Port Lincoln

We arrived in Port Lincoln after a 2-day drive through the Australian outback.  Port Lincoln is located at the tip of the Eyre Peninsula in the state of South Australia.  It is known for the variety of seafood that it is caught in the waters around the area.  It has a population of about 14,000 but during the season I'm sure the place is well-visited by tourists.  We were lucky to get a nice apartment for $130 a night at the Pier Hotel.  The apartment has a nice ocean-view from the terrace and sits above a pub and restaurant.
There are some touristy things to do, like going on a boat out in the waters to swim with tuna and sealions and even get in a cage to see the sharks.  But, that is during the summer.  For us, we just enjoyed the water front and the serenity and beauty of the small town.

Pier Hotel

Fishing Boats at the Marina

Our plan after Port Lincoln is to drive about 2 hours to a town called Cowell, then to Lucky Bay, where we take the ferry across to the Australian mainland and drive 2 hours south to the city of Adelaide.  We could have driven further north to Port Augusta, then south towards Adelaide but we thought we'd do something different and save a little driving.  We arrived in Adelaide at about 8 pm that night and found an apartment in a caravan (trailer) park.

The Nullarbor Plain

Surprisingly, for an advance country like Australia the internet is not as easily accessible. Most of the places where we stayed charge for use of the internet, usually about $5 an hour. The hotels either don't have wifi or they charge for it. Our mobile wifi device doesn't always work.
 We started our journey through the Nullarbor Plain in Esperance. First, it was about a 2 hour drive north to Norseman. Then we started going east through the Plain. This is a vast, vast area of "nothing," the so-called Australian Outback. I was expecting to see desert but there were many areas where there were tall trees and areas with short bushes.  We passed through many small towns, most of them just a gas station and a motel.  We were told that it'd take us 2 days to drive through this area and yes, we did take 2 days of seeing very few cars and people.  Every few miles we'd see a swarm of black crows in the distance and we knew it would be a kangaroo carcass they were feeding on.
Eventually, we made it to the Western Australia/Southern Australia border.  A place appropriately called Border Village.  It has a few more motel rooms that the other small towns and even a decent restaurant and pub.  We paid A$200 for a small room with a bunk bed, a queen-bed and a twin-bed.  We didn't have a choice.  We were in the middle of nowhere.
In the morning, our next destination was Port Lincoln, a seaside tourist town at the tip of the Eyre Peninsula.  But first, we have to get out of the Outback and into civilization.  Once we got to a town called Ceduna, we starting heading south down the coast of the peninsula.
The speed limit on the Australian highway is 110 km/h.  Since we were driving through empty roads we were averaging about 140 km/h.  So the only exciting thing that happened on this journey is I got a speeding ticket.  I was clocked at 147 km/h by a young police officer.  He told me that there are a lot of accidents on these roads and they take speeding very seriously.  So he gave me a very hefty fine - A$592!  Ouch!   He said it should have been about $800 but is giving me a small break.  I have 30 days to pay this fine.  That pretty much dampened our spirits for the rest of the day.
We finally got into Port Lincoln about 7 pm and found a room at the Pier Hotel.

Town called Norseman

Our room at the Border Village

Seaside at Esperance

Visitor's Information Center at Esperance

Albany

We started on our real Australian journey on Saturday morning, May 5th. Our first destination is the coastal town of Albany. It is a seaside town that caters mostly to tourists from Western Australia. Some of its popular tourist attractions are whale watching (from June to October), a wind-farm and some "blow-holes." It was late in the afternoon when we arrived. We stopped at the Albany Visitors Information Center where they helped us with finding a room at a Best Western Motel and other tourist information. These Visitors Information Center are located in almost every town and city. They provide tourists information and help with finding accommodation. We booked a 3-room apartment at the Best Western Albany Motel for A$200 a night.
It comes with a kitchenette so we saved some money by buying some cooked food from an IGA grocery store.  IGA stores were common in Phoenix in the 80s' but I think they were put out of business by the big grocery chains.  It was raining so we spent the evening in the room catching up on emails and watching TV.
In the morning we visited the wind farm where we had a good view of the southern-most point of western Australia.  We also visited the blow-holes and other beaches.  At around noon we started our 5-hour drive to Esperance.
We took Southern Highway 1 to Esperance.  It's about 500 km and at the speed limit of 110 km/hr, we expected to take about 5 hours.  It's a 2-lane highway with no shoulders.   There was not a lot of traffic but we saw several kangaroo carcasses on the side of the road.  Apparently, they were hit at night, which I understand is a common problem is Australia.  This is one reason why we are not driving at night.  Hitting a kangaroo will probably be the end of our trip.
Again, I am surprised by how expensive things are in Australia.  At a roadside gas station, gas is about A$1.70 a liter.  That is about US$7.50 a gallon!  Americans have no reason to complain about US$5 a gallon.  Now you know why everyone is looking for alternative energy sources.

