Cairns and Sydney: From the Great Barrier Reef to Bondi Beach

The GBR from the airUnder the sea, under the sea…what a world of wonder, under the sea.  This is the rainy season in Cairns but we couldn’t have been more fortunate with the weather.  The wind from the North was mild leaving the ocean calm: perfect conditions for diving and snorkeling.  We chose a cruise on an eleven-passenger yacht, the Coral Seas Dreaming, for a one night, two-day visit on the Great Barrier Reef.

We left Cairns around 8AM and four hours later arrived at Thetford Reef, on the outer Great Barrier Reef.  Over the course of our cruise, we visited 6 different reefs.  I had hoped to try diving but unfortunately I was not medically cleared.  The reason: the radiation treatment I received may have compromised my lung capacity.  I don’t think this is the case but since I had not had a pre-dive physical, I was not allowed to dive.  Happily, the snorkeling was fantastic so it all worked out.

Sunset on the Great Barrier Reef

Mark chose to snorkel with me.  At the first reef we saw a turtle swimming and the most colorful fish and coral I have ever seen.  It was spellbinding; we were overwhelmed.  We had entered a magical world.  Everywhere you looked there was something new and fascinating.  The reef pulsed with life.

Captain Extraordinaire

Wearing stinger suits    

Even though I teach English, words cannot begin to capture the feeling and awe of the Great Barrier Reef.  Symphonic music or a great work of art does a better job of relaying its mystery and grandeur.

Four O'Clock Moth

Titan Arum

While we were in Cairns we enjoyed a few hours at the Cairns Botanical Garden.  Serendipitously we saw the Titum Arum in bloom.  This peculiar flower blossoms rarely for only a few days and is the largest flower in the world.  It is also remarkable for its noxious smell.  The gardens were replete with indigenous Aboriginal medicinal plants, orchids, Gum trees, and many tropical trees, shrubs and flowers.  We saw a Four O’clock moth hanging on a tree branch, a Blue Ulysses butterfly darting past and a colorful turkey like mound building bird amble across our path.

When we arrived in Cairns we were told to visit Daintree National Park.  Daintree is the oldest rainforest in the world.  It is also the only rainforest that goes directly to the sea.  So on our last full day, we were picked up early in the morning and with 11 other passengers in a small bus we headed along the coast to Daintree National Park.  It was a beautiful drive along the coast passing vast, empty beaches and stunning vistas.  Walking on or swimming in the shallow waters of Northeastern Australia in the summer can be deadly due to the inflow of Box and stinger jellyfish.  The Box jelly is fatal.  The stinger jellies, smaller than the size of a pinkie finger, are so toxic its victims require emergency treatment.

View of the coast from Daintree

Once we reached Daintree, about 2 hours North, we took a riverboat to see crocodiles, birds and mangroves.  The crocs were not visible (though we understood that if we chose to leave the boat, they would be more than happy to emerge and gobble up the swimmer) but we saw lots of mangroves and birds.  It was steamy but a breeze off the river kept us relatively comfortable.

After our river tour we stopped for lunch and had a chance to feed a group of kangaroos and wallabies kept by the restaurant.  What a treat!  I had a blast feeding a kangaroo named Wally who became my pal.  Unlike the kangaroos that were very friendly, the wallabies were a bit more reserved.  Whereas the kangaroos are soft, the wallabies are covered with coarser hair-like fur.

Lunch time

From here we continued north and visited a chilly river swimming hole where we happened upon two girls we had met on our Great Barrier Reef sail.  Small world!  We had a chance to try some local fruits including rambutin, mangoes, mangosteen and a fruit that resembles a sweet potato.  Then it was back to Cairns and a dip in the hotel’s lagoon pool.

Early the next morning we headed to Sydney, the last stop on our Australian itinerary.  Sydney is more citified than the rest of the Australian cities we have visited.  Like Perth, Melbourne and Cairns, it too has a lovely botanical garden. The Royal Botanical Garden is located on a peninsula just behind the Sydney Opera House.  Not only is the garden gorgeous, but also the views of Sydney Harbor from the garden are excellent.  We were also intrigued and a bit creeped-out by the squealing flying foxes (they looked like bats to me) hanging out in the large gum trees.

