Esperance WA

Making the most of some extremely cheap fares with AirAsia, we took the opportunity to finally get across and visit Ian and Caroline at their property in Esperance - albeit a short 6 day jaunt. It was bittersweet knowing that we were back in Oz and not seeing my family, but there is only another 6 weeks to wait until we return for some months together. Meeting up at the airport with Greg and Leigh who had flown across from Brisbane, we headed out of Perth and towards the small township of Corrigin and our accomodation for the evening. As always with Greg and Leigh, it makes no difference whether it is 1 week or 1 year since we have last seen each other, the banter and laughs start immediately and doesn't stop until we part ways again. After a lovely meal at the local pub, we called it an early night as we had not slept much on our overnight flight from KL, and they had been up before sunrise for their long flight from Brisbane.

Back on the road after an early breakfast and heading for Esperance. Of course, Ian and Caroline had no idea that we were rocking up along with Greg and Leigh, it had been a well guarded secret plan. Passing through the fertile wheat belt of WA, we headed along the Brookton highway to the town of Hyden and the nearby famous Wave Rock. It is massive granite cliff, 15 meters high and over 100 meters long and looks like a giant surf wave. We spent an hour wandering around, up and over the area with great views from the summit of the surrounding terrain. Wild flowers were just starting to appear after some good recent rain falls, wattles of all varieties, small orchids, Geraldton Wax and many others I didn't know.

       

 

                                    Standing at the base of Wave Rock, near Hyden W.A.

        

 

                               Some very impressive rock formations found at the summit

        

                                               With Leigh at the summit of Wave Rock

        

                                          Magnificent colour in the wild flowers of W.A.

        

                             A land mark half way along our journey. Maybe his breaks failed .....

                                      

                                   A roadside view looking across golden paddocks of canola

       

It was great highway all the way to Esperance and we were soon passing sheep knee deep in green paddocks that we thought probably by our mud map and calculations belonged to Ian and Caroline. Sure enough, we then spotted the Scottish flag and welcome at the entrance gates and we had arrived at Murra Murra. Sending Greg and Leigh in first to say hello, we hid ourselves low in the back seat listening to the 'loud' greetings from Ian. After a couple of minutes, they all headed to the car to unload the luggage and Ian was asked to get something out of the back seat. As the door opened, we sat up and yelled 'hello'.

Poor Ian, I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He jumped back as if he had been bitten, then realising it was us, that huge grin spread from ear to ear and the expletives started. Eventually he was quite speechless as we explained how this had all been planned for months, meeting up with Greg and Leigh in Perth and the trip down to Esperance. Each time we had spoken with him from the UK and he was telling us his plans for entertaining them, little did he know that he would be entertaining us as well. We had much the same reaction about half an hour later when Caroline returned from work, though not quite as 'colourful'. It was going to be a lovely few days catching up on old times with family and great friends.

        

  

                        The look of surprise on Ian's face. I can't repeat the exact words used!!

        

                                                    The sunsets over Murra Murra

 

Next morning we headed off for a tour of Murra Murra, driving though paddock after paddock of lush green fodder and the fattest of cattle. The rains had come just at the right time and it was going to be a bumper season for 'coos, ewes and canola'. After the tour, we headed into Esperance to have a little look around and a bite of lunch. A pretty little seaside town with marina, sailing club and foreshore promenade overlooking a lovely bay.

Day 3 was out and about in the car visiting some of the areas fabulous beaches. After 2 days of drizzly weather, the skies were starting to clear so time to play tourist. There may have been some blue appearing but it was still damn cold with a wind that felt like it were coming rom the South Pole. Heading east along the coast and into Cape Le Grand National Park, our first stop was Lucky Bay. Voted Australia's whitest beach, the sand is squeaky, the waters a beautiful turquoise colour and the local kangaroos call it home. 4 kilometres of unspoiled beauty with a view across a scattered archipelago in the instance. 

        

     

                      Lucky Bay in the Cape Le Grand National Park with resident kangaroos

        

                      Greg, Pete and Ian at a lookout. Just reminding him he is the shortest !!!

        

                                            Trying to stay warm in the 'fresh weather' 

        

                                                      The unspoiled beauty of Lucky Bay

Dinner that evening was a loud affair with us all gathered around the table for a roast venison meal with all the trimmings. Good food, great company and the end of the working week as we were all heading down to Albany the next morning for a 4 day long weekend to celebrate Caroline's birthday and East Coast farmer finally meeting West Coast farmer!!!!

