirs were not on our list of priorities for this trip, so packing was pretty easy. We crashed at 7 pm and woke reluctantly at 2 am for our flight.

Perth’s airport is pretty small, but we were surprised by how many people there were at that hour. Air Asia was up to its usual efficient best, and we were airborne right on time, and back in KL by noon. Wish I could say that we were happy to be home, but that is the problem with great vacations: you hate them to end! Thanks for tagging along on our journey. I have uploaded the pictures that were meant to accompany these posts, and Pam will load the Flickr bar with the rest when she gets the time. Now it is back to our regular lives, which incidentally are pretty great at the worst of times, and a new year to plan and pray for.

This morning it was clean-out-the-camper day, and we did our usual thorough job with basins of warm sudsy water for the inside and a further wipe down on the outside for good measure. The reward for all this work was that we avoided a cleaning charge when we returned the van. Considering we put on 4,700 kilometres in our two weeks of travel, some of it on the hard-packed red dust that passes for roads in many parts of the country, that was no mean accomplishment.

We caught a cab from the rental place to our hotel, and were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was, and how well situated, right down by the water beside a lovely little park. We also found out that the hotel had guest bicycles, much to our delight. We quickly dumped our stuff in a small, but pleasant room and borrowed a couple of bikes to explore the city. Bike paths line Perth, and we were able to ride through the park and down to the pier for a coffee and a lovely view of the harbour. From there we were able to catch a ferry across the harbour for three bucks. On the other side we continued to cycle down the path to the golf course, where we crossed the bridge and cycled back into a stiff wind to our hotel.

Perth is a beautiful city, with great views of the harbour from many places around town, lots of parks, and bike paths everywhere. The air is so clean and dry after the cloudy haze of KL. That dryness comes at a price, however. We learned that Perth had not had a single drop of rain for the entire month of December. The tapwater here, as in every place we have visited in Australia, is so chlorinated it is virtually undrinkable. We had supper at the hotel and watched the firework celebrations in Sydney on television. That was about all we could manage for New Year’s. Hope yours was great. We are exhausted!

We asked our neighbours in the campsite last night about the bars across the front of most vehicles we see in Oz. They explained that they were used to protect the front of their vehicles from being damaged by hitting the kangaroos that stray out onto the roads at night. They call them ‘roobars.’ Although we tourists see the kangaroos as exotic and sweet, the locals view them as a virtually uncontrollable pest. We haven’t seen that many live ones, but dead ones litter the sides of the roads over here the way that racoons do in south-west Ontario in the spring.

We finished our drive north again to Perth through some pretty dry wheat country, stopping for tea in the picturesque little town of York. We intended to come into Perth through Toodyay, but the road was closed due to a major fire in the area that had already destroyed twenty homes. Fire and the lack of water are a constant backdrop in this arid country, and really impact the way they see the environment in Oz. They recognize that it is fragile, and take pretty good care of it. We have been impressed with the cleanliness of the countryside and the abundance of parks and nature preserves, all well-managed and cared for.

We toured the vineyards of the Swan valley and had a picnic supper in park down by the river in Guildwood. After a lengthy and circuitous drive through the north end of the city we did manage to find Scarborough Beach, too late to see the sun descend into the ocean, but not too late to admire the view and say goodbye to the fabulous Australian coastline. There are countries in the world with longer coastlines – Canada, for one – but none that have such almost endless and fantastic beaches.

We had passed a self-serve carwash on the way to the beach, and returned to give the van a good hose down before we turned it in tomorrow. The camper was a wise choice for this trip, allowing us to see almost all that we had wanted to see, at our own pace, and with a good supply of creature comforts. Given the cost of accommodation in Oz, the camper made sense, some sites being as cheap as $18 for the night, and most of them around $25 to $30. Even a cheap hotel room is four times that.

Back in our site we went online to find that Steve’s Mom – who turned 90 this past year – has had a fall and been admitted to hospital with a broken hip. We are uncertain what the prognosis is at the moment, but that is certainly not happy news to hear as the year draws to a close. However, knowing my Mom, that will not be the end of her story. She has been a fighter her whole life, and I expect she will soon be scolding both nurses and doctors with her imperious manner, bless her. At least I hope so.

