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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 07, 2010 07:00 PM Stranded 1500 kms before Darwin...
The chairs in the train were not comfortable and I had not enough space to strengh my legs. In the morning I had a backbone pain - this is the side effect of travelling in the lowest class... But the landscape on the other side of the window was beautiful... Red soil, green trees, blue sky... I was cooking my tea and coffee in the shower section (there is 240V power outlet).
Around 10 am we got a bad message through the loudspeakers: new fooding in the north. Train will go only as far as Alice Springs today ande will wait when they will repair the track. (how do they built their track, that they are so water-sensitive!??)
We arrived to Alice Springs in the heart of Australia at 2 p.m. Blue sky, hot - 28 deg Celsius.
Alice changes to the better - I have been here some 20 years ago going by bus north to south of the Australian Outback.
What now? Let's wait!
Greetings to all of you from the red center of Australia!
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Mar 06, 2010 07:00 PM Legendary "The Ghan" to the north...
On the March 3rd departure of the legendary train "The Ghan" was cancelled due to heavy rains in the north and floodings. There is only one departure per week now and I was afraid that my departure today will be also cancelled.
Lucky me! When I came to the station I saw silver carriages on the two platforms and a crowd of people... Today's train is 900-m long so they cut it into two parts because platforms are short.
We departed at 12.20 pm. I travel in the last expensive "red" class with 40 or so airplane chairs in the big compartment. At the end of the carriage there are two showers and two toilets. They provide towels but nothing else. The train is almost full. I took of course enough food with me to avoid high payments in the buffet car. (Standard breakfast 11 AUD, weak dinner meal - 15).
It was raining when we departed Adelaide, but soon we had a blue sky and a nice sunset. 54- hours train journey is ahead of me!
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Mar 05, 2010 07:00 PM Saturday in Adelaide
It was raining in the night but then morning was sunny with a temperature around 22 deg Celsius. I took a long walk from the central Victoria Square along the main Northern Terrace Street. They have here a lot of well-restored colonial buildings, but I thing thet the nicest is the catolic cathedral of St Francis Xavier.
Libraries are the good institutions here in South Australia - you are allowed to use internet for free in the public library. The time is usually limited to 1 hour but if nobody else is waiting you can register for another hour.
I am ready for the great train adventure: I hope that tomorrow I will board the famous Ghan train departing once a week from Adelaide to Darwin. I have a message that there are floodings in the north but I am still optimistic...
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Mar 04, 2010 07:00 PM Kangaroo Island to Adelaide...
Sometimes it pays to be a senior... Regional airline gives substantial discount for the seniors and do not ask for the Australian concession card. The flight was one hour delayed but arrived and I was flying 20 minutes from tiny Kangaroo Island to Adelaide. In the Adelaide Airport I got for free the map of the city and few other booklets - it is not like in Santiago...
City buses J1 and J2 go from the airport to the centre. But here I am already not a senior since I do not have the card - means if I am not Australian citizen. You have to pay hefty 2.70 AUD for the ride and in the peak hours after 3 pm even as much as 4.40 AUD! But it is worth to know that the transfer to the other line in the city center is included.
Adelaide is a festival city - festival in on now. In the evening there is plenty of open-air music and on the main street I was watching what they call Northern Lights - a colorful, changing every few minutes iluminations of the main historical buildings. Australian Disneyland...
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Mar 03, 2010 07:00 PM Sea lions, fur seals, wallabies... Where are the kangaroos?
Every day at around 8 am the tour bus of Sealink company starts its route to the highlights of Kangaroo Island. Full day tour with the entrance fees and lunch included coul be booked by their office in Kingscote or by the hotel in the waterfront. I joined them - it is the last expensive solution for the single traveller... At the begining I visited eucalyptus oil farm (you will see a lot of eucalyptus trees in whole Australia, koalas like them too!). Then we went to the Seal Bay where I was surprised by the presence of Australian Sea Lions. Last time I saw them in Galapagos... Visit to the beach is with a ranger and in the group only but it was still very rewarding. They do not allow to come them 10 m to the animals - you have to bring good zoom to catch them... After a lunch we attended the bird show - funny place with falcon, laughing kokaburras and the eagle playing the main roles...
Magnificent Rocks staying on the stone monolith rising just on the coast remind me Rodes Matopos Park in Zimbabwe - is is hard to see similar place and they are well worth to visit. Then the bus took us to Cape du Couedic with the high lighthouse. But to see the real attractions of this place you have to walk down to the ocean it is like 20 min walk down.
There is Admirals Arch - like a giant natural tunnel under the rock. On both sides of the arch there are colonies of New Zealand fur seals...
But where are the kangaroos of Kangaroo Island? They sleep in the heat of the day and came out in the evenings. Yes, I saw and took a picture of the lovely family at the sunset time...
