We had a lovely dinner last night and everyone was in good spirits so that was great. No one wanted a particularly late night as we had to be ready for our transport to the airport at 8.15 am. I was very surprised in the morning that most were already at breakfast by the time I got there at 7 am. Our transport arrived right on time, and as usual I had to go looking for my big, slow and loud kitten. Then while I go looking for her I left everyone else on the coach remembering to hand in room keys and think whether they have left any thing in their rooms, and that their cases are in the trailer. No sooner had I gone looking for BSL and demented kitten wondered if her suitcase was on the trailer, so one of the other kittens went looking for it and found it left at reception. Just as well I wasn’t there at the time, as I really would have made her go and get it herself. Some of them truly need full time careers!
A short drive to the airport and I get us all booked in. We had over an hour wait, but all were in good spirits so the time passed quickly. One of the kittens asked me to remind BSL kitten to use the bathroom before we boarded. I had already planned on giving them all a 15 minute warning prior to boarding as most of kittens have very weak bladders as I’ve found out the hard way, so told her that I had it all under control. She assured me she didn’t need to use the loo, but was frustrated with always waiting for BLS kitten who left things to the last minute and so was always last as she was also so slow. Well knock me down with a feather, when we are all starting to board, guess who has to race off to the toilet and was therefore last of our group to board? I never said a word to her, but she wouldn’t give me eye contact when finally boarding. They are such a funny little gaggle.
We had a bit over two hours before our Adelaide flight so plenty of time for something to eat, drink and ablutions. We are now all currently waiting at our gate ready to board, and I’m feeding them all lolly snakes.
They have each said they have had a great holiday and are giving me all these ideas of where they want to go next year. I haven’t the heart to tell, them that they will be someone else’s responsibility by then....
Footnote:
All arrived safely home and sent off to their respective lodgings. Lots of hugs and claims of 'great holiday' so I deem the whole operation a success. And being back home with reasonable internet, I have been able to update each day's ramblings with photos!
Wednesday, 13 June 2018
Tuesday, 12 June 2018
Broome - day 4
33 degrees today again and just perfect!
My kittens were all required to be ready to head out by 8.15 so I told them to be ready even earlier, and that works well as we were all ready for when our small bus arrived to take us to Willie Creek pearl farm. Our lovely driver David was very informative during our trip out to the pearl farm, much of it on dirt roads and clay pans. I always try to sit with a different kitten each tour so was sitting next to one of my first time travellers, who had only gotten out of hospital and given the all clear to travel 3 days before we left! She is a tiny little thing, very thin and quite shy so it was lovely to have her tell me that she is so pleased she came on this holiday with us as it has given her confidence a real boost. Yesterday while in the pub in the afternoon, another new to our group traveler who is 84 (her spouse passed away last September) was thrilled to find out that I knew her son who is a serving police officer, and then I’m not sure who was even more surprised her or me, when we worked out that her daughter was married to a police officer I had known for over 30 years, and he sadly passed away last year too. He’s the guy who gave me really good info on some things to do in Bali, that I did while there so recalled all the travel conversations he and I used to have.
And just to prove yet again just how small a world it is, we arrived at Willie Creek and had a presentation from a delightful Aboriginal lass, and when it finished were given morning tea. While we are having our drink and damper a fellow came up to one of my kittens, called her by name and then even I recognised him as one of the retired SA Police Band members! We have now had two days running when within our group we’ve caught up with people known to us, and we’ve come over 4,200 km to do so...
Anyhow, back to our tour. We are fast becoming mini experts on how sea pearls are cultivated. we now know all about not just the harvesting of the shell, but the grading of the pearls. It really is an intricate process and even though we have already been to other pearl farms or galleries, we learn something more every time. I’m even appreciating pearls even more. After morning tea we get on an open sided boat to go out into the creek to be shown how the oysters are cleaned and farmed. The waters are a beautiful blue but no one trailed their hand in the water due to crocodiles in the area, even though we didn’t see any. Due to the big tides, the mangroves were dense by the shore line, but pristine white sand dunes were also visible making for very pretty coastlines.
After our boat ride and the mandatory visit to the shop, five of my kittens have elected to go on a short helicopter flight over the farm, so it is nice to sit in the shade of the buildings while we wait for them. One of my kittens comes up to me to tell me that she had just been to the ladies toilets to find another lady who had been calling out for help as she had discovered a metre long brown snake in the toilet with her! Thankfully it wasn’t one of my kittens as I’d never have heard the end of it, but it did make for a good story amongst us all. Time to get back on the coach as we head back to town, where we are also booked for a tour of a pearl Lugger (boat) and tour through a little museum.
By the time we get to town it is almost 1.30. A couple of the kittens want to go straight back to the hotel as they are worn out, so the rest of us get ourselves ready to start the next tour after I remind them that we will be here about an hour and a half so it will be a very late lunch for them after that. Two more kittens decide that they are starving so decide to go and get food. The remainder were then shown through Pearl Luggers by Stuart who gave us a really interesting history lesson on pearling in Broome, followed by info on the actual diver’s experiences including seeing all the gear they had to wear. The whole outfit would have had to weigh about 80 kilos, keeping in mind most of the original divers were small a Japanese men who would barely have been 5’8 and wouldn’t have weighed 80k!
