Around the World in 22 Days.

It's hard to believe my trip to Australia has already come to an end.  It was a jam packed three weeks filled with friends, adventure and new memories.

                                    

The last leg of my journey was the trip home...completing a westerly trip around the globe.  I left Perth on time and travelled about 5 hours to Singapore.  I've been to Singapore before, but obviously they have updated their airport...what an experience.  Everything from a relaxing garden with sounds of the rainforest, to a koi pond, movie theatre and even a butterfly garden...truly spectacular! Needless to say I had plenty to do on my 2.5 hour layover.

                                   

My next destination was London...15 hours away.  Lots of movies, music, food and some sleep. At Heathrow I pretty much walked around like a zombie for 4 hours...crazy how time changes and sleep deprivation can do that to you.  Next stop was Halifax and after a 7 hour flight I had my bag searched...all 22 kg worth...and then had to go through security for the fourth time...felt like I was starting my trip all over!  I finally made it back to PEI on time at 4:45pm...on a tiny 18 seater plane...tired and ready for a good home cooked meal.

        

Australia was such a great experience, with each of my three main destinations having something unique I will remember them by.  From re-experiencing Melbourne from a different lense, to exploring the beauty of Tasmania, to great food, wine and chocolate in Perth.  It was a jam packed vacation that also allowed me to catch up with friends..thanks Cathy, Sue, John and Finley for everything...meet new people and become a bit more energized by the whole experience.

I hope you enjoyed the experience as much as I did....now to get over the12 hour time change...and adjust to the 70 degree temperature difference!!

Until next time...Lisa

        

Sharks at Scarborough Beach!!

Today is my last day in Australia. My flight does not leave until 5:30pm, so we thought we would go to the beach before I headed back to the cold Canadian winter.  We headed out around 9:30am and arrived at Scarborough Beach around 10:15am, found a nice spot on the beach and decided to enjoy the hot sun.

      

After a few minutes I decided I should at least try to go swimming since it is summer in Australia. The water off the coast was warmer than at Rottnest Island...or maybe it was because it wasn't quite so hot out today.  Either way I made my way in, over the crashing waves and enjoyed a little swim...love how there were no shells or rocks on the bottom, just pure sand.  

After about 10 minutes I decided to head in...my mind was thinking about all the things that swim in the Indian Ocean...including sharks...when I got slammed by a huge wave.  The winds had picked up and the waves were getting bigger...lots of surfing here...and I was instantly pulled under water.  Thankfully I knew the wave was coming, so I was somewhat prepared for the lovely dunk I was provided...I'm sure I got a gallon of water up my nose.  Headed back to relax on the beach for another 1.5 hours...I love the heat...and then Cathy and I decided to grab a bite to eat before heading back. Nice lunch and great local bear.  

                                       

Once we returned home we heard on the news a shark was spotted at Scaborough Beach at 9:35am and the water was evacuated.  Turns out they had several spottings...one by helicopter...of unidentified sharks ranging in size from 2.5-3 meters in size, about 100 meters off shore. The beach was not officially reopened until 11:00am...turns out I was in the water at that time!!!  In fact we saw people out on Jet skis close to us and it was surf guards looking for any further sharks...I guess my spidy senses were working on over drive when I was in the water telling me to get out!!  No more swimming for me.

Had a shower and  finished packing...including all my chocolate purchases...and headed off to the airport around 3:00pm.  Felt a bit crazy dressed in long black pants, long sleeve shirt and hikers when it was 30 degrees out...not looking forward to the cold when I arrive home.  Cathy dropped me off at the airport...after finally figuring out where the entrance was...I checked in and headed for my flight.  My route home will see me stop in Singapore, London, Halifax and finally PEI...planning to be home by dinner time on Friday! 

       

I had such a great time visiting Perth and catching up with my former roommate from North  Carolina...what an amazing host.  Hard to believe we haven't seen each other in 13 years...felt like it was just yesterday. 

Until "tomorrow"...

Wine, Chocolate and so Much More...the Swan Valley

What a day on the Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail...I think you could call it a marathon of sorts. The Swan Valley is a wine and produce region covering a circular area of 32km. It amazed me how many places dotted this popular location...one after another...so don't blink.

                                      

With a 9:30am start we headed out, our first stop at the Whistler Chocolate Factory...I love this area already.  We did some taste testing...this is the best part of the region...as almost all tasting is free!!!

       

Whistler is an old Western Australia chocolate, so a good place to start...loved the chocolate display when we entered the store.

