Encounter with Dinosaur

Day 29

"My home was there and then, those meadows of heaven
Adventure-filled day
One with every smiling face"

With this entry I will try to write more chronological story, starting from early sunday morning when me and 8 other peeps left Darwin for 3-day safari to a nearby Kakadu national park...and when I say nearby we are talking about distances in Australian scale, that means park was 200km from Darwin. Our guide was authentic aboriginal guy who was clearly very emotional about the content of the trip and the land he was showing us, we couldnt have asked for better guide. This is rather long post filled with pictures so enjoy :) At first we stopped 60km from Darwin to see some of the jumping crocodiles in Adelaide River. Now, this place is NOT Zoo, it is NOT theme park and it is NOT even national park yet. This is as authentic as it can get, 100% wild crocodiles in their natural habitat. Morning was pretty cold as you can see.

Ride through river started promisingly, after only 3 minutes we spotted first croc and it started to head directly towards our boat. Guide took out bait so croc wouldnt attack boat. After following bait for minute, the thing jumped!

And it didnt take long to find some more jumpers, like this beauty here.

But none of us was prepared what was coming next. One guy in boat asked: "Is there like any dominant croc in this area?" to which guide answered: "Yes, there is this one huge monster croc roaming around here. We see it once every 7 tours or something like it. Last time we saw it was 4 tours ago." Then, just 2 minutes later guide pointed to river: "I think we found the dominant croc". Yes! There it was, about 30m away sliding quietly on the river, even though 95% of it was below water, we could see it was way bigger than anything we had seen so far. It was completely black...and it turned its attention to our boat. It popped its head out to grab bait and we saw its massive head and jaws.

Then our brave guide decided to lure it to ground so we could truly see its size. It worked and...omg! Everyone was in total awe, that thing was giant monster! It wasnt croc anymore, it was dinosaur.

After we ran out meat for it, it turned its gaze towards our boat. Guide was quite fast with his movements and we backed away rapidly. Guide told us later on campfire that he had gotten little scared there as well cause that dinosaur could have easily flipped our boat and everyone in it if it wanted to.

So the tour couldnt have gotten better start. Next of we headed to ancient aboriginal site where they used to live 20,000 years. Some of the paintings on walls were close to 20,000 years old.

Then we headed to our campsite for the night. Guide gave us some didgeridoo lessons but it was mostly hopeless :) Next day we headed on top of Jim Jim Falls. It was very rough 9km walk to there(400m high) and guide did it barefooted! It was tough but views were definetly worth it. Besides, swimming 230m above waterfall in huge pool with just our group there was great.

It was long with the walk and all, so in evening we just headed out to watch sunset at a river near our second campsite. As you may have noticed from previous posts, sunsets are quite spectacular here.

Next day we headed to see yet another waterfall. This one wasnt as big as Jim Jim Falls but maybe more picturesque. We climbed on top if it to place called Skull Rock. In there was small circle pool in rock, no more than 2m in diameter. If you jumped there, you couldnt get up...only way was tunnel 3m below surface which lead to another bigger pool nearby. I was only one in our group brave(or stupid) enough to actually dive through it, it was so cool! Below is video of my dive(no sound). Definetly beats Uimastadikka any day :)

All in all, a great final day where we mostly just swam around this picturesque waterfall.

Safari costed 400 dollars(245 euro) and I felt the monster croc alone was worth the price. All in all, fantastic 3 days! Finally our group picture next to that final waterfall.

The Darwin Dilemma

Day 24

"We used to swim the same moonlight waters
Oceans away from the wakeful day"

Tero loves Darwin...but unfortunately my wallet doesnt :(

From very first day of my trip I have been writing down every single penny I have spent so I know exactly how much I have spent and if I am on budget. Before Darwin I was well below it but past 3 days have been eating it madly. Its just impossible to not spend money here. People are great, weather is perfect and city is jewel. So therefor we have dilemma.