After the tour which ended in the obligatory store, we were also given the opportunity to try pearl meat which is so highly prized in Asian countries, selling for at least $100 a kilo. We were only given a sliver, but it was enough for me to decide that it is highly over rated, and relies on whatever it is marinating in, to give it any flavour.
Our tour finished a bit before three, and most wandered off to get something to eat, while I was happy to get the town bus back to the hotel where I was quite content to have a cup of soup and some fruit in my room.
Time to pack my suitcase and update the blog. Even had time for a medicinal whiskey while penning these lines. It has been a really good trip. The weather has been perfect and no major dramas for or with any of my kittens. (They all know I call them kittens and I even hear some of them calling themselves that!) The hotel is really good, the food has been great and each tour has ticked all the boxes so I am interested to get my travel feedback surveys back from my kittens tomorrow to see if they feel the same.
Dinner soon, so time to sign off for now.
My kittens were all required to be ready to head out by 8.15 so I told them to be ready even earlier, and that works well as we were all ready for when our small bus arrived to take us to Willie Creek pearl farm. Our lovely driver David was very informative during our trip out to the pearl farm, much of it on dirt roads and clay pans. I always try to sit with a different kitten each tour so was sitting next to one of my first time travellers, who had only gotten out of hospital and given the all clear to travel 3 days before we left! She is a tiny little thing, very thin and quite shy so it was lovely to have her tell me that she is so pleased she came on this holiday with us as it has given her confidence a real boost. Yesterday while in the pub in the afternoon, another new to our group traveler who is 84 (her spouse passed away last September) was thrilled to find out that I knew her son who is a serving police officer, and then I’m not sure who was even more surprised her or me, when we worked out that her daughter was married to a police officer I had known for over 30 years, and he sadly passed away last year too. He’s the guy who gave me really good info on some things to do in Bali, that I did while there so recalled all the travel conversations he and I used to have.
And just to prove yet again just how small a world it is, we arrived at Willie Creek and had a presentation from a delightful Aboriginal lass, and when it finished were given morning tea. While we are having our drink and damper a fellow came up to one of my kittens, called her by name and then even I recognised him as one of the retired SA Police Band members! We have now had two days running when within our group we’ve caught up with people known to us, and we’ve come over 4,200 km to do so...
Anyhow, back to our tour. We are fast becoming mini experts on how sea pearls are cultivated. we now know all about not just the harvesting of the shell, but the grading of the pearls. It really is an intricate process and even though we have already been to other pearl farms or galleries, we learn something more every time. I’m even appreciating pearls even more. After morning tea we get on an open sided boat to go out into the creek to be shown how the oysters are cleaned and farmed. The waters are a beautiful blue but no one trailed their hand in the water due to crocodiles in the area, even though we didn’t see any. Due to the big tides, the mangroves were dense by the shore line, but pristine white sand dunes were also visible making for very pretty coastlines.
After our boat ride and the mandatory visit to the shop, five of my kittens have elected to go on a short helicopter flight over the farm, so it is nice to sit in the shade of the buildings while we wait for them. One of my kittens comes up to me to tell me that she had just been to the ladies toilets to find another lady who had been calling out for help as she had discovered a metre long brown snake in the toilet with her! Thankfully it wasn’t one of my kittens as I’d never have heard the end of it, but it did make for a good story amongst us all. Time to get back on the coach as we head back to town, where we are also booked for a tour of a pearl Lugger (boat) and tour through a little museum.
By the time we get to town it is almost 1.30. A couple of the kittens want to go straight back to the hotel as they are worn out, so the rest of us get ourselves ready to start the next tour after I remind them that we will be here about an hour and a half so it will be a very late lunch for them after that. Two more kittens decide that they are starving so decide to go and get food. The remainder were then shown through Pearl Luggers by Stuart who gave us a really interesting history lesson on pearling in Broome, followed by info on the actual diver’s experiences including seeing all the gear they had to wear. The whole outfit would have had to weigh about 80 kilos, keeping in mind most of the original divers were small a Japanese men who would barely have been 5’8 and wouldn’t have weighed 80k!
After the tour which ended in the obligatory store, we were also given the opportunity to try pearl meat which is so highly prized in Asian countries, selling for at least $100 a kilo. We were only given a sliver, but it was enough for me to decide that it is highly over rated, and relies on whatever it is marinating in, to give it any flavour.
Our tour finished a bit before three, and most wandered off to get something to eat, while I was happy to get the town bus back to the hotel where I was quite content to have a cup of soup and some fruit in my room.
Time to pack my suitcase and update the blog. Even had time for a medicinal whiskey while penning these lines. It has been a really good trip. The weather has been perfect and no major dramas for or with any of my kittens. (They all know I call them kittens and I even hear some of them calling themselves that!) The hotel is really good, the food has been great and each tour has ticked all the boxes so I am interested to get my travel feedback surveys back from my kittens tomorrow to see if they feel the same.
Dinner soon, so time to sign off for now.
Monday, 11 June 2018
Broome day 3
33 degrees and just perfect weather.
