Back on the Ranch

I have been home for just over a week now and boy is it strange. The morning after the first night in my own bed in over 7 months I woke up not exactly sure where I was, and completely overwhelmed by how many clothes I had in my closet. It's not that I even have a lot of clothes, but after a backpack full of stained and holey t-shirt, I felt like Paris Hilton. That feeling faded after I watered the bulls and checked my bank account ($6.37 baby!) but still...

I am going to hang around High Prairie at least for the summer, as I have a feeling the geo-gods won't be throwing any jobs down from the heavens until at least September. It's all good though, as I shall embrace the cliche of living in my parents' basement.

This will be the last post on this blog, as it is pretty hard to make dispatches from down under when one is no longer down under, but I promise to alert the masses if decide to go on another random excursion. Right now it is 50/50 between working in Ireland and popping into Europe or circling South America. All I need is $10 000 and I am good to go!

Thanks for reading everyone- knowing someone was on the other end of the line reading all this gibberish was comforting as I meandered around the red continent.

Cheers.

-A.

Departure

I am in the Melbourne airport and my flight leaves in just over an hour. I am slightly pissed because what I thougth was a direct flight is actually connecting in Auckland AND the direct flight which leaves 30min earlier is an A380- the largest commercial plane in the world which has in-cabin wireless and power outlets for your laptop and a bar. Alas, maybe next time.

I slept in the airport last night so I would be sure not to miss my flight and I saved on a night of hostel fees. Little did I know how bloody uncomfortable the Melbourne airport is. Metal chairs and freezing cold, I ended up bunking down between the pinball machines in the arcade area- at least there was carpet there. On the bright side I have a window seat and will be in my own bed in 29 hours. It hasn't really sunk in that I am going back to Canada- the airport is such a strange purgatory, it's hard to think about the real world when you are shuttling between customs desks and navigating the warrens of escalators and duty-free shops. It will probably take a few days to hit me, at which point I will have to think about what the hell I am going to do next. If I don't get a geology job, I am going to save up for a few months and do a working holiday in Ireland. I promised my mom I wouldn't go to South America by myself, so that one will go back on the shelf for a couple years.

-A.

Good Times in Melbourne

I am back from the tropical north and the weather is similar to a brisk October day in Halifax. I really miss the tropics. Diving was amazing, though, and I saw clown fish and angelfish and rays and a porcupine fish, but no turtles, which is a bummer. I think I will definitely be doing that again- I heard Mexico is a good place to go, minus the flu issues of course. I am pretty sure the pressure gave me an ear infection, but I don't care because it was totally worth it.

After my diving course I took a tour of the northern rainforests up by Cape Tribulation. Absolutely stunning. There was a river cruise included where I saw no less than 8 crocodiles along the way, ranging from 40 year old beasts to a little guy about a foot long. I met a cool chick from Britain named Nicola and we hung out for most of the trip and made fun of the noisy American girls in the back. It's nice that us Commonwealth gals have some common ground. It seems that I am meeting all these cool people just as I am leaving. There was another cool chick from Morocco in my hostel who gave me some tips about North African geology companies and said I should check it out. On my last night in Cairns we had some vodka coolers in the lounge and talked about home.

Today is my last full day in Australia and I have been having a blast in Melbourne. I was kind of dreading this bit because I was basically planning to killing time until I go to the airport tomorrow. Instead, I will barely have time to finish all I want to do. On Friday night I got in from the airport at about 6pm which was decent and I grabbed a hostel room right near the train station because I didn't want to walk too far- that was a mistake and I ended up in the nastiest place I have been in since coming to Australia. At 7:30 am I was out of there and walked into the central business district to find something classier. I found a rundown joint north of the markets, but it had a good atmosphere and was only $20 a night. After breakfast at the Queen Victoria Markets (like the Halifax Farmers Market x 10), I spent a good 4 hours touring around the excellent Melbourne Museum. I thought I would treat myself and went in search of a restaurant. Instead, I met two cool gals on the tram and I hung out with them for the rest of the night. including crashing at their hostel because it was too late to walk back to mine and I was too cheap for a taxi. Laura is from New Brunswick and Katie is from Scotland. I was giving them advice on where the tram was headed and they invited me to join them. We had a great italian meal and dessert and after-dinner drinks and just chatted all evening. Once again, more cool people that I am meeting just as I leave. I guess that is what Facebook and email are for, though, right?

-A.

Just Breathe

I went in the deep end today- there are a lot more rules once you are past the 5 meter mark. Like, did you know that if you take a breath at depth and hold it as you ascend, the air will expand in the lower pressure and burst your lungs. One doesn't think about lung bursting as a possibility in day to day life- it's all quite exciting! My absolute favorite was when I managed to achieve neutral buoyancy, which is when you are neither floating up or sinking. Taking small breaths so your full lungs don't push you to the surface like a cork, you can just hang out in the middle of the water- very tranquil and probably the closest I'll ever get to a meditative state. You can hear yourself breathing and everything is both quieter and more amplified at the same time. It is the closest a person can get to the weightlessness of space, while still on earth. Very very cool.

I had a sore throat when I woke up this morning and was rather worried about the medical because they will not let you on the boat if your sinuses are blocked. The pressure in your eardrums doesn't equalize and you can do some serious damage in terms of embolisms and broken ear drums. The dive instructor (from Spruce Grove! How weird is that?) told us a story about his friend who ignored advice not to dive and went down- on his way back up he had a severe pain in his cheek but he kept going up and when he got back on the boat there was a large bubble of flesh in his cheek. He poked at it and it burst, taking a piece of his cheekbone with it. Now he can't dive until he gets his skull fixed with a metal plate. Did I mention I love diving?

It really isn't as dangerous as it sounds. As long as you are not impatient and not a macho idiot, everything runs very smoothly. The whole respirator apparatus makes me feel like Darth Vadar ("You don't know the power of the dark side!"- try saying that underwater). The first rule of diving is remember to breathe. The second rule of diving is remember to breathe. So if I can just remember to breathe, I will be all right. And the instructors are hot! Grrawrr!

-A.

Sink and Swim

I just finished the first day of my scuba diving class and it was unbelievable! The morning was all easy classroom work, but I was terrified I was going to fail the swim test in the afternoon. Us Nelson girls aren't known for our buoyancy. I had to lap the dive pool 6 times, but when he told us that we could do it any style I knew I would be alright. Backstroke is one of the few swimming methods I can manage to flail out. That was all fine and good, but after we finished (I was about a lap and a half behind everyone else) the instructor told us about the second half of the test- treading water for 10 minutes. I never tried for more than 5 minutes and I am pretty sure the last swimming lesson I ever took (Maroon at the High Prairie Pool) only required two minutes. They distracted us by asking us to talk about why we were here so that helped but that last minute was killer. I am really glad I didn't know about that part before I started otherwise I would have totally psyched myself out. Once the swim test was over, the fun began.

We did a bit of familiarization with just mask and snorkel and then got to put on the full gear with buoyancy vest and weight belt and tank and everything else. Just shallow water stuff today and then tomorrow we upgrade to the deep end. After the swim test, this will be easy peasy- and the attractive instructors don't hurt either! :P

-A.

Tropical Paradise

As soon as I got off the plane, I was glad I had decided to come to Cairns. A balmy 27 degrees with a light breeze, it is a lovely change from the creeping autumn that is hitting Sydney. As usual I didn't book a room ahead of time, but stopped at a hostel recommended by my airport shuttle driver. $20 later and I have a four-person dorm room with a view of the ocean and only one roommate. I will sleep here for 3 days while I do the land-based parts of my scuba diving course (classroom and pool stuff) and then on Monday I am off to the outer reef for a couple days to do some serious diving. This time last year I was in Sudbury doing a geology workshop, and now I am diving the Great Barrier Reef- it's funny where you end up sometimes, isn't it? Now to ditch the socks and go for a swim!

-A.

Sydney on a Shoestring

For my last day in Sydney, I decided to pull out all the stops, especially since I managed to sell my car and actually have some cash now. First I took the train downtown then grabbed a connecting bus down to Bondi beach. After a yummy lunch at the shore, I headed back into town and climbed the stairs to the top of the Pylon Lookout on the harbour bridge. You can also do a bridge climb to the top of the steel arch, but the price difference was $9.50 versus $210 for an extra 30m of height. Not a tough call there. To finish off the day I took a ferry out of Circular Quay to Manley on the north-west end of the harbour. The sunset on the opera house with the thumbnail moon overhead was pretty damn sweet and probably my favourite in Sydney. I don't understand folks who spend gobs of money on city tours. For $17 I got a transit pass that covered any train, bus, or ferry in Sydney and had a blast doing it. Including my bridge lookout and lunch, I spent a grand total of $36.50 to see a big chunk of the city- I have a feeling that a day tour would cost a teensy bit more than that.

