let's gamble Gold Coast

Sometimes when I don't blog for a bit I tend to forget what I wanted to share about my time is various places. However, my time in Darwin/Kakadu/Litchfield was so memorable I don't think I'll ever for get my experience there.

First of all, I could easily spend my three months in Kakadu National Park, because there is SO much rich history and so much to offer and explore. It is truly a special and spiritual place. Many aboriginal people still live on their land and on Anhem land which borders Kakadu. 

Kat my tour guide was incredibly inspirational and probably the coolest Australian I've met so far. She reminds me of me a little bit in her lust for adventure and passion for the outdoors. 

Before I even left on your I had the most amazing encounter with an older gal whom came from the desert. She was flying to Darwin to visit her grandson during her holiday. She is from New Zealand originally but has been teaching and living in the bush with one of the aboriginal cultures in central Australia. She saw me journaling on the plane and then she also saw me reading a book by an Australian author. She asked if I was enjoying the book as she had just downloaded it the day prior on her tablet. She also mentioned that journaling was a lost art and started fiddling around in her bag. She pulled out the most beautiful journal and told me that she journals as well; journals about the aboriginal children, how they grow up, her own experiences with aboriginal people in and outside of the classroom. She said she try's to jot down a few words a day so that she can go back and read about her memories as she gets older. 

Colette was her name. Upon arriving to Darwin we gathered our bags and she and her grandson offered me a ride to the hostel I was staying at! The kindness here is just amazing. I am truly grateful to have met her. And I definitely plan on contacting her when I go explore New Zealand! 

We set off on our exploration of Kakadu. Now for Kat this was her second wet season guiding tours  and her excitement is what really set the bar. The change of landscapes as we drove was like day and night. One second it was wetland with few trees and swampy grass areas and the next minute jungle. The escarpment that runs all along the East side, the Alligator rivera that run straight through the park and the incredible vegetation and wildlife are what make Kakadu so unique. The biodiverse nature preserve offers much more than just protected land, species of animals etc.  It offers incredible history of the aboriginal people. Original rock art paintings that tell stories from Dreamtime and incredible life lessons. 

Now, in one of my previous posts I had mentioned my story about Fabio and his friends reason for living to 107. (I promise I'm getting somewhere with this).. 

1. Genes. What is passed down from generation to generation. 

2. Stay away from negative people.

3. Never ask for help when you can do it your self. 

So while I was looking out over Ubirr and mesmerized by the view and the culture behind this place, our group got to chat with Marcus, the grandson of Bill Neidjie (whom was instrumental in the process of Kakadu becoming what it is today, a UNESCO World Hertage site). 

Back to Marcus. Hearing his stories of "grand dad" and growing up having to go to white school learn English and then come home to Ubirr and speak his native language and learn from his father and grandfather was unreal. Sitting there, in the humidity with a gentle breeze kissing my skin and history being shared right in front of my eyes was a chilling and humbling experience. 

The three things mentioned above got me thinking during my time in Kakadu. How the aboriginal people have lived here and survived on the land that is so dense and weather that's is sometimes so rough with the changing of the season?

1. Genes: passing down of not only genes but aboriginal law,  stories, hunting, culture is so evident here with the aboriginal culture is remains sacred. 

2. Stay away from negative people: in their case white man. they created a culture by themselves and white man with their negative ways (coins/money, alcohol, tobacco, schools to "wash away the aboriginal in the kids") used these things to infiltrate their culture and ultimately steal their land from them. But not only did they steal land, white man built cities on top of their land, truly demolishing their culture and leaving many aboriginal cultures lost. 

3. Never ask for help when you can do it yourself: they never asked for help from the white man. They hunted and gathered. They used their environmental resources. They have their own language never asking for anything from the white man. They have lived here for over tens of thousands of years and never asked for help. They have a deeper connection with the land which their ancestors have managed teach future generations. A greater understanding of the importance of water and fire alike. 

Litchfield is also a very special area, beautiful watering holes, tons of waterfalls, but there is something about Kakadu that I feel I connected with more. 

Nonetheless my time in Kakadu and Litchfield was much too short. I know that in my heart I will be back there someday. 

Gold Coast has been amazing. My wonderful host Bill has been so gracious! Not to mention throws rad parties at his house!! 

I spent the day yesterday with a fellow wanderer. Ben is a friend of a friend and was living in AZ for 15 years and has just moved home to Australia. He took me all up and down the coast, driving  me past tourist areas and then taking me to way local beaches and lookouts and overall an awesome day of good conversation, great craft beer and soul searching (for the both of us) 

I have a big announcement: I'll be heading back to the States on Janauary 10th. Bittersweet. For sure.