After my slightly stressful morning sorting the afternoon tour for half the group (please refer to the end of yesterday’s ramblings) I had a very pleasant morning with a few of the ladies as we caught the local bus into town. It was only two stops and probably about a 20 minute walk, but for $2 (I'm so excited as I got to use my Seniors Card!)I figured I didn’t need to be walking in the hot sun if I didn’t need to. I headed off on my own and enjoyed mooching in and out shops looking for nothing in particular. I headed in to Coles to get myself something for my lunch and as I headed down an aisle a fellow came up to me to say hello. I had no idea who it was, but it turns out he and his wife who was standing nearby, were on our coach tour yesterday! They were on their way to Horizontal Falls, but just stocking up on some supplies. He wanted to tell me that he thought Police Legacy was a great idea and that I was doing a great job with my group so I felt a bit guilty about threatening to slap one of them only a couple of hours earlier! LOL. So that was really nice of him anyway as they really could have gone straight past me in the store and I would have been one the wiser. Later, at one stage I saw a couple of the kittens sitting outside a shop waiting for one of the others so got the three of them together to take them to a nearby cafe where I offered to buy them a drink. My big, slow, loud kitten initially wanted a milkshake, then a smoothie and then wanted a ginger beer like the other two, then back to a milkshake at which point I told her to stop talking until the waitress came to take the order and then she had to finally make up her mind. One would have thought I was asking her the hardest question on the planet instead of what she would like to drink. When it was time to give her order, I had to smile as she picked the most expensive milk shake on the list! Bless her.
While we were sitting at our outside table, one of the other kittens walked past so I invited her to join us so I was able to buy her a drink too. Drinks consumed, and time to go our separate ways. After I’d done all the window shopping I intended to do, I went to the bus stop to find a couple of my kittens already there and then 3 more rock up. As his, slow and loud waddled into the bus stop, another lady who had been sitting at the bus stop, called out her name to which my kitten said, yes, that’s my name but who are you and how do you know me? You could have knocked me over with a feather when the lady said, Police Legacy! She’s a police widow but has a new partner. I’d never met her before, but did so then. Fancy going all the way to Broome to meet someone purely by chance, in a bus shelter... Small, small world.
But then the bus came, we all boarded and 2 stops later our group were dropped at our stop. I headed back to my room, had a bit of lunch and then decided to head to the pool. I was the only one in the pool and enjoyed splashing about on my own. I finally decided that it was time to get out, so went back to my room, showered and went to see if one of the other kittens, who I know loves a beer, wanted to come with me to the little Irish pub next door to our hotel. Well, you don’t have to ask her twice, so that’s where we headed. A couple of kittens were already there, as they had gone there for lunch and stayed on! It was lovely just to sit and chat with the. Just as they then decided to leave, 2 of the 7 who had done the afternoon tour came into the pub to say hi so it was like we were keeping the seats occupied in shifts. However we decided we had better head back to our rooms to get ready for dinner, which we did. Dinner was uneventful and I had my list of who ordered what meal with me, to make sure we didn’t have the same fiasco as last night. The afternoon tour group all said they had a good time and those that had a totally free day enjoyed doing not much if anything.
As I was telling them the plans for tomorrow, one kitten started telling me that in the travel itinerary documents it said such and such, which was at odds with the timings I had just given them. What I desperately wanted to say to them was that they could follow the timings on the paperwork if they wanted, and totally ignore what I had just said, and let’s see who turns out to be in the right place at the right time for tomorrow’s tours, but instead I simply told them that they have to ignore what’s in their documents and do exactly what I say as I’m the boss of them and what I say goes! I’m pleased to say that they all took my answer as totally acceptable and I only wish I’d said something similar from day one! Now we just wait to see how many times I have to repeat the details at breakfast tomorrow and how many try and tell me that it says something different in their paperwork... sigh...
After dinner it was my pleasure to return to my room at a very reasonable hour, catch up on the blog, have a medicinal night cap and lights out.
Our little holiday getaway is coming to a close. I think the kittens have generally enjoyed the trip. There have certainly been lots of laughs and I seem to be the only one wanting to tear my hair out on occasion, so hopefully as far as the kittens are concerned, it has all gone smoothly and they’ve gotten all they expected from the trip. Time will tell.
After my slightly stressful morning sorting the afternoon tour for half the group (please refer to the end of yesterday’s ramblings) I had a very pleasant morning with a few of the ladies as we caught the local bus into town. It was only two stops and probably about a 20 minute walk, but for $2 (I'm so excited as I got to use my Seniors Card!)I figured I didn’t need to be walking in the hot sun if I didn’t need to. I headed off on my own and enjoyed mooching in and out shops looking for nothing in particular. I headed in to Coles to get myself something for my lunch and as I headed down an aisle a fellow came up to me to say hello. I had no idea who it was, but it turns out he and his wife who was standing nearby, were on our coach tour yesterday! They were on their way to Horizontal Falls, but just stocking up on some supplies. He wanted to tell me that he thought Police Legacy was a great idea and that I was doing a great job with my group so I felt a bit guilty about threatening to slap one of them only a couple of hours earlier! LOL. So that was really nice of him anyway as they really could have gone straight past me in the store and I would have been one the wiser. Later, at one stage I saw a couple of the kittens sitting outside a shop waiting for one of the others so got the three of them together to take them to a nearby cafe where I offered to buy them a drink. My big, slow, loud kitten initially wanted a milkshake, then a smoothie and then wanted a ginger beer like the other two, then back to a milkshake at which point I told her to stop talking until the waitress came to take the order and then she had to finally make up her mind. One would have thought I was asking her the hardest question on the planet instead of what she would like to drink. When it was time to give her order, I had to smile as she picked the most expensive milk shake on the list! Bless her.
