Perth Australia: June 15-July 27, 2018 Home Exchange
June 13-15, 2018: Getting there is not half the fun
All the flights were on time. That is the good news. 21 hours in the air on 3 flights is not AlteCocker's definition of "fun". Fun would be a private plane with beds. The itinerary was IAD-LA-Melbourne-Perth. There is no doubt that these mega flights do not go as well when we age. In the past AlteCocker has always slept some over the Pacific. This time acid reflux nearly did her in. She was on a packed Dreamliner aircraft which is the largest commercial plane she has ever been on. In fact, she was told it is the largest commercial plane that exists. It was, of course, packed with seats and there was nowhere to walk except in the aisles. It was a flight rather to be endured rather than enjoyed.
Arriving in Melbourne, all the passport/customs stuff was done electronically. AlteCocker's passport was not stamped. So much for AlteCocker getting a 52 page passport. If others are going to adopt the "no stamp" policy, AlteCocker did not need that large size passport. Tip: When you arrive in Melbourne, US passport holders--and some others--will be directed to electronic machines. Huge queues due to out of service machines develop. Walk on a bit further and you will find more machines and no queues. So, don't do what AlteCocker did and wait in the queues.
Having endured a very difficult change of planes in LA due to each terminal listing only flights from that terminal, the change in Melbourne was much easier. The only problem is that you retrieve your bag and go through immigration/customs at the first point of entry. Unfortunately, rechecking baggage did not go smoothly. There are these machines. AlteCocker lifted her suitcase twice to be rechecked. The automatic readers did not, however, recognize her boarding pass. AlteCocker ended up at the counter. So much for the damn machines.
Flying to Perth, AlteCocker was seated in the last row--in the seats that do not recline. She eventually moved to a row of 3 seats that was empty. She pulled out her trusty travel blankie and pillow, laid down and slept for most of the flight.
International travel always ends in a series of "crises" that really not crises. You need to recheck your bag, hit up the ATM for cash and then deal with getting a phone that works in the country you are in. Because AlteCocker's Verizon phone does not have a sim card due to monthly service only, she bought a very cheap smartphone to use for Australia. After being picked up at the baggage claim, we solved the phone "crisis" before arriving at her home exchange home in the Melville area of Perth. The usual festivities of setting up computer equipment ensued.
Having endured all of that, AlteCocker is now going to crash. More tomorrow.
Arriving in Melbourne, all the passport/customs stuff was done electronically. AlteCocker's passport was not stamped. So much for AlteCocker getting a 52 page passport. If others are going to adopt the "no stamp" policy, AlteCocker did not need that large size passport. Tip: When you arrive in Melbourne, US passport holders--and some others--will be directed to electronic machines. Huge queues due to out of service machines develop. Walk on a bit further and you will find more machines and no queues. So, don't do what AlteCocker did and wait in the queues.
Having endured a very difficult change of planes in LA due to each terminal listing only flights from that terminal, the change in Melbourne was much easier. The only problem is that you retrieve your bag and go through immigration/customs at the first point of entry. Unfortunately, rechecking baggage did not go smoothly. There are these machines. AlteCocker lifted her suitcase twice to be rechecked. The automatic readers did not, however, recognize her boarding pass. AlteCocker ended up at the counter. So much for the damn machines.
Flying to Perth, AlteCocker was seated in the last row--in the seats that do not recline. She eventually moved to a row of 3 seats that was empty. She pulled out her trusty travel blankie and pillow, laid down and slept for most of the flight.
International travel always ends in a series of "crises" that really not crises. You need to recheck your bag, hit up the ATM for cash and then deal with getting a phone that works in the country you are in. Because AlteCocker's Verizon phone does not have a sim card due to monthly service only, she bought a very cheap smartphone to use for Australia. After being picked up at the baggage claim, we solved the phone "crisis" before arriving at her home exchange home in the Melville area of Perth. The usual festivities of setting up computer equipment ensued.
Having endured all of that, AlteCocker is now going to crash. More tomorrow.
June 16-19, 2019: Getting organized and JetLag
After you get there, you are jetlagged and good for not much except sleeping at the wrong times. AlteCocker never plans heavy sightseeing for the first few days. After all, she is driving someone else's car and the last thing she would want are unwanted misadventures with the car.
AlteCocker's home exchanger had arranged for a neighbor to pick her up at Perth Airport and transport her to the house, which is in Melville and closer to Fremantle than to Perth. Freemantle, while a good deal smaller than Perth, is much prettier. On the 16th AlteCocker's home exchanger's friend Nan took her into Freemantle. AlteCocker was not much in the mood for sightseeing though and we ended up just having lunch.
On the 17th AlteCocker, screwing up her courage drove the car into Perth and went to the Art Gallery there. It had an exhibition from the Corsini Palace in Florence, Italy. Since that Palace is not open to the public, it was quite a coup for the Art Gallery. Someone handed AlteCocker a free pass--quite a coup for AlteCocker. The exhibition ended on the 18th--and is not going anywhere else. AlteCocker really enjoyed it.
On the 17th AlteCocker tried to buy some tickets for things on at the State Theatre while she is here and "Carmen" at His Majesty's Theatre. Unfortunately, the box office was closed weekends, so no luck there. AlteCocker returned on the 18th and picked up tickets for 3 performances in total. She also visited an exhibition on Torres Strait Islanders who helped build railroads in Western Australia. Torres Strait is off the Northeast tip of Australia. The Islanders could be away for 2 years at a time! The exhibit is at the State Library. On the way home AlteCocker stopped at Wireless Hill Park near her home exchange in Melville (closer to Freemantle than to Perth). It once was the site of the main wireless station for contact with London. AlteCocker climbed up some steps and got a nice view back into Perth. Unfortunately it was somewhat overcast.
While in Perth, AlteCocker noticed some dim sum places with very long lines on Sunday the 17th. She found a food court place full of Asian food places and had dim sum in there. Later a local informed her that, in his opinion, the food court had the best dim snd the places with the lines were worth it. The places with the lines were seating large groups anyway so not for AlteCocker's group of one.
June 19th was the first real sightseeing day. Nan had offered to take AlteCocker out to a park but there has been a bit of bad weather. AlteCocker was going to go to the Shipwreck Museum, but ended up exploring the area around the big round tower that dominates Freemantle Harbor. She watched them shoot off the one o'clock gun. She also visited an Aboriginal Cultural Center next to the round tower. There was a film detailing the horrible way native people were locked up and essentially worked to death as slaves in the 19th century. Australia has had its challenges with the aboriginals, but the US does not get off scot free on this given our challenges with Indians and, of course, slavery. No one has figured out how to manage contact between an "advanced" civilization and stone age so it does not go badly for the stone age people. People keep mistreating other people and making all the same mistakes.
After the gun went off, AlteCocker headed back to the house for rest time before heading out this evening to see "The Assassins" at the State Theatre in Perth a Stephen Sondhiem musical which turns out to be very topical given Donald Trump.
AlteCocker's home exchanger had arranged for a neighbor to pick her up at Perth Airport and transport her to the house, which is in Melville and closer to Fremantle than to Perth. Freemantle, while a good deal smaller than Perth, is much prettier. On the 16th AlteCocker's home exchanger's friend Nan took her into Freemantle. AlteCocker was not much in the mood for sightseeing though and we ended up just having lunch.
On the 17th AlteCocker, screwing up her courage drove the car into Perth and went to the Art Gallery there. It had an exhibition from the Corsini Palace in Florence, Italy. Since that Palace is not open to the public, it was quite a coup for the Art Gallery. Someone handed AlteCocker a free pass--quite a coup for AlteCocker. The exhibition ended on the 18th--and is not going anywhere else. AlteCocker really enjoyed it.
On the 17th AlteCocker tried to buy some tickets for things on at the State Theatre while she is here and "Carmen" at His Majesty's Theatre. Unfortunately, the box office was closed weekends, so no luck there. AlteCocker returned on the 18th and picked up tickets for 3 performances in total. She also visited an exhibition on Torres Strait Islanders who helped build railroads in Western Australia. Torres Strait is off the Northeast tip of Australia. The Islanders could be away for 2 years at a time! The exhibit is at the State Library. On the way home AlteCocker stopped at Wireless Hill Park near her home exchange in Melville (closer to Freemantle than to Perth). It once was the site of the main wireless station for contact with London. AlteCocker climbed up some steps and got a nice view back into Perth. Unfortunately it was somewhat overcast.
While in Perth, AlteCocker noticed some dim sum places with very long lines on Sunday the 17th. She found a food court place full of Asian food places and had dim sum in there. Later a local informed her that, in his opinion, the food court had the best dim snd the places with the lines were worth it. The places with the lines were seating large groups anyway so not for AlteCocker's group of one.
June 19th was the first real sightseeing day. Nan had offered to take AlteCocker out to a park but there has been a bit of bad weather. AlteCocker was going to go to the Shipwreck Museum, but ended up exploring the area around the big round tower that dominates Freemantle Harbor. She watched them shoot off the one o'clock gun. She also visited an Aboriginal Cultural Center next to the round tower. There was a film detailing the horrible way native people were locked up and essentially worked to death as slaves in the 19th century. Australia has had its challenges with the aboriginals, but the US does not get off scot free on this given our challenges with Indians and, of course, slavery. No one has figured out how to manage contact between an "advanced" civilization and stone age so it does not go badly for the stone age people. People keep mistreating other people and making all the same mistakes.
After the gun went off, AlteCocker headed back to the house for rest time before heading out this evening to see "The Assassins" at the State Theatre in Perth a Stephen Sondhiem musical which turns out to be very topical given Donald Trump.
June 20-22, 2013: Some Local Museums & Margaret River
June 20th and 21st were spent putzing around Fremantle. AlteCocker visited the Shipwreck Museum on the 20th and the Maritime Museum on the 21st. They are both near each other so you can see them both in the same day if you are rushed.