I think I was able to enjoy myself so much today because I finally have a bit of my life organized for once. Tomorrow I am off to Cairns for a week where I will take a course to get my open water scuba diving certification. I figured, where better to learn to dive than the Great Barrier Reef, hey? The 27 degree weather will be a nice touch as well as autumn is creeping into the southern states and it would be nice to reclaim some of my tan- it disappeared over the last month during all the rain in New Zealand. Next Friday I fly into Melbourne for the weekend to finish off my trip, then on Monday June 8th, I return to the Great White North. Thanks to the beauty of time zones, I will leave Melbourne and arrive in Los Angeles at exactly the same time (10:50)- talk about a short cut! Then it's a mere 3 hour layover until I get on a Westjet direct to good old Edmonton. I don't know what I'm going to do when there are beavers on the nickels again. I haven't been in Canada since November 1, 2008; maybe I'll get culture shock. I'm sure a double-double and a honey crueller from Timmy's will fix me right up though.

-A.

BIg City Puddle-Jumping

Sydney kind of threw me off when I first got here- I think it was the shock of staying in a town of 2000 people to a city of 4 million. A bit of a jump to say the least, but this little burg is growing on me. It seems everyone is good looking and purposeful. And friendly in that 'strangers talking at a bus stop' sort of way. It is less laid back than Perth and more self-important than Melbourne but as the rock star of Australian cities, I guess that would be inevitable.

I made my second venture downtown today and discovered at least 4 people wearing Mountain Equipment Co-op backpacks as I got off the train. In my travels I have found this to be as much of an indicator of a Canadian as if they wearing a Team Canada hockey jersey. I have quite the collection of MEC gear, including my backpack, a shirt and a fleece jacket and many Australians who have been to Canada will spot my nationality before I have even spoken. Accompanied by the Travel Alberta tourism ad I saw in the theater the other day before Star Trek started, I felt the slight pangs of homesickness.

The rain isn't helping either. I swear its stalking me across the southern hemisphere. I haven't had more than one rain-free day in a row since I left Stewart Island in New Zealand in the last week of April. For a drought-stricken continent there has been an awful lot of flooding along the east coast in the past couple weeks. I request at least 5 days of sunshine before I leave to repair the damage done by New Zealand to my tan, dammit! Is that too much to ask?

-A.

Return of the Budgie Smugglers

I hit the streets of Sydney today to finally give the city a good look-about. There is a great transit system that can get you just about anywhere. I had a bit of a late start and only got downtown at around 2pm so I didn't get to wander as much as I had planned, but I figure I will be here a few days so there will be plenty of time to catch the rest. Sydney is about the same population as Toronto, but with a whole lot more character. And walking downtown, I have never felt quite so uncool. It's not that I was wearing dirty or ugly clothes, but everyone around me looked so stylish that my t-shirt and capri pants may as well have been a potato sack.

Though I would like to note that I could downgrade from the two layers of coats I was wearing in New Zealand. Summer is back! ...except it is the Australian equivalent of November. The highs are sitting around the 22 mark and the ocean is as warm as it gets all year, having spent the last few months toasting up in the summer sun. I went down to Cronulla beach and they were having some sort of lifesaving contest with boats and lifeguards and very small swim trunks. Whether it was the attractive scantily clad men on the beach or the sunshine, I realized that I missed Australia when I was away. I think that instead of going to Vanuatu when I sell my car, I may just take a cheap flight up to Queensland and see as much of this place while I can, since God knows when I will be back.

-A.

PS: If the title of this post is unclear to you, it is a synonym to Speedos, just a little more colourfully descriptive.

Leaving Kiwiland Part 2

As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by an international flight, it seems like I am nearing the end of my trip. I still have to figure out how exactly I am getting home, since my return flight leaves from Perth on July 31 and only goes as far as L.A. Wishful thinking at the time was that I would be working in Perth and would fly home just for a wedding and then head back to my job as an intrepid exploration geologist, scouring the deserts of Western Australia for the next big gold mine. I also figured I would save money by not buying a connection flight back to Canada, because I would be making gobs of it when I found a job. What a difference 9 months makes. I am hoping I can call up Qantas and they well let me both move my flight up and let me leave from Melbourne or Sydney, since I really don't feel like making the 4000km trip back to the west coast. As far as getting out of L.A., once I sell the car, I should be able to snag a westjet ticket and worst case scenario, there is always the 3 day greyhound trip. Yikes.

Hopefully some young traveler will be keen on my little recession-mobile and take it off my hands in the next week or two. I still have to replace the starter motor, but in a place as big of Syndey, I think I can probably find a used one for pretty cheap, and in the mean time, I still have an opera house to check out, among other things!

-A.

Leaving Kiwiland Part 1

As I rode the bus from Hamilton to Auckland ($12 websaver fare!), I was just finishing up a travel book by Paul Theroux about his journey from Cairo to Cape Town in Africa. It really suited my mood, since it feels like everything is kind of winding down and focusing toward my return to Canada. My time left in Australia will mostly consist of selling my car and doing some mop up stuff like filing Australian taxes and closing my bank account. I think the bulk of my random adventure is over and... crap, my flight is boarding. I'll finish this later!

-A.

Escape

It has been a very uneventful two weeks in Raglan, with only one day where it didn't rain, but on the bright side, I did not run out of money and have to move into a cardboard box for the duration. I have posted my car for sale online and already have a bite, so I am hoping that by this time next week I will be somewhat elevated from my current hobo state.

Another cool thing is that I have got to know a bit of proper New Zealand and not just the toursity stuff. I helped someone herd their cattle 10km down the road to a new paddock and visited the local basalt quarry and hung out in the local library which looks a heck of a lot like the High Prairie version, just with a few more Maori language children's books. Not terribly exotic, but time well spent, I think. See you in Sydney.

-A.

Hibernation in Raglan

I have been spending the last few days in a little surfing town west of Hamilton, camping at my uncle's friend's house. This is a good thing as I just checked my bank account and have about $200 left and no legal right to work in NZ. My flight leaves on the 15th so if I can just hold out until then, I should be alright. There I can sell my car and get my tax return done and all will be well. New Zealand has been wonderful, but as has been the theme on this trip, much more expensive than I had anticipated. I spent the last couple days on the couch as my immune system finally caught up with me and I had a good solid sick. I am on the mend now and I think if the rain stops, I will be bright eyed and bushy tailed once again.

-A.

Crumby Day

I am in Hamilton today, after a marathon trip to Cape Reigna. On Friday I stayed at a little place called to Turangi with the intention of heading to the hot springs and lovely geothermal awesomeness of Rotorua the next day. That evening I was making some grilled cheese sandwiches and like a good little chef, moved my pan off the hot burner when finished. I did not notice the toaster cord dangling over the other burner that I had moved the pan on to. Five minutes later there was a very large spark and a small jet of flame as the pan melted through the cord and made conact with the live electrical wire. The breaker tripped and we were thrown into darkness. Suffice to say that the toaster was toast and I was $50 poorer as a result. I was still a bit cranky in the morning so went for a quick drive south to check out the volcano they used as Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings.

Half way there I realized I still had the key from the stupid hostel so I had to turn back and return it, since I wasn't sure if he would charge my credit card for the replacement. Arrrggggh. I was no longer in the mood for geothermal awesomeness and did what I usually do when I am not having a good time- drive a long ass distance. These are hard to come by in New Zealand, but the trip to the northern tip of the country did the trick, clocking out at adjust under 8 hours from my location at the time. I got there at 9:30pm and slept in the car, since it was actually warm enough to do so. Northern New Zealand rarely gets below 10 degrees in the coldest months so I was not so worried about freezing as in the South Island. After watching the sunrise over the lighthouse (very pretty) and checking out the cool whirlpools created where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, I headed back. I got to Hamilton yesterday afternoon and had a relaxing evening at a cool hostel with nary a toaster in sight (I think it was in the cupboard somewhere). Stupid toasters.

-A.

PS: Pardon the puns- I just can't help myself

Classing it Up

Despite the fact that I will probably have to live off of rice and potatoes for the next month, I ended up springing for the swank motel room and $100 later I was standing outside a creamsicle-orange coloured complex with mixed feelings about what I might find. As it turned out, despite the retro exterior, my room had a full, comfy queen size bed, satellite tv, a full kitchenette and there was a hot tub out back (spa pool in kiwinese). As another antidote to my sniffles and doldrums, I took my mamma's advice and grabbed the ferry to the North Island for a change of scenery.