While we were sitting at our outside table, one of the other kittens walked past so I invited her to join us so I was able to buy her a drink too. Drinks consumed, and time to go our separate ways. After I’d done all the window shopping I intended to do, I went to the bus stop to find a couple of my kittens already there and then 3 more rock up. As his, slow and loud waddled into the bus stop, another lady who had been sitting at the bus stop, called out her name to which my kitten said, yes, that’s my name but who are you and how do you know me? You could have knocked me over with a feather when the lady said, Police Legacy! She’s a police widow but has a new partner. I’d never met her before, but did so then. Fancy going all the way to Broome to meet someone purely by chance, in a bus shelter... Small, small world.
But then the bus came, we all boarded and 2 stops later our group were dropped at our stop. I headed back to my room, had a bit of lunch and then decided to head to the pool. I was the only one in the pool and enjoyed splashing about on my own. I finally decided that it was time to get out, so went back to my room, showered and went to see if one of the other kittens, who I know loves a beer, wanted to come with me to the little Irish pub next door to our hotel. Well, you don’t have to ask her twice, so that’s where we headed. A couple of kittens were already there, as they had gone there for lunch and stayed on! It was lovely just to sit and chat with the. Just as they then decided to leave, 2 of the 7 who had done the afternoon tour came into the pub to say hi so it was like we were keeping the seats occupied in shifts. However we decided we had better head back to our rooms to get ready for dinner, which we did. Dinner was uneventful and I had my list of who ordered what meal with me, to make sure we didn’t have the same fiasco as last night. The afternoon tour group all said they had a good time and those that had a totally free day enjoyed doing not much if anything.
As I was telling them the plans for tomorrow, one kitten started telling me that in the travel itinerary documents it said such and such, which was at odds with the timings I had just given them. What I desperately wanted to say to them was that they could follow the timings on the paperwork if they wanted, and totally ignore what I had just said, and let’s see who turns out to be in the right place at the right time for tomorrow’s tours, but instead I simply told them that they have to ignore what’s in their documents and do exactly what I say as I’m the boss of them and what I say goes! I’m pleased to say that they all took my answer as totally acceptable and I only wish I’d said something similar from day one! Now we just wait to see how many times I have to repeat the details at breakfast tomorrow and how many try and tell me that it says something different in their paperwork... sigh...
After dinner it was my pleasure to return to my room at a very reasonable hour, catch up on the blog, have a medicinal night cap and lights out.
Our little holiday getaway is coming to a close. I think the kittens have generally enjoyed the trip. There have certainly been lots of laughs and I seem to be the only one wanting to tear my hair out on occasion, so hopefully as far as the kittens are concerned, it has all gone smoothly and they’ve gotten all they expected from the trip. Time will tell.
Sunday, 10 June 2018
Broome Day 2
29 degrees planned for today, but as we are heading north, may be warmer.
My kittens have all been provided with their box breakfast last night, so all know that they are expected to have eaten before our 6.50 am pick up. There were a few grumbles about the early start but I did politely tell then that they didn’t have to come if they didn’t want to. Needless to say they all showed up on time. As we had a long day ahead of us I went through the checklist to remind them to check that they all had a bottle of water, sunscreen, a hat, towel and if they had bathers that were a two piece, that they had both pieces! Our 4 wheel drive coach arrived right on time - 5 minutes later than I told the kittens to be ready, and on board we got. It was a full coach with 7 other people. Poor buggers, they had no idea what they were in for.
Sean is our driver and he certainly kept us informed on our big day ahead and other snippets of Broome history. Our first stop was Beagle Bay Aboriginal Community where we were able to see the almost 100 year old Catholic Church - Sacred Heart, (it turns 100 in August 2018.)
The Aboriginal community have actually asked the church to stay on in their community, even after it stopped being a mission, so the church also runs the school. It certainly is better maintained than many of our smaller Aboriginal communities in the Pit Lands.
Inside the church, the altar is covered in mother of pearl and in its own unique way, was quite beautiful. I know I’ve seen pictures of it in books and maybe even in a travel show. Unfortunately the limited internet access I have won’t allow me to upload photos til I get home so if you are interested enough, check back on this page in a couple of days time for the photos.
The road to Beagle Bay was red clay and we were expecting really bumpy roads but it wasn’t too bad at all so we were pleasantly surprised. Sean prepared morning tea while we had a look in the church and that was really pleasant to have a hot cuppa, cake and/or biccies in the shade of some lovely trees. Back on the coach and off we head again, to Cygnet Bay pearl farm which is the only working pearl farm open to the public. We had been to their gallery shop in town yesterday so it was really interesting actually seeing the process up close and personal. We even got to see one of the oyster shells being opened to extract a pearl. They have no real idea of what to expect when they open the shell at the 2-3 year mark so we were very pleased to see a large pearl with good lustre (they rated it B+ which is quite good) in our shell.
Time to get back on the coach and head north to the One Arm Point community to view the Buccaneer Archipeligo where they experience the world’s largest tidal flows in the Southern Hemisphere of some 12 metres. The local Aboriginal community have created an aquaculture hatchery complete with reef fish and snapping barramundi! A couple in our travel group were prepared to have a go at feeding the fish, but the rest of us backed up quick when we saw fingers getting bitten in the process!
Sean had set out a lovely cold meat and salad lunch for us at the adjoining undercover area so we were all very happy to sit and enjoy our lovely lunch, right on the coast line watching the swirling waters of the Kimberley as the tide rose.
