Thanks for everyones comments its nice to know that someone reads my rambellings! I leave Perth on Wednesday morning (6am) to catch a 4x4 bus through the centre of Australia to Alice Spring via Ulhuru (about 2000km - or about the same as London to Cassablanca). The tour goes through Kalgoorlie and then through teh Great Victoria desert. I'll be camping out in a 'swag' bag and staying in some baorigional communities along the way. Sounds pretty exciting. However its very unlikely that I will get phone reception or internet access until I arrive in Alice Springs on the 1st March. So I will probably not get to update the blog until then.
Today I sold the bike which has done me so well for the past month. It has gone onto Bryan (one half of the couple I'm staying with), his wife is contemplating buying a bike to get fit so he's decided that he should accompany her. Despite me trying to offer the bike and helmet for free as a thankyou gesture I found found $40 pushed under my door this morning. Its amazing how many people have been so kind to me while I've been here. Everyone has suggested that the people of Western Australia are much friendlier than those from the eastern states. I don't know how many people match the kind heartedness of the people i've meet over here - the Eastern states have alot to live up to! Maybe its because Perth is one of hte most isolated cities in the world that makes the population behave like its a small town rather than a city?!?
Oh well, more to come later. Before I leave on Wednesday, I have Claudias birthday party to attend, I'm visiting the Aquarium and I need to buy a rain coat as the weather forecast for Melbourne isn't quite so sunny as that for over here! I have also become addicted to the Stephanie Meyer Twilight saga. I've just finished the first two and am trying to find the second two in a second hand shop before the tour ( I suspect there will be long days of driving and I may need to read to occupy myself!) I was quite lucky and after buying the first one managed to swop it at a second hand shop for the second one, I'm not sur i will be so jammy the next time round.
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Cycling round Perth
Yesterday I took it upon myself to cycle round the other side of the river across the freeway and then back up the ocean (a distance of about 50Km for anyone interested). I met up with a group of 'pro' looking cyclists along the way who were very bemused at a tourist trying to get on the cycle paths with no more than a clapped out old trail bike (interesting my bike has developed a squeak which nearly drove me to madness yesterday). They were however quite friendly and pointed out the best place to go and joined me for an ice cream at one of the pit stops on the beach.
According to the local press and listening to people in parks etc it seems that there are two types of bike (or 'pushie'?!?) riders over here - the cyclist and the bike rider. Cyclists wear lycra, are universally hated my car drivers and according to the popular press take it upon themselves to knock over old ladies and children at any chance they get. Bike riders on the other hand are 'normal' people enjoying the local scenery and should be praised for keeping fit and making use of the local cycling facilities. I don't quite understand why there is such a gulf. The West Australian yesterday illustrated this point perfectly. Over the weekend in two seperate incidents 2 people were knocked off they're bikes by a car and seriously injured. One was a cyclist the other a bike rider. In the space of two pages the attitudes to the injuries of these people differed wildly. Yet the only thing I can see different about the two boys is that one wore lycra and had a racing bike and the other wore board shorts and had a road cruising bike. The cyclist had been knocked over coming off the cycle path onto the Stirling Highway near Claremont. The newspaper insinuated that he only had himselve to blame, he was cycling on the road, and as a cyclist probably wasn't looking where he was going! The bike rider on the other hand was knocked off his bike coming off the cycle path also onto a highway near Fremantle. The newspaper blamed the car in this place and lamented the injury of a young man. I don't know the circumstances behind each incident, but it did amaze me how the two incidents could be treated so differently...
Photos will follow soon on my picasa site. I'm just waiting for a chance to find an internet cafe that oesn't charge the earth for uploading photos. What I might do is send them on a CD rom to Phil and let hi upload them. In other news its the grandson of the lady I'm staying with 4th birthday - anyone have ideas for a small present?
According to the local press and listening to people in parks etc it seems that there are two types of bike (or 'pushie'?!?) riders over here - the cyclist and the bike rider. Cyclists wear lycra, are universally hated my car drivers and according to the popular press take it upon themselves to knock over old ladies and children at any chance they get. Bike riders on the other hand are 'normal' people enjoying the local scenery and should be praised for keeping fit and making use of the local cycling facilities. I don't quite understand why there is such a gulf. The West Australian yesterday illustrated this point perfectly. Over the weekend in two seperate incidents 2 people were knocked off they're bikes by a car and seriously injured. One was a cyclist the other a bike rider. In the space of two pages the attitudes to the injuries of these people differed wildly. Yet the only thing I can see different about the two boys is that one wore lycra and had a racing bike and the other wore board shorts and had a road cruising bike. The cyclist had been knocked over coming off the cycle path onto the Stirling Highway near Claremont. The newspaper insinuated that he only had himselve to blame, he was cycling on the road, and as a cyclist probably wasn't looking where he was going! The bike rider on the other hand was knocked off his bike coming off the cycle path also onto a highway near Fremantle. The newspaper blamed the car in this place and lamented the injury of a young man. I don't know the circumstances behind each incident, but it did amaze me how the two incidents could be treated so differently...
