Author: Peg

Went for a stroll this morning. Wondered why everyone one was ignoring this big ass lizard. Turns out the area was lousy with big ass lizards.

My trip to the Great Barrier Reef was plagued with rain and wind. Fortunately I was very well fed and I got 3 snorkels in. If I were younger I would give it another trip. Who knows, even I might have another go. The fish and coral are out of this world.

Feeling a little frayed around the edges. So, I am just going to do a little sightseeing and a lot of lounging around. Late on my Thursday I head back to Kona. Then on March 6 it’s back to the Asylum.

Aussie weirdness – you turn the electrical outlets on and off. So, plug phone in to recharge, fail to turn outlet on, come back in a couple of hours, and nothing has happened!

Australia really isn’t much different from the US or Canada. The coffee is better. Starbucks would not be a good idea. Aussies are crazier about sports. Public transport is better. Their political leaders are as crazy as US political leaders.

Left to right. The view from my balcony. Plus giant bats.

I just booked in here because they had guest laundry and were supposed to be on the water. I think this is the best place I have ever been. And I have been to lots of places.

Well, it is time to start charging up my devices and myself in prep for tomorrow’s flight to lizard island. There’s no WiFi and no cellular. Nonexistent. None.

I am staying until Sunday. So you will not hear from me untill my Sunday or Monday.

Sunset Darwin Harbor

Made it to my hotel at 6:40pm. I knew sunset was scheduled to happen at 7:10. So I just dumped my stuff and went looking for sunset. Sunset not so special. But, I found bats. I am batty over bats. These were huge black flying foxes. They weigh over 1.5 pounds and have a 3, foot wingspan. I could hear their huge wings making leathery flapping sounds. No pics of bats. Wrong gear.

Came back to the hotel and weighed my stuff. Got an email today from tomorrow morning’s airline saying we are surely going to measure and weigh your stuff.

Fortunately, they’re not going to weigh and measure me!

Arrived in Alice Springs just after one. It was 41 degrees. Went on a 5k hike. It was worth the trip. Arrived back at the train soaked. Then before I made it onto my train, it rained. Now 1/3 of my wardrobe is soaked. Maybe it’ll get dry or not…

Got a great sunrise photo.

Didn’t see any animals today except some black cows and a flock of parakeets. Oh, there was kangaroo but that was on the lunch menu. I had the chicken.

Arriving in Darwin sixish tomorrow.

Forget Mind the Gap – here in Australia you must Beware of Gap. That Gap is out to kill your sorry ass. Just like every spider, lizard, jelly fish, reptile and cab driver on the continent.

Updating the blog early today while I still have LTE signal.

Found this sign on my early am wanderings. Seems a little like the Jefferson Dinning Room at the Asylum.

And another from last night’s light show.

This train 300 passengers, 43 cars, 52 staff.

Forgive me Carlton for I have shopped. For a fine blue Crumpler bag. They are made in Australia, they are extremely nerdy, they’re guaranteed for life. I told the kids at the store that at my age it’s not a biggie.

Adelaide had lots of interesting shops. Including one devoted to puzzles. Anyone up for a 40,320 piece puzzle? Maybe I can leave one to the GHBC puzzle closet when I transition to the next level.

Main shopping area in Adelaide.

My hotel is what I call early concentration camp. But, it is just for the night. Saw a bunch of folks dressed in matching faux safari wear while I was out shopping. I suspect that they’re going to be on my train. Hopefully they will be in deluxe class and not in my part of the train. Had some interesting folk on the last trip. About evenly divided between Aussies and Europeans. I was the only north American.

And the second installment of my travel log.

Australian Adventure Before Alzheimer’s week 2

Feb 9

Off to Geraldton to see Leilani and Joe. Looking forward to seeing them and not making any decisions!

9:15pm. Had a lovely day. I was treated like visiting royalty. Sights were seen, meals eaten,

Feb 10

8:20am. Good sleep. Leilani fed me fried eggs, bacon and toast plus cappuccino for btekkie.

Now on the bus waiting for lift off.

Critters
Sheep
White cockatiel
Horse
Cows lots of cows
Emus maybe a dozen
More emu
Cows and emu together
Finally a kangaroo

At Dongara now 0920ish

Showing a movie about talking cars. Passing wonderful white dunes.