We then head to Cape Leveque where we can go for a swim in the ocean if we want, but I’m happy to wander along the waters edge as the tide keeps coming in against me. The sand was pristine white and the water lovely so it really was a lovely way to walk along the beach.
In the mean time, Sean is setting up afternoon tea consisting of huge slices of watermelon, but I’m happy to give that a miss. Then back on the coach as we head to the western end of the beach for a quick photo stop where the blue of the ocean, against the white sands that run into the red rocky hills and outcrops are simply gorgeous. Photos don’t do it justice.
It is now about 4.20 pm and time to head back to Broome.
I will leave you here for now as we have been on the go for 12 hours and I’m pooped! Plenty of time to catch up on the rest of our day after I’ve had some sleep...
Here I am back again to finish our day. We have about a 3 hour return trip ahead of us, and it isn’t long before we hit the really bad rutted, corrogated red clay sands so have a very bumpy ride home. Thankfully everyone was in good spirits so no grumbles from anyone. I kept asking when the drinks trolley would be coming through and that helped lighten the mood too as we bumped, rocked and rolled our way back to Broome. At times all we could see ahead of us was red dust from a vehicle some distance ahead of us. Thank goodness Sean knew what he was doing as we truly could not see more than a metre in front of us, and this was in the dark! We were finally dropped off back at our hotel about 7.15 pm and as I had our dinner booked for 7.30, most went straight to the restaurant for our dinner.
Our evening meals have generally been of a very high standard, but sadly the pre order list must have been mislaid as 2 of my kittens didn’t initially get a main meal and then another didn’t get dessert, but it eventually was sorted although a couple of the kittens left before dessert was even served as they were too worn out to wait for it. It certainly was a very big day out, but all agreed that it was a good one. There weren’t any misadventures or incidents of note apart from at Beagle Bay when my demented kitten called me aside to tell me that in future she would never again share with her roomie as she was just too cutting with what she said to her. I really had to bite my tongue as this kitten was meant to be sharing with another lady who was ill at the last minute so had to cancel. Demented kitten was not prepared to pay the extra money now required for a single room and the only other kitten prepared to share with her, as the others know that she really is ditsy, is the one she is now complaining about! I tried to be most tactful which does not come naturally to me and reminded her that it was her choice to share, but she was adamant that next time she does a trip with me, if her other lady friend can’t come, she will have a room to herself. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that there won’t be a next time as I won’t travel with her again as she simply takes too much effort and time to keep her on track with the rest of the group!
Mind you, later the next morning I threatened to slap her current roomie as they all knew that Monday was a free day for them but there were a number of optional tours they could do if they wanted. As it turned out I had 7 of them say they would like to do a Monday afternoon tour that took them to a native bird place, a Mango farm and a crocodile park. Demented kitten and her roomie were two of them. I happened to be sitting with the roomie on the coach as we headed back to Broome after our very big day out and she decides to tell me that she has changed her mind and now won’t go on the tour tomorrow(Monday). No problems says me because I’ve had no phone coverage since we left Broome and so have not been able to call to book the tour for the 7 of them. All is right with the world until next morning when I book the tour for 6 kittens first thing, to minutes later be told by said roomie who is sitting having breakfast with demented kitten at the time that she would now like to do the tour as she has only just realized that demented kitten is doing it so wants to do it with her!!! It was at that moment I told her that I wanted to slap her.....
And that was how I spent Sunday.
My kittens have all been provided with their box breakfast last night, so all know that they are expected to have eaten before our 6.50 am pick up. There were a few grumbles about the early start but I did politely tell then that they didn’t have to come if they didn’t want to. Needless to say they all showed up on time. As we had a long day ahead of us I went through the checklist to remind them to check that they all had a bottle of water, sunscreen, a hat, towel and if they had bathers that were a two piece, that they had both pieces! Our 4 wheel drive coach arrived right on time - 5 minutes later than I told the kittens to be ready, and on board we got. It was a full coach with 7 other people. Poor buggers, they had no idea what they were in for.
Sean is our driver and he certainly kept us informed on our big day ahead and other snippets of Broome history. Our first stop was Beagle Bay Aboriginal Community where we were able to see the almost 100 year old Catholic Church - Sacred Heart, (it turns 100 in August 2018.)
The Aboriginal community have actually asked the church to stay on in their community, even after it stopped being a mission, so the church also runs the school. It certainly is better maintained than many of our smaller Aboriginal communities in the Pit Lands.
Inside the church, the altar is covered in mother of pearl and in its own unique way, was quite beautiful. I know I’ve seen pictures of it in books and maybe even in a travel show. Unfortunately the limited internet access I have won’t allow me to upload photos til I get home so if you are interested enough, check back on this page in a couple of days time for the photos.
The road to Beagle Bay was red clay and we were expecting really bumpy roads but it wasn’t too bad at all so we were pleasantly surprised. Sean prepared morning tea while we had a look in the church and that was really pleasant to have a hot cuppa, cake and/or biccies in the shade of some lovely trees. Back on the coach and off we head again, to Cygnet Bay pearl farm which is the only working pearl farm open to the public. We had been to their gallery shop in town yesterday so it was really interesting actually seeing the process up close and personal. We even got to see one of the oyster shells being opened to extract a pearl. They have no real idea of what to expect when they open the shell at the 2-3 year mark so we were very pleased to see a large pearl with good lustre (they rated it B+ which is quite good) in our shell.
