Enjoying the Comforts of a Home

So I decided to take a break from the rest of my camping trip in WA and start catching up on where I've been the last three weeks...

Melbourne Bound! 

My last day in Fremantle was fitting as it resembled my first day there! Slow to wake up and get moving, Livia and I enjoyed a coffee before figuring out what the day would entail. We freshened up, put on our swim suits, and headed towards the beach. A couple last minute errands were made in town and then our towels were spread out on the sand. It was, as always, a hot and cloudless day. I chatted with new faces at the beach and caught up with a few friends from the hostel before packing up my bags to say goodbye (for real this time) to Fremantle. Livia and I sadly said goodbye with hopes of meeting again somewhere in this world! And Lut and Chris (the couple that picked me up at the airport when I arrived in Perth) loaded up my bags and we set out for a quick bite before my 12:30 am flight to Melbourne. 

I landed in Melbourne a few hours later and a few hours after that Lisa and I were excitedly reunited! Our travels around Oz together had finally commenced! 

We booked a hostel from the airport and set out to find our shuttle to St. Kilda. Sadly it was a cold and rainy day and I admit -it did put a damper on things. We made the best of it though and enjoyed some breakfast and mimosas before exploring St. Kilda and Melbourne's famous Chapel Street. 

A quick nap at the hostel became a necessary stop after a long night and early morning of flying. Once rested, we cleaned up for our first night out together since I had left Denver back in November. A glass of wine was our first mission. The boutique area of St. Kilda offered several options and we agreed upon a suggested place called Abbey Rd. Kings of Leon played in the background as we caught up about what went on in our lives over the past 3 months. 

The highlight of our day was dinner! We stumbled upon a tiny Indian restaurant and reviewed the menu. Preceding the food options was a story explaining how you pay what you think the food and experience is worth- placing human dignity above profit. That is right-  no set prices!  This was a gold mine for two people traveling on a budget! The food was pretty good and we agreed ten bucks per meal would suffice (a bargain in Aus). 

The next day was still pretty chilly so we layered up and set out to see the city. We rented some bikes, and with our bright red and blue helmets we scouted out the landmarks of Melbourne. 

We wandered around the infamous Queen Vitoria Markets where we enjoyed an incredible platter of Greek food and listened to the merchants yell out their special offers on produce. 

The afternoon came quickly and meant it was time to head to Geelong -where we would stay for the next couple of days. It was an hour train ride out to meet Lucy and Felicia- a sweet mother/ daughter duo that graciously hosted us while in Geelong. Lucy fixed up some spaghetti and we chatted for hours over the dinner table. Lisa and I were feeling very content and thankful for our great accommodations in a nice warm home! 

I can assure you I will say this again several times throughout my blogs- It is truly amazing how quickly Australian's can make you feel so welcome in their home. 

With only 3 days left in Melbourne we decided to head back to the city one more time. We set out to find a couple of guys we had become acquainted with in St. Kilda. They had invited us to check out the restaurant they worked in implying a free drink or two may be in store. We found the restaurant and were pleasantly surprised to still be there hours later enjoying food and drinks (for free) with all of the employees after the restaurant closed. It was an eclectic crowd and we had a blast moving about the group getting to know everyone's story! 

It is always a goal to meet locals because it's the best way to really get a feel for a place- I'd say we did quite well this night! 

  

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On Saturday Lucy and her husband Tony showed us around Geelong and then asked "What are some things you want to do in Australia that you haven't done yet?" I immediately responded with "fishing" but with no implication that I expected it to happen any time soon. Well…as my luck in Australia goes- an hour later we were on a boat fishing in the sea! Just minutes after our lines were thrown out we were pulling in squid! Ink would squirt everywhere each time a new one was drawn into the boat…it was as fascinating as it was disgusting! Once we had ten squid in our holding tank we decided to try and catch some flatheads. They turned out to be an even easier catch! Satisfied with our stash of sea creatures, we headed back to shore. Lucy taught us how to clean and prepare the squid- we applauded her efforts and let her continue the daunting task. Within just a couple of hours our success on the water ended up as a success on our plate! Talk about fresh fish! 

Lucy and Tony

"Fishing Ladies"

Cleaning the Squid for Dinner

We were scooped up on Sunday morning by another very kind couple- Connie and Gary. I was introduced to them via e-mail last year through friends of friends…of friends back in Iowa. We e-mailed back and forth quite a bit before I left for OZ and they gave me all sorts of advice about the country. I was elated to finally put a face to the e-mail address! They gave up their entire Sunday to spend on the Great Ocean Road with me and Lisa. We stopped at Bell's Beach- Australia's most famous surf spot, saw kangaroos hanging out at a local golf course and enjoyed some ice cream in Apollo Bay. The drive was spectacular- providing views of endless beaches almost the entire way! 