Unfortunately I am on budget trip so I just have to cut down costs. I constantly make my own meals but drinks in bar late at night cost 7-8 dollars which is just way too much. Oh well...its beer festival here today and tomorrow...guess I can cut down the costs next week :)

Someone wanted pics from people in here...well, I try my best to remember to take camera with me more often. Usually I carry with me only key to my dorm room and little bit cash, thats it. Wallet, camera, iPod,... everything else is locked in safe most the time. I only get them out when I go out during day for walk and/or to see sights. Since I carry no ID they almost wouldnt let me in to Vic's the other night. Policy is that if they want to check 1 person's ID from group, everyone has to show ID. Well, currently we "bypass" this problem so that I always enter alone after group has gotten in.

Finally I am now in internet bar with usb ports so here are some pics to cheer you peeps in Finland :)

Darwin = Paradise

Day 22

"The Imagination can be compared to Adam's dream - he awoke and found it truth."
- John Keats, 19th century poet

Holy s...cow! I love Darwin, I really love this town. Only been here little over day and having so much fun. My expectations about Darwin were not that high. I dont know exactly what I was expecting, small and little run down town perhaps but this place is completely different. This is and feels like a modern vibrant city filled with other travellers enjoying life and relaxing in this tropical heat.

People here so far have been great. Backpackers on budget trip and eager to meet one another. Yesterday evening we had barbecue party at my hostel. I ended up heading to town with 6 irish girls. Two of them, Sonja and Emma, are living in same dorm room with me and we were getting along very well from start. After 3 pints in Shenennigans I found myself at the Vic watching bikini girls jelly wrestling, that was soooo cool :)))

Only downside to this town is that there are no real "beaches" to swim here. Mindil Beach is only one patrolled but even that beach is empty...because of Box Jellyfish. June, July and August are generally only months in year where swimming is possible, but even then danger of getting sting is moderate so no one is really taking the risk...and neither am I.

Unfortunately I cant provide pics at this point since this internet access point doesnt have usb drives out. I try to find some other spot later on so I can upload some pics.

Tero...out.

Wasted in Kununurra

Day 19

"Fly to a dream
Far across the sea
All the burdens gone
Open the chest once more"

14 hour bus trip to Kununurra was surprisingly easy. We stopped every 3 hours or something to have 10-15 minute break which helped a lot. Couldn't get any sleep though, chair was just killing my back all the time. Also, I met this italian girl, Evelyn, already in Broome few days earlier and she took same bus so I had someone to chat with.

It's 3rd week of my trip and before I came to Kununurra I haven't really partied that much. Went out couple of times in Broome but had only like 2-3 beers on those nights. Until I came to Kununurra...

Met 2 british guys on first day, Dan and Adam, and its been just constant drinking after that with some other british peeps in hostel. Otherwise this hostel here has loads of seasonal workers from Korea and France. Well, Koreans don't really speak with us and they swarm the kitchen each night so we have to cook dinner well before them. French...I mean come on, only words any French can say in english is "I surrender!" so there is not much communicating with them.

Otherwise I really like Kununurra. I was expecting problems with aboriginals here, but no such issues. Surprisingly lot of tourists obviously using this place as a stopover on road to Darwin(or to Broome). Hidden Valley national park just few kilometers from town was bloody amazing, really spectacular place. Nightlife here is very nice, there is basically just one bar, located in Hotel Kununurra, where everyone gathers at evening. Only problem here is the insane heat(34 in shade) and the annoying bushfires nearby which bring smoke to city.

Tomorrow I'm off to Darwin with another long bus trip. Should arrive there around 22:30 local time.

Finally some pics from Kununurra and Hidden Valley national park.

End of Broomtime

Day 16

"Do I know where hell is, hell is in hell-o.
Heaven is good-bye forever it's time for me to go.
I was born under a wand'rin' star."

Broometime is over and its time to move on. After week in here I have to say that I do like this place a lot. Broome has certain special appeal allthough it is expensive as hell. I will miss it a bit, but just a bit. Tonight I will catch a Greyhound Bus at 19:30 to Kununurra. Trip lasts 14h so its an overnight journey and I should be at Kununurra around 9:30 next morning.