Cheers,
k 

Lexy's Jeans

Palya friends & family!
(Palya: general greeting in Yankunytjatjara/Pitjantjatjara)

Ahh.. Alice Springs.
My first mistake as a backpacker was not packing jeans. Luckily before my departure from the US my cousin Lexy let me have a pair of her jeans for my travel that I wore many many times during my visits to Melbourne and Port Lincoln. (Thanks Lex!)
But stepping off the plane wearing Lexy's jeans I got thinking to myself "I am sure glad I had these jeans the last four weeks, however, it's too bloody hot to be in jeans in Alice Springs!"
I've since then chucked the jeans in the bin.. as well as a few other winter ingredients.
I made my way to The Rock Tour office in the afternoon and explored the small town centre. Lovely little town full of Aboriginal history and locals.
The following morning was an early morning to begin my tour of Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon. The tour was a three day tour with camping in various locations of the outback! I felt at home with the weather.. however the heat makes me annoyed and cranky (lol).
Side note: the nice thing about being a solo traveller is that I can either be myself (for those of you that know me personally -- very outgoing) or I can be a total introvert and not say a word. The heat made me an introvert these three days.
Bright and early Steve, my fabulous tour guide, picked me up right outside my hostel. We had a five hour drive to Uluru & Kata Tjuta National Park, and we had to pick others up on our way from Yulara Airport.
We first stopped at the visitors center to learn about some of the traditional aboriginal law. And let me tell you, Uluru is NOT just some huge rock in the middle of nowhere. I am truly amazed at the rich aboriginal culture still present here today. I learned so much about the Anangu people.
Tjukurpa. It is believed to be an ancestral period also knowns as Dreamtime.  Their life revolves around Tjukurpa which is the basis of all knowledge, law and everything in life.
 The first afternoon we walked around the south side of Uluru and heard stories about Mutitjulu watering hole. If you do anything in Australia, Uluru is a must. I absolutely loved it, and don't just do a sunset tour. Do a camping tour, at LEAST one night. Believe me it will be worth it. It was more than just a beautiful sunset & sunrise like we see on Pinterest or see pictures.
That night we made our way to camp and got to know everyone in the group. Laughing over a few beers, and playing group games. Steve cooked a great dinner, we ate emu coconut curry.. it tasted like chicken!
The next best thing was setting up for sleeping time. I was thrilled to be camping & when one person in our group asked if there was wifi, I couldn't help but laugh! WE WERE IN THE BUSH! We barely got cell service and they were asking about wifi.....
Steve explained the importance of our SPB (snake protection barrier) and how to set up our swag. In total he took about 30 minutes explaining everything. What we had to do was lay out our swag, and use a stick or a his shovel to make a shallow barrier around it, he explained that snakes don't like repetition, so once it feels the ditch it will turn around, and if it feels it again it will go away.
Then he told us about the spiders. He instructed us to put a little bit of salt around our SPB so that the specific spiders he told us about would come in our area because the salt burned their legs. And then there were the Dingo's. Keep three rocks by our side because the Dingo's are curious and will come up and sniff and be vocal. Throw a rock in the opposite direction to sway its attention from you to the movement of the rock.
I ventured up to a viewing point to photograph the stars with a fellow amateur photographer and ended up seeing the silhouette of Uluru and distant flashes of lightening in the background. It was an "I love life" moment. There was no way I was going to capture the sight with my camera as I was seeing it with my own eyes. After two shots, I gave up and enjoyed the moment. Shooting star after shooting star, lightening glowing in the distance and the sounds of the sleeping desert in my ears. I thought of Mari.. and how she could be helping me with my photography!
The sunrise at Uluru was also once in a lifetime. The way the sun rose up behind the clouds, pouring streaks of sun rays down the massive rock formation was breathtaking. From there we walked around the north base of Uluru seeing various sacred spots to the Anangu people. The place where women would give birth, and the elders cave that was strictly for men. We also saw a very special place where Inma happens. Inma is the sacred ceremonies performed by the aboriginal people of the area for certain celebrations. Stories are written on the cave walls with Oka and tell of ancestral law, life events and symbolize life lessons. Cave paintings teach young boys how to hunt, women how to gather from the land, and so much more.
After our morning in the National Park we made our way to Kings Canyon Station. On our 2.5 hour drive we saw Brumby -- now if you have previously read my blog you know about Fabio. My good old friend from Melbourne, well.. he was the one to tell me about Brumby, the wild horses that still roam all over Central Australia. Steve my tour guide has only seen Brumby once in his life and he has been guiding for almost 15 years. And on that drive to Kings Canyon we saw THREE teams of Brumby. I almost began to cry! They were so beautiful, large, healthy looking horses!!
At our camp spot we had a lovely dinner of Kangaroo bolognese and got to pick our spots to put our swags that night. At this point Steve had told the group that everything he told us about our SPB was bullsh*t because obviously they are snakes and go over anything and everything, and spiders are the same! However the three rocks beside you for the Dingo's was very true. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I picked a spot on the grass beside the huge Desert Oak tree that rested on our camp ground. With not a light in sight I decided to play around with my camera and light painting the huge Oak tree. I shall post pictures once I return home... but it was just beautiful. The wind whispered through her leaves all night, as she danced to their secrets. Shooting stars graced her overhead. And her limbs came to life as the wind picked up. The night was perfect.
The third day we were early to rise, hiked Kings Canyon by 5:30 AM and finished around 9:00 PM.
It was a beautiful hike, however, it was much like Arizona hiking. After our hike we headed for home, and on our way we saw another team of Brumby!! Tjukurpa for sure.