As with the rest of Australia, Sydney also proved to be a problematic spot to get Wi-Fi.  Our hotel in Sydney charged $5.50 per ½ hour for Wi-Fi and it was only available in the hotel lobby.  Once again we found the library to be the best place to get Internet access.

The rain we had so long avoided finally caught up with us.  We ducked into a small shop and both got haircuts.  We also went to the library and then headed back to our hotel.

Sydney's Royal Botanical Garden

On day 2, we still had to contend with bad weather but we made the most of it by taking in an excellent exhibit on Antarctica at the State Library.  I was particularly excited with the ancient maps on display.  It is fascinating to see how technology affects our worldview and how slow we can be to embrace change.

Though overcast, the afternoon weather was good enough for us to walk around Darling Harbor, to the Rocks, by the Sydney Harbor Bridge, up to the Observatory, back by the Opera House and then to again stroll through the Royal Botanical Garden.

We found a delicious Indian restaurant (I have become a fan of Indian cooking) where we met a lovely couple—Jim, a Delta pilot from Texas and his girlfriend, Jillian from Sydney. Their long distance relationship seems to be weathering their frequent geographic separation.

With Sydney Opera House behind us

Our last day in Sydney the rain turned into sunshine so we decided to give it a try to see as much of the Sydney area as possible.  We purchased an all-day metro pass that we could use on the ferry, bus and train and headed to the harbor.  We hopped on the Sydney ferry to Mosman Bay, stopping at three tiny docks along the way.   We then walked from Mossman Bay along the boardwalk and Cremorne coastline to the Cremorne  Point ferry stop.  It was a beautiful walk along the cliff side. We returned to Sydney and set out on another ferry for Manly, a famous surfing beach on the Pacific Ocean.  The beach town was bustling with Australians on their summer break.  The waves weren’t terribly impressive but the undertow caused them to recommend swimmers not to venture into water over waist deep.  After walking the beach, we got fish and chips at a local pub by the shore and then returned by ferry to Circular Quay where we jumped on a bus to Bondi Beach on the Sydney’s East coast.  Bondi is another surfing beach but also famous for its town-to-town cliff walk.  We made our way along the meandering cliff perched path admiring the glistening ocean, ebbing tide and sun worshipping beach bathers.  Unfortunately the rigors of the day caught up with me so we only went about 5 km on the path before we caught a bus and then rode a train back to the city.  I am pleased that we were able to venture out of the downtown and see why people rave about Sydney.  The central business district is nice but the surrounding area is stunning.  I can see why people love this city.

Mosman Bay by Sydney

Perth and Melbourne, Australia

Perth on the Swan RiverPerth is considered to be the most remote city in the world and was the first stop on our Australian tour.  It is located on the Western side of Australia and is one of the fastest growing areas in the country.  The mining industry is booming.  With miners making $120,000 a year, prices in Western Australia have shot through the roof.  Indeed as we have come to realize, prices in Australia are very dear when you are traveling with American dollars.

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When we arrived on 28 December, it was an oppressive 42 degrees Celsius. (107.8 degrees Fahrenheit) We had expected it to be hot since this is summer “Down Under”, but not this hot.  Happily our room was air-conditioned and the oppressive heat lifted over the following days.

British Museum exhibit

The Swan River flows through Perth and offers the city a lovely waterfront.  Perth’s bell tower is the tallest in the world and has a distinctive chime.   Perth has three free city bus routes that take you all over central Perth.  While we were there we enjoyed the Western Australia Museum.  The Museum introduced us to the animals of the region and had a special exhibit from the British Museum entitled Extraordinary Stories.  This exhibit was awesome; the commentary offered on the displayed pieces helped to give the viewer cultural and historical insight into the artifact.  I found it absolutely fascinating!