This morning I was up before the dawn and after stretching for a bit went out in what I hoped would be a quiet exit from the van so as not to wake Pam. It was still twenty minutes shy of five after all. Unfortunately the keys fell out of my pants’ pocket as I dressed. She turned over and sighed, but I don’t think she actually woke; just one of those ‘what is he up to now?’ sighs that no longer require consciousness at our age.

The beach was gorgeous at that hour. There was a fellow fishing with his son, but no one else around. There’s nothing quite like doing Tai Chi facing the Southern Ocean watching the sun come up over the headlands. It may be the same old routine I’ve been doing for years, but the view made all the difference.

I had a nice shower and gently woke Pam around six. It rained for about an hour so we had a leisurely cup of coffee or two and just read and chatted for a while. I managed to upload some blogs to our site, but the wifi wasn’t reliable enough to get the pictures up. After the rain stopped we packed up and left the site. It was a good thing we got an early start because by eight thirty when we left the campsite there was no water at all, not even enough to rinse our coffee cups. The later risers will not be pleased!

Albany was only five minutes down the road, and beyond that lay Flinders’ Peninsula, our destination for the morning. This is as far south as you can get in Western Australia, and there were some absolutely fantastic views to be seen. At the Gap we saw the ocean just pummel its way up a narrow channel, while the Bridge had been completely eroded away underneath while maintaining a giant arch of granite. At the Blowholes we listened to the waves pound straight upward through a narrow chute that exploded in sound right at our feet. Apparently on really stormy days the water will shoot up some 30 meters through this chute! All along the coast there rock outcroppings and beaches all pounded by the same magnificent swells. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

For lunch we drove around to Frenchman’s Bay and had a picnic in the van. We would have liked to linger longer but we had 600 clicks to cover back to Perth, and we wanted to get some of it behind us that afternoon. So after a wee kip we hit the road again and drove through the uninspiring Stirling Range on our way. The countryside was rolling wheatfields and sheep but we began to despair of finding a decent campsite before we rolled into Wagin just shortly after five. The campsite was not picturesque, but it was conveniently located and like all the sites we have stayed in, invariably well-equipped and clean. Our fellow campers were chatty and happy to share the only grill. One more site, just outside Perth, is just 250 kilometres away.

P.S. To Ben’s parents: blame the late post on Grandpa. Grandma had it ready to go before we left for Oz, Grandpa blew the upload.

We arrived safely back in Perth, dropped off the van after a two week marathon of 4700 kilometers and found our way to our hotel. We spent the day cycling around the harbour, and now are going to have a wee nap before we go out for the evening to celebrate our New Year’s in Australia.

Our lovely vacation is saddened by the news that my 90 year old Mom has fallen and broken her hip, and is awaiting surgery in a hospital in Lincoln. Not the best way to end her year, but we trust that she will be well looked after and the surgery will be successful.

We do hope that your year ends well. Thank you all for your visits to our site, for your prayers for our ministry, and for the love and care many of you have shown to us for many years. We count it a very great blessing to share what God has been doing through us, and we trust that in the coming year, the Lord of all greatness will show His greatness to you in special ways.

The campsite at Pemberton had a wonderful kitchen and very clean facilities. It was also remarkably quiet at night, which may have been why I was able to sleep till past 7! While we were setting up breakfast we listened to two kookaburras having a set-to above our heads; it sounded like a laughing contest and you couldn’t help laughing in response. We cleaned up and set off at 8:30 down a winding road towards Denmark for lunch.

Just outside Walpole was saw a detour for something called a ‘tree-top walk.’ We had read in the Rough Guide that this was a worthwhile experience, so we drove up and found a parking spot – Pam physically blocking another driver from stealing it from us, much to my amazement! – and paid a very reasonable $10 for the walk. It was incredible!