New Zealanders know how to run a ferry- the place had it's own movie theatre, playground for the kids, cafe, and best of all, a full bar. I skipped the movie and had a few beers on my crossing. As I entered the ferry terminal in Wellington, a man was standing at the base of the escalator holding a sign with my name on it. You wouldn't think that a place called Ezi-Hire Car Rentals would think of the finer touches but I have never had better customer service in my life. They are even letting me drop off the car in a city that they don't have an office in at no extra charge; "someone will come round and pick it up, no worries". I really am becoming fond of Kiwis.

To finish off the evening I went to see the new Wolverine movie at this really cool movie theatre downtown. All doric columns and Maori-carved crown mouldings, and even real curtains in front of the screen. I paid the extra $3 to sit in the leather seats in the middle- very swank- I even got to bring in my glass of wine from the little jazz bar in the lobby. Turns out that the whole place was refurbished for the Return of the King world premiere, which they held there. There were all these small plaques on the seats listing who sat where during the premiere. I sat where Frodo sat! A gal has to geek it up once in a while.

-A.

10000 Waterfalls and Stuffy Head

I went to Milford Sound the other day because everyone on the South Island said that it was the most gorgeous place in New Zealand. In the Fjordlands, it gets 7m of rain per year. SEVEN METERS! It also is chock full of wildlife. I booked a nature cruise for 10 am, but when I showed up the wind was blowing at gale force along with some rather drenching rain so the cruise was canceled and I was offered a spot on the 11:30 buffet cruise for no extra charge. When that one was also canceled I still got a free buffet which included mussels, chicken, fish, ice cream, and more vegetables than I have eaten in the last month. I stocked up, camel style, and maybe nicked a couple butter satchets in the process. The best part was that as I drove out of the valley, the sheer cliffs on either side were absolutely covered with waterfalls. There were a few when I drove in the day before, but this looked like the mountains were crying or something. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, no shade of a lie.

After Milford Sound I headed to Queenstown where I heard it might not be raining, stopping to pick up two rather damp Ukrainian-Kiwi hikers in the process. They were so grateful they bought me a tank of fuel- yeay karma!

I didn't really like Queenstown, as it mostly reminded me of Banff on steroids and adrenalaine so I only hung around long enough to have the best hamburger I have ever eaten in my life and to get a boost from a helpful police officer after I left my lights on in the car. Dumbass.

I am currently in Haast, on the west coast and feel like absolute crap. I was going to check out some glaciers today but I can no longer breathe through my nose and my throat feels like sandpaper, so I am not sure how motivated I will be. I am sorely tempted to get a proper hotel room with a bath tonight but I really can't afford it so we'll see. Lets hope it's not swine flu! :P

-A.

PS: For those of you who might be worried that is actually swine flu, there have been no reported cases on the South Island so I shall endure

So Long and Thanks for the Fish

Back from my hike and didn't die or get eaten by cranky moa birds (perhaps because they are extinct). 36km later and my calves feel like they are about to explode. The conservation dudes put in boardwalks and stairs to preserve the environment and they really liked the stair part. Lots and lots of stairs, hundreds of stairs. I'm all for conserving the natural environment, but an occasional graded slope would have been nice.

The first hut I stayed in was pretty full- besides 6 hikers there were also a bunch of hunters which was a good thing and a bad thing. Good because they let us poor starving travelers have some of their freshly caught blue cod- the BEST fresh fish I have ever eaten. The downside was that there were at least three ear blasting snorers in the group. I probably slept for a total of 2 hours the whole night. Snoring is an absolute deal-breaker for me. If I have a husband who starts snoring later in life he will be forced to get an operation or a divorce.

At the second hut it was just us trampers- myself, a middle-aged dutch couple, a young french couple, and a solo hiker from Richmond, BC who was just finishing up the much longer North-West Circuit which took him 10 days. He was really cute but I failed to get his name before he left bright and early at 6 am. There was a shallow bay outside the hut where I found a bunch of mussels. I collected enough to share around and after some cooking advice from BC boy, I boiled up the lot of it. You don't get fresher than that. A hell of a step up from the noodles and salami I had brought along for sustenance.

I left at 6:30am and started my hike in the dark, which was rather cool because I could see the sunrise and hear the birds start chirping and all that good stuff. Hiking in the dark is not normally something I would recommend, but on Stewart Island there are no predators and no creepy murderers (that I know of) to freak me out or imagine I see in the shadows so I felt rather confident.

I got back into town around 10:30 and after a welcome shower I filled my belly with harbour-side fish and chips and undid all that awful calorie burning in a hurry. I spent the rest of the day being a lazy bum and trying to stretch out my suffering calf muscles. Tomorrow I take the ferry back to the real world and then on to the Fjordlands of the west coast. Huzzah!

-A.

One for the Road

I did a whole lot of nothing yesterday, with a nasty cold rearing it's ugly head and ruining my plans. I wanted to do a bunch of hiking but instead I just walked around the village a bit and talked to people on Skype.

Of course the best possible treatment for a cold is beer so as a curative measure I went to the pub down the road with a couple of British gals and proceeded to drink a bit of New Zealand's finest grog. I certainly can't tell if I have a cold this morning as the hangover is masking the symptoms nicely. This afternoon I am off for a three day hike so I will burn off the booze on my walk. I will let you know if I see any kiwi birds.

-A.

The Frozen South

The lady at the tourist information center cheerfully told me today that they have been having an unseasonably cold autumn. No shit. I woke up with ice on my tent this morning- not that I lasted the night in the tent. I made it until around 11pm wide awake wearing everything I could fit my arms through before hightailing it to the car. The insulation on Nissan sedans are woefully inadequate. I woke up every two hours and started the car (and the heater) for a few minutes to ward off hypothermia. I also had to make sure I didn't fall back to sleep while the car was running so as not to die of carbon monoxide poisoning. I was staying in a campground at Kaka Point- in my family kaka is slang for crap. Kaka indeed.

Okay I am done being grumpy, but I am still cold. A glutton for punishment, I took a ferry down to Stewart Island, which is this lovely little spot south of the South Island full of pristine forest and marine reserves. I am only 2500km from Antarctica! Madness.

-A.

Penguins! Mountains! Ancestors!

I left Christchurch intent on making it to Mt. Cook in time to get a hike in before dinner. Instead I went way out of my way to give a very attractive guy named Bruce a ride to Timaru. He was a conservation biologist and had been to China and had very nice blue eyes. Totally worth the extra 75km. When I finally got to Mt. Cook, it was too late and wet to start out so I crashed at the local hostel and enjoyed the roaring fireplace as it poured rain outside. In the morning things had cleared up and you could actually see the top of the mountain (the tallest in Australasia). I hiked out to the foot of the Hooker Glacier (no prostitute jokes, please) and drank some delicious glacier water. Since I had left at sunrise I didn't see anyone else until I was about half-way back, and then only about a dozen or so. That is one of the great things about travelling in the shoulder season- you may only see one or two tour buses in a day instead of a dozen, much better for that serious travel karma feeling.

After Mt. Cook I headed west, stopping in the tiny town of Twizel (unintentional aliteration!) and took a bit of a walk out on the flats, which passed as the Plains of Rohan in the Lord of the Rings movies; I had to geek it up at least once while I was here. On to Oamaru and a blue penguin colony (the smallest in the world). There were also yellow-eyed penguins (the rarest in the world) but from the cliffs they only looked like little black specks. There are signs all over town to watch for penguins crossing because when they come back to their nests from the sea at night, they don't really watch for passing vehicles. I love it!

Tonight I am staying in Dunedin, founded by my great great great grandfather, Capt. William Cargill who traveled to New Zealand all the way from Scotland in 1848. It is so bizarre to walk around and see all this stuff named after him- a street, monument, mountain and castle all bear his name. Tomorrow I am going to take a peak in the archives at the Settlers Museum and see if any of his daughters have the same flat face and round cheeks that I do. Today I saw the tunnel he dug (or more likely hired someone else to dig) through the sandstone cliffs so his girls could have access to a private beach. Sounds like a rather industrious fellow, maybe I better double check if we are actually related?

-A.

A Dip in the Pacific

Now lets see... what would be a good thing to keep me occupied on a Thursday afternoon in New Zealand? I know! How about swimming with the smallest, rarest dolphins in the world? That should do.

I have already posted the photos on Facebook for those interested. Turns out that doing uploads in little bits is much less arduous than large lumps of data. Also, New Zealand's extensive wireless internet network is most convenient.

Anyway, back to dolphins- I randomly signed up for this tour yesterday after stopping at the info center to ask about good hikes. It was only $125 which is pretty decent and well within my limited budget. I showed up at the wharf, not sure what to expect- the brochure said that you had to pay extra for a wetsuit, but since it was getting mighty late in the season, we got them for free (thank god). After a quick ecology lesson, we pushed off into Akaroa harbour. For a while it looked like we weren't going to see anything but all of a sudden someone spotted a fin. The skipper cut the engine and once it was determined that they weren't going to take off on us, we all piled out of the boat into the middle of the ocean. At least that is what it seemed like- we were probably only about a kilometer out to sea, but for a landlubber like myself, that may as well be 50km. The wetsuit helped my swimming skills considerably so I was able to ignore the fact that I had no idea how many fathoms of water flowed below me. The temperature distracted me anyway and I treaded water with gusto just to keep warm until the water in the wetsuit warmed up to body temperature.

