Marcel's Musings

Friday was a quiet day as I said before it would be, with one of the boys from my friend being struck by a stomach bug, we took things slowly. Given my tiredness from the previous days I wasn’t really complaining about that!

The Friday night came along and we headed out to the Burswood Theatre to watch Eddie Izzard live.. And boy, enjoy we did. What a great show it was with so many high-points. Some of the best bits were undoubtedly the bit about language and the lack thereof with the dinosaurs.. Rawr!!! The veliciraptier being stopped in the car and asked for his papers when stopped by the police (how fast did you think you were going sir? Rawr, raawr, rawrrrr, rawwwwr.. 45?) had me and my friends in stitches and we kept rawring at each other the following days 🙂
Another great bit was the part where he was talking in Latin, well.. actually it was a mixture between English, French, German, Italian and funny as heck. When he started counting out in ‘roman’ (How many people you say? MMMCXLVXIMMM .. only 43?? No, don’t forget to carry the M!!)

As it was a fairly new, at least on Aussie soil, there were a few bits in the show that didn’t work for the majority (I guess no one saw that movie!! Make a note of that) despite that a very entertaining evening was had by all. Very happy that more tickets had become available at a late date!! 🙂

Saturday was a calm day as well;, with poor one sick boy who fortunately started to bounce back during the day. Saturday evening we spent the evening at home, as a kind of impromptu birthday party where Trish gave me an authentic Aussie hat (no, no corks dangling from it like Crocodile Dundee’s hat!!) On Sunday afternoon we went for a tour, given by two friends whom I’d met the night before of the local wine area. The chocolate factory was a must-stop for some!! 😉 Then it was on to a winery where several wines were tasted (I’m just not used to the taste at all btw) and we had lunch.

As we drove back, we stopped opf at an ice salon and got some icecreams.. My first pistachio icecreams in years and years then to head back to the tour guides place to hang out a bit there. As the day was progressing, I could feel my stomach starting to protest and it looks like I too had gotten the stomach bug that had been doing the rounds (I wasn’t its last victim either as it turned out). By the time it was time to transfer me over to another friend in the area to stay there for a few days, I was having a lot of trouble keeping anything down..

After a decent night’s sleep given the circumstances, we were off to the mall to get some supplies and then off to the Zig Zag, a road in the hills above Perth which give you a great view over the city, then lunch for some dim-sum, which was good but I didn’t dare to eat much yet. After lunch it was off to the Cohunu Wildlife park, where they have kangaroos (you are allowed to feed them), wallibis, koalas etc and I really enjoyed myself but by the time we got back home I was so tired and dizzy that the only thing I wanted to do was to sit down and make the world stop spinning! After watching a movie or two (or trying to at least) it was time for an early night.

The following morning I felt a lot better and was able to eat somewhat normally again, after breakfast I jumped ontop the train to the city and went to visit Scitech, a hands on science museum and a planetarium. At the latter I saw two amazing shows, planetarium technology has come a long, long way since I was last in one!!

Aftewr dinner, we headed off Riverton Bridge and then to the Zig Zag again, but this time for some night shots over the city with more stunning views over the city

After a long trip yesterday (and the day before) I’m back in the Land Down Under. After two flights (Amsterdam – Singapore, 12h25m and Singapore – Perth (4h45m) and an incredibly quick pass through customs and immigration (5 minutes tops!!) I’m back!

I was soo out of it last night after that long trip and not having slept more than 4 hours since Tuesday that I crashed really early. By 20:30 I was down and out, and not before I started to talk Dutch to my friends and it not registering with me till after I had repeated it (in Dutch again).

It was really good to see my friend again and I slipped right back in my brau-pair role it seems! The youngest one gave me a big hug last night, when I had been there for only an hour or so. All in all it was a really long birthday, but well worth it!

Today will be a quiet day and then tonight we’ll be going to see Eddie Izzard. I’m really looking forward to that!

Over and out for now!