My time in Alice Springs is almost over. I am heading to Darwin this afternoon for more exploration and camping in Kakadu National Park. Will keep you updated as much as I can.

Palya,
Kali


If you're keen to learning more about the Aboriginal people we are the traditional owners of Uluru and Kata-Tjuta visit this website!!!

http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/people-place/culture.html

Down Unda & Sleepy Beach Towns

Sorry it has taken me so long to update! I have been a bit lazy and loving it.
After my spontaneous ride to Melbourne I happen to land at The Ritz Hostel for backpackers, yet everyone I met was living there. Some working and some just living. I decided to go on a last minute adventure with a group of 30+ of them. Essentially being a complete outsider joining this huge family on a Great Ocean Road trip. Turns out our car never made it to the GOR but it was a blast of a weekend anyway. The Grampians National Park had some of the most stunning view points. Reminded me a bit of the Blue Mountains I had previously visited the week before. The minute I was told we were going to a beautiful waterfall I convinced myself I was going in the water and under the falls.  The water was FREEZINGGGG! But McKenzie Falls definitely an "I'm lucky to be alive and traveling" moment.
With my bags backed upon my return to the Ritz I changed locations and luckily got the real "Ritz" an apartment to myself in Southbank overlooking the city.
A good friend of mine said to me before my trip "I cannot wait to see how the world takes care of you" and while watching sunset from the balcony of this Southbank apartment those words came to mind. Because out of a not so great situation came an amazing opportunity to just be present in the moment & marvel in how the world was taking care of me.
It was magnificent how it all worked out. I walked into an office to greet a friend and there was an tourist company who set up day trips on the GOR. My last day in Melbourne  was a bucket list day. I got to visit the Great Ocean Road. The longest war memorial in the world. Dedicated to the men who served in WWI.
My departure from Melbourne brought a bit of a sadness to my heart. I was falling in love with Melbourne but I was also ready for more thrill seeking adventure.
Next stop: the sleepy beach town of Port Lincoln.. The adelaide airport was a beaut, spent a 5 hour layover exploring. My arrival into Port Lincoln has been documented on the GoPro. Mark my words, the Port Lincoln airport may in fact be the smallest airport I have ever set foot in. It reminded me of the Juneau airport (thanks Ashley for that memory), which I think may be a little big bigger than Port Lincoln.

A friend of a friend lives here & she welcomed me with open arms! (Thanks Lily&Jordy!!!). It's amazing how kind and helpful everyone is. We went to an awesome dinner with Jordy's roommate Ben and friend Grace. With the introduction of TimTams into my life, Grace Jordy & I had some great girl time with wine and chocolate!! I cannot tell you how nice it is to meet new people & instantly have a connection. friendship is a beautiful thing.
Friday Jordy set up a girls night of camping on the beach. The sunset, sunrise and cave exploration was probably the high light of my trip so far!!!!!

Until Sunday. I slowly made my way to the marina with a fast pulse, anxiety building and total loss of speech. Today was the day I would be cage diving with great white sharks....

I survived! Overall it was an amazing experience "down unda". Lol.  I felt totally safe in the cage. We saw three sharks. Two were huge and one was rather small (but still ginormous). I got seasick, as per usual when I'm on a boat... Thanks mom for the motion/seasick genes.  I met some wonderful people on the boat that I know I will stay in contact with!!!


Tomorrow I head out early to catch a flight to Adelaide and then to the Outback, known as Alice Springs.
Looking forward to the last few weeks of my solo travels until mom maggie & auntie betsy join me!

Cheers,
K