Rosi & Jen's 11 Thousand Beach Odyssey

Photos: The town of 1770 and around

rosibud — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:33:00 GMT

Gallery: Eyre Peninsula

rosibud — Sun, 6 Sep 2009 08:49:00 GMT

Gallery: Painted Desert, Oodnadatta Track & Moon Plains

rosibud — Tue, 1 Sep 2009 12:04:00 GMT

Painted Desert

rosibud — Tue, 1 Sep 2009 12:02:00 GMT

We've been hanging out in Coober Pedy South Australia for the past few days. It's a strange little town full of peculiar people. It's an opal mining town and everyone and everything is dusty. As you drive in all you really see are mounds of dirt. It's the weirdest thing. Most people who live here reside underground. They have underground churches , underground pubs, underground book shops, they even have an underground camping ground. It would have to be one of the most unique places in Australia. One of the locals were telling us that everyone here is very secretive. "No one has any money and no one is finding any opals" he said. "People don't like to flash around there money and they are extremely protective of there opal claim sites. If you walk on to one you could find your self shot". It's a little like what I imagine being in the middle of a gold rush town back in the 1800s would have been like.

Today we decided to get off the bitumen so we headed out along the famous Oodnadatta track in search of a place called the Painted Desert. On our way we experienced the Moon Plains which are famous for being where they shot a lot of the desolate scenes in the Mad Max movies. It's hard to imagine a place where there is an absence of anything. Where there is just flat stony land for hundreds of kms, but that is exactly what these moon plains are like.

The Painted Desert is an area of spectacular colourful hills. It's an incredible sight and would have to be one of the highlights of a trip to South Australia in my opinion - these rocky outcrops of large and small hills which really do appear like they have been painted , suddenly out of a flat, desert landscape. Apparently it was created more than 80 million years ago. I think it's made all the more extraordinary by the fact that you've just driven through 60kms of absolutley flat desolation.

We then headed into the famous outback town of Oodnadatta and had a beer at the Pink Roadhouse. The lady running it offered us both jobs, which I think would have been a great experience if we didn't have other plans. We did tell her we might come back through one day and tae her up on her offer, so you never know. I like to keep all interesting work options open!

Gallery: The Breakaways & Dingo Fence - Coober Pedy

rosibud — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:57:00 GMT

Gallery: Kings Canyon & Curtain Springs

rosibud — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Canyons & Dust

rosibud — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:14:00 GMT

I’m writing this in the middle of a dust storm. I’m sitting in the caravan, free camping at Curtain Springs,abut 85kms from Uluru, looking out at the trees and the red sandy dirt being thrown around by the huge winds. The storm followed us all the way back from Kings Canyon today. We drove 220kms out there to do a 6km hike around the top rim of the canyon. The hike was spectacular. Strenuous but incredible. It’s one of the best hikes I’ve ever done. The first 30 minutes was pretty much vertical. But when you get to the top and start walking around the rim you forget about the effort and just thank God you’re alive and able to see nature’s spectacle. I’m so glad I did it. The drive out there is pretty spectacular too. As you approach Kings Canyon the last 50kms or so you have a huge escarpment on your right hand side. It absolutely magnificent rising out of the flat desert surrounds and guiding you all the way in.

We’ve been free camping here at Curtain Springs for the last day or so. Last night we met this wonderful couple from the Dandenong Ranges called Mark and Jan. We had dinner together and shared a couple of bottles of wine and talked about life, the universe and everything in between. It was such a great night. One of the best things about being on the road is the people you meet. People you would othewise never cross paths with. You share a meal, some vino, good conversation and you find out about their story, their life path and their experiences, and it just makes your own travels all the richer. It’s what makes this life so rewarding.

We leave here tomorrow bound for Coober Pedy with a little free camping in between. I do love free camping. Stopping somewhere without the confines of a caravan park gives you a much better appreciation for this country, its wildlife and flora. And I mostly enjoy the quiet. At night there is often such an absense of noise that it seems almost like something is missing. Being from the city you grow use to the constant urban sounds. Yes I definitely like the quiet.

Gallery: Uluru

rosibud — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Gallery: Kata Tjuta

rosibud — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Journey to the centre - the red centre that is!

rosibud — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:43:00 GMT

The last 11 days have been absolutely amazing.

From Katherine we headed south first stop an iconic outback pub at Daly Waters. We drank beer served to us by a german backpacker, listened to the dulcit tones of the 'chook man' on the electric organ and looked up at a billion beautiful stars.

From there we spent the next night at Devil's Marbles and were absolutely gob smacked by the enigmatic beauty of the place. You drive through hundreds of kms of nothing and then all of a sudden these different sized glowing red granite boulders appear. At times they seem almost impossibly balanced. They are in my opinion as spellbinding as Uluru or Kata Tjuta. We arrived just before sunset which added to the glow and we camped for the night again looking up at a blanket of stars and wondering how we got to be so lucky as to have this life.

Two aboriginal guys who were traditional owners of the land came and told us campfire stories about the "Marbles" and what they meant to the local people. The aborginals call them Karlu Karlu. In the Aboriginal mythology the Devils Marbles are the eggs of the rainbow serpent, and many "dreamtime" stories and traditions of the Warumungu, Kaytetye and Alyawarre Aboriginal people are linked with this area. The traditional Aboriginal owners of the area regard the marbles as having extraordinary powers. Damage to them can have life threatening consequences for their custodians.

The next day we headed on to Alice Springs. It wasn't what we expected. We had been warned hat is was a scary violent place but we instantly fell in love with its artistic flavour and energy. We headed out to explore and were impressed by the wonderful Alice Springs Desert Park which was a great introduction to the plants and animals of the desert, as well as the aboriginal culture, way of life and survival techniques. I would recommend anyone heading to Central OZ to stop and spend some time at the park as it gave us another layer of understanding of the outback.

