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Kiwis and Kangaroos

a travel blog by exumenius


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Sweating it out to Katherine - Night 135

Katherine, Australia

Today was primarily a driving day. For

The Daly Waters Pub
every 100 kms we made to the north the shades of green increased a slight bit. Finally around Daly Waters there was standing water on the ground and cumulus clouds in the air. Just 24 hours ago we were in the bleak desert, now we rolled through the lush tropics. Daly Waters Pub, the famous roadhouse, was our stop for lunch. Again we had full use of the pool. Unfortunately we were too early for the Easter Weekend rodeo, one of the biggest events in this part of the world.


Almost There
After lunch we attempted to head to the Mataranka thermal pools, however the flooded river thwarted our passage. Not be deterred, Trav phoned the operators of the Matarnka Roadhouse and they brought over a few Land Rovers to ferry us across the swelled river. The hot pools were officially closed, but we jumped the fence anyways. This area is home to freshwater crocodiles which Trav assured us do not attack humans. The saltwater version are much bigger and do, in fact, dine on man, however, they are found much farther north so we needn’t worry about them until late tomorrow up near Darwin. The pools were flooded by the river and were about a meter deeper than usual, which was advantageous in that we could dive in. There is something exotic about swimming in crystal clear Spring water amongst creeping palm trees and flocks of parrots.


Mataranka Thermal Pools

We camped for the night at Adventure Tours private grounds just outside the Katherine Gorge National Park. After dinner, Jun played guitar by the fire and we drank beer in the sweltering tropical night. I slept intermittently throughout the night…too hot to get comfortable.

What I Learned Today: In 95 degree heat with 90% humidity, a cold six pack of Cooper’s Pale Ale is like a little slice of heaven.


permalink written by  exumenius on February 22, 2008 from Katherine, Australia
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Katherine Gorge to Darwin - Night 136

Darwin, Australia

We awoke early again, though this time to a cool breeze. A small storm had dropped some rain overnight and brought the temperature down to near a comfortable level. After the short drive to the Katherine Gorge

Swimming with the Crocs
National Park we began our three hour hike. About half of the group opted for the $40 boat ride, choosing not to sweat it out on the trail. The walk was very easy, though in the heat most of the unfit in our group were falling behind and complaining quite a bit. Much of the trail offered nothing in the way of views and overall was somewhat of a disappointment. The side track down into the Southern Pool, complete with waterfall and swimming hole, made the trek worthwhile. The cool, cascading water and the slight threat of crocodiles added to the excitement of the swim. On the walk back it began to rain, the perfect way to cool down after the hike.


The Katherine Gorge

Back to the camp for our final group meal, basically a smorgasbord of whatever food was leftover in the coolers. Now we had just three hours left on the road to Darwin. We made our final pit stop in Adelaide River, home to the Adelaide River Pub. The most famous resident of this small town is a stuffed


Charlie the Water Buffalo (of Crocodile Dundee fame)
water buffalo. Not just any stuffed buffalo, this is Charlie, the water buffalo from the Crocodile Dundee movies. Though touching him is strictly prohibited, I managed a quick graze while the bar staff wasn’t paying attention.

Finally we hit Darwin a bit after 5pm. Since leaving Adelaide 12 days ago I’ve put on over 4,600 kms (2,760 miles) in the back of an Adventure Tours bus. It was a relief to step off the bus for one last time. The tours in general were very good, though the group in this last trip wasn’t half as much fun as the group from Adelaide to Alice Springs.

What I Learned Today: Tour groups, like life, are a bit of a crapshoot…you just never know what you are going to get, which is a shame, because the people make all the difference. I could have fun in a strip mall in Indiana with the right people.


permalink written by  exumenius on February 23, 2008 from Darwin, Australia
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Dilly-Dally in Darwin - Night 137

Darwin, Australia

Living in the northern hemisphere most of the maps we see are not centered on the equator. They usually cut out Antarctica and the much of the vast, empty southern oceans in order to avoid all the unnecessary blue on the map. Thus, we seem to have this internal feeling that Australia is actually much farther south than it truly is. In all reality it is very close to the equator. Darwin sits at 12 degrees latitude, the same as Costa Rica and is much more tropic than places such as Jamaica or Cancun. Miami, for instance, lies at about the same latitude as Brisbane. If you look at a map you suddenly realize that Darwin isn’t all that far from Indonesia.