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Mar 02, 2010 07:00 PM Kangaroo Island
I am on the Kangaroo Island in South Australia, staying in The Kangaroo Island Central Backpackers in the little town of Kingscote - just 25 AUD per dormitory bed.
Blue sky, some 26 deg Celsius during the day. I saw falready first wallabies and kangaroos, but they have here more wildlife, even little penguins...
The island is beautiful and few people live here. The gateway to Kangaroo Island is Adelaide. You can either take from this city a bus and then a ferry to land in Penneshaw (they have youth hostel there) or to take 20-minute flight from Adelaide to Kingscote. Kingscote is in my opinion better place to stay, since it is more central. No public transport on the 120-kms long island - can you imagine? I intended to rent a car but let you know that it is not New Zealand where you will find many competing companies: it is only Hertz and Budget and they charge 70 AUD per day with free 100 kms - for extra km you must pay extra. Sorry - not good offer for a single backpacker... The island is too big to walk all over the way to the attractions and the tiny traffic goes only to the settlements, not to the distant lighthouses and national parks - so the hitchhiking is also risky. Should I take an organized tour?
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Mar 01, 2010 07:00 PM I have my Japan Rail Pass!
Still in Australia I have to think about my onward travel. For Japan I need unlimited travel railpass. It is available only abroad. Few places offes this pass - you can buy it mostly in the bit cities around the world, where Japan has its travel offices. I decided to apply in Sydney. First news was bad - I found Japan Airlines Office, but they say that they sell the pass only to those who travel to Japan with JAL. I do not! They sent me to the JNTO office - Japan National Tourist Organization. Sorry... It is open only two days each week in the afternoon. Not today! Finally I found the third office: JTB - Japan Travel Bureau and thel sold me the pass. Two weeks of unlimited travel for 579 AUD - in the expensive Japan it is great deal!
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Feb 28, 2010 07:00 PM Why I do not like Sydney now...
It is a joke of course... I still think that Sydney is one of the most beautiful natural ports in the world... But... The street traffic discriminates the pedestrians. So many cars. You push the button of traffic light and you wait, wait, wait... Then I paid 4 AUD for the loaf of the bread. Expensive! Dear Australia please come to Poland and you will get three times more of tasty bread for that amount of money!
Unfortunately this was a cloudy day. I started my walk to the well-known places from the El Alamein fountain in the King Cross, then old wharf, St Mary's Cathedral on the edge of Domain Park. It was already raining there... Almost all monuments of Sydney are located along Macquarrie St - just go along and you will see St james Church, The Mint, Parliament and Library.
But the pearl of Sydney is of course at the far end of this street - this is famous Sydney Opera House... I was climbing to the high Harbour Bridge to take the best - aerial picture of the opera. You can also climb the pylon (tower of the bridge) for 9.50 AUD - I decided it is not worth. Long walk - partly in the rain. It was already darl when I took the bus 323 for 2 dollars to come back to King Cross...
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Feb 27, 2010 07:00 PM Time to say goodbye to Kiwilandia...
To be back in the Auckland airport at 1 pm I started from Tongariro at 7 am. Oh my poor legs! After yesterday's trek they require a long rest. But that is normal...
On Sunday morning the roads were almost completly empty and I reached the airport on time. Do not forget to fill up the petrol before returning the car - other wise they will charge from your card extra money!
Then it was the time to say goodbye to New Zealand.
After 4 hours in the air I safely landed in the cloudy Sydney. Welcome to Australia! Declade again all the food you are bringing! The custom officer was very tolerant - he let me go with my can of sardines and dried soups /it is my emergency food/. Train from the airport to the King Cross station in the center cost hefty 15,80 AUD !!! For 19 AUD you can easily find the dormitory bed in one of many backpackers accommodations.
I was already in Sydney - some 22 years ago... Not many changes, except the prices rising up... An hour of internet in the street cafe costs 5 australian dollars in the centre but in the backpackers quarter of King Cross you can find the place for 2 dollars/hour... I pray for the better weather for tomorrow...
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Feb 26, 2010 07:00 PM Tongariro Alpine Crossing - done!
The strong sun was rising when we boarded the bus (30 NZD round trip) to the trailhead. Tongariro Alpine Crossing has an opinion to be the nicest and the most popular day trek in New Zealand. The path takes you to the pass between two sleeping volcanoes. They say that the path is 19,5 kms long but in the mountains is is better to define the trail by hours of walk - it takes 7 to 9 hours to complete the trek.
Yes, I must tell you that it require a lot off effort (especially climbing "Devil's Staircase") but it is worth such en effort. Views are great and I will bring beautifull pictures from this trail. We had excellent weather and visibility. There are also beautiful Emerald Lakes on the way...
After 8 hours on the trail I rached the parking place where the bus was waiting for us. I am happy I did it - it is one of the nicest trekking routes I was walking in my life...
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