The Shipreck Museum is chiefly devoted to the Dutch ship Batavia remains, shipwrecked off the Western Australian Coast in 1629. The shipwreck resulted in cannibalism and rescue. When the survivors were rescued, there was torture of the perpetrators and hanging in Java. AlteCocker realized she had previously read a book about the events after reading some of the information. She watches a film upstairs about the events. The museum reminds her of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, which she had seen on two prior home exchanges in and near Stockholm. The Vasa was a much larger ship, however, and more was preserved due to the frigid waters where the ship went down. In the Batavia's case, just a small portion survives. The displays, however, with plenty of items from the ship, were fascinating. The place was crawling with school groups in uniforms. School holidays, alas, start on June 30th for 2 weeks.
The Maritime Museum is in a modern building; on the way there AlteCocker learns where the ferry to Rottnest Island leaves. She wants to go there but is waiting for a nice day. Since the beginning of her stay in the Perth area, it has been rain on and off. The highlight of the museum was the submarine tour. It is a huge one (pre nuclear version) and she gets a fantastic tour personalized because she is the only one on the tour. Be prepared for some climbing and wiggling in tight spaces.
June 22nd dawns overcast, but AlteCocker takes a ridiculous drive to Margaret River to, yes, eat lunch at a winery. The drive is 3 hours each way. While ridiculous, it provides a good orientation to other places along the route that she might want to see in the future. The winery selected was Vasse Felix. She has a pork dish with a reduction of eel sauce with brussel sprouts. She has a small bite appetizer of some sort of lobster tasting thing. She skips dessert and heads for Gabriel Chocolate, which is famous for its chocolate chip cookies. She has one of those with cherry chocolate ice cream. There is a branch in Fremantle she finds out later. Ha ha for the ignorant tourist. Then she heads home, filling the gas tank for the first time. Same story as Europe--very expensive. Then it is a race home before the charge on the phone (and the GPS) runs out, The charging outlet in the car does not do very well. She just makes it. She is on her home street when the GPS finally goes dark. By the way, Waze works a lot better than Google here.
Arriving home, AlteCocker collapses into bed. Tomorrow is going to be a local day for sure.
The Shipreck Museum is chiefly devoted to the Dutch ship Batavia remains, shipwrecked off the Western Australian Coast in 1629. The shipwreck resulted in cannibalism and rescue. When the survivors were rescued, there was torture of the perpetrators and hanging in Java. AlteCocker realized she had previously read a book about the events after reading some of the information. She watches a film upstairs about the events. The museum reminds her of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, which she had seen on two prior home exchanges in and near Stockholm. The Vasa was a much larger ship, however, and more was preserved due to the frigid waters where the ship went down. In the Batavia's case, just a small portion survives. The displays, however, with plenty of items from the ship, were fascinating. The place was crawling with school groups in uniforms. School holidays, alas, start on June 30th for 2 weeks.
The Maritime Museum is in a modern building; on the way there AlteCocker learns where the ferry to Rottnest Island leaves. She wants to go there but is waiting for a nice day. Since the beginning of her stay in the Perth area, it has been rain on and off. The highlight of the museum was the submarine tour. It is a huge one (pre nuclear version) and she gets a fantastic tour personalized because she is the only one on the tour. Be prepared for some climbing and wiggling in tight spaces.
June 22nd dawns overcast, but AlteCocker takes a ridiculous drive to Margaret River to, yes, eat lunch at a winery. The drive is 3 hours each way. While ridiculous, it provides a good orientation to other places along the route that she might want to see in the future. The winery selected was Vasse Felix. She has a pork dish with a reduction of eel sauce with brussel sprouts. She has a small bite appetizer of some sort of lobster tasting thing. She skips dessert and heads for Gabriel Chocolate, which is famous for its chocolate chip cookies. She has one of those with cherry chocolate ice cream. There is a branch in Fremantle she finds out later. Ha ha for the ignorant tourist. Then she heads home, filling the gas tank for the first time. Same story as Europe--very expensive. Then it is a race home before the charge on the phone (and the GPS) runs out, The charging outlet in the car does not do very well. She just makes it. She is on her home street when the GPS finally goes dark. By the way, Waze works a lot better than Google here.
Arriving home, AlteCocker collapses into bed. Tomorrow is going to be a local day for sure.
June 23, 2018: Putzing around Fremantle
It's Saturday and the weather is nice. AlteCocker stayed around Fremantle after yesterday's mega driving. She was initially going to do Fremantle Prison, but it was just too nice. She spent the morning working on the blog and checking up all credit cards so that the bills are paid in full each month automatically. She also paid some bills. Internet was a bit slow and balking--probably because the slow netbook was updating. Nothing like an update to slow down a computer!
Then, in view of the good weather, she headed for Fisherman's Harbor in Fremantle. She rode the ferris wheel for a good view. Seniors get a reduction in price. She got some good photos. Then she had lunch at Joe's Fish Shack on the pier. The pier is full of restaurants all serving fish dinners. AlteCocker had half a cold lobster (small lobster) with various sides. She has noticed that you must pay for bread in Australia. The lunch was delicious. A couple sitting next to her had a male who wanted to argue about Trump. He seemed to be pulling my leg. His wife was definitely anti-Trump. Who knows? It did provide for some mealtime entertainment. Then it was back to the home exchange home ending the day early. She was still exhausted from too much driving yesterday.
Then, in view of the good weather, she headed for Fisherman's Harbor in Fremantle. She rode the ferris wheel for a good view. Seniors get a reduction in price. She got some good photos. Then she had lunch at Joe's Fish Shack on the pier. The pier is full of restaurants all serving fish dinners. AlteCocker had half a cold lobster (small lobster) with various sides. She has noticed that you must pay for bread in Australia. The lunch was delicious. A couple sitting next to her had a male who wanted to argue about Trump. He seemed to be pulling my leg. His wife was definitely anti-Trump. Who knows? It did provide for some mealtime entertainment. Then it was back to the home exchange home ending the day early. She was still exhausted from too much driving yesterday.
June 24-25, 2018: Benedictine Abbey at New Norcia
It was time for another side trip. Having learned her lesson from the mega drive to Margaret River, AlteCocker stays over this time.
AlteCocker heads for the Benedictine Abbey at New Norcia. As usual, AlteCocker finds interesting things along the route that merit a stop. This time it was a small farmers' market in Bindoon. She buys some jam made from a local fruit she has never heard of and some goat cheese from different vendors. She has a spring roll made by an Asian woman. She then continues on to New Norcia. Arriving she has just missed the morning tour. She signs up for the tour in the afternoon. In the intervening time she takes a look at the Museum.
The monastery, which currently has 7 monks, was founded by a Spanish order of Benedictines. The museum contains a collection of religious paintings--many of which are Baroque. Few are attributed to individual painters, but it is unexpected to find them in Australia. Soon it is time for the tour. The entire town of New Norcia (pretty much the monastery grounds and the New Norcia Hotel) belongs to the monks. Given that there are only 7 monks now, the future is insecure. Farmland and the bakery are leased out as the monks cannot run these things with such a small community.
The monastery has at one time been the location of a boarding high school for Australian kids and/or a school for Aboriginal children. The history is interesting and the guide is very good. In early Australia, with the population spread out (still a problem), parents wanting a secondary education for their children, had to pay and send them away to be educated. As the state provided mre schools, the reason for the boarding schools died out and children stopped enrolling. The schools have been closed for many years and the facilities are slowly falling apart. There is limited money for restoration. There are chapels for both schools as well as a general chapel, all quite interesting.
The Aboriginal school are from the era when parents were forced to enroll their children in such schools to try and integrate their children into the general white culture. It had all the problems of the American Indian boarding schools. According to the guide, one of the abbots was a friend of the Aboriginals and parents would often voluntarily enroll their children at New Norcia rather than perhaps being forced to send them elsewhere. The monastery functioned as both a community for the monks and mission. Conversions were always voluntary. Recently--which was not mentioned during the tour--much abuse by priests has been revealed in Australia. The schools at new Norcia were not exempt.
It was a choice between the New Norcial Hotel or the Monastery Guest House to stay overnight. AlteCocker chose the Hotel. It is very basic with shared bathrooms. You don't even have a sink in your room and the bathrooms are unheated. It was a cold night and AlteCocker ran her space heater all nightH. The bathrooms, however, were unheated and taking a morning shower in the frigid baths was passed upon. AlteCocker did not fancy freezing to death in the frigid air no matter how hot the water was.
Dinner was at the hotel. AlteCocker had fish and chips--what most people seemed to be ordering. The options for the locals in the area are limited and there were many in the dining room. A few people were staying at the hotel, but it certainly was not full.
AlteCocker did attend vespers with the monks on Sunday night in the principal church. She did not attend mass on Monday morning--which was at 7:30am. AlteCocker is Jewish by culture--even though she is not practicing--and her interest in services with the monks was limited. The main church (used for Sunday night vespers but not for Monday morning mass), had paintings illustrated with thte stations of the cross and the birth of Jesus. The birth of Jesus Australian style included a kangaroo in the manger!
Having turned in early, AlteCocker was up and about early on the 25th to drive back to her home away from home. She stopped at the bakery in Bindoon--really a fabulous bakery in such a small town. She had a pretzel shaped donut and bout a baguette (called a "French stick" at the bakery). The donut was a success. The baguette was so so. There is a children's area in the bakery where the young crowd can 'cook" their own breakfast.
The route to/from the coast passes by many wineries in the Swan Vallery. AlteCocker did not stop at any of them. Arriving "home", to was time to dry some laundry that she had put in the washer on the way out and deal with the blog.
AlteCocker heads for the Benedictine Abbey at New Norcia. As usual, AlteCocker finds interesting things along the route that merit a stop. This time it was a small farmers' market in Bindoon. She buys some jam made from a local fruit she has never heard of and some goat cheese from different vendors. She has a spring roll made by an Asian woman. She then continues on to New Norcia. Arriving she has just missed the morning tour. She signs up for the tour in the afternoon. In the intervening time she takes a look at the Museum.