      

Next was Mondo Nougat & Chocolate and then a quick stop into Morish Nuts.  I'm sure the shop worker thought I was a pretty knowledgeable Canadian when I asked for a nougat flavour without nuts.  His reply..."All nougat has nuts.  It's like asking for chocolate cake without the chocolate"...in a nice Australian accent of course!

Macadamia nuts are a very popular nut here, so of course I had to buy some caramel chili covered ones for the trip home...yummy!

                                  

From here it was time for a bit of wine...first stop Houghton's...one of the largest and more popular/available wines in Australia.  

                              

Large samplers here and lots to try...6 in total.

                                    

After getting a good start on some wine tasting, we headed to our next winery...Oakover.  

       

This place had a really nice vibe with both wine and coffee tasting...it also had a working roastery called Fiori.

      

      

Nice wines overall, especially the cab merlot.

        

                              

For those looking for a deal you could find one here...too bad I couldn't fit then all in my luggage.

                                        

Time for a couple more stops before our lunch reservation, so we went to the House of Honey...love this place!  So much delicious honey to try.  They had honey candies, liquid and creamed honey, honey soaps, hand creams/lotions, clothing and the list goes on.  We also had some delicious honey & ginger sparkling water...this was so refreshing we both bought bottles.  

        

Just up the road we stopped in at one of our favourite wineries...Olive Farm Wines.  They had a huge selection of wines here and you could try as many as you'd like.

       

I tried about four and loved two of the reds in particular.  Of course the one I loved the most was being sold in China for over $400/bottle...I guess it was a steal for $42 at the winery!!

       

Right next door was the Cheese Barrel...I love cheese!  

                                    

They had a huge selection of cheeses, but unfortunately since they didn't make any of the cheeses...more of a restaurant...they didn't have much to taste other than the cheese of the day.  Very mild, but good...

      

      

It was almost 12:30pm so we headed to Sittella's for some wine tasting and lunch.  Before we were seated we tried a number of the wines to see what we would like with our meal...I chose the sparkling Chenin.

                                              

       

We were then taken to a lovely table out on the deck...what a beautiful view of the vineyard!  Such a spectacular way to spend the lunch hour...and I also fully appreciated the water misters that kept us cool as well. 

       

The meal was phenomenal...we chose the January set lunch special...

                           

I had the salmon and the strawberry desert...OMG!!

       

       

After enjoying our meal...and the view...we headed on our way.  But not before we ran into the German couple I met yesterday on the ferry!  It's like I'm a local already running into friends in the Swan Valley...very funny.

Edgecombe Brothers was our next stop...a small shop with a bohemian feel.  I sampled a couple wines here, but nothing that really made an impression on me.

       

       

We decided to take a breather from wine tasting and take in some aboriginal art....jewelry, paintings, wooden products and painted glass.  Lots of looking, but left without any purchases...but a nice stop.

We were told that Black Swan was a nice place to check out, but when we arrived it was very quiet and the tastings were at a charge...why pay when there's so much available for free.  At this point I realized I didn't have my wallet so it was a good excuse to leave...nice to see my wallet on the ground by the car door.  Yiikkkes!!!

So instead of Black Swan we headed to Swanbrook...nice wines here and the girl who served us gave us some great suggestions for other places to check out.  I like how everyone supports each other in this very populated wine region.

                                      

On our way out we came across the perfect spot to take a "selfie"...or at least we tried.  Unfortunately my arms were not long enough so I solicited our server to help us out and take our photo in their little picture frame.  Cheese....

       

Time for a wine break and a little more chocolate at Margaret River Chocolate Factory.  The best chocolate...so smooth and creamy.  Loved taste testing here...I ended up buying some rocky road chocolate.

     

But it got even better...chocolate liqueurs!  I tried all four flavours...wouldn't everyone???

                                    

And left the store with my own little bottle (macchiato), along with a recipe for Espresso Martini.  Might be my favourite stop so far!

                                               

Our second last stop was Lancaster.  Such a great vibe, a very personable server and they even had free cheese samplings...score!  I had several wines here and a couple of the cheeses.

                                      

         

With only 20 minutes before closing time at most of the wineries, we headed off to Mandoon Estate & Homestead Brewery...along with our wine and cheese purchases. 

This final stop...just past the women's prison...was incredibly nice.  Huge outdoor property, a brewery and winery, restaurant, cafe, beer garden, private wine tasting room, kids playground and a wedding function center...one stop shopping here for the entire family.

With only a bit of time, I had a taste of all four red wines...not my favourite...but missed out on the brewery.  Next time I guess.