Photos will follow soon on my picasa site. I'm just waiting for a chance to find an internet cafe that oesn't charge the earth for uploading photos. What I might do is send them on a CD rom to Phil and let hi upload them. In other news its the grandson of the lady I'm staying with 4th birthday - anyone have ideas for a small present?
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Bugs, Grubs, Sharks and wine.
I have just returned from a week in Margaret River. I have attempted to learn to surf (not hugely sucessful), learnt about bush survival and sampled lots of the local vineyards produce! I decided that as I was by myself and had no means of transport, I should opt for a tourist package for two days. This was a great idea, the tours were really well organised, great fun and actually very informative - I now know which bush plants (and bugs) are safe to eat, how to find water in the outback and how to treat snake bites! I was even very brave and ate some of the bugs and grubs that they served up for lunch... Don't think I'm going to be bringing them home for a gourmet dinner though. We also looked round some of the early pioneers houses and I read some of the extracts from Ellen Bussel (first female child born in region to white settlers) diary. The life they led must have been so hard. Quite sad really as they tried to import their European ideas about farming etc, into such an alien land. Had it not been for the local indigenous population whole communities would have perished.
Aside from the touristy wine and bush tours I also received some surfing lessons off one of the girls in my dorm at the backpackers. I'm praying that noone on the beach had a video camera as the video would surely become one of the top hits on You Tube... I eventually got the hang of standing up on the board and managed to surf the baby waves back to the beach - if my posture was rather inelegant. I'm covered in bruises and cuts from where the board jumped up to get me as I 'wiped-out'. My surfing lesson was cut short due to teh appearance of a baby shark in the water. I had noticed what looked like a big fish swimming beneath me - but decided to ignore it. Two minutes later the lifeguard blew a whistle and advised people to come out of the water. After half an hour the shark went along to the next bay and everyone got back in the water! Nobody seemed that worried, which surprised me as there have been 2 shark attacks this week in the eastern states. I've decided that perhaps surfing isn't for me, however the BBQ and guitar playing on the beach after surfing were definately good fun though - maybe I should just become a surf groupie.
Today I am walking through the nature reserves on the edge of the river - armed with my native australian plant guide and a book about birds... Quite enjoyable, although my bird spotting isn't up to much - so far I've only seen a crow, a wag-tail and a parrot!
As an aside a truck has just driven past the internet cafe with a lone bag pipe player playing what sounds like a muse tune...?!? very strange!
Anyway - ice cream and internet break over and I'm back off on my walk.
Aside from the touristy wine and bush tours I also received some surfing lessons off one of the girls in my dorm at the backpackers. I'm praying that noone on the beach had a video camera as the video would surely become one of the top hits on You Tube... I eventually got the hang of standing up on the board and managed to surf the baby waves back to the beach - if my posture was rather inelegant. I'm covered in bruises and cuts from where the board jumped up to get me as I 'wiped-out'. My surfing lesson was cut short due to teh appearance of a baby shark in the water. I had noticed what looked like a big fish swimming beneath me - but decided to ignore it. Two minutes later the lifeguard blew a whistle and advised people to come out of the water. After half an hour the shark went along to the next bay and everyone got back in the water! Nobody seemed that worried, which surprised me as there have been 2 shark attacks this week in the eastern states. I've decided that perhaps surfing isn't for me, however the BBQ and guitar playing on the beach after surfing were definately good fun though - maybe I should just become a surf groupie.
Today I am walking through the nature reserves on the edge of the river - armed with my native australian plant guide and a book about birds... Quite enjoyable, although my bird spotting isn't up to much - so far I've only seen a crow, a wag-tail and a parrot!
As an aside a truck has just driven past the internet cafe with a lone bag pipe player playing what sounds like a muse tune...?!? very strange!
Anyway - ice cream and internet break over and I'm back off on my walk.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Fires, Gliding and Margaret River again...