In 2 vehicles we headed off early the next morning for our 4 hour drive to Albany. On arrival we headed down to the waters edge for a feed of prawns, calamari and chips before locating our accomodation in town and settling in. We took a drive to the top of Mount Clarence to see the Anzac War Memorial and spectacular views over the harbour and King George Sound. Albany is known as the birthplace of the Anzac story as it is from here that the 1st convoy of Anzac troops sailed to the First World War - their last sight of Australian soil. A beautiful setting for such a poignant memory.

        

                     With Caroline and Ian enjoying fish'n chips down by the pier in Albany. W.A.

Dinner that evening was to celebrate Caroline's birthday, with cocktails for starters, Margaret River wine, good Aussie steaks and wishes for many more happy birthdays. Leaving Greg and Leigh with Ian and Caroline for a few more days, our time in the West was all too soon over. We had an early start the following morning with a flight from Albany to Perth to link up with our return flight to KL. So many great memories to take back with us and so good to finally manage a trip across to Esperance and the lovely property of Murra Murra.

                                         

    

                                        The pure yellow of wattle abundant in the WA bush.

 

Lombok Indonesia

KL has been a great place to base ourselves and using the vast AirAsia network, nowhere is too far. After venturing back to Thailand for a few days exploring the more leisurely pace of Chiang Mai, then down to Bangkok to the hustle and bustle, we decided to re visit Indonesia. Not having been back since sailing through with the rally, we opted to try Lombok and the southern end of the island to the village of Kuta.

Staying at the Puri Rinjani Bungalows right across from the beach, we soon fell back into the swing of Indonesian life, lay back and casual. The dining area looked our across the ocean with the surf rolling in the distance, crashing on the reefs. To hear the welcomes of "selamat pagi" and the genuine smiles on the faces of the locals was like a breath of fresh air. We spent the days lazing around the pool, venturing into the village when we got hungry and deciding which of the various restaurants to try for a meal. Lots of good local seafood and lovely cold Bintang!!

        

                       Many hours spent lasting around the pool at the Puri Rinjani Bungalows

Kuta is renowned for its nearby surfing beaches, so we hired scooters for a couple of the days and made our way slowly along the badly rutted roads to find some spectacular beaches. Some had the whitest of sand and the bluest of waters, crystal clear and a lovely temperature for swimming. Not huge surf but great for the beginner surfer to learn. A couple of the beaches charged us $1 to enter, then the restaurant would ask $10 to use the sun lounges and umbrellas for the day. We found if we bypassed these and moved a little further along, the charges disappeared altogether and we were far happier to spend our money for beer and food in these 'less greedy' spots. Of course, you still have to put up with the various cries of "you like sarong?" or the children with boards of hand made bracelets pleading with their big brown eyes to buy a piece - so hard to resist.

     

                 Filling up at the local BP servo.                                    Idyllic Indonesian beach

One such young boy on approaching us with his board asked us where we came from. On telling him England, he responded with "capital is London". What followed was 10 minutes of us naming about 12 countries and he responded correctly every time. We are so impressed that we bought a bracelet then paid him double for being so good with his Geography. He wandered off with the biggest smile you have ever seen. Maybe this was his practiced routine for getting money out of tourists and it was all a well rehearsed routine - who knows.

        

    

                              Easy to reach swing at high tide - low tide was another matter

        

The week in Lombok was relaxing and we enjoyed both the beaches and the pool at our bungalows. It was grand finals week back in Oz, and knowing that Queensland was well represented in the NRL finals, we found ourselves a bar just down the road an sat back to watch the Broncos v Roosters semi. With the majority of spectators at the bar rooting for the Broncos, it was a successful and satisfying evening.

        

  

                        Another beautiful Indonesian beach, just a few locals fishing for dinner

        

Time to pack up and head back on a late evening flight to KL for 2 nights before starting our holiday in Vietnam. We opted to try the Tune Hotel at KLIA 2 airport as we were having such a short stop there, and the hotel was a pleasant surprise. Only a 5 min walk from the airport, quick check in and up to the room. Not huge, but very clean and modern and a 7/11 in the foyer - it had all we needed. The airport itself has a huge number of eatery options for dining and there is a free shuttle bus hourly to the nearby Mitsui Outlet Park where you can while away a few hours wandering around. Not a bad play to stay at all.

