Monday, June 13th, and I'm at the Alice Springs airport, waiting at. gate nine, for my flight to Uluru.... with over an hour til we load, so a good time to blog.    My last blog was from the Cairns airport after my visit to the great barrier reef and tropical rain forest, and on my way to Darwin.  Landed there about 9:30ish, and followed my instructions to get the shuttle to my hotel in Darwin...  following my instructions, I exited the main airport doors, turned left, went a short way and found the shuttle stop sign, but no shuttle. I waited, and waited, and waited some more.  No telephone number on my instructions, or on the sign, nor did anyone I asked knew anything about the shuttle, but repeated person after person that the shuttle shows up after flights where they expect arrivals needing transportation to the city, and the next flight expected was the one from Melbourne at 1:30 am,  on three hours.  So I hopped a cab for the expensive way into the city.  The folks at the desk had a complete explaination, the shuttle company went bankrupt six weeks before, and refunds were to be processed thru the booking travel agent.  There was another company picking up the shuttle business, it was the tour company I was scheduled to be on a day tour with the next morning, and the desk folks made a reservation for me.  Next morning I showed up in the lobby at 5:58 am and there was a smiling fella from the tour company, and I was his first pickup from eight different hotels.  Those were done quickly, and we met a second coach were told from both coaches switched according to which tour they were taking.  Five minutes later we were on our way to Kaduru Natl Park...    the guide was talkative explaining what we were going to see, what we were passing at the time etc.  The land is quite different from my expectations.  Everything was green, but mostly stunted trees and under brush, not all brown, dry, and desert.  This is far northern Australia, which floods annually and then is dry the rest of the year.  So everything was still enjoying the water in ground, but the dry season was well underway.  At every river crossing under the highway were bright yellow signs, all identical, instructing those who left their vehicles of the dangerous existence of crocs at all waterways.  At the park we visited an Aboriginal cultural center/ museum for twenty-five minutes, I was the last one out, a couple minutes past the deadline, and I didn't read everything, but was reading and looking at the exhibits longer than most other folks.  This museum required at least an hour, if not more time to do it justice... that's my opinion anyway.   So for the next couple of stops I tried to be one of the first folks back to the bus.  We had an hour and a half boat tour with an Aboriginal guide, who was funny, energetic, !knowledgable, and enthusiastic about HIS land, customs, history, food...  he covered all topics and showed us crocs, plants, trees, birds, flowers, and eatibles.  So interesting, could have stayed on his boat all day...but the tour schedule prevails, you know.  We walked along cliff overhangs where Aboriginal drawings still existed because of the overhang protecting the cliff drawings from the weather.  Had a good lunch, included, and I was surprised that people used the tour busses for transportation, to jobs at hotels and various other sites, to the regional airport for flights further afield and also for tourism flying...  was a good day, from six am to eight thirty pm.  That was my stay at Darwin, arrival at tenish pm, sleep, whole day tour, eat and sleep, then pick up at 5:45 for the airport.  

Have to look at my watch, not only for the time but also the day of the week, everything runs together, and I have to get orientated.  Yesterday, Friday, went on an all day trip to the tropical rain forest, a native Australian reserve with a gorge and river running thru it, also had a brief explanation about their customs before the British arrived.  Wanted much more, but got a smattering, couple more chances though in Darwin and uluru.  Went for longer bus ride into the jungle, crossed a river in a boat ferry, walked a pretty beach where the jungle meets the great barrier reef, understand that it is the only place where two World Heritage Sites touch each other.  Warning signs about crocs... uck!   Had barbeque in the forest after a walk thru the jungle up and down stairs, over board walks, stoney paths... was good, fish, steak, sausage, and a huge diverse salad.  Surprised myself, I enjoyed a boat trip on a tidal river with crocs, the guide is an engineer who was made redundent ( laid off), and is keeping busy giving river tours.  He was emphatic that crocs only eat stupid people.  A lady was eaten two weeks before I got here by a croc while swimming in the river alone at 10pm at night.  His repeated emphasis on telling us that this is croc territory, and we have to be careful and use good judgement when in their homeland.  He pointed out the dominant male crocodile resting and getting warm on the bank of the river.  In winter (now) the water is too cold, so they have to warm up when the sun is out, they are mainly nocturnal hunters, when they become cold, and have to warm up on the banks in the daytime.  But it doesn't mean you can put your hand or arm in the river, the crocs have very acute senses, so you are asking for trouble if you do.  Saw a Juvenal croc swimming toward us a little later, and he submerged just before we got near him.  Also saw baby crocs hiding amount the mangrove tree roots, out of reach of bigger crocs.  The biggest threat to crocs is bigger crocs.  Most crocs are female (70%) and the sex is determined by the temp of the eggs while they are hatching.  Still don't like them, have a visceral fear of them, but after listening to the guide I understand them better.

mangrove roots where the little crocs hide from their papa, and other big crocs.

the river and river banks in croc home lands, all the pics of the crocs ate on my camera not on the tablet...easier to zoom in on the camera.

