Hi again,

It’s strange sending a report to Dana instead of with her. Oh well, “I guess I can only blame myself”.

A quick run through the last 1.5 weeks or so: after Denmark we skipped over to Albany, which is a rather nice big town on the south coast of WA. Spent two days there, not working too hard (due to rain and other reasons). Then it was back to Perth, some last-minute gift shopping and then to the airport. Dana flew home, and I went to an island for 4 days, then back to Perth, and tomorrow it’s back to the Albany area (which we didn’t have nearly enough time to explore together).

Rotto

And so it was, that Dana went home, and I went to Rottnest Island (a.k.a. Rotto). This is where Perth people go to escape the harsh realities of city life. It’s just 30 minutes away by boat, and there are great beaches, peace and quiet and lots of birds and good surfing and thousands of quokkas. A quokka is a weird cross between a rat and a kangaroo (hence the name “Rat Nest Island”), and they’re damn cute. It’s sometimes hard to take pictures of them, because they try to eat the camera. They always think the tourists are going to feed them (wonder where they got that idea).

All transport on Rotto is by bicycle. It’s like a perpetual Yom Kippur. It’s fun and good exercise, but you have to watch out because people seem to make no attempt to follow the rules of the road. It’s especially a problem with little people.

The island is way too small for a city of 1.4 million, so each holiday they have a ballot to decide who gets to stay there. Luckily there’s no holiday now, and I got a bed with no problem. The youth hostel there is in an old army barracks, complete with a parade ground, a red-brick mess hall and a huge Aussie flag on top. The door of my dorm said “Company Sergeant Major”.

I’d promise to have pictures online soon, but I’m starting to feel like a politician with all those broken promises :-)

Chillin’

One of my goals on this trip was to just chill out - relax and do nothing. This is not a natural state for me, but it’s something that can be practiced and eventually enjoyed a great deal. Like a kind of sport. So there I was lying on the beach on Rotto, watching the waves crash on the reef in the distance, watching the sea birds perching on big rock in front, thinking about life, the universe, and everything. It was all going quite well until I looked to the side and saw the head of a snake, about 30 cm from my face. Fortunately, the head was attached to the body of a skink (a type of lizard), which turned and left the scene even faster than I could.

Oh well, maybe next time.

The Quiz

On Monday night the hostel I’m staying at in Perth held a trivia quiz. The prize was a surfing lesson. I didn’t want the prize, so I declined to participate, and by the 2nd question I’d teamed up with a girl named Louise, and we solved it together. We made a good team - Louise knew Marge Simpson’s maiden name as well as who was the second James Bond (not to mention the exact age of Michael Jackson!) and I contributed answers regarding world capitals and nuclear disasters (I also knew that the alcoholic drink made from honey is called mead). We won the quiz with 18.5 points out of 30. The thing is, Louise didn’t want the prize either, so she gave it to a friend. Which goes to show that luck and the right connections will get you further in life than brains ever will.

Israelis in Western Australia - by the Numbers

• Number of encounters with Israelis since we arrived in WA: 2
• Number of times we got the “Hey, I’ve never seen an Israel driver’s license before” response when renting a vehicle: 2
• Last known visit by Israelis to my hostel in Perth: 8 months ago

On the other hand, it seems that everywhere you turn here you find people who’ve spent time in Israel as volunteers, in Giv’at Hayim, or Dgania, or wherever. And when I met my British roommate at the hostel, he had Infected Mushroom playing on the CD (that’s a famous Israeli trance outfit, as I’m sure you all know).

Bread

There is a town here called New Norcia, which is famous for making good bread. So naturally I went there. The bread is good, but I’m not sure it’s better than in any of the local village bakeries. It certainly doesn’t compete with our own humble Lehem Erez. Fortunately, there are some other interesting things to see around town, so I didn’t drive two hours each way just to be disappointed.

And that’s all for now.

Bye-bye, and I hope everyone had a happy, high-cholesterol Independence Day!!!

- Ron (& the-one-formerly-known-as-Dana)

Hi again,

Traveling is such hard work, but somebody's got to do it. Since the last time, we spent a few days in Perth city, then went on a two-day surfing trip (“surfari”), then continued going south and east along the coast. This region is so totally different from the northern parts of WA - it’s made up of huge forests and farmland and historic towns. We plan to get as far east as Albany before heading back to Perth later this week.

Perth

There’s something about the atmosphere in Perth that’s easy to notice but hard to define. In the Lonely Planet guide they put half a page trying to explain it, and ended up with something that nobody can understand. I don’t think I can do better, therefore the text you’re reading is probably a waste of time.

