A Bali Birthday

A few weeks after Matt was laid off at work, and a few weeks before his parents came to visit, I was feeling very, very trapped in the house. We both were, really. Living in one another’s pockets everyday, as Matt puts it, has proved to be frustrating at times, especially with another person in the house. Basically, Matt and I spend 80% of our time at the house together in our bedroom since other parts of the house are “occupied” or not well suited to relaxing (such as the laundry room). We agreed that we needed to get away, especially on my birthday. I didn’t want to spend it there. We considered overnight trips to places nearby, bus trips around WA since we would be without a car, and longer trips to other parts of Australia. In the end we chose to go to Bali because with flights and accommodation it was still much cheaper than a trip of similar time in Australia and I had never been before. Also, the flight is only three and a half hours…the same as Darwin, the closest city to Perth.

So we booked discount flights on Air Asia, booked a hotel for the first seven nights and then a different one near the airport for the last night, and we were set. We took off from Perth on September 3^rd at 10 AM and were through Denpasar Airport just after 2 PM. There isn’t even a time difference between Bali and Perth!

We sorted out a taxi to our hotel and roasted the whole way there in the backseat without air conditioning. Welcome to the tropics! Our hotel, Favehotel in Seminyak, was ok. The staff was friendly, there was free wifi in our room, and our booking included a buffet breakfast everyday, with cold and hot Western and Indonesian food. There was a small pool and restaurant and all of the common areas and our room were clean. The room itself was pretty small and basic, but the bed was comfortable and the AC worked. We were happy enough. After unpacking a bit and freshening up, we ate at a restaurant down the street from the hotel. Crossing the street proved exciting as the traffic there reminds me of Mexico City: vaguely organized chaos. Matt started across the street while I wasn’t looking and then I was stuck trying to figure out how to cross with hundreds of motorbikes zooming at me. It was made more confusing by a man with long hair and no shirt on a motorbike pulling up in front of me and trying to engage me in conversation in Balinese. I was less than polite in return. From across the street, Matt thought I hit the man but I was just gesturing to him to get out of the way. Once across the street and seated in the restaurant, I had noodles with vegetables and an egg, spring rolls and a Bintang, the national beer. 

Matt had a combination plate and a Bintang. After eating, we walked past our hotel and to the beach before heading back for showers and an early bedtime.

The next day we breakfasted at the hotel, only disappointment was that there was no milk for coffee. I was ok drinking it black, but Matt found it took some adjusting. After breakfast we walked down Jalan Legian, the main street at the end of the road our hotel was on. It is full of nice shops, cafes, restaurants, a grocery store, etc. We turned on Jalan Padma, stopped at a café for iced coffees (I was not yet used to the heat and wore out very quickly the first few days), before walking to the beach and continuing down the beach to Kuta. 

Kuta is where Matt stayed when he went to Bali last year with our friends Ethan and Louise. It is completely touristy and pretty loud and crazy. I was glad we were staying in calmer, more boutique-y Seminyak. We walked around the shopping area, stopping for drinks to cool down in the midday heat. We walked back up Jalan Legian and stopped for lunch in a random restaurant before returning to our hotel and spending a couple of hours by the pool. We had walked about 8 kilometers in hot, humid weather, which made relaxing in the pool very nice! We showered and had dinner at a restaurant owned by Australians down the street from our hotel called Lucky Day.

On September 5^th, we had breakfast at the hotel, requested a room change since we were right by the elevators and spent all night listening to housekeeping carts going in and out, and took a taxi to Mozaic Beach Club in the northern part of Seminyak. We booked our hotel based on the location and price. Based on those factors, it was great. The pool, while clean and refreshing, lacked in size and atmosphere. We had done a bit of research and found a beach club with no minimum spend or entry fee in order to use the pool and lounge chairs. Mozaic was a bit pricey for Bali, but we arrived at noon and stayed until after sunset, relaxing on lounge chairs, taking dips in the pool, ordering drinks and food, and enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean. 

After a couple of hours there, it was impossible to feel anything but relaxed, which was what we were after. It was a beautiful day. 

We returned to the hotel to shower and then had dinner at Warung Mimpi down the street, a small, inexpensive restaurant with Indonesian food.