The guide gave me to small rocks to use in the water. I thought it was going to be a calming technique or something because I had mentioned that I wasn't the strongest swimmer, but he said that the dolphins liked the sound it made when you hit them together underwater. Everyone else had fancy waterproof cameras so that was probably why I got the job. It ended up being the best job ever because the dolphins, whenever they swam by all hung around me. We would go several minutes, trying not to swallow the freezing ocean water that splashed by in the swells and then all of a sudden a few dolphins would swoop by, usually right past me. One tried a collision course and then dived below me at the last minute. The spot we stopped at wasn't really busy and everyone was getting tired so the guide called us all in. As we headed back, a bunch more were spotted- only half of us got back in, but this spot ended up being twice as awesome, with the dolphins leaping out of the water and swerving in between the 5 of us who chose to go back in. The BEST $125 I have ever spent, even considering I was probably borderline hypothermic by the time we got back to shore. Praise the lord for hot showers and cappuccino.

Across the Ditch

My flight was delayed last night and we didn't get to board until 8:30pm. Only two hours late, but that meant I wasn't on the ground in Christchurch until 2:30am local time. I found a little corner of the airport and laid out my sleeping bag and air mat for a nice little 6 hour nap. I slept quite well considering I was in the middle of an international terminal. I caught the 8am city bus downtown and randomly picked a hostel out of my Lonely Planet. You have to love random chance- not only was there room for me, but there was a couple of middle-aged ladies getting rid of their stuff as they left to go back to Perth. I snagged some good food, rum, some dishes, and some travel advice. I also met a guy from Edmonton who I have promised to share my rum with this evening. This is why I don't make plans. Things usually all work out in the end... and it's more fun!

-A.

To the Land of Middle Earth and Xena!

My flight to Christchurch, NZ leaves in 4 hours. Holy crap! I can't believe I am going to New Zealand! My Australian journeys were kind of a random thing that happened because I couldn't find work here, but I have planned ahead for New Zealand so it will be all vacation, with no stress about work. Volcanoes, and hot springs and glaciers- I may never leave.

I didn't do much sight-seeing in Sydney because it was pouring rain with insane traffic when I got here. All the folks go away for Easter long weekend because it is the last one before winter sets in. Kind of like Labour Day in Canada. I past the sign on the freeway saying 75km to Sydney, and I was only going 40kph. Lets just say I wasn't in a sight-seeing mood when I finally got here. On the bright side, I stayed at my friend, Amanda's house so that was a lovely change from hostels. Camping would have been out of the question anyway, considering the downpour. She is letting me stash my car at her place until I get back, as well. It is amazing how many people I know that I have ended up seeing down here. I think there is a secret tunnel between Canada and Australia that I haven't been told about. It would explain how so many of both nationalities ends up on the each other's continent.

-A.

Aftermath

I spent gobs of money in Melbourne on Saturday when I stumbled upon a street of outdoor stoors. The whole street! I could spend all the money I ever earn on outdoor stores and book stores. It's like crack.

On a less lighthearted note, I took the scenic route out of Melbourne, which turned out to also be the area burned by the bushfires. I should have figured it out when I looked at the map, but I wasn't looking at suburb names- just highway numbers. I drove through Whittlesea and West Kinglake. West Kinglake was missing half the buildings in the town and as you drove out toward the north along what you could tell used to be a really pretty drive, there were some driveways where the only thing standing at the end was the mailbox, and then next door a whole house and yard would be standing, still green even. I didn't take any pictures, for obvious reasons. Two months on and the only structure on many of the properties were outfitter tents and those big garbage boxes used by contractors when renovating a house. I made a donation to the red cross tin at the next gas station I stopped at and drove on, not stopping until I got to the border of New South Wales and then slept in the car.

I had plans to drive all the way to Sydney yesteday, but when I woke up I still wasn't feeling particularly travelish. At 11:30 I saw a sign for the road to Canberra (Australia's Capital), which was only another hour down the road to the south so I turned off the freeway and got to a cheap little B&B by 1:30. Instead of checking out the sights, I did my laundry and watched Law and Order all afternoon. It was nice to have a afternoon to veg out for once.

This morning I feel like I have my gogo juice back so I am going to check out the Australian Parliament House and hit the road to Sydney by noon. Tomorrow: New Zealand!

-A.

BABY KOALA!

Tonight I am in Melbourne, despite myself. When I was just about to leave the hostel at Warrnambool on Wednesday and managed to lock the keys in my car. An hour later I managed to pry the lock open through the sunroof. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to navigate a 4mm wide wire to a small latch at an angle a meter away. Luckily I am a stubborn bugger.

With my keys freed from their metal prison, I was off again down the Great Ocean Road. I may have accidentally locked my keys away because I was distracted from HOLDING A BABY KOALA!!!! In the morning, just when I was about to leave, I got to talking with an older fella who had been staying there. As it turned out, he was running a tour from Melbourne to Adelaide, and the night before, they were supposed to have a presentation from someone from the local wildlife park who didn't show. As compensation, the group was allowed to come to the wildlife park for free that morning. He invited me along, also free of charge, since they had to stop off at the hostel on the way back anyway. I saw emus and kangaroos and wallabies and possums and even a couple monkeys, but the crowning moment of the trip was when we all got to meet the new edition. Koalas are the softest thing in the entire world!!! If he were an adult his claws would be a bit of a problem but this little guy was just right. About the size and weight of a newborn baby, he was 9 months hold and about 1/3 the size of a full grown koala. I also got to hold Buster, the Carpet Python, who was also quite friendly but not nearly so soft.

I only drove about 250km between yesterday morning today but I was on the Great Ocean Road which is chock full of amazing scenery and limestone rock formations off the coast. I stayed in Apollo Bay last night and had beer and wine with 4 germans, 2 irishmen and a mexican. Sounds like the start of a bad joke. The hostel was really funny because it was basically someone's house where they converted the long shed in the back into a series of dorm rooms and called it a hostel. It was actually quite cozy and a nice change from the utilitarian approach you can get in the big cities. Speaking of which, I am currently in my own hotel room, since there is not a hostel dorm bed to be had on Good Friday. I really need to start planning ahead at some point.... nah. $100 does not get me a private bathroom or tv, but the room has a bed, and is clean and includes parking, which can run up to $25 in a place like Melbourne, which is about the same population as Toronto. I am really liking the city, despite the fact that everything was closed today. I went to the Botanical Gardens and watched an IMAX film... Monsters vs Aliens, but don't judge me- it was actually really funny, and in 3D! It was that or sit in my room and go to bed early.

Did I mention I held a baby koala yesterday? You are so jealous right now.

-A.

Police Cars and Wine

I rolled into Adelaide, and decided I was going to class it up a bit. I walked around the downtown for a while after indulging in the hostel's Free Pancake Day and ended up at the art gallery which was actually pretty cool because alongside the colonial portraits and a few Rodin sculptures were a few galleries of aboriginal art. The images are actually very complicated, telling long mythical stories of the Dreaming with what would to me look like just shapes and colours. Pretty neat actually. Keeping with the cultural theme, I also went to the museum which has the largest collection of Pacific Island artifacts in the world. My favorite, was, of course the mineral collection on the top floor. A gal can never get enough of hematite crystals or opalized calcite. Yeay! To finish the day I stopped off at the Central Market which was this wicked old warehouse full of different market stalls, all selling local fruits and vegetables and bread and honey and anything else you could possibly produce in South Australia. Buying local here is no great sacrifice.

I left the city, headed for McLaren Vale, which along with Barossa Valley is one of Australia's more famous wine regions. It was quite dark and I got a bit lost, but a friendly chap from the petrol station went out of his way to guide me with his own car to get me on the right road. I got to McLaren Vale at 8:30 and the RV park was already closed. I found the grocery store parking lot and pulled in near the back and snuggled up in my back seat for a sleep. I find that the best places to sleep in the car are in lots with other cars (perhaps with people on nightshift inside) so I don't look like a tempting target or too suspicious to police. Until that evening I was never quite sure what kind of grey area I was in, parking in public places overnight and having a snooze. Sometime in the middle of the night I was woken up by a car engine and voices outside. As my heart beat faster and I tried to remember whether I had locked all my doors, my closed eyes detected the brightness of a flashlight on my face. All I could hear was the voice of what I now assume to be a police officer saying "no worries, it's just a woman sleeping", and then I heard them drive off. My only guess is that someone on night shift recognized a strange car in the parking lot with fogged in windows and thought it was teenagers up to no good... rather reassuring when you think about it. If the police had nothing to do except check on suspicious vehicles in town, then I had little to worry about, crime-wise.

