Life's a Ball - a Masquarade Ball that is

We are now into week 3 of this term, and I'm still catching up on postings - almost there.

Well it is now fall, and the weather has certainly switched from summer. It has finally rained for several days - we actually had more than double the rain in April over last year. So things are now green, and the nights can get cool (down to single digits even!!), but the days are still pleasant hitting the high teens or low 20's - and later this week the high is 29 - so NO complaints!

With the 'cooler' weather, the school uniform for Kyle has switched over. As you can see from the photo it is quite formal. At least he knows how to tie a tie, even though he really does despise wearing the uniform. But being one of many makes it easier. I'm hoping he can keep it in reasonable condition so that we can recoup some of the cost at least.

Back on the weekend of April 28, Pinjarra had their school ball. We attended and Mike even presented the award for the 'beau' of the ball. We didn't bring overly formal clothes - but at least Mike had a quality white shirt and tie, so we didn't stick out too much.

The kids here attend the ball in both year 11 and year 12 - unlike Canada where the prom is for grade 12 only. Given the elaborate costumes, I can't imagine what the cost is to attend 2 years in a row!!

The music was very much a flash back to our youthful days - right out of the 70's, 80's and 90's. But as you can see, this is the music the kids enjoyed dancing to!

Break 1 - Day 12/13 The End, Eh Daddy?

And then it was time to go home. We all felt that we had our fill of travel for the time being, so decided just to drive home with no further tourist sites. Given the distance, we had one overnight to do. We left Coral Bay early for the longest day of driving. Since both Mike and I have bad backs, we stop about every 90 minutes to stretch and swap drivers which has worked well. Drivers passing by must wonder what we are up to as we do our yoga sun stretches :-). We made a short stop in Carnarvon to book a room in Geraldton for the night (very helpful info staff) and had an early lunch at Chicken Treet (first time trying a chicken shop). Then back on the road. Did not make any further meal stops – just swaps till we got to Geraldton.

Despite having booked and paid for our room ahead, when we arrived they told us there no rooms available due to a mix up. After some shuffling around, we did eventually get settled. But only after we had to move rooms after having poured a glass of wine and unpacking the eskie (that's a cooler mate). That evening we were lucky to catch an interview with Bill Bryson on TV which was timely given we were just finishing his book on tape ‘The Thunderbolt Kid’. As I mentioned previously the books on tape are a great success and something we will definitely repeat for our July trip in the camper van drive from Alice Springs to Darwin.

The next day we were at last homeward bound - just one stop in Gingin at the honey farm for more honey, honey ice cream & pollen. En route Mike stopped and captured some of the sights which have been typical on the drive - the windmills and roadside fruit/veggie stands.

We also stopped by the Leaning Trees of Greenough. They are quite fascinating - this is just one of them, there are many. The tree trunks grow horizontally due to the salt winds off the Indian Ocean.

And so we arrived back home with a couple of days to spare in the break to give Mike and Kyle time to catch up on school work and get organized.

As for me, I'm pretty much like the trees of Greenough and continue to take life in a relaxed pose.

Break 1 - Day 11 Manta Rays and MORE

We rose to a very overcast morning with high winds. We weren’t quite sure if the tour would run – there were rumblings around the camp that some tours were not going out. But we packed up hopefully and headed over anyway. The Whale Shark tours go out past the reef – and their tours were being decided upon still – but the Manta Rays come inside the reef and so our tour did run (that's our boat at left). The boats are assisted by spotter planes to direct them to the rays/sharks.

Although it was still windy, the sky soon cleared and we ended up with good weather after all (ho hum, another beautiful day). The spotter plane had little luck at first – and even when he finally spotted a ray, we lost it almost directly once we got there. But they finally found another one, and we all got in the water to check it out.

It turned out we had found a ray who was visiting a cleaning station. We all had a nice long swim with it as it hovered around. The water was quite churned up due to the winds, and the manta was mostly down fairly deep, but it did come up higher on occasion. We could see the cleaner fish working over its body and the larger fish swimming along by it also. It was very majestic and smooth. We were at the surface floundering around to try to stay put, and it just glided around effortlessly. It was an incredible experience!

Next we headed over to see some green ocean turtles in an area where they come up to breathe and feed in the shallows (out deep – just in the midst of the outer reef). The turtles were a variety of sizes, some very large; close to metre in diameter. They were fast though! They would come up for a quick breath or two, and then they were gone. Hard to catch on film.