What we saw was a very old stand of Karri and Eucalyptus trees – the locals call the latter Tingle trees, a most inappropriate name for such a magnificent creation – and how we saw them is by a 120 foot high walkway that winds its way among the trees in that forest. At this height you are about halfway up these enormous structures that tower above you from their massive bases in the forest floor below. The metal walkway sways with the weight and movement of the many people walking this aerial trail, and it is more than a little unsettling. But the sight of these trees, their majesty and beauty literally take your breath away. Pictures cannot hope to do justice to the scope and size of what we saw.

Lunch after that was anticlimactic, and we drove in kind of mesmerized stupor to Albany, our destination for the night. The campsite was crowded and not particularly nice, but when we broached the sand dunes separating us from the sea, the view took our breath away. We were staring at a simply spectacular view of the Southern Ocean, sparkling aquamarine under the afternoon sun, with the headlands of the bay marching seaward in the distance and the waves crashing on the foreshore in front of us. We had but one collective thought: we must swim!

We returned in haste to the camper, put on our suits – cossies, in local parlance – and retraced our steps to the beach. We figured we would probably freeze to death before we got waist high, but we were in for a surprise. The water was warmer than the Indian Ocean in tropical Coral Bay, 1,000 kilometres closer to the equator. We swam and body surfed the waves for an hour before we tired and dried out under sand that was as fine and white as icing sugar. We had burgers for supper and I finally got an internet connection that allowed me to call Mom and wish her a very belated Merry Christmas. We have just two more camping nights on what has been one of the best vacations of our lives.

P.S. I can’t seem to upload pictures through this weak internet connection, and will try again when we get back to Perth. My apologies, and thank you for your visits and your comments.

I can’t seem to sleep much in the van, despite retiring late with a movie and a book. I was still up at the crack of dawn, doing my exercises and talking a good long walk outside before heading to the showers. I chewed up an hour and a half on these things, but Pam was still not terribly happy at being woken at six-thirty; can’t say that I blame her for that. We had a light breakfast and rolled out about seven-thirty, just enough time to get to the Dome in Margaret River for a Skype call to Jon and Nic in Canada.

They weren’t home, but Jon was savvy enough to put call forwarding on Skype so we could track him down at Nic’s parents’ place. We had a lovely visit with them and Ben and Abi, who were delighted to “see” us and blew endless kisses at the monitor. Their cheery manner and happy faces have been with us the entire day.

We headed back to the Caves Road through the awesome Karri forest that lines the road and made a detour into Hamelin Bay to see the ruins of jetty that once loaded these enormous trees for shipping to London, England to build the stately mansions and stores of the 19th century. The relic in the sign above refers to the jetty, not yours truly, although after this trip it is likely to be true of me as well!

We also made a trip to Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly point of Australia where two Oceans, the Indian and the Southern meet. The drive across to Pemberly was uneventful and uninteresting, but the forests around Pemberly were a different matter. We had a lovely tour of the Warren Forest, filled with old growth Karri trees, some that were clearly more than 500 years old. After an unsuccessful and ill-advised attempt to take the van down a virtually impassable road to the river, we back-tracked to a much more civilized road that had a sweet little tea house where we could sit on the patio and watch the breeze move these magnificent trees in a gentle and endlessly varied dance.

Pam’s patience and watchfulness was rewarded with our first sighting of a mother kangaroo, her joey clearly visible in the pouch beneath her front paws, slowly making her way across the back field. They remind you of deer in their alert grazing, but their tails give them a clear advantage in providing both balance and locomotion, freeing their front paws to assist in the feeding process. We returned to our campsite and had a nice steak dinner and did a load of laundry. We settled into an evening of reading and blogging, quite happy with our lot in life and very grateful for the technology that allows us to visit with our children and grandchildren from the other side of the world.

I stepped out of the van this morning and found myself staring into the curious eyes of a kangaroo. He didn’t seem much fussed and continued browsing on the grass at his feet. I debated letting Pam sleep, but decided she would much rather see a kangaroo and woke her with a call. He scampered when I reached for the camera, but not before we had both taken a good long look at each other.