We are making a quick stop at a small town called Streaky Bay, after driving for 1 1/2 days through the Nollarbor Plains.  I will write another post about driving through the Australian Outback.   But, I want to take this opportunity to put up this post while I have some sort of internet connection.  We hope to get to a city called Port Lincoln tonight.

Albany Seaside

Lunch at a roadside rest-stop

Windmill Farm

A$1.70 a liter = US$7.50 a gallon

Perth and Fremantle

Perth is Australia's fourth largest city, with a population of about 1.8 million people. It is in Western Australia, which is rich in mineral resources.  It was settled by the British in 1827 and used as a penal colony from 1850 to 1868.
Today it is a wonderful city with a lot of open space and a beautiful waterfront.  It also has a vibrant downtown area, called the Central Business District, where you can take free shuttle buses around the area.  It has a nice mix of residents from around the world and you can find restaurants of all different nationalities.  The weather was nice during the 2-3 days that we spent here, although it rained quite a bit on the 2nd day.  It is home to the University of Western Australia.
About 20 minutes from Perth is the historic port city of Fremantle.  The pace here is a little slower and the city revolves around Fremantle Market, where you can buy produce, souvenirs or just a meal.  You can also get some excellent seafood from some of the restaurants along the waterfront.  Walking around the city is a pleasure with many interesting small shops and restaurants.
Tomorrow we start on our real Australian journey.  Our plan is to head south to a coastal town called Albany, where we'll probably spend the night.

Downtown Perth

Mall in the Central Business District

Fremantle Market

Many Varieties of Produce Sold at the Market

Local souvenirs - boomerangs and drums

On the way to Perth

After a long time waiting at the San Francisco airport and about 45 minutes before flight time, I was given a seat on SQ1, which stops in Hong Kong on the way to Singapore.  Whew....what a relief.  If I did not get on the flight, I would have to either walk around the airport for another 12 hours for the next flight at 2 pm the next day or find a cheap hotel near the airport.
The flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong is long - 14 hours.  Luckily, I got an aisle seat and the seat next to me was empty.  I fly Singapore Airlines for a reason.  Their service is so much better and their in-flight entertainment is great.  I watched 3 movies:  Sherlock Holmes, The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo and Caddyshack.  I know Caddyshack is an old movie but I thought I need some laughs after being in a frustrated situation and cooped up on an airplane for 14 hours.
I arrived in Singapore on Saturday afternoon, April 28th.  My niece and her husband picked me up.  I had a little lunch, then took a little nap before meeting my friends in the evening.
Over the next few days I've been visiting family and friends.  Today we leave for Perth, Australia, on a Tiger Airways flight at 3:50 pm.  This is a no-frills airline.  You even have to pay for your water on board.  It's a 5 1/2 hour flight and hopefully, there won't be any delay.

It was an uneventful flight to Perth.  Considering this is a budget airline, it ran very smoothly - leaving on time and even arriving a few minutes early.  At the airport we waited for an old friend to pick us up.  I have not seen my friend Jimmy for at least 10 years.  He and 3 of the 4 of us were in the service together more than 40 years ago.  He is currently a pastor of a 200-member congregation church in Perth.  He has been living in Perth for the last 16 years.  Jimmy took us to Chinatown for dinner.  Even though it was about 11 pm, there were still a few restaurants opened.  It was a wonderful time catching up for all of us.

Stuck in San Francisco

I headed out to the airport this morning to catch the 10:20 am US Airways flight to San Francisco. Just my luck that the weather decided to change today and it rained heavily in the San Francisco Bay area. They closed the SFO airport for a couple of hours which means that my flight was delayed. I only have 90 minutes to get to my connecting flight to Singapore.