We spent a day exploring the West McDonnell Ranges and their wonderful gorges and we were also fortunate to be in town for the annual Henley on Todd dry river Regatta. This year it was all the more fun because the National Variety Bush Bash cars were in town. The put on quite a show and we had a fantastic day. By the time we left Alice we both agreed that we would love to come back and work there for a while.

And now we find ourselves at Uluru. For those of you who have never been here, nothing can really prepare you for the massive scale of this big fat red rock. It's absolutely enormous sitting in the middle of no where. Whenever it's in your view you are instantly drawn to look at it. It's endlessly fascinating and also forever changing. We walked all the way around it, it took 4 hours. Every bit of it is different from the bit before; the shape, the crevices, the flora, the colour. It truly is majestic and sublime. Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) are equally fascinating. In some ways the seem even more mysterious than the rock.

Last night we had Dinner in the Desert. As the brochure states "Your journey begins on a lone sand dune. A path takes you to an uninterrupted, three hundred and sixty degree view of this vast landscape. In front of you is the fabled Uluru; behind you are the domes of Kata Tjuta and, possibly the most spectacular sunset you have ever seen. Here you enjoy sparkling wine and a selection of delectable canapés. As the sun sets, you feast on a BBQ buffet of authentic Australian delicacies examples include barramundi, kangaroo, emu and crocodile, bush salads and classic desserts, complemented by Australian wines. Attention then turns to some of the world's best stargazing, as our startalker takes you on a tour of the spectacular southern night sky. As you wind down after dinner, you are offered a choice of tea, coffee or port. At the Sounds of Silence experience you can dine under the canopy of the desert night, while your very own storyteller shares tales as told in the stars.

Entered into the Australian Tourism Hall of Fame, Sounds of Silence offers the best of the Red Centre distilled into four magical hours. An evening of dining under the sparkling outback sky."

And just incase you're wondering it was spectacular! Tonight I simply sit here in the quiet, there is a breeze and a bit of a chill in the air. And that's enough right now. It's lovely being on the road again. I didn't realise how much I missed it. There is an excitement about not really knowing what you'll find out there the next day. It keeps you motivated and enthusiastic and hungry for more. More beauty, more open space, more history, more nature, more adventure.

Tomorrow we head to Kings Canyon...... watch this space!

Gallery: West McDonnell Ranges

rosibud — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Gallery: Henley on Todd

rosibud — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:59:00 GMT

Gallery: Alice Springs Desert Park

rosibud — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:15:00 GMT

Gallery: Devils Marbles

rosibud — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Gallery: Katherine Gorge

rosibud — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:02:00 GMT

Katherine

rosibud — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:06:00 GMT

As I write this I'm sitting outside in the cool morning air smelling the lantana, drinking chai and listening to the birds sing their wonderful wake up song. We're in Katherine. Yesterday we spent the day cruising down Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge). This 292,800 hectare National Park is owned by the Jawoyn Aboriginal people and it's named after the cicada dreamtime story.

Some of the Park's features include spectacular dissected sandstone country, broad valleys and numerous, significant cultural sites.

The deep Katherine Gorge carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River is the central attraction of the Park. It is one of the most spectacular areas in the country, winding 12 km with walls more than 70m high. The 13 wonderful gorges of Nitmiluk National Park were formed 23 million years ago as torrents of water poured along tiny cracks in the earth.

Katherine itself is a strange place. A lovely little town that doesn't know whether it tropical or arid. This of course adds to its charm and beauty.

It was wonderful to finally get here. So many people have told me about this place for so many years and it has definitely lived up to expectation. It's one of the places all Australians must visit before they die.

Gallery: Kakadu Dry Season

rosibud — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:11:00 GMT

Back on the road!

rosibud — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:38:00 GMT

After 10 months living and working in Darwin, we headed out Thursday morning and we're finally back on the road. We spent our last weekend in Kakadu and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far. A friend recommended we head out to Carmor Plains Station Wildlife Reserve(bordering Kakadu National Park), as the guy who owns it (Matt) runs Airboat tours across the wetlands. It was spectacular! It was exhilarating. It was nature at its best. As we floated over the wetlands thousands of birds put on an unforgettable flying display. We saw buffalo and wild pigs. Matt told us you often see crocs although we unfortunately didn't. It was poetry on water. The best show ride in the world. You become totally absorbed in your surroundings and from the moment you take off every thought in your head just washes away, and you think of nothing but the sights and sensations of what is happening around you.

From there we headed out to Cooinda and camped in Kakadu for a couple of days. We did another tour, this time a six hour ANIMAL TRACKS safari deep into the hidden parts of Kakadu. We had two aboriginal women come with us. True bush women, who showed us the ways of bush medicine and bush tucker. The trip culminated at sunset at a place called Goose Camp so called because of the the thousands of birds that live in the massive expanse of water. We plucked and ate Magpie goose, ate buffalo and Barramundi cooked the traditional way by the women. It was like a dream The sunset was as spectacular as you would ever see and we came away with a sense that we had experienced the true essence of this amazing area of Australia. I was a great way to end our time in the Top End.

As I write this I sit in Katherine, 300 kms south of Darwin. We took a boat trip down Katherine Gorge today and swam in the local hot springs. It feels so good to be back on the road finally. After only 24 hours we are both already feeling very relaxed and looking forward to the adventure that each new day brings us. I've said it before but I'll say it again, if anyone out there has considered this life and hesitated thinking they won't get work or they won't enjoy the constant movement - STOP THINKING and JUST DO IT. It's a wonderful life and I've never been happier.

Gallery: All creatures great and small

rosibud — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:17:00 GMT

A change is in the air!

rosibud — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:36:00 GMT

I can't believe tomorrow it will be March 1 and in the south that signals the beginning of Autumn. Up here in the top end there does seem to be a slight change in the air and the mornings and evenings seem to be just a smidge less humid. The birds are starting to return from Kakadu and as I'm sitting outside in the early morning there is a flock of about 60 Magpie geese marching past my annexe, their beaks flapping over high grasses in search of seeds. The sky is pink and purple as the sun rises and nearby two parent plovers are vigilantly protecting their new chicks.