  

We drove back towards Melbourne through the rainforest before ending up back at their beautiful home where we were invited to stay for the night.  We met their daughter Rachel and the five of us went out for an amazing Vietnamese dinner. To think we had only known each other for one day is crazy as  they too made us feel so comfortable. Connie has such a kind heart and treated us like we were her own daughters. She is originally from Dubuque, IA, so it was fun to talk to her about the midwest and how she ended up in Australia. We also loved chatting with Rachel and hearing about her shopping adventures in the States. Gary was an absolute riot and we joked around with him all day as if he was our own Dad! 

After dinner we went back to their house to enjoy dessert and get tucked into bed before heading off to New Zealand! 

Gary kindly woke up early Monday morning to take us to the airport where we said our thank you-s and goodbyes. Once inside we headed straight to the check-in counter where our New Zealand escapade began a little sooner than expected… 

On The Road Again...

Ok, I am back….

Before I continue on with my travels I should make mention of a little dilemma we ran into during the first few days of the trip… 

Livia and I were having a hard time getting along with Mona. And by hard time I mean we were NOT getting along with Mona.  We butted heads with her anytime there was a decision to be made and arguments began over the smallest of comments. The tension was very obvious to everyone and at this point we even questioned whether or not to carry on our trip with her. We renamed her using the acronym FIGJAM and responded to her comments with DILIGAF.  As you probably guessed- neither of these phrases are very nice so i'll let you research them if you care to find out what they stand for.  I spoke to my Dad about the situation - his response: "You can tell a German, you just can't tell them much." He was dead on. It wasn't a pretty situation. BUT little did I know over the next couple of days this situation would turn into a lesson learned.  

Day 5 | February 26 | 2011

We arrived in Denmark, made the routine trek to the information center, and set off on our tour around the quaint little town. We were excited to learn that the sites to see around Denmark were everything but quaint…

We reviewed the suggested to-do list and each picked an activity. We agreed to make time for everyone's choice and our first stop was the berry farm. We were greeted by the owners of the farm and before long we were deep in the rows of raspberry bushes filling our baskets. 

  

From the berry farm we headed to the meadery where we enjoyed tasting a variety of honey, honey liqueur and a bit of honey wine- interestingly tasty!

The last activity of the day was to visit the Elephant Rocks and Green Pools. These two attractions were fascinating!

Elephant Rocks | Denmark

Green Pools | Denmark

 Unfortunately it was late in the afternoon and the sun was hidden behind the clouds so it was a quick visit before we were off to find our home for the night. We ended up at a campsite that was very obviously full of an older crowd. We strategically placed ourselves next to the youngest looking group and set up camp, enjoyed some pasta and broke out the goon.

The goon was going down as smooth as goon possibly can this night and honest words began to flow. The conversation started off a bit heated, but before long the German girl's shell began to crack. We talked friends and jobs and then we talked family.  Slowly but surely everything began to make so much sense. We began to understand why our dear Mona was so loud and why she was always right.  We began to learn why Mona was who she was.   I was quickly reminded that you can't judge a person until you really know them and understand why they are who they are.   I'll admit prior to this night, if we had been given the opportunity to leave Mona and travel with someone else we would have. We would have given up on Mona, and without giving her a fair chance. Thankfully that option did not present itself and by day five it was as if the three of us had been friends for years. 

With frustrations resolved and an empty box of goon- we decided it was a good night to hit up the pub. It was about a mile down a dark highway and we all agreed our mother's would not approve of this seemingly necessary trek. Sorry Mom, we did it anyway! We were relieved to see our neighbors from the campsite at the pub knowing they would be able to escort us home. A few beers later the pub shut its doors and we scanned the street for our escorts. Turns out we wrongfully assumed these guys were gentleman and once again found ourselves alone on this dark road. Too bad for them…revenge was in store! Once back at the campground we stopped by the bathroom to wash up before bed and had a very close (too close) encounter with a kangaroo on the way back to our tent. After calming ourselves we focused on our plan of attack. The GOON BAG! We blew up the goon bag and set it carefully next to their tent. It was Mona's turn to Pop the Goon and as the routine goes….BOOOOOM, run into the van, slam the door and erupt in laughter.  Success! 

Day 6 | February 27 | 2011

Day six brought us to Albany and another day without any agenda. We followed signs that said scenic route, ended up on bush farms and hiking to uneventful blow holes. A bit hungover, and thus slaphappy, we laughed our way to the natural arch that Albany is known for. 

