Friday 20 July 2012

Catch Up Part One: Expedition North

How can I begin to recall the details? It must suffice to try a brief recollection:
Friday, July 6:
Beautiful yellow parrot visits my bedroom in Williams, slowing packing. Must be someone's pet. Enthralls Gina and Alex for hours. Bake a chocolate cake for Phil.
Saturday, July 7:
Ice cake. Drive Alex and Gina to Freo for an afternoon of shopping and snacking. Head to Ballajura to stay with Chook and Phil. Prep veg while roast cooks. Enjoy dinner.
Sunday, July 8:
Walk Kippie around Emu Lake. Head to airport after shopping for candles and castor oil for Erin. Fly to Monkey Mia. Look for camels. Camp in Denham with Kees and Erin, after a visit with Syversons, an exchange family from Medicine Hat, Alberta. . Coincidence to meet them here!
July 9:
To Monkey Mia to see dolphins and enjoy camel rides with Henk. Drive to Eagle Bluffs. Gorgeous deserted beach with crystal clear water for as far as eye can see. Spot about 20 reef sharks lurking 2-3 meters off shore. I climb dunes for a better look, while Kees hikes back to get fishing gear from van. Valient effort, but no catch for dinner. Contemplate camping here even though we have no overnite free permit, as wine goes down well with sunset.No bluffing a warden who visits, so on to Nanga Bay, no bush camp for us. Nice spot. Meet a student and her family camping here for two weeks. Nice.
July 10: Torrential downpour all day as we buck a headwind to Carnarvon. Jump out at Hamelin Pools to view famous stromatolites, but high winds and rain drives us back, drenched. Arrive at Carnarvon in time for cooking evening meal. Luckily, all our gear is still dry as we pitch a tent and grab showers at caravan park. Kees and girls have fun at Op Shop, where the great green Clackerwhacker costume presents itself. At $3.00, it proves too much of a bargain for Kees to pass up. Groceries, then off we go to Coral Bay. Yay!
July 11:
All day to drive to Coral Bay. Enjoy the camp set up and sunset. So crowded at caravan park, but close to dive shop! Say hi to Syversons again and see their place at the resort. To bed early.
July 12: first inner reef snorkel is good, but chilly. See lots of plate corals, cabbage coral, brain corals. Two turtles! A zillion fish. Visibility murky due to much wind. Off to outer reef: albatross, many humpback whales! Chills set in, but Clackerwhacker costume saves the day for Kees, who later shares it with a shivering Gina. Breaching, waving flukes and large mammalian shenanigans keeps us entertained. There were may, at least 30-40 it seemed.
Then it happened.
Queasy seasickness is never a pretty thing. Although I had consumed Gravol earlier in the day, 3 meter swells bested me. Nay, they floored me; that is where I spent the remainder of the day, after repeatedly attempting to empty an already empty stomach. It was a huge disappointment to me to miss the actual shark whale dives , but there was no possibility for me to lift any part of my cramped and numb body off the wet deck. I spent the next unhappy 4 hours slipping in and out of consciousness, freezing cold and quite miserable. I am pleased to report that
everyone else on board managed one or two successful dives with an amazing young male whale shark. I know this because evidence was captured on video and posted on Facebook by my thoughtful husband. There were also many excited exclamatory chats overheard on the voyage homeward. It was not until we returned to the calmer waters of the inner reef that I was able to rouse my sorry shivering self off the salty deck and contemplate the magnitude of my lost opportunity. Without sounding too sorry for myself, it must be noted that during that day of adventure on the high seas, all except about 6 of the 28 people on board spent some of their day spewing over the port and starboard sides. We all have different tales to tell, but I think mine is the sorriest.
July 13 pack up to move on, but find a nicer site at People's Park in Coral Bay. Book in rather than drive north. Day of rest to let body catch up with intentions. Afternoon beach walk as I contemplate joining Kees for a swim. Try a snorkel using wetsuit, but still turn blue. Time for hot shower!!
Dinner out at Fin's, renowned for fresh seafood. Ruby snapper is very good.
July 14
Just another beach day. 26c in the shade, with sky such a bright blue that sunglasses barely dim the glare. Apply sunscreen. Laundry. Erin applies for work at shops. Meet the Miles family by chance, sunset beach walk and a drink at the Coral Bay Resort bar, where we discover it is Mike's birthday. Ben Ford, new friend from the whale shark trip and chef from resort, joins us and encourages Erin to apply at Coral Bay Resort. Potluck BBQ ensues at our nearly private outdoor camp kitchen. Chicken, noodles, squid, fresh mushrooms, candlelight. Good times!
July 15 Sunday is a day to relax. Walk the beach all the way to the jetty. Enjoy tidal pools and dunes. Great sunset. Prep for morning departure.
July 16 Monday drive to Exmouth by noon. Fill up on groceries, water and gas, then head 50 km northwest to Turquoise Bay for ebb tide at 3. Find water a bit warmer, with about 3 meters visibility. Not great, but enough to draw us out to see a small 1 meter reef shark, a blue spotted ray and good coral. Okay! Stop off at lighthouse on our way back to Exmouth. Spend night parked on driveway at rented holiday home of McDonalds and Syversons. BBQ and movies for all kids, who are a bit grumpy due to travel itinerary. Adults visit. Nice evening for us.
July 17 Tuesday
Drop teens to shop a bit while we visit Diane Lawler, another Canadian teacher who is traveling with her visiting sister and 2 teens. We missed Jim, who has gone fishing. Great hour of chat over a coffee, comparing travel experiences. Then onwards, beginning our long trek home.

