A Little Serendipity

Once I discovered the Chapmans (or the Chapanese, as Carl has taken to calling Dave and Maddy) were headed for Koh Samui on the same flight that I was planning on taking two days later, I decided to try my luck at getting on their flight tonight instead. I was practicing my "damsel in distress" schtick all evening ("you mean my flight is actually on Thursday?? Oh no!!"), so even though the ticket agent originally told us that there was "no way" I would be able to fly standby, my plaintive look changed his mind. One quick phone call, and abracadabra: I now have a boarding pass and a seat next to Mrs. Chapman. (Mom, Dad, Chrissy, and anyone else who actually cares about my exact whereabouts: this means I'm now on TG980 on May 29 instead of May 31.)

This early departure is by no means intended to imply that Australia (and Victoria, specifically) is no less than spectacular. It's been a great time since I met up with the crew. We've had terrific weather, amazing wildlife spottings, cozy cabin accommodations, tasty meals, and lots of games of cards. However, now that Melbourne is socked with rain, I decided to forgo my last two days of solo city-exploring in favor of more beach time. Koh Samui, here we come!

A few more notes on the past couple days:

-- After making it halfway through our two-pitched rock climb at Mt. Arapalies on Saturday, I decided that I was officially retiring from rock climbing. It was a beautiful day, but the climb was more difficult than any of us anticipated, and it was not a very good warm-up for me. (After all, my muscles are rusty after 2 years of b-school non-use.) However, despite yelling "I HATE THIS!!!" several times on the way up the second pitch, I (eventually) made it to the top and enjoyed the great views. Three cheers once again to Jocelyn and Carl for leading us safely through a long, technical climb: by the time all six of us made it up and then down together, it had turned into an 8-hour adventure on the mountain. Afterwards, my knees looked exactly like they did after climbing at Red Rocks last Spring Break... purple. Ouch.

-- Sunday was more of a relaxed day, with an amazing hike to the Pinnacle lookout at Grampians National Park. We even managed to see McKenzie Falls before dusk. The highlight of the day was our visit with Peg and Logan, the young joeys being raised by our innkeeper. The couple that ran the cabins/campsites where we stayed are very involved with Wildlife Victoria, which rescues animals.

Viv and Cal the Kangaroo (18 months old) - fast friends

Christi kayaking

Now I know how high corn grows...

-- Monday we set out for the Great Ocean Road

The gang at the Grotto along the Great Ocean Road

The 12 Apostles along the Great Ocean Road

No, this really isn't a postcard. It's an EXCELLENT Ocean Road.

That's about all for now. I'm looking forward to lazing about on the beach for a few days before heading to Siem Reap on Saturday to see the temples at Angkor Wat. This weekend is the full moon, so there will be celebrations galore out on the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Pangan. I promise to post pictures next time I get to a computer that will let me!

written by  GoBlue on May 29, 2007 from Melbourne, Australia
from the travel blog: J-Mac's Junket
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