The monastery, which currently has 7 monks, was founded by a Spanish order of Benedictines. The museum contains a collection of religious paintings--many of which are Baroque. Few are attributed to individual painters, but it is unexpected to find them in Australia. Soon it is time for the tour. The entire town of New Norcia (pretty much the monastery grounds and the New Norcia Hotel) belongs to the monks. Given that there are only 7 monks now, the future is insecure. Farmland and the bakery are leased out as the monks cannot run these things with such a small community.
The monastery has at one time been the location of a boarding high school for Australian kids and/or a school for Aboriginal children. The history is interesting and the guide is very good. In early Australia, with the population spread out (still a problem), parents wanting a secondary education for their children, had to pay and send them away to be educated. As the state provided mre schools, the reason for the boarding schools died out and children stopped enrolling. The schools have been closed for many years and the facilities are slowly falling apart. There is limited money for restoration. There are chapels for both schools as well as a general chapel, all quite interesting.
The Aboriginal school are from the era when parents were forced to enroll their children in such schools to try and integrate their children into the general white culture. It had all the problems of the American Indian boarding schools. According to the guide, one of the abbots was a friend of the Aboriginals and parents would often voluntarily enroll their children at New Norcia rather than perhaps being forced to send them elsewhere. The monastery functioned as both a community for the monks and mission. Conversions were always voluntary. Recently--which was not mentioned during the tour--much abuse by priests has been revealed in Australia. The schools at new Norcia were not exempt.
It was a choice between the New Norcial Hotel or the Monastery Guest House to stay overnight. AlteCocker chose the Hotel. It is very basic with shared bathrooms. You don't even have a sink in your room and the bathrooms are unheated. It was a cold night and AlteCocker ran her space heater all nightH. The bathrooms, however, were unheated and taking a morning shower in the frigid baths was passed upon. AlteCocker did not fancy freezing to death in the frigid air no matter how hot the water was.
Dinner was at the hotel. AlteCocker had fish and chips--what most people seemed to be ordering. The options for the locals in the area are limited and there were many in the dining room. A few people were staying at the hotel, but it certainly was not full.
AlteCocker did attend vespers with the monks on Sunday night in the principal church. She did not attend mass on Monday morning--which was at 7:30am. AlteCocker is Jewish by culture--even though she is not practicing--and her interest in services with the monks was limited. The main church (used for Sunday night vespers but not for Monday morning mass), had paintings illustrated with thte stations of the cross and the birth of Jesus. The birth of Jesus Australian style included a kangaroo in the manger!
Having turned in early, AlteCocker was up and about early on the 25th to drive back to her home away from home. She stopped at the bakery in Bindoon--really a fabulous bakery in such a small town. She had a pretzel shaped donut and bout a baguette (called a "French stick" at the bakery). The donut was a success. The baguette was so so. There is a children's area in the bakery where the young crowd can 'cook" their own breakfast.
The route to/from the coast passes by many wineries in the Swan Vallery. AlteCocker did not stop at any of them. Arriving "home", to was time to dry some laundry that she had put in the washer on the way out and deal with the blog.
June 26-27, 2018: Fremantle Prison
Why would AlteCocker visit Fremantle Prison two days in a row? Because it is a World Heritage site and has a series of tours. On the 26th AlteCocker took a basic tour that discussed the prison's nefarious history. It is one of the places where the convicts sent out from Great Britain were treated brutally. In fact, the convicts were forced to build the prison AlteCocker visited. The conditions were disgusting--with toilets being buckets that had to be emptied every morning. The prison was, in fact, be used until the 20th century when the prison finally closed. No doubt the whole place stunk.
On June 27th AlteCocker took the tunnels tour. It was pouring rain, so best to do something inside. She was advised of steps going down but was not advised of what the "steps" looked like. They were ladders. You had to wear safety harnesses to negotiate them and it was terrifying going down--all the way thinking about how you were toing to get back up. The convicts built the tunnels to supply the prison with water. It also supplied Fremantle with water until the modern water system was developed. The problem with the tunnels tour--which includes a boat ride--is that you have to worry about climbing those ladders back up at the end of the tour. Much of the tunnels are so low that you cannot stand up. It is, in short, not a tour for AlteCockers. AlteCocker found the tour interesting but she would have enjoyed it more several years ago prior to back problems. Is she glad she did it? Yes, but she would not do it again. She needed an assisted climb on the way out. Basically, she was hooked up to a rope and winched along to help her climb. Sort of embarassing, but, she was told, not uncommon. She was glad she took the tour but she was exhausted at the end. She went to lunch at the coffee shop near the house and then to bed to rest her back. She was exhausted.
AlteCocker will return to the prison on Friday night June 29th for one more tour--the torchlight cum ghost tour.
On June 27th AlteCocker took the tunnels tour. It was pouring rain, so best to do something inside. She was advised of steps going down but was not advised of what the "steps" looked like. They were ladders. You had to wear safety harnesses to negotiate them and it was terrifying going down--all the way thinking about how you were toing to get back up. The convicts built the tunnels to supply the prison with water. It also supplied Fremantle with water until the modern water system was developed. The problem with the tunnels tour--which includes a boat ride--is that you have to worry about climbing those ladders back up at the end of the tour. Much of the tunnels are so low that you cannot stand up. It is, in short, not a tour for AlteCockers. AlteCocker found the tour interesting but she would have enjoyed it more several years ago prior to back problems. Is she glad she did it? Yes, but she would not do it again. She needed an assisted climb on the way out. Basically, she was hooked up to a rope and winched along to help her climb. Sort of embarassing, but, she was told, not uncommon. She was glad she took the tour but she was exhausted at the end. She went to lunch at the coffee shop near the house and then to bed to rest her back. She was exhausted.
AlteCocker will return to the prison on Friday night June 29th for one more tour--the torchlight cum ghost tour.
June 28-29, 2018: Caversham Wildlife Park
Sometimes you just wing it. That is what AlteCocker did on June 28th. She decides to pay her respects to Australian animals, although she has seen plenty of kangaroos, koalas and other marsupials and weird animals on previous trips. She heads for the wildlife park because she figures parking will be cheaper (it was free) and that she doesn't need to visit lions and tigers that she has in zoos in the US and generally does not visit. She went to the Caversham Wildlife Park. The place is crawling with various sorts of kangaroos with the usual feeding opportunity that she passes on. There is the predictable opportunity to have your photo taken with a koala. AlteCocker has done this on prior trips, but, hey, why not? The zoo is empty and there is no queue.
There are some other animals as well including 2 fighting dingos. AlteCocker spends a lot of time looking at the collection of Australian birds. Australia has some spectacular birds including parrots and some that have so many colors you need sunglasses. They are just gorgeous. Some make a lot more noise than American birds. The background noise from birds is much louder in Australia than the US.
After the Wildlife Park, AlteCocker goes to a choral concert at West Australia University. The concert includes students from lots of high school choirs. When 250 students sing together in Maori at the end, it was spectacular. The conductor is Andrew Eisenmann who has made a career of conducting such choirs and has some sort of gig at the Universitiy of Western Australia--the most prestigious university in Western Australia. He is an American and trained at Julliard. The hall is festooned with shields from various universities world wide. AlteCocker noticed Harvard and Yale immediately. The University of California is also present.
So how did AlteCocker learn about this concert? Earlier in the trip, she met Andrew Eisenmann and the chief accompanist at a restaurant and he told me about it and said it would be enjoyable. AlteCocker bought tickets for herself and Nan, her home exchanger's friend who had picked her up at the airport. The concert, mainly attended by family and friends of the kids, was definitely worth the $20 per ticket price. Eisenmann is definitely talented. Working with 250 kids can't be easy. Some are definitely very talented.
AlteCocker cannot say much about June 29th. After breakfast she heads--she thinks--to the botanic park. The GPS is not working and trying to wing it to find it results in her just getting lost. Not fun. The problem is that that the mobile data is not working in Perth-Fremantle. Eventually she bags it and just goes home. She can find "home" by now without the GPS (she is using Waze on the phone as Google Maps was a problem). She learns her lesson: You get the GPS loaded with the itinerary and do not wing it in the car. On the way home, she stops at the worst Thai restaurant she has ever eaten at, Thai Corner. The pad thai is served with a sauce that is more analogous to spaghetti sauce than to any real sauce she has ever eaten. The walls are festooned with awards. AlteCocker wonders who gives such awards. Things often do not go well when foreigners adapt their food to the local palate. She will not be eating at Thai Corner again--awards or not.
By the time AlteCocker gets home, it is past 2:00pm. The botanic gardens will be tomorrow. She programs Waze when she gets home with the directions. She then discovers the whole business was her own stupid fault. The data roaming had somehow been turned off. Sigh.
The day is not a total bust up. As her body heals from the tunnels tour (thank goodness, as there were lots of pulled muscles in shoulders and thighs), AlteCocker had a reservation for the Torchlight Tour at Fremantle Prison. The tour turns out to be a hoot. AlteCocker will not provide details as, in case you want to go, she does not want to spoil it.
There are some other animals as well including 2 fighting dingos. AlteCocker spends a lot of time looking at the collection of Australian birds. Australia has some spectacular birds including parrots and some that have so many colors you need sunglasses. They are just gorgeous. Some make a lot more noise than American birds. The background noise from birds is much louder in Australia than the US.
After the Wildlife Park, AlteCocker goes to a choral concert at West Australia University. The concert includes students from lots of high school choirs. When 250 students sing together in Maori at the end, it was spectacular. The conductor is Andrew Eisenmann who has made a career of conducting such choirs and has some sort of gig at the Universitiy of Western Australia--the most prestigious university in Western Australia. He is an American and trained at Julliard. The hall is festooned with shields from various universities world wide. AlteCocker noticed Harvard and Yale immediately. The University of California is also present.
So how did AlteCocker learn about this concert? Earlier in the trip, she met Andrew Eisenmann and the chief accompanist at a restaurant and he told me about it and said it would be enjoyable. AlteCocker bought tickets for herself and Nan, her home exchanger's friend who had picked her up at the airport. The concert, mainly attended by family and friends of the kids, was definitely worth the $20 per ticket price. Eisenmann is definitely talented. Working with 250 kids can't be easy. Some are definitely very talented.