Sunday 15 July 2012

Of Camel Myths and Camping

Riding camels in Monkey Mia was very relaxing.  I recall a similar experience long ago, when we were in Emily Gap, near Alice Springs.  It was not relaxing. In fact, we had been part of a camel race, which was highly unsettling for all concerned.  Those poor camels were not happy pets and they stank, but what did we know of camel whispering back then, I ask you? Nada, zippo, zilch. Now we know! Henk, the owner of seven well-groomed, beautiful beasts, took us for a guided glide more than a ride.  He walked backwards most of the way down the beach on Shark Bay, continuing with his nonstop commentary on all things bactrian. Not dromedarian, as I had originally assumed. As a self proclaimed camel whisperer from the tender young age of 6 years old, Henk was quite a colourful character and, by golly, he loved his camels!  Fed them carrot slices from his lips to theirs, he did. Caught that all on video. I'm not sure what kind of female companionship ol' Henk is used to these days, as you have to wonder who'd pucker up to him after that kind of daily stunt, but he sure has a great relationship with his camels. They were very clean, cuddly beasts and didn't have any bad odor to speak of, unlike my memories of the ones, say, at Edmonton's Valley Zoo. Nor did they spit.  Apparently, camels cannot. They froth and groan, grin widely with portruding bottom chompers, and are indeed fond of carrots. But spit?  Henk says it is not possible. Who could argue with a man with such clearly defined passions? At the end of the ride, we all agreed that it had been a most entertaining, informative experience. What's more, Gina's 16th birthday wish had come true; she got her camel ride down a remote Australian beach, with her pal.  Have I mentioned Alex? We have been enjoying a three week visit from one of Gina's schoolmates from Edmonton. Teens need other teens, a fact that we had failed to factor into our exchange arrangements.  Luckily, Alex Sokol's parents are broadminded and deep of pocket, so here she is. New to camping, she is now an expert at setting up and taking down at least one kind of tent. It has been a pleasure having her along
on our travels, willing to try all new experiences with Gina. Erin has also been quite wonderful to have along. All three girls have been very fine company, indeed.