Time to get back on the coach and head north to the One Arm Point community to view the Buccaneer Archipeligo where they experience the world’s largest tidal flows in the Southern Hemisphere of some 12 metres. The local Aboriginal community have created an aquaculture hatchery complete with reef fish and snapping barramundi! A couple in our travel group were prepared to have a go at feeding the fish, but the rest of us backed up quick when we saw fingers getting bitten in the process!
Sean had set out a lovely cold meat and salad lunch for us at the adjoining undercover area so we were all very happy to sit and enjoy our lovely lunch, right on the coast line watching the swirling waters of the Kimberley as the tide rose.
We then head to Cape Leveque where we can go for a swim in the ocean if we want, but I’m happy to wander along the waters edge as the tide keeps coming in against me. The sand was pristine white and the water lovely so it really was a lovely way to walk along the beach.
In the mean time, Sean is setting up afternoon tea consisting of huge slices of watermelon, but I’m happy to give that a miss. Then back on the coach as we head to the western end of the beach for a quick photo stop where the blue of the ocean, against the white sands that run into the red rocky hills and outcrops are simply gorgeous. Photos don’t do it justice.
It is now about 4.20 pm and time to head back to Broome.
I will leave you here for now as we have been on the go for 12 hours and I’m pooped! Plenty of time to catch up on the rest of our day after I’ve had some sleep...
Here I am back again to finish our day. We have about a 3 hour return trip ahead of us, and it isn’t long before we hit the really bad rutted, corrogated red clay sands so have a very bumpy ride home. Thankfully everyone was in good spirits so no grumbles from anyone. I kept asking when the drinks trolley would be coming through and that helped lighten the mood too as we bumped, rocked and rolled our way back to Broome. At times all we could see ahead of us was red dust from a vehicle some distance ahead of us. Thank goodness Sean knew what he was doing as we truly could not see more than a metre in front of us, and this was in the dark! We were finally dropped off back at our hotel about 7.15 pm and as I had our dinner booked for 7.30, most went straight to the restaurant for our dinner.
Our evening meals have generally been of a very high standard, but sadly the pre order list must have been mislaid as 2 of my kittens didn’t initially get a main meal and then another didn’t get dessert, but it eventually was sorted although a couple of the kittens left before dessert was even served as they were too worn out to wait for it. It certainly was a very big day out, but all agreed that it was a good one. There weren’t any misadventures or incidents of note apart from at Beagle Bay when my demented kitten called me aside to tell me that in future she would never again share with her roomie as she was just too cutting with what she said to her. I really had to bite my tongue as this kitten was meant to be sharing with another lady who was ill at the last minute so had to cancel. Demented kitten was not prepared to pay the extra money now required for a single room and the only other kitten prepared to share with her, as the others know that she really is ditsy, is the one she is now complaining about! I tried to be most tactful which does not come naturally to me and reminded her that it was her choice to share, but she was adamant that next time she does a trip with me, if her other lady friend can’t come, she will have a room to herself. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that there won’t be a next time as I won’t travel with her again as she simply takes too much effort and time to keep her on track with the rest of the group!
Mind you, later the next morning I threatened to slap her current roomie as they all knew that Monday was a free day for them but there were a number of optional tours they could do if they wanted. As it turned out I had 7 of them say they would like to do a Monday afternoon tour that took them to a native bird place, a Mango farm and a crocodile park. Demented kitten and her roomie were two of them. I happened to be sitting with the roomie on the coach as we headed back to Broome after our very big day out and she decides to tell me that she has changed her mind and now won’t go on the tour tomorrow(Monday). No problems says me because I’ve had no phone coverage since we left Broome and so have not been able to call to book the tour for the 7 of them. All is right with the world until next morning when I book the tour for 6 kittens first thing, to minutes later be told by said roomie who is sitting having breakfast with demented kitten at the time that she would now like to do the tour as she has only just realized that demented kitten is doing it so wants to do it with her!!! It was at that moment I told her that I wanted to slap her.....
And that was how I spent Sunday.
Saturday, 9 June 2018
Broome Day 1
After a fitful night’s sleep, time to head for breakfast on a perfect weather day of 29 degrees. Lovely breakfast and I am able to catch up with all bar 1 of the kittens. As we have a free morning I have arranged to leave the hotel at 9.30 to walk to the nearby Courthouse markets which is about 10 minutes away. Any of the kittens who want to come with me are welcome to, or they can make their own way there or do whatever they like for the morning. As it turns out 13 of them show up and as I still hadn’t seen the missing one at breakfast I head to her room to find that she was still asleep so left her to it. My faster kittens are at the market in 10 minutes so I wait for the slowest, no surprise who that is and let her know that as it has taken her almost 20 minutes she needs to factor that on for her return to the hotel, to make sure she is ready for our afternoon pick up for our Broome sights tour. The markets are very busy, primarily with locals I think, but nothing overly impressive. I expected more home made goods, but instead lots of hippy jewellery, food carts and Bali clothes. I did buy another sun hat though and wandered about for an hour or so, but then started my walk back to the hotel Demented kitten and her roomie were about to order coffee from a cart so I reminded them of our tour time and bade them farewell. I reckon I had only walked about 2 metres when demented kitten grabbed me by the arm to tell me that she was coming back to the hotel with me. Just as well as it turned out as even crossing the road to get out of the markets she started to head the wrong way so I steered her to the corner we needed to turn, at which point she wanted to walk straight ahead. But I got her to the hotel in one piece and was glad of the time to put my feet up and have a cuppa. The tour company called me to advise that we were being collected 15 minutes earlier as there were only 3 other people on the tour with us, so the coach would be st our hotel even sooner than planned. I went to every kittens room and either told them personally if they were already back or left a note under the door. I even texted those that I had mobile phone numbers for. The latter was a waste of time as I later realized that those whose phones I helped put to flight mode when we boarded in Adelaide hadn’t turned their phones back on!