Thurs, June 9th,9pm.   Swam in Pacific Ocean over part of Great Barrier Reef.  Way out there, took hour and half in very fast catamaran.  In some places the reef is only three feet or so beneath the surface of ocean, at low tide.  Had to be very careful not to kick flippers and hit coral.  Other areas twenty feet down plus and minus.  Where the reef is healthy it is a lot of yellows, greens, blues, reds-mauves... beautiful, of various shapes and sizes: fans, 'rocks' , deer like horns. Antlers, waving in currents, or ridged and unmoving in the ocean.  Many types of fish just like you'd see in a tropical fish tank, and some I've never seen before.  Fish tooth pick sized, others four feet +/-, of many colors and shapes.  Surprised me of the sizes, and colors.  Some only appear in pairs, and if one dies the other stops eating and dies too, according to a lecture by the marine biologist.    Really breathtaking.  But global warming is visible very strongly, there are huge patches of 'dead looking' corals in greys, whites, and grey-browns.  Now that winter is starting down here, the water is cooling off, and if the coral hasn't been too badly, or too long bleached-deadish, there are very small signs of the color peaking thru the grey browns, maybe 10% renewed growth with glimmers of color coming back, but 90% deadish or dead white, grey, grey.browns. so I hope with the cooler water it will reverse significantly.  when swimming the water is comfortably warm, but when you first get in it is a cooler warm on your skin, but in thirty seconds it is a comfortable temp to swim in.  swimming around it is basically luke warm, but every once in the while there is a current of much cooler water, not cold, but cooler.  boy! It's something to see the effects of global warming right in front of your face, it's frightening.  The buffet dinner last nite at the resort was $65.00, so I went to the bar and had a chicken burger and chips (fries) was really good, and filling.  So tonite after we got back to the resort, I hopped on the free bikes (one of the few things that are free-included in the room rate), and did find the Tin Shed a restaurant recommended by the monograms host.  Price was much better, $25.00, and I had a beef dish with an Aussie name, but it was good old corned beef, red cabbage, a different type of brockley, and crushed yellow potatoes.. excellent dinner, and healthy to boot.  Beautiful sunset as I was eating on the porch of the restaurant, porch had 80% of the seating, very few tables inside.  Different way of getting food.  You go to the counter on the right and order and pay for the food, then you go to the counter-bar on the left side and get your drinks and take them to the table yourself.  The dinner is delivered to your table, because you have a large number on a metal rod you brought to the table after you paid for your food.  Left in day light, b but it was pitch dark by the time I got back to the resort on the bike...I'm an old hand by now in navigating the routes from town to the QT Resort where I'm staying.  Got to say Diana at Allied Travel made good choices in picking the resorts, not five star so affordable, but very nice places.  Tomarrow I'm  going to see the tropical rain forest, north Australia is closer to the equator, so warmer, but its winter, so was only in mid-80s or so, but humid, but no where as uncomfortable as Cairo, Dehli or Kathmandu, there it was just HOT and humid!

in the right fin of the catamaran

in the semi-submerrsible

views out of the windows...x 3

Wed June 8th, at airport waiting flight to cairns and great barrier reef.  Yesterday went to Blue Mts west of Sydney.     Cold, rainy in afternoon.  Pretty area, did the hop on/off bus to see sites.  Whole area to mts is elongated suburb of Sydney.  Fantastic train SERVICE, fast, comfortable, quiet, and all seats in our car full.  Rode cable car up and down mt. Great views of waterfall over various levels, and three sisters rock formation....  Sydney beautiful city, has vivid festival going on now.  See previous pics.

Wed June 8th, at airport waiting flight to cairns and great barrier reef.  Yesterday went to Blue Mts west of Sydney.     Cold, rainy in afternoon.  Pretty area, did the hop on/off bus to see sites.  Whole area to mts is elongated suburb of Sydney.  Fantastic train SERVICE, fast, comfortable, quiet, and all seats in our car full.  Rode cable car up and down mt. Great views of waterfall over various levels, and three sisters rock formation....  Sydney beautiful city, has vivid festival going on now.  See previous pics.