Pam cooked us a breakfast of eggs, ham and onions and once again we hit the road early, heading out for the town of Margaret River. We arrived in time to do a little shopping at a local farmer’s market, and filled in what was missing at the local IGA. We eyeballed an internet cafe for future reference, but the town was a little too touristy for our tastes, and we headed across country on some single lane back roads across some gorgeous hills and valleys lined with orchards, cattle and vineyards, some things we hadn’t seen much of further north.

We parked for lunch overlooking a place called Canal Rocks, a rocky intrusion into the Indian Ocean, weather and water beaten, and looking beautiful under a clear blue sky. We had to position a mosquito net across the tailgate of the van so we could see out without being pestered by ‘face flies’, these annoying little flies that are so desperate for moisture in this dry climate that they immediately go after your eyes, nose, mouth and ears. The netting was a charm, and we had a very pleasant and unmolested lunch of ham and feta salad.

After lunch we headed for the Ngligli Caves, an extensive limestone network that took us an hour to cover. It was well-managed and well-lit with a strong catwalk and informative displays. It was neither wet nor bat-infested, two things that we both hate, and in fact reminded us of the Beatushollen Caves near Interlaken. Feeling a little sleepy, we drove to Cape Naturaliste and parked in the shade for a wee kip.

Then it was on to some local wineries to sample their fare and talk about varieties. Australia is justly proud of its wines, and exports to much of Asia and many parts of the rest of the world as well. We ran into folks from Italy as well as Ireland and enjoyed the scenery and gentle ambiance as much as the taste of local flavours. Then it was back to the campsite for a quiet evening of blogging and reading.

I woke early in Freemantle thinking about calling home. I wasn’t going to let our last chance at a reliable internet service go without making another effort. I did some brief exercises, went out to the van and took up some coffee and milk and had it ready by the time Pam woke. Thus equipped we paid the 11 Aussie dollars to get the internet in the room for an hour so we could call the kids.

Jon and Nic were first, but although we left a message on Jon’s phone, there was clearly not much hope of getting them that morning. We found out later they had gone skating. We had better luck with Liz in Calgary, catching both Liz and Greg shortly before they went out to Greg’s folks for a Christmas meal. They both looked happy and relaxed and looking forward to a family meal. Greg’s folk’s just bought another place in Phoenix, but neither Greg or Liz can afford to go there this Christmas.

Then we called Dave and got an equally cheerful visit with him. He had delivered the Christmas gifts we had sent to the three of them and was planning on going to Greg’s place as well and had a couple of other Christmas invitations to look forward to as well. We tried Jon and Nic a second time, but no joy there. It was too early to call Mom, but Pam put in a call to her Dad, who was delighted to hear her voice. The nerve pain in his head had miraculously abated, leaving him pain free for the first time in years. Many of the family had been able to get together at Christmas at Ray and Diane’s new restaurant in Ipperwash. We praised the Lord for both of these answers to prayer.

The drive south from Freemantle was a real joy. Pam found us some really lovely roads to drive, free of traffic and full of interesting little towns. We stopped at one called Pinjarra with an old church and a wooden bridge over a verdant grass-lined stream. Lunch was hard to come by on Christmas day, and we made several stops in vain before we found a little deli with some amazing meats pies. We split a beef and Guinness and chicken and vegetable in the lightest flaky crust. We bought two more for lunch tomorrow.

Banbury on our drive south had a beautiful drive along the ocean front and we stopped for a short walk on a completely deserted beach. Busselton a little further south had a tacky beach with an enormous pier and four young kangaroos on the grass entertaining the tourists. The drive from Busselton south to our campside went through a tree-lined road that wound through bucolic vineyards that looked much the south of France. We marked a couple for further exploration tomorrow.

The campsite itself was set among the trees like you would find in Canada, and like all of the sites we have been to in Oz, was clean, well-run and quiet. The Aussies clearly love to camp as much as we do back in Canada and they take very good care of the natural environment. We have seen no signs of litter or vandalism anywhere at these sites, and everyone cleans up the kitchen and dining areas as if they were living at home. We set up camp quickly on a very nice site and went to bed very happy on Christmas Day. The Lord is good to us.