In the morning I stuck with the classy theme and did some wine tasting at a few wineries. I spent more on wine than I did on accommodation for the last three days, but it was damn good Shiraz. I'm staying in Warrnambool in a hostel and tomorrow will be off to the great city of Melbourne!

-A.

Cruising the Stewart Highway

I meant to write sooner, but the wireless service in the outback is somewhat lacking! For a change of pace, I headed north from Port Augusta. I thought the Nulabour was an empty place, but has nothing on northern South Australia. There are hours of literally nothing. Not a tree or creature in sight- the most ambitious plants I saw where ankle-high bushes with sharp spines to compensate for their small stature. The lack of vegetation is most likely the result of a complete lack of soil. The ground was covered in small red gravel and that was about it. It was 5 hours to get to Coober Pedy and I still had another 800km before reaching Uluru (Ayers Rock for you colonial types). I stayed at a hostel called Radeka's Underground Backpackers, which was built into an old opal mine and my room was literally a cave in a large catacomb below the main reception building. Sounds cool enough (pun!) but the bed was like sleeping on a railroad track, so I didn't enjoy the novelty as much as I might have.

My friend Alyce was in town doing some work for Barrick Gold and she took me out, along with her boss, for a proper meal with plates and everything (I mostly eat out of the pot I cooked with to reduce washing time). No jobs for me at Barrick but at least I got a free meal out of the company.

I got up bright and early the next day and made the drive up to Uluru. Yet another barren highway, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that once I crossed the border from South Australia into the Northern Territory the speed limit went up to 130 kph. I arrived around 3pm, which turned out to be 2pm since there is no daylight savings time in NT, and $25 later I was hiking around the base of the world's biggest rock. Australia really is a geologist's dream world. The hike was about 10km all the way around and took me about 3 hours, but it was the last journey for my hiking boots which were so warped from the heat back in the Pilbara that they gave me huge blisters. Granted they are 2 years old, which is like 75 in boot years, but I tend to form emotional bonds with inanimate objects and will be very sad to throw them in the rubbish bin after hiking through 4 countries with them. Alas.

At sunset all the tourists gather at a viewing spot and watch the sunset on the Rock and even though I felt a little lame doing such a super-touristy thing, it was absolutely worth it. The colours change about twenty times as the sun goes down, finishing with a spectacular purple before darkness sets in. It was so good I got up to see it all in reverse at sunrise. Part of me felt a little uncomfortable the whole time I was there though... it is a very sacred place to the Anangu aboriginal people and there are certain sites around the base you are not allowed to photograph or walk up to, and climbing it is taboo but they still allow it because of the worry that tourists would stop coming if they weren't allowed to. I equate it with Vatican City where there are all sorts of places that only the Pope and the cardinals can go to. Could you imagine if they opened up all the really holy bits for the tourist hordes? I am obviously a giant hypocrite, but at least some of my entry fee goes to the local community. It is all terribly complicated.

When I got back to Coober Pedy I went out again with Alyce, and maybe had a few too many Coopers Pale Ale and woke up feeling not too well at all. My plan was to head to Adelaide first thing in the morning, but I had a sneaking suspicion that I was still drunk so I went to sleep in my car for a few more hours and dragged myself back to consciousness with powerade and coffee at around 11am. Food was beyond me for the moment so I put on some soft music and suffered on until I started feeling a little more human a few hours later. I made it to Adelaide by 7pm and now I am in the big city again. After being in the outback it is a bit of a shock to the system, to be sure. I will let you know how it goes.

-A.

Solo Road Show

I arrived in Perth on the 30th with the intent off staying a few days, but most of the folks I knew there were out of town or moved. I stayed at my friend Melissa's place for the night and was gone again by noon, after grabbing a few groceries and deciding that I could make due without a new starter motor for the time being. I made it as far as Esperence on the south east coast of Western Australia before rain and darkness forced me to stop. It was a 25 degree drop in temperature from when I left Exmouth, not to mention the first rain I had seen in over a month. Very refreshing but not so comfortable for tenting, so I climbed in the backseat of the recession-mobile and set up my nest. Surpringly comfortable once I filled in the ergonomic butt grooves with towels and socks. In the morning I set out across the Nullarbour, which is basically this vast empty bit, 1400km wide, seperating Western Australia from the rest of the country. Everyone kept warning me about how boring and long the drive was, but to be honest, after driving to Yellowknife from High Prairie it actually wasn't that bad. After time change it was midnight by I got the first significant town on the eastern side (Ceduna) but the whole drive took just over 12 hours, and I got my first sightings of the Southern Ocean (aka Antarctic Ocean) as the sun set. Tres bien!

Upon crossing into South Australia (some of these state names are not very creative, are they?), I had to dispose of all fruits and vegetables because of a fruit fly quarantine zone, so at the last stop before the border I gave all my delicious nectarines I had bought off a farmer outside Perth to a couple of French dudes heading the other way. Alas. On the bright side, South Australia has free wireless internet in all of their public libraries, which is where I am corresponding from as we speak. I only drove for about 4 and a half hours today, stopping in the crossroads town of Port Augusta. To the north is the road to Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock); west is Sydney; south is Adelaide; and back west (way back west) is Perth. Tomorrow I am off to Cooper Pedy to the north- the opal mining capital of the world where no less than three of the hotels are in underground caves. Apparently it gets quite ridiculously hot in the summer (50+) so many of the old mining holes have been converted into homes and businesses. I just picture all these pale white haired creatures like the Morlocks in the old Time Machine movie only coming to the surface at night to steal away surface folk for nefarious purposes. Sounds like fun!

-A.

Kilometers Travelled from Auski: 5355

West Coast Trail: PART 2

After stromatolites, I decided to stay the night in Kalbarri, a little seaside delta town that is chock full of folks in the high season but was comfortably mellow when I got there. In need of a good shower and a bed that did not randomly deflate at 2am, I stayed in a hostel. The front desk lady must have thought I looked a little worse for wear and gave me a whole dorm room to myself, on the guarentee I wouldn't make a mess for her to clean up. While it was not the Hilton, the clean warm bed and shower next door were most welcome. On the recomendation of the hostel staff, I went to Farley's Outdoor BBQ for supper even though I had perfectly good canned chilli in my hatchback. Yum! I got a whole plate of deep-fried and grilled sea critters for $20- cheap for Australia -and I met a couple of old surfer dudes who I hung out with for the meal so I didn't have to resort to my book to avoid looking like a loser. In the morning I woke up early so I could see the pelicans who show up on the beach every morning. In the old days before resortification, the fishermen used to throw them fish guts, and after the fishermen left, the pelicans still showed up for food so now a conservation person comes out each morning to feed them. Well USUALLY; he didn't show that morning, maybe because of daylight savings time. It didn't really matter though, because I was sitting on the beach by myself when the pelicans arrived and I got to check them out all by myself, minus the tourist hordes (and yes I am aware of the fact that I am also technically a member of this group, but I make my best efforts to avoid them).

After grabbing a coffee I was off to Perth... or not. My car didn't start. Hmmm. Luckily I have a mechanic on speed dial by the name of Dad. After a few diagnostic questions, I was instructed to hit the starter moter with a hammer. No hammer. I improvised and grabbed a rock from the decorative pile sitting beside the parking lot. A few taps on the metal bit and VROOM! It is very handy to have a mechanic pappa. The solenoid was stuck and just needed a little coaxing- hurray! Off to Perth!

-A.

West Coast Trail: PART 1

I have been gone from Auski for 4 days now- and already travelled 2400km. Taking the long way back to Perth, I followed the west coast down, stopping in Exmouth, Shark Bay and Kalbarri. A few people have told me that the coral reefs in Exmouth are as good or better than the Great Barrier Reef, so I absolutely had to check that out. I drove for about 7 hours after leaving the roadhouse in the morning and managed to get a nasty car sunburn, complete with a bare stripe where the seatbelt rested. Hot, right? (pun!) Anyway, I got to a campsite at Cape Range National Park, about a half hour drive past Exmouth in time to have a quick swim and cook some dinner. I had a great campsite overlooking the ocean and not too close to the next occupied spot, but then these French backpackers roll up directly next to me! There were plenty of other good spots but they decided that that one was their choice. Grrrr. Already sunburned, tired and cranky, this did not help my mood. They proceed to set up camp and put on some obnoxious euro-pop. Not to mention the guy sets up his backpacker shower (basically a bag with a hose that you hang from the van and shower with) and is walking around buck naked. Normally I have no objection to occcasional nudity but they were being so annoying that it was just the icing on the cake. I went to bed grumpy and woke up grumpy because my air matress had a bad leak and was half deflated by morning. I rented snorkle gear from the information center and everything changed. I have never been snorkling before, being from the middle of a continent and all. It absolutely blew my mind. It was like a real life version of Finding Nemo, with clownfish and angelfish and anemones and all sorts of cool coloured things that I don't know the name of. When I first got in the water the snorkle scared me a bit- swimming in the ocean where I couldn't touch the bottom was terrifying. After about half an hour puttering around in the shallows I gave myself a pep talk about how lame it would be if I chickened out and then finned my way over to the deep end. Amazingamazing amazing.

