Angela – Page 31 – Globitrotter

Dear Adam

Dear Adam,

Too easy. That is probably my favourite of your favourite expressions. It sort of describes the West MacDonnells, the pub at Glen Helen and you.

Thank you for showing me more of the area and a couple of the best breakfast spots ever. Climbing Mt Sonder in the dark and having breakfast on the top is definately on the top 5 list of things to do. Ok, we missed the sunrise by a few minutes but the beauty of the place is unreal.

It was a treat to spend a couple of hours on the top before heading down for a swim in the gorge below.

I am very glad to have had the fortune to see some of the West MacDonnells with some who knows and truly loves the area.

The pub at Glen Helen is really the best water hole. The people and the atmosphere made me want to stay. I really hated to leave the beautiful sites and your good company.

Don’t ever change!

Angela

Having breakfast on Mt Sonder at sunrise.

Like magic

I booked a 5 day tour in the Red Centre mostly because that is something you should do when in Australia. Then only thing I knew about the area was that this is where you find Uluru (Ayers Rock). I was not very keen on doing a tour either but decided it was the easiest way to see the place. I had chosen the bit more expensive tour and was happy to avoid the partying 21 year olds.

The first day we visited Uluru and did the base walk around the rock. The colors are wonderful and it is a quite cool rock. I did enjoy it, especially the sparkling wine in the sunset and sleeping under the stars.

Uluru at sunset.

Next stop was Kata Tjuta and a walk in the Valley of the Winds. Now I got a little more excited because I liked the hike and the views better.

The Valley of the Winds.

When we arrived in Kings Canyon the next day I was convinced that this is an area that one really has to experience. The colors are spectacular and the views fantastic.

My favourite spot in Kings Canyon.
Kings Canyon.

Day 4 we spent a few hours with Craig, who is an aboriginal. He told us about their culture and showed us some rock art. The stories he tells makes perfect sence when you are in this area.

Craig.

The last day in West MacDonnell National Park I probably fell in love with the place. I can not really say what it is, it just made me happy to be there. Maybe it is the emptiness (in comparison with the always busy Taiwan) and the space or the atmosphere and the people. Probably the combination. Our tour guide, Adam, obviously really loved the area and I think it rubbed off.

Ormiston Gorge.

When looking out on the desert you feel like you are the only person on earth. You see nothing at all in any direction except a beautiful landscape. No cities, roads, lights, nothing.

On Mt Sonder.

The Red Centre definately worked its magic on me and I hated to leave.

Darwin-Alice Springs

After a brief stop in Brisbane, I went to Darwin. In the end I only got one day there and the city itself might not need much more attention than that. I did however find some very nice places and had a good time.

The reason why I went to Darwin at all was to catch the train to Alice Springs. I arrived yesterday and enjoyed the city and the company of some new friends. The sunset from Anzac hill was fantastic.

The train ride itself seemed faster than I thought, the main reason being that I ended up in the restaurant car drinking beer with two Aussie truck drivers, one war veteran and some other travellers. We had a great time and the beer helped us fall asleep in the uncomfortable chairs. It is however very fascinating that you can go for 20 hours without actually seeing anything except desert. The reason why it takes so long is because the train’s average speed is not more than 85 km/hour. Partly because there are a lot of animals in the area that might cause the train to derail if it is going to fast.

From one thing to another

This is the last thing I saw in Taiwan before I left:

And this is the first thing in Australia:

My holiday has started.

Leaving Taiwan for new adventures

My stay in Taiwan has quickly come to an end. Tomorrow I leave and will travel around Australia and Fiji for 3 months before it is time to go back home again.

It has definately been an adventure to work almost 5 months in a country which is so fundamentally different from where I live. The Taiwanese, I have found, are very friendly and helpful when they can. The language makes it difficult many times. I have not had much time to learn and often people start talking to me although they must realize I do not understand. They can talk for a long time usually it all ends with laughter but sometimes they seem somewhat irritated. Normally they give up and walk away, like the police officer who pulled me over for speeding on the freeway…

It does feel nice to leave but there are some things I will miss also, especially the food. I know it is a bit contradictive but I will miss the things that are also the biggest difference from home and the things that makes it hard to be here in the long run. I am still fascinated by the infrastructure, the houses, the traffic and the total adoration for small cute things (Hello Kitty). Like how many seem to move their livingrooms partly out onto the street, the fantastic Taiwanese left turns (you sneak over just before it turns green or simply ignore cars driving straight ahead) and the shops which sell loads of unnecessary stuff with cartoons on them. Maybe it is not so surprising, the things I recognize from home I have probably not noticed very much.

What I will not miss is the lack of fresh air and calm and relaxing outdoor areas. The mountains in Taiwan are beautiful but far away from Tainan.

Well, it is time for new adventures…

Snacks

Fragrant crispy entry. What is that? Sometimes it is difficult to know what to buy in this country. How do you avoid everything that tastes like dry fish? This one looked particularly promising. Best tasty! Click on the image and read all the text. Crispy crispy good flavour. 🙂 Actually it was one of the better snacks I have had since I came to Taiwan.