The wet has been less than dramatic in Darwin itself. All around us we hear of floods and roads being washed away, but in the city itself we have had a lot less rain than usual. When it does rain, and don't get me wrong it DOES rain, it's a thunderous downpour that fills every pothole, pond and pool to overflowing in a matter of minutes.

I have found Darwin to be a strange place. It's definitely an eclectic mix of cultures and ethnicity, but it also seems poorly managed and disorganised. They call it "Darwin time", but everything here takes an eternity to arrive. The mail, the restaurant dinner, the service of any kind in any shop, the completion of building projects...everything! Don't get me wrong, I do love Darwin. It has a wonderful, relaxed laid back feel about it and it is beautiful but it's a beauty that in many ways you can't touch. The water can at times look spectacularly inviting but you can't swim here. Well you can, but you may end up swimming with a croc or marine stinger or a shark. I haven't yet experienced it in full tourist season, so I will reserve my judgement on that one. There are things I adore about the place. Quite often on a Friday night we will head down to Stokes Wharf and sit right on Darwin Harbour have a few beers and some fresh prawns or great asian food and just soak up the sunset and the peace. Being so close to Litchfield and Kakadu is also fantastic. But as a city there isn't an enormous amount to do here. The local pastime is drinking, there are a lot of bars and pubs in Darwin. There is really only one shopping centre and it's an overcrowded rabbit warren. We do anything we can to avoid it at all costs. There are great tourist attractions but they're the 'see it once' kinda deal. Things like the Mindil Markets only operate in the dry. The bottom line for us at the moment is we really miss the ocean. It's like a craving. I have enjoyed my time here and continue to do so but when we finally leave at the end of September we will have done a year, we will have experienced the build up, the wet and the dry and that will be enough. We will take with us amazing memories and great new friends but we will be happy to leave.

Kakadu du du definitely do!

rosibud — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 08:00:00 GMT

It's been over two months since I have updated this journal. Life in Darwin is flying by. The seasons are beginning to change and the periods of thumping heavy driving rain are becoming more frequent. We are now on the cusp of the "the big wet".

A couple of weeks ago Jen, Rob and I headed out to Kakadu for the weekend to see what all the fuss was about. A few people had told us not to go. They told us Kakadu was overrated. There is a saying we have heard a few times up here, "Kakadu-Kakadon't". We decided to go and see for ourselves. Kakadu is without a doubt spectacular. We headed to Cooinda and took a Yellow Water Billabong cruise. Yellow Water Billabong is located at the end of Jim Jim Creek, a tributary of the South Alligator River. The South Alligator river system, which is the largest in the Park, contains extensive wetlands that include river channels, floodplains and backwater swamps.

About one third of Australia's bird species are represented in Kakadu National Park, with at least 60 species found in the wetlands. The whole place was alive with wildlife, birdlife and plant life. We didn't know where to look, every few feet there was a croc or a fascinating bird or a beautiful waterlily. It was nature's theme park and it put anything manmade to shame. The sheer unspoilt magnificence and vastness of the place is jaw dropping.

Later in the day we climbed around the Nourlangie Rock Art site which according to the Dreamtime stories was formed when two Creation Ancestors in the form of short-eared rock wallabies travelled through from east to west. They moved past Nourlangie Rock, across Anbangbang billabong, and up into the rocks at Nawurlandja, where they cut two crevices in the rock as they passed. These crevices are visible today and rock wallabies are often seen there in the early morning and at dusk.

To look at aboriginal rock art paintings that are thousands of years old is such a humbling experience, that makes you realise how truly insignificant your 80 odd years on the planet truly are. At the same time it makes you realise how one person truly can make an indelible mark on the history of the planet. I stood there looking at the art and thought about the person who painted it, maybe 3 thousand years ago. I thought about them sitting there right where I was standing and painting the stories of their life and there beliefs there on the rock. It made me feel a connection with them as I understood the need they must have had to write it all down and tell others about what was happening in their life.

The highlight of the day was definitely Ubirr rock. There is a massive main gallery of rock art. Groups of Aboriginal people camped in rock shelters around Ubirr to take advantage of the enormous variety of foods available from the East Alligator River, the Nadab floodplain, the woodlands, and the surrounding stone country. The rock overhang of the main gallery provided an area where a family could set up camp. Food items were regularly painted on the back wall, one on top of the other, to pay respect to the particular animal, to ensure future hunting success, or to illustrate a noteworthy catch. Among the animals painted in the main gallery are barramundi, catfish, mullet, goannas, long-necked turtles, pig-nosed turtles, rock ringtail possums, and wallabies. Most of the X-ray art in the main gallery is from the freshwater period, so it is less than 1500 years old. There are also some interesting examples of contact art. One 'white fella' is depicted in trousers, shirt and boots and with his hands in his pockets; another, with a pipe in his mouth and his hands on his hips, is 'bossing us Aboriginal people around'. These figures are probably early buffalo hunters painted around the 1880s. Buffalo hunters employed Aboriginal people to help them hunt and run buffalo camps-they paid them with 'a little bit of tucker and some tobacco'.

A painting by Mimi spirits can be seen high up on the ceiling of the overhang. Aboriginal people describe how the Mimi spirits came out of the cracks in the rocks, pulled the ceiling rock down, painted the yellow and red sorcery image, and then pushed the rock back into place.

Close to the main gallery is a painting of a thylacine (Tasmanian tiger). As noted, archaeological evidence suggests that thylacines became extinct on the mainland about 2000 to 3000 years ago.

