Never underestimate the weather in Oz
Trip Start
Nov 07, 2005
1
21
75
Trip End
Nov 04, 2006
Kangaroo Island,
Australia
Saturday, February 11, 2006
It's difficult to suss out what the people on a trip are going to be like when you first start, and sometime you end up hitting it off with the people you least expect.
I noticed there was a big man I recognised sat at the front of the bus - Jens, the German guy who had been on my Barossa Valley trip the previous day - but I hadn't spoken to him much. Funnily enough he turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip cos he just had me in stitches most of the time, although not always on purpose, just due to his strange way of saying things in English
Footprints
.I (and most other people) had mistakenly thought the weather would be great for the next few days, so just brought warm weather gear and left the raincoat/umbrella back in Adelaide. What a mistake.
It started to rain soon after we got there and by the time we got to Seal Bay to do a guided beach walk, it was pissing down. Our guide, Ben, graciously gave up his coat and shirt and stood there getting soaked, as did I, cos I didn't want to be the one who deprived him of his clothing.
Despite the weather the walk was great and we got so close to the seals it was unreal. The fact that 2 of the German girls had stripped down to a vest and their bikini bottoms, with half a sheet wrapped round them made it even funnier.
We were meant to go sandboarding but as the rain didn't ease we decided to wait till tomorrow. So we went to what Ben told us was officially Australia's best beach. As Jens pointed out, everyone in Oz seems to be obsessed with medals and awards and being the best. One of the wineries we'd been to had awards marked all over their bottles, with the various medals down the side. And every fish & chip shop you walk in to promises to be the best fish & chips you've ever had
Kangy island group at the Remarkable Rocks
. Frankly, some of the best fish & chips I've had has been at home.Anyway the beach was great. It would've looked a lot nicer if the skies hadn't been grey I'm sure. On our itinerary it was suggested we got for a swim at which a few people looked horrified, but since I was wet anyway I figured I might as well get wetter. So 5 of us threw ourselves into the sea much to the horror of our onlookers. Also much to my own horror at first as it was freezing. I don't think I've ever been in water that cold. But it was all worth is as we had body boards, and I caught some great waves and sailed right into shore on one. I haven't tried surfing yet but I can see the attraction. My feet were numb by the time I got out but we were soon back at our farmhouse huddled in front of the fire.
Another great thing about this trip was that Ben was playing his ipod which had possibly the best collection of music that I've heard. Or so I thought. We went out for a night drive to try and find some penguins and he stuck on the Amazing Drumming Monkeys. It has to be heard to be believed - sort of a mix between characters from Rainbow and bongo music. I'm amazed we didn't scare the penguins off cos the whole bus was dancing around to this in the darkness. So funny.
Koala
We did manage to spot some fairy penguins but they were hidden under bushes. And because they're photosensitive we weren't allowed to take photos. Much to the disappointment of Andre, a Luxembourg(ian?) who took photos of everything, whether it moved or not.
When we returned to the farmhouse we (well ok, Jens) built a campfire and we had toasted marshmallows. Except I ended up eating most of them as it turns out the melted goodies aren't too popular with Europeans. The Japanese girl tried them but sort of singed her rather than melted it so I don't think she was too keen either. All the more for me.
Ben then got harrassed into playing the digeridoo (sp?) and a few of us had a go. Kristen & I got the hang after a few attempts of Ben telling us to make a sound like a horse and trying not to laugh at the noises we made.
The next day the weather finally picked up and despite the few showers, it was generally gloriously sunny. Which was a shame since I had fashioned a rather sexy coat out of a binbag and I didn't get to wear it. It did however mean we got to see a lot more wildlife. We were having lunch when a koala just walked across the road in front of us. Andre shot up like he'd just sat on hot coals and abandoning his lunch, grabbed his camera and ran after the koala. The koala, who had been enjoying a peaceful stroll, looked panic stricken and lept for the nearest tree, only to be followed by Andre snapping away at it. I calmly picked up my camera and walked over to the tree, and got exactly the same photo. We also spotted some kangaroos right by the road, with some stupid man stroking them
Kristen sandboarding
. Kangaroos may look cuddly but they have extremely powerful hind legs, and a claw on their back feet which could gut you with one swipe. So being the sadist I am, I waited by the kangaroos in the hope of getting a photo of one of them booting a tourist, but sadly it didn't happen. They were too interested in sniffing us and checking our pockets.We went on a short walk to the coast where a colony of NZ fur seals live. They stink. But as I was apparently standing next to their toilet it probably didn't help. We spent ages watching this seal fishing in the sea trying to get a photo, and then noticed the rocks moving, and realised what we'd thought were rocks were in fact seals. They just blended in so well we didn't notice.
On the way down to the coast, Franz had taken the plastic snake out of the bus and left it on the pathway. I nearly had a heart attack.
Ben thought it would be nice for us to visit the caves on the island, since we'd already been to a beach. We must have done something wrong because I couldn't think of a more torturous activity. Working in a cave would be my worst nightmare - its pitch black and deathly quiet. I can't stand not hearing the sound of the outside world and Kristen and I were going slowly mad so we escaped as soon as possible
Me & Marie in the gift shop
.Then finally we got to the bit I'd been waiting for - sandboarding! I'd only sandboardrd once in Vietnam with some kids, who tried to charge me a lot for it, but it was great. The hard thing is climbing up the sand dune, only for the ride down to finish too quickly. Kristen had reminded me that although it was hot, it probably wasn't a good idea to cover myself in suncream, as I would also get covered in sand. Good thinking. I ate more sand than I did on Fraser Island and was still picking it out of my ears for days afterwards. Great fun though. We put surf board wax on the underneath of all the sandboard so they went faster. There were several injuries (surprisingly not to me) but I don't think anyone cared.
It was an amazing trip, probably my best so far. The fact that I loved it despite the weather says a lot.