Well, it’s hard to believe that it’s all over and done with already!! I’d been looking forward to this trip for so long and once it started, it was almost over before I really noticed it. Being on the go for almost four weeks straight, with just the occasional ‘slow’ day it’s only now starting to really sink in what an amazing time I’ve had Down Under!

 

Meeting my friend in Perth after talking to her very often via email, msn, sms and the occasional phonecall for nearly 5 years was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip! (Yes, I know it sounds a bit corny, but it’s the truth!!) It’s such a cool thing to notice that you also click in real life and not just through a keyboard! She and the rest of her family (and friends) really made me feel at home. And the kids were great to get along with as well! It’s definitely not a ‘standard’ thing for a holiday but I enjoyed myself tremendously with them and I’m very glad it worked out like this!

It’s so much better to talk about certain things when you’re face to face, compared to digitally.. Even though we do seem to manage to get the message across pretty well, it just added that extra bit to it all! I now know how she’d say certain things she says in emails 🙂

 

After having been with them for about a fortnight, it was time to say my goodbyes for a short while and head out to Alice Springs and from thereon to Kata Tjuta, Uluru and King’s Canyon. I’d booked a 3-day camping tour through that area.. And before I went I was a bit in doubt about that, since I am not a camping type person at all!! But in retrospect, I should’ve gone on the 5-day tour.. It was soo much fun and I’ve seen soo many gorgeous things during those three days and had such a great time walking and ‘climbing’ through the valleys.. I really surprised myself I liked it that much!! I’ll know for next time that I can take it, as long as there’s some creature comforts around!!

 

Then it was on to Sydney.. After a rocky start, with it not working at all between me and the acquintances I was gonna stay at.. I went to the city itself and checked in in a backpackers hotel. That hotel was situated just to the south of the city centre and most of the things I’d wanted to see and knew about beforehand were in walking distance (for me anyways) The Harbour Bridge was about 45 minutes walking, but I liked that! I got to see more of the city that way then jumping on a bus or train..
The Harbour Bridge.. Now, climbing that was surely one of my favourite things to have done during this trip. It’s soo cool to walk through the structure of the bridge and really see and feel how it’s put together! plus the views you get standing on top of that thing are simply awesome. Walking up and down over an iron grid and just seeing water 80m or so beneath you is cool! you really shouldn’t have vertigo, it could be difficult for you then!!

 

The only thing during this holiday that was a bit disappointing actually was the tour of the Opera House. When I went on it, most of the halls were closed due to performances at night, copyright reasons etc.. Now, I can fully understand that being done, but put up a notice at the ticket desk saying that the tour won’t go through certain areas and maybe adjust the price accordingly! Other then that, I loved Sydney.. It’s got far more a city feel then Perth has (I like Perth a lot as well, but it’s just different) and with me being a city boy, I felt at home there. It wasn’t too hectic, still pretty relaxed just like the rest of the country.

 

Then after Sydney it was back to Perth again, to stay a few more days at my friends and celebrate (and help preparing!) the 1st birthday of their second son.. That was a lot of fun as well, all the kids had a great time (and that’s why you do it mostly anyways) and I got some shots of mom at the party with the kids, she normally doesn’t get many of those since she’s the photographer!
The last normal day fell in the water, almost literally. The weather forecast had several severe weather warnings in it for the Perth area.. So, instead of going out and seeing more stuff I stayed ‘at home’ and just mailed with my friend whilst she was at work, just like I do at home almost 😉

 

And then leaving day came around.. I was out of sorts all day, stomach somewhat upset, not feeling very happy.. I didn’t feel like going home at all and I certainly didn’t like the fact that my friends are now again on the other side of the world! I knew I was going to miss them and I was/am right in that. I do miss them, even though we’re back at the old routine of emailing, SMS- and MSN-ing with each other.. That 3rd dimension is missing now! 🙁 Saying goodbye was pretty hard to do for me..