Now I want to do a small flashback, back to monday and my Cape Leveque tour. I already wrote about the coach issue but nothing about the tour itself. Originally I booked the tour to see this remote location of Kimberley, enjoy picnic there and swim&snorkel on beautiful beaches there. Yes, I did all that but I think I was more moved by the visits to 2 aboriginal communities(Beagle Bay and Lombadina) we did. I could write 1000 words in an instant to describe the experience and stuff I learned there but I try to keep it little shorter.

Some background info first...During recent years Australia has been creating these remote aboriginal communities around country, funding them 250 million dollars a year and encouraging aboriginals to move there and "return to their roots". First impression to me was "ok, sounds like government here just tries to sweep aboriginal issue under the mat by sending them on these remote and harsh communities away from tourists and settlers". No, these communities are actually idea that has come from aboriginals, it is what they want. They want to return to their roots which is hunting, fishing and generally living from the land(much like indians in America).

So they build these communities in middle of nowhere atleast 100km away from closest towns and at same time they make sure that roads leading to these communities are NOT sealed, they are gravel roads. Why? Because if roads are in bad condition it prevents young people in these communities to make trip to nearest towns, thus staying away from alcohol and drugs. If 2 or more communities are close to each other, then roads between them are sealed to help communities stay in touch and trade necessities.

Anyway, aboriginals I see in towns are, how should I say this, creepy. They are more than often completely wasted 24/7 and they just look dirty all the time. People try to avoid them as much as possible. It's completely different in these communities. People there look much healthier, they actually smile a lot and are so much more friendly.

I gotta say visiting these 2 communities was some sort of an eye-opener. My feelings towards aboriginals wasn't that great before but now I saw totally different side from them. And I also felt that experience like that is hundred times more rewarding than seeing some new beach.

Finally some pics from that trip:

Stranded!

Day 14

"I've crossed the deserts for miles
Swam water for time
Searching places to find
A piece of something to call mine"

Stranded in desert!





Well, I got more than I bargained for when I decided to head to Cape Leveque, northernmost point of Kimberley. On ride back coach broke down, some electrical problems and we were stranded in Outback desert for 5 hours. In almost any other civilized country this wouldnt be problem but we are in Australia. That means we were 100km from nearest settlement and 100km from nearest cellphone reception. Addition, coach had satellite phone but phone wasnt working.

So all we could do was to wait roadside while it was getting dark and cold(we were definetly not prepared for nighttime conditions in desert). Road we were in wasn't sealed and it most certainly wasnt in active use. After about hour there a car did pass us, we gave them phone number to call with instructions. I believe it took them about 1.5 hours to get to reception area and call for help. After that the tour company organized replacement coach which arrived almost 5 hours after our coach had broke down. I was suppose to be back at hostel at 18:00 but it was closer to 23:00 when I got there.

Other than the fact that it started to get really cold there, it was quite a fun experience. We just chatted inside tyhe coach trying to keep spirit up and most got to know one another really well.

Oh...some jerk had stolen my mobile phone charger and usb charger from my room during that day. I mean wtf?! Those things are not even valuable and they have European electric sockets which means whoever stole them, cant even use them without adaptor! No big loss financially but annoying as hell cause now I have to head to Broome town and buy new ones from Target. I guess I am slowly learning that when you are traveling and not on holiday, things don't always go as planned and there are tons of unexpected problems on the road. Well, thats life down here. No worries.

Right place, wrong time

Day 12

"This is who I am
Escapist, paradise seeker
Farewell, now time to fly
Out of sight, out of time, away from all lies"

What can I say about Broome? I do understand what the fuzz is about this place. Cable Beach is truly gorgeous, absolutely magnificient. There is certain appealing "frontier" town feeling here, place is also very tropical with palm trees and all. So what is wrong with this paradise at the moment? Well, problem is that from 5th to 22nd July entire Australia is spending their winter holiday and Broome is in a nutshell, holiday town.

Because of this, the town is completely booked up till 22nd. This also means prices are insanely high and what is worse, there are hardly any foreign backpackers. Only australian families, couples or huge groups who have all booked place here months in advance. So no backpackers means its hard as hell to get to know people cause everyone is just mingling with their own group. Nothing like in Perth where everyone were backpackers and eager to know one another. So essentially I am in right place but at the wrong time. I think late May/early June or late August would be much better timeslots to visit this place.

