March 29, 2005

 

G' Day Mates!

 

The West Coast has been treating me MORE than well.  I am finally getting into the groove and getting out there and seeing things that make my jaw drop every step of the way.  It's about time this feeling resurfaced!

Perth was fabulous!  It was the perfect remedy for an aching heart and a tired mind.  I got there and had two days to explore the city and lazy around on the beach with Ellen and Louisa.  The beaches there were gorgeous.  The water was crystal clear and the sun was HOT HOT HOT.  It has been about 100 degrees or more everyday with the sun constantly shining. It was great to be able to see Ellen again and finally meet Louisa after hearing so much about her.  Having people you enjoy begin around makes all the difference in the world! I am finding the people here on the West Coast to be a bit nicer and more friendly so it's a lot easier to meet people and make friends.  All in all, the West coast is already treating me better.

St Patty's Day was celebrated here, in case any of you were wondering, and it was surely celebrated by me as well!  I had a lovely Guinness and a few native Aussie beers while the band played away at the Irish pub down the street.  I ended up with this great Guinness cork hat by the close of the evening so I felt in great spirits.  

The next day I took off and went up the coast stopping at so many incredible national parks along the way.   The first stop was right outside of a town called Kalbarri.  I decided to take part in the crazy sport of abseiling which was such an amazing rush.  I went down frontward and backwards...AWESOME!  It's basically like repelling off of a cliff face.  One of my mates took a ton of pictures of me coming from below and they turned out great.  He really did a nice job.

Next, we went to natures window, which was kind of like something you would see out west in the US.  Neat scenery complete with gorges and all.  Ellen was there too with her group (we are in separate ones) and we got a picture together in it which turned out to be fabulous.  I seem to be snapping an abnormally large amount of pictures these days...maybe to make up for lost time without taking any in Sydney?!?

Right before we went to our hostel for the night we swam in shark bay, which is known to have the most shark per square kilometer than any other waters in the whole world!  And, I must admit, I was being a bit of a "fraidy cat."  But I did it and was one of the only ones along with a few others who dared to take the challenge.  Gorgeous water...very salty! It was my third time in the Indian Ocean and the saltiest for sure!

That night a few of us from our group went out into a national park where we went swimming in natural hot springs that were turned into hot tubs.  We all sat there under the star filled sky talking about what the first thing was that we are going to eat when we get home to our respective countries/cities/towns. Mine was, hands down, YOCCO'S!  A loaf of bread, a hunk of meat, and ALLLLL the mustard you can eat! 

The next day we woke up early, once again, and went to a little place on a peninsula called Monkey Mia.  We saw dolphins in their natural habitat that come to the shore every morning for a feeding.  I was lucky enough to get chosen out of our whole group to feed one of them.  I got some amazing close up pictures of their eyes, which I was amazed to learn are similar to ours.  They have fantastic eyesight.  We went to a place called shell beach later in the day where there really isn't any sand.  It's all tiny cockle shells (smaller than your pinky nail) that make up what looks like the sand.  It actually kind of hurt to walk on them but it was still gorgeous, nonetheless.

Next stop, Coral Bay.  This is like the Florida of Australia...after people retire they head to Coral Bay for fishing, beautiful views, and relaxation.  It was a small little place but it had a pretty decent reef right off the beach that you could swim up to and check out the exotic fish.  I snorkeled there the morning that we were leaving right before we headed up towards Exmouth and snorkeled at Turquoise Bay.  The snorkeling was fabulous and I am finally getting over my fear of the reef!  I am really proud of myself for that one.  Just as I say that, I remember some people in the group saying to me, "Lauren, didn't you see that reef shark that was right near you when you were near the cove of coral?"  When I realized they weren't joking it kind of freaked me out a bit but, apparently, they are harmless if you don't aggravate them.

Oh almost forgot...highlight of Exmouth...As I was walking back from the beach with my friend we spotted a kangaroo hiding under a tree trying to stay out of the sun.  I ran to my room, got my camera and ran back to snap a shot. She stood up and put her head down as if she was going to charge at me as I got closer to take the picture.   I tried to sneak up slowly and get closer and closer and little did I know, she had a joey in her pouch and there were little feet and a tail sticking out!!!  I think it was the coolest thing I have ever seen. I am really fascinated by kangaroos for some reason. 

Finally we reached Tom Price, a mining town inland a bit where my life dream came true.  I got to PET a kangaroo and watch the little joey crawl in and out of the mother's pouch several times. It was nature at it's best.  I was in heaven for hours (literally) just watching this thing hop around our caravan park we were staying in. 

The following day we headed for Karijini National Park where we swam in tons of water holes and sat on and under waterfalls for a free massage.  It was a great day full of beauty and relaxation.  We stayed overnight in a small, ghetto town called South Heldand on the coast and then made our way up to Broome, which brings me to today.  When we got here yesterday, we stopped at Cable Beach, where all of the movie stars hang out and went to a different beach at night to watch a phenomenal happening of Broome.  Every full moon five months out of the year there is a thing that happens here where the moon rises up over the water at low tide.  You can see the orange sliver peeking over the waters edge and, as it rises slowly, you can see a perfect pathway up to the moon.  They call is staircase to the moon and it seems to be quite an appropriate name for it!  

Today the temperature is about 110 degrees with 80-90% humidity. This weather is just ungodly and deadly.  I can't even breathe. I am sweating like crazy too. It's the kind of thing where you get out of the shower and want to get right back in again.  YUCK!  Luckily, tomorrow morning I am hopping on a place and heading up to Darwin where it is hotter and even more humid.  YES!!!  I am very excited about that one. 

So, all in all, life is once again good and my roller coaster ride has become a lot more fun in the past few weeks.  I am happy that I can finally write to all you again with a smile on my face and in my heart.  More adventures are coming my way and, in turn, will be coming your way as well.  Be on the lookout because the Red Center (Ayres Rock) is just around the corner.

Ciao.

Lauren P. Coker