The next day I headed to Hamelin Pool at the bottom tip of Shark Bay. In my second year in university, my professor showed us some slides from there- there are these formations called stromatolites that are basically living rocks that they thought were extinct since 550million years go until they found some in Shark Bay in 1956. The story is that they were the first oxygen-producing organisms and in their many millions of years of existance, changed the composition of the atmosphere to allow other more complex things to develop. During the lecture I remember thinking "that place looks like the middle of nowhere- I should go some day and check out those little critters- I owe them that much". To most of the tourists going, I am sure it was a bit of a let down "Look ma! those odd shaped rocks are sitting there producing oxygen! Cool!" Due to bad timing, I had to pick between the stromatolites or driving a further hour down the road to see wild dolphins swim into a lagoon at Monkey Mia to be fed. I of course chose the algae rocks! There are dolphins all over the damn place, but there are only stromatolites in three places in the entire world!

.... To Be Continued....

The Day After Tomorrow

No, no, I am not talking about a cataclysmic climate shift that will destroy civilization as we know it; in fact, the day after tomorrow will be quite enjoyable as I will be heading off to Exmouth, where my phone will work for the first time in 4 months and I won't have to smile at creepy truck drivers making inappropriate comments as I serve them their steak and sausage. Hurray!

I went for my last run down the Wittenoom road today and broke the 6km barrier for the first time since I got to Australia. This may have been motivated by the fact that I weighed myself the other day and I have gained a few pounds here and broken the 160lb barrier. I blame this on the fact that I have been eating roadhouse food for 4 months. Hopefully my travel diet of trail mix, cereal and fruit will also help in this respect.

As much as I bitch about being out here sometimes, it is going to be strange to be on my own again. I have gotten used to the company of other people after being all by myself in Perth for those few weeks and to be suddenly alone again will be a bit of a shock. I have a feeling that by the time I get to Sydney I will have a car full of imaginary friends and a habit of talking to myself. One must cope how they can though.

-A.

PS: I heard an interesting fact the other day- apparently the sky is literally bluer in Australia and especially in the Pilbara due to the oil evaporating off of certain eucalypt trees which reflects the blue spectrum more vividly than the normal atmosphere. This oil is also responsible for the particular fury of the Australian bushfire so I suppose it is a trade off.

Recession? What recession?

"Jaws" was on television last night- it seems a tad insensitive considering the 10 shark attacks in the past year, but then again, Aussies always seem to take things wiht a certain unique sense of humour, so perhaps not.

I have started packing up all my crap; I seem to have accumulated an alarming amount of stuff considering I have only been here for 4 months. Random items include a fly net, non-functioning flashlight (or torch for you aussies reading this), 3 cans of fly spray, a candle, a package of facial cleansing mask stuff, and several rocks. Not to mention all the clothes I somehow ended up with from departing staff. Time to purge! I think I am going to hang on to the books until I get to Perth and trade them in for new ones at the used book store. I think I am more frugal now then I ever was in university. I got to Auski with $30 in my pocket and literally what I had on my back (namely my clothes and backpack). I will be leaving with at least two bags, a car and $5300. Not to shabby, eh?

-A.

Flying Doctors to the Rescue!

A little excitement out at the roadhouse today- well maybe excitement is the wrong word... a lady showed up here having chest pains, so we rang up the Royal Flying Doctors and over the phone it was determined that she might be having either a heart attack or a blood clot in her lungs. We put her into one of the motel rooms and let her rest. The plane arrived about an hour later and whisked her off to Port Hedland, which normally would have been a 3 hour drive. What a brilliant service!

10 days and counting now and I can't wait. There are a couple people here that I will be happy to not keep in touch with, and I will leave it at that.

-A.

The Holy Land

Contrary to popular belief, the holy land is not Mecca or Rome or even Jerusalem. It is, in fact, Karijini National Park. I went there for three consecutive days am in geological ecstasy. The week started of wonderfully when I went for a run down the Wittenoom road and had one of those perfect travel moments. The sun was setting in front of me with the almost full moon rising at my back. The Hamersly Range on my left and the Fortescue Plains on my right with a ukelele song by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World) playing on my ipod. All I could think was "f*#k yeah, this is freaking awesome".

On Tuesday a few of us went to Hamersley Gorge by the little used back road, only accesible with a 4WD. Road isn't exactly the word I would use to describe it at times, tracking through stream beds and gorges, but the rough ride was worth it, when we came out at Spar pool which was a turqoiuse blue and had a small waterfall flowing into it. What got me was the amazing folds in the cliff faces. Better than anything I had seen in my Structural Geology textbook, I know at least a dozen people from my geo class who would have been giddy as hell to be there. Being the only geo on site, I think my companions didn't quite understand why I was skipping around taking pictures of the rocks instead of swimming. On Wednesday we went to Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool which was less geologically exciting but brought to mind scenes from the Blue Lagoon. This little tropical paradise in the middle of the outback. We had a steak barbeque and since I had the next day off, I stayed behind and camped out. For the first time in my life, I was so confident it wouldn't rain that I left the fly off my tent, all the better to see the full moon and the stars. I could hear dingos howling in the night, but I had seen a couple that day and being smaller than some coyotes I have seen, I wasn't too worried. It was such a pleasant feeling to not have to think about bear worries. Instead of large predators, I just had to keep an eye out for snakes and spiders, neither of which could open the zipper of my tent.

In the morning I headed down a dirt road on the other side of the park- at first I was a little sketched out by the apparent isolation. What if I were to break an axle or something? My fears were alayed when I pulled into the day use area at the end of the road to find a tour bus. I chose a hike headed in the opposite direction to the german tourists and may have got a little more than I had bargained for as the trail was rated class 5 (class 6 is the highest and requires rock climbing gear). The trail was indistinct and I had to take a ladder into Hancock Gorge. Despite the danger, it was absolutely worth it. It was no worse than some of the traverses I had done in the arctic, complete with wading through a waist-deep stream and scurrying along the side of a shale wall (not too high, I promise!). The reward was Kermit's Pool, this little grotto where the gorge is only about 3 ft wide at the top, but opens up below into a deep pool that empties as a waterfall at the other end. Past Kermit's Pool you were only allowed to proceed if you had proper rock climbing gear, so I turned around and headed back. If I went home tomorrow, this week would have made the whole damn thing worth it. Amen!

-A.

Me at Kermit's Pool after a half hour waist deep wade through a blissfully cool stream. Luckily I brought my toggs (bathing suit for you folk from the Northern Hemisphere)

My friend Rohan gazing at the little fishies in Fern Pool.

Fording a stream in the 4WD. That's Adam in the side mirror.

Adam falling into the water at Spar Pool as Andy stands and laughs.

Sweet sweet folds!

PS: There are heaps more photos but my bandwidth is limited so I will try and load some up on facebook this weekend.

Cool down

The weather has changed recently and the highs are only peaking at a chilly 32 on average. In the morning when I start work at 7, it is 21 degrees!! You almost need a jacket in that weather.

I have officially booked my New Zealand ticket and will be catching an overnight flight from Sydney to Christchurch on April 14 with a return from Auckland on May 15. I am actually getting a little nervous now that my days at Auski are numbered (19 to be exact!) I have done a little planning but still need to book a car rental and work out a few hostels. God knows what I am going to do in Christchurch at 4:15 am when my plane lands. It is a ridiculous time, but for $108 all told for the trip it was worth the suffering. A gal from my hometown lives in Sydney and works for VirginBlue Airlines. She has very kindly added me to her staff discount travel list and my flights are easily changeable and refundable. Three cheers for High Prairians!

Not much else to report, other than a bit of a staff shakeup out here- my friends Jene and Therese have left for a trip around the world and there are a bunch of new folks to get to know. With less than three weeks to go, it almost doesn't seem worth the effort, as awful as that sounds. I have met so many people in the past 4 months that I will probably never see again that it kind of bums me out sometimes. The price of being a transient, I suppose.

-A.