Natural Arch | Albany

 After a chilly photo session on the arch we were back in the van making whale noises and any other odd sounds we could create. If anyone were watching I can assure you they would have thought we were handicapped. Things only became more goofy from there. Before long we found ourselves at another campground- too tired to cook dinner and sitting in the van taking pictures of each other making animal faces. We laughed until our eyes couldn't stay open any longer.

Day 7 | February 28 | 2011

With no reception on the radio we attempted to enjoy the Indian music that played from our only CD in the vehicle. Let me tell you- it isn't really sing-a-long/make the drive go faster/keep everyone awake type music! After a long drive we finally made it to Esperance where it was a wee bit colder and rainier than we had hoped. Tired of paying $17-$20 per person at every campsite we decided to cheat the system a bit. I hopped in the back of the camper van and hid while Livia and Mona spoke to the park ranger and claimed to be two campers instead of three. Success came easy and we immediately agreed to take our $20 savings to the pub! The Pier Hotel was our only option for a beer and it wasn't long before we were telling jokes with a few locals and some people from the mines in Kalgoorlie. We all laughed at each other's jokes, but I am fairly certain with all of the cultural differences in the room the level of understanding was low. The night carried on for a while and we left calling each other "Spunk Bubbles" - a term one of the pub regulars taught us. The walk home threw us for a loop as we confidently walked down someone's driveway only to find a big scary barking dog and no sign of our red bus! Of course we screamed and ran. Eventually we found our home and then… we found some bread.  Our excitement could have been mistaken for ravenous animals. We coated the bread with anything spreadable- pasta sauce, Nutella, peanut butter, honey, tuna- it all tasted so good at this point in the night. Stomaches full and eyes heavy we made our way to the tent feeling very satisfied with our first night in Esperance. The sun brought about day eight shortly after. 

Day 8 | February 29 | 2011

We set out to find some of Australia's best beaches after our breakfast of eggs and toast (which we considered a special treat from the norm of bread and Nutella). We went to Cape Le Grande and Lucky Bay- which was voted to have the whitest sand in OZ. 

Lucky Bay

The pictures don't do it justice. It was truly magical. The sand was almost as fine as flour and it squeaked with every step. We drove past herds of wild emus as we continued our tour of white beaches. We stopped at Whorten Bay for a lunch of cous cous and coffee and were joined by a goanna. He was a welcomed addition to our picnic until Mona tried to feed it tuna. A nice man quickly warned us to keep our distance as these type of lizards have no qualms about climbing people…oh and they bite. 

We headed back into town and shortly thereafter Mona hit a car while backing out of a parking spot! The owner of the car was sitting in the driver seat when it happened and Mona immediately hopped out apologizing profusely. The woman didn't even look up.  She did a quick scan of the accident site and, without saying a single word, huffed off - leaving us all speechless. The three of us looked at each other and couldn't help but erupt in laughter. With that…we drove away. 

It was a great day of sight seeing, but day seven also meant I needed to be thinking about my next destination. According to plan I should be searching for a ride to Adelaide at this point. Feeling a bit stressed, and not wanting to spend my last day in Esperance on the internet, I decided to scrap the plan- imagine that! I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Livia or Mona, and Esperance was a bit too small of a place to be left looking for rides. My decision was solidified over dinner as we sat in the camp kitchen with some Frenchies who, for no apparent reason, confirmed that one should never make plans. Crazy! I was heading back to Fremantle. A place I thought I may never see again! 

Side note: Livia is from Switzerland and speaks English very well. After spending over two years traveling around OZ her accent is a combination of several different countries making it difficult for anyone to guess where she is from. During our month and half together we worked on her American accent using Forest Gump's line-  "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." The phrase was said several times a day. Oh how fitting this sentence has been! 

Back to day eight...

You'd be correct if you guessed our last night in Esperance deserved another popping of the goon bag. Unfortunately for the Frenchies, they were the only people we had met at the campsite and thus would become our goon victims. I believe Mona took charge of this one and marched over to their tent. As always she jumped on the bag- BOOM, ran back to the van, we slammed the door, but before we could break out in laughter an unfamiliar sound interrupted our routine…a car alarm! We laughed even harder than normal and considered this a supremely successful goon pop! 

Lucky Bay | Whitest Beach in OZ

A German, A Swiss, An American and a Big Red Bus

G'day Mates! WOW do I have a lot to write about! It's official. I am in love....with the country of Australia!

It is also official that I have left the Sundancer Backpackers! Great times were had at this lovely place, but it was time to leave and see what else this country has to offer. And let me tell you....it has a LOT to offer!

