Singapore and Australia - August & September 1998
To prove I was in Australia, here a picture with a (friendly) Koala-bear.
From 4-19 september there was a www-meeting again, this time in Adelaide, South Australia. Bernie would organize it and because I had met her twice already at such a meeting, I knew she could do that well.
Australia is far away and it's an expensive journey, but because I had worked much I thought I could permit it myself and so the planning started. In March already I booked the trip. First to Singapore, there Ravi and Vanitha live with their 2 children (they were here for 1 week last year), then Melbourne 3 days, 15 days Adelaide and finally 4 days Cairns. And now, when I'm back again I can say: it was a fantastic trip - Autralia is so beautiful. And then I mean especially the nature, the cities are modern and once you've seen some, you've seen them all, but the nature is quite different than with us. The flowers, the trees, the animals etc . So many beautiful flowers which are very expensive here and which grow there everywhere. The trees, esp. the eucalyptustrees, wonderful. And then all these animals: kangaroes and koalabears, both wild and tame, emoes, parrots, seals, pinguins, whales near Victor Harbor, dingo's etc.
I've seen fantastic skies with stars with a very clear Milkyway from above my head till the horizon and then those wonderful sunsets, near Roxby Downs during our Outback tour was the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen , in all possible colours blue and rose. And the colours of the rocks nearby constantly changed in colour also then. And that rainbow on Kangaroo-island, from one end to the other, running out in the water (with a pot of gold at both sides?).
Singapore was interesting also, there also were many unknown flowers and also fruit. It is warm there but you don't notice that so much - everywhere there is airconditioning: in the houses, the cars, the underground, the bus, the shops. And outside you adapt your walkingtempo automatically. Of course I've been in the Raffleshotel, I've been shopping, met my penfriend Sara and together with her and her husband we had a meal in "Little India", with Ravi and Vanitha I was at Pulau Ubin, an island with a tropical rainforest and a orchidnursery. We once had lunch at the Ramakrishna Mission, you got a big bananaleaf on the table, instead of a plate and then people with pans just passed by and you were given some food on that leaf. At the end I had 12 different portions! The Indians eat with their hand and when you are finished you fold your leaf and throw it away, no washing up! On Monday Vanitha took me to Malaysia, to Johore Bahru and there we bought all kind of fruits:durian, mangosteen, rambutan, custardapple, very tasty all of them.
Mondayevening I left for Australia, the Zutshi family took me to the airport and Sara was there also. Via Bali I arrived in Melbourne next morning at 8 o'clock. There I stayed 3 days in a youthhostel. Melbourne is a modern city with 3 million inhabitants, but as soon as you have left the center you think you are in a small city: low buildings everywhere. the cities in Australia are very extensive, but well, they have space enough. In Melbourne I met my penfriend Cheryl, we were at the Rialto Tower, on the 55th store from where you have a wonderful view over the city, we walked around and we talked. That night I saw "Fiddler on the roof" in the theatre. Very well sung, a.o. by Topol and I enjoyed every minute of it. The following day I went with "Puffing Billy" - a steamtrain - interesting also. I was in a Japanese restaurant twice and once in a Vietnamese restaurant there, every time I had to eat with chopsticks because there was nothing else near my plate.
And then on Friday, the 4th, to Adelaide. Cathy, my hostess for the coming 2 weeks, was waiting for me at the airport there. At her home there also is a Japanese student - Shiori - to learn English (3 weeks), so we are very international and from 3 continents: Australia, Asia and Europe. Saturday the meeting started and of course I wondered who all would be there: 8 from Belgium (I knew 4 of them already), 3 from England, me from Holland and the others from Australia. As usual I was the only one from Holland, but this time I was not the only Dutch one, as Adriana from England is from Rotterdam and still has her Dutch passport. It was wonderful to meet everybody again and there were of course a lot of kisses.
Sunday was our first trip; to the Adelaide Hills, Hahndorf and Mount Lofty, was pleasant. Monday the Outback tour started and I could write a book about that! So beautiful and so many experiences, this and Kangaroo island and Cairns were absolutely the highlights of this trip. What all: a former secret city - Woomera - where you still can see the cruisemissiles , the Opalmines near Andomooka, Marree, Arkaroola, where we would ride with a jeep on the ridge, but..... it had rained that night, first time since 3,5 years!!! and so it didn't go on, too dangerous. Such a pity, but a reason to come back once!. And the break-down with the bus - 5,5 hours waiting in the middle of nowhere till a replacing bus came (the flies there, terrible), the fireflies in Arkaroola in the evening etc. etc. Saturday was a free day and Cathy and I were in Cleland wildpark then, Sunday to Victor Harbor where we saw whales and where Pam and Graham, in their beautiful house and wonderful garden, had prepared us a very tasty barbecue.
Monday and Tuesday to Kangaroo island, with 3 small planes (we were 24) to the island and there the bus waited for us already. Nice driver we had these 2 days. Kangaroo island also is unbelievable beautiful. We were there a.o. in the Flinders National Park, that is the same area as Singapore, but Singapore has 3 million inhabitants, while that park has 10..... In that park are the Remarkable Rocks - 750 million years old - where during all those years wind and water had free play, and also the Admirals Arch and Seals Bay with the seals. We could come rather close and they were not afraid. From that Rocks on, it was 5300 km. only sea, till Antarctica! The sea and the sky were so blue there (no pollution) and then with the white breakers, so beautiful. That evening in Kingscote we saw small pinguins. The following day we visited a eucalyptysdestillery, a honeyfarm and a sheepmilkfarm. Back to Adelaide by ferry and bus. Thursday a trip to Barossa Valley with the wineries and on Friday was the farewelldinner. The Belgians were halved then: Maria and Jan and Christel also had left (New Zealand and Alice Springs) and Eva had been with us only the first week.
Saturday to Cairns, there I spent 4 days with Nel, a Dutch WWW member. Nel was waiting for me at the airport already too. Sunday we had a brunch-barbecue with Nel's sister An and some of her friends near a lake and that afternoon we met Christel at the airport, she came from Ayers Rock. That was nice that she also was with Nel, as together with her I made a trip to the Great Barrier Reef and to Kuranda (rainforest and Tjapukai-aboriginal theater). These 2 trips were wonderful and interesting also, esp. the Reef, once again: I could write a book, so much we saw and experienced. Here also a wonderful nature (tropics). Christel left Wednesdaymorning early for New Zealand and I left that afternoon to go back home, via Darwin and changing planes in Singapore (where I bought some whiskey for Arie) and London. I left Nel's home in Cairns at 1 o'clock in the afternoon and the next day at 1 o'clock I was in Eindhoven again, plus 8 hours timedifference = 32 hours. I was glad to see Arie again and he had also missed me. Australia: a beautiful country (and I saw such a small part only) with friendly people. Thanks Ravi, Vanitha, Sara, Cheryl, Bernie, Cathy and Nel.