cong a.k.a jordana site of me and updates (will change soon)

Day 3 was the beginning of the 2 guided tours we pre-booked online from Planet Tours. The 1st was a day of travelling up north to the Pinnacle Desert, Cervantes area, Caversham Wildlife Park, together with some fun of sand-boarding and 4WD thrill rides around the sand dunes. 2nd was 3 days tour of down the South-western region, visiting the likes of Albany, Augusta, Denmark, Wapole, Margaret River and Busselton etc. This 2 trips allowed the fees to be paid at a combo rate of AD$551. Paid fully upfront via credit card, these 4 days were the highlights of this tour down Western Australia. And so we thought.

That morning itself was drizzling already. Bad start, bad omen. It was directed to us through email that we should be waiting near All Seasons Perth Hotel, which was located just the corner off our hostel. Timing confirmed was 6.50am. The wait became unbearable, for the rain brought the chilling wind as well. However, the main concern was the bus to pick us up was nowhere to be seen. 7am, we had to split up stationing at some distances away from each other in order to catch sight of any bus. Keyuan had to call the agency, something they should be doing instead, to make sure we did not miss the bus. 7.15am, a huge posh coach with digital signage showing “Pinnacle Tours” arrived. There it was. Confirmation with the driver the was swift, but news from Keyuan came a bad reply from the agency.

Anyway, the trip for that day had no effect from what was a let down from Planet Tours. Just that they told Keyuan the timing for pick up should be 7.10am. Darn! A notification should have been feedback to us the day before when Keyuan made the 1st call to them at AQWA for a confirmation of the tours! A 2nd period of waiting was when our coach met up with 2 more coaches near the city centre, reshuffling the groups of tourists between them. Dozing off inside the coach was just too natural for me.

First stop was the the Caversham Wildlife Park, where we would see native animals of Australia, kangaroos, koalas and wombat. Seeds were given to us from the park trainer to feed the kangaroos. Food was a real draw for them. Without food, it would hard to be taking pictures together with them. But they do look amusing close up! So cute!

Next was the wombat. Looks like a wild boar to me in some ways, the interaction with it was only taking photos together. So for wombat, and the trainer carrying it, it was a morning of being a star!

Lastly, koalas were the limelight stealers. However, they did not bother at all. Because all were sleeping! So many of us travelled from other continents just to see them yet they faced us with their backs! Ha. Anyway, some were huge. Touching them would not wake them up, for they were so deep in their “drunken state”. Well, how precious was that touch.

So the meeting of the native animals only lasted 45 minutes. The next 2+ hours drive was to the Pinnacle Desert which included a stop by a coast. A 1 hour break by a tavern at Cervantes was where we had our lunch, comprises of hams, bread, salads, potatoes and fruits. Meanwhile, a call had to be made to Planet Tours again for a confirmation of the 3 days Southern Curl the next day. The public phone just had no dial tone. Just do not allow the worse to happen, I hoped.

Another 45 minutes drive from our lunch destination finally reach the awaited Pinnacle Desert! The weather had been so unpredictable along the journey after our Caversham Wildlife Park that I had lost count of the number of times we encountered storms. Like the rain, sunshine comes as quickly as it goes away. However, chalked up the chart of luckiness, we scored again. Superb blue skies with fantastic cloud formations followed after a slight drizzle. We moved the slowest, hence we were the last in the group, as they were leaded upfront to the high point. You can see why from the pictures. Can you see any others in our frames?

Another 1+ hours drive brought us near Lancelin. Sand boarding and 4WD thrill were the last of the activities for the day. Clouds had already gathered with rain looking impending. Split into 2 groups amongst ourselves, we started with sand boarding. Fun was going down, not so fun heading up, with feet sunken in sands up the elevation. 3 tries were enough of timing for the groups to swap activities. Seated at the last row of the 4WD minibus, the excitement was top draw. Braking midway down the dunes was simply exhilarating, and only until the wheels rolled again suddenly completes the adrenaline rush. A chance was given for us to alight and take pictures of the bus hanging. I sought the thrills.

