Australia and SE Asia Update
To All:
Australia is a country teeming with natural beauty. The stunning remote outback, the unbelievably beautiful Great Ocean Road, and the picturesque Sydney harbor are all sights to behold. Australia, however, meant more to us than just beautiful scenery and unusual
animals. We spent the trip visiting good friends: old mates of Jeff's from his time in Sydney and those met while traveling in Asia. Everywhere we received a warm welcome and had lots of laughs. Thanks Jackie & Juddy, Rosie & Paul, Sarah & Martin, Kylie & Paul, Michelle & Kim, Vickie & Chris, Mattie & Chrissie and (why not...) "ex-con" Mike Hill too :), your hospitality truly made Australia a memorable experience. Unfortunately for the Australian rugby fan, no amount of Waltzing Matilda verses could help the Australian Wallabies win the final of the Rugby World Cup. Better luck in 2007 guys!
We started our trip in the north of Australia. Just south of Darwin lies Kakado National Park, a remote outback region home to kangaroos, wallabies, crocodiles, and flocks of wild white cockatoos... filmed here was the first Crocodile Dundee movie. This arid wilderness is also a
stronghold for some of Australia's remaining aborigine people, many of whom focus on preserving their traditional culture. The park employees many of them to give educational tours at the rock shelters and art sites scattered throughout the area. Access to such unique culture and natural beauty makes Kakado a magical place to visit.
Perhaps one of the highlights of my trip to Australia was the Sydney Harbor Ferry ride. Passing the Opera House in route, this must be the most scenic form of public transportation in the world. It is really breathtaking - traveling through a beautiful harbor filled with sailboats, with the city's skyline reflecting it's deep blue waters - just lovely. Jeff lived in Sydney for many years and was a great tour guide. (Although perhaps I didn't have to see every place he ever lived!) Sydney is
such a vibrant city with groovy cafes and restaurants, plus the added advantage of the lovely city beaches such as Bondi or Manley... it is really a livable city. I can't think of very many other international cities where you are able to surf before going to work in the morning!
Another Australian highlight was The Great Ocean Road south of Melbourne. Hugging the cliffs, it twists and turns for miles along a beautiful wild coastline. For a break, we stopped at a local golf course where and entire group of kangaroos have become nearly tame. Normally skittish, these particular roos lie about in the shade having eaten their fare share of good quality turf. I with my little partner Nicholas was able to get quite close - near enough to get a good look at those long curved claws! Locals say if you get too close, they'll box you - perhaps just a folk lore, but neither Nicki nor I wanted to test those waters!
From Australia, we flew to Singapore where we met up with another good friend... thanks Pete. Singapore is a large, modern, clean city. And yes, you can be fined for chewing gum, littering etc. One of it's most popular attractions is a visit to Changi Prison, the WWII POW camp. As we've traveled through Asia, Jeff and I have visited many WWII memorials. Most, such as Nanjing in China or Sandakan in Borneo, Malaysia, concentrate on the atrocities committed by the
Japanese.The Changi Memorial, however, emphasized the power of the human spirit and their will to survive. The museums focus was the prisoners: As individuals they would perish, but working together, they survived. The presentation in no way diminished the horrors of what
happened there, instead it stressed that all who were imprisoned were heroes. Its goal was successful for we walked out of the Prison feeling positive - it was truly a tribute to these me n and women who overcame such immeasurable odds. We were really pleased with our visit there.
Next, we crossed the southern tip of Malaysia and headed to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Although it was the rainy season, we thought we could endure a few weeks of bad weather. On the equator, the mornings begin with clear blue skies, then throughout the course of the
day, storm clouds build and by 5 PM, the torrential downpour arrives, lasting an hour or two. From a tourist perspective, this doesn't interfere much with the days activities. We however, never anticipated it's destructive capabilities. North of where we were, a landslide
destroyed much of the town Bukit Lawang, home of the famous Bohorok Orangutan Research Center. Three hundred people died. And then one night in another place, a major bridge on the island's ONLY north-south road was swept away. And so, since we could not
get any further north and things seemed to be against us, we retraced our steps - two long days of travel on a ba d road in old busses to get back to Malaysia. But, the short time we spent there was a real treat. Back to celebrity status... yes, Jeff remained a superstar. Spend some
time in Indonesia and you too will experience what it like to be famous! We will have to return another time to see what we missed.
After that experience, we stopped at a beautiful beach for a much needed rest. The beaches around the southern city of Krabi, Thailand may be some of the best in the entire country. Not only are there long stretches of clean sand, but rising straight out of the clear turquoise
blue water in the bay are a series of limestone pinnacles. On shore, cliffs of this same limestone form an amazing backdrop as they encircle the palm tree lined beach. To add to the magic of this place, the beach is only accessible by long tail boat from a nearby fishing village. The journey across the bay is breathtaking. Tourists have been coming to Thailand for many years and an excellent tourist infrastructure has been set up here with all sorts of activities to keep you busy. Besides the usual snorkel/scuba, you can jungle trek, sea kayak, rock climb, explore sea caves, take elephant rides, visit uninhabited islands... no wonder why touri sts flock to this place!
Tomorrow, we head off to Cambodia to see the amazing ruins at Angkor Wat and then fly to Bangladesh. I am a bit melancholy to leave the East behind. We really have enjoyed the people, food and sights. The Indian Subcontinent is truly a different kettle of fish, a big change
from what we have experienced during the first part of the trip. We are just over half way through the year long journey and hope that the next six months will be just as rewarding as the first.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to all,
Love, Lisa
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