Never stop travel

The view was painfully beautiful at Cape Borda lookout on Kangaroo Island. The dramatic cliffs and the waves against the rocks in contrast with the soft afternoon sunlight. We saw dolphins playing in the waters further out to sea and the sea lions swimming closer to the rocks just below us.

I was talking to Marilyn, a lady double my age, who happened to take a left turn when she was supposed to take a right. She ended up at Kangaroo Island and did not know when she was going back home. She usually slept in her car but today she had treated herself to one of the cottages just by the light house. This was not the first time she was travelling like this and certainly not the last.

You just never know where life will take you. If you let it.


Marilyn. My hero.

To die for

This little baby koala was found under a tree without its mother. Is she not adorable?

Guess what I found on Kangaroo Island?

Kangaroos! And wallabies, lizards, scorpions, possums, koalas, sea lions and more. So far Kangaroo Island is the place in Australia I have seen most animals and that's without even looking very hard. Unfortunately they always turn their back to me when I want to take a photo... Kangaroos, wallabies and lizards were often seen from the car, unfortunately more often flat on the road than alive on the side of it (and no, Stu, I did not take any pictures).

One day I walked to Grassdale Lagoon on my way to Hanson Bay on the south coast. I found that it was packed with kangaroos early in the morning. I had no problems getting close to them. They did look a bit sceptically at me while chewing the grass and eventually lazily bounced off to a different location when I came too close.

At Seal Bay I saw a pup with its protective mother. The little sea lion took a few very hard looking "steps" before it fell back flat on its stomach like it suddenly decided to play dead. Otherwise there was not much action on the beach at Seal Bay, they were just lying around in the sun relaxing. I can understand that they need a few days of rest after being out to sea feeding for three days, which is what they apparently do.

Kangaroo Island is a very beautiful place. The scenery is spectacular and it is a very relaxed place. Definately worth a visit.

On the ferry to Kangaroo Island.

The southern coast of the island.
At Remarkable Rock, which really is remarkable!
The colour of the sea was amazing at Remarkable Rock. It had a deep blue intense tone which was fantastic.

Great road that leads down to Remarkable Rock and the light house.

It's a tough job but someone has to do it...

Wine tasting at Peter Lehmann in Barossa Valley.

Dear Adam

Dear Adam,

Too easy. That is probably my favourite of your favourite expressions. It sort of describes the West MacDonnells, the pub at Glen Helen and you.

Thank you for showing me more of the area and a couple of the best breakfast spots ever. Climbing Mt Sonder in the dark and having breakfast on the top is definately on the top 5 list of things to do. Ok, we missed the sunrise by a few minutes but the beauty of the place is unreal.

It was a treat to spend a couple of hours on the top before heading down for a swim in the gorge below.

I am very glad to have had the fortune to see some of the West MacDonnells with some who knows and truly loves the area.

The pub at Glen Helen is really the best water hole. The people and the atmosphere made me want to stay. I really hated to leave the beautiful sites and your good company.

Don't ever change!

Angela

Having breakfast on Mt Sonder at sunrise.

Like magic

I booked a 5 day tour in the Red Centre mostly because that is something you should do when in Australia. Then only thing I knew about the area was that this is where you find Uluru (Ayers Rock). I was not very keen on doing a tour either but decided it was the easiest way to see the place. I had chosen the bit more expensive tour and was happy to avoid the partying 21 year olds.

The first day we visited Uluru and did the base walk around the rock. The colors are wonderful and it is a quite cool rock. I did enjoy it, especially the sparkling wine in the sunset and sleeping under the stars.

Uluru at sunset.

Next stop was Kata Tjuta and a walk in the Valley of the Winds. Now I got a little more excited because I liked the hike and the views better.

The Valley of the Winds.

When we arrived in Kings Canyon the next day I was convinced that this is an area that one really has to experience. The colors are spectacular and the views fantastic.

My favourite spot in Kings Canyon.
Kings Canyon.

Day 4 we spent a few hours with Craig, who is an aboriginal. He told us about their culture and showed us some rock art. The stories he tells makes perfect sence when you are in this area.

Craig.

The last day in West MacDonnell National Park I probably fell in love with the place. I can not really say what it is, it just made me happy to be there. Maybe it is the emptiness (in comparison with the always busy Taiwan) and the space or the atmosphere and the people. Probably the combination. Our tour guide, Adam, obviously really loved the area and I think it rubbed off.

Ormiston Gorge.

When looking out on the desert you feel like you are the only person on earth. You see nothing at all in any direction except a beautiful landscape. No cities, roads, lights, nothing.

On Mt Sonder.

The Red Centre definately worked its magic on me and I hated to leave.

Darwin-Alice Springs

After a brief stop in Brisbane, I went to Darwin. In the end I only got one day there and the city itself might not need much more attention than that. I did however find some very nice places and had a good time. The reason why I went to Darwin at all was to catch the train to Alice Springs. I arrived yesterday and enjoyed the city and the company of some new friends. The sunset from Anzac hill was fantastic.The train ride itself seemed faster than I thought, the main reason being that I ended up in the restaurant car drinking beer with two Aussie truck drivers, one war veteran and some other travellers. We had a great time and the beer helped us fall asleep in the uncomfortable chairs. It is however very fascinating that you can go for 20 hours without actually seeing anything except desert. The reason why it takes so long is because the train's average speed is not more than 85 km/hour. Partly because there are a lot of animals in the area that might cause the train to derail if it is going to fast.

From one thing to another

This is the last thing I saw in Taiwan before I left:

And this is the first thing in Australia:
My holiday has started.