What is going on then? Well, mostly I have been spending my days at the Cable Beach working on my tan and practising surfing with bodyboard(my knees just cant handle real surfing). I am living in 5-bed dorm with 4 girls...which didnt turn out to be such a great thing. All of them are british and regular workers here for 2 months which means they dont even like to chat much with new people.

Because everyone here at the moment are on holiday it means they also have money to spend, I dont. It can annoy a bit when you are on a backpacker budget cooking your own meals while everyone else is eating out, drinking out, buying stuff, etc. If you have lot of money to spare, then Broome is great holiday destination, otherwise dont come mid-July.

What else? I have been having tons of difficulty arranging my trip to Darwin. It turned out most of Darwin is completely booked as well(wtf really?). Finally I have now managed to get 6 nights there starting from 21st. I will be taking long way there as well, which means 14h bus ride to Kununurra, 3 nights there and then another 12h bus ride to Darwin. That means I will be leaving Broome on 17th. It really annoys me to plan so far ahead but what some of the locals here have told me, traveling north Australia during high season is like that. I just hope east coast wont be like this cause now I have to stress way too much about these travel arrangements.

Tomorrow I booked a standby-tour to Cape Leveque, northernmost point of the Dampier Peninsula about 220km from Broome. Hopefully it will be a good day to unwind a bit. Lastly some pictures from Broome.

The Magnificient Cable Beach

Bye Bye Perth

Day 9

"Search for beauty, find your shore
Try to save them all, bleed no more
You have such oceans within
In the end, I will always love you"

It's thursday and time to say goodbye to Perth. It's been fun to see and feel this city again, but I'm more than eager to see new places and new shores. Within few hours I shall be in an airplane once more heading to Broome, Western Australia's number 1 party town. Broome is also known for its magnificient beach, Cable Beach.

Last day or 2 have also brought first hiccups to my trip. My original plan was to spend 2 weeks in Broome, 1 week next to Cable Beach relaxing and other week in famous party hostel closer to town. Well, those plans got scrapped after within 2 days entire Australia decided to head to Broome and nearly every hostel got booked out. I managed to extend my stay in my first hostel, Beaches of Broome until friday 18th, but after that day every single decent hostel in Broome is booked out. Also, my original plan was to fly from Broome to Darwin, but now all discount tickets are sold out for until end of August!! So...my plan now is to take Greyhound bus from Broome to Kununurra which is located midway between Broome and Darwin, stay there for 2 days and then take another bus to Darwin. If this plan works out I should be in Darwin monday 21st.

What else is going on? Oh yeah, this backpacking thing is really starting to give me big positive vibes. There is such a huge difference between being on vacation and...traveling with time. You see, when you are on vacation you never allow yourself time to just...do nothing. You are always hurrying from place to place, trying to see as much as possible, planning next day and day after that. Thats not what I am doing. Essentially I am on vacation as well, but I have time. I don't need to plan every single day with activities. I can just...wake up whenever I feel like, take shower, cook breakfast, spend 1h to drink my coffee, read a book, etc. If I would be on vacation I would think I am wasting my time, but not this time. I am perfectly happy doing as little as possible and having no worries about time.

People. Oh yeah, then there are the people you meet while traveling. You are living in a hostel with dozens of backpackers from all over world. In this hostel there have been people from England, Ireland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Slovenia, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, Canada, etc. Everyone has their own story, everyone can give you hints and tips for future destinations better than any Lonely Planet guide can.

In short, everything has been great so far. No homesickness yet. Now its time to leave Witch's Hat and head to Broome. See you later alligators! :-)

Oz in Google Map

Below is link to another of my custom Google Maps. In here I will add pics I have taken in various locations.

Oz in Google Map

Updated 17.7.2008

Funny pics from Oz

Oz is full of hilarious advertisements, roadsigns, etc. Here I will try to collect them. Link to this page will also be on left side under "On The Road"

Quite long distance to drive without gas station

Notice the spelling of the state name here...











Updated 17.7