We also spotted dolphins en route - a group of 4. There were 2 mothers and 2 calves, feeding in the shallow water. It is easier for the small dolphins to fish in the shallows, so the mothers bring them there to teach them to fish.

We then headed over to a section of the outer reef for snorkelling. We all (3 of us that is – actually all of the boat less one fellow who was nervous of the sharks) did the more challenging swim with the guide. We first visited the area where the reef sharks come for cleaning – there were a couple of big ones there.

Sorry - no photos of the sharks this round. It really is amazing swimming near these creatures. One or two of the reef sharks are okay to be round, but when they start to accumulate in numbers (as they did at Lakeside on our previous snorkel), it does become a bit unnerving - and we would take off. But here there were only a couple and it was intriguing to watch them get cleaned.

We then swam across a ‘canyon’ in the coral where the tide currents were a bit stronger, but the reef was spectacular. It was great to see the variety of coral on the outer reef especially – there were many different types here from what is in the inner reef.

The fish out here somehow seemed brighter also – but that was perhaps my imagination.

All in all it was great day – one of the best for sure. I think we got great value for our money given that we spent $140 pp for this vs. $360 pp for a whale shark swim (by the way – they did end up going out on rough seas, and they did get to swim with one – but it was not smooth!)

Break 1 - Day 10 Coral Bay

We packed up and took the shortish drive headed to Coral Bay. We took an unscheduled detour into one of the gorges on the way. It was a very nice surprise.

Charles Knife canyon was about an 11km drive into the gorge. The route in was spectacular. We must have stopped 20 times up and down to admire the view and take photos. In the photo above you can see Kyle on the right if you look closely (you may need to click on the photo to enlarge!) It was mid day and the lighting was not perfect for photos, but hopefully they will still capture the dimensions even in the harsher light.

Once finally at the destination, we were a bit disappointed in the view - but the views on the drive up made it worth the journey at any rate.

We had managed to find Cindy in Exmouth, and once in Coral Bay, we also managed to locate Jeeza (a teacher with Mike) despite the privacy concerns of the staff who would not reveal his location! We had a swim in the ocean to cool off, booked a Manta Ray tour for Monday for the 3 of us, and did a bit of groceries. On the walk back from the shops, Kyle and I were treated to a visit by the local lizard. - he's about 4 feet long. He sauntered over to where the sprinklers were running and paused under a tree for a cool down – it was very hot by the afternoon.

Looking forward to a chance to get out onto the ocean tomorrow to see the reef life further out.

Break 1 - Day 9 Snorkel at Lakeside

Kyle had been feeling under the weather for much of the trip. Given his general discomfort when driving, it could be that, or it could be something he is fighting – at any rate, he decided to stay home for the day and read while we ventured out (or maybe he just wanted a break from us :-).

So Mike & I headed off for another snorkel. We took a drive back to the reef side of the point, and decided to visit a couple of other sites first.

Again we spotted several wild emus. These ones were much less accustomed to humans and scurried away as soon as we left the car. We paid a visit to a local shipwreck (after a couple of wrong turns to other interesting spots). The ship was a cattle ship which wrecked around the turn of the century (1901 that is). It was salvaged for wood to build local houses, and then was used for bombing practice during the second world war. We then checked out a point to see the lighthouse, then to lakeside for a snorkel.

Lakeside was a bit more effort to get to, but was worth it. We had to travel a few hundred metres up shore from the parking lot. All along the way the beach was covered in jellyfish. The winds had shifted and they were being blown in shore. There were lots in the water too, but once you got out into the reef they were not as dense. Despite the numbers, we were extra careful and only Mike got stung, just once.

At one point, all the fish in the area where I was swimming darted in away. I decided not to find out why and followed them. Mike meanwhile was over a bit and caught the cause for concern - a large reef shark had come in. Reef sharks pose no threat to humans, but still trigger the natural response to a shark . Once you let your brain take over, it's neat to watch them cruise. Actually, the reef is so healthy here that most of the fish don't panic much when the shark approaches - they just saunter away.

Again there was lots of diversity of fishes. Puffer fish were quite common (photo'd at right). The little fluorescent blue ones which we had seen in Turquoise Bay were common here also.

There were some larger fish also - may have been mulloway (same as we saw caught off the jetty in Carnarvon).