The Phoenix flight finally took off at around noon and by the time I arrived in San Francisco, I had missed my flight by about 30 minutes.  The next flight to Singapore is at 1:20 am.  I am on standby and if I don't get on this flight, I'll have to spend the night at the airport or a cheap hotel nearby.  I am writing this blog while waiting at the International Terminal to find out if I got on this flight.
Ah yes...the joy of traveling - delays, cramped seats, a lot of waiting, long security lines, etc.  But, you get your rewards when you get to your destination.  New place, new faces, great food, interesting sights, etc.
My plan is make a stop in Singapore for a few days.  Then four of us friends are flying to Perth, where we'll start our journey through Australia.  We'll drive east towards Sydney and then be back to Perth by the end of May.
We'll be back in Singapore, where I'll stay for a couple of weeks, then fly to Hanoi, Vietnam.  I worked and lived in Hanoi for about 9 months and made some great friends there.  This is my first visit back and I am really looking forward to it.  Hanoi can't be more different than Phoenix.  Those who followed my blog when I was in Vietnam can attest to that.  I will be in Hanoi for about 10 days, then back to Singapore for another 2 weeks before returning to the US.  While in Singapore, I may take short trips to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand or even Burma.
I feel very blessed that I have the time and opportunity to travel.  Hopefully, I can share my stories with you.  If you have any questions or comments, please post them.  Thanks for letting me share my travels with you.

Home Sweet Home

Ah.....home at last. I arrived back in Phoenix at about 7 pm on Sunday, October 30th, after a long 10-hour flight from London. When I left Hamburg in the morning, it was a cool 50-degree sunny morning. It was a beautiful fall day in Hamburg - the leaves are turning yellow and red everywhere. Leaves are falling on the ground and some shops are already starting to sell Christmas ornaments. You can feel Christmas is in the air.
It's hard to believe that I am home. I've been traveling in Europe for more than 2 months and got used to being in tight spaces and on the move every 2-3 days. All this time I've been living with a small and a large backpack.  I was getting good at stretching my clothes in-between washes.  I learned how to sleep in a room with as many as 10 people of both sexes and share a common bathroom with others.  Best of all, I enjoyed all the food and all the wine and beer in all these countries.  I learned how to use olive oil liberally on my food, especially salad, and appreciate the different kinds of cheese.  I love the abundance of fresh seafood, meat, fruits and vegetables.  Most important of all, I met friendly people everywhere I went, whether they are fellow-travelers or locals.  I had so many interesting conversations with so many people.  I wish I can remember them all.
Here are some numbers for my journey:

Number of days:  72
Number of countries:  18
Number of cities:  33
Number of train journeys:  37, including 4 overnight trains.
Number of bus trips:  8
Number of pictures taken:  3,891

Looking back, there was one thing that Ralph and I were concerned about when we started on the trip.  We were afraid of losing some important items:  passport, Eurail pass, laptop, camera, wallet, and our backpacks, in order of importance.  Luckily, neither of us lost any of the above.  We were constantly vigilant.  Everywhere we went, we were warned to be on the lookout for pickpockets or scam artists.   We came close many times.  We lost things mostly through them being displaced, but not stolen.
One experience I noticed is that in Europe you may get pick-pocketed or scammed but there is never any fear of violence.  We were never faced with any safety issues.  Unfortunately, the gypsies are the ones who get the brunt of the accusations for most of these petty crime.  We ran into them almost everywhere we went.  They are actually more fearful of what they are doing because the police are constantly on the lookout for them and harassing them.  Even raising your voice is enough to drive them away because it attracts attention from the police.
I've been very blessed to have been able to make this trip.  You have to have a combination of time, money and health to do a backpacking trip like this.  Most of the travelers I met are in their 20s'.  When they find out my age and how long my trip is, they were very surprised.  Some hostels would not even allow anyone over 40 to stay there.  However, this kind of trip is not for everyone.  If you have limited time and prefer to have some privacy, I suggest a group tour.  There are quite a few budget tour companies that put together some very good European tours.  Europe is an amazing continent because of its history, culture, diversity and language.   Food, wine and beer are so good;  I am missing it already.
To all my family and friends, thanks for coming on this journey with me on this blog.  I understand some of you have difficulty adding comments to the blog.  You can send me an email at k.meng.tay@gmail. com and let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions.  I love to hear from you.

Our worn-out Eurail Pass

We covered almost all of Europe