Sydney's VIVID!

Got to Sydney Friday about five, took metro from airport to hostel across the street from train station.  Only trouble was about four roads intersected at that point, so I did have a little difficulty finding hostel on which of the six corners, but it was there OK, but with a non-prominent sign .  But across the street from train station it was.   Was in a room with five other guys, I am older than any three of four guys together, the fifth was 35 so I couldn't count hi in the mix.  He had arrived into the room half hour before I did, so we went out for dinner.   Before dinner was over it started to rain, at first a drizzle, then a moderate rain, then a down pour, which continued Saturday and Sunday too at a steady down pour.  Flooding, power outages, sopping wet clothes, and umbrellas turned inside out in the wind gusts.  But Monday morning was dry til about noon then drizzle again for an hour or so, then sunshine, and twenty degrees cooler in the lower fifties.  Friday nite I walked the main streets just to see part of the town.  Saturday I went about ten blocks to the Barracks, which houses prisoners, for twenty years males until were assigned their labor site, about half worked for the colonial government on building roads, buildings, sewers, fences, and the prison barracks, the rest as farm laborers, town merchant assistants...   After the first twenty years newly arrived males were assigned quickly, or in housed in temporary locations, because the Barracks were needed to house female prisoners or free females until assignments were made, and a fair number arrived pregnant even if they weren't when they boarded the ships in England.  So much for voyages of two to six months duration.  After almost a hundred years the Barracks were used as judicial offices and courts until the mid -1970's.  Now it has been restored to its original condition, and is a museum about early history in general, and the history of the prison origins of the early population to Australia.  Now it is a badge of honor to have prisoner ancestors, and not shameful at  all as it was in the previous fifteen decades.  Australians like being mavericks!  So that visit took most of Saturday, and I was wet to the skin when I got to the museum, and wet to the skin when I got back to the hostel.  Sunday morning I moved into the Australia tour hotel, and even though it was only five blocks from the hostel, I took a cab,even then my backpacks were really wet just going from doorway to cab and cab to doorwsy.  Sunday still pouring down rain so I just walked around where ever it was dryer.  Today we went on a city tour of the high points of the city, there were trees down everywhere, and pools of water in most of the low spots.  Saw bondi beach, walked along a path on the cliffs next to the ocean high up in the cliffs, saw the botanical park in the heart of the city, the opera house, harbour bridge, saw people climbing on the walkway high up in the bridge's steel superstructure, too high up for me!  Tour was over by noon, so I stayed downtown and walked  around, and went to see the maritime museum.  Again about the prisoners, and history, from the maritime perspective, including the sending thousands of 'orphans' to Australia to help populate the country.  The museum has a working replica of Captain Cook's ship the  Endeavor.  It has sailed as many miles as the original, before it sank (?).  And has a schedule for future ocean crossings coming up.  The London navy offices have the records of how the original was built, and then remodeled before Cooks voyages, so the replica is an exact copy.  Got thrown out of the museum at five after seeing the Endeavor, an Australian destroyer from the late twentyth centruy. And a submarine of the same vintage,as well as about thirty smaller vessels of historical note.  Then I walked my feet off, and waited for six thirty to see Sydney's Vivid, a city wide light show.  See attached pictures, and these are not all in one place, then there are street entertainers, musicians, acrobats all over.  This 'vivid' is all over, from small? Two by two foot displays to building sized displays: the Marriott hotels varied colored lights on its whole face, moving designs on the Sydney opera houses roofs.  Tomarrow im going to the blue mts two hours by train away, then hop on/off buses.  The tour company has a two hundred and some dollar tour, the hostel has several blue Mt tours for about a hundred or a little less, but the tour guide told me just to hop on the train, then the busses, for about fifty bucks to see the same things... I'm gonna try that and see how it goes.

Friday June 3rd I'm at Perth airport waiting for flight to Sydney.  Got here Tuesday may 31st, late.  Biked three plus hours with free hotel bike, beautiful river bank with five mile trail out and cross river, and five miles back.  Downtown is bigger than DSM but feels similar.  Yesterday tour of area: a wild life preserve, petted a wombat, kolala, and fed kangaroos.  Saw mysterious pinnicals near Indian Ocean rising two to fifteen feet in air, thousands of them, source undefined.  Sand skied down hill three times, with a good tumble at bottom each time, another item off my list, well honestly it was never even thought of, til I got to bottom of hill.  That's it for Perth.