I say all this because it is monsoon season here, ‘The Wet’ as it is known locally. Consequently it is also the low season for tourists since the rest of Australia is enjoying its best weather, while Darwin it at its worst. This is the first place I’ve been that is not in high tourist season. As a result, most of the people staying in my hostel are Australians or Indian migrants who are working in the area. A nice change from the hoards of British and Germans teenage backpackers that have invaded the rest of Australia.

The weather today was befitting that of a wet season. Extreme humidity coupled with intermittent downpours and episodes of sunshine (that’s for your EJ). All in all, not a very motivating climate to do much more than read and sleep (in my air-conditioned room, which cost an extra $2 a night…the best $2 I’ve spent all trip). I am not the only one who moved at a snail’s pace. Everyone hears just sort of goes through the motions, trying desperately not to move, lest they begin to sweat profusely. After standing in line at Woolworths for nearly 25 minutes, I found the cashier working in what can only be described as extreme slow motion. I don’t think I would have to patience to live here full time. On the other hand, the people are very nice and friendly. Again that worldly dichotomy between efficiency and friendliness rears its ugly head.

The day just sort of floated by and by evening I found myself watch a tightly contest cricket match between Australia and India. The locals had crowded the TV lounge along with the half a dozen Indian day laborers staying at the hostel. After some time, a Kiwi guy and I had a nice long conversation on American politics. The whole world, while somewhat disgusted at the length of our presidential election process (and who isn’t), is extremely interested in it regardless of whatever loathings for America they may hold in the heart.

What I Learned Today: My official (though terribly unscientific) straw poll of non-Americans has Obama winning by a landslide. Nearly everyone I’ve talked to about the election favors Obama and desperately wants to know if I think Americans are finally color-blind enough to elect a minority president. “Perhaps” is my response. I think it all depends on how many young people can be bothered to vote, along with, of course, how the Super-Delegates decide to act in the primary. Interestingly, and a bit of a digress, driving through the City of Katherine I saw a sign saying, “Election next week,
remember: VOTING IS COMPULSORY!”. Mandatory voting….what an idea.


permalink written by  exumenius on February 24, 2008 from Darwin, Australia
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Experiencing the Wet - Night 138

Darwin, Australia

Again the wet maintained its classic rhythm of brief, violent showers interspersed with periods of relative calm. It was during one of these respites that I managed to sneak away from the hostel and take a stroll along the water. Advertised as a beautiful harbor walk, the area and the trail is tragically underdeveloped and lacks anything at all to suggest that it should be a tourist destination. In all fairness to the City of Darwin, I shouldn’t be so tough on it as I doubt any other city in the western world has had as difficult of a last 60-some years than Darwin. The city was merciless bombed and destroyed by the Japanese during WWII and heroically rebuilt itself afterwards only to be leveled again by the Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Thus, for the most part, the oldest building, tree, etc in town is just over thirty years of age. This youthfulness, I think, is what gives Darwin the feel of a Mexican or Mediterranean beach resort town complete with stumbling drunk, sunburned tourists, of which there is no shortage in town.

Disappointed from my walking tour, I wandered into the Parliament and State Library building, mostly out of desire for some air-conditioning. Having no interest, nor probably not the clearance to saunter into a session of the Northern Territory parliament, I headed for the library. Of minimalist, spacious design, the library was primarily being used by backpackers for its free internet. I offered no exception to the trend. Few and far between are the times one finds free and fast internet in this part of the world, so you best take advantage.

My airport shuttle bus was due to arrive until 10:10pm, so in order to kill some time I stopped at the cinema to catch a movie. I had missed No Country for Old Men, so I settled for Jumper. I would have been more entertained had I given my $14 to a bum and watched him get drunk. It was likely the worst movie I have ever actually paid to see in a theatre. Seriously, it was that bad. How can any director or studio representative watch this at the end and think, “This is a good movie”? All the airport activities went as planned and I boarded my cheap, but less than direct flight (I fly through Melbourne to get to Perth – not exactly a straight line) just before midnight.

