11/29/2014 - Wrapping it up in the land down under

After returning from Dubai we had a few weeks to tie up some loose ends in Singapore.  1) Get the condo ready to move out (first looked like a tornado hit it, then a warehouse with all the boxes).  2) Hand in my work computer (an all day process, but worth the measure of freedom it provided). 3) Hit up a few of our favorite restaurants and food (Chili Crab, La Petite Cuisine and plenty of Hawker Food and sugar cane juice).  4) Check into the Marriott for a few nights since almost everything we owned in the world was back on a boat (this may have been the oddest experience - being treated like visitors in the country we had spent the past 2 years living in).  Finally though, everything was settled and we were headed south of the equator for the land down under.  Yes, you know exactly what song Sarah was singing this time.

Our red-eye flight landed in Perth right when the sun was coming up so the customs agent was a little bleary eyed and surprised that 2 Americans were only staying for 4 days on the West Coast of Australia.  We got the feeling not a lot of Americans made it that way period as just about every other major city is on the east coast. We all had a good laugh when she realized we had been living in Singapore and hadn't flown halfway around the world to only see the area surrounding Perth.  Our room wasn't ready, but we dropped off our bags and set out to explore the city via foot and find some breakfast.  Down to the Swan River we went and filled up on bacon, eggs, toast and some tiny cups of coffee.  The sun was just beginning to peak out above the buildings, so we strolled down the river path to warm up and see who else was out and about at this hour.  Quite a bit of noise was coming from the trees along the path and imagine our surprise when we looked up and saw row after row of colorful red and green parrots.  It was only about 60 degrees so it was hard to remember we were still in a sub-tropical region.  

Up and down the river we went, but our energy was waning and we needed more caffeine.  First though, a stop at Target! Apparently eons ago, the Minnesota company had allowed this Australian retailer to use the name, never imagining the US Company would grow so large.  It was kind of like walking into Bizarro World, the store was smaller, but the racks looked the same, the lighting was the same, terminology was similar, etc.  We sat down at local Australian coffee chain afterwards to refuel and shake off the weird feeling of being at home, but not really.

Next up - Australian game park.  It would simply be improper to venture this far south and not hang out with some kangaroos, koala's and wallabies.  Was it touristy and contrived, kind of, but neither one of us really cared as you walked around and got up close and personal with all the animals you had only seen on TV.  We finished off our day by having an early dinner at a local brew pub. This was going to become the theme for the next few days of the trip.  The weather was pleasant enough, but mid 60's was proving a little chilly for these tropical kids.  Ironically we now had access to local microbrews and cozy pubs, just as we were about to head back to the States.  Even more fitting, the microbrewery was named after one of the historical settlers/convicts, ticking off another of our stereotypical thoughts of Australia.  Full, warm and happy, we crashed before 10.... we had a bus to catch prior to 7 AM the next day to take us into wine country.


 

11/16/2014 - Arabian Nights - Bab al Shams

Its been 4+ months since that fateful night I wrote my last post and we flew back home to resume life in the U.S.  As Sarah is back in Asia for work and there is 4+ inches of snow outside, this seemed like as good of a time as any to try and warm up and test my memory of those last few weeks we spent travelling around Asia.  It is fitting I left off in Dubai as that was hands down the hottest locale we visited during our 2 years.  In fact, I don't even think there was a runner up.  Its like Dubai won the hottest temperature award and all the other South-East Asian countries (not exactly known for their mild temperatures) were trying to come in third place.  We were never happier for air conditioning and a never ending supply of bottled water.

An air conditioned car was waiting outside the hotel to whisk us off into the desert.  We didn't know much about where we were going, only that it was akin to an oasis out in the sands. After an hour in the car, we were not disappointed as we pulled into a re-creation of an old Arabian fortress.  Thick adobe/concrete walls, woven rugs, copper fixtures - fantastic attention to detail.  After checking in, we explored the grounds while doing our best not to melt, it was easily hotter than 110 degrees.  Luckily there were 3 pools, all of differing temperatures that were "chilled" between 85 and 90 degrees. Even at this temperature, the water felt good, you could sit in shade with some bubble jets hitting you or stare out into the vast desert, happy you were at the oasis and not out there, your mind playing tricks on you seeing mirages in the distance like some old Looney Toons Cartoon.

We only had two nights, but we planned on making the most of them.  The first event involved checking another item off the bucket list - camel rides in the desert!  The ride itself was relatively smooth, but the mount and dismount were another story.  It turns out that camels are 1) really tall and 2) when they stand up sit down, you are suddenly at a near 90 degree angle, threatening to fall face first onto his neck and/or the sand.  Good thing for my terrified grip of steel to hang on tight.  The heat and 10 minute camel journey had left us hungry and parched so we retired to a tavern similar to Rick's Cafe in Casablanca to wait for the sun to set.  Happy hour and a light dinner of hummus, tabouli, cheese and olives helped the time fly by and we headed back to the roof deck to watch the US play Germany in a World Cup soccer match.  The host was nice enough to give us a front and center seat (we may have been the only American fans there).  The US ultimately lost, but advanced to the next round, so we celebrated local style with an apple flavored hookah. 

Day 2 was mostly about beating the heat in the pool again, but the hotel was offering desert safari rides that we couldn't pass up.  Especially considering we had just spent time the prior week bouncing around the dusty trails of Sri Lanka looking for leopards and elephants.  This open air jeep tour did not turn up as much wildlife, but more than expected and was a pretty crazy roller coaster ride to boot.  At one point our jeep crested a large hill with a valley spread out below us. Not sure where we were going to go next, we were suddenly off roading, spinning and sliding our way down the sand, leaving what little evidence of civilization there was, far far behind us.  We passed multiple herds of racing camels - each worth more than a Ferrari apparently - as well as deer, birds and a smattering of vegetation.  We hopped out for a few photo ops, but the blowing sand felt like a million little pin pricks hitting your skin so we did not linger long.  As the engine roared to life I was trying to determine which way we had come from and how we were even going to get back. Again, we slipped and slid our way up a hill and upon cresting it, suddenly there was asphalt ahead of us.  Easy to see how you could get lost wandering in the wilderness.

It took about half an hour afterwards to remove the sand from my hair - it was like going to the beach x10.  With the sun dipping below the horizon again, we settled in for another light dinner on top of the ramparts of our desert fortress.  The city and the desert could not have been more different, but we were extremely happy with our 4 day trip to this tiny country. Tomorrow we would head back to Singapore to begin packing up for the move back to the States.  The good news - one final trip before the 20 hour journey home - Australia for some more wildlife and wine tasting with a final stop in Bali to see just how much we could mellow out.  More to come on that when I find the time again.