Catch Up Part Two ( who am I kidding?): Bits about the trip home from Exmouth

Let's see...flat road and little of note except scrub brush and thousands of paprika colored termite mounds the size of small cars...blue sky forever...many hours of driving. Wait! A hill, with a viewpoint! Unusual cairn on top made of single castoff shoes, then another made of gnomes. Yup, gnomes of many faded shades, sitting atop an otherwise unremarkable rise. Many had cryptic messages scrawled hastily in felt pen, but none seemed particularly eloquent.
We drove on.
Billabong Roadhouse, the only stop for hundreds of kilometers, nabbed our attention briefly. Silly photo op. Tank full, we continued to Carnarvon, missed the Aboriginal Museum entirely, but enjoyed fresh produce at a privately owned produce shop of the highest order, called Morel's. Highlight! Divine papaya, crispy fresh beans, star fruit, sweet cherry tomatoes and a rather odd tray of black sapote fruit (aka chocolate pudding fruit) caught our fancy. After so much bleak,dry terrain, the fruit plantations around Carnarvon were the best treat! With some determination, we grabbed a spot at yet another overpriced caravan park and headed into town to the renowned Post Office Cafe for an early dinner. With none other than Lonely Planet's recommendation as "the best pizza in the world", we felt obliged to try. It was very good, I'll admit! I dunno about being THE best, but we enjoyed it. Not a single other thing to do in this town after 6 pm. Humph. Alex and Gina made a fine game of hurdles over a row of fence posts. Walked the streets for 20 minutes, but the appeal of hot showers soon took over.
Back to the Plantation Caravan Park for lukewarm showers ($70 bucks/night for this??) and a full moon. Gorgeous starry sky! One must focus on the bright bits. Let the dull bits fade...
From Carnarvon we continued south to Kalbarri, our longest stretch of driving. Glum travellers were not impressed by changing scenery, from dry scrub to slightly greener scrub, nor could we muster much enthusiasm within the troops for planning excursions. After a night's rest, Kees rented a small aluminum skiff and insisted that we all climb in. I had packed a light picnic lunch and off we putted, upstream on the Mighty Murdoch River. Fast it was not, nor was it deep, hence the handy oars provided. Several times our fearless captain suffered near mutinous objections as the poor li'l prop stirred sandbars to a pulp. He was happy to share the helm with Fearless Captain Gina, who also hit a few sandbars before the trip was over, but with judicious application of lumber and lumbar support, we beached and finally hiked up " Castle Rock". Great views! Snapped a few fabulously memorable photos as everyone clambered around rocky cliffs. A bit of exercise did us all a world of good!
Upon our return to Kalbarri, three teens chose kayaks for their next challenge, paddling them easily across the river's mouth to another beach, seeking whale-watching, but no luck there. Kees and I walked the opposite way, to view China Man Pools and crashing wave action oceanside. High winds and big spray! It was a refreshing break before our travels continued south, aiming for Geraldton that night.
That covers some bits. More to come after an iPhone recharge.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Dune Runes to First Dutch Explorer, Uncle Dirk

Geraldton holds memories of crashing surf on endless beaches, bordered by dunes of low scrub. Varied access points from residential areas all seemed to have weathered wooden fence posts joined by lengths of wrist-thick rope, festooned with rainbow remnants of aged cords, cables and rope bits found washed up on the shores. Any beachcomber's stroll would produce handfuls of rope lengths lost by fishing boats, which seemed to have become a spontaneous folk art/ecological display when attached to the rope cables that fenced the dune access trails. Mysterious myriad knots and color patterns, beaten to faded frays, seemed to hold important coded messages; echoes of mariner rhymes, if only one could solve them. I missed the photo op, but hold the vivid memory.
An excellent museum of maritime artifacts held our interest for half a day as imaginations engaged in real tales of treasure, shipwrecks and lost lives from 400 years earlier. A pewter replica of Dirk Hartog's famous plate, left as a marker of the first European to land on Australian shores in 1616, had to be purchased for posterity. Who knows if he really was an ancestor of the den Hartigh clan? It's very possible proof of the link, bearing further genealogical research. Heady stuff for a personal inquiry for Kees, not just dusty facts from history books. The search continues for him, with dreams to view the original plate, next time we are in Amsterdam.
We camped near the shores of a vivid pink lake, strange and yet not surprising, in this land down under, south of Jurian Bay. A rare non-toxic cytobacteria created the uncanny pepto bismal appearance. We hoped for much more than an average sunset and tepid showers, but the tiny Port Douglas Caravan Park held no other
appeal. Even the hungry wedge tailed eagle, hovering elegantly on updrafts as he scanned for prey, found little of interest and soon moved on.
Perhaps we were travel weary, but the thought of a side trip to the geological anomalies of The Pinnacles didn't sound promising. Acres of ochre formations, fingers of rock pointing skyward as if warning of impending aerial attack, were remarkable sights in an otherwise tedious landscape.
We took photos and pushed on.