Note: I gave my camera a rest these past two days and took exactly no pictures. Not that Darwin is all that photogenic in the first place.

What I Learned Today: The hidden benefit of red-eye flights when backpacking is that it saves you the cost of a night of accommodation. On the flip side, you often don’t sleep very well on the plane and end up wasting the next day trying to find a decent place to take a nap.


permalink written by  exumenius on February 25, 2008 from Darwin, Australia
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Experiencing the Wet - Night 138

Darwin, Australia

Again the wet maintained its classic rhythm of brief, violent showers interspersed with periods of relative calm. It was during one of these respites that I managed to sneak away from the hostel and take a stroll along the water. Advertised as a beautiful harbor walk, the area and the trail is tragically underdeveloped and lacks anything at all to suggest that it should be a tourist destination. In all fairness to the City of Darwin, I shouldn’t be so tough on it as I doubt any other city in the western world has had as difficult of a last 60-some years than Darwin. The city was merciless bombed and destroyed by the Japanese during WWII and heroically rebuilt itself afterwards only to be leveled again by the Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Thus, for the most part, the oldest building, tree, etc in town is just over thirty years of age. This youthfulness, I think, is what gives Darwin the feel of a Mexican or Mediterranean beach resort town complete with stumbling drunk, sunburned tourists, of which there is no shortage in town.

Disappointed from my walking tour, I wandered into the Parliament and State Library building, mostly out of desire for some air-conditioning. Having no interest, nor probably not the clearance to saunter into a session of the Northern Territory parliament, I headed for the library. Of minimalist, spacious design, the library was primarily being used by backpackers for its free internet. I offered no exception to the trend. Few and far between are the times one finds free and fast internet in this part of the world, so you best take advantage.

My airport shuttle bus was due to arrive until 10:10pm, so in order to kill some time I stopped at the cinema to catch a movie. I had missed No Country for Old Men, so I settled for Jumper. I would have been more entertained had I given my $14 to a bum and watched him get drunk. It was likely the worst movie I have ever actually paid to see in a theatre. Seriously, it was that bad. How can any director or studio representative watch this at the end and think, “This is a good movie”? All the airport activities went as planned and I boarded my cheap, but less than direct flight (I fly through Melbourne to get to Perth – not exactly a straight line) just before midnight.

Note: I gave my camera a rest these past two days and took exactly no pictures. Not that Darwin is all that photogenic in the first place.

What I Learned Today: The hidden benefit of red-eye flights when backpacking is that it saves you the cost of a night of accommodation. On the flip side, you often don’t sleep very well on the plane and end up wasting the next day trying to find a decent place to take a nap.


permalink written by  exumenius on February 25, 2008 from Darwin, Australia
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Arrival in Perth - Night 139

Perth, Australia

I landed in Melbourne at 5am local time and had exactly 40 minutes before my next flight to Perth left. As one would expect, I had to change Terminals which meant going through a security checkpoint again and walking about a mile but I made it just in time to board. I began to wonder how my luggage was going to make this similar journey. Part of me was hoping that they would lose my sleeping bag, that dirty, rarely used ‘necessity’ that I brought along for the volunteer portion of my trip. I would send it home but it is not worth the postage it would cost, yet I can’t bring myself to just conveniently leave it somewhere. I figured that best plan was to not label it and hope the airline would lose it. Collecting my bags in Perth at 8am only my large backpack came through so, for a minute, I imagined my devious plan had worked. I was called to the Virgin Blue office where a nice lady explained to me that it would be on the next flight from Melbourne and that they would deliver it to my address. Damn.

After this brief disappointment, I called up Sue, the ex-foreign exchange student of my mother’s family 30 years ago who I was


My Foster Home
staying with, for a ride. She graciously picked me up and invited me into her home as if I was a long lost son. I was even given my own room, with a dresser and fan. Quite an upgrade from the smelly, rotting eight bed dorm I stayed at in Darwin. I took a much needed nap and then enjoyed lunch with Sue. We went over her scrapbooks from her time at my grandparent’s place as well as some of the old Bonduel High School yearbooks. Just crazy seeing many of my friend’s parents back in their formative years.