On the sixth we had breakfast at the hotel and then prepared for another day of beautiful weather. We walked down to Seminyak Beach, haggled until we made a deal to rent two beach lounges with an umbrella and table for the afternoon for $8. 

The man who rented us the lounges also had a cooler with drinks for us to buy and kept an eye on our belongings while we were in the sea together. This is key as everywhere in Bali is a store and people are constantly trying to sell you things. I don't think the sales people would steal, but because of all the foot traffic, it is hard to watch your things from in the water. We were offered sarongs, watches, jewelry, pirate ship kites, sunglasses, massages, pineapples, hats, and on and on. Over and over. Saying no and continuing to focus on your book is pretty effective in getting most of the sales people to continue on their way down the beach. They go after the Australians like crazy. In fact, upon asking where we were from and hearing England and America, a lot of them just smiled and left. If we had been in a different situation, i.e., employed, we probably would have been happy to buy a few things. It felt ridiculous to explain that Matt had lost his job and we were on vacation anyway, even if we did desperately need to be away from our housemate! So we just got really good at saying no and sticking to our spending limits. 

I still really enjoyed spending the day on the beach and sunset was lovely. A restaurant near where we were sitting for the day, La Plancha, sets out beanbags and has a DJ every night for sunset, so we got to enjoy that atmosphere. 

We had a basic dinner at Café Seminyak on Jalan Legian and some frozen yogurt on the way back to the hotel. In case you are ever in Bali, skip the froyo. It was very strange.

September 7^th I woke up a year older and not much wiser but ready for another good day in Bali! After breakfast we took a stroll around Seminyak, stopping for coffee and to check out Bali Deli, which sold all sorts of Spam among other things. 

A cold I had felt coming on since arriving in Bali really took hold, in time for my birthday of course. We returned to the hotel and kept things low key, sitting by the pool and sipping on a coconut. 

We took a taxi to Métis restaurant in northern Seminyak and arrived the suggested hour before our reservation. We were the only people at the very popular restaurant at 5:30 PM, which allowed us to check the place out and enjoy pre-dinner drinks in relative privacy. Matt was fascinated by the men drilling in a rice paddy as part of the restaurant's renovations. 

The food was divine, really lovely French cuisine and much cheaper than the same quality would be in Perth, so we let ourselves indulge. By the time we ordered a dessert to share, I was already more than satisfied with my birthday meal and pleased with our quiet celebration. As we were waiting for our chocolate pistachio soufflé, I heard singing behind me and said to Matt, “oh, I guess it is someone else’s birthday today as well,” completely ignorant to the fact the serving staff were walking to our table with a chocolate cake and ice cream for me, with a candle and “Happy Birthday Jane” written in chocolate on the plate. 

I was truly surprised and pleased as they finished singing Happy Birthday in Balinese, which isn’t always the case when I am surprised. Matt really managed a memorable birthday surprise without overwhelming me! He enjoyed the soufflé we had ordered, and I devoured the chocolate lava cake. It was a gorgeous, delicious evening. A wonderful way to ring in 29!

On September 8^th  - Happy Birthday to my brother Kenny! – we had an early breakfast and met our driver/tour guide Agung at the hotel tour desk. We wanted to see the active volcano, Mt Batur, in the north of Bali, and to stop in the town of Ubud. As appears to be Balinese tour guide protocol, Agung first took us to a traditional Barong Dance presentation, which we had to pay ten dollars each to see. It happened so quickly, and right at the beginning of the day, that Matt and I didn’t really realize what Agung meant when he asked if we had seen it or knew what it was. I said I had seen it mentioned in a brochure, and next thing we were on our way there. We took a lot of photos to try and get our moneys worth out of the performance. 

After getting back in Agung’s car, we made it clearer that we were really only interested in Ubud and Mt Batur. I looked at the reading materials in the back seat and asked if we could stop at Elephant Cave, a 9^th century Hindu temple near Ubud as it looked interesting and cheap. Agung agreed and we began the 2.5-hour drive to Mt Batur. The actual distance isn’t so far, but traffic and construction, including a sand truck repeatedly reversing and dumping along the 1.5 lane road slowed things down a bit. 