Istanbul

Istanbul was another of those places that I hadn't visited since 1980 when I had a year overseas, and Pete had never been here. It is a city that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait, so the blast of warm air that hit us as we stepped off the plane made us think that we were back in the east. Then when we arrived into town, the hawkers selling their wares, restauranteurs touting for your business and street stalls offering roasted sweetcorn and chestnuts all enforced this feeling. These were all characteristics we have missed over the last 15 months.

The next 3 days we played tourists to the full, flitting from one attractions to the next. A change from visiting castles and cathedrals over the last few months, this was all about mosques. We purchased a museum card that covered our entrance fees for the main places we wanted to see, and more valuably allowed us to bypass the long queues at most places. 

Starting with the Blue Mosque (which in my opinion was the most beautiful of them all) the exterior is a cascade of domes with 6 slender minarets.  Shoes off, legs and shoulders covered and a pashmina over my head, we ventured inside. The interior is decorated with blue Izmir tiles and give the building its name. The central prayer space is huge and surrounded by 260 windows, most of them stained glass. It is truly a beautiful building, and photos don't seem to do it justice. The only negative is the permanent smell of foot odour that must be imbedded into the carpet from the thousands of people who visit daily. Ugh!!!!

        

 

                       The Blue Mosque in the distance, visited by up to 100,000 people daily

     

  

               Gold leaf decoration Topkapi Palace                    The courtyard of the Blue Mosque 

       

     

                     The beautiful blue tile also used extensively throughout the Topkapi Palace

       

From there we went to the Topkapi palace, the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to modern times. It is situated on the acropolis, the site of the first settlement in Istanbul and commands an great view of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. There are 5 km of walls surrounding the palace with monumental gates that open onto beautiful tree shaded courtyards, a restful place to wander for a couple of hours. 

Another stop was the Hagia Sophia. It was originally built as a Christian basilica, then it became a mosque and is currently a museum. Another massive dome 55 meters above the floor and supported by 4 pendentives. On the mezzanine level you can see mosaics from the Byzantine period depicting Christ and his followers. Unlike the blue mosque, the floor on both of the levels is marble so thankfully that overpowering foot odour smell was not an issue. I don't think it is as beautiful as the Blue Mosque, but spectacular none the less.

        

                                                 Outside the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

        

                                      Gold leaf and blue tile mosaic in the Hagia Sophia

   

                 View from the mezzanine level                            Colourful stained glass windows

                                      

                                                 Colourful domes really are spectacular 

         

    

                          Panorama shot - just learnt to do this. Have to do the holiday again now!!

The Grand Bazaar was also amazing. Very similar to what we had seen in Marakesh however the walkways up and down the alleys were as wide as a road in most places which was great that you didn't have to barge your way along. There were entire sections given to one trade - lighting, jewellery, pashminas, silver, art, ceramics - down one street just stall after stall all selling the same thing. The sellers there must be able to look at westerners 'features' and almost guess their origin, as in various parts of the bazaar as we pass, they would catch our eye and then hear "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" coming from them (with a huge grin)! How did they know?

       

  

                                Room to move down the laneways of the Grand Bazaar

We had a lovely long walk across the Galata bridge and up passed the Galata Tower to Taksim Square where the Monument to the Republic is located. Late afternoons most days we tried to find ourselves a rooftop bar with a great view to watch the shadows lengthen, the sun set over the city and to watch it come alive after dark. They have a very modern tram system that rounds right through the centre of the city.

     

                                 Galata Tower                          The Monument to the Republic - Taksim Square

        

  

                       The view looking out across the Bosphorus Sea from a bar top at sunset

Another day was spent with a ferry ride up the Bosphorus. Boarding our boat around 10.00, we spent the next 1.5 hours zigzagging our way towards the Black Sea stopping just short of the entrance where a new bridge is being built to join the two land masses. It is currently known as the 3rd Bosphorus bridge, assuming it will be given a name on completion and it is stated to be the widest suspension bridge in the world, including a rail line.

        

                                A great view of the 3rd bridge over the Bosphorus being built 

        

     

                                        The grand Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus

        

    

                                        Impressive gates to enter the Dolmabahce Palace 

We arrived into a small town just short of the new bridge where we had a 2 hour stopover for lunch and a look around. A relatively short but steep climb to the top of a hill to where the ruins of an old castle still stand, we had a fantastic view both up and the water. The temperature was warm and time for a cold drink to refresh ourselves. Unfortunately, these spectacular views didn't come with any beer so it was an iced tea for now until we got back down to the bottom where we had lunch.