I spent the better part of the afternoon reading on the pack porch, in the shade of course as the temperatures approached the upper nineties. In the evening the rest of the family came home, Simon from his second day at Curtin University, Jemma from high school, and Den from a day at the golf course. Along with the neighbor boy, Max, we had a nice family dinner on the porch discussing the differences between American Football (gridiron as they call it) and Australian Rules Football (Footy). Simon, Max and I went to shoot some pool and have a few drinks at the neighborhood bar.

What I Learned Today: You know you are from a small town when you are looking at a high school yearbook from twenty years before you graduated and all the last names are the same as those of the kids in your class.


permalink written by  exumenius on February 26, 2008 from Perth, Australia
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Perthin' It - Night 140

Perth, Australia

By virtue of having my own room, I managed to sleep past 6 am. What a delight. I had a slow morning just hanging around the house doing some reading. At 9am I walked down to the Meltham train station and hopped a train into town. TransPerth, the local transit authority, claims to have the cleanest trains in the world and from my first few rides on them I can’t help but agree. The modern train cars are spotless and the network appears to service the entire region very well. It would be so convenient to have such a set up in Seattle, a region much larger than that of Perth.


Perth Skyline

After landing at Wellington Station, the central hub, I just sort of wandered around downtown for awhile, getting lost in the numerous underground shopping arcades and pedestrian malls. Post lunch I struck out


The City from the South Bank
on an ambitious walking tour down to the south bank of the Swan River. About halfway through it I wore out and collapsed under a shade tree for a nice hour long nap. The temperature was held down in the morning by a bit of clouds, but the sky cleared in the afternoon and again the thermometer toyed with triple digits. Through the course of my six mile walk, I also managed to wear a hole right through the bottom of my sandals. This pair didn’t even make it five months, but I guess that’s what I get for buying the cheap brand from Target.


My Foster Family and I
In the evening Sue and family had a little barbecue in my honor. A typical Australian feast, it was headlined by lamb, with sausages and salads as opening acts.

What I Learned Today: Never live within walking distance of your mother-in-law. ..and preferably not even in the same city.



permalink written by  exumenius on February 27, 2008 from Perth, Australia
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Cottesloe Beach - Night 141

Perth, Australia

My morning was wasted trying to find hostels and set up a trip to Rottnest Island this coming weekend. Due to the three day weekend almost every place I checked was booked solid, including the solo hostel on Rottnest. In the end, I’ll be staying in Fremantle Saturday and Sunday nights and just doing a day trip to Rottnest on Sunday. This is the first time in my trip that I wished I had done a bit more planning ahead.


At Cottesloe
It was another scorcher today, so Sue and I drove out to Cottesloe Beach for a quick dip in the Indian Ocean. Enroute, she was pulled over for speeding. Not that this is all that noteworthy, but the manner in which the police apprehend speeders is quite strange. Policeman on foot stand in the shadows of road signs, large trees, etc with their radar guns. Once they catch a speeder coming upon them, they run out in to the middle of the road and direct the offender to the side using nothing more than hand signals, even on roads where drivers are doing 45 to 55 mph. It seems to me a dangerous way to enforce speed limits…but I suppose it keeps them from getting fat like American cops. Which, now that I think of it, most of the cops I’ve seen here in Australia are actually fit and appear as if they could honestly run down a man in wheelchair or an old woman with a walker without stopping for a break.


Cottesloe Beach

Cottesloe Beach was absolutely packed, on account of the teacher’s strike all the schoolies decided to hit the sand. Sue only stayed for a bit and then headed back home for some music appointments. I stuck it out all day (the Annas bailed on account of hangovers and high temperatures), hiding in the shade for most of the afternoon. Though the Indian Ocean is the warmest of the big three, the water was refreshingly cold and made for joyous swimming.

At night I ventured up to the Anna’s house in North Perth to chill out and have some dinner. I suddenly realized that I am going to be in Fiji in less than a week and need to get something planned.

