Hi Friends, found a new website to upload my photos. Cool, isn't it?
I am back in Kuala Lumpur. When I was travelling and staying in backpackers hostels, I met with so many people from all over the world. The question most of us will ask is "Where are you from?" But the person will sometime answer by posing another question, "You mean which part of Australia?" or "Do you mean my country?" Answers are long too. Some will say, "I am Dutch but I moved to Australia 10 years ago........" some will say, "I am American, but I came from Fiji Island, that was the my last stop before I arrived in Australia."
Various answers and it is complicating because backpackers come from so many different background and they travel like 3 months, 10 months to over 1 year. And throughout their travel, they could have flown in from Africa, from Hong Kong, from Singapore. Sadly, only one I met who told me she has stopped in Malaysia and loved the beaches.
One guy from Utah asked a somewhat appropriate question, "Where do you call home?" Aha, I thought this is getting somewhere closer to a straight answer. Yeah, where do I call home? To me, it is Malaysia. But then I thought, home is where my heart is. When that question was posed to me, my heart was in Craddle Mountain National Park - well, live in the present-ma!!
Just being funny. Anyway, I had a wonderful time in Australia. I went from KL-Melbourne-Tasmania-Brisbane-KL. I walked and trekked so much over the 2 weeks that when I was having my last 1 day in Hobart, and 2 full days in Brisbane before I board the flight home, I hardly wanted to walk anymore. I just spent my time at the shopping mall street at book shops, browse and read the books then have fantastic meals at fine-dining restaurants. Then I went to a Theatre in Brisbane, the first time I watch a full ballet performance, the show was "Don Quixote".
Like I have said before, I travelled without a itinerary. I don't know that I will board the Spirit of Tasmania (Ferry) to cross the Bass Strait into Devonport, Tasmania. I don't know where I will be going or where to stay especially in Tasmania. I just went with the flow of things. I found out a lot about the public transport and the places to visit in Tasmania when I was on board the Ferry. It left Port Melbourne in St Kilda at 8pm and arrived in Devonport, Tasmania at 7am. It is a astounding 11 hours boat ride crossing the Bass Strait. So, what to do with 11 hours? That was where I started to read the travel brochures and books.
So, there I was taking the bus to Cockle Creek, since it is the southernmost beachside escapade, I thought I just take a ride there on Tassielink (busses that ply the routes in Tasmania, bought a 10-day pass for 7-day travel at AUD172). I boarded the bus in Hobart towards Cockle Creek and taking the same bus back to Hobart on the same day. On the way, the bus stopped at Geeveston for ongoing passengers to change bus to Cockle Creek. While it made the stop, I looked around Geeveston and loved it. Because there is a very lovely country-cowboy-style bakery where there are oven-crisp pies and aromatic coffees - yummy!!
Since the bus is already leaving, I only managed to pick up a hot and freshly baked beef pie to eat on the way. About 22km afterwards, the driver stopped at Dover to pick up more passengers. Then the driver asked me if I am going to Cockle Creek, because he saw I wasn't with my rucksack and camping equipment. He told me that there is nothing in Cockle Creek, all people go there to camp, swim and fish, then just walk around the perimeter of the beach. So, why am I going there? I said, oh my, since it is like that, I might as well turn back to Geeveston and enjoy myself with the town because it is situated in the middle of a forest reserve. I prefer forest to seaside, if I have a choice, although I trek and I also do diving.
Immediately I decided to alight at Dover and see how I can get back to Geeveston. The bus driver dropped me at a rest area near the waters (see photo above), and I walked the fringe of the sea until I came to a field. And that's all about Dover!? Yes, that's all.
Then, there came a lovely lady in blue T-shirt, probably just came back from her morning walk. I approached her to ask for direction. While we chat, I asked if she knows how I can get back to Geeveston (I can't even pronounce this town correctly, I said Jee-ves-ton, she wondered what I was muttering). She said she is going there too after she picked up her papers from Dover's market shop. She can give me a lift if I wanted to go. We can meet at the town's shop. I said I will walk to the town first and if we meet, I will hop into her car.
And right on, we met afterwards. She introduced me her husband, Bill, and her name is Glenda. Glenda said that they are also going to Tahune Airwalk, which is 29 km turn off from Geeveston. Asked if I am interested to join them or would I just wanted to stay in Geeveston? I said I have time until 4pm before the getting on the bus to go back to Hobart. That is about 4 hours away.
Tahune Airwalk in a place I read in the brochure. It is situated in a forest reserve and no public transport there. It has never crossed my mind to go there anyway. But you see, God's plan is better than my plan. Since, I am open to everything, I just went along. And it turned out to be a fantastic discovery especially on the Airwalk (entrance is AUD17). Also, I made great friends - Bill and Glenda.
Bill, 80+ and Glenda 70+, still travels widely. They are the first couple I met who had been up the summit of Mount Sinai, Egypt. They had been to Peru too. So, when we were talking about the exhilarating and marvellous climb to Mount Sinai, Glenda mentioned about the blessed sunset over the sacred mountain and she said I must be having a very blessed life after trekking to Mount Sinai. And I said, "Yeah, I am so blessed, you see, I met Bill and you - out of nowhere!!" And we laughed................
I must say, it is really God's plan to have met Bill and Glenda. Thanks for the lovely ride. And thank you Bill for the cappuccino and Glenda for the apple. It was definitely a fun-fulfilling day!! Have a healthy and all the great travelling years!!