 

After a long trip (18h flying) I got back home and that felt pretty weird at the beginning I can tell you. Normality had resumed for me, even though I wasn’t ready for that at all yet! What with the jetlag, getting ill after I’d gotten home and having all those great memories it took me a while to readjust.. I’m now pretty much back to my ‘normal’ routine, though I still miss my friends. (and no, not miss them in such a way that I’m gonna do weird things!!)

 

I’ve really had a great holiday there, and I’ll definitely be going there again. Both to see my friends again (still so much to see/do in their area as well) and see more of the country of course. Don’t ask me yet where I’ll be going to then.. I really don’t know yet..

 

(oh yeah, I’m almost done sorting the last pictures to put up.. As my friend says.. I’m quite the shutterbug.. and I have a hard time deciding what to put up and what not..

After a long day of travelling I’m home again, to arrive in a cold and wet Holland. Only 10C when I arrived!!

I was incredibly tired after the trip and the four weeks in general. Until you actually sit still and don’t do anything anymore, the tiredness strikes you big time. But it was worth the tiredness I have now without a shadow of a doubt, I’ve had such an amazing time over the last four weeks.

 

I know for certain that I’ll be going back there! Of course to see my friends again but also to see more of the country. I was quickly glimpsing through my pictures this afternoon, some of them I didn’t really had a chance to look at properly due to circumstances, and it started to dawn on me even more how great a time I’ve had over there!!

 

 

Damn, it’s almost time to go home again.. In two days time I’ll be on the long plane trip back home and I sooo don’t want to go home!
I’ve fallen in love with this country, it’s just a very unique place in the world. Because of the people, the sights, the isolation, the size of the country.. they all make it a very special (or maybe different is a better word, good different mind you!) place. I’ve talked to several people who’ve felt the same way I feel. On the Sydney Harbour Bridge I talked to a couple who’d been out here for a holiday and they were back (for good!) about two years later and I must say, I can totally see why!

 

And of course, having good friends here makes it even harder to leave! We’ll go back to our old routine of emailing, sms-ing and chatting but it’ll be different from now on. Since we now know each other for real (and still get along!! ;)), the bond has grown stronger. Knowing someone through the net is one thing, knowing for real just adds a whole nother dimension, and I’m not just talking about the 3rd dimension!!

 

Today, was the 1st birthday party for my friend’s second son and a whole lot of preparations went into that.. The shopping and baking yesterday, the preparations last night and this morning but it was loads of fun being at the party.

 

Even though I’ve still got little under two days to go I want to say a huge thank you to my friends here, they’ve helped make this a great (if somewhat  unconventional!) holiday.

 

ps. All the rest of the pics will follow once I get home probably..

pps. About the title.. My friends call me that jokingly since I get along with their kids so well, even advising me think about a career change!!

Just a quick update for everyone who reads this..

The Bridge climb was awesome, that gave so many great views and was a lot of fun to do!! And more then 1400 steps can’t hurt you now can it?!? 😉 After that I went into one of the pilons (only there for show basically) which had a great exhibition on how the bridge was built and some more great views (now with photo opportunities!

Then it was on to the Opera House for the tour there, but to be honest that was slightly disappointing.. Several of the halls were shut and no mention was made of that before getting your ticket.. I was a bit bummed about that. I did stick around the quay though and got some great nightshots of the city, the bridge and the Opera house!!

Yesterday morning, I went to the National Maritime museum and onto the destroyer and the sub! (I could never work on that sub, I’d be knocked out in seconds!! Way too low for me!! The destroyer was pretty cool though. Later in the afternoon Iwent up the Sydney Tower, or whatever it’s called nowadays and enjoyed some great, great views of the city

 

This morning it was the Sydney Wildlife, followed by a tour through the harbour.. Now I’ve just checked in for my flight back to pErth, and am mailing with my friend a bit and I’ll be off to the Aquarium next!

All in all, having a great time here, though also very happy I’ll see my friends in Perth again tomorrow!