We also spotted several rays - you have to be careful closer to shore since they blend in with the sand and you have to watch not to step on them (they sting).

Having snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef it is difficult not to constantly make comparisons. I really had expected the experience to be the same - but am surprised at how different it is at Ningaloo. We are lucky to have seen both to see the diversity.

And after a fair amount of searching, I finally found our anemone and clown fish. They are different here than the Great Barrier Reef, so it took me a while to spot them. These are tomato clowns and the anemone are much shorter and duller in colour. But their behaviour is the same - the clowns hover around the anemone for protection and anytime a threat comes near, they hunker down into the anemone.

We've decided that after our 2 days in Coral Bay, we'll head back to Mandurah - we're getting vacation saturated :-) But for tomorrow it's off to Coral Bay and more adventures!

Break 1 - Day 8 Yardie Creek

For something a little different, we decided to check out Yardie Creek. We stopped and picked up info on the trail at the tourist centre – where they also had lots of info about the park in general and the flora and fauna.

On the hike in we came upon these roos resting under the bushes. We stood observantly watching them but most of the locals don't even give them a second look. Kangaroos here are about like squirrels in Canada - some people pay them attention, but mostly they are regarded as cute pests.

It was not a long hike – many flies, but great scenery. The first section was paved, but then we continued further up the gorge. The path was well marked, but you did need to watch your footing. All along the path, you could look down into the gorge and onto the facing wall. Only one side of the gorge is accessible - the other is protected for the wildlife. Rock wallabies often rest in the caves along the gorge walls, so we watched keenly hoping to catch a view.

It's funny that this should be called a 'creek'. It's the most substantial body of inland water we've seen despite having passed numerous dried up lakes and driven over many dry riverbeds - all which appear large on maps and bear significant names.

Kyle really wanted to head back due to the flies, but we plodded on to hike down to the water level. As we ventured down to the water level we saw some more kangaroos. We could see fish in the water, but alas we failed to spot any rock wallabies on the facing wall in the caves. There is boat tour you can take into the gorge, but having walked down into the gorge, we didn't bother taking the ferry as we saw the full route it takes.

The trees were quite amazing in their survival though - you can see the exposed roots. Given the limited rain and constant winds and sun, I'm not sure how this one here survives.

Kyle was not feeling well - he seems to be coming down with something - so after the hike, we headed back and changed hotel rooms. For minimal extra charge, we moved from a single motel style room to a 2 bedroom with kitchen and sitting area - MUCH nicer - wish there had been availability the whole 4 days, but things book up quickly here (I booked back in beginning of February!) We even had our own little patio with bbq and patio set – very comfortable. And we were closer to the pool – which Kyle spent many hours in over the 4 days here. So we sat back and enjoyed a bbq dinner and chilled out for the rest of the day.

Break 1 - Day 7 Ningaloo Snorkelling at Turquoise Bay

Side note – we have visited several places with photography exhibits and postcards, and Kyle always is drawn to the clown fish in the anemone. Our room has just such a photo in it by chance. Now off to see if we can find some on the reef!

We had breakie in our room and then headed out for our first snorkel on the Ningaloo Reef. The brochures (and Cindy) recommended Turquoise Bay for starters, so off we went. Of course photographing under water is a different 'kettle of fish' (sorry). Mike has done his best with the 'regular' digital in it's 'baggie', but the quality of these photos is naturally not the same as his Nikon, and it is much more awkward to use. Regardless, I was quite pleased to see that he was able to capture as much as he did.

We headed straight into the waters and as we have come to expect, we were not to be disappointed. The corals were very diverse – lots of different types. And there were LOTs of different fishes - many familiar from the Great Barrier Reef, but some new ones too. Compared to Great Barrier Reef, both Mike and I agree that there seems to be more volume and variety of fish, but the colours are not as dramatic. The GBR consists mostly of soft corals where the Ningaloo reef is mostly hard corals - which results in a subtly different environment. The best difference, is that Ningaloo is accessible from the shoreline - so you just walk into the water and are in the reef!

Right away Mike spotted a Manta Ray in the shallow waters. Kyle and I were just getting in and missed it, although we saw from above the water at a distance. Later both Mike and Kyle spotted other rays in the sandy bottom, but I was not so lucky (or possibly observant). I did spot an octopus though which was interesting to hover over and observe as he (or she) sat blinking and observing us.