So my story of a German, a Swiss, an American(me) and a Big Red Bus begins:

After putting an add up on Gumtree.com (similar to Craigslist) looking for a lift down the south west coast of Western Australia, Livia and I began interviewing for the lucky person that would be taking us on this journey. The winner: Mona- the German Girl, as we kindly referred to her before setting off down the coast.

Day 1 |  February 22 | 2011
We did one last sweep through Fremantle to say our goodbyes and pick up any last minute items required for our road trip- i.e. a tent!

We zipped up our bags and set everything out on the curb (including the massive blankets we may or may not have "borrowed" from the hostel) and waited for the German girl to pick us up. We waited on the curb in anticipation for what our mode of transportation was going to be for the next couple of weeks. We were PLEASANTLY surprised when this showed up:

Our Big Red Bus! She was perfect. Plenty of room for all of our luggage and plenty of room for heaps of fun and memories :-)

The three of us hopped in the front seat and off we went. Sort of. We drove for five minutes and then pulled over after realizing we hadn't discussed 2 very important things: 1. How do we get out of Fremantle? 2. Where are we going? We whipped out the map, yes you read that correctly- I said MAP not GPS! And after a few minutes of discussion we were on our way. Where? Well that hadn't been decided yet. But at least we had figured out how to exit Freo!

Once out of Fremantle we agreed that Bunburry was our destination for the night. But just a couple hours down the highway daylight became scarce and so did our fuel. We had to find a place to sleep and we had to find it quick! So into the bush we went, whipping around corners on a dirt road with kangaroo tails hanging out from the shrubs. We found our campsite and built our tent under a sky of endless stars.

Night 1 concluded with pasta, tuna, goon (bag of cheep wine), and a pet spider. Success.

Campsite # 1 | Yalgorup National Park

Extra: Some things we saw along the way worthy of mentioning:

+ Pink salt lakes

+ Sand flies that forced Livia to look like she belonged in the mental ward as she ran in circles hitting herself 

+ A man cruising around on a motorized cooler- why not?

+ My first siting of a wild kangaroo! 

Day 2 | February 23 | 2011

Morning came quickly and brought the heat with it. We had only made it halfway to Bunburry so after a quick breakfast of toast and nutella we set off again. We stopped in Bunburry for lunch in the park where we saw, what is claimed to be, the longest pier in the southern hemisphere. Whoo hoo!  We mapped out a rough plan of where we wanted to go over the next 10-15 days and then jumped back into the Big Red Bus on our way to Margaret River. 

We checked in at the campsite in Prevelly Park and met up with some of Livia's Frenchie friends.  What a treat they were to have at the campsite! We set up our camp, had a swim at the beach, ate some dinner and enjoyed some goon with the Frenchie's before hitting the tent to rest up for day 3. 

Day 3 | February 24 | 2011

SURFING!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!

 A dream of mine for the better part of my life has been to surf and on February 24th, 2011..... I SURFED!  Now whether or not you can actually call what I did "surfing" is debatable, but the fact that I was on a surf board in the ocean was all I needed! It was an incredible day that I will never forget. 

Gas Bay | Margaret River | Western Australia

Wi wi wi wiiiiiiiipppppe out! 

Gas Bay also delivered my first siting of sting rays, crabs, snails and the opportunity to body board!

It was a GAS of a day I tell ya! (sorry I had to say it...I have my Dad's sense of humor)

Anyway...the day concluded with rice and fresh veggies- which was a refreshing change from the pasta and tuna we'd been eating for every meal, and a game of fuzzy bunny!

Side Note: During this camping trip I took random notes on my ipod each day. The note taken for day 3: "Today I found myself determining which toilet stall to use by figuring out which one had the least frightening bug in it!"

Day 4 | February 25th | 2011
Margaret River is known as one of Australia's main wine regions. SO, we started day 4 at the Leeuwin Estate tasting a variety of red and white wines. (Look for the name next time you are at the liquor store- there is a real good chance you will find it) We continued our wine tour at Stella Bella and then enjoyed an iced coffee before heading to Hamelin Bay.

 

Hamelin Bay was PARADISE! It felt like we were in another country. We walked out of the parking lot and over a sand dune to find the most beautiful and expansive beaches I've experienced yet. The water was a blue I hadn't yet seen before and there weren't any signs of tourism or commercialization. Seriously- Paradise. 

We played in the water...

We snorkeled....

And one of my top 5 moments in OZ- We swam with wild sting rays!

This day remains one of my favorite days in Australia so far. When you find me back in the States staring off into la la land...Hamelin Bay is where I will be!

As you can see in just four days I had already experienced so much! I have heaps more to write about and I promise to do so very soon! For now- I am off to bed in Melbourne! (More to come on that as well!)

xoxo