At the end of the day we climbed to the top of the rock to watch the sunset. We looked out over the wetlands and to the west we could see all the way to Arnhem Land. There was a storm in the distance and the flashes of lightning and rolling thunder really added to the whole experience. Wallabies were feeding below us. Whistling Kites and eagles soared in the thermals above. It was quiet and contemplative. Looking out over the vastness of the wetlands of Kakadu I couldn't help but think about my own life journey. I think everyone up there with us would have been doing the same. There was very little talk. Just a group of people absorbing the sheer magnificance of nature. As the sunset with all the brilliance of a hollywood blockbuster I thought that this is one of those moments that I will always remember. It was that perfect, that beautiful. It was pure magic.

Gallery: kakadu dreaming

rosibud — Sun, 7 Dec 2008 08:15:00 GMT

Hardware Heaven

rosibud — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:17:00 GMT

Life in Darwin floats on by amidst the relentless humidity and thunderstorms. We are both now gainfully employed, Jen at the Darwin Convention Centre and me at Bunnings. Those of you who have known me a while may well chortle at the thought of me up to my arm pits in timber, bolt cutters, screw driver sets and garden furniture and given my previous incarnation as a city dwelling yuppie type I can well understand, but I'm really enjoying it. My official title is "morning fill crew member". Basically I pack shelves, and answer questions from unsuspecting customers needing helpful advice on how to unblock their dunny or what size screw they use to hang up their prized stuffed crocodile head. It's all pretty much common sense. It's no responsibility and after I leave every day I never give the place a single thought. It's a breath of fresh air really. Sure some of the women that work there are pretty rough, spit a lot and possibly drive rather large trucks, but apart from that everyone seems very friendly and helpful.

We are planning on staying here 'til at least April next year so we can travel into Kakadu just after the wet and see all the waterfalls and wildlife at their best. We both really enjoy Darwin. The place reminds us both a lot of South East Asia too, which we loved and because of the large Asian population the markets and food are divine and cheap. The laid back lifestyle, beautiful surrounds, fabulous Asian food, the heat and friendly locals are all fantastic panaceas to the jaded city life we have been living.

There is virtually no unemployment here, everywhere you go people are crying out for staff. In the paper today they had a report saying that KFC had to close its doors on Saturday because there was no staff. It's happened to quite a few businesses. So if you feel like change of scenery then why not give Darwin a go. It's a great place with endless opportunities. Oh and it costs $49 to fly to Bali and $79 to fly to Singapore.

Top End Tales

rosibud — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:08:00 GMT

It's very early morning here in Darwin, the sun has just come up. Just me and the ducks at the moment.

The early mornings here are alive with the sounds of birdlife, and it’s a wonderful natural alarm clock to greet the day with. We're staying in a very leafy, very tropical caravan park we're there seems to be an over abundance of ducks, magpie geese and plovers. I forgot how much I love living outside. We have our caravan of course, but mostly we spend our home time sitting outside under an extended canvas annexe awning and its great being surrounded by and so open to nature.

We arrived in Darwin a week ago and are currently being drenched in buckets of humidity and an easy going laid back way of life. We're loving both. We've spent an amazing week catching up with one of my oldest friends Rob who is having a similar mid life crisis to me and has chucked it all in to travel around Australia. He scored a job working on the pearl boats off Western Australia and is flown there by sea plane from Darwin for each swing. It's a true "boys own" adventure and he's been entertaining us with the stories of his trip so far. He's sleeping in our annexe for the next few months when he isn't at sea. 20 years ago Rob and I worked together and we would spend our days discussing when we were going to chuck it all in and travel around Australia. Neither of us can believe we're actually doing it.

At every opportunity we have been heading down to Mindil Beach to watch the spectacular sunsets that Darwin has to offer. There is something about watching a massive burnt orange sun go down over the ocean, and seeing flocks of magpie geese fly in formation against a backdrop of a magical colour changing sky, that makes you think about your life, and we all usually sit there on the beach and stories easily abound.

Earlier in the week we went for a trip down the Adelaide River to see a spectacle known as "jumping crocs." The crocs jump out of the water as buffalo meat is dangled from a bamboo pole. This is not unnatural behaviour as crocs will lunge out of the water to attack anything they see as prey. I have never seen crocodiles so close up in the wild. They are truly majestic, endlessly fascinating and bloody scary.

After our week of lounging around playing tourist we thought it was time to go out and become gainfully employed. Neither of us has worked since February and Since we have decided to stay up here and experience “the wet” we figured it was about time we earn some money as beer funds are rapidly dwindling. I'm happy to do anything that doesn't involve working in an office, although I do draw the line at selling AMWAY. I have a job interview this morning at Bunnings. Yeee Ha! You never know folks I may end up making one of those ridiculous TV commercials. Jen saw an ad in the paper for staff wanted at a local croc farm (no experience required). Where else could you apply for a job like that... I love Darwin.

Gallery: Northern Territory

rosibud — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:52:00 GMT

Ant hills, emus, roadtrains and flies

rosibud — Fri, 3 Oct 2008 09:37:00 GMT

We have now been on the road for 8 days. We spent four of those days in Rockhampton. We had planned to overnight in Rocky to catch up with family but our stay was extended and extended again due to a comedy of errors that isn't worth mentioning except over several beers and a bloody good bbq. We ended up leaving Rocky on Wednesday and drove to Barcaldine. We spent the night at a rest area just out of town. It was great to sit there with a nice cold beer in the late afternoon watching the sun set over the bush and listen to the sounds of the outback. We spent the night on our own, a blanket of stars our only company. It was wonderful. Jen cooked a wicked bbq of chicken stuffed with ricotta and wrapped in prosciutto. Who said camp life was boring.

Thursday we headed to Longreach and stopped for a couple of hours to visit the Stockmans Hall of Fame. It made us realise how easy we really have it in our 18 foot air-conditioned van with our LCD TV, microwave, fridge and onboard shower and toilet. The early explorers, stockmen and settlers struggled so hard against the unrelenting outback and the aboriginals have lived happily in it for 60000 years. It makes me appreciate my ice cold beer all the more.