Eventually we made it, and Agung drove us past all of the sales people (more sarongs, bracelets, etc – including wooden Harley Davidson models) to a restaurant with a view of the volcano. It was a flat price buffet restaurant, which for me always seems to end with whoever is paying (usually my dad) saying they will never go to a buffet with me again. I just don’t eat enough unless it is a vegetarian buffet. While this buffet was nice and had vegetarian options and I was very full at the end, Matt still didn’t think I ate enough for what we were paying. Some things never change, even in the shadow of an active volcano in Bali. After lunch we took photos of the volcano, which last erupted substantially in 1968, and the caldera lake below. 

We drove back toward Ubud, looking at rice paddies and traditional Balinese houses and Kintamani dogs as we went.

Soon we arrived at Goa Gajah, or Elephant Cave. We left Agung in the parking lot and after paying the admission price of $1.00 each; we were given sarongs to wear over our shorts and began our tour of the temple cave and the surrounding area. The carvings at the entrance of the cave date to the ninth century and feature several different animals. At one time it was believed that it was an elephant, hence the name Elephant Cave. 

Inside the cave was used as a sanctuary. We also saw the bathing temples built to ward off evil spirits and now home to fish. 

We climbed and trekked to a jungle temple and then made an offering so we could continue and check out a waterfall in the jungle near the cave. 

About an hour later, we returned to Agung, hot, sweaty and ready to hit Ubud, the cultural center of Bali and arts and crafts hub. 

We wandered the cobblestone streets, checked out the markets and the palace, before reuniting with Agung to return to Seminyak, we arrived around 6:30. We tipped Agung well since he was a good driver, and patient with us even after we made it clear we weren’t up for visiting all of the tourist traps that give him a kick back. After our expensive buffet lunch, we grabbed some snacks at the convenience store and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

The next day after breakfast we walked 4 kilometers (in the heat) to a Havianas flip-flop outlet store, with a stop at Starbucks along the way. Matt got some new flip-flops, and we took a cab to Jalan Raya Basangaska to look at some shops. Matt and I managed to lose each other, which was a bit scary for both of us since I had no money, phone, or hotel key. Once we found each other again, we calmed down over lunch at Taco Beach, a restaurant on Jalan Kunti owned by an American guy. It was good Mexican! And so close to Australia! 

On the way back to the hotel Matt haggled for some cheap Bintang tank tops. We spent a while by the pool and ended up having pizza from down the road and Bintangs in the hotel room for dinner. Oh, by the way, our second room at Favehotel was quieter. We didn’t hear housekeeping at all. We did however, from 6:30 AM one morning, hear voices talking very loudly in an Asian language. Matt had earplugs in but it woke me up and kept me up for a while. I thought it was housekeeping, but as they didn’t stop in over half an hour, I woke Matt up. (I’m not great at dealing with things in the early morning). He charged out into the hallway to find five or six men crouched down chatting in the hallway. When he asked them to quiet down they apologized immediately and disappeared into a room. Why they weren’t chatting in there to begin with, I don’t know. Maybe they thought everyone wanted to hear, but not understand, their conversation. Another night at 5 AM, I woke to hear peals of laughter and talking coming from the hallway. I was about to wake Matt up again when the girl in the room next to us went into the hallway and just shouted “SHUT UP” until the loud people left. In Matt’s Tripadvisor review of the hotel, he mentioned these issues and apparently the hotel is working to soundproof the guest rooms. About time, I would say. Except for the noise issues, we were pleased with the hotel, especially at the budget price they charge. And we were only mildly weirded out by the window into the bathroom, after we realized there was a curtain to pull down.

On September 10^th we hit the hotel pool right after breakfast, then went to Taco Beach for lunch again, and got to watch the Chargers v Texans game. What a place! We spent the afternoon walking on the beach and enjoyed another lovely sunset before dinner at Wacko Burger, which served tasty burgers and veggie burgers alongside surprisingly nice milkshakes and iced tea.

