Among the fields of gold

Aussie word of the day: nappi = diaper, "The baby's nappi is wet."

There was no ocean diving last week due to inclimate weather that wasn't so inclimate, that was just the instructor's excuse not to go out. The weather last week was beautiful and perfect for diving, but oh well. Perhaps this weekend! Instead, Gail and I visited the zoo. It was much the same as any zoo and I've already petted the roo's and koala's, so was not nearly as enamored by them as I was before. The ferry ride across the Swan River to get to the zoo in South Perth was much more entertaining with a spectacular view of the city (see photo) and relaxing as well.

Spring has literally sprung south of the equator. There are wildflowers galore spreading their colorful glory across WA. As I rode the tour bus south of Perth this weekend to Albany the fields were blanketed in a bounty of golden spring wildflowers... I'm not sure Sting was talking about WA's golden fields of canola flowers when he wrote the song Fields of Gold, but it definately applies. Between the fields of gold were fields of sheep grazing in the morning sun, some wearing a full coat of wool and some newly shorn. The fields were reminiscent of home divided by tree lines and dusty (out)backroads. Only 2 hours south of the city and the weather was already cooler with a brisk sea breeze blowing inland from the Southern Ocean. The air was fresh and crisp like a perfect autumn day. There are also wild calla lillies, their leafy bushes growing along creekbeds and in the local gardens. This is a true delight for someone from America who has to pay a lot for a bouquet of the elegent white flowers.

On our way to Albany we stopped at a beach for lunch, then travelled up the hilly region to a lookout point for a panoramic view of Albany and the bay. Next stop was the Natural bridge and The Gap, a rocky area where millions of years ago Australia was once connected to Antarctica and is now somewhat reminiscent of the coast of Ireland (according to my Irish friend, Rory), with its rocky and green cliffs. We stayed the night in a hostel in Albany. It was my first experience in a hostel and will not be my last. It was pleasant enough, with shared rooms, toilets and showers. They even fed us dinner, which is unusual, according to my hostelling friends. There were 4 beds or 2 bunkbeds to a room. I shared a room with Debbie and Rory and a Pakistani guy named Rafik (Rafeek). At first I joked that Rafik would cut my throat in the night because I was American, but before the night was over we had made friends with him as we enjoyed a few microbrews at the local pub with the other people on our tour.

The next day we headed back to Perth with a stop at the Tree Top Walk. The Tree Top Walk involves a metal semi-suspended bridge that climbs and weaves among the tall Tingle trees. The highest point on the bridge was 40 metres or 132 feet high. Despite the fact that the bridge was made of metal and only semi-suspended it was still swaying and the boys were purposely rocking it more. I carefully braced myself on the narrow bridge while trying to hurry along as I struggled with a sudden fear of heights and an uncomfortable case of vertigo. I made it safely back to the bottom without throwing up or crashing hundreds of feet to the forest floor.

This week is semester break, but many people are putting in extra study time or working on projects that are due next week. The weather is also rainy again, so I may not do much this week aside from continuing my job search. I will email more photos to everyone as there were too many to post on the blog.