The place is neither sleepy nor hectic. The governing buzzword is “lifestyle”. There’s a rush, but it’s a rush to live the good life (rather than, say, to survive, or succeed, or beat everyone else). Both in Perth and in Melbourne you see plenty of office workers in suits around the city center, but in Melbourne they’re always hurrying somewhere, while in Perth they’re having a drink and a laugh with friends (after work. That means 17:00 sharp).

You see it in the meticulous streets, in the way families enjoy the sun in the parks, in that street we walked along in Subiaco where in 10 minutes we passed 3 gourmet ice-cream parlors, 4 bookshops, and god knows how many fancy cafes. Life here is almost too good (that’s a quote from Lonely Planet).

What’s the deal? There are a few thousand people in the wilderness in the northern part of the state, mining iron and selling it abroad at a terrific profit. Somehow this wealth finds its way to Perth. It’s not much of a tourist city, but it’s one of those places where it’s real easy to have a good time and you can catch a glimpse of things that might have been… if only… you know.

Naturally, once in the big city we attacked the food scene with a vengeance. For Leil HaSeder we had Indonesian Kneidalach in chicken soup. On another occasion we tried kangaroo steak. It was absolutely delicious, somewhat like lean beef and prepared just right (we had it in a Belgian-themed cafe, of all places).

Hine Ba Od Gal Gadol (here comes another big wave)

Like mountain biking, surfing is harder than it looks. And we didn’t even learn to surf; we just practiced standing up on the board. It was great fun, and in addition to surfing there were some other attractions: Pinnacles Desert at sunset, driving over dunes at an 80-degree tilt in the vehicle that Simon the Guide called his “Wild Wicked Beast”, non-venomous-snake-handling, sandboarding, sleeping in an illegal structure called a surf shack, etc. Boy, our insurance company better not be reading this.

Our courageous (if somewhat wacky) guide managed to take a photo of both of us catching the same wave, which enabled him to state (and then repeat several times) his observation that “the couple that surfs together stays together”.

We thought we’re a little old for learning to surf, but it turned out that one of our companions on the trip is a 38-year-old hairdresser from England. She said she wanted to try surfing before she reached 40.

The Car

We traded the campervan for a shiny new red Hyundai Accent, which, compared to the camper, is a lightweight little bug with lots of power. The wheels are so tiny they could fit on a Lego model. It’s just for a week, but you get used to it very quickly. The car certainly has more character than the dull-white Corolla we had in NZ. Tentative nickname is “the pony”.

Uzi Landau

Uzi Landau is a right-wing politician/ideologue. We got to thinking about him while touring in the Margaret River region. Uzi Landau once blamed his political opponents of “caring only about cheese and wine”. In Margaret River it seems that all anybody ever cares about is cheese and wine (and chocolate, and fudge, and surfing). Apparently, the system is working quite well. Life there is so nice that it makes Perth seem harsh by comparison.

There are 76 wineries in the region. We only visited 8, but if you’re buying West Australian wine anytime soon and want advice, our Official Tasting Team recommends: Brookland Valley, Xanadu, and Voyager Estate. The last one is also recommended by the Official Tasting Team’s driver. They make excellent non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice from Semillon grapes.

What’s Next

Dana is flying home this weekend (someone has to feed this family). Ron is staying some more. It’s solo time for both of us for a while, but at least we can both keep eating Tim Tams (actually Ron always eats them all anyway).

Adios,

- Dana & Ron

G’day mates,

Time for the Great Road Trip Report. Since last time, we’ve driven about 4,000 km, moved to a whole different climate and seen and done a few things. We’ve also picked up some Aussie lifestyle, and even cooked up a couple of barbies :-)

So here it goes:

• From Broome, a 2-day drive in the Kimberley (“the tourist loop”). Prehistoric reefs and freshwater crocodiles.
• Karijini National Park: gorgeous gorges (hehe).
• The northwest cape / Exmouth / Coral Bay: snorkeling the Ningaloo reef. Ninga-who? It turns out that in addition to the famous Great Barrier Reef in eastern Australia, there’s a smaller (but still huge) reef on the west coast. “Our” reef is better, because you can step from the beach onto the reef, rather than take a boat like they have to on the east coast. It’s also more pristine and less crowded. We saw lots of coral and fish, some stingrays and manta rays, turtles, even a small shark :-) Also took a quad bike (traktoron) tour in Coral Bay.
• Shark Bay / Denham / Peron national park: some sightseeing, dolphin games, boat trip to see Dugongs (“sea cows”). 4×4-driving “adventure” through some pretty sandy trails (we made it, barely).
• Now in Kalbarri, and due to finish the road trip in Perth in 3 days.