September 11^th was our last full day in Bali. We had coffee and ran some errands before checking out of Favehotel and taking a taxi to Ibis Styles hotel. We had sushi for lunch at the shopping mall next door while we waited to check into our room. We then had to wait a couple more hours to use the pool as it was being re-tiled. This was the whole reason we booked this hotel – it was close to the airport, cheap, and had a nice pool. There was nothing to do nearby, except go to the mall, which we had done, so I organized our suitcases and got everything ready for our 6:30 AM flight back to Perth while Matt arranged our taxi and breakfast boxes for 4:30 AM. Finally, the pool tilers were done, so we went and had a nice swim before showering and having dinner at a warung in the mall. We both took some melatonin and went to bed early, ready to get up at 4 AM. Our taxi was early the next morning, our breakfast boxes never arrived, and there was no one at the front desk to leave the key with or ask about our breakfast boxes. It was an inauspicious start to the trip home, but the rest of the morning went without incident, including immigration! It wasn’t until we arrived at the house to find out the letting agency was holding a home open there that afternoon and we wouldn’t be able to crash into bed as planned that we became cranky. To make matters worse, no one showed for the home open, so it was a complete waste anyway.

In the weeks since, Matt and I have felt very glad we had that relaxing, low stress getaway. While I caught a cold, and then gave it to Matt, neither of us suffered “Bali Belly” or anything like that. The rainy weather in Perth and not having a car limits the amount of cheap and free activities available to distract us from worrying about selling our belongings, finding jobs, doing the long distance thing again, etc. Bali was a wonderful reprieve from that.

To see all of the photos from our trip, click here. 

We are doing our best not to get on each other’s nerves and really enjoy the last week that we have before we head to our separate homelands. We’ve had nice times with several of Matt’s former coworkers and friends, and it looks to be nice out this weekend, so we can take advantage of that. While we don’t want to leave each other, we are more than ready to leave this living situation and get on to moving forward with our relationship, careers, and life, wherever it leads! 

Parents in Perth!

Hello Again!

You know the idea that any task will expand to fill the time available? Well, that has proven true with blogging recently. As Matt and I are both currently unemployed and blessed with plenty of free time, I should have had photos up and blogs posted weeks ago. Unfortunately, between posting all sorts of things for sale online, Matt selling his car, making plans for our respective trips back to the Northern hemisphere, and planning meals around everything in the pantry and freezer, and a lovely 10-day trip to Bali, it has taken me an inordinate amount of time to get this written and posted. Sorry.

Anyway, we are on track to leave Perth and Australia in a few weeks. Beginning Oct 4^th, I will be traveling through 4 countries in 2 days thanks to Delta (Australia -> Philippines -> Japan -> USA). Matt contacted Barrick about paying for his flight back to the UK, as they are supposed to do in compliance with his work visa, and they are sorting that out for him to leave on Oct 10^th. It is really bittersweet to be leaving Australia this way. Matt has applied to so many jobs and so many companies, but the mining industry here is really slowing down. There just isn’t anything for a qualified geologist with his level of experience, especially on a work visa that requires sponsorship. So we are preparing ourselves for some time apart, lots of visa applications and paperwork, and trying to stay open-minded and optimistic about the future.

I have continued to struggle with anxiety and the consequent emotional roller coaster the last couple of months. Unfortunately, it cast a bit of a pall during Matt’s parents’ visit to WA, as I was not completely myself. Nonetheless, we managed to see and do a lot of different things in Perth and around, and had a fun trip down south. There are some awesome photos of our adventures. It was great to see Perth and WA through Matt’s mum Jan and his step-dad Mark’s eyes and experience things new and old with them. The rest of this post is a description of what we got up to with Jan and Mark.

Click here to see all of the photos from their visit. Sorry they aren't all labeled yet, I will work on it!

Aug 3:

Jan and Mark arrived in Perth very early in the morning after a few days in Singapore. Matt and I met up with them at the Medical Center as Mark was bitten all over while they were in Singapore and needed some attention. After greeting each other and getting all up to date, and a quick stop at the pharmacy, we headed to the James Squire Pub to sit outside, chat over a pint and enjoy the nice weather. For dinner we took public transport to Subiaco and had Mexican at Santa Fe before heading back into town for a beer at the Belgian Beer Café, and saying goodnight.