Sorry for not posting for awhile, I've been rather busy and not been able to get to a computer.
You may have seen on the news that Victoria is suffering from some terrible bush fires, the death toll is over 100 and looks set to rise. I cannot think of anything more terrifying than realising that you are trapped in you town and seeing the walls of flames coming towards you. Last week there was a small bush fire in Kings Park in Perth, the speed at which the flames move and the heat is awe inspiring. I hope that the regions winds calm down soon and that the weather cools so that teh area can get a break. ( If anyone wants to give a donation to the victims of the bush fires they can at http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm ).
In other news I've been again to Fremantle to walk round the markets and watch the street entertainment and spend Sunday gliding... (Again if you don't care about gliding skip this paragraph!). I arrived at teh club and finished my last check flight - this involved a simulated rope break at about 600ft... nothing too scary. I was then finally allowed to fly solo - although only in the Puchacz until I'd demonstrated a correct circuit and landing. The weather was not good enough for cross country flying but i still managed to get 1 hour in the puch and then 2 hours in the Astir ( Iwas finally trusted). I've never experienced such a rough aerotow - during the day they broke a weak link (not my tow). One second I was happily in low tow the next I was above the tug and to the left... I think I coped quite well and noone complained afterwards. The thermals were amazingly strong, but very small and really rough. The lift topped out at about 5000ft above ground. I wasn't prepared for the amount of sink in between the thermals though - having climbed up at 6kts average I was then back down to 2000ft at 8kts average!! Oh well despite the roughness (even the locals said it was rough as ***) it was an enjoyable day and I plan to spend next weekend at the club too.
I am now in Margaret River (again) staying at the youth hostel. I arrived after gliding and stupidly spent the evening outside at a BBQ. I have been bitten by lots of different mosquitos. unfortunaly it appears I'm really allergic to the mossies down here and have swelled up ( As a point of reference for Phil the swelling is worse than Irkutsk!). The hostel owner was really worried as she though I'd contracted the river virus, I was marched to the doctors who said that its just a bad reaction and has given me enough antihistimines to knock out a horse... The swelling has now gone down and I just look like I've got a bad case of the pox. Tomorrow I'm doing a canoe tour up the river and having a bushtucker lunch (kangaroo, wine and other local food on the menu) should be fun. The other guests at teh hostel are really friendly so apart from the bites all is well.
You may have seen on the news that Victoria is suffering from some terrible bush fires, the death toll is over 100 and looks set to rise. I cannot think of anything more terrifying than realising that you are trapped in you town and seeing the walls of flames coming towards you. Last week there was a small bush fire in Kings Park in Perth, the speed at which the flames move and the heat is awe inspiring. I hope that the regions winds calm down soon and that the weather cools so that teh area can get a break. ( If anyone wants to give a donation to the victims of the bush fires they can at http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm ).
In other news I've been again to Fremantle to walk round the markets and watch the street entertainment and spend Sunday gliding... (Again if you don't care about gliding skip this paragraph!). I arrived at teh club and finished my last check flight - this involved a simulated rope break at about 600ft... nothing too scary. I was then finally allowed to fly solo - although only in the Puchacz until I'd demonstrated a correct circuit and landing. The weather was not good enough for cross country flying but i still managed to get 1 hour in the puch and then 2 hours in the Astir ( Iwas finally trusted). I've never experienced such a rough aerotow - during the day they broke a weak link (not my tow). One second I was happily in low tow the next I was above the tug and to the left... I think I coped quite well and noone complained afterwards. The thermals were amazingly strong, but very small and really rough. The lift topped out at about 5000ft above ground. I wasn't prepared for the amount of sink in between the thermals though - having climbed up at 6kts average I was then back down to 2000ft at 8kts average!! Oh well despite the roughness (even the locals said it was rough as ***) it was an enjoyable day and I plan to spend next weekend at the club too.
I am now in Margaret River (again) staying at the youth hostel. I arrived after gliding and stupidly spent the evening outside at a BBQ. I have been bitten by lots of different mosquitos. unfortunaly it appears I'm really allergic to the mossies down here and have swelled up ( As a point of reference for Phil the swelling is worse than Irkutsk!). The hostel owner was really worried as she though I'd contracted the river virus, I was marched to the doctors who said that its just a bad reaction and has given me enough antihistimines to knock out a horse... The swelling has now gone down and I just look like I've got a bad case of the pox. Tomorrow I'm doing a canoe tour up the river and having a bushtucker lunch (kangaroo, wine and other local food on the menu) should be fun. The other guests at teh hostel are really friendly so apart from the bites all is well.