AlteCocker cannot say much about June 29th. After breakfast she heads--she thinks--to the botanic park. The GPS is not working and trying to wing it to find it results in her just getting lost. Not fun. The problem is that that the mobile data is not working in Perth-Fremantle. Eventually she bags it and just goes home. She can find "home" by now without the GPS (she is using Waze on the phone as Google Maps was a problem). She learns her lesson: You get the GPS loaded with the itinerary and do not wing it in the car. On the way home, she stops at the worst Thai restaurant she has ever eaten at, Thai Corner. The pad thai is served with a sauce that is more analogous to spaghetti sauce than to any real sauce she has ever eaten. The walls are festooned with awards. AlteCocker wonders who gives such awards. Things often do not go well when foreigners adapt their food to the local palate. She will not be eating at Thai Corner again--awards or not.
By the time AlteCocker gets home, it is past 2:00pm. The botanic gardens will be tomorrow. She programs Waze when she gets home with the directions. She then discovers the whole business was her own stupid fault. The data roaming had somehow been turned off. Sigh.
The day is not a total bust up. As her body heals from the tunnels tour (thank goodness, as there were lots of pulled muscles in shoulders and thighs), AlteCocker had a reservation for the Torchlight Tour at Fremantle Prison. The tour turns out to be a hoot. AlteCocker will not provide details as, in case you want to go, she does not want to spoil it.
Kings Park Botanic Garden and a Bit of A Disaster
AlteCocker eats breakfast on the Femantle Harbor in a place where the parking is free and the photos are good. She has eggs and bacon but no more big breakfasts with a bunch of things AlteCocker does not want. Australian bacon is what we call Canadian bacon in the US.
This time she finds the Kings Park Botanic Gardens. No problem with a functioning GPS. She walks down to a gigantic bridge through the trees that gives AlteCocker a good views and great photos. Then, walking back, a minor disaster occurs. She falls on these nuts that are all over the road. They sort of look like opium poppies but are clearly something else. She is quite shaken with a badly sprained wrist and will be black and blue in some new places tomorrow. Fortunately, a young doctor was present along with some Chinese people. She gets an assist to stand up and the doctor's father gave her some water. AlteCocker sits on a stone wall to get over some dizziness and the the doctor and her father walk AlteCocker back to her car. She programs the GPS and heads for home stoppimg at a pharmacist for a wrist brace and some refill Metamucil (not related to the fall but to general old age plumbing problems). She then has a coffee and muffin at the local coffee shop before going home to do the blog, finish up some laundry and just generally rest up.
Tomorrow she is heading for The Pinnacles with new temporary aches and pains. She will be out two nights before returning to her home in Fremantle. The hotel is prebooked but the weather looks crappy. We shall see. With today's black and blue adventure, she is glad she chose to stay out two nights on this side trip. The driving in Australia can get overwhelming quickly.
This time she finds the Kings Park Botanic Gardens. No problem with a functioning GPS. She walks down to a gigantic bridge through the trees that gives AlteCocker a good views and great photos. Then, walking back, a minor disaster occurs. She falls on these nuts that are all over the road. They sort of look like opium poppies but are clearly something else. She is quite shaken with a badly sprained wrist and will be black and blue in some new places tomorrow. Fortunately, a young doctor was present along with some Chinese people. She gets an assist to stand up and the doctor's father gave her some water. AlteCocker sits on a stone wall to get over some dizziness and the the doctor and her father walk AlteCocker back to her car. She programs the GPS and heads for home stoppimg at a pharmacist for a wrist brace and some refill Metamucil (not related to the fall but to general old age plumbing problems). She then has a coffee and muffin at the local coffee shop before going home to do the blog, finish up some laundry and just generally rest up.
Tomorrow she is heading for The Pinnacles with new temporary aches and pains. She will be out two nights before returning to her home in Fremantle. The hotel is prebooked but the weather looks crappy. We shall see. With today's black and blue adventure, she is glad she chose to stay out two nights on this side trip. The driving in Australia can get overwhelming quickly.
July 1-3, 2018: The Pinnacles, Jurien Park & Bad Weather
So it was time for an overnight trip. Off AlteCocker went to The PInnacles, a much ballyhooed rock formation 2 1/4 hours north of Perth on the Indian Ocean Road. It was AlteCocker's first excursion into the Great Australian emptiness--miles and miles of nothing interrupted by an occasional beach "resort" usually designed for people bringing in cars with attached trailers. Overnight housing for travelers is limited. AlteCocker made a reservation at Jurien Bay Tourist Park. Before checking in, AlteCocker stops to see the Pinnacles. It turns out to much more impressive than AlteCocker thought in advance. There is a 4 km drive around the rocks and unending numbers of eroded rocks. Look at the photos. AlteCocker has neverr seen anything like it. Definitely worth the trouble if you are in the Perth area. AlteCocker wonders if the aborigines ever used the site for initiation ceremonies as many of the formations sort of resemble penises.
AlteCocker stops at one of the places where you can and takes a lot of photos. Many Asians doing things you shouldn't do with historic rock formations--such as sitting on them and taking silly photos where they touch 2 of them and take a photo between them. Tourist behavior is the same all over.
AlteCocker is booked into the tourist park in what is called a "chalet" for 2 nights (a prefab unit that contains a bedroom and living room/kitchen area designed for self caterers). The trip to The Pinnacles, however, was not timed well. Rain was predicted for July 2nd. Rain? It was more like a hurricaine with torrential downpours and high winds. AlteCocker exits the chalet once for a meal, but otherwise works on a book she's been reading about ecological problems in the American Great Lakes and watches TV. She also catches up on podcasts but loading new ones is difficult because the internet at the Tourist Park was iffy at best and the hurricane outside makes things worse. At one point the lights flicker. It's a wasted day and AlteCocker is paying for 2 nights at the tourist park to essentially hide out from the weather. Water does get in through the window frame in the bedroom. A towel mops it up. She figures the office is busy with more important problems.
The beach is right outside with views of the Indian Ocean, but AlteCocker does not even see it until July 3rd just before she leaves. Would have been nice on a nice day.
Finally the rain stops but the skies do look ominous. There are other things to do in the area, but she has spent 2 nights in this godforsaken tourist park and she decides to bag any further exploration in favor of just driving back to base in Perth. That is what she did. In the end, there were no more torrential downpours, but she is exhausted. She stops at the usual coffee place for lunch (fried squid and chips and gets all her stuff in the house and takes a nap and does the blog. The trip was a bit of a bust up due to the weather (it was the same in Perth), but you can't have guaranteed good weather 100% of the time on a holiday.So
One thing AlteCocker wanted to out was the town of Cervantes--the closest town to The Pinnacles. Yes, it is named for Miguel de Cervantes with streets that are Spanish themed. She asks a few locals and they do not even know who Cervantes was. Someone says perhaps a wrecked boat was named "Cervantes". That turns out to be back story. The wrecked ship was named for the author of "Don Quixote". Who knew? There is a local tour of a lobster processing plant in Cervantes. AlteCocker had planned on going the day the heavens opened up, but she didn't. It is on the way going home, but she bags it and just goes home as it is only from 12 noon to 3:00pm and AlteCocker wanted to get the drive over with. There is a large metal version of the Picasso sketch of Don Quixote that you see all over at the entrance to the town.
She stopped once later in route for coffee and the all important toilets, but that was it. Just in case the heavens were thinking about more rain, she'd rather be back in Perth.
So, AlteCocker settled in do the blog and take a nap. Tomorrow will be a day off. She is in the planning stages of another side trip--this time checking the weather report more carefully.
AlteCocker stops at one of the places where you can and takes a lot of photos. Many Asians doing things you shouldn't do with historic rock formations--such as sitting on them and taking silly photos where they touch 2 of them and take a photo between them. Tourist behavior is the same all over.
AlteCocker is booked into the tourist park in what is called a "chalet" for 2 nights (a prefab unit that contains a bedroom and living room/kitchen area designed for self caterers). The trip to The Pinnacles, however, was not timed well. Rain was predicted for July 2nd. Rain? It was more like a hurricaine with torrential downpours and high winds. AlteCocker exits the chalet once for a meal, but otherwise works on a book she's been reading about ecological problems in the American Great Lakes and watches TV. She also catches up on podcasts but loading new ones is difficult because the internet at the Tourist Park was iffy at best and the hurricane outside makes things worse. At one point the lights flicker. It's a wasted day and AlteCocker is paying for 2 nights at the tourist park to essentially hide out from the weather. Water does get in through the window frame in the bedroom. A towel mops it up. She figures the office is busy with more important problems.
The beach is right outside with views of the Indian Ocean, but AlteCocker does not even see it until July 3rd just before she leaves. Would have been nice on a nice day.
Finally the rain stops but the skies do look ominous. There are other things to do in the area, but she has spent 2 nights in this godforsaken tourist park and she decides to bag any further exploration in favor of just driving back to base in Perth. That is what she did. In the end, there were no more torrential downpours, but she is exhausted. She stops at the usual coffee place for lunch (fried squid and chips and gets all her stuff in the house and takes a nap and does the blog. The trip was a bit of a bust up due to the weather (it was the same in Perth), but you can't have guaranteed good weather 100% of the time on a holiday.So
One thing AlteCocker wanted to out was the town of Cervantes--the closest town to The Pinnacles. Yes, it is named for Miguel de Cervantes with streets that are Spanish themed. She asks a few locals and they do not even know who Cervantes was. Someone says perhaps a wrecked boat was named "Cervantes". That turns out to be back story. The wrecked ship was named for the author of "Don Quixote". Who knew? There is a local tour of a lobster processing plant in Cervantes. AlteCocker had planned on going the day the heavens opened up, but she didn't. It is on the way going home, but she bags it and just goes home as it is only from 12 noon to 3:00pm and AlteCocker wanted to get the drive over with. There is a large metal version of the Picasso sketch of Don Quixote that you see all over at the entrance to the town.