        

 

                     A beer was what we really wanted but had to settle for an iced tea instead

        

     

                                                Just nice to sit back and enjoy the view

        

                          Another view of the surrounding countryside from our river cruise

     

                       Inside views of another smaller but spectacular mosque that we visited

         

    

                                             Sulaymaniye Mosque - Istanbul

On the last day, we got first in the queue to enter the Basillica Cistern, a huge underground system built to supply the water to the palace. There are 12 rows of 28 marble columns in total, each column being 9 meters high. Floodlit with underwater lighting, the effect is quite magical - lovely cool air and soft music playing in the background. And it was so lovely to be the first inside and have the place to ourselves even if just for a minute. Somehow that magical effect wouldn't be the same with hundreds of visitors crammed into the system.

         

So that was Istanbul done and dusted. Back to the hotel for a shower then await the arrival of our car to take us to the airport and an evening flight to Dubai then on to Kuala Lumpur. It's back to the east for us now. With some wonderful memories of places we have been, and people we have met. I am glad I have had the opportunity to return to some places that I hadn't seen for 30+ years, and for most of those a first visit for Pete. Istanbul - where East meets West - an interesting destination.

Goodbye to the UK

Up at 4.00am and away from Belgium, into France and down to Calais where once again we joined the queue for the ferry back to Dover. Arriving back into the UK we headed for Guildord to unload our camping gear and collect a suitcase of 'extra things' that we had in storage. It was then onto the dreaded M25 motorway (which should really be named the M25 carpark on the weekends) and the long drive north towards Scotland. As the hours and miles ticked over, the blue skies which we had enjoyed for the last 9 weeks slowly disappeared and as we got closer to the border the dark clouds threatened menacingly. We crossed the border into Scotland and literally within 30 seconds, the rain started to fall. Welcome home Pete !!! Thankfully it was fairly isolated and we drove in and out of drizzle all the way to Tarbert, arriving just before midnight and creeping into bed - it had been a long day.

After a couple of days relaxing with Pete's mum, we decided to do a trip across to the east coast where the sun was shining. There are only so many days of drizzly rain that one can tolerate - after that you will drive anywhere for better weather. So heading north east we made our way to Loch Tay then followed the river Tay towards the A9 which would take us up to Inverness. After such a lousy summer in Scotland, the rolling hills were a beautiful green and the rivers were all running full. Even the usually rather barren highlands were a picture with the pink of the heather a contrast to the grass. 

Just north of Inverness lies the area known as the Black Isle, though not an island but a peninsula  surrounded on three sides by water. A rich fertile area with many acres under barley and wheat, as well as good land for grazing cattle. We had a wonderful 2 days with Judy and Alasdair, as always wonderful hosts and picking up where we had left off last time (a year prior) just as if it had been yesterday. Great food, great wine and a wonderful setting - a magic couple of days away.

        

                              A view of stunning countryside close to Bonar Bridge, Scotland

        

                Great fun as always catching up with Al and Judy. In the backyard at 'Drummond'

We chose to go home another way, down through the Great Glen and Oban. Glorious weather again and as expected the roads were fairly congested with tourists taking in the sights of the Loch Ness. We stopped for lunch at a tea house overlooking Castle Stalker and again the views were spectacular looking across the water to the islands beyond. A good run back to Tarbert for our last couple of days with Pete' mum and the inevitable sad goodbyes.

       

                         Our lunch stop overlooking Castle Stalker and to the islands beyond

Having sold our little car to Tarbert locals, we then had to get ourselves back down to London so, with thanks to Andy (one of Pete's Easyjet colleagues) we took our last flight as 'staff' and said farewell to Tarbert for who knows how long. Now back in London for a few days with Liz and Bob, time to chill and have some family dinners. One last train ride up to Harpenden to our local haunt - the Thai restaurant at the Harpenden Arms hotel and a dinner with all the gang from Easyjet, and to learn how life after 'Policeman Pete' and his new systems were working. Goodbye and thanks to AD until 'next time', and we have no doubt there will be a 'next time'. Where in the world that might be, we have to wait and see. 

Our time in the UK had come to an end. Despite the negative start I had with my visa issues, it had all been such a positive and worthwhile experience. The time spent with family was invaluable, the destinations visited were amazing and the new friendships made great fun - all in all a wonderful 15 months. Now we have to think of getting back to the boat and the next stages.

