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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Mar 21, 2010 07:00 PM Singa... Singa... Singapore!
It was early morning and still dark around when I disembarked Jet Star planer in Singapore. Warm and humid again but not as hot as Kimberley.
It is my third time in the City of the Lion. I like Singapore: it is clean end very efficient. People are extremely honest.
I left my backpack in the house of my Servas Friends (thanks a lot Dick and Carol!) and took a walk to see well known places. Singapore is changing very fast: they still built new high buildings and it is hard to see here any sympthoms of world crisis. They built new, huge casinos and office buildings.
But the old Singapore is dissappearing - you can still see some traditional houses in Little India quarter. Backpacker institutions and internet cafes are located there. But no more guesthouses on Bencoolen Street where I stayed years ago. I enjoyed nice city skyline and took one more picture in front of the Merlion. Long walk, lovely day!
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Mar 20, 2010 07:00 PM Qantas - shame on you!
I am in Perth. Qantas cancelled my flight (look! - such a reputable airline! As a result I will fly to Singapore by the low-cost airline. It will be another night on the plane in the crampy seat, without a good service. What I paid for Mr Qantas?
But I had such a situations many times in the past so it does not hurt so much. First rule: do not panic! It is worth to be prepared for surprises and to have ready some options: if this flight will be cancelled I can...
I hope to land in Singapore in the morning anyway. It is interesting to see if there are many changes since my last vist... Keep your fingers crossed My Friends, please... Thank you for all your letters and the warm words you send to me!
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Mar 19, 2010 07:00 PM Broome pearls. Walking the Cable Beach.
Broome in the past was very important place where they were diving for the pearls. At the beginning of 20th century the fleet of some 200 pearl luggers was working here... It is worth to visit local museum to see all stories and old photographs... And in the shops in Broome you can buy today another pearls - from the "plantations".
Early morning I took the first city bus (hefty 3,50 AUD fee!) to get closer to the Gantheaume Point - it is picturesque, rocky cape at the end of Broome Peninsula. Then (it was low tide time) I decided to walk some 5 kms along Cable Beach. More then 100 m wide at the low tide it can be only 5 m wide at a high tide. Some people think that it is one of the 5 best beaches in the world. Hmmm... I think they did not see much... But is was nice (but very sweaty walk) and Cable Beach is worth a visit... They have expensive camel tours here in the evenings...
Soon I will be on my way to Perth and onward - to Singapore... Get ready!
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Mar 18, 2010 07:00 PM 4 WD to Dampier Peninsula... Australia.
North of Broome there is a huge and little developed Dampier Peninsula. I took a full day group tour to the tip of the peninsula - picturesque Cape Leveque.
Why 4WD? There is still like 90 kms of the dirty, red road to go through and other vehicles are risky in this route. Why group? Because the local agencies charge as much as 70 AUD for the day rental of the small 4 WD car.
On the way we visited two Aboriginal communities: Beagle Bay and Lombadina. Beagle Bay has nice mission church decorated with mother -of-pearl. Do you remember similar, but much bigger church on Gambier Archipelago?
Then we were hunting in the mangrooves for the mud crabs (some were catched and prepared for eating in the fire)
Cape Leveque has nice lighthouse and lovel, empty beaches - it was pleasure to swim after the hot day in the turquoise waters. Late return under the Milky Way - the night sky is impressive here! I was singing "The Stardust" unter the stars...
Opps! Do not you think it is the time to get ready for the jump from this hot country to Asia?
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Mar 17, 2010 07:00 PM I will not see Horizontal Waterfall!
Boome, Western Australia, 38 deg Celsius during the day, 27 at night...
Area where I am is well known for the extremely high tides. Can you imagine? Just now they have "king tide" period and the difference between high and low water level is more then 9 meters !!!
You know how I love the falls. Just here they have something unussual: horizontal fall. There are two rocky barriers in the sea near the coast and the rising tide water is pushed to go through the little gaps in this rocky barriers. I saw it on the picture. Looks nice!
You can reach horizontal fall only by little plane or a plane+the boat. 3 companies offer the flights. The last expensive flight cost 465 AUD. Sorry, no discounts - this guys prefere to take empty seat on their flight then to give the substantial discount to the backpacker. It is priviledge of the rich people...
I will not see horizontal falls. I am sad.
But there are still other lovely places to see...
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Mar 16, 2010 07:00 PM Kimberley - Australian outback.
I am still in Kimberley. Australia. Hot Kimberley is bigger then Poland - my country. But only 30 000 peple live here, and 600 000 cattle. 20 cattle per one head - they are rich here!
It was already evening when I was was waiting for the one-per day bus at Wyndham junction. Sunset over the bush around was nice but just after the mosquitoes started their attack... Fortunately I had lond sleeves and trousers... The bus finally came in the dark and I survived.
We passed Derby town with a long line of boab trees at the early morning and few hours later I said bye to the driver in Broome.