Countdown to kiwis

Almost done in this crazy place. I have been shuffled off to housekeeping again while they train the new people. I have mixed feelings about this because I will be getting less hours, but I also don't have to deal with all the bullshit that you have to put up with being on front counter. Creepy truckies, bitchy customers, staff drama... etc etc. In housekeeping, as long as I don't leave laundry in the washers overnight and know how to do a decent hospital corner, then I am set. If I didn't have to get to New Zealand before winter set in, then I might even consider staying for another week or two. I may just be able to say that because I am leaving though. The extra money would be nice but the damage to my psyche may not be worth the effort.

I have been busing myself with planning my New Zealand trip. I haven't really planned a trip thoroughly before, usually going by the seat of my pants, as they say. I thought an itinerary might be a fun change. I decided I am going to spend a full month there. 20 days on the south island and 10 days on the north island starting April 15 after I drive the paltry 7000km from the Pilbara to Sydney. Gotta love a good adventure.

-A.

Soothing Cruising

On Wednesday I had several beers and then on Thursday I got the day off so I decided I would go for a drive. Being much too far away to attend the funeral I figured this would be a good alternative. Originally I had planned to go just as far as Port Hedland (2.5 hours away) and watch the ocean for a bit, but it was bucketing rain there so I kept going up the coast, trying to escape the weather.

Further north, with the Great Sandy Desert on my right and the ocean on my left, there isn't any towns for about 600km and by the end of 8.5 hours of driving I had ended up in Broome, which is a beach town in the far west of the Kimberly region. The weather was absolutely beautiful- 26 degrees and calm. I went to the town beach where the water was that creamy light blue that you always see in vacation ads for the Caribbean and flat as bathtub water. I randomly happened to have my bathing suit in my car so I went for a swim and then got some dinner from the surprisingly swank McDonalds in town. It was really funny because unbeknown st to me Broome is known for it's pearls and pearl diving industry so many of the businesses had "Pearl" in their name, which also happens to be my recently passed auntie's name. My friend Bronwyn says that that means that I was supposed to go there that day.

After checking out the famous Cable Beach where all the tourists go, I got in the car and headed back south. As I was leaving I saw my fourth rainbow of the day- you could see the full arch of it plus the faded secondary rainbow- very cool. I had to be at work at 1:30pm the next day so I had to make tracks that night to make it back in time on Friday. Driving in the dark in Australia is much less daunting than in Canada because the biggest thing you are going to hit is a kangaroo and the local species is small enough that you are unlikely to do more than dent a bumper if you hit one, though I almost ran over an 8ft python along the way. He was haning out on the highway enjoying the remnant heat of the ashphalt, but I managed to swerve out of his way in time.

By 11pm I had made it to within 4 hours of Auski and needed both fuel and sleep so I pulled off the road near the Pardoo Roadhouse for a rest. I noticed on the map that there was a small side road that looked like it led to the beach, which would be a much quieter place to sleep than in a roadhouse parking lot so I drove down this washboard, dirt road for about 15 minutes and was rewarded with what, in the dark, looked like a big hill and a sandy field. Too tired to care, I shut off the engine and climbed in the back seat for a well needed sleep (I also just happened to have my sleeping bag in my car so I was relatively comfortable). In the morning I woke up to waves crashing and climbed over the small hill to find the Indian Ocean. The place was deserted except for an empty holiday trailer about 200m down the beach and a mob of about 20 kangaroos in the field behind me. I left at 6:30am as the sun rose and made it back to Auski with two hours to spare. That was probably the best road trip I have ever had.

-A.

Thoughts

My Auntie Pearl died of cancer today.  She was one of the coolest people I know.  Give a thought to the coolest person you know today. 

-A.

Give someone a hug today.

I don't know what the international coverage is like, but the only thing on the news out here is the bushfires in the state of Victoria. They were showing some footage from the areas affected- these towns are literally in view of downtown Melbourne. The fires moved so fast that folks in the community of Kingslake had 2 mintues notice from when the smoke moved in to when fire was licking at their doors. Many people got caught in their cars trying to escape and others in their homes. It seems like such an awful way to go. The chef here at Auski told me that his girlfriend's parents, grandparents, and auntie's houses all are gone. It certainly puts things in perspective- all my little petty issues and complaints pale in comparison.

-A.

Fire and Water

This has been the worst year for bush fires on record in Australia- north of Melbourne, entire towns have been wiped out. I work with a fellow from Melbourne here at Auski; his family rang today to tell him that his house was safe but the shed he built 4 months ago had burned up. Definitely lucky. Then in a complete opposite scenario, in far north Queensland (the pointy bit of Australia on the map) they have been getting successive tropical cyclones and half a dozen towns are completely flooded. People cleaned up from the first flood only to be inundated again when the next cyclone came through. Along with the recession coverage, watching the news makes you think that Australia is on the brink of armageddon. At least I have a car if I end up having to flee- if I gun the engine, maybe I can make it to New Zealand before I flood the exhaust.

-A.

Adventures in Housekeeping

In the past couple weeks I have had to chase the following creatures out of motel rooms and the roadhouse:

Blue-tongued lizard
Gecko
Goanna
Various other unidentifiable lizards
Spiders (poisonous? don't know!)
4 inch Moths and grasshoppers the size of my hand (does that make them locusts?)

And my co-worker Bronwyn saw a baby python on the sidewalk.

Not exactly the High Prairie Inn around here, eh?

Tomorrow I take my new vroom-vroom for a trip to Tom Price to get some ownership paperwork. I feel like I am getting parole or something- Freedom!

-A.

Vroom Vroom!

I have been having some serious car withdrawal lately so I decided to buy a new one! Well it wasn't quite that clean cut- a couple who works here at Auski wanted to sell their car and I was interested from the start but this other girl who has worked here longer than me said so first, so I figured the polite thing to do was to back out gracefully. Well she changed her mind so the next day I made an offer. I am now the proud owner of a 1997 Nissan Pulsar hatchback. It has a lot of get up and go and the best part is I can lay down in the back seat (essential for my hobo lifestyle). It was only $2000 and is in very good condition- they needed to sell it because they are taking off for a trip around the world so will have little need for it in the next several months. To compensate for excess fuel costs, I have signed up for an extra week here, so my final departure will be March 27. I figure that things will be a little more bearable now that I can actually leave the premesis on my days off and can stop singing "Folsum Prison Blues" in my head all the time. Current potential names for the new baby include: Zippy, Mini-Bullet (it is the same colour and shape as my mom's minivan, Bullet), or my personal favorite, the Recession-Mobile. What do you think?

-A.

Gustery Blustery

On Monday Cyclone Dominic made landfall about 250km northeast of here. Though only a category 1 by the time it hit, it was enough to bring some serious wind and rain our way. We had a small barbie, since it was Australia Day but I think the weather kept things rather subdued. Not enough that I wasn’t hung-over the next day, mind you. Australia Day celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet- I find it very funny that they chose their national holiday on the day a boat load of English convicts landed ashore. The downside is that the Aborigines call January 26 Survival Day, in reference the fact that they are still here, despite the First Fleet and everything that followed. They want the day moved, but this is a very touchy subject with everyone, as is most things having to do with aboriginal issues.

The upside of all the rain is that it has been quite pleasant around here for the past couple days when the sun is out- the temperature topped at a downright chilly 30 degrees yesterday, practically spring-like! It is humid as hell, but it’s a nice change, especially since I have been doing housekeeping in the motels and actually walking around outside during the day. Things have been super quiet since I got here in December, but starting in February every single motel room will be booked up so business should pick up. I hate to count days, but I am getting excited about my plans for when I leave so it’s hard not to think about it. I have booked my flight back to Perth for March 30, and then I am renting a car and checking out all the things I didn’t get to see when I had no money- snorkeling in Monkey Mia, dolphins in Exmouth, and of course the world famous stromatolites of Shark Bay (one of only three places in the entire world where they have been found).

For those who don’t know, stromatolites are a type of cyanobacteria that leave behind coral-like mounds as they grow in shallow, super-saline lagoons. While not much to look at, they are believed to be the first oxygen-producing organisms on Earth and probably altered the atmosphere over millions of years to the point where it could support life. I learned about them in my 2nd year paleontology class and remember sitting in class thinking I would go to Shark Bay and check them out some day- it’s the least I could do after they so kindly created an oxygen-rich atmosphere for us. Okay, enough geek talk for one day. 50 days to go, but who’s counting, right?

Half-way

As of this week, I have survived Auski for 7 weeks and have 7 weeks left before I depart for bigger and better things. It has gone both quickly and very slowly, if that is possible. Days go slowly, since business is quite slow lately, but since each day is pretty much the same, I will occasionally look at the calendar and be quite surprised at how much of the week had gone by.

