WANDERING AGAIN

HI ALL

Hope you all enjoyed/are enjoying Jan. and this lovely warm summer! I understand in theory about global warming being a bad thing, but for me.........!? We spent a good deal of the month at the beachhouse, just popping back here for a day or two a week. It's great at Peron in summer, to be able to catch up with everyone, especially those you mightn't see often through the rest of the year! This year for the first time, there was a fun, very successful (and hopefully annual) street party/progressive dinner for the whole association, and a ladies night out, as well as the usual annual games day. Nick and Mif and family spent a lot of time in the Peron area in and around their new boat, Predator. We also had various of the grandkids stay with us at the beachhouse for a few days each; it's a popular spot at this time of year. It was really good as well, having time to spend with various friends, out 'under the tree'. So January slipped by all too quickly !!

Then we were off again with two of the grandkids, on what Anne assured me would be a nice 'easy' holiday (she lied). We took a 12 night cruise out of Fremantle, to Geraldton, Broome and across to Lombok, Bali, Komodo to see the 'dragons' and home.

We visited Mandy, a friend who showed us around Geraldton, which is becoming quite impressive and a far cry from the Geraldton we remembered! The new memorial to HMAS Sydney is imaginative and quite touching; well worth a visit, as were the museum and the cathedral of course.

We were disappointed at missing Nick (Anne's youngest) whose ship was in Broome until the day before we arrived, but otherwise enjoyed a day of a brief tour and then play in the local aquatic centre.

In Lombok we took an excellent tour up through the mountains, passing/feeding monkeys on the way, to a splendid setting high above rice paddies, rain forest and a waterfall, to which the kids hiked with the guide (the grannies wimped out). Lovely day, but way too ambitious, time-wise; our convoy of buses had to be brought home under police escort, sirens and lights getting us through the traffic to the waiting ship!

The tour we chose in Bali was also almost too long, but well worth it! We made a couple of stops, but the main thing was the relatively new elephant park. They were rescued/imported from Sumatra and are now doing well and breeding in Bali. The park setting is lovely, the elephants are well cared for and put on a small show at intervals. The buffet lunch was right up there; and the main thing was a 35 minute ride through the forest which we all really enjoyed and recommend!

Lastly, but certainly not least, we went to see the Komodo dragons, which are up to 3 m. long and quite fierce. They have 'only' killed 20 people in 60 years we were assured! Anne and Olivia were ahead of Kye and I, and saw more excitement than we did, as the dragons started to charge a lady who'd tripped and bloodied her knee. Each small group had at least 3 guides with stout sticks, who quickly turned the dragons, but it was daunting never-the-less!

In between these days we had seadays, packed with an extensive range of eating, activities, eating, entertainment and eating! Each night we received a newsletter for general events as well as for the kids club, and had to make many hard choices as to what to catch/what to miss!! We (and the kids especially) were very active most of the time; none of the swanning around by the pool we had fondly imagined! At any given time, if we weren't eating, we were playing or being entertained! It was a great holiday for them and for us !! They thrived; we survived; we all enjoyed!!

So now we're home, gathering our wits and energy for our next adventures. We've a couple of visits from friends planned in the next while, then sister Maureen and a friend arrive early in March and it's off to Bali again! Wish us stamina!

More later

Live well and be happy!
The Happy Wanderers
Anne and Kathie