Aug 4:

Matt and I met Jan and Mark in the city and we drove to Kings Park. We stopped to appreciate the awesome view of Perth and the Swan River – and observe a ceremony at the war memorial before starting on a walk through the botanical gardens. 

Jan and Mark were really impressed by the money and care put into the park. Living here, it is easy to forget or take for granted the awesome parks here. It was a nice reminder to appreciate the good aspects of Perth and Australia before we leave. After a lovely lunch at the Botanic Café, we drove to Cottesloe Beach and then Clancy’s Fish Bar at City Beach to watch the sunset.

Aug 5:

In the morning, Mark and Jan checked out of their downtown hotel. Matt picked them up and they went together to get the rental car. After a little while to get settled into their new digs at our house, we took off for John Forrest National Park. 

There we walked the Heritage Rail Trail, admired flora and fauna, especially cockatoos, kookaburras, and kangaroos and had a great BBQ.

On the way home, we stopped at Mundaring Weir to see the reservoir that supplies Perth with fresh water. 

Aug 6:

In spite of the forecast predicting rain, we drove to Caversham Wildlife Park. While you can’t legally hold a koala in WA, Caversham promised the opportunity to touch and cuddle them, as well as several other Australian animals. Jan was really eager to get up close with koalas and we were happy to oblige.

We had to duck under cover from passing storms a few times, but it ended up working in our favor. As the koalas are in covered area, we hung around there waiting for rain to pass and ended up getting loads of photo opportunities and chances to pet the stinky little things! 

It didn’t hurt that the koala keeper was English, either.

After looking at, petting, and feeding lots of animals, we drove into Guildford. Originally, I was supposed to give a Spanish lesson to Peter and Galina there. Once we arrived, it turned out they were too busy getting ready for Galina’s parents to visit from Bulgaria. Galina still managed to meet up with us for lunch at the Stirling Arms while Peter ran errands!

Aug 7:

We began our day at Mrs. S in Maylands for a tasty brunch before dodging raindrops to get on the train to Fremantle. Once there, with dry skies, we booked a prison tour for Jan and Mark and walked through town. We made our way to the WA Maritime Museum where we took a tour of the submarine HMAS Ovens and took in the displays at the museum, even testing our skill with periscopes. 

After the museum, we walked to Little Creatures Brewing for dinner, and, of course, beer.

Aug 8:

It was another rainy day, but this didn’t deter us as we drove up to the Perth Hills for a lovely lunch at Core Cider House. Jan and Mark sampled the cider while Matt and I enjoyed our favorites. 

In the evening Jan and Mark were able to meet our friends Louise and Ethan and Vince and his girlfriend Erin at our old favorite Neighborhood Pizza. The pizza and company were both excellent, and it was nice to take Jan and Mark to a less-known but well loved restaurant in our old neighborhood of Mt Hawthorn.

Aug 9:

Today, Jan and Mark took off in the morning to head to Fremantle for the prison tour, which included donning safety gear and descending down the ladder system into the tunnels built by early convicts to supply fresh water to the Swan River Settlement and Fremantle. Between tours they visited the Fremantle Markets. Matt and I hung around the house cleaning, running errands, and squeezing in a visit to the chiropractor as we have already done the great prison tours.

Aug 10:

We met Louise and Ethan in the Swan Valley, Perth’s wine region, and stopped in at several wineries and breweries: Harris Wines, Laughin' Barrel, Feral Brewery, Olive Farm, and Jane Brook Wines. 

Lunch at Jane Brook wines was excellent. Unfortunately, all of the wine tasting caught up with me and I ended up feeling ill with a migraine, which didn’t make for a pleasant end of the day for anyone.

Aug 11:

This was a quiet day spent around the house with a BBQ for lunch.

Aug 12:

Ready for adventure again, we stopped in at Dubrovnik Butchers where Matt and Mark bought some sausages and lamb burgers before heading straight to Bindoon Bakehouse in Bindoon. Matt and I stopped here on his friend’s recommendation when we went to New Norcia and it is by far the best bakery I have ever visited in Australia. Full of sugar and coffee, we drove on to Yanchep National Park. 

We visited the koalas there and then walked around the lake, marveled at kangaroos and REALLY loud frogs, before having a BBQ.