The last week of our European vacation

The holiday is coming to a close and we are down to the last week. Leaving Italy, it was lovely to cross back into Switzerland - a land so clean and tidy, no graffiti and no rubbish - a refreshing change. However, the 45 euro vignette (Aud$66) for 2 hours driving on the motorways is highway robbery. It is valid for 12 months but we only needed it for one short trip - you would think they could have a lesser fee for just transiting the country.

In Basel, just inside the Swiss border, we picked up the Rhine river and we would follow this now almost right through to its mouth into the North Sea - 1230 ks. Our first stop was in Germany and we stayed for a couple of nights, camping again at Bad Beligen. Again great facilities with lots of local walks alongside the river. Many local therma and spas in the area and again we found a nice way to spend a couple of hours cooling off. From here we headed north into the Rhine valley following the river and stopping for a night at Assmannshausen right on the banks. We sat having lunch and then dinner watching the various cruise boats leisurely making the way up or down, the diners onboard themselves enjoying their meals with panoramas of castles, vineyards and quaint villages.

       

                    The view from above our accomodation at Assmannshausen looking south

       

                    Then looking north, and nicer temperatures than the intense heat of Italy

                                    

     

 

          

    

                         Landscapes along the Rhine valley, castles and churches at every bend

On the road again and next stop was just inside Germany before crossing into the Netherlands. Just when we thought we had put the tent away for the final time, out it came again. The weather was lovely and we had found a great little campground so we just had to set up again for one final time. We had mastered the whole process very well over our holidays, getting it down to a fine art and in total had camped for 27 nights. Once done, it was off to the pool for a swim then the afternoon spent lounging poolside reading. We were heading into Holland in the morning, a step closer to Calais and our ferry back to the UK.

In the morning it was rejoining the autobahn and making our way north to Utrecht where we were catching up with friends that we had made in Montenegro. Always lovely to reunite with people that you have shared travelling in common and we had a wonderful nights stop. Once we finally located the address (after finding ourselves lost and in the dreaded one way 'bus only' lane), we headed into the city to explore before dinner. We jumped on one of the glass top canal boats and spent a leisurely hour getting a different perspective of the city. Utrecht is one of the Netherlands oldest cities with a compact medieval centre set around canals that are so unique to Holland. However, their system is different to Amsterdams in that there is a lower level to the canals where warehouses were located back in the 13th century and these give the canals a split-level character. The lower levels nowadays have many bars and restaurants so you can drink and dine down at the water level, and this was where we enjoyed a great tapas dinner watching the canal boats cruise past. A lot of wine, some great food and wonderful company made it a night that we will always remember.

        

                                                A view of the canal from our cruise boat

        

              A night shot of the split level canals in Utrecht where we enjoyed a great tapas dinner

     

   A canal shot with the Dom Tower in the background                Very picturesque Utrecht

It's away from Holland and into Belgium for the last night of our holiday. We headed for Ghent in the Flemish Region of the country and leaving us only a short drive to the ferry the following morning. Checking into the Holiday Inn, we then jumped on one of the very modern trams for a 20 minute ride into town. Lots of beautiful old buildings once again, St Nicholas Church, the Belfrey, the Courts Castle all within easy walking distance from the tram stop. We learnt how bells were forged (not made) and of the long process it takes before they are deemed suitable for use in the belfry. Then after a couple of hours ambling around the canals and Graffiti Street, it was time for dinner. We have eaten great continental food over the last 9 weeks, but by now were hankering for a burger and found ourselves a great gormet burger bar on the square. A 'burger with the works' whilst people watching was an idyllic way to end the day.

     

            2 different views of St Nicholas Church - the 2nd one taken from the top of the Belfry

        

     

                                                  The Courts Castle - Ghent, Belgium

        

                                                        Enjoying the canals of Ghent

        

                            'Pete and his dragon' that lives in the Belfry and protects the city

        

                        One of the amazing examples of the art work in Graffiti Street - Ghent

                                       

      

       Roland's Bell that hangs in the Belfry - 2.15 m height, 2 m diameter and weighing 6,200 kilos

                                                            Now that's a bell !!!

The final run into Calais was smooth and we were soon joining our queue to board the ferry. After all the recent media hype regarding illegal immigrants going through the tunnel, we didn't know what to expect when we arrived. However. We saw no sign of refugees and very little police presence. Once in the queue, we did however have to open the boot for an inspection by the border agency team - just checking that we weren't trying to smuggle any into the UK. So that was us finished with our holiday and coming away with memories of a wonderful 9 weeks and 9 countries - of  some amazing places visited and some very interesting people met along the way. It is now time to make our final farewells to family in the UK and head back to the East.