What I Learned Today: I couldn’t possibly fathom working with teenagers on a day to day basis.


permalink written by  exumenius on February 28, 2008 from Perth, Australia
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City Tour - Night 142

Perth, Australia

(I managed to delete my photos from today so you’ll have to settle for some images stolen from the internet)

Five straight days of at or above 100 degrees I come down with a cold (dehydration is likely the culprit)….Anyways, being that today is the strangest of all days and that it is the end of another month I will take the liberty of waxing poetically a bit about the overall state of my existence. I am tired. Not physically or mentally, but socially. If this sounds strange, I understand as I didn’t know such a condition existed a mere five months ago. What do I mean when I say I am socially tired? Social exhaustion can best be described as talking to different people about the same thing for weeks on end. Where have you been? How long do you have left? What was your favorite place? Where are you going next?...It is widely accepted that maintaining relationships takes energy, I’ve learned that starting new ones usually takes even more (in those instances where it doesn’t lies true bliss). I say all this because I’m coming to realize that I’ve all but stopped trying to openly engage people. This is partly due to the fact that my trip is quickly coming to an end but also because of the aforementioned social exhaustion. At the moment I desire to talk to the same people about different things and not the other way around. How about a rousing argument with friends over the merits of ERA vs WHIP, or Badgers Football, or I-5 traffic, or American Politics or who from high school is getting married, or how drunk we were that one night in Fremont/Tucson/Stevens Point/Vegas/Duncan’s Barn. This is no knock on the trip as whole, it has been amazing, but rather just an indication that it is ending exactly when it should. I’ll stop with the self-reflection right here and save the rest for the Epilogue.

So what did I do today? Real life called and I


The City from Kings Park
spent the morning taking care of finishing off my application and funding request emails for graduate school. Prospects look bleak, but I’m giving it an honest effort. In the afternoon Sue took me on a little tour of Perth. We first stopped at the Buddhist Monastery down the road from their house. The beautiful symmetry, golden statues, and deep atavistic chanting immediately sets one’s mind at ease. After a quick perusal of the adjacent art gallery, we headed across town to King’s Park. A sprawling conglomeration of native bush, mowed lawns and various memorials and obelisks, King’s Park sits atop an escarpment just SW of downtown and offers amazing views of the skyline and the Swan River valley.


Kings Park
Being a bit isolated out in Bayswater, I chose to stay in a hostel downtown for the evening. A decent enough place, the 12:01 Backpackers has very friendly staff and great air-conditioning. I spent the evening having a few beers on the back porch with some other backpackers and then retired early.

What I Learned Today: I have very calm eyes…at least according to the woman at the monastery.


permalink written by  exumenius on February 29, 2008 from Perth, Australia
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On to Fremantle - Night 143

Fremantle, Australia

(I managed to delete my photos from today so you’ll have to settle for some images stolen from the internet)

On my morning walk I came across a youth softball tournament, a friendly reminder that baseball season is right around the corner. It was so very nice to people swinging proper baseball/softball bats and not those flattened logs that pass for cricket sticks. After reveling in the supremacy of American sports for a bit, I returned to the 12:01 Backpackers and gathered up my things for the train ride to the beach.

I caught the 10:30 to Fremantle, a half an hour ride. Fremantle is Perth’s port, like a Long Beach to Los Angeles or a Galveston to Houston. Some would say that Fremantle is just another suburb, but I disagree. It is


The Freo YHA
a stand alone city in its own right, complete with a charming downtown, a thriving market, a college, and an interesting history. I checked into the Freo (as Fremantle is kindly referred to) YHA, which is easily one of the best hostels I’ve been to on my entire trip. Two kitchens, a massive common area and outdoor courtyard, a gym, and even a movie screen and projector. The only thing missing was wireless internet. If you are ever in Freo I highly recommend this place.


Indian Ocean Sunset

I killed much of the afternoon wandering the markets and numerous good used book stores. It just dawned on me that, as my trip is nearly over, I might need to start picking up a few souvenirs for the family. Later on I hit South Beach up for a quick dip in the ocean. Returning to town at 5:05, I soon found out that all the grocery stores in town close at 5 on Saturdays so I was forced to have a below-average kebab at one of the stands in town. It was Bather’s Beach for a superb sunset (the pictures of which I’ve lost). The clouds through up a panorama of red and orange, the wind blew, the waves crashed....the only things missing were a beautiful girl and a bottle of wine.

My cold appears to be getting worse before it gets better.

What I Learned Today: Don’t leave your calling card in a payphone booth, it won’t be there when you get back.


permalink written by  exumenius on March 1, 2008 from Fremantle, Australia
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