Nambung N.P. is a bizarre landscape consisting of thousands of limestone pillars, set in yellow sand. We walked around them, then took the winding drive through the area. The pinnacles are so surreal looking you feel as though you're on another planet, and it's hard to believe sci-fi movies have not been filmed here. At one point the yellow desert sand of the pinnacles meets the snow white sand of the dunes, and the line is very distinct and dramatic.
Saturday, November 28
Our first road trip - we drove 2.5 hours north to Jurien Bay, then to Cervantes, and then to Nambung National Park. Since all 3 places are right on the coast, I assumed we'd just drive along the ocean, but in fact, there is no road running along the coast, at least not in this area. The road runs inland and to get to any of the small fishing villages you have to drive over to the coast, then back to the road again to continue going either north or south. Both towns were very small and very quiet, with hardly anyone on the beaches.
We stopped to change drivers along the way, and as soon as we opened the car doors the flies poured in. Amazing, it's as if they just hang around, waiting for the opportunity to bug. These were some of the road signs we saw, although none of the animals made an appearance. They also have "road trains" which are basically 3 semi's hooked together - 3 trailers and 1 cab, and they are not easy to pass on a two lane road. The speed limit on these roads is actually higher than the freeway speed limit, which is 100 kilometers, about equal to 60 mph.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 23
Our stuff was delivered, oh happy day. Although one nice thing about having almost nothing in your house, the junk drawer stays empty. Every time you open it, there is just the same small amount of junk, it doesn't keep growing, like it will now. In fact, now that I've unpacked several boxes, I find I need a much bigger junk drawer, yet somehow we managed to do without all that stuff for the 7 weeks we've been here. Interesting the way that works.
And I discovered an advantage to having a really small place, you only have to plug the vacuum cleaner in once, and the cord reaches the entire house.
We had dinner with a fellow ex-pat, now living in Melbourne, and he mentioned a strange policy here regarding doggy bags. He said he was having dinner with some coworkers, and one of the women asked for a to-go bag. The waiter explained that because they were not licensed for "take away" she had to sign a paper stating that she felt physically fine at the end of her meal and if she became ill the following day she would not blame the restaurant.
This same ex-pat told us about a great place to buy good wine at reduced prices, and there just happens to be one of the franchises right around the corner from us. This company buys up overstocked or discontinued wines from vineyards all over the country, strips the labels off, and puts on their own bizarrely named labels. He said one of his favorites is called Larry, Moe and Curly Joe, and they all have strange, but easy to remember names.
Well this is probably as good a time as any to discuss toilets. Everyone from home always asks if the water really does swirl in the opposite direction when you flush, and the answer is "I don't know." It's hard to tell because the water basically just goes straight down, like a waterfall, and doesn't really swirl around like in US toilets.
Some other differences are rather odd, like when you turn the DVD player on, the light goes off, and when it's off, the light stays on. Same thing with the electric plugs, there is a switch you have to hit to actually turn on the juice; but when they're on, a little red dot shows up, which to me should indicate it's turned off, since it's red. Then there are the electric cords, which never match the appliance. For some reason they put a black cord on a white microwave, and a white cord on a black lamp.
Sunday, November 22
Here's the road sign we saw last month on our way to Serpentine N.P. It was supposed to be removed weeks ago, but it's still there.
Sunday, November 22
We returned again today to Serpentine National Park, thinking it would surely be reopened by now, but there was a sign saying that as of September 2, the park would be closed until further notice. However, before driving away, Bill called the number on the sign, and the ranger said "Oh, that sign is 4 or 5 years old, and it's o.k. to hike there, only the campground is closed." So, we drove on in, but the ranger failed to mention the road was a disaster, and only a 4-wheel drive could get through. Well, of course, I was driving, only my 2nd or 3rd time, and I was sure the car was going to get stuck in one of the very deep ruts. So Bill managed to get the car turned around, we drove back to a level area to park, and got out and hiked. Just as in other parks, we only saw one small group of people, there just never seems to be anyone else out in the parks.
I mentioned how bad the flies are here, and this pic shows how many are typically around your head at any time. They like to hitch a free ride, and then take turns buzzing your face. We have to get some netting to put over our hats, the insect repellent we used did nothing to deter them.
Saturday, November 21
Bill went sailing today with his mates, and they won first place in their division. Afterwards, most of the participants met at the yacht club to have a beer, and 95% of the room were men. Soooo, when an American woman walked in and rather loudly announced that she would pay for the beers at her table, because she had her "fanny pack" with her, the room suddenly fell silent and everyone turned to look. In case you didn't read my earlier post, "fanny" in Oz means the front, not the back, so needless to say she attracted a lot of attention with her announcement.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thursday, November 19
Haven't blogged in a while, been busy trying to get things to work, like the new phone, cable, internet, etc. The technology here on the West coast is a bit behind the times, somewhere back in the 80's I'd say, and everything takes a very long time to get delivered or fixed. You just have to learn to be patient, and we are trying, but most nights we spend at least an hour or two on the phone, talking to tech support.
Last night we signed up for a Camarillo phone number, so friends and family can call us at the same cost as before we moved over 9000 miles away. Very cool, spent all morning talking with family, until my voice finally gave out, but there's always tomorrow!
Bill has been invited to race on a friend's sailboat Saturday, and he was told he has to wear dark blue pants and a white shirt. A uniform! Since he doesn't even own a white shirt, we will have to go shopping tonight, but luckily it's a Thursday so the stores should be open until 9:00.
Well we've had our cable T.V. for a couple of days now, and it is nice to see so many American programs, although some are very old reruns. Also the times are all goofy, like the late night talk shows are on in the early afternoon and Ellen and Oprah are on in the mornings. And I was dismayed to find that the Sham-Wow! man has followed us here, I was hoping to not have to be subjected to any more of his infomercials, but he is here.
Been picking up some more Aussie lingo - some of the trees have interesting names, like woolley butt and black boys. Attorneys have multiple names including barristers, solicitors and just plain lawyers. Rip tides are rips, a cooler is called an esky, and instead of saying spoiled they say spoilt and learnt instead of learned. Mom or mother is always mum instead.
At dinner last week with some of Bill's coworkers, we were discussing the different meanings both countries have for various words, and one lady recalled a trip she made to the US when she was a teenager. She said she was shocked speechless when a boy told her she had a really nice fanny, and she felt like slapping him. As I was listening to her story, I was somewhat surprised that she would find that to be so incredibly upsetting, but then she explained that in Oz, the fanny is the front of that part of the female anatomy, not the back. I guess they probably don't sell fanny packs in Aussie stores.