Exciting down town Eneabba. No one got on or off.

11:30. Stopped at Mill Hill Halfway Roadhouse. Got a flat white and a bottle of water and some photos. I am loving this adventure so far. Of course there’s three more weeks for the wheels to come off.

Way back when I was 50something, I took yoga with a man in his seventies. From time to time he would pack off for distant shores. He said that his aches and pains lessened on the road. I didn’t understand it then. But now I do

1:20. Getting closer to Perth. Land is less lumpy. Lots more cows. Speed just reduced from 100 to 80. KPH not MPH. Up to 110. The expressway maybe?

Swan Valley now. Grapes, olives, wine. When you make wine from grapes grown by a busy highway does the wine have undertones of gasoline with a hint of diesel?

Bedtime. Found the hotel. And later found a better way. The bus terminal is also the train station so, a better way is good.

Chicken and leek quiche take out for dinner.

Silly thing I did was to wash my long pants. I think they just might get dry.

Feb 11

11:35am. On the train heading east

Critters
Sheep
Horses
And, Before the train cockatoos woke me up.
Brown cows

13:20. Just finished a great lunch. Fish. Chocolate ice cream. Espresso oh and beer. Good dining companions.

Next event is dinner at 6pm.

Closing the door and I am going to chill out..

1530. Napped. The seats are not as comfortable as Amtrak ‘s. But every thing else is better.

I discovered pillows-like the seat better now.

4:45 went on quest for coffee. Found some. Ok not great. We have a field trip to a goldmine after dinner tonight.

2330 hours. Dinner was great. Tuna a wee bit over cooked, wonderfully steamed broccoli finished with a good salad and Mac nut ice cream. Then off the train to see an open pit goldmine. It is the reason the town of 30,000 exists and is expected to play out in 10 years. Don’t think I am going to invest in residential properties there!

Monday February 12

0545. Been awake since 5. About 15 minutes ago they started waking us up for our breakfast picnic. Time to get dressed.

0820. Under way again. It is very flat now. And trees are getting smaller at an alarming rate. Breakfast was good. Quiche, mushrooms and most excellent sausages. Nice to be outdoors in the sun.

Big decisions today. Shower before or after lunch? What beer to have with lunch? What beer to have with dinner?

And do I read or listen to an audiobook. Nothing in see out the window, maybe the kindle.

Critter count
Very sturdy looking brown cows

Shower before lunch. Nice big shower. Hot water. Big fluffy towels.

5:00pm. Had 2.5 hours removed from my day. Just finishing up a late lunch when they said advance your watches two and a half hours.

About lunch. camel curry was on the menu. Lots of one hump or two jokes. I passed on the camel.

I scheduled myself for the 8:30 sitting for dinner. So, I can read, do my blog, take a nap or just sit.

10pm.

A nice leisurely late supper. Good food. Better company. The very best travel experience.

Tuesday February 13. 10:30am

Adelaide.

We got put off the train at about 7:30 for crew change over. Went on a very little walking tour of the city. It ended with second breakfast. There are more outings scheduled for early this evening. But I am rather tired of all these outings so I just said no more.

Looking forward to another day of looking out the window. Oh and eating and making my way through the beer list.

Critters
Magpies
Sheep
Lamas
Cows
Finally a hopping kangaroo and another
A lone emu
One big and four small emu

1330 hours. Finished another meal. Good company again and nice food. Now I am going to hole up in my little room.

Just got an invite to dinner at the Asylum on my first night home. It is great to have something to look forward to other than journey’s end.

2315. Am I a party animal or what? Late dinner then hangout in the bar. I must be having fun.

Spent 90minutes walking around Broken Hill. Great old mining town.

The roadbed leaves much to be desired.

Wednesday February 14.

Rose pink sunrise and brekkie at 7am. Totally ordinary breakfast – except for the kangaroos that bounced by.

0925. All packed up. Will chill and charge batteries until Sydney.

Critters
Cows
Sheep
Kangaroo
And a bat in Sydney

10:00. Today’s goal. Get to hotel without drama. The goal was not met. Missed my train station.

Sydney. Very festive this evening with lovers going out. But I am tired.

Thursday February 15

Went to the zoo today. On the ferry. The zoo is big and hilly. But you can take a bus to the top of the zoo and sort of tack back and forth ending up at the ferry.