Flies

Forget the poisonous spiders, the venomous snakes, killer jellyfish, man-eating crocodiles, great white sharks - the biggest animal problem in Australia are the flies. Not even sandflies, just ordinary flies. As soon as you go out in the open they’re all over you. They’re not particularly interested in garbage; they’re interesting in bothering humans. Insect repellant is candy to them; nothing will stop their holy mission to disturb and harass us until we can’t take it anymore.

Flies are the world’s dumbest creatures. They like to get into the car with us, but as soon as the doors are closed they lose interest completely, and just bang against the windscreen trying to get out. Ron has a Three-Step Method for letting flies out of the car. Dana prefers the more direct Folded Tourist Brochure approach.

Australians (*)

Australians greet strangers by saying “How yer goin’?” We’re still not sure what the proper response is to this greeting.

Australians live outside. This is a huge contrast from Kiwis, who have to live inside because of their wacky climate. That’s why the Kiwis had to invent all sorts of puzzles and card games, and build backcountry huts everywhere. The Aussies have no need for such things. If they get bored, they go to the beach or play sports.

Australians aren’t likely to drive a compact sedan. They’re a lot more likely to drive a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with an attached caravan or trailer (or boat. Boats are even more common in NZ, but they don’t have to be driven around as much).

Australians hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are beaches, fishing, and the pursuit of barbecue. A barbecue is a big sheet of metal that’s heated from underneath by a gas stove. It’s how Aussies usually cook their food, and it’s the reason why cooking oil in Australia is often sold in spray cans.

(*) Actually, this description is probably better suited to West Australians, but it’s such a bother to write “West Australians” all the time.

The Camper

Our vehicle is called a Bushranger, but we usually call it the camper or “hasoos” (which means approximately “the horse”). It’s a heavy duty 4-wheel-drive Holden (that’s an Australian auto company) with a small living area attached. Inside is a huge fold-up double bed (we can rotate our sleeping position 90 degrees if we like), a small table and chairs, a sink and faucet, a small fridge/freezer, inside and outside lighting, a portable stove and fuel, and some closets with just about everything we might need (it all came with the camper). The lighting and fridge are powered from a dedicated battery (charged by the engine’s power), or an electrical socket that we connect while in caravan parks.

We didn’t think we’ll end up renting something like this, but it turned out beautifully, and touring in it has become an important part of the adventure. We’re handing it back once in Perth and taking a small car instead, since the nature of the area south of Perth is quite different (shorter distances, more civilization, fewer dirt roads). But we’ll definitely miss it when it’s gone.

Happy journeys to everyone, and have a great Passover,

- Ron & Dana

Hello everybody!

It’s been a while since the last update (again), we’ve been doing lots of driving and flying, but some experiences are being experienced nonetheless. Thanks for all the replies to the last one! :-)

Route update

The R.E.M. concert was very good. Michael Stipe spent the evening looking kind of like a Ninja Turtle with paint around his eyes (not sure why). From Christchurch we drove north and took the ferry to the North Island. Spent two days around Tongariro National Park (without even a glimpse!!! of the volcanoes because the weather was so bad). Took a crazy “cave tubing” trip to Waitomo Caves, abseiling, jumping into an underground river, climbing up little waterfalls, etc. Crazy. Then we went to (pretty, smelly) Rotorua for three days. Took a day-trip to White Island, which is an active volcanic island. Then it was 4 days in Auckland City, then an overnight stop in Melbourne, and a flight via Perth to Broome, in the north of Western Australia (WA).

So, the Australian leg of the trip is just beginning, but we already feel like home. Because it’s 30 degrees and 90% humidity. At night. There’ll be some changes from the past two months - for example we rented a 4WD campervan, and bought new swimsuits. It’s not going to be a love-at-first-sight thing (the climate is killing us), but we’re just beginning.

Short History of Rotorua

First there were beautiful natural mineral pools called the Pink and White Terraces, and tourists came to bathe in them. Then in 1886 there was a great big huge volcanic eruption that killed lots of people and buried 5 villages and totally destroyed the terraces. So they built artificial pools instead, but they were filthy and “not a place for Christians to Bathe”. So they built a big bathhouse, but the sulfur fumes corroded it and it looked terrible. So they built another bathhouse, and later another one plus a couple of health clinics. In all this time no one managed to address the fundamental problem of the town - the SMELL. It smells like a rotten egg. You know how in most places, when you want a bad smell to go away, you open the window? Well in Rotorua you’re better off closing it.

