Glass by the Wine
Thanks to mom for the title which never loses its humor no matter how many times we repeat it. In this context it refers to todays adventure- wine touring in Margaret River. This tour took me to 5 wineries, a cheese "factory" which was actually a glorified shop, and a chocolate "factory" which was much the same. But, the best thing was the included lunch. The tour is called "Bush Tucker" which means that they feed you weird bush foods, like grubs and kangaroo. I wasn't adventurous to try either of those, although I did actually eat a tiny bit of hummus with grubs in it, before I found out that it wasn't just regular hummus. I also got incredibly sleepy despite the fact that I took very small sips of wine. Other people were drinking every sample we got- about 30 wines I would guess. But my tolerance has never been that great.
I've been hanging out with this girl Lynne the past few days, but as nice as it is to have companionship, she is actually starting to get on my nerves. We don't really click well, I think, but we're just hanging out so that we're not alone. Tomorrow we are doing another Bush Tucker tour, canoeing down the Margaret River. It should be fun, at least keeping me busy. Then on Thursday the tour bus will take us to the next town, and Lynne is jumping off the bus in Augusta while I plan to stay on for a while. So maybe I'll meet someone who I get along with better- there is still time.
Now to backtrack a bit. On Monday I got picked up in Dunsborough and took the tour bus to Margaret River. We stopped at a few beaches, including the beautiful Canal Rocks. The water looked so inviting, but I think it was too dangerous to swim there- signs told us to beware of "freak waves" also known around here as "king waves"- although our driver said that it was okay to swim if you were careful. Our driver was actually really amusing. He kept giving us advice like, "well, there's only one pub in that town and it's a bit how's your father". I'm not sure what that means, but it seems like a good phrase to add to your vocabulary. In any case, we didn't do any swimming. We did get to see another cave though- much bigger than the first one. It was called Ngigli Cave and the boardwalk through it was I think a 1km circuit. I got pretty out of breath walking around down there- there's just not too much air to be had. But it was exciting. I felt like I was in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Without the dinosaurs, and with boardwalks instead. After all this we arrived in Margaret River, which is the tourist center of the region. The hostel is very small, but I have been out with some girls here last night and this evening, so its not so bad. Now I'm sitting in the lounge trying not to be distracted by Top Gun on the TV.
However, as some of you know, I am a little tired and stressed by being in these small isolated places all alone. In fact, it is making me a little upset, and I've decided to make my way back to Perth and go visit Andrew (my Dad's friend) in Melbourne. I may come home early, although Andrew doesn't think I should. But, we'll see how I feel when I am there. It may be, as Cathy and others have commented, that WA just isn't the place to be alone. Maybe Melbourne will revive my will to go on.
Love,
Emma
I've been hanging out with this girl Lynne the past few days, but as nice as it is to have companionship, she is actually starting to get on my nerves. We don't really click well, I think, but we're just hanging out so that we're not alone. Tomorrow we are doing another Bush Tucker tour, canoeing down the Margaret River. It should be fun, at least keeping me busy. Then on Thursday the tour bus will take us to the next town, and Lynne is jumping off the bus in Augusta while I plan to stay on for a while. So maybe I'll meet someone who I get along with better- there is still time.
Now to backtrack a bit. On Monday I got picked up in Dunsborough and took the tour bus to Margaret River. We stopped at a few beaches, including the beautiful Canal Rocks. The water looked so inviting, but I think it was too dangerous to swim there- signs told us to beware of "freak waves" also known around here as "king waves"- although our driver said that it was okay to swim if you were careful. Our driver was actually really amusing. He kept giving us advice like, "well, there's only one pub in that town and it's a bit how's your father". I'm not sure what that means, but it seems like a good phrase to add to your vocabulary. In any case, we didn't do any swimming. We did get to see another cave though- much bigger than the first one. It was called Ngigli Cave and the boardwalk through it was I think a 1km circuit. I got pretty out of breath walking around down there- there's just not too much air to be had. But it was exciting. I felt like I was in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Without the dinosaurs, and with boardwalks instead. After all this we arrived in Margaret River, which is the tourist center of the region. The hostel is very small, but I have been out with some girls here last night and this evening, so its not so bad. Now I'm sitting in the lounge trying not to be distracted by Top Gun on the TV.
However, as some of you know, I am a little tired and stressed by being in these small isolated places all alone. In fact, it is making me a little upset, and I've decided to make my way back to Perth and go visit Andrew (my Dad's friend) in Melbourne. I may come home early, although Andrew doesn't think I should. But, we'll see how I feel when I am there. It may be, as Cathy and others have commented, that WA just isn't the place to be alone. Maybe Melbourne will revive my will to go on.
Love,
Emma
3 Comments:
Emma, take courage. WA is no place to be, even with a group of people, I've heard. Forgive my nagging, but after checking out Melbourne, you should visit the following:
1) Uluru--The Red Center (and maybe Alice Springs nearby)
2) The Great Barrier Reef--get to Lizard Island for a few days if you can--a real indulgence but absolutely worth it. Other parts of Reef are of course fine too.
3) TASMANIA! You can fly from Melbourne to Hobart, which is a funky little city with a quirky arts scene, then travel across the island to hike at Cradle Mountain National Park, and do the boat trip up the river and to Sarah's Island in Strahan, on the west coast. Just wonderful--you can also whitewater raft nearby. And doesn't the Adelaide Festival start soon?
Lastly, if you get bored with Australia--get thee to New Zealand. In fact it really does look just like Middle Earth in many places, alarmingly like the Shire. Hike the Milford Track down on the southern end of the south island, from Queenstown to Milford Bay. Etc.etc.
I hope this Lynne never reads your blog...
By the way CAP is Nora...don't ask...
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