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.