Auckland

We thought Singapore was multicultural, till we arrived in Auckland. What a lovely mess. There’s Chinese and Vietnamese, Polynesians (Maori and others), a whole bunch of Europeans, plus Indians, Arabs, etc etc. In the city center you can still get mince pies and ice cream, but it’s much easier to get Turkish kebabs (shawarma in a lafa), sushi, etc. There’s kosher food too, of course, and the local Nando’s branch is halal (the Muslim kosher).

We went to get a haircut. The barber was a big friendly dark skinned fellow. Turns out his mother is from Niue and his dad is from Samoa, and the dad had studied Hebrew for 20 years (“he is a Bible teacher”).

In and Out

Following the transition from New Zealand to Australia.

Out: sandflies
In: mozzies (mosquitoes)

Out: sitting in the hostel lounge by the fireplace
In: sitting by the hostel pool (or inside it)

Out: Israelis everywhere
In: Isra-what?

Out: fleece jackets
In: swimsuits

Out: being wet (rain)
In: being wet (sweat)

(to be continued)

One thing that’s pretty much the same is the brand names and companies. That’s because the Aussies have bought or taken over most of the NZ economy - they control the banks, the food, much of the travel and tourism sector, you name it. The only things they didn’t touch are the sports teams and the beer breweries - since that would be an act of war.

Ciao ciao,

- Ron & Dana

Hi All,

We’re temporarily back in Christchurch, where the tour of New Zealand started. We dropped in to catch a live concert: who knows when we’ll next get to see R.E.M. playing in Tel Aviv... (truth is, it’s been 11 years since the last time they played in NZ). After the show we’re heading to the North Island for a week, then flying to Broome in Western Australia, and working our way south to Perth.

Not much to write about these two weeks - we’ve been relaxing, driving, lying on beaches, playing games, chatting with all sorts of people, etc. And this week we walked the Queen Charlotte track (more about that in a second).

In case anyone’s following the progression: We spent 2 nights in Franz Josef, 1 in Okarito, 1 in Punakaiki (all of them are on the west coast of the south island). Then 3 great nights in Takaka (exploring Golden Bay), 2 in Nelson (exploring the pubs, since it was St. Patrick’s Day), 1 in Picton, 4 on the Queen Charlotte track, and 1 in Kaikoura.

Queen Charlotte Track (QCT)

Here’s a description of the walk (in a somewhat different format) - mostly so that you don’t come to think it’s all about surviving bad weather in the mountains.

QCT is an easy 71km walk, of which we did about 56km. Packs are carried by boats, and night stops are usually in nice lodges and hostels - some of the nicest in the country, actually.

We walked the track with Tassilo, the Crazy German, who we met in Golden Bay and traveled with for a week and a half (yes Tass it’s 10 days exactly, not including the first evening of ping-pong in Takaka).

Day 1: Took a boat to Ship Cove. Walked 1.5 hours to Resolution Bay. Went kayaking, saw a swarm of (harmless) jellyfish. Had dinner by candlelight (pasta with tomato sauce and tuna).

Day 2: Walked 6 hours to Mahana lodge. Ron had a dip in the ocean (cold). Tassilo went kayaking with a Dutch girl named Inga, and they came back with a bucket of fresh mussels. Mussels were steamed and consumed with a watery dish of rice and mushrooms and stuff. At night we went to see glowworms.

Day 3: Walked 7 hours to Portage, in a loose group of the 3 of us, an Israeli brother-sister team, two girls from Connecticut, a Canadian girl named Bre, and a Canadian guy who lives in Germany. The two Israelis and the Americans were camping, the rest of us stayed at the Portage Resort Hotel (it was their backpacker bunkroom, but it was still very nice and comfy). Everyone met after dinner (more rice with mushrooms) at the hotel bar, where things cost twice as much as in the rest of the country, and last call for drinks is at 21:00.

Day 4: Said goodbye to the camping crew. Walked 2.5 hours to Lochmara Lodge with Bre. Reunited with Inga. This time Tassilo and Ron were on mussels-by-kayak duty. Ate fresh muffins (mmm...) Went to the spa. Ate mussels steamed in white wine and pasta with tomato sauce and tuna and pineapple and vegetables. Ate apple crumble dessert with ice cream (mmm...) Some more glowworms.

Day 5: Ate pancakes with ice cream and fruit. Lazed around till midday. Almost missed the boat back to Picton. “HAZARNU AYEFIM ACH RE’EVIM” (sorry Tass it’d take too long to explain).

Bye for now,

- Dana & Ron