She stopped once later in route for coffee and the all important toilets, but that was it. Just in case the heavens were thinking about more rain, she'd rather be back in Perth.
So, AlteCocker settled in do the blog and take a nap. Tomorrow will be a day off. She is in the planning stages of another side trip--this time checking the weather report more carefully.
July 4-6, 2018: Time OFf and a visit to Rockingham Marine park
After the weather debacle in Jurian Bay and the debacle of her fall, AlteCocker takes July 4th off. She eats lunch at a restaurant on the water, Zephyr, but that is about it. She had giant "prawns" which, in American English, would be called giant "shrimp"; they are delicious but a bit of a mess. She had a very delicious brownie for dessert--one of the few times she has ordered dessert in Australia, by the way. In her humble opinion, many Australian desserts are just not that great--very good for the waistline.
Bad weather again is the determinant. It is a good day to just read a book and that is exactly what she does.
July 5th is not great shakes in the weather department. She goes to the movies and walks around downtown Fremantle. Parking is outrageous in Fremantle and there is not enough of it. She has to park far from the cinema. The movie with parking costs AlteCocker $25! She will forget about the art house cinema downtown and go to the shopping malls for films should she need a weather fix in Fremantle again. She shouldn't have left the umbrella in the car either. She did not win that gamble.
Finally, July 6th dawns a gorgeous day. She had indoor plans but those will be reserved for the next rainstorm. She decides to go to Rockingham to take the Penguin Island Wildlife Cruise. Rockingham is about 30 minutes away, but the GPS just will not work. AlteCocker ends up going the long way round and, alas, misses the 12:15pm cruise. Due to Australian school holidays this week and next (winter break), AlteCocker is in luck. There will be another cruise at 2:15pm. She fills the gas tank in a nearby gas station and has lunch in a cafe run by the boat cruise people. The restaurant is called Pengo's--and, yes, the inspiration is the penguin that she does not see on the cruise. There is a 30 minute hike as part of the cruise, but AlteCocker opts out. She is still recovering from her fall and does not want to tempt providence. It is off season for the cruise company, so many things available in summer are not available. That is the disadvantage of off season travel. The advantage, however, is less people.
The cruise takes 2 hours. AlteCocker saw a few dophins, masses of sea birds, and about 20 sealions hauled out on a beach. She made friends with a little fearless "willywagtail" bird while most of the others walked to a viewpoint. It was not the most spectacular dolphin cruise she has ever taken, but it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.
Then, having been tipped off by the boat cruise people, AlteCocker takes the road to Point Peron. She climbs up to the viewpoint and that makes her day. The GPS finally kicks in after balkiness in a remote area, and going home takes half the time that getting there did. She end up on a road that goes almost right by her exchange home. She could have made the 12:15pm cruise had she known.
By the way, no one saw any penguins. The were all nesting. We were told that we would not see any. Photos are below, but none of the little "fairy penguins" that live on the island, so don't ask.
Bad weather again is the determinant. It is a good day to just read a book and that is exactly what she does.
July 5th is not great shakes in the weather department. She goes to the movies and walks around downtown Fremantle. Parking is outrageous in Fremantle and there is not enough of it. She has to park far from the cinema. The movie with parking costs AlteCocker $25! She will forget about the art house cinema downtown and go to the shopping malls for films should she need a weather fix in Fremantle again. She shouldn't have left the umbrella in the car either. She did not win that gamble.
Finally, July 6th dawns a gorgeous day. She had indoor plans but those will be reserved for the next rainstorm. She decides to go to Rockingham to take the Penguin Island Wildlife Cruise. Rockingham is about 30 minutes away, but the GPS just will not work. AlteCocker ends up going the long way round and, alas, misses the 12:15pm cruise. Due to Australian school holidays this week and next (winter break), AlteCocker is in luck. There will be another cruise at 2:15pm. She fills the gas tank in a nearby gas station and has lunch in a cafe run by the boat cruise people. The restaurant is called Pengo's--and, yes, the inspiration is the penguin that she does not see on the cruise. There is a 30 minute hike as part of the cruise, but AlteCocker opts out. She is still recovering from her fall and does not want to tempt providence. It is off season for the cruise company, so many things available in summer are not available. That is the disadvantage of off season travel. The advantage, however, is less people.
The cruise takes 2 hours. AlteCocker saw a few dophins, masses of sea birds, and about 20 sealions hauled out on a beach. She made friends with a little fearless "willywagtail" bird while most of the others walked to a viewpoint. It was not the most spectacular dolphin cruise she has ever taken, but it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.
Then, having been tipped off by the boat cruise people, AlteCocker takes the road to Point Peron. She climbs up to the viewpoint and that makes her day. The GPS finally kicks in after balkiness in a remote area, and going home takes half the time that getting there did. She end up on a road that goes almost right by her exchange home. She could have made the 12:15pm cruise had she known.
By the way, no one saw any penguins. The were all nesting. We were told that we would not see any. Photos are below, but none of the little "fairy penguins" that live on the island, so don't ask.
July 7-10, 2018: Albany
First AlteCocker needs to get there. Over 400 kilometers. As with everything in Western Australia, it's a long way. The road is boring but eventually, of course, AlteCocker does get there. She stops for coffee in clearly the wrong place. The owner is a Pakistani. He has just bought the roadside place. The coffee is OK. The bathrooms are unspeakable. She recommends that you stop in Williams further on. It is a real small town and, passing by the coffee shop, it looks much nicer.
In Albany he stays at The Harbourside Motel (3 nights) at the intersection of Frenchman's Bay and the main highway. Motel? Well Australian motels are different from American ones: This one has only 6 units and small kitchens in each unit. There is no daily maid service. It's fine and AlteCocker would stay there again. The owner is very nice and suggests she head for Due South, a restaurant on the harbor for dinner. Everyone seems to gather there to have a drink and enjoy the sunsets. AlteCocker does he same--and eats a fine grilled octopus tentacles for dinner.
Then it is bedtime. On day 2 AlteCocker decides to head for Porongurup National Park. There is a trail there that leaves to an overlook in the park. Big mistake as the trail was straight up and AlteCocker stops about halfway and never gets to take the photo. She still sees some pretty scenery. Predictably, AlteCocker misses the Aboriginal Ceremony that opens what in Austraila is known as NAIDOC week--the week that honors Aboriginal Australians. The Aborigines in Australia have many of the same problems that American Indians have--only more so. Every performance anywhere begins with acknowledgement of the group/groups that originally occupied the land. There were, AlteCocker is told, over 1,000 languages in Australia--most gone forever new. It is the old story of the meeting of a more advanced culture with a stone age people. The stone age people generally do not fare well.
AlteCocker makes her way back to Albany after abandoning the trail by a different route. Then she passes by the motel and heads down Frenchman's Bay to the Whaling Station. While skeptical of its value of a tourist site, AlteCocker is presently surprised. Who knew that whaling continued in Australia through the 1970s? They would shoot the whales with an automatic harpoon and drag the carcasses up on a platform for "flensing"--basically skinning and dismantling it down to its parts and the all important oil. It was a gross business but was a way of life for many men. The carcasses came up on the platform with sharks fighting to get to the meat. Sometimes the sharks came with the whales. Sometimes they shot the sharks from the platform. There is a tour and some films. AlteCocker doesn't finish and has the shop put her name on a list so she can return the next day--maybe.
Dinner that night was at Frenchy's, a restaurant next door to the motel. She meets some Australians of Polish background and joins them after they ask--of course paying for herself. Dinner was fish with shrimp on top--not as memorable as the previous night's dinner.
On her last day in Albany, AlteCocker goes to the the ANZAC Centre, above the Albany harbor. She takes the tour of the remains of the fortress at the same side but soon abandons the tour and walks around on her own. The tour guide was not very interesting. After walking around and taking photos of the harbor--where two convoys of ANZACS left for World War I and Gallipoli--she has coffee at The Garrison Restaurant adjacent to the site (probably a good place for dinner had AlteCocker's stay been longer). She bypasses the gift shop and drives down to the town from the overlook and museum. She stops on an area known as "The Terrace" and has an unmemorable snack for lunch (soggy bread with mushrooms which the place calls "bruschetta"; it was not bruschetta by AlteCocker's standards).
After the lousy snack, AlteCocker heads for Frenchman's Bay via Natural Bridge and The Gap at the national park (well marked on the right). She has a small ice cream in the restaurant at the Whaling Station and finishes up with the ship used in the whale trade at the Whaling Station. Then she drives back to the Harborside Motel, bagging dinner and choosing an early night. Lots of driving would be the feature of the next day--over 500 km of it to get to Margaret River.
In Albany he stays at The Harbourside Motel (3 nights) at the intersection of Frenchman's Bay and the main highway. Motel? Well Australian motels are different from American ones: This one has only 6 units and small kitchens in each unit. There is no daily maid service. It's fine and AlteCocker would stay there again. The owner is very nice and suggests she head for Due South, a restaurant on the harbor for dinner. Everyone seems to gather there to have a drink and enjoy the sunsets. AlteCocker does he same--and eats a fine grilled octopus tentacles for dinner.
Then it is bedtime. On day 2 AlteCocker decides to head for Porongurup National Park. There is a trail there that leaves to an overlook in the park. Big mistake as the trail was straight up and AlteCocker stops about halfway and never gets to take the photo. She still sees some pretty scenery. Predictably, AlteCocker misses the Aboriginal Ceremony that opens what in Austraila is known as NAIDOC week--the week that honors Aboriginal Australians. The Aborigines in Australia have many of the same problems that American Indians have--only more so. Every performance anywhere begins with acknowledgement of the group/groups that originally occupied the land. There were, AlteCocker is told, over 1,000 languages in Australia--most gone forever new. It is the old story of the meeting of a more advanced culture with a stone age people. The stone age people generally do not fare well.