One day we traveled about 30 km to Freemantle at the mouth of the Swan River and on the Indian Ocean.  Freemantle is an old port town.  We met a crusty Australian guide at the Roundhouse, the oldest building in Freemantle.  It was built to house local citizens who got into trouble with the law.  As we learned, prisoners were not sent to Australia until the 1850s.  Upon their arrival in Western Australia they were put to work building the Perth Goal (jail).  It is a beautiful building but much of what went on there was anything but pretty.

In Freemantle we also visited the Shipwreck Museum.  In order to reach Malaysia and to take advantage of the Spice trade, many ships found it quicker to sail to Australia and then head North toward Malaysia.  Unfortunately, the coast of Australia is treacherous and many ships never made it.  The Shipwreck Museum tells their tragic tales.

Koalas sleep a lot

Who is watching who??

We had a blast at the Perth Zoo where we actually got to see and learned about many of Australia’s indigenous animals.  The Tasmanian Devil is cute until you see it gnawing on a dead rat.  Koalas sleep 20 hours a day and spend the rest of the time devouring eucalyptus leaves.  Indeed they can devour so many leaves that the tree might not survive.  While we were on the Great Ocean Road (more about that later) we saw whole swatches of dead eucalyptus that had been ravaged by koalas.  We were able to pet a kangaroo that had wandered on to the path in search of leftovers in baby strollers.  The kangaroo was incredibly soft!  We also met an orangutan (not a native of Australia) whom finds people incredibly interesting.

Tasmanian Devil

Checking things out

Perth’s Kings Park and Botanical Garden was lovely.  Perched on a hill overlooking the Swan River, we wandered throughout the park photographing bushes, trees and plants indigenous to Australia.  We walked up to Kings Park on New Years Eve.  The park was chockablock with families picnicking.  We had heard that Perth was not having fireworks for New Years Eve because they chose to have them instead on 26 January for Australia Day, but with all the people gazing out at the river, we thought perhaps that we had misunderstood.  We finally asked a woman what was going on.  She confirmed what we had heard.  “No there aren’t any fireworks this year.  It is just a tradition that people gather at Kings Park for New Years Eve.  So I guess we are all just doing that.  It is sort of funny.”  Yes, it was.

Melbourne

After 5 days in Perth, we flew to Melbourne five hours Southeast.  Melbourne was recently voted the most “liveable” city in the world.   I would heartily agree.  The city center has a bit of everything from chic shops to classical buildings, museums, beautifully groomed gardens, an accessible riverbank, multiple parks, an elaborate tram and bus system and tree lined boulevards.  There is something for everyone.

Our first stop was the Immigration Museum.  This museum, housed in the Old Custom House, offers an excellent introduction to the people who have immigrated to Australia.  The parallels with American immigration are interesting.  We also enjoyed the exhibit on Victoria’s history at the State Library, an Aborignal Art exhibit at the Ian Potter museum and the history of film at the Moving Image Exhibition in Federation Square.

Beautiful Aboriginal Art

Melbourne’s Botanical Garden was first rate offering helpful signs and a dazzling array of trees, flowers and vistas.  We felt lucky to have visited it a few times during our stay.  Like Canada and England, Australia appreciates its gardens and works diligently to maintain their beauty.

Melbourne arcade

Adjacent to the Botanical Gardens was the Shrine. It is a World War I Memorial that has a crypt on the ground floor and towers several floors above to give a magnificent view of downtown Melbourne. Mark and I thought the Shrine was a very dignified memorial to the veterans of World War I. It has also been updated to incorporate the veterans of all Australian campaigns, including World War II, the Indo-China War, and Vietnam.


We also made it to Queen Victoria Market where we tried some yummy wines and even Chocolate Port! On one of our city walks, we ended up in the Italian section of town, near Melbourne University.  We overheard a woman mention that she and her husband were from Boston.  When we inquired where they lived in Boston, they said that they were from Medford, Massachusetts.  Having once lived in Medford, we started talking with them and their Australian relatives.  What a small world!

