May 4,2013: May the Fourth be with you from Kangaroo Island!
**Sorry this is so late. I ran out of Internet and had to purchase some more at the store!**
Waking up extremely early by choice is kind of a big deal for me, especially on a free day. I was out the front door by
6:05 and at the bus station by
6:10.. FIVE MINUTES EARLY!! It was still dark, and I was not extremely pleased with the directions that were given to me by the front desk from the YHA in Adelaide- turn right down an alley and you'll be right there. Okay maybe a well lit street would be better- that's what I found coming back
at 10:30pm. Yes, it was a long day and lots if voluntary bus riding, but I'm glad I did it!
On the way from Adelaide to KI ferry, we saw a full rainbow over the town in the foreground of the ocean view. Unfortunately pictures can't do the memories justice, but I did my best in capturing the moment.
I hopped a ferry to KI. It was 45 minutes a pretty rocky seas, but I was somewhat prepared. I learned from Jena that the sea bracelets worked pretty well on our cruise last year, so I rocked that on the boat and tried to sleep a little. It worked. They did have paper bags just in case, but I was not about to use one.
I got off the ferry and found the restroom, or "toilets" as they call them here and mostly everywhere else other than America. Then I looked for the bus. Thinking I had found the right one, I knocked on the door. An older man with a slight sense of humor stopped his talk and opened the door. I checked in and he asked where I had been because they were about to leave me. He wasn't kidding. Then to the tour guide and everyone else I had to apologize and say I had run to the bathroom real quick--embarrassing.
So note to self and others: find your tour first before you stand in line for the "toilets."
I was the youngest on this tour by far, and I didn't really meet anyone except for two retired couples from AUS and there were two Italians on their honeymoon. Anywho, the entire day tour made me better appreciate Squatter, Belle, Ray and the group so much more than I already did!
We saw some cool things, though the atmosphere of the Sealink day tour could have been a little more welcoming and upbeat.
First stop--Seal Bay Conservation Park. This was a natural seal bay and breeding ground. The big brown and grey animals were everywhere! We learned that a female seal is pregnant for 17 months (cringe moment) and then after they have the baby they get pregnant again within a week. This cycle continues for the rest of their lives. I would leave the pack, abandon ship, and swim away. An actual fun fact is that they can hold their breath for 6 minutes to swim and hunt for food.
We got to walk along the beach and get close to the seals. No touching though. I felt like I was at the piers in San Fran with all the seals and the same wretched smell! It was really cool though, just a little difficult with more and older people in the group.
We had lunch at a restaurant close by, and the food was pretty good. But the neat part was the water. Kangaroo Island has the 3rd best air quality in the world, and they do not filter their rainwater. They use that as tap and drinking water, and they served it at lunch. It tasted better than our Brita, and was more like bottled water. Very cool.
Hanson Bay Koala Sanctuary was up next. It was pretty neat as we walked through the rows of eucalyptus trees on either side of the dirt road looking up for great fireballs- aka sleeping koalas! We spotted about 15 of them and then had to run back to the bus.
The Remarkable rocks stop was next on the list. I signed up for the highlights tour and got to see most of the sights on the island. It was just hard not to stay at each site for very long. A trek down a boardwalk led us to the rocks where the wind howled across in every direction. After I had showed up in shorts and a Tshirt, I was so thankful to have grabbed my Adidas pants and sweatshirt! I would have had to buy a jacket because the Antarctic winds were fierce. I'm serious, the cold was coming to Antarctica! I thought I could see it, but my vision isn't quite as good as Sarah Palin's..
I like her though so it's okay :)
The rocks were pretty neat, almost like broken marbles. I got caught up takin a lot of pictures and then talking to a couple I thought was on our tour. They were not, and I almost got left on the island. Oops.
I got an applause when I stepped on the bus. True.
Admiral's Arch was our last stop and I was not about to be late getting back to the bus. It had been a long day, so I booked it down the steps, snapped some pics and went back to the bus.
We grabbed "dinner" at one of the only restaurants in their main area. And got it to-go for the bus ride to drop people off at the airport and then to the ferry that would take us back to the mainland. The water was a lot smoother this time, which was nice but I was exhausted. Getting on the bus from the ferry to Adelaide is where I met Joy, the older lady I told you about in my last post. Good times for sure.
In all, I'm glad I took this day trip but I might not do it again. It was a nice check off the list and I don't have to go on with the "what ifs." And if you haven't noticed, it was a little different. Not many kangaroos (weird) and no aboriginals. I don't know why we didn't see many kangas on KI, but I did learn that the aboriginals believe the islands to be full of spirits so they stay away.
I made it back to the bus station and walked down a more crowded street on a
Saturday night and went back to the room for a second night there. Vera and I were the only ones in the room so we lucked out. No randos coming in late.
Also, my favorite hostel has surely been the YHA. I'm not sure if it's the same everywhere, but it was clean, had big lockers, front desk people were helpful and it was quiet for the most part. Our alarms were set for
5am again, and we would meet people in our group for the Great Ocean Road.