AlteCocker makes her way back to Albany after abandoning the trail by a different route. Then she passes by the motel and heads down Frenchman's Bay to the Whaling Station. While skeptical of its value of a tourist site, AlteCocker is presently surprised. Who knew that whaling continued in Australia through the 1970s? They would shoot the whales with an automatic harpoon and drag the carcasses up on a platform for "flensing"--basically skinning and dismantling it down to its parts and the all important oil. It was a gross business but was a way of life for many men. The carcasses came up on the platform with sharks fighting to get to the meat. Sometimes the sharks came with the whales. Sometimes they shot the sharks from the platform. There is a tour and some films. AlteCocker doesn't finish and has the shop put her name on a list so she can return the next day--maybe.
Dinner that night was at Frenchy's, a restaurant next door to the motel. She meets some Australians of Polish background and joins them after they ask--of course paying for herself. Dinner was fish with shrimp on top--not as memorable as the previous night's dinner.
On her last day in Albany, AlteCocker goes to the the ANZAC Centre, above the Albany harbor. She takes the tour of the remains of the fortress at the same side but soon abandons the tour and walks around on her own. The tour guide was not very interesting. After walking around and taking photos of the harbor--where two convoys of ANZACS left for World War I and Gallipoli--she has coffee at The Garrison Restaurant adjacent to the site (probably a good place for dinner had AlteCocker's stay been longer). She bypasses the gift shop and drives down to the town from the overlook and museum. She stops on an area known as "The Terrace" and has an unmemorable snack for lunch (soggy bread with mushrooms which the place calls "bruschetta"; it was not bruschetta by AlteCocker's standards).
After the lousy snack, AlteCocker heads for Frenchman's Bay via Natural Bridge and The Gap at the national park (well marked on the right). She has a small ice cream in the restaurant at the Whaling Station and finishes up with the ship used in the whale trade at the Whaling Station. Then she drives back to the Harborside Motel, bagging dinner and choosing an early night. Lots of driving would be the feature of the next day--over 500 km of it to get to Margaret River.
July 10-12, 2018: Margaret River
July 10th is another massive driving day--over 500 km. The only stop of note is to visit the Valley of the Giants in Denmark. No, not the country, the town. It's west of Albany. It is well marked from the road. The Giants are enormous tingle trees and the Australians have built a walk into the canopy. AlteCocker stops and does the walk. She does not do the ground level walk as she still has about 400 of those 500 kilometers to drive according to her GPS. She has not eaten breakfast and that turns out to be an ice cream at the tingle tree place. She wonders why no redwood grove has such a walk. It's pretty amazing.
And so it is back in the car, to continue the drive to Elkamo, her lodging in the cute town of Margaret River. Of course, she has been through there before when she drove to Vasse Felix Winery to have lunch. The main tourism in the area is wine, wine, and more wine--followed by cheese and chocolate (beans imported of course).
Dinner is at Elkamo, which has a fine dining restaurant. It was fine. For the 11th AlteCocker opts for (what else?) a wine tour. Tourist information is across from the hotel, so very convenient to make a booking. She peruses a few brochures and chooses Vintage Wine Tours. The guide (and owner) is Tony. He's funny and great. After a wine tasting, we head for the Leeuwin Estate for a tour, hors d'oeuvres matched with wines and then a wine infused lunch with rare farm raised venison and chocolate cake to die for. After that, AlteCocker does not need anymore wine and is ready for a nap. When the tour stops at a a boutique winery, she stays in the van. There are stops at a cheese place and a chocolate place. Those are OK. Some of them buy ice cream cones! AlteCocker is certainly neither hungry nor thirsty. She does taste but doesn't buy. Then the tour finishes with a stop at a brewery! The 3 couples on the tour obviously have a lot more tolerance than AlteCocker has. The brewery is down the street from her hotel. Tony drops her off and she goes to sleep while the others probably had to be carried out of the brewery. Geez!
After all of that, there is no dinner. AlteCocker checks out the morning of the 12th and drives "home", doing part of the drive the scenic way along the coast and dealing with laundry when she got back. Lunch is at Delicious Fingers, AlteCocker's neighborhood coffee place. She is getting to know a few of the locals there.
And so it is back in the car, to continue the drive to Elkamo, her lodging in the cute town of Margaret River. Of course, she has been through there before when she drove to Vasse Felix Winery to have lunch. The main tourism in the area is wine, wine, and more wine--followed by cheese and chocolate (beans imported of course).
Dinner is at Elkamo, which has a fine dining restaurant. It was fine. For the 11th AlteCocker opts for (what else?) a wine tour. Tourist information is across from the hotel, so very convenient to make a booking. She peruses a few brochures and chooses Vintage Wine Tours. The guide (and owner) is Tony. He's funny and great. After a wine tasting, we head for the Leeuwin Estate for a tour, hors d'oeuvres matched with wines and then a wine infused lunch with rare farm raised venison and chocolate cake to die for. After that, AlteCocker does not need anymore wine and is ready for a nap. When the tour stops at a a boutique winery, she stays in the van. There are stops at a cheese place and a chocolate place. Those are OK. Some of them buy ice cream cones! AlteCocker is certainly neither hungry nor thirsty. She does taste but doesn't buy. Then the tour finishes with a stop at a brewery! The 3 couples on the tour obviously have a lot more tolerance than AlteCocker has. The brewery is down the street from her hotel. Tony drops her off and she goes to sleep while the others probably had to be carried out of the brewery. Geez!
After all of that, there is no dinner. AlteCocker checks out the morning of the 12th and drives "home", doing part of the drive the scenic way along the coast and dealing with laundry when she got back. Lunch is at Delicious Fingers, AlteCocker's neighborhood coffee place. She is getting to know a few of the locals there.
July 13, 2018: AQWA & Hillary's HarboUr
The weather has been threatening to change to rain but it holds. AlteCocker decides to the local aquarium known by the initials "AQWA". It is located north of Perth in a place known as Hillary's Harbour. Who Hillary is/was AlteCocker has no idea. There are lots of restaurants in a development along the harbor and it appears to be a sort of resort for people from Perth. The place is packed with school children who are on the end of their school holidays. They will all be back in class on Monday. Australia is on a similar schedule to English schools--with a shorter summer vacation than American kids get but end of term holidays scattered throughout the year.
Children are swimming, yelling, having faces painted, etc. Spiderman is making balloon animals. AlteCocker has lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (yes, the American chain). She is told the one at Hillary's Harbour is the first in Australia. It has a way to go to be as good as the one at home. You don't tip in Australia. That can result in lousy service at times. After ordering, it takes well over 30 minutes for AlteCocker's Hawaiian pizza to appear. It is mediocre. The crust is so thin that it almost is not there. She looks at pizzas at an adjacent table and they did not get the cracker thin crust. They got pizza crust. AlteCocker has yet to eat good pizza this trip. Maybe she should just stick to fish and chips.
After lunch, she goes to the Aquarium. It isn't as large as the one in Baltimore and doesn't have a dolphin show if you are into that. Still, it is not a bad way to while away an hour or too. There are comfy chairs by the reef exhibits where you can sit down and watch the fish. There are some spectacular jellyfish tanks. There is a tunnel with sharks and manta rays. The aquarium is about 30 km north of Perth.
She goes home and finally tackles the blog--way behind after the side trip to Albany and Margaret River. Wouldn't you know, the site is not loading photos. She will have to catch up the photos on another day.
Children are swimming, yelling, having faces painted, etc. Spiderman is making balloon animals. AlteCocker has lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (yes, the American chain). She is told the one at Hillary's Harbour is the first in Australia. It has a way to go to be as good as the one at home. You don't tip in Australia. That can result in lousy service at times. After ordering, it takes well over 30 minutes for AlteCocker's Hawaiian pizza to appear. It is mediocre. The crust is so thin that it almost is not there. She looks at pizzas at an adjacent table and they did not get the cracker thin crust. They got pizza crust. AlteCocker has yet to eat good pizza this trip. Maybe she should just stick to fish and chips.
After lunch, she goes to the Aquarium. It isn't as large as the one in Baltimore and doesn't have a dolphin show if you are into that. Still, it is not a bad way to while away an hour or too. There are comfy chairs by the reef exhibits where you can sit down and watch the fish. There are some spectacular jellyfish tanks. There is a tunnel with sharks and manta rays. The aquarium is about 30 km north of Perth.
She goes home and finally tackles the blog--way behind after the side trip to Albany and Margaret River. Wouldn't you know, the site is not loading photos. She will have to catch up the photos on another day.
July 14-15, 2018: Crown Perth, Historic Homestead, Market
The beautiful weather is gone, perhaps not to return during AlteCocker's stay. Bah. My exchanger's friend Nan invites AlteCocker to lunch at Crown Perth--the local casino. For once AlteCocker does not have to drive. We go to the buffet. They are having Christmas in July--just like Frenchy's in Albany. The buffet is the buffet. The casino/entertainment venue is enormous. We walk through the casino full of intent gamblers.
On the way home we stop at the Heathcote Gallery, a gallery on the grounds of a former insane asylum. It has become a venue for artists. There is an interesting small exhibit of audio visual art plus a shop. The woman running the museum is from Springfield, Massachusetts. She married an Australian. There are great views of Perth across the Swann Estuary. On a warm day it would be pleasant to sit outside at the restaurant. Not so nice on a cold day. Australian heat is not very good. They live under the delusion, noticed by me on prior trips, that it never gets cold. Same in New Zealand. Heat in homes is usually space heaters on the wall or on the ground moved around. Homes are poorly insulated. They use electricity sparingly because it is comparatively expensive. We in North America are spoiled.
Nan takes me on a drive around the high rent district. Then it is back home. AlteCocker falls asleep early--meaning she wakes up when she shouldn't and has trouble going back to sleep.