Just as an aside from this, when I let the kitten in the room next to me know (this is the one who slept in this morning) she told me that her electric jug wouldn’t work so I went to my room and brought her my jug with the 8ntention of taking her ‘broken’ one to reception. I went to unplug her jug but thought I better confirm that it didn’t work, so turned it on at the wall power socket and then flicked the switch on the machine and it started up straight away. The kitten looks at me and says that she didn’t know to turn the jug on after turning on the power! I took my jug back to my room.... This then reminded me that last night as I was getting ready to get into bed, big, slow, loud kitten who is in the room the other side of me comes to my door to ask me how to turn off the ceiling fan in her room as it is too cold. She can’t find a switch anywhere. So I go into her room and immediately by the door is a round knob that had a picture of a fan on it and the numbers 1,2,3 for the speed of said fan. So, I turn her fan off but also ask her wh6 she doesn’t turn off the air conditioner if she is still cold. she asks ‘What air conditioner?’ And I point out the bloody big white thing on the wall which I promptly grab the remote controls for from the counter, and turn off. I shouldn’t have then been surprised when I went to tell her of the time change for our pick up that she asks me if I can get the tv to work as she has worked out how to turn it on, but can’t get any channels. Having not turned the tv on in my own room I wasn’t sure if I could help, but sure enough, turn the power on, push the source button and the push the channels button. Who knew I was such a techno nerd? I seem to be muttering ‘give me strength’ and awful lot under my breath this trip!!!
Anyway, somehow they were all ready at 12.15 when our coach arrived at the hotel the delightful Elsa from Holland was our driver/guide and she did a fabulous job of looking after us. First stop was Cygnet Bay pearls store in Chinatown where we were given a short history of the business and how pearls are farmed. I’m not a great lover of pearls, but it was really interesting. They had one pearl on display that they have been offered 1 million dollars for but they won’t sell. From memory it is the world’s largest fine quality round pearl at 22mm. Then back on the coach for a very short drive to have a look at Sun Pictures which is the world’s oldest operating open sir picture garden, now in the Guinness Book of Records. A recording was played so we could hear the history of the theatre. Again, it was really interesting. While we were there, it was being set up for a wedding reception so it also is used for various social events.
Would love to be there one night to actually watch a movie, but that will have to wait until next visit. Back on the coach as we drive around the town and past Roebuck Bay where we have a very short stop at Town Beach for a lovely view of the Bay. We also visit the Japanese cemetery which is next door to the Chinese cemetery. What us particularly interesting for the Japanese cemetery in particular that there are not always a body buried by each headstone as many of those who died drowned in the sea whilst pearling. There are about 900 headstones here.
We have the chance to walk out to Gantheaume Point which is known for its dinosaur footprints. Unfortunately the tide isn’t low enough today for us to see the ‘real’ ones so we have to be content with a replicated set easier to view.
The jagged and rugged coastline is amazing and makes for breathtaking views. I’ve got some great photos but the internet here is extremely slow and all attempts at uploading photos has failed as the internet drops out after about 5 minutes when a photo has barely ‘half downloaded’ or is that uploaded or is there any difference?
Anyway fantastic coastline and back on the coach.
We then go to Matso’s Brewery to sample Ginger beer and Mango Beer they had lots of other flavours too ,it that’s what we got to sample. Didn’t like the Mango one at all as I could taste that awful beer taste, but really liked the ginger beer. We were told of the interesting history of the building and the consequent ginger beer brewing that grew into a stand alone brewery that had now been sold commercially to the extent that Dan Murphy liquor stores now stock different Matsos boutique beers.
4 of my kittens have elected to do an optional camel ride on Cable Beach so while Elsa takes them and the 3 others not in our group to Cable Beach we are able to stay at Matsos And drink more! yum, I did enjoy that ginger beer! Elsa returns to collect us and we drive to the other end of Cable Beach, right onto the sand, where she sets up a table with cloth, and provides lovely nibbles for us to go with our champagne as we sit on deck chairs to watch the sunset! OMG, it was fabulous. You will have to come back and check the blog out again once I’ve been able to add photos. Absolutely gorgeous sky and amazing colours of the setting sun over the ocean. Bali sunsets are pretty damn good, but this was spectacular.
Once the sun has set, its time to pack up and drive back to the other much more densely populated end of Cable Beach to collect our cameleers. they tell us they all had a great time, but perhaps are a little jealous of our champagne quaffing sunset experience. Sadly, it is time to head back to our hotel where we arrive about 6 pm. Elsa tells me that she is really sorry that she isn’t doing the tour we are booked for tomorrow as she enjoyed our company so much and wanted to spend more time with us, which I thought was really lovely.
Back at the hotel and all head to their rooms for a freshen up before our dinner in the dining room at 7 pm. Dinner was really good and as much as last night’s dinner was okay, this was so much better, clearly a different chef. With dinner over all head back to their rooms where I deliver their box breakfasts for the morning as will be gone before the dining room opens. Everyone agrees that they have had a great day and are all grateful for an early night. That includes me!