We stopped in Winton last night, where Banjo Patterson wrote "Waltzing Matilda". I didn't see anyone stuff a jumbuck in a tucker bag, but I did see two unfortunate and very dead sheep, the apparent victims of road rage. We had Chinese takeaway from Banjos Bistro which I thought was highly appropriate given the multicultural bastion that is modern day Australia. Winton is also apparently Australia's dinosaur capital. They have found an enormous amount of fossils around the Winton area and you can go on dinosaur tours to see the sites. We were short of time but have vowed to come back and do the whole thing.

The scenery changes as we move further north west but one thing remains the same.. There is a whole lot of nothing out there. Today we were confronted with fields of anthills, 50 metre long road trains, flocks of emus and more flies than the U.S. credit debt.

We had planned on stopping in Mt Isa but one look at the enormous smoke stacks and mining operation made us realise that what they say is true "the best view of Mt Isa can be seen from your rear view mirror as your drive out". We have stopped in Camooweal - Qld's western most town. Tomorrow we will cross the Northern Territory border and be less than two days away from Darwin!

Gallery: Oz Odyssey

rosibud — Fri, 3 Oct 2008 09:21:00 GMT

Today we started to travel around Australia indefinitely!!

rosibud — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:17:00 GMT

Well we're on our way!. After a hectic couple of weeks preparing the van and the car for the journey we are packed, and on the road. Today was huge!! Saying goodbye to our friends was really hard. When we went to Asia I kind of knew it was only for a few months, so I wasn't really upset, just very excited. But this is real. This is long term. This is now my life. I cried like a baby this morning, but I am still very excited, a little scared but know I am doing the right thing. As my best friend said to me this morning "some people wait 40 years to do what you’re doing!" I am so lucky.

We had to get the caravan and car levelled today so the Hayman Reece Weight Distribution Hitch would work properly. Don't ask me what the hell that is, all I know is we need one and it makes towing easier. I'm so thankful we went and got it done professionally. The guy at Arrow Towbars found that when the towbar was originally installed by 'good ol' Jeep' they only put 4 bolts in it instead of 6. Consequently we could have lost half our car and our caravan at any time. Ok, it's probably not that dramatic, but either way I'm glad the pros looked at it instead of me just trusting it had been installed as it should have. That's a tip for young players!

Next we spent 2 and half hours at Zillmere Qld Transport getting registered. Never line up in an inspection bay behind two semi trailers folks, you'll be waiting a long time while the truckie reconditions his engine.

Anyway we are on our way, this is our first night officially "on the road". We only made it about an hour out of Brisbane but we've stopped at a nice little rest area near Landsborough "Crikey is that the home of the croc hunter?" and a good mate of mine Dave is coming down to have dinner with us. It's a weird feeling knowing this is now our life. Everything we need is in this little caravan. It's strange hearing the trucks rush by as I lay on my very comfortable queen size bed or grab a beer from my ice cold fridge. I love my little caravan. I think Jen and I are going to have wonderful times in "Nancy", once we work out how everything works.

I've only been doing this for a couple of hours but already I love my new life.

Introducing Nancy

rosibud — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:16:00 GMT

Yesterday we picked up our new home. An 18 foot Semi Off Road Nova Caravan that we had custom built. We've called her Nancy.

It was a bloody exhausting day. We had 6 hours of training and orientation with the caravan dealers so we now know what to do, how everything works and how to tow it. Having never owned a caravan or even towed a caravan before they did have to give us the full remedial "Caravans for Dummies" course, for which we are eternally grateful.

It was such a weird feeling taking the keys and knowing that finally after so many months of sleeping in hotels in Asia and on lounge room floors back here, we finally have a permanent bed, our own space, and we could finally put things away instead of living out of a backpack. That probably sounds funny, I mean after all it's only a caravan right? But as much as any house, the caravan is going to be our home for the next year or two or longer, so I did have a certain calm wash over me at the thought of sleeping in the same bed every night - even if the view from the window is going to be constantly different.

As caravan's go it’s a pearler. We have our own flat screen LCD TV, microwave, shower and toilet, leather upholstery and full annexe. We only towed it to a friends place yesterday, but I couldn't wait to crack open a beer and just sit inside, look around and smile. I can't wait to get on the road and start experiencing the real outback Australia. Our plan has always to explore most of the 11 thousand beaches in Australia and just go wherever the mood takes us.

Firstly though we will spend about a week packing the van and getting some last minute adjustments done to the jeep. Then next Monday we are off on our big adventure. We're heading up to Darwin. Call me troppo but I've always wanted to experience the build up to the wet season in the top end. Hopefully we can pick up some work and do some serious exploration of the Northern Territory along the way.

We're home, we're trailer trash and we're bloody luvin' it!

rosibud — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:30:00 GMT

Well we finally made it home from South East Asia. What a trip. It seems a bit like a dream these days. We have been frantically preparing for our next journey around OZ and haven't really had much time to sit back, relax and think about all we did over there.

We've bought a sexy Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel 4WD and an off-road Nova Caravan which is being built at the moment and should be ready in the next week or so. We've been madly getting UHF radios and bullbars installed on the car, researching places to go and work opportunities in the Northern Territory, buying Sat Nav and mellamine dinner plates. It's been absolutely great catching up with our famiy and friends. Jen's mum is a great cook! We've slept on more lounge room floors in the past two months than we ever wish to again. It will be so good to finally get into the caravan so we have a permanent bed and can actually pack things away. We've been living out of a backpack since February. It's wearing a bit thin.

As soon as we get the caravan the plan is to head up to Darwin pretty swiftly to catch up with my family (more trailer trash grey nomads) and then we will stay there for a few months and get some work. Jen is keen to go back on the pearl boats and I don't really mind what I do as long as I'm not doing anything remotely similar to what I did before.

