We Made It Home

We made it home!  It was a somewhat abrupt end to our Aussie Trip but necessary with the world experiencing a pandemic.  Our return was long and not without moments of exhilarating highs and some very debilitating lows.  This blog post will likely have many more words than pictures because once we set out for home, things happened fast.

In terms of the pandemic, we were traveling in a bubble.  Western Australia was not experiencing the things that were happening at home. In hindsight, we should have listened more to the worries of our kids at home than placing our trust in Air Canada.  We were partially aware of how rapidly things were changing at home but when Air Canada changed our flight to the following day, our experience told us that if they changed a flight, they would provide an option of a different flight.  In this case that did not happen.

Perth Streets Began to Empty

Pan Pacific Buffets Became Limited

On our return to Perth from the Coral Coast, we received an email from Air Canada stating that they canceled our flight home.  They did not give us any return option and did not return our messages or answer our calls.  The only flights offered at the Air Canada website were for gouged prices ranging between 4 and 12 thousand dollars each and those disappeared quicker than we could decide.  Air Canada abandoned us.  Our original plan was to travel from Perth to the Margaret River wine region.  Out of the blue, Jetstar canceled our flight from Margaret River to Melbourne.  Again, without options.

We went into high anxiety, high action mode.  We immediately booked a flight to Melbourne knowing that there was less Covid-19 in Melbourne than Sydney and more flights home than Perth.  We booked a Cathay Pacific flight to Vancouver through Hong Kong for the next day at $1100 each.  We flew to Melbourne and relaxed a little as we overnighted near Melbourne airport. 

When we arrived at the airport the next day we were told that if we boarded the flight to Hong Kong, we would not make it to Canada.  The Hong Kong government was closing the airport at midnight that night.  We could get to Hong Kong but our flight to Canada was canceled. We were devastated!

Long Line-Ups and Prevalent Fear!

While Deborah and I were processing the news with Yunna, our Cathay Pacific rep, Randall was searching for solutions.  He found four tickets on American Airlines for $44,000.00.  Deborah and I said “no”.  Randall and Doreen were going to say yes at $32,000 for two but the tickets sold before they could push the button. 

Deborah and I were still standing at the counter while Yunna continued to work on our dilemma.  While she worked we started to look at houses to rent for the following months.  It is hard to describe how low we were feeling.

It was at that point, after many minutes, after many phone calls, in various languages, and countless punches on her keyboard, that Yunna glanced up and flashed a smile and gave the “fingers crossed” sign.  She managed to get us on our original plane to Hong Kong with a quick transfer to another plane to Los Angeles and a return to Vancouver the next day.  The trick was to get to the second plane before the clock struck midnight.  We would not land in Hong Kong until 11:15 pm and the transfer sounded impossible.  She then managed to get an exemption from the Hong Kong government (through her boss I’m sure) to allow our plane to LA to take off at 12:15 am, just after the deadline.  Our boarding passes were printed and our plane to HK was delayed to allow us (and a few more miracle seekers) to make it on board.  Nine hours later we were in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was a rush.  Off the plane, we hurried (bags transferred by Cathay staff) and raced to the second flight.  Hong Kong has very strict Covid-19 protocols.  Every passenger was temperature checked and interviewed to determine if they were symptomatic.  We made it onto the plane at 11:56 pm and were airborne at 12:15 am, the last flight out of Hong Kong for the foreseeable future.  We looked at each other and high-fived.

There were only 67 people on the Airbus for the 12.5-hour ride.  I had three seats to myself and managed to stretch out for 6 hours of sleep, ate two meals and watched four movies.  One of our party had enough space to hook up his nose-hose machine and tuck under a blanket for a well-deserved sleep.

Entry to the US at LA had nothing in terms of health checks.  We were given a form on the plane asking us about where we had traveled and whether we had any virus symptoms but no one at border services asked about our health and no one collected the forms.  We were free to leave the airport but chose not too.  We had a ten-hour layover and while some of our party sat up playing games I found an abandoned PF Chang’s restaurant and had a few more hours sleep on their cushioned benches.

On The Ground - Happy To Be Home

We returned to Canada on a morning flight to Vancouver and again sailed through Customs after only being asked if we felt "Okay" by Border Services.  They handed us a form stating that we had to self-quarantine and that was it.

Randall and Doreen’s daughter-in-law Melanie dropped a car for us and we motored home in brilliant sunshine to start our 14 days of isolation.  To say we were relieved to have survived our 36 hours, four-country, three plane rides journey, would be an understatement.

That’s it for this entry.  Since I have fourteen days to fill, I will complete this Australian diary with a last “summing up” blog entry at a later date.