Found out that my hotel neighborhood is getting ready for lunar new year. And they’re expecting one million visitors from Asia. I can see some of it tomorrow evening.

 

Took this picture early in my trek across the harbor bridge. It was early morning and it wasn’t too hot. Not as far as this picture makes it look either. Maybe 3.5 miles round-trip.

It was wonderful and I would do it again. Lots of runners and folk walking to work. I wondered where the bikers were. When I got to the other end I discovered that the bikers were on opposite side of the bridge. Very civilized.

Next and ferry for the 30 minute trip to Manly Beach. Where I sat on a bench in the shade and watched the surfers.

Back at my hotel, I discovered that the train to the airport is not running tomorrow. Track maintenance. Sounds familiar! So, I am left with $15 on my transit card. And no way to the airport except by 3 busses, Uber or taxi. Well and I suppose a car service. I should be over joyed that I found out today and not tomorrow when I showed up at the train station and the train didn’t. But, I am pissed about the $15 on the transit card. Chill Peg, if this is the biggest problem of the trip, I will have been damn lucky. It is a sunk cost problem, get over it.

I am washing all of my clothes at this instant. I am wearing the hotel bathrobe. Hope the machine doesn’t eat my clothes.

Sydney is getting more Chinese by the hour as it approaches the Lunar New year.

Somehow I will make it to the airport tomorrow and then on to Adelaide.

Went to the zoo today, by boat. By ferry.

I started my visit with a very average fried egg sandwich. But I had to defend it from this young magpie. It was not the greatest breakfast sandwich ever, but I wasn’t going to share.

The Sydney Zoo wasn’t as exquisite as Melbourne’s. But in a surprising number of the exhibits the visitors went into the”cages” with the animals.

They have a great new tiger enclosure. And, you sort of go in with the tigers. The tigers can not actually eat the visitors. But by careful use of glass, fencing and plantings make it seem like you are in a village in Indonesia. With tigers. Melbourne did the same thing with elephants.

In the lunar calendar part of the world we are entering the year of the dog. Every one is into The Year of the Dog. Even Yves St. Laurent.

I wondered about this. Then on the TV this evening they said one million visitors were coming to Sydney for the lunar New year.

Unfortunately, I will miss most of the festivities.

Train was late into Sydney, but it didn’t much matter to me. It still wasn’t check-in time.

Noticed that I was tired. Maybe, I am old. Or maybe it had something to do with hanging out in the bar car until 11:30 last night. But,it could have been because it was 102 degrees.

Lots of things to seen near by. It’s Valentine’s day. The long-legged young women were dressed in finest sluty-chic outfits. Ah, to be young…

There were a couple of these ibisy critters wandering around the park.

Maybe a ferry to the zoo tomorrow.

We had two long stops today. From 7 to 9 this morning we were in Adelaide. Adelaide doesn’t seem to have much going for it. A harbor that might be nice if you are going to the South Pole on the south side and about 1,000 miles of nothing in all other directions. I am not sure why it exists. It is old and genteel in a men’s club way. And from 5 to 7 this evening we were set loose in Broken Hill. It’s an old but still operational mining town. Lots of great old buildings. Sydney tomorrow at about eleven in the morning.

Exciting downtown Cook. Population 3. Cook was a fuel and water stop this afternoon. Moved our clocks ahead 2.5 hours when we left. Am feeling robbed. They stole my nap time. But, it’s 5 o’clock sooner. Camel Curry on lunch menu. One hump or two.. I was feeling like a salad! And it was very good.

It is about 5pm. I have dinner at 6. Then some time around 8:30 we are going on a field trip to a gold mine. I think. They say I can climb on to a dump truck. Stay tuned. But, I think there will be WiFi there. So maybe this will post.

I am liking the train. Different from Amtrak and Canada long range trains where you can walk from end to end

Here I am locked into a 5 car range. 4 passengers and one bar/restaurant car. There are three of these, plus a posher class set-up.

But mine is posh enough. Much nicer than Amtrak. Maybe even nicer than Canada VIA rail. However, we are being rousted out at 6:15 tomorrow morning for a sunrise brekkie picnic.

So far the food is good, the booze is great and the roadbed not so hot. All aboard!