So time to update the blog and settle into bed with my book. Might need a wee dram of whiskey too, purely for medicinal purposes... Good night.
Just as an aside from this, when I let the kitten in the room next to me know (this is the one who slept in this morning) she told me that her electric jug wouldn’t work so I went to my room and brought her my jug with the 8ntention of taking her ‘broken’ one to reception. I went to unplug her jug but thought I better confirm that it didn’t work, so turned it on at the wall power socket and then flicked the switch on the machine and it started up straight away. The kitten looks at me and says that she didn’t know to turn the jug on after turning on the power! I took my jug back to my room.... This then reminded me that last night as I was getting ready to get into bed, big, slow, loud kitten who is in the room the other side of me comes to my door to ask me how to turn off the ceiling fan in her room as it is too cold. She can’t find a switch anywhere. So I go into her room and immediately by the door is a round knob that had a picture of a fan on it and the numbers 1,2,3 for the speed of said fan. So, I turn her fan off but also ask her wh6 she doesn’t turn off the air conditioner if she is still cold. she asks ‘What air conditioner?’ And I point out the bloody big white thing on the wall which I promptly grab the remote controls for from the counter, and turn off. I shouldn’t have then been surprised when I went to tell her of the time change for our pick up that she asks me if I can get the tv to work as she has worked out how to turn it on, but can’t get any channels. Having not turned the tv on in my own room I wasn’t sure if I could help, but sure enough, turn the power on, push the source button and the push the channels button. Who knew I was such a techno nerd? I seem to be muttering ‘give me strength’ and awful lot under my breath this trip!!!
Anyway, somehow they were all ready at 12.15 when our coach arrived at the hotel the delightful Elsa from Holland was our driver/guide and she did a fabulous job of looking after us. First stop was Cygnet Bay pearls store in Chinatown where we were given a short history of the business and how pearls are farmed. I’m not a great lover of pearls, but it was really interesting. They had one pearl on display that they have been offered 1 million dollars for but they won’t sell. From memory it is the world’s largest fine quality round pearl at 22mm. Then back on the coach for a very short drive to have a look at Sun Pictures which is the world’s oldest operating open sir picture garden, now in the Guinness Book of Records. A recording was played so we could hear the history of the theatre. Again, it was really interesting. While we were there, it was being set up for a wedding reception so it also is used for various social events.
Would love to be there one night to actually watch a movie, but that will have to wait until next visit. Back on the coach as we drive around the town and past Roebuck Bay where we have a very short stop at Town Beach for a lovely view of the Bay. We also visit the Japanese cemetery which is next door to the Chinese cemetery. What us particularly interesting for the Japanese cemetery in particular that there are not always a body buried by each headstone as many of those who died drowned in the sea whilst pearling. There are about 900 headstones here.
We have the chance to walk out to Gantheaume Point which is known for its dinosaur footprints. Unfortunately the tide isn’t low enough today for us to see the ‘real’ ones so we have to be content with a replicated set easier to view.
The jagged and rugged coastline is amazing and makes for breathtaking views. I’ve got some great photos but the internet here is extremely slow and all attempts at uploading photos has failed as the internet drops out after about 5 minutes when a photo has barely ‘half downloaded’ or is that uploaded or is there any difference?Anyway fantastic coastline and back on the coach.
We then go to Matso’s Brewery to sample Ginger beer and Mango Beer they had lots of other flavours too ,it that’s what we got to sample. Didn’t like the Mango one at all as I could taste that awful beer taste, but really liked the ginger beer. We were told of the interesting history of the building and the consequent ginger beer brewing that grew into a stand alone brewery that had now been sold commercially to the extent that Dan Murphy liquor stores now stock different Matsos boutique beers.
4 of my kittens have elected to do an optional camel ride on Cable Beach so while Elsa takes them and the 3 others not in our group to Cable Beach we are able to stay at Matsos And drink more! yum, I did enjoy that ginger beer! Elsa returns to collect us and we drive to the other end of Cable Beach, right onto the sand, where she sets up a table with cloth, and provides lovely nibbles for us to go with our champagne as we sit on deck chairs to watch the sunset! OMG, it was fabulous. You will have to come back and check the blog out again once I’ve been able to add photos. Absolutely gorgeous sky and amazing colours of the setting sun over the ocean. Bali sunsets are pretty damn good, but this was spectacular.
Once the sun has set, its time to pack up and drive back to the other much more densely populated end of Cable Beach to collect our cameleers. they tell us they all had a great time, but perhaps are a little jealous of our champagne quaffing sunset experience. Sadly, it is time to head back to our hotel where we arrive about 6 pm. Elsa tells me that she is really sorry that she isn’t doing the tour we are booked for tomorrow as she enjoyed our company so much and wanted to spend more time with us, which I thought was really lovely.
Back at the hotel and all head to their rooms for a freshen up before our dinner in the dining room at 7 pm. Dinner was really good and as much as last night’s dinner was okay, this was so much better, clearly a different chef. With dinner over all head back to their rooms where I deliver their box breakfasts for the morning as will be gone before the dining room opens. Everyone agrees that they have had a great day and are all grateful for an early night. That includes me!
So time to update the blog and settle into bed with my book. Might need a wee dram of whiskey too, purely for medicinal purposes... Good night.
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