They have nice hostel here. A bed in the 4-bed dorm cost 23 AUD for YHA member. They have little pool and Continental breakfast is included. But... It is hot, hot, hot. Fan in your dorm is free but if you want to switch on the a/c you have to put the 1 dollar coin into the machine. Then you have a leasure for some time and the machine ask again to put the 1 dollar coin in... Oh my God! I see such a polic for the frst time.... It is hard to survive here without a/c... So put another coin into the slot! My mate is terribly snorring...
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Mar 15, 2010 07:00 PM How to get to Wyndham? And how to get off?
Wyndham is second after Darwin port in the Northern Australia - in remote Kimberley... Years ago they sent through tropical Wyndham thousands of cattle. Now it is sleepyand very hot town with some abandoned old buildings and a crocodile farm. Nearest bus stop (bus only once a day at 6 p.m.) is 55 kms away - in the middle of nowhere.
I got a lift by car (very little traffic) and I am in Wyndham.
You can see here biggest boab (baobab) tree in Australia (that's what they say) close to the grocery shop, who acts also as a tourist information. It has some 20 mts in curcumference!.
It is worth to climb to the 300-m high Bastion Hill overlooking the town of 800 people and the big estuary. They call this point Five Rivers Lookout - you really see five rivers from the hill. One hour of internet in the empty telecentre costs 10 AUD - it is the highest price I found in Australia - another record!
Police officer gave me the lift to the crocodile farm (20 AUD entry fee) and I saw how they are feediding those creatures - some of them are 6 mts long! The show starts daily at 11 am...
Wyndham has no backpackers institutions - the last expensive option to stay was a cabin in the camp site - they want 50 AUD per cabin. And in the only hotel even twice more. Too much for me! I decided to hitchhike to the bus stop and to continue my travel by bus overnight. Let's go west!
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Mar 14, 2010 07:00 PM Bungle-Bungle - only by air!!
I am very close to the interesting national park - Bungle -Bungle. They use also Aborigin name: Purnululu bu I prefere Bungle-Bungle... It is so nice and different that UNESCO put it on the World Heritage List.
Sorry, sun is strong but it is still the wet season here and access to the park by land is not possible. Dirty roads are closed (4WD vehicles will start to drive in at the end of April. But there are flights over Bungle Bungle and beautiful Lake Argyleon athe small planes. Some locals say that the views of BUNGLE BUNGLE from the air are even more impressive then from the ground level. I have some savings in my budget and I decided to try the flight. Alligator Airways gave me little discount and in the early morning I boarded their plane. Two hours flight was definitely worth the price. We saw cake-like rock formations, great Lake Argyle and the biggest diamond mine in the world. But also cattle stations, rivers and waterfallsin the gorges. Jim-Jim in Kakadu NP was nice. Bit Bungle-Bungle is even more impressive.
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Mar 13, 2010 07:00 PM Guilty! How I smuggled an onion to Western Australia...
It is a long way on the Victoria Highway from Katherine to Kununarra... Hills, grass more then 2-m high, eucalyptus trees... Kimberley - the real Australian outback. Very few settlements. They act more like roadhouses then like villages... And after few hours of driving in the middle of nowhere there is the border sign of Western Australia. Check point. Officer is coming into the bus. -Do you have any fruits or vegetables. Oranges, bananas? - No sir! He looked into my camera bag. There were only 5 passengers in the big bus. We departed very soon.
In the youth hostel in Kununurra (bed in the dorm costs 25 AUD) I found in my backpack an onion (I like tomato & onion salad very much).
Guilty me! Should I take it back to the quarantine station?
Dear Western Australians! I honestly promise to eat this onion today to the last little piece. I believe that inside my body all those dangerous bacteries will be destroyed. And all the onion's skin will be fired in the gas (they have gas stove in the guest kitchen!) Ufff...
A lot of Aborigines on the streets. Welcome to Kimberley!. Do you remember the moovie "Australia" ? It was here! And the biggest diamond mine is just nearby!
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Mar 12, 2010 07:00 PM Camping in Katherine Gorge...
They asked me to be 30 minutes ahead of departure time, but Greyhound bus departed with 30 minutes delay... Only half full... We reached Katherine town on time (speeding up).
There is not much to see in Katherine so the decision to stay in the gorge was right. Minibus took me to the visitors centre. Tent city was just 200 m away. They provide bedding. Thents are roomy but it is so hot that it is hard to stay in your tent during the day. Fortunately there are nets in the dors and big windows! Keep them closed! It is tropics and the bugs are around...
I took a free map of the trails and start to climb to the viewpoints. First one is just overlooking the river jetty (boats will take you for 56 AUD - 2 hours excursion). Nice view of the gorge... Then I walked to the second viewpoint - Pat's Lookout - much harder but the view from the escarpment is even better. A lot of stones and sand on the path - good walking shoes required and at least 1.5 l of water...
I returned to the camp after 3 hours on the strong sun - satisfied but tired. They have great pool in the campsite so it was very relaxing to swim more then hour under tropical stars... Very hot, but great day!
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