After that who knows - Western Australia maybe..I hear the fishing is pretty good over there.

I have a feeling we're going to love this nomad life on the road. There is 11 thousand beaches in Australia and we plan to see every single one of them so watch this space.

Gallery: Thailand

rosibud — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:31:00 GMT

Thailand

Terrific Thailand and 4 more sleeps...

rosibud — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:52:00 GMT

It's been over 5 weeks since I wrote a journals entry..long overdue for all you devotees who are simply glued to your chairs in anticipation of what will happen next.

We have been travelling through Thailand for the past 5 weeks, landing first in Chiang Mai. Everyone told us we would hate Thailand, that it was ruined and had nothing left to offer...But we have loved every minute of it. Flying from Laos to Chiang Mai was like entering another world. There were shopping centres and cinemas and real supermarkets and everything was soooo easy. I think we saw two movies in the first 4 days we were here. It all made us realise that no matter how much we loved the simplicity of Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam, is sure was nice to have an easy life for a while.

Chiang Mai is such a great city, It is actually a really good mix between western comforts and Asian delights. great shopping centres but also full of quirky street stalls, temples and markets. from Chiang Mai we headed up to Pai in the Northern Thailand mountains for 4 days. It's a lovely little artists village set on a gorgeous river and surrounded by jungle, hilltribes and mountain villages. We hired a motorbike for a couple of days and headed up to the hills to see some waterfalls and small village. We got offered opium but being so clueless I just thought the locals villages were desperate for a smoke. I don't think Jen has laughed so hard for quite some time. After the isolation of Pai we made the mistake of flying to Koh Samui in search of some beach action. If your ever contemplating a Thai beach holiday give Samui a miss - its foul, over crowded, it smells and there is really only one decent beach. We hated it!

But of course things always get better and we found our isolated Thai beach paradise on Koh Lanta in Krabi province. We spent 8 glorious sun drenched days there at a beautiful secluded resort that felt like it had been built by people who were ship wrecked there and just decided to build a resort to pass the time. We walked on the beach watched the sunset everyday while quaffing a beer or two. We had a fire on the beach and swam in ocean. We lounged by the infinity pool and ate incredible Thai food. We had a BBQ banquet on the beach and played with the friendly resident dogs. We combed the beach for starfish and shells and walked through the national park searching for wild monkeys. We felt rejuvenated and serene. It was divine. We could have stayed a month... We should have stayed a month.

The last 6 days we have spent in Phuket at Bang Tao beach in a luxury villa with a private pool. We decided that we would spoil ourselves this final week of our adventure. The weather here has been terrible. Monsoonal everyday.. Except for today of course.. because today is our last day!! It has been great having our own space where we can cook for ourselves and not have to go out. We leave for Bangkok tomorrow, 4 more sleeps and we will be home.. Our South East Asian Odyssey will be over. It has been such a tremendous experience but after nearly 5 months we are both excited about going home and seeing our families and friends and our country. We miss it. Travelling has made me realise how unhappy I was before I came and how I never want to go back to the life I had. But as Jen says to me .. You never have to. Stay tuned because when we get back our "OZ Odyssey" kicks off.

So if you are ever contemplating throwing the plasma TV away, selling all your belongings to travel the world, or even just your own wonderful country, Do it Do it now!

I think Mark Twain says it best

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do, then the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream....”

Gallery: South East Asia Kids

rosibud — Sun, 18 May 2008 10:02:00 GMT

South East Asia Kids

Meat Pies, Vanilla Slices, Thai beaches and thoughts of home

rosibud — Sun, 18 May 2008 09:57:00 GMT

I’m sitting here at the little writing desk in our riverfront bungalow in Nong Khiaw looking out at the emerald green jungle that covers the limestone mountains surrounding this stretch of Northern Laos. There is actually many different shades of green making up the landscape around here. Each one is equally lush and rich. In the late afternoon the sun shines on the dense foliage in such a way that it seems to glow. It’s hard to explain and seemingly impossible to capture on film. After 5 days of staring out at it I’m still in as much awe as when I first saw it and I’m still wondering if it’s actually real.

The sounds I hear are the crickets and cicadas and the flow of the water over river stones. I hear the local children laughing and playing and sometimes I hear the whack of a bamboo pole as a fisherman slaps the water trying to scare fish into his net. I occasionally hear the frog that has taken up residence in our bathroom, birds, the sounds of the jungle forest that surrounds us and every now and then the sound of fish jumping out of the water.

This has been the first time on the whole trip that we have been able to sit still and totally relax. It’s a great feeling having nothing particular to do and no where particular to be. I think a lot here, about my life, and about my family. I think about my parents and how they always wanted to travel but never really did. I wish I had been able to take them overseas before they died. I have my mother’s wedding ring and my father’s rosary beads with me so in a way they ARE here on this incredible journey.

I also think about what I’ve done with the first 43 years of my life and how grateful I am for the opportunities I have been given, but how different I want the next 43 to be. Mostly I think about the future and where I will end up. It’s a great place to start making decisions about what we want to do with the next stage of our lives and to think about lies ahead when we get back to Australia.

The trip to South East Asia has been brilliant and has definitely made us look at ourselves and our way of life in different way. At times it’s been difficult and confronting, but it’s been such a thrilling journey of both destination discovery and self discovery. Although we are really looking forward to the next 6 weeks in Thailand, we are both really excited about coming home. We miss our families and our country. We miss familiarity, Jen misses meat pies and I for one, miss Vanilla Slices! This trip has taken us out of our comfort zone and in some cases has pushed us beyond what we ever thought we were capable of. I think everyone should come to South East Asia. I think it should be compulsory education for high school students. To see how people with next to nothing live and to see their simple joy, their hard work and their wonderful spirit is definitely an eye opener that makes you stop whinging about your own economic or life situation.