As in Perth, the public transportation in Melbourne is excellent.  They have a free tram system in the central business district along with an extensive public transportation throughout the area.  If there is a drawback to our time in Australia, it has been the lack of free Wi-Fi.  Despite the fact that we have our own computers, the hotel in Perth charged $15/hour for Wi-Fi while our hotel in Melbourne offered us only a limited number of MB per day.  I have found this frustrating, irritating and totally unexpected.

Some of the Apostles

Visiting the Great Ocean Road was amazing.  Located about one and a half hours from Melbourne, the road follows the Southern Coast for about 100 km.  We opted for a tour so Mark could enjoy the trip rather than having to concentrate on driving the narrow road on the left side.  I am so glad we did.  The tour offered us a running commentary on the area along with stops to see parrots and koalas (we saw one koala sleeping in a tree), the site of a famous shipwreck, the Twelve Apostles (eroded limestone cliffs that now are only pillars which look like they have been plunked harry-carry in the ocean), and miles and miles of magnificent beaches.   We lucked out; the weather was perfect!

Off the Great Ocean Road

baby penguin

However, I think one of our favorite adventures while in Melbourne was seeing the little penguins (literally the littlest penguins in the world) in St. Kilda.  The penguins live in the rocks at the end of the pier.  Adult penguins co-share parenting their young.   While one penguin is out fishing all day, the other stays home babysitting.  This arrangement continues until the young penguin is able to fend for itself.  At dusk you can see the penguins return from the sea to feed their young.  The penguins are mesmerizing and oh, so cute.


We are off again, this time to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

Nature abounds in Australia

Beautiful Bali

Before we left Singapore for Bali, Mark had scheduled us to be picked up at the airport by a driver who would take us to our hotel.  This was brilliant since it turned out that our plane didn’t arrive until well after 8PM and the hotel was three hours away from the airport! Our friend, Jen, Amy, Mark and I were met at the airport by Bob Bali holding a sign saying Shafer.  We arrived in Lovina, on Bali’s North shore around midnight.

The pool at Hotel Melamun

We spent the first day in Lovina getting our bearings and swimming in Hotel Melamun’s lovely pool.  Jen and Amy shared a room and seemed to enjoy one another’s company.  As it turns out December is Bali’s rainy season; the weather was hot and sticky.  It would rain occasionally during the day but most of the time we saw sunshine.  Lovina is a beach town best known as a place where you can see dolphins.  It is a sleepy town except on the beach where hawkers are ready to sell you everything from sarongs to fruit to jewelry to paintings.  You name it; they have it.  “Morning price, good luck price, evening price,” became refrains we would hear often as hawkers approached us throughout our time in Bali.

Bob sitting in a tree

Bob Bali, as he is known, became our driver/guide while we were in Northern Bali. When he was 12, Bob lost his dad and dropped out of school to support his mom and two sisters.  He is now married with 2 children, Mita age 4 and Lisa 6 months.  At 26, he has managed to purchase a van and is a savvy businessman who supports 6 women and himself.

Making an offering

By day two we were ready to explore and Bob offered us an excellent tour.  We left early and made our way to the oldest Buddhist temple in Bali.  Unlike the rest of Indonesia that is mostly Muslim, most Balinese are Hindu.   Their Hinduism is different than that of the Indians.  The Balinese are extremely devoted, making daily offering at shrines which include temples in their homes, yards, shops, hotels, trees, in fact pretty much everywhere you turn.  These offerings consist of rice, flowers, treats and joss sticks.  The plethora of stray dogs, cats and occasional monkeys eat the offerings.  According to one of the tour guides, most Balinese first pray to Shiva, the destroyer.  I guess they believe if the destroyer is mollified, then the rest will work out.  The Balinese believe in the power of magic and are superstitious.  Hence the refrain from shopkeepers and hawkers, “First sell, good luck.”  Moreover, much to my surprise, a guidebook said that the Balinese believe in one God but they pray to God’s various manifestations.  I only just scratched the surface of their religion and culture as I questioned Bob and other Balinese we met along the way.