I have been moved to housekeeping for a couple weeks while the regular cleaner is away on holidays. The hours are fewer, but I am not required to smile at everyone who comes in the door so it is not too bad. To my pleasant surprise, Australians treat their motel rooms very well and I generally don't need to do more than make the beds and give everything a quick wipe-down. The one point in the day I dread is having to clean the campground bathrooms. Not because they are particularly dirty, but they are not air-conditioned and I think any place that involves human waste and 45 degree heat would resemble one of the circles of hell. It's times like that when I really miss my rocks. They always smell the same, regardless of temperature. I am afraid it will be a while before I get paid for my rock skills though- I'd say at least a year before companies start hiring junior geologists again. Luckily I have a backup job when I get back to Canada involving a 1967 International tractor and my dad's hay fields. I think I must have some sort of genetic determinism that always pulls me back to that old farm...

-A.

Train of thought

Every time I make even tentative plans, something happens to change them. I don't know why I even bother.

Here is an idea of my train of thought while I smile at customers and hand them their change:

3000 layoffs in mining industry in this state alone, so okay, no geo job. I'll travel Australia until I run out of money then go home. Okay, but wait! I got an email address from a geotechnical engineer who was in the shop today who will send my resume around. But he says don't bank on any replies. Hmm, maybe make a backup plan? Going to New Zealand in late March- no April now since Joanne can't make it until then. Maybe stay and work until April? But I might go crazy out here that long in the desert and money isn't everything. But there are no jobs so maybe I should just go home with my wages from Auski and pay off some of my student loan while I have the chance and live in High Prairie for a while until the economy gets better. But that's no fun! Maybe I could...

Anyway, you get the picture. I have started writing some fiction just to try and funnel my brain into more productive pursuits, as the whole cash register thing isn't exactly Calculus (and thank god for that). And tomorrow I am being reassigned to motel cleaning since the regular lady is going on vacation, so there will be even less need to use my brain. As long as I can do a decent hospital corner (which I perfected when I was in air cadet camp) I am set. God forbid they put me in the kitchen- with my daydreaming, I would be sure to lose a finger inside of a week.

-A.

Death warmed over

If you have been wondering why I have been somewhat lax in my posting lately, I do have an excuse for at least the last couple days. I seem to have contracted some sort of desert ebola bronchitis disease, which has prevented me from leaving my cell... I mean room for the past two days straight, other than for the purposes of acquiring fruit salad, toast and jell-o from the kitchen. I won't go into details other than to say that my nose ejected some disturbingly large and solid things in the past 48 hours. Jean, the office lady, was about to ring up the flying doctors today but I seem to have taken a turn for the better, up and walking and everything, so it looks like I am going to survive after all.

The Royal Flying Doctors Service, for those of you who don't know, is a medical team that will fly to various regions in the outback, for which standard medical service is too far away to be practical. They apparently can give prescriptions over the phone to the nearest chemist(pharmacist) after hearing your symptoms and in emergencies will come take a look at you and fly you out if necessary. The outback is full of stuff like this- practical ways of dealing with all the goddam space between everything. My favorite is the School of the Air, which allows station(ranch) kids to communicate with teachers via CB radio. I am guessing that this is gradually being replaced by online communication, but satellite connections are still damn expensive out here so the old radios will still be kicking around for a few more years. It is all so romantically historic and old-fashioned, but in a good way.

-A.

No more bacon for hobos.

When I was sitting at home unemployed, waiting for my departure to Australia, I was running up to 7km per day, though most days it was more like 4-5km. Since it is so hot out here in the outback, my exercise regime has been limited to short walks and the occasional hike after a bout of rain has cooled things off somewhat. Judging by the fit of my Capri pants, this is not enough. My new rules for the next couple months include an all-out ban on bacon and deep-fried food as well as cake slices. I have purchased an exercise DVD, which now that I have my laptop, I can work out with in the air conditioned staff room which no one uses because they aren’t allowed to smoke in there. I had my first run though on Sunday and I still can’t lift my arms above my head. My aim is merely to be able to avoid buying new clothes, but if I shed a couple pounds along the way, all the better.

In other news, I have accepted the fact that I will probably not find a geology job, thanks to the economic crisis. I checked online, and geo jobs are scarce even in Canada. There is nothing wrong with riding out a recession as a homeless nomad, so I will stick it out here until August at least, when I have to return to Canada for Nicole Vandermeulen’s wedding, where I will employ my mad skills as a bridesmaid. If things don’t pick up by then, then I might just have to do some more traveling! After talking to some other travelers, there are a few countries on my must-see list; Ireland, South Africa, Croatia, Peru and China being in my top 5. There is always more of Canada to see as well, so if my student loan obligations delay my international ambitions, I am always up for a road trip to the Yukon or the BC interior. It looks like it’s going to be a while before I get around to that two-car garage, though.

….all of a sudden I have “The Littlest Hobo” theme stuck in my head. Hmm….

-A.

Fun Facts

I am a tired lazy bum today, having stayed up late to see off the German couple who left today and subsequently having to do an extra day of morning shift. For that reason, you get a set of fun facts instead of a proper narrative. Enjoy!

New Food from Australia that I Like:

Kangaroo
Emu
Wild Turkey
Barramundi (a fish)
Mangos from the tree by my room... yum!


New Food from Australia that I Don't Like

Lamb Fry(aka liver)
Beetroot in my burger
Meat Pies
Vegemite

Food That I Can't Find in Australia

Smoked Strip Bacon
Root Beer
Percolated Coffee
Uncarbonated Lemonade

No drama

Things have been mighty slow out here in the Pilbara.  The holiday traffic has trickled off, the miners have yet to come back and it is too damn hot for everyone else. It doesn't help that I am on morning shift- starting work at 5:30 am is not my idea of fun.  I have a system down where I can be ready and out the door in five minutes so I can sleep in until 5:23.  Living in the same yard as where I work does seem to have its perks.  I am heading into town on Wednesday with the mail run so I think I am going to pick up a few things to keep me entertained, like a sketch book and maybe a few more novels, not to mention some snack food.  60% of the food here is deep fried and my pants are getting a little tight.  It's hard to get exercise when it is so hot outside that 10 minutes dehydrates you.

I did get out a little on Saturday; Adam, Tracy and I went out to Wittenoom gorge and took a dip in Cathedral pool which is this amazing swimming hole that the locals know about.  The water was crystal clear and gloriously cold.  If I had a car I would be out there every day.  It is supposed to hit 46 degrees on Thursday, so maybe that would be a good time to convince someone to give me a ride out again.  

As I get in the groove of daily life out here, it's funny how much this place is starting to remind me of high school- with all the associated drama and cliques.  I am trying to stay out of it and not say too much.  Staying friends with everyone seems like a good idea when you both live AND work with all of them.

In other good news, my lovely mama has shipped my laptop so I can finally have some tunes and a couple movies in my room.  I brought my ipod and headphones but dancing around to headphones makes me look like a crazy person.... well, more of a crazy person, anyway.  At least with out-loud music, anyone who sees me will know I have some rhythm.

2009 and feelin' fine

The title is somewhat inaccurate if we are referring to New Year's Day for which I was somewhat hung over and did not go on my hike up Mount George.  Instead I slept in until 1 pm and dragged myself into work at 3 pm.  Thank goodness I started late.  The party was great though, so it was totally worth it.

We had a huge barbecue and all around there was this huge lightning storm rolling in that never actually materialized as rain.  It gave the party a rather energized feeling (pardon the pun) and I think everyone was in more of a mood to let loose.  A few hours later I gave a rousing impromptu karaoke performance of Blind Melon's "No Rain" (oooh, another pun!), minus any actual karaoke equipment.  As official time-keeper, I had to get my act together as it neared midnight and I set off the countdown right on time... I hope.  I never actually checked the accuracy of my watch, but it is too late now. 

Still later in the night, I had a long and interesting conversation with Tim Parker, who is an older aboriginal fellow from down the road.  The clouds had cleared and he was telling me the indigenous names for various constellations.  The only one I recognize from the northern hemisphere is Orion, who is upside down here, but Tim said that he was taught that it represented a certain type of lizard I can't remember the name of.  He also warned me about my hike- apparently there is an area a couple of kilometers past where I was going to climb that he described as a "bad place" and he felt responsible for my safety.  Nothing to do with rock instability or anything like that, I think he meant it was dangerous in a spiritual way.  He told me about an archaeologist he was friends with who mysteriously died a few months after visiting one of these bad places.  I am not sure how I feel about that, but better safe than sorry, so I will be staying within a 3 km radius of Auski when up in the hills.  Maybe that was another reason I was reluctant to head out the hike the next day.  

I hope everyone had as fun of a time on New Years as I did.  Better than drinking wine by myself in my parents' basement like last year (no offence, Mom and Dad, but you did go to bed at 10pm!  Jody did too, but she was pregnant so had an excuse.)  Happy 2009!

Cheers.

-A.