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Despair at black gangs terrorising neighbourhood!
"Despair at black gangs terrorising neighbourhood" - This is the headline that greeted me over my morning coffee. I was confused - the newspaper has a very limited distribution area in a very nice part of town, I've not come across anything that came be described as a gang and I suspect some of the locals may have a heart attack if faced with anyone that could match the description 'black'. I read on... the gangs have been stealing school childrens sandwiches, 'hanging around' the local bowling club and being menaching outside the supermarkets... It turns out the this rather sensationalist report was in fact about crows - although I think that what the Australians call crows are in fact ravens to us English folk. It made me smile, local newspapers seem to be the same the world over. Although I laugh the crows can cause problems, they're really big birds and it must be quite scarey for small children to be chased for their lunch.
I spent the weekend with Steve and Ruth - the couple we stayed with when we first arrived in Australia. I went to fremantle on Saturday, this is the old port town and now quite a bohemian place with outdoor markets, French style cafe streets and an old prison. The highlight of the visit was definatly having a guided tour round the old prison. Quick history - prison opened to house convicts from the UK in 1830 ish and closed in 1991. The buildings are what every child imagines a prison to be - large, bleak, no green, and the cells are tiny (4ft x 10ft). The guide who took Ruth and I round is a former prison guard and his speciality was tales of marvelous escapes. Some of the stories were incredible, people stole trucks to try and ram the walls, started riots to climb onto the roof and jump (this particular guy broke his leg on the jump down and his get-a-way truck took him to teh local hospital for treatment while he was still in his prison uniform - obviously not that smart!). The story that amused me the most was of a notorious horse thief who had escaped form 5 other prisons by hacking a hole in the wall. The governer decided that the prisoner should be enclosed in a jarra wood cell and only allowed out for 1 hours exercise a day. Unfortunately the doctor decided that the prisoner needed more exercise or he would die - the clever guards gave the prisoner the job of breaking rocks!! This guy then built up a pile of rocks behind him so that the guards couldn't see what he was doing and did his usual escape of breaking through the prison wall - with the pick and axe supplied byt he prison!!
After Fremantly we went to the Swan valley to look round some of the wineries and do some more tasting. The valley is famous for its Semillon, or Chenin blancs (is it obvious that i clearly know nothing about wine!). Needless to say I enjoyed the trip lots and bought some wine to go with the evening meal.
The plan for this week is to cycle along the Swan valley path, visit the aquarium and take a boat tour up the river. I also have a couple of hours of work to do ;)
Hope everyone is enjoying the snow in England - it amuses me that theres a 40 degree difference between the UK and here!
I spent the weekend with Steve and Ruth - the couple we stayed with when we first arrived in Australia. I went to fremantle on Saturday, this is the old port town and now quite a bohemian place with outdoor markets, French style cafe streets and an old prison. The highlight of the visit was definatly having a guided tour round the old prison. Quick history - prison opened to house convicts from the UK in 1830 ish and closed in 1991. The buildings are what every child imagines a prison to be - large, bleak, no green, and the cells are tiny (4ft x 10ft). The guide who took Ruth and I round is a former prison guard and his speciality was tales of marvelous escapes. Some of the stories were incredible, people stole trucks to try and ram the walls, started riots to climb onto the roof and jump (this particular guy broke his leg on the jump down and his get-a-way truck took him to teh local hospital for treatment while he was still in his prison uniform - obviously not that smart!). The story that amused me the most was of a notorious horse thief who had escaped form 5 other prisons by hacking a hole in the wall. The governer decided that the prisoner should be enclosed in a jarra wood cell and only allowed out for 1 hours exercise a day. Unfortunately the doctor decided that the prisoner needed more exercise or he would die - the clever guards gave the prisoner the job of breaking rocks!! This guy then built up a pile of rocks behind him so that the guards couldn't see what he was doing and did his usual escape of breaking through the prison wall - with the pick and axe supplied byt he prison!!
After Fremantly we went to the Swan valley to look round some of the wineries and do some more tasting. The valley is famous for its Semillon, or Chenin blancs (is it obvious that i clearly know nothing about wine!). Needless to say I enjoyed the trip lots and bought some wine to go with the evening meal.
The plan for this week is to cycle along the Swan valley path, visit the aquarium and take a boat tour up the river. I also have a couple of hours of work to do ;)
Hope everyone is enjoying the snow in England - it amuses me that theres a 40 degree difference between the UK and here!
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