Sunday 8 July 2012

Picasso to Pollock, Camels and Sharks

Finally, I am free! Two weeks of joyous adventures with family and friends started yesterday, July 7th. Actually, we enjoyed a weekend in Freo and Perth last weekend, showing Erin and Tom around a few sights. The highlight for me was enjoying time at the Picasso to Warhol exhibit at Perth's Art Museum, all too short, but wonderfully sweet. The Jackson Pollocks and Piet Mondrians were most delicious viewing, as were whimsical sculptures by Matisse and the classic cubism of Picasso. I liked his Reclining Liquor Bottle very much. Australian artists were also vibrant and interesting, needing much more time to be appreciated properly. Then there was the dynamic exhibit by Vancouver photographer, Jeff Wall. I do wish we lived in the city so we could enjoy more of the rich culture here. A year in Perth would have been quite wonderful, but that dream will have to wait.
We gathered Alex Sokol from the airport after her 30 hour journey from Edmonton, poor thing. She seemed fresh as a rose, as only a teen could, but rest was in her agenda for a while. Gina was absolutely delighted to have her pal arrive! Back we went to life in the country for a final week of school. Kees boomeranged to Perth again on Tuesday to help Erin see Thomas depart for Canada. Then they headed three days' drive north to secure a campsite for our arrival. Gina and I did our best to show Alex a few sights around Narrogin, Williams and Fremantle before flying north to meet Kees and Erin in Monkey Mia. Most of these events in Perth have been graciously facilitated by Chook and Phil Melvin, who host our stays in the city and support us in innumerable ways. We can never thank them enough! They are the most amazing couple who treat us like family, going out of their way to make sure we have all we need whenever we visit Perth. Hopefully, they will find their way to Canada at some point, so we might make a small dent in returning some of their amazing hospitality.
Now we are camping in Denham, poised for a day of camel riding near Monkey Mia tomorrow, then feeding the dolphins that arrive at the beach each day like clockwork , waiting for tasty handouts of fish. We have a dive trip planned later this week, north if here near Coral Bay, famous for the giant gentle whale sharks that we hope to see along Ningaloo Reef. We spent our first evening sharing a glass of wine with the Syversons, another exchange family from Alberta who are also stopping in Denham for a couple days. I find it quite delightful that we will most likely meet many exchange friends as we hop and skip along this very remote part of Australia's west coast. We have a prime camping spot tonight, overlooking pristine aqua coastline of Shark Bay, with two daughters and a friend resting in swags under clear starry skies as I type. It is all quite remarkable, really. I pinch myself for a reality check and then try to settle my whirring brain to rest. Impossible, but here I am.

Sunday 1 July 2012

Biding time until holidays

It felt like a long slog to complete progress reports this term, but not as complex and lengthy as in Canada. I'm so relieved that they are done!
Erin and Thomas arrived nearly two weeks ago, filling a worrisome void I have felt since we left home 6 months ago. I am delighted to see them here! Gina has been much happier and Kees has some renewed vigor for showing them around a bit. There isn't a lot to see nearby, but they have seemed content with enjoying home life, after 2 months on the road. Tom has impressed us with his cooking skills and Erin has rested well, slept late and enjoyed the ease of a simple routine, where tea and fruit is always at hand.

We enjoyed an evening of dinner and games at James and Manuela Lanahan's place last Friday. It was a spontaneously fun night of tasty tidbits and silliness. We played Taboo and pool, while some sang karaoke and I cycled in the exercise bike. Something for all! We really enjoyed their relaxed company and warm hospitality and look forward to reciprocating some fine day.
Saturday we left Gina at home to sleep in late, while we took Erin and Tom on a drive to Bunbury for a spot of shopping and a bit of fish and chips. Not the best weather or the most interesting drive, but we saw the ocean and managed a beach walk before the 2 hour drive back. It was a relatively uneventful diversion, but better than a day at home of laundry!
The week passed without much excitement. We joined PETA Hanley and her Boddinton pals for an evening of pizza at the Williams Pub on Tuesday. That was nice! Tom made pizza the next night, too. Yum. One needs ways to wear off carbs, really! Driving to work each day allows no room for burning calories at all. Dullsville, but it must be done.
Perhaps next term I can work a regular swim into the routine. Cycling club has been less appealing in the winter fog. We haven't been home most weekends, anyway, so I have missed a few Saturday rides lately.
Holiday adventures cannot come soon enough!