Keyuan brought us bad news after a confirmation call was made to Planet Tours immediately we alighted from the coach at the end of the day. The 3 days Sothern Curl was cancelled, due to reasons being 3 of us were the only 3 in the package for that day. How nice of them to tell us by way of us calling them, again! And we thought they confirmed the tour was ongoing the very first time we called! With alternatives already being thought mid-way through the day, we had to finalise them. Contingencies included extension of return flights as they “promised” of the tour the coming Monday. However, they promised us once, didn’t they?

Day 4 began with Keyuan calling the agency yet again. However, the long wait over the phone was the ultimatum we can give as customers. Next interaction with them would be discussions over the refund. Period.

With that, there goes the plan of extending the flights. Might as well, since extending it will have to pay another hundred over dollars. Bags packed, stomach filled, we checked out of our hostel, trying our luck in other tour agencies around Perth city hopefully to find one that offers 2 days tours down the South-west. In the end, we only just found 1 agency out of the 3 I highlighted in our Lonely Planet guidebook. That was the Western Australia Visitor Centre. That visit changed our course of the trip.  The adventure was heightened. The risk had risen. Our excitements could not be hidden.

A talk to the friendly holiday consultant, Troy, had us decided to take up his recommendation, self-driving down the South-west! Although he only suggested us to drive till Margaret River Region, deep down we knew Albany would be the furthest point we would venture. With his assistance to booking of our Hyundai Accent 1.6 Auto car and 2 nights accommodations at Margaret River, we were back on track, back to the Southern Curl itinerary, this time on our own!

With gears fully loaded strapped to our backs, we headed to Lester and Baoqi’s apartment. The initial 1-night home stay over there had to be brought forward as the car could only be collected the next day. So the original plan of touring Fremantle was re-scheduled earlier as well. Travel-light, it made sense to put down our baggage at our to-be-tour guides’ house.

Burden eased, we took our time to travel to Fremantle, along the way discussing and hearing advices from them for our coming 3 days self-drive adventure. Another day of fine weather, we had a rather late lunch at Cicerello, supposedly the famous place for Fish and Chips. The serving was huge! Expected, the fries were too overwhelming and we had to pack them back. It would be another serving for dinner.

Walking around Fremantle after lunch was really carefree. The streets were bustling yet unconstraint to the fast pace of life we Singaporeans commonly see. Parks and spaces were aplenty. You never feel too tiny by high rises over there, but by the amount of spaces around. These differences were such that even monuments or sculptures seemed to feel welcome in space we could find obstructive here locally. A tourist 1st impression maybe.

We visited a market similar to our Bugis Str eet, albeit less cramp. Bought a honey over there to sooth my throat, as well as boomerangs which we can play indoors. Vincent bought 1 additional one which was to play outdoor. Could not fight the excitement, he opened up and played in the park where we came from our lunch. Only the 3rd throw, never mind it did not turned back in all tries, the striking yellow boomerang swerved slightly to the left and caught up the crown of a tall tree. A second of silence, then “oohhs”, then laughters. AD$4 a throw. It was amazing how hard it was to find stones there!

We only got that much time spare to throw stones up the trees. Sun was setting fast. Fremantle was deemed to be beautiful place for sunset, according to Lester and Baoqi. Hurried to the coast, the last available sun ray for the day shining through the gaping clouds already forming was the best we could see for the day. Pity it might be, that day was an eventful and memorable one for me. Missing a sunset should not be taken as loss. You will try harder to pursue the next one. It happens just the next day!

The sky had darkened. Fremantle was then a quiet town. Dusk was a great timing for some photography tricks. While we proceeded to the Maritime Museum to take some long exposures, it was also timely venue to satisfy some of our insatiable photographic cravings.

Heading back home, we are grateful for Lester and Baoqi’s hospitality in allowing us in for the night. The dinner they prepared was the icing of the cake. It was a night of Singaporean flavour in a warm enclosure. The entertainment that night was of course the boomerang, since it could be played indoor!

More photos for Day 3 & 4 are here in my Facebook album.