                                   

       

So that ended our trip around the Swan Valley...I think it was a productive one...check out the stats:

-  2 chocolate factories

-  1 nougat shop

-  1 nut store

-  2 cheese places

-  1 honey store

-  1 art gallery

-  9 wineries

-  4 liqueurs tasted, and

-  28 wines tasted 

                                    

We arrived back at Cathy's around 6:00pm and what does one do after a full day in the Swan Valley...have a carpet picnic with cheese, bread and wine of course.  The fun never seems to end...

       

A full day and so much fun thanks to Cathy who was my designated driver and tour guide.  Can't wait to come back for round two.

Tomorrow is my last morning in Australia before I head off in the evening on my 38 hour trip home.  May check out the beach one last time before heading back home to the cold...important to maximize every hour that's left.

Until tomorrow...

Magical Rottnest Island

       

Headed out this morning by 7:30am to catch the ferry to Rottnest Island.  This island is about 18 km off the coast of Fremantle and only 19 square kilometres in size.  It was originally where aboriginals were sent to prison and is now a major tourist destination for Australian and international visitors alike.

There are no cars on the island...only the bus that takes people around...and lots of bikes.  Although it is not home to people, it is well known for the resident quokka...a tiny marsupial the size of a cat and also looks like half rat.  It was first seen in 1658 by a Dutch mariner who named the island Rotte Nest, meaning "rat nest" in Dutch.

      

My ferry left at 8:30am and travelled for an hour along the Swan River.  Lots of beautiful homes...multimillion dollar properties...including the most expensive home in Australia coming in at $85 million!

     

Further along we went by Kings Park where we saw the front of the Swan Brewery...

      

As we approached the end of our journey along the Swan River and came into Fremantle, we passed the newly constructed Shipwreck Museum...shaped like a capsized ship.

      

At Femantle we picked up more passengers and then headed out into the Indian Ocean towards Rottnest.  We arrived close to 11:00am and the next 30 minutes was a bit of pandemonium ...lots of people disembarking, picking up bikes for hire, getting luggage and heading along the Jetty towards the Information Center...plus it was HOT at 37 degrees!!

      

     

 

       

I made my way over to a little restaurant to pick up some take away...there are no other places to eat on the island...and eventually caught the bus at 11:45am, ready to hit the beach.   I spent the next 45 minutes travelling around the island...one section is good for snorkelling and the other for the beach. Along the way we saw stunning views of rocky coastline, coral reefs, turquoise water, great surf and lovely white sand beaches.

       

I finally arrived at my destination...Ricey Beach...at the recommendation of the waitress at the restaurant.  What a spectacular little hideaway...not many people, beautiful waters and lots of sandy beach with rugged rock.  Just what I wanted!

       

       

As I was walking down the path to the beach I suddenly came across several quokka hanging out on the path...awesome!  I ended up sitting down and letting them slowly come up to me.  As I sat down I opened my bag which also had my food in it...and all of a sudden I had 4 new friends.  They came right over to me and were scratching my bag.  I moved it from time to time to distract them...and hopefully take some pictures...but they were having no part of that. I stayed a while...along with lots of others who stopped on the path...took lots of pictures and even had a little pet. 

                                     

After I had my dose of quokka I finally ventured down to the beach...yippee!!  Lots of things to take pictures of there as well.

                                     

       

I finally found a spot to settle and enjoyed the next two hours of sun...with a lovely and well needed breeze.  I thought I might go for a swim, but it was cold!!...not sure if it really was cold or I was so hot it just felt cold...but I tried three times to go for a dip with no succes.  Took a stroll up the beach...lots of little shells...and after two hours headed up to meet my 3pm bus.

                                        

By the time I arrived back it was time to board the fast ferry back to the mainland.

                                        

This time it was very rough as the winds had picked up over the afternoon...lots of rocking and rolling, and a few splashes along the 30 minute ride.  At Fremantle we headed back along the Swan River...much calmer...and I met up with the German couple I met on my way over.  Had a relaxing sail back and saw some nice views of Perth upon our arrival.

       

       

Arrived back on schedule at 5:45pm in time to meet Cathy.  A great day overall...except I would have loved to stay longer. Came back to Cathy's and had a much needed beverage, shower and a delicious meal....time to cool off my very toasted skin after my first sunbathing day in Australia.

Tomorrow...my last full day in Australia...will see us going to the Swan Valley for some wine, beer, honey, cheese and chocolate tasting!!

Until then...