One thing that has brought endless joy to our travels through South East Asia has been the children. They have been engaging, funny, loaded with charisma, always up for a chat and very inventive. No matter how bad their personal situation has been, they have always shown us a smile that would light up a city and they’re always pleased to see us. They’ve made us origami flowers in Vietnam, they’ve blown us kisses and shown us how to cast a net in Laos and taught us about ancient temples in Cambodia. They’ve teased us, they’ve practised their English on us and they have taught us how to speak the local lingo. There is definitely a universal language that children share before they learn prejudice and class structures and 1^st world vs 3^rd world. They are very accepting and welcoming and we’re so thankful that we have been able to meet so many.

So in less than a week we will be in Chang Mai, Thailand. The last leg of our South East Asian Odyssey. We’ve decided for the Thailand journey we’re going to spend the first week in the mountains but then do a bit of a month long beach/island hop.(we couldn’t decide what beach to go to so we thought we’d do them all!) Yes folks it’s time for long white sandy beaches and sunset cocktails laying in hammocks and deck chairs by the infinity pool. (Oh the stress of it all!) It’s time for kayak trips and snorkelling. (And possibly even a diving course.) It’s definitely time for facials and massage therapy. We are also both in terrible need of haircuts and eyebrow waxing. We arrive back in Oz in 6 more weeks. July 4. Then after a month of catching up with family and being shouted beers by our beautiful friends our two year “Sheilas around OZ Odyssey” begins!

P.S. Have I mentioned that I love my life?

Paradise and Pommy Gals

rosibud — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:26:00 GMT

Yesterday was a great day. When we caught the bus from Luang Prubang to Nong Khiaw the other day we met these wonderful English girls Catherine and Sasha. They were staying at the same bungalows as us and we instantly befriended each other. The first night we all had dinner together overlooking the Nam Ou River and they told us about their amazing lives. They have both travelled extensively all over the world for both work and pleasure and Jen and I sat wide eyed, listening intently as they relayed the stories of their adventures to us. They were both terribly British and there is something just so lovely about hearing British voices tell travel stories. I don’t know what it is, but it somehow gives you a bit of an old world feeling and seems to make the adventures seem all the more fascinating, like they are being read to you from some exotic travel book or something. That probably sounds dumb but that’s how I felt.

Yesterday they asked us to charter a long boat with them yesterday so we could travel up river an hour to an isolated village called Muang Ngoi Neua. Having nothing particularly pressing to do we jumped at the chance and away we went. The trip itself was magic. Life along the Nam Ou provides endless photo opportunities and fascination. Herds of Water Buffalo cool themselves in the river and giggling waving Lao children swim and play on the muddy banks. Fisherman don diving masks and cast nets or use long bamboo poles to stun fish and the local farmers tend their crops on impossibly steep slopes. The river is alive with colour and rapids and birds and long boats. Dotted along the banks are bamboo shacks and villages. A little further back are the massive limestone mountains that seem to rise up out of no where and give the whole area, infact almost the whole of northern Lao, a mystical lost world feel. The jungle in most parts is lush and dense and appears impenetrable. When we got to Muang Ngoi Neua we decided to walk to a local cave about an hour away. As the village became country side we were inundated with every imaginable type, size and colour of butterfly. Catherine spent ages stalking them desperate for that one illusive picture. It wasn’t to be but she had a great time trying. As we were putting along the river I thought about how truly special this country is and how I want to tell everyone about how beautiful and alive it is but don’t want to tell anyone at all because I don’t want it to change.

We arrived back at our bungalows in Nong Khiaw and immediately went and asked if we could stay for 7 days instead of 4. We have truly found paradise here and we’re in no hurry to give it up just yet.

Gallery: Nong Khiaw

rosibud — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:10:00 GMT

Nong Khiaw

rosibud — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Sometimes you come across a place so beautiful you can’t quite believe it’s real. Where the landscape is so stunning and the accommodation so simply perfect and cheap that you keep checking to make sure it’s not all a mistake. Today we arrived in such a place. We took a mini bus 3 hours north of Luang Prubang to a speck on the map called Nong Khiaw. We checked in to the Nong Kiau Riverside Bungalows. My God it’s beautiful. Our bungalow is built over looking the Nam Ou River and across from massive limestone karsts that are covered in dense jungle with a little exposed vertical rock high up and a couple of small Teak plantations toward the bottom.

At the moment Jen is having an afternoon siesta and I’m sitting at the desk in the bungalow listening to the local children play and swim in the river. If I look out I can see fisherman in long canoes casting nets. In parts the river is quite shallow and I can see the fast moving water bubble over exposed river rocks. It’s the sort of place they would choose to shoot an adventure movie. “Lara Croft - Tomb Raider” (see Angelina Jolie joined by intrepid adventurers Rosi and Jen as they machete their way through dense Laos jungle in another actioned packed sequel!). If I saw a dinosaur walk out of the jungle across the river it would not surprise me one bit. If I saw Angelina Jolie walk out wielding a machete I’d probably yell “cooooeeee” , ask after Brad and the kids, and invite her over for some ice cold Beer Lao. That’s the sort of place it is. There is absolutely nothing here except a couple of guest houses and a very very small village. The place we’re staying at is probably the best. It has a restaurant with the best food in Lao and the bungalows are gorgeous. It even has wifi, which surprises me considering they only have electricity at certain times during the day when they fire up the generator. God I love it here! We are booked in for 4 days but may stay longer. The options of things to do are endless.

Here’s a taste for all you poor suckers reading this from behind you desk at work

Things to do in Nong Khiaw

1. Nothing

2. Take a walk along the Nam Ou River to several different villages. Each village has several boats you can hire if you don’t feel like walking back. (God I’m exhausted already)

3. Rent a bicycle and ride east. The landscape is stunning and a number of hilltribe villages can be found along the road.