July 15th. A month has passed. AlteCocker's injuries from the gum nut fall are slowly healing. It will take awhile. She eats breakfast (a muffin and coffee) at the usual place and heads for the Azelia Ley Homestead. It is open only on Sunday afternoons. She gets there with time to spare and has to wait. It has an eclectic collection of antiques, old farm equipment, old clothing, photos and other items. It is worth 45-60 minutes. AlteCocker is the only tourist there during her walk around. There is a walk you can take, but, mindful of her wrist and arm and the rain on and off, AlteCocker heads for Fremantle Markets. It seems to be the main tourist attraction. It has obviously been discovered by the Asians. AlteCocker has a real croque monsieur dished out by a displaced Frenchwoman and a "New York" chocolate cherry cookie that is way too large. She does not buy anything. In fact all she has bought is a fridge magnet from Fremantle Prison. When you go to a place for the second time, you don't buy much as you bought it the first time.
At the end of the wander thru the Markets--which is large and full of food places and various shopping opportunities--AlteCocker has some garlic bread and an apple cider at a place called Monks. Then it is time to go home, relax, load photos on the blog and do laundry. Hard to believe the Perth home exchange has less than 2 weeks left.
On the way home we stop at the Heathcote Gallery, a gallery on the grounds of a former insane asylum. It has become a venue for artists. There is an interesting small exhibit of audio visual art plus a shop. The woman running the museum is from Springfield, Massachusetts. She married an Australian. There are great views of Perth across the Swann Estuary. On a warm day it would be pleasant to sit outside at the restaurant. Not so nice on a cold day. Australian heat is not very good. They live under the delusion, noticed by me on prior trips, that it never gets cold. Same in New Zealand. Heat in homes is usually space heaters on the wall or on the ground moved around. Homes are poorly insulated. They use electricity sparingly because it is comparatively expensive. We in North America are spoiled.
Nan takes me on a drive around the high rent district. Then it is back home. AlteCocker falls asleep early--meaning she wakes up when she shouldn't and has trouble going back to sleep.
July 15th. A month has passed. AlteCocker's injuries from the gum nut fall are slowly healing. It will take awhile. She eats breakfast (a muffin and coffee) at the usual place and heads for the Azelia Ley Homestead. It is open only on Sunday afternoons. She gets there with time to spare and has to wait. It has an eclectic collection of antiques, old farm equipment, old clothing, photos and other items. It is worth 45-60 minutes. AlteCocker is the only tourist there during her walk around. There is a walk you can take, but, mindful of her wrist and arm and the rain on and off, AlteCocker heads for Fremantle Markets. It seems to be the main tourist attraction. It has obviously been discovered by the Asians. AlteCocker has a real croque monsieur dished out by a displaced Frenchwoman and a "New York" chocolate cherry cookie that is way too large. She does not buy anything. In fact all she has bought is a fridge magnet from Fremantle Prison. When you go to a place for the second time, you don't buy much as you bought it the first time.
At the end of the wander thru the Markets--which is large and full of food places and various shopping opportunities--AlteCocker has some garlic bread and an apple cider at a place called Monks. Then it is time to go home, relax, load photos on the blog and do laundry. Hard to believe the Perth home exchange has less than 2 weeks left.
July 16, 2018: Sandlaford Estate (Yes, More Wine)
a The weather is rain mixed with sun. AlteCocker gets a late start and has her muffin at Delicious Fingers. Then she has a decision to make. She lingers over coffee and finishes a Tim Winton novel that she has borrowed from her home exchanger, "The Riders". He is probably the best known Australian novelist. He apparently lives in Fremantle but the novel takes place largely in Europe. AlteCocker talks to a woman who is reading a Donna Gabaldon novel. AlteCocker read a couple of hers and then then lost interest. The novel is much longer than the one AlteCocker polished off. Given that AlteCocker is at the end of her Perth home exchange, she won't tackle anymore books belonging to her home exchanger. She will stick to her Kindle.
Finally AlteCocker has to decide what to do. She decides to head for the Sandalford Winery for lunch. The vineyard is in the Swan Valley, which, as was true in Margaret River, is loaded with vineyards. She notices, however, that Sandalford puts "Margaret River" on its labels (more prestige). She is just about the last one served when she arrives at 2:30pm. Since she has had only the muffin for breakfast, she is ready for a good lunch. She has smoked rare kangaroo (AlteCocker is a very adventurous eater) with sweet potato croquettes and then a wine infused sorbet with dried fruits for dessert. The main course is more successful than the dessert. A glass of shiraz was consumed with lunch so there was no wine tasting after lunch. AlteCocker has learned her limits after the Margaret River over indulgence.
Please note that the vineyard restaurant is only open for lunch. It is best to go during the week. On weekends it turns into a massive wedding venue. AlteCocker was told that they can handle 4 weddings at the same time. An extension is being built so they can handle even more. Sandalford is the big kahuna of the winery restaurants in the area. It was a nice day out.
Then AlteCocker drives home to take a nap. When she arises from her wine infused nap, she tackles getting a ticket to the Broadway Musical "Aladdin", which will open in Perth just before she leave. Between resetting her password on ticketmaster and figuring out how to do it, she takes about an hour to do it. She also makes a reservation at The Atrium, an upscale buffet restaurant at the Crown Perth. "Aladdin" will be at the the Crown Perth as well, so convenient.
Then it is time to finally catch up the blog and edit prior entries. Finally, it is 100% up to date.
Finally AlteCocker has to decide what to do. She decides to head for the Sandalford Winery for lunch. The vineyard is in the Swan Valley, which, as was true in Margaret River, is loaded with vineyards. She notices, however, that Sandalford puts "Margaret River" on its labels (more prestige). She is just about the last one served when she arrives at 2:30pm. Since she has had only the muffin for breakfast, she is ready for a good lunch. She has smoked rare kangaroo (AlteCocker is a very adventurous eater) with sweet potato croquettes and then a wine infused sorbet with dried fruits for dessert. The main course is more successful than the dessert. A glass of shiraz was consumed with lunch so there was no wine tasting after lunch. AlteCocker has learned her limits after the Margaret River over indulgence.
Please note that the vineyard restaurant is only open for lunch. It is best to go during the week. On weekends it turns into a massive wedding venue. AlteCocker was told that they can handle 4 weddings at the same time. An extension is being built so they can handle even more. Sandalford is the big kahuna of the winery restaurants in the area. It was a nice day out.
Then AlteCocker drives home to take a nap. When she arises from her wine infused nap, she tackles getting a ticket to the Broadway Musical "Aladdin", which will open in Perth just before she leave. Between resetting her password on ticketmaster and figuring out how to do it, she takes about an hour to do it. She also makes a reservation at The Atrium, an upscale buffet restaurant at the Crown Perth. "Aladdin" will be at the the Crown Perth as well, so convenient.
Then it is time to finally catch up the blog and edit prior entries. Finally, it is 100% up to date.
July 17-18, 2018: Captain Cook Cruise, Mediocre Greek LUnch
, EReally having done 90% of what she set out to do, AlteCocker has coffee and a muffin and decides to take the Captain Cook lunch cruise. Basically the boat goes back and forth between Perth and Fremantle. Depending upon the time of day, there are different features. AlteCocker opts for the lunch cruise. She should have known better. Have you ever been on one of these sorts of cruises where the lunch is anything besides mediocre. The lunch is mediocre. AlteCocker hardly eats any of it. The desserts are chocolate cake and carrot cake. The chocolate cake was the best part of the lunch, but it certainly was not the most wonderful piece of chocolate cake either.
Captain Cook is the heavy hitter in boat cruises in Australia. The cruise itself is not bad with decent commentary. The lunch is not worth it. The cruise leaves from B Shed in Fremantle if you want to take it from Fremantle. It leaves from the main boat dock in Perth if you are bording from that end.
AlteCocker's choice for lunch on July 18th was a disappointment as well. She opts for a Greek restaurant on the waterfront north of Fremantle, Eat Greek, She has seen a sign advertising a "mezze lunch". AlteCocker looks for a table for an assortment of appetizers. There is none. She finally orders a large appetizer plate that includes cold stuffed gape leaves, pita bread and 3 dips. She assumes that will be tahini, hummus and baba ganoush. She gets the first 2 but the the 3rd one is not baba ganoush. It is some sort of pink dip that supposedly has fish roe in it. That, compined with mush pita bread--that doesn't go well if you are going to use it to pick up dip, makes for a lousy lunch.
You certainly cannot win them all.
Captain Cook is the heavy hitter in boat cruises in Australia. The cruise itself is not bad with decent commentary. The lunch is not worth it. The cruise leaves from B Shed in Fremantle if you want to take it from Fremantle. It leaves from the main boat dock in Perth if you are bording from that end.
AlteCocker's choice for lunch on July 18th was a disappointment as well. She opts for a Greek restaurant on the waterfront north of Fremantle, Eat Greek, She has seen a sign advertising a "mezze lunch". AlteCocker looks for a table for an assortment of appetizers. There is none. She finally orders a large appetizer plate that includes cold stuffed gape leaves, pita bread and 3 dips. She assumes that will be tahini, hummus and baba ganoush. She gets the first 2 but the the 3rd one is not baba ganoush. It is some sort of pink dip that supposedly has fish roe in it. That, compined with mush pita bread--that doesn't go well if you are going to use it to pick up dip, makes for a lousy lunch.
You certainly cannot win them all.
July 19, 2018: Rottnest Island
AlteCocker has wanted to go to Rottnest Island for awhile but the weather has been crappy. The last thing AlteCocker would want to do would go to Rottnest on a day when the sea was choppy. No thanks. Finally a good day, and AlteCocker is nursing a cold. She wants to go back to bed, but, given the break in the weather, she gets her act together and gets down to the Rottnest Express ticket booth at Shed B and books the 11:30am ferry to Rottnest. She hangs out reading and drinking coffee until the ferry leaves after she situates the car in all day parking ($10AU).
It is a smooth crossing. Getting off the ferry, she has lunch at Thompson's (grilled fish and chips--passable). She then walks over to the commercial area and takes photos of quokkas, the marsupials who dominate the island. They are all over. They are cute and they come right over to you. Unfortunately, they hang out in the commercial area because food is there. A quokka with a baby in the pouch attracts everyone's attention--including AlteCocker's.