Aug 13:

We spent today packing and prepping the house for our departure. In the evening we walked to Il Pasto, our neighborhood Italian restaurant for as usual, a wonderful dinner.

Aug 14:

The first day of our trip down south! We drove for about four hours, having lunch along the way, until we arrived in Albany. No thanks to the directions provided by the villa owners, we arrived at our accommodation for the next few days. Albany Bayside Ocean Villas was perfect for us as it provided everything we needed to enjoy our time in Albany, even when it rained and we had to BBQ “inside.”

This evening, however, we had dinner at Joop Thai in town and it was great.

Aug 15:

Before the trip, Jan told Matt and I that Mark was excited to do some whale watching. We interpreted this as going on a boat tour, completely oblivious to Mark’s struggle against motion sickness. The first hour of the Sail-A-Way Whale Watching Tour was chilly, but excellent. 

Then things got very choppy and bumpy and Mark began to feel sick. Even though he had taken motion sickness medicine and was following all of the captain’s tricks for warding off seasickness, poor Mark was ill the next two hours of the tour. Jan fared a little better but the turbulent boat ride proved too much for her as well! Eventually, we did see a whale, which was amazing. Unfortunately, Mark was much too green around the gills to come out and see it. We did get some photos, and Matt took a video.

 At the end of the tour, the captain offered all of us a free return on Saturday, when he thought we would see more whales. We went ahead and declined for Mark, but said the rest of us would consider coming back. Mark and Jan took it easy that afternoon while Matt and I headed into town and picked up groceries to make BBQ pizzas that afternoon.

Aug 16:

I was really slow getting going this morning, so Matt dropped Jan and Mark in Albany where they checked out the Brig Amity and the WA Museum, before coming back and picking me up. 

We visited the Albany Convict Gaol Museum. The Gaol began as a convict hiring depot before becoming a jail in 1873. Probably the most memorable aspect of this museum is the freaky mannequins you find in all of the cells. It is made worse by the fact that ghost stories about cells being haunted are posted all around. Then you enter a cell and find this. 

Or this. 

I was pretty on edge by the end! Fate stepped in and we ran into Jan and Mark at Dylan’s on the Terrace just in time to have lunch with them. After a while wandering Albany, including photo ops at Dog Rock, we grilled dinner at the villa.

Aug 17:

Matt and I went on our second whale tour, which was much more crowded but also allowed us to see lots and lots of whales. Click here for a link to the video on Youtube.  

Mark and Jan packed up the villa, drove around Albany and checked out some lookouts – they could even see us on the boat!

After the tour we drove to Denmark, and checked in at 31 on the Terrace, our hotel accommodation for the night. We spent the afternoon visiting Boston Brewery, Bartholomew’s Meadery, Elephant Rock Cider, and Lakeside Winery. Luckily, I moderated my intake much better and avoided a migraine! We had a nice dinner at the Indian Restaurant across the street recommended by the hotel manager. In Denmark, WA, it qualifies as fine dining.

Aug 18:

We checked out of the hotel, loaded up the car, and drove toward Walpole-Narnalup National Park to visit the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. The 600-meter walk takes you up 40 meters high in the tingle forest, above the tingle trees.  

I wasn’t expecting the whole thing to sway as we walked along, which was pretty exciting. We also walked through the Ancient Empire boardwalk, learning about tingle trees and the forest region in southwest WA. 

We stopped for lunch in Walpole, drove through Pemberton, and arrived in Margaret River in the evening. The Tudori family that I worked for last year let us stay in their home there for half of what they usually charge people – cha ching! It made for a perfect base for exploring Margaret River last year, and this time with Mark and Jan along it was no different. We drove into town for dinner at Settler’s Tavern, which was very good.

Aug 19:

Well, it started out another rainy day, but we decided to show Jan and Mark Prevelly Beach anyway.

The area is really recovering well from the wildfire that destroyed so much a couple of years ago. We began our winery visits at Firetail Wines, a small vineyard with very nice wine and a nice winemaker. Next we visited The Berry Farm, which makes jams, sauces, chutneys, wines, liqueurs, and ciders. A woman at the Fremantle Market recommended the place to Jan, and we were all glad she did. Lunch at the café there was delicious and memorable thanks to the New Holland Honey Dippers eating jam and cream from a dish next to our table. 