Amy, Jen and Carol driving Luwak coffee

With Bob’s help, we saw quite a lot of Bali. We visited the Munduk coffee plantation where we drank Luwak coffee.  Luwak is considered by many (tourists primarily, I believe) to be Bali’s premier coffee.  Luwak coffee is made from the coffee beans excreted by a native ferret type creature.  Yes, the coffee is cleaned before it is brewed.  Significantly more expensive than Bali’s other coffee, it is said to be much richer than other coffee.  (I wonder why??)  Of course, it is a must to try, and so we did.  Was it tastier?  Not really, but it makes a good story.

No umbrella: No worries!

Amy and Mita

We visited Banjar Hot Springs that was really only lukewarm but lots of fun and a lovely waterfall that was flowing rapidly as the rain poured all around.  We also went to see the oldest tree in Bali, a Banyan that is so large you can walk all through its roots and is said to have mystical properties.  When we visited the temple on the lake, Ulan Danu Beratan, Amy became the attraction for a group of Indonesian men who wanted a photo with her.  At the end of the day, we were delighted to visit Bob’s home situated on a hill about 10km from Lovina.  His family captured our hearts, especially 4 year-old Mita, who came to call me Oma Carol.

On our way to Ubud, we drove by Lake Batur and the volcano but due to rain our view was obscured.

Our hotels in Bali were beautiful.  Hotel Melamun in Lovina was lovely and we came to feel very at home there.  The pool was fabulous.  We made friends with the staff along with Rita and Richard, a couple from Antwerp, Belgium who have lived there for 6 months each year for the last 5 years.  Our other hotels were also very nice B&Bs.  We stayed at Tunjung Mas in Ubud and at Tropical Bali Hotel in Sanur on the Southeast coast.

Balinese Dance

Rice field

While we did quite a bit of touring while we were in North Bali, on the second leg of our trip, we spent most of our time in Ubud.  Ubud is known as Bali’s artist and cultural capital.  We enjoyed the Kekac Fire Trance Dance and Legong of Mahabrata Balinese Dance along with all the boutique shopping.  Jen, Mark and I took an early morning walk 8km outside of town though a verdant rice field.  The Monkey Forest, located not far from our hotel, was one of our favorite attractions.  The monkeys roam freely and can offer quite a show.  We saw mating, masturbating and nursing along with nit picking and playing.  One monkey, who sat next to me, tried to untie my pants and showed his sharp teeth and growled when I jumped out of his reach.

Mom protects her babe

Now just hold still

While in Ubud, we bid Jen farewell.  She was a wonderful travel companion and a seasoned bargainer.   No thanks to Jen we all caught the bargaining bug and spent more than we needed to but we had lots fun (that is the girls)!

On our way to Sanur, our last stop, we visited Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave Temple.  Although the cave was not that impressive, the ancient Buddhist carvings in the small spring were lovely and well worth the walk.

Sanur, like Lovina, is a beach town.  We did catch a day on the beach where despite sunscreen Mark and Amy both got quite a burn.  The weather during our time in Sanur was generally overcast but we did luck out seeing Tanah Lot, a temple perched on an off-shore island, and Uluwatu, another temple in the ocean with a very aggressive monkey population, before the rain came.  Later that evening, we experienced one of the most beautiful sunsets anyone of us had ever seen in Jimbaran on the Southwestern coast.

Our last night on the beach

Amy feeling the love

The photo doesn't do it justice:  the Most beautiful sunset

Bali is a beautiful island with a wonderful color palette.  It is hot and humid and boasts lush jungles and terraced rice fields.  The fresh fruits including mangosteen, guava, rambutin, coconuts, papaya, mangoes, durian and jackfruit are commonplace.  Bali is culturally rich and for a Westerner exotic.  Although much has changed since I was last here 27 years ago, much remains the same.  It is still a magical place.