The Great Ocean Road | |
Date: | Mon, 17 Mar 2003 14:21:35 -0600 |
Greetings from the Journey Down Under,
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I am still in Melbourne, Australia and enjoying the last vestiges of Indian Summer here. Today and tomorrow will be a high 33-35 degrees Celsius (in the 90’s) and then it will be cooling off to 18-20 (in the 60’s) and rain…a much more proper Melbourne type day in the autumn. Since I am following the summer on this journey, that means it is time to head north. I will be leaving for Bangkok, Thailand this Friday night. Last week was a fantastic week of touring and introspection. My friend, Ron, from Austin, is here teaching part of his facilitator course with Mike (whom I am staying with in Melbourne) from RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). Anyway, they teach the first module in the lovely seaside town of Lorne…about two hours south west of Melbourne. We hired (rented) a car and I was able to explore for the week on my own while they taught. I can’t tell you what a freedom it was to have an automobile. Something I have taken for granted since age 20. I had no problems driving on the left side. In fact, since November, everywhere I have been has been left hand road driving. so, even as a passenger you do get used to it quickly. My difficulty came with turning on the windscreen (shield) wipers every time I attempted ot turn. You see, the wipers and the blinkers are opposite of ours. Thank god the brake and the accelerator are not reversed! I traveled west, down the Great Ocean Road for the week and stayed at delightful little towns along the coast. This rugged coastline is one of the most beautiful in the entire world. On one side are the Otway Ranges complete with fern tree rainforests and on the other side are sheer cliffs into the ocean with beautiful, pristine beaches tucked inbetween rocky outcroppings. The 12 Apostles in Port campbell National Park is the most famous seascape rock formation in the country. These rock outcroppings, light gold in colour, are magnificent along the beach as the Great Southern Ocean waves constantly pound them. As the sun changes positions throughout the, so changes the colour and the “feel” of the apostles. To stand in the viewing platform near them is a party for your senses as you smell and taste the clean, pure salt water below and feel the power of the place. It is the kind of place you can imagine your God talking to you. All along the coast are several stunning stops…The Loch Ard Gorge, The London Bridge, the Arch, the Grotto and the Blowhole. A few times, I almost didn’t stop, but the raw beauty of each naturally carved rock was worth a walk to view it. It was also so nice to see no development. Untouched by human hands, as it were. As an added bonus, I was able to capture photos of several koalas in the wild. They are such beautiful creatures and sadly, near the point of extinction. They feed only on certain types of eucalypt and are very sensitive to changes in their habitat. They are losing their habitat quickly here. I was alone all week and chose to eat take-away meals quietly on beaches or at picnic areas in national parks rain, as Australia has been in a terrible drought). I had lots of time to find peaceful places and think about the world and my life. It is a luxury few of us get, since we are usually caught up in day to day madness of the world. I wish I could solve some of the world’s problems. Hell, I wish I could solve some of my own problems! But it was interesting because time seemed to move very slowly. A sensation I would say most of the western world is not used to. In my introspection, I know I am passionate about this earth and the horrible way that humans are treating it. The mines we are stripping, the forests we are destroying, the oceans we are polluting, the ozone we are depleting, and the sensitive plants and animals that we are killing to extinction. All of those that were created on this earth for the perfect circle of life. Alas, it is not so perfect anymore. And then there is war. Are the Americans helping to save the world from weapons of mass destruction, a mad dictator and terrorism or is the true axis of evil oil, greed and money? Something to ponder, if you can find the time. I have changed the course of the journey a bit, since Nepal is quite dangerous at the present time. Of course, there is this crazy Asian virus that is killing people and plenty of political unrest in North Korea and the Malaysian Muslim extremists. Where is safe anymore? I will send more updates from the wild, unusual and amazing city of Bangkok next week. Love to all. Kathleen |