After lunch and quokka photos, AlteCocker visits the small museum and then boards a bus for her island tour. She boards the wrong bus, but soon is on the right one. The tour, booked thru Rottnest Express with her ticket, turns out to be the highlight of the day. You get a good overview of the gorgeous scenery on the island. It would be lovely to snorkel there during the summer, but it is too cold for that in winter. At the extreme west of the island, the surf is pounding. Someone points out a small lizard and AlteCocker gets a photo. It is a skink.
The tour lasts a little over an hour and a half. Then it is an hour til the ferry. She has a snack from the bakery. It turns out to be too much and she trashes it. The coffee shop is closed so no coffee. She makes her way to the ferry. Just before the ferry leaves, she realizes she has left a hiking pole behind. It's too late to return to get it. It was one of the 2 she brought and the second one is still at "home". When you travel, you get distracted a lose a lot of stuff.
It is a smooth crossing. Getting off the ferry, she has lunch at Thompson's (grilled fish and chips--passable). She then walks over to the commercial area and takes photos of quokkas, the marsupials who dominate the island. They are all over. They are cute and they come right over to you. Unfortunately, they hang out in the commercial area because food is there. A quokka with a baby in the pouch attracts everyone's attention--including AlteCocker's.
After lunch and quokka photos, AlteCocker visits the small museum and then boards a bus for her island tour. She boards the wrong bus, but soon is on the right one. The tour, booked thru Rottnest Express with her ticket, turns out to be the highlight of the day. You get a good overview of the gorgeous scenery on the island. It would be lovely to snorkel there during the summer, but it is too cold for that in winter. At the extreme west of the island, the surf is pounding. Someone points out a small lizard and AlteCocker gets a photo. It is a skink.
The tour lasts a little over an hour and a half. Then it is an hour til the ferry. She has a snack from the bakery. It turns out to be too much and she trashes it. The coffee shop is closed so no coffee. She makes her way to the ferry. Just before the ferry leaves, she realizes she has left a hiking pole behind. It's too late to return to get it. It was one of the 2 she brought and the second one is still at "home". When you travel, you get distracted a lose a lot of stuff.
July 20, 2018: Mandurah dolphin Cruise
ThIt is supposed to be a rainy miserable weekend. It isn't in the morning and and AlteCocker heads for Mandurah, an hour south of Fremantle to see if she can snag a Dolphin Cruise. She arrives just in time for the 1:00pm cruise, which is largely populated (to the extent it is populated at all, by Chinese people. Unfortunately, by the time she gets to Mandurah, the bad weather has begun to move in. The Dolphin Cruise people offer a variety of tours, including one where you catch crabs and then feast upon them. It's off season and only the basic dolphin cruise is offered. So, AlteCocker takes one. The boat goes into the harbor where you may or may not see dolphins (we were a lot luckier than those who took the morning cruise). Lots of dolphins, one seal (AlteCocker missed that) and some pelicans (one out of focus photo). She has no success photographing dolphins so AlteCocker just enjoys them.
After the dolphin viewing, you go into the canals (all are labeled with street names) where rich people have vacation homes. Some have statues of seals or birds of prey on their verandas to inimidate the ever present aggressive seagulls. Word is that they don't work very well. At least AlteCocker has not seen any ibis in Western Australia. They are even more aggressive than the seagulls. The photos are not very good, as the boat was moving almost all the time.
We do pass a memorial to the ANZACs adjacent to the waterfront.
After the cruise, AlteCocker needs to scope out lunch. Cicerello's Seafood is right there on the waterfront and she has barramundi fish, chips and salad. This time the fried fish is very good. Cicerello's is apparently the place to go in Mandurah for seafood. There can be long lines out the front door in summer (Christmas here), but there are only a scattering of people. Barramundi is a fish native to Australian waters. It a white meaty fish that you cannot get in North America, so, when down under, AlteCocker will order it often to get her fix. While the fish was very good at Cicerello's, the gelato was terrible. The pistachio was almost tasteless. AlteCocker ends up tossing the gelato in the trash. No point in piling on the calories when they are tastless.
Before leaving Mandurah, AlteCocker buys a "I Caught Crabs in Mandurah" t-shirt--even if she didn't go on the crab cruise. It is just too funny to resist and the only other souvenir she has bought so far is a fridge magnet from Fremantle Prison.
By mid boat ride, the bad weather has really moved in and it begins to rain on and off for the rest of the day. AlteCocker has gotten to the point with the driving where she uses the GPS to get her to a main road and then turns it off. She pretty much knows how to get "home" now from the main roads.
Arriving, she turns on the heater in living room (there is none in the bedroom), turns on the TV to the news and, at some point, falls asleep. When she wakes, she plays podcasts from the US as she updates the blog.
After the dolphin viewing, you go into the canals (all are labeled with street names) where rich people have vacation homes. Some have statues of seals or birds of prey on their verandas to inimidate the ever present aggressive seagulls. Word is that they don't work very well. At least AlteCocker has not seen any ibis in Western Australia. They are even more aggressive than the seagulls. The photos are not very good, as the boat was moving almost all the time.
We do pass a memorial to the ANZACs adjacent to the waterfront.
After the cruise, AlteCocker needs to scope out lunch. Cicerello's Seafood is right there on the waterfront and she has barramundi fish, chips and salad. This time the fried fish is very good. Cicerello's is apparently the place to go in Mandurah for seafood. There can be long lines out the front door in summer (Christmas here), but there are only a scattering of people. Barramundi is a fish native to Australian waters. It a white meaty fish that you cannot get in North America, so, when down under, AlteCocker will order it often to get her fix. While the fish was very good at Cicerello's, the gelato was terrible. The pistachio was almost tasteless. AlteCocker ends up tossing the gelato in the trash. No point in piling on the calories when they are tastless.
Before leaving Mandurah, AlteCocker buys a "I Caught Crabs in Mandurah" t-shirt--even if she didn't go on the crab cruise. It is just too funny to resist and the only other souvenir she has bought so far is a fridge magnet from Fremantle Prison.
By mid boat ride, the bad weather has really moved in and it begins to rain on and off for the rest of the day. AlteCocker has gotten to the point with the driving where she uses the GPS to get her to a main road and then turns it off. She pretty much knows how to get "home" now from the main roads.
Arriving, she turns on the heater in living room (there is none in the bedroom), turns on the TV to the news and, at some point, falls asleep. When she wakes, she plays podcasts from the US as she updates the blog.
July 21-22, 2018: Fremantle Markets, AViation Museum
Well, torrential rains on and off this last Perth weekend, so not much to report. The 21st was just a visit to Fremantle Markets again--this time to have a Turkish gozleme that AlteCocker noticed on her first visit but she was not hungry enough to eat one. AlteCocker should have skipped it. The gozleme was, well, terrible. Next to the gozleme stand, however, are donuts. One of those makes the excursion somewhat worthwhile.
The weather on the 22nd is the same--rain on and off. AlteCocker goes to the Garden City Mall to pick up extra batteries for her camera and some athlete's foot medicine. The latter is particularly frustrating, as she was supposed to have packed some from her ample supply at home. She forgot. She buys both in the mall pharmacy--and avoids a trip to the K-Mart. Unlike US malls, Australian ones are still where the action is. Online shopping is just getting started.
After walking around the mall--similar to an American one but some of the stores have different names. Also a contrast to US shopping malls: Australian ones have grocery stores and all sorts of specialty food shops such as butchers and seafood sellers.
After the shopping mall, AlteCocker decides to head for the Western Australian Aviation Heritage Museum. She has seen it marked on many drives back and forth. It is not the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, but it is not a bad way to spend an hour or two. The highlight is a Lancaster fighter from the Battle of Britain. AlteCocker spends about an hour there and then heads back to her home exchange. Exiting the car, she cleans it out of the accumulation of brochures. It is time to do that, as the home exchange is almost over. She has begun to launder the bed linens in preparation for leaving.
The weather on the 22nd is the same--rain on and off. AlteCocker goes to the Garden City Mall to pick up extra batteries for her camera and some athlete's foot medicine. The latter is particularly frustrating, as she was supposed to have packed some from her ample supply at home. She forgot. She buys both in the mall pharmacy--and avoids a trip to the K-Mart. Unlike US malls, Australian ones are still where the action is. Online shopping is just getting started.
After walking around the mall--similar to an American one but some of the stores have different names. Also a contrast to US shopping malls: Australian ones have grocery stores and all sorts of specialty food shops such as butchers and seafood sellers.
After the shopping mall, AlteCocker decides to head for the Western Australian Aviation Heritage Museum. She has seen it marked on many drives back and forth. It is not the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, but it is not a bad way to spend an hour or two. The highlight is a Lancaster fighter from the Battle of Britain. AlteCocker spends about an hour there and then heads back to her home exchange. Exiting the car, she cleans it out of the accumulation of brochures. It is time to do that, as the home exchange is almost over. She has begun to launder the bed linens in preparation for leaving.
July 23-27, 2018: The End
The last few days were filled with trying to get thru the mystery AlteCocker is reading so she can leave it at the Perth home exchange, and no long car rides. As she writes this it is July 25th. She saw the Western Australia Opera at His Majesty's Theatre in Perth after watching the sunset over the Swann River at Zephyr on the 24th. On the 25th, she went to see the Broadway Australian road company in "Aladdin" at Crown Perth. Both were excellent. After the performannce of "Aladdin," AlteCocker ate dinner at The Atrium, an upscale buffet that was endorsed by her home exchanger's friend. It was an upscale buffet but, as usual with a buffet, quality was comprimised by quanitiy. The desserts once again looked better than they tasted. In her opinion, it was certainly not worth the $65 price, but it is a question of what you want. When she exited, it was raining AGAIN!
There is nothing left but to pack and clean house. The trip will continue in Broome, but there may be no posts until the Broom leg is over as AlteCocker has no idea what internet access will be during AlteCocker's package tour. Just stay tuned.
There is nothing left but to pack and clean house. The trip will continue in Broome, but there may be no posts until the Broom leg is over as AlteCocker has no idea what internet access will be during AlteCocker's package tour. Just stay tuned.