There were lots of sea slugs, butterfly fish, angel fish, parrot fish and several other species I could not name. Kyle did get a small sting from a jelly fish – but not enough to scare him out of the water (luckily several folks at Rottnest had experienced them also, so it was less ‘unknown’).

It was fun to swim amongst schools of darts as they perused the reef. One woman on shore spoke of how they even nibbled on her to see if she were edible. The darts along with many smaller minnow-ish fish went into very shallow waters and were easy to play along side of.

After a rather long first snorkel, I was feeling very queasy – not sure if it was the salt water getting up my mask into my sinus’ or what. Anyway, we broke for lunch but were anxious to get back at it. After lunch we snorkelled over to the right and the coral diversity was even greater. I was again nauseous, so headed back early. By the time Mike came in, he felt the same. We passed out on the beach for a bit as Kyle played with the small schools near shore. Then we headed back to our room for a rest to try to regain our mobility, which we did. Kyle was not nauseous right off, but did feel it later. In hindsight, we think it may have been the snorkelling gear which came from China coated in an oily film. Susbequent snorkelling has been fine - we think the oil was the problem.

We had a bit of a relax back at the room where Mike did some work and I did some documenting (it takes time to write all this stuff down - there is just too much to remember till we return!) We had a nice Chinese dinner in between writing sessions.

Alas, no clown fish or anemone today - that will be the quest for the next snorkelling day. Tomorrow we plan on visiting Yardie Creek and its gorge (the only one with water right now).

Break 1 - Day 6 Road to Exmouth

Back on the road again for a rather lengthy drive to Exmouth with breakfast and lunch on the road. En route today we saw more road kill than cars. Carcasses included in no particular order; sheep, goats, cats, rabbits, kangaroos and cows. They came in all states of decay; fresh kill the night before (still in the road, not too damaged); bloated beyond what you could imagine the skin stretching with legs splayed at ridiculous angles; mildly decaying with crows or occasionally an eagle happily munching; mummified with ribs and skull clearly identifiable; disjointed with limbs and body parts dissected – either by carrion or human hard to know…; in the final stages of decay with the odd crow searching for a morsel; or just plain old bleached bones. Between dead bodies and live animals, the driving requires the utmost attention even in mid-day (but especially at dusk and dawn).

We also spotted a large ‘dragon’ – name still to be determined – at the side of the road, but unfortunately could not stop as there was a car behind us (which did not happen often, but Murphy was with us). We stopped at one photo-op to drive up to an incredible look out spot. We also stopped for termite mounds which are extremely large and plentiful. This time lunch on the road we were smart enough to do inside the car. (Poor Michael has to suffer the files every time he gets out to take a photo though!)

Arrived at Potshot Resort Hotel (our home for 4 days) mid afternoon. We were too pooped to head out snorkelling (hard to believe that driving can be so tiring!). Kyle was keen for a swim, so off he and I ventured to the pool – there are 3 here (all small and one out of commission). We passed an emu walking down the road – and had a very relaxing time by and in (Kyle primarily in) the pool. Mike joined us later – as did 2 lost young emus squawking for their guardian. You are never quite sure what you will see here! We have now spotted smaller colourful lizards around the hotel also.

We ran into Cindy and her cousin in town as we strolled around waiting to go for dinner. They have been here since Monday – have gone solo snorkelling and dive/snorkel with a tour – found on their own to be just as good. They are off tomorrow for the whale shark swim, but are quite concerned whether there will actually be whale sharks – spottings have been few, and if you miss out, you only get to come back next day – which is not an option for them as they fly out on Friday.

We had a nice dinner at the restaurant recommended in the Eyewitness book. Lots of fun with Mike taking photos of us (like our tans??!) – several waitresses offered to help, but Mike was having fun.

Cockatoos are plentiful here - and quite vocal and entertaining. When walking back from dinner, we passed under one of the many trees where they congregate in the evening. Mike decided he wanted a photo of them fleeing the tree, so he and Kyle headed back out for a photo opp. Unfortunately, just as they were finally all set up for the shot, a cop car pulled someone over and most of the birds all left without Mike getting his shot. He still managed to salvage this attempt however which captures the effect.

To end the day Mike & I visited Cindy and Nathan for a couple of drinks - didn't stay long as he was still feeling jet lag since he only arrived a few days ago.

Off snorkelling tomorrow - can't wait!