4. Visit the famous Pha Toke cave 2kms east of town. This where the Pathet Lao forces had their provincial headquarters during the war in the 60s and early 70s.

5. Watch the sunset from the bridge or from various restaurants along the river

6. Play a game of Pentanque with the local patriots across from the post office.

7. Hire a small fishing boat for an extraordinary view of the sunset.

8. Go fishing. Ask you guesthouse to help you with a fishing pole.

9. Tube rafting.

10. Take a late afternoon swim in the river.

11. Visit the local temples and have a chat with the monks.

12. Give an English lesson at the local school or to anyone around you.

13. Drink Beer Lao and Lao lao (Lao whiskey)

14. Watch a movie at the local cinema

15. Stay another day and just chill out and read good book. The surroundings couldn’t be better.

Gallery: Vang Vieng

rosibud — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:56:00 GMT

Vang Vieng

Gallery: Vientiene

rosibud — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:53:00 GMT

Vientiene

Luscious Laos

rosibud — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:23:00 GMT

There is so much more to write about Cambodia. It’s a country that changes lives. It affected us both greatly. At times it left us saddened to the core of our souls with the tragic history of what the Khmer people have been through. At times we felt disgust at how inexplicably some westerners can still take advantage of such vulnerable people. At times we loved it and it left us gob smacked with awe at the sheer magnificence of what the people have created over thousands of years. It definitely left us wanting more. Wanting to see more, wanting to help, wanting to hear more stories. I don’t feel that I can adequately explain the feelings Cambodia left us with here. I think it will take time to sort that out. I’ll get back to you.

So after 3 soul searching and definitely enlightening weeks in Cambodia we flew to Vientiane, Laos. After nearly 2 months in Vietnam and a few weeks in Cambodia arriving in Laos was like entering the chillout zone. After 4 days in the Vientiane (the capital) we headed for Vang Vieng which is dubbed the "chillout capital' of South East Asia. The town itself really isn’t that great. It’s full of young western backpackers doing what young western backpackers do. Drinking and being silly. But that’s not why we came. I’m sitting here on the verandah of our bamboo bungalow looking out at the Nam Song River rush by. It’s early in the morning and everyone is still asleep. The roosters have been “cock a doodle dooing” for a couple of hours. Except the roosters here seem to only "cock-a-doodle", they forget the "dooing" part which in itself is pretty funny. It’s raining. It’s been raining all night. That tropical rain that can’t really be explained to anyone who hasn’t experienced it first hand. Heavy and totally refreshing. Cooling and lush. Looking across the river I can see massive limestone karsts rising up in every direction. Like a line of dramatics peaks. Like they some how just got pushed out of the earth one day all in one movement. Maybe they did.. They are stunning and enigmatic and apparently scattered with caves. Just waiting to be explored. The limestone peaks remind me a lot of Halong Bay in Northern Vietnam, except these ones are mostly covered in dense jungle.

Last night I sat on the same verandah and watched the fireflies buzz around. I don’t think I’ve ever seen fireflies before. They are fascinating. Like little singular fairylights all on their own just floating through the air as if by magic.

Since we’ve been here we’ve been trekking through the jungle and visited some incredible caves. I’m talking the kind of caves that you get given a torch upon entry and climb up slippery rocks and hillsides and the climb down deep into. Caves where you crawl through little tunnels and go so deep inside that there is an absolute absence of light. I have never experienced anything like it. We also went tubing so deep through a water cave that when we all turned our torches off and then turned them back again after a couple of minutes no one had any idea which was out. We have also been tubing down the Nam Song river. You can hire tyre inner tubes and they will drop you off 4 kms from the town and you can float down the river looking at some of the most amazing scenery you will see anywhere.

I feel like I’m only starting to relax, wind down and stop thinking about work. And we’ve been in South East Asia nearly 11 weeks now. Life as I once knew it doesn’t exist anymore. It’s such a liberating feeling. Jen and I do both miss our families and friends. We wish they were here sharing this experience with us sometimes. We often look at amazing things and say “Chris would love this” Ellen would think this was hilarious” “ I can see Jen’s Dad having a great old chat to the locals about this” "Lynelle would photograph that weird looking insect so well"

Laos is spectacular. It definitely lives up to its beautiful, chilled out reputation. The more we see of this country the more we both believe that this is just about the closest to Eden the world will ever get. From the saffron robed monks to the continuous laughter of children. The easy going people with the big broad smiles who don't want to sell you anything they just want to say hello and have a chat. From the taste of mulberry fruit shakes to the hard working h'mong people forever tending their crops or hugging their adorable children. From the scruffy dogs who look like they have urgent places to be to the scrawny chooks. From the the fireflies to the pristine rivers rushing by. From the tuk tuk drivers who sing to their passengers to the shouts of sabaidee (hello) from hilltribe children hiding giggling in trees. From the prettiest city you will ever see to the immense expanse of jungle and the unbeliveable vertical farming plots. This truly is a country of magnificant beauty, both natural and man made. This is Asia at its finest and most unspoilt. With few people and just starting to open up to tourists, it doesn’t yet suffer from any of the problems that other South East Asian countries experiences due to tourism. If you're thinking of going to Vietnam. Don't! Come to Laos first. I think this is how Vietnam would have been before it choked itself on its obsession with the tourist dollar.

I can see why people just keep coming back here. It’s impossible not to immediately relax. In Vang Vieng we are staying at a place called “Le Jardin Organique” which is a lovely collection of simple bungalows right on the river a little out of town. Our friend Marie has come over from Australia to travel with us for a couple of weeks. The other day Marie and I went for a swim in the fast moving Nam Song. Lots of local Lao children were playing in the river, having a bath and doing their washing. It was so lovely to hear their laughter and see their smiling happy faces. Across the bank local fishermen were casting nets. I looked around me and couldn’t believe I was actually here amongst this beautiful simplicity.