G'Day Mates,
[Posted in Bunbury after some time on the Track.]
Arrival in Perth, Western Australia (WA) was a relief after many long hours of flying. I figured it had been 48 hours since I last slept.
Perth was its usual busy city and very enjoyable. I spent two days planning my food needs and how to distribute food packages to the various towns along the track, and purchasing gear needed for the walk. I had some time to spare, so went to Kings Park which is very pretty. I took several photos but don't know if they still exist on my memory card; I will add them to this blog later on if they still are around.
Then my mate Belinda drove me to their house in the town of Mundijong, about 30 km (1 km is .62 miles) south of Perth. I met Belinda and her husband Sandy on my first walk along the track, and to my surprise Sandy looked me up on the Internet and contacted me a couple of years ago. We've been in contact since then, and when this trip firmed up they offered to host me for a couple of days. They have an environmentally friendly house that they moved into 3 months ago. Their full vegetable garden and fruit orchard are just getting started.
I brought them a bottle of Absolut and a bottle of Bailey's from the duty free shop as a present and thank you for all they did for me. We had a couple of nice dinners together, including some great pizza that used only store bought crust and that was baked in their outside fireplace/oven.
One of the things I really enjoy about WA (Western Australia) is that I know people here who invite me to stay in their homes. And through them I meet their mates (Aussie speak for friend). The WA people are friendly and sociable. They know they live in the largest state in Oz and that they are far away from the east coast which is the economic and political center of the country; that's OK with them, they are even proud of it. Living in their homes alongside them I get a complete experience of the culture: food, work routines, home life, and recreation.
Come 5AM on the 17th, it was time to get started. I checked my pack for the 10000th time, and off we went to North Bannister, about 40km from their house.
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1 comment:
Hi Rod, this is Claire, one of the cyclists that you met in Balingup. i have just come back from Tasmania where i did a 12-day solo bike trip, so i found your comments on your site about travelling alone interesting, as well as the practical details. i would like to keep in touch with you but i don't have your email address. you can contact me at
claire.k33@gmail.com
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