Coral Coast

A Day At The Beach

We made it to Exmouth located on the tip of the North West Cape in Western Australia.  We drove nearly 1400 km in four days following the Coral Coast from Perth.  At one point we were on the most westerly tip of the Australian subcontinent.  At one point we crossed the Tropic Of Capricorn and the temperatures rose accordingly.  On the last leg, the car outside temperature gauge recorded 38 degrees celsius but unlike the east coast, very little humidity and therefore very bearable.

Before I wax eloquently about the wonders we saw along the drive (and I will because there were) I must be upfront and say this drive is not without its drawbacks.  This kind of thing is not for everyone.  The drive is like a run-on rather dull sentence with brief punctuation marks of real beauty.  The run-on bits can literally last for hours.  There are very few people and those that are there are easily outnumbered by the few feral goats and dead wildlife along the road.

We followed the Indian Ocean Drive out of Perth to Geraldton and then the North West Coastal Highway with detours through the Kalbarri National Park and the Monkey Mia Nature Reserve with overnights in Geraldton, Denham, Carnarvon, and Exmouth.

Sheep Station - Note The Tree Growth As A Result Of The Southerly Winds.

After a lovely drive through farmland the landscape turned to the desert just outside of Perth.  We took a turn off the highway onto a dirt road to enter the Nambung National Park to see the Pinnacles.  The Pinnacles rise out of the yellow desert sand.  There are thousands of huge limestone pillars scattered across the stark landscape.  It reminded me of a very poorly planned graveyard with the limestone markers standing about an average man’s height.

The Pinnacles

Some Tall - Some Short

A short distance from Nambung we turned off the highway and stopped at Lake Thetis to view the thrombolites.  What … you don’t know what thrombolites are? – Neither did we and quite frankly I’m still not sure.  According to the signage, the lake became separated from the sea about 4800 years ago when the sea level dropped.  The thrombolites are “living fossils” and I’ll take their word for it.  Regardless, we have pictures.

Thrombolites

We continued on to Geraldton and stayed in a hotel across from the beach.  We enjoyed one of our best meals on tour at the L'Italiano Restaurant.  Great service and great food.

Geraldton City Centre - Not A Large Town

After a leisurely morning, we set out on the North West Coastal Highway to Northampton before taking a detour to Port Gregory and the Pink Lake.  Indeed, it was pink.  It made for a good picture.  It is actually called the Hutt Lagoon and according to the guidebook, “the Dunaliella salina algae bloom within the lake causes the water to turn pink, with the shade ranging from hot pink to red to lilac depending on the time of day.” It was pretty pink when we saw it.

Indeed - It Was Pink

We had lunch at Kalbarri, at the entrance to Kalbarri National Park.  It was at Kalbarri that we purchased our Fly Head Nets.  As beautiful as this coast is, the flies are killers.  They seem to sense you immediately upon leaving the car or building.  They are on you like flies on sh*t, just like the old saying goes.  They immediately try to fly up your nose for a drink or build a cabin for the family in your ears.  The only way to survive is to wear a net.

Makes It A Little Harder To Eat & Drink

We ended the day at Denham just outside the Monkey Mia Reserve on Shark Bay.  We were up early and headed out to the Reserve to take a three-hour catamaran tour of the bay in search of dugongs, dolphins, and turtle.  Shark Bay is a World Heritage Area.  It is comprised of 22,000 sq. km. of colourful and diverse landscapes.

With an all-female captain and crew, our group set out with eight Australians and New Zealanders.  They had been friends for over 30 years and enjoy taking holidays together once a year. After a few dugong and dolphin sightings, Deborah joined three of their group in a boom net swim.  It was good fun watching our friends writhe in the net and struggle to keep their swimsuits on as the captain gunned the engine.

Kinda Like The Titanic Shot

After lunching on the road (too many flies to picnic) we arrived in Carnarvon.  It is an oasis in the desert, getting its water from the Gascoyne River.  We drove through large fields of banana and mango trees.  We had dinner and a few pints in a local pub in honour of St. Patrick’s Day.  It also has a space museum displaying the leftover American Space observation station but we gave it a miss.

We Took A Walk On The Carnarvon Pier

Relic Of A Carnarvon Rail Line In Carnarvon

St. Patrick's Day Guinness In Carnarvon

The last day of our drive was to Exmouth via Coral Bay.  Coral Bay is worth the stop to see the blue waters of the ocean and nearby reef but after a short walk on the beach, we retreated to our car after the inevitable and never-ending fly invasion.

We spent two nights in Exmouth and learned a lot about the area by visiting the Ningaloo Aquarium and Discovery Center.  It is well worth the $18 price of admission.  Sadly, we intended to visit the reef in a glass-bottom boat but with the drop of virus-related tourists, the tour was canceled.  We settled for a swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and a visit to the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse. 