One of the employees suggested we try feeding the birds sugar out of our hands. Only Jan was brave enough to try! Man, did they go for it, too! 

Once Jan applied some cream to the rash developing on her hand where the birds had been pecking, we drove to Watershed Winery for our last tasting of the day.

Aug 20:

We drove south through the Karri Forest, stopping at Red Gate Beach and Hamelin Bay and then to Augusta, before heading on to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. 

We didn’t pay the extortionate price to go in the lighthouse, but $5 each allowed you to tour the grounds and enjoy some amazing views, including where the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean meet. 

We tried our best to spot a whale for Mark, but to no avail. After the lighthouse, we drove to Cowaramup, which is apparently incredibly dead and boring if you aren’t there during Cowaramup Days like Matt and I were last year. The cows were still there, though. 

After a few failed attempts, we finally found a winery open for lunch: Hay Shed Hill. Lunch was pricey but delicious, and the wine was very good. Next we stopped at The Grove where Matt and Mark enjoyed tasting liqueurs and ports, before ended our day at Cheeky Monkey Brewery.

Aug 21:

Today we drove north from the house to Yallingup Beach, which is probably my favorite beach in WA as it is gorgeous in any weather and then to Cape Naturaliste. We walked on the path around the lighthouse, venturing down to a lookout and scanning the water for whales but only finding seals down on the rocks. 

After our walk, which was surprisingly warm, we stopped in the lighthouse tearooms to buy some ice cream treats. Jan and Mark got to chatting with the cashier, it turned out his parents or grandparents (I can’t remember) were from Cornwall. He gave us all free tickets to walk up and see the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse grounds. I can hear my own mother now, saying this is exactly why it is worth it to strike up conversation with strangers! 

After our lovely walk and meander around the lighthouse, we stopped at Eagle Bay Brewery per Matt’s request. It really was a gorgeous place with a lake, a view of the lighthouse, and the sea beyond. 

We had lunch at Laurence Winery, a place I had wanted to visit since the Tudori family had recommended it last year. It was very ornate and unique, as far as wineries in Margaret River go. The food was good, the wine was nice, and the setting was memorable. 

We stopped at Gabriel Chocolate next door before heading back to the house to relax.

Aug 22:

We packed up and left Margaret River to head back to Perth. We stopped at Busselton to see the jetty and use the rest rooms. 

Our next stop was Bunbury, where we had a nice lunch at World Café, where one of Jan’s dental patient’s sons works. It really is a small world. Really. The best part of eating there was that at the end of the meal, dolphins were swimming around the river right in front of us. It wasn’t the same as seeing whales, but finally, as if on cue at our last seaside stop before the end of Mark and Jan’s trip, dolphins arrived for Mark to see! 

We also climbed up the Bunbury Rotary Tower to take in the view, and point out Ethan’s house to Jan and Mark, before driving into Perth.

Aug 23:

Mark and Jan were busy in the morning packing, Matt and I went to the chiropractor and then we all took the bus into city. I visited the post office, Mark and Jan did some souvenir shopping and then we headed to Jamie’s Italian to get our name on the list. After a nice walk around Perth in lovely weather, our table was ready and we enjoyed a fantastic lunch, celebrating Jan’s birthday a day early.  With our bellies very full, we caught a bus home and spent a nice evening sitting around, chatting, and getting everything set for Jan and Mark’s long haul back to England the next day.

It was really important for Matt to host his mum and Mark and show them Perth and WA, and his life here. It was exciting for me to see Matt’s parents again and to have a distraction from being bogged down by worries over the future and stress. The visit would have been very different if Matt was still working and if I had been in better headspace, but I am still so glad Jan and Mark were able to come and that Matt and I were here to show them around. We ate well, drank well, saw all sorts of things you don’t see in England or the US, enjoyed nature and activities unique to WA and all got to know each other better. Regardless of timing and circumstances, that is a good visit and I look forward to many more with Jan and Mark!

Thanks for reading, next up, our trip to Bali!