Ningaloo Reef Exmouth Aquarium & Discovery Center

Emu Attack At Our Lodge

Cockatoos At Breakfast

Discovery Center's Cyclone Experience Room

Last Walk To The Beach

Exmouth was really built by the Americans as an observation post during the war with Japan and later as a nuclear sub tracking and communication hub during the Cold War.  It is proud of the fact that both Americans and Australians came together to share their cultures in the small community.

Randall’s nephew Graham worked in this community for Bristow Helicopters for a time so we took advantage of local knowledge to have beers at the Potshot and dinner at the Fish Club.

It was a long drive through endless nothing but we are still glad we did it!  We are equally glad to be able to drop the rental car at the airport and fly back to Perth.

A quick virus world update.  Air Canada has canceled our flight on April 1 without giving us any options.  They have left us stranded.  It is impossible to contact Air Canada.  They do not answer their phones or emails.  We have now booked a flight to Melbourne on Tuesday and to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific the following day.  Fingers crossed, we will arrive in Vancouver Wednesday afternoon if all goes well.

Perth

We have relished our stay in Perth more than we imagined.  It wasn’t in the original plan but the city proved to be a very fruitful addition to the itinerary.

The day after the bus tour we walked Kings Park and Botanical Gardens.  Kings is the largest urban park in the world.  It is 2.5 hectares larger in size than the second-place entry, Vancouver’s Stanley Park.  We were struck by how green it is and how well-tended the army of park workers kept it.

View From The Park Lookout

We were dropped off in the middle of the park and walked the smooth surface trails back to the Visitor Centre.  The garden contains many species native to Western Australia and each plant has individual descriptor signage.  The walk over the sky bridge shouldn’t be missed for both a view of the foliage, the Swan and the City beyond.

From The Gift Shop

In the afternoon we Ubered out to Cottesloe Beach 20 minutes west of the city for lunch.  We dined on the deck at Barchetta’s overlooking the beach and the Indian Ocean.  We watched the sail and kiteboarders race across the active sea. before walking the beach to take in the Cottesloe Art Sculpture show.  Further out the freighters were anchored waiting for entry into Freemantle.

Cottesloe Beach

Yes - Homer Was At The Beach

That night we took a trip out to Freemantle to check out the Duke of George blues bar.  The club looked great but according to our troop's expert, the music was not.  We still enjoyed a few drinks and the night out.

Apparently, The Name Was Better Than The Music

Nice Venue In The Basement Of The Duke

We returned to Freemantle the next day.  We Ubered out in the late morning in time for lunch and a wander in the Freemantle Market.  After checking out the stalls and picking up a few things we parted ways with R & D.  We went off to the Freemantle Prison Tour while they set off for the harbour and the Maritime Museum.

Freemantle Market - Built In1897

Our Prison tour was led by an enthusiastic young woman who regaled us with stories of the prison dating back to its inception in the middle 1800s.  It only said goodbye to its last prisoners in 1991.

Three-Tiered Cell Block

Flogging Demonstration

Freemantle Harbour

The prison itself was built by convicts.  The term "Convicts" refers to inmates sent to Australia from Britain while prisoners are inmates that committed crimes in Australia.  The convicts were instrumental in building the towns of Freemantle and Perth.

We had a few drinks as the evening drew to a close before returning to the city by train.  We ended our night at the Fenian Bar across the street from our hotel.  Guinness was served and we were entertained by the Jarrah Celt.  We enjoyed an evening listening to the duo and Randall got invited to play the Bodhrun drum on stage for a set.  

Perth Night Scene

Our last day was spent shopping and preparing for the next leg of the trip.

Randall and I saw what we hope Rugby will look like in the future.  We caught a double-header rugby union match between the Tigers of Hong Kong and Manuma Samoa, followed by the Westernforce of Perth versus the Malaysia Tigers of Kuala Lampor at HBF Park.  These four teams are joined by the Fijian Latui and the China Lions/Bay of Plenty, in the Global Rapid Rugby league.  The rules are adjusted with the fans in mind: i) thirty-five-minute halves, ii) no kicking to touch from anywhere, iii) 9 point tries if the possession starts behind your own 22, regardless of the number of phases, iv) rolling free substitutions so the big men remain fresh & effective, and finally v) time limits on scrum and lineout formations, to name just some.  Great entertainment and venue despite the low turnout.

HBF Park With A View Of Perth Skyline

Samoa - South China (Hong Kong)

Super Try Score - 9 Points (No Conversion)

For those of our friends and family reading this blog in real-time, we want them to know that we are aware of the Coronavirus that is spreading across the world.  We are in a bit of a bubble here in Western Australia.  There are very few reported cases and lots of toilet paper still to be had.  We do have a return flight on March 31 and until Air Canada tells us otherwise, we intend to be on it.  We have registered with the Canadian government as citizens abroad and continue to try to make contact with Air Canada's Australian contact but to no avail.  We will keep trying but in the meantime, we are traveling north on the east coast enjoying the experiences.