When Mum Travels...

It’s not easy managing two blogs though not difficult if you post once a year but am trying not to get there, for now. I am guilty of not uploading regularly and I need to repair that starting now.

I have this brilliant idea (or so I think) to share my impression of one of my recent travels with you. I promise I won’t talk about how to get there neither the best places to visit nor any of those easily available details you can grab off the internet. Okay, so may be a bit about things-to-consider-before-you-plan just to kick-start this post. I am trying bullet points to make it easier to read.

During September 2017 school break, I went with my family to one of the must-visit sites near Adelaide, Australia. We drove (only my husband did) to Cape Jervis around 107 km from Adelaide and boarded the ship straight to Kangaroo Island (KI).

A few things to consider:

1. As of today as I write and upload this post, there is no flight from Adelaide but have heard from friends that flights will soon be starting from December 2017 from Adelaide and Melbourne. Update required if flights commence.

2. Yes, it is expensive, comparatively.

3. Recommended duration is a week if you want to see the entire island of 4,405 sq km (!)

4. The more the merrier!

5. Carry lots of dry snacks, water and be ready to cook your own dinner (read barbies in the arvos).

6. Ideal to book a house if possible.

7. The sturdier the vehicle the better the experience will be!

8. People with vestibular imbalance, be aware.

9. Sorry, shaky mobile network, maps are way better (good old days *sigh)

If you are okay with all the above and ready for one more adventure, chase the following words for my take on the stunning place.

So, I have already predisposed your perception of the place with my positive propositions (I agree too much alliteration!). Moving on, let’s talk about colour. Now, you will think that Roohi has lost her marbles, well not more than usual. When I think of Kangaroo Island, I can vividly envision the beautiful colours of the hypnotic sea. It’s neither unique nor different from several others but I was mesmerised to witness all the hues of blue and green and everything in between on each and every beach! The passionate rocking of the vibrant waves reverberated within me. The endless stretch of the water, which literally voyages to Antarctica, would have led me to the end of the world if I was a fur seal. While I stood on the Remarkable Rocks in the orangey delight, all I felt was the wind on my face and the warm rays on my back. I turned around to look at the path from where we had accessed the site and saw the slim winding road disappearing into the ever-present thick foliage of the island. Though unpaved and sandy, the roads connect the island way more strongly than the worldwide network we rely on.

That’s the second imprint I want to talk about. Muddy tracks strewn with gravels kept us company while we traversed our way to the next spot and managed to get lost somewhere near that inviting location but wait that was only for local access. Whoa, we had made a wrong turn and were now stuck in the middle of nowhere. A lone jogger came trotting along, busily stabbing her iPhone (I guessed) than actively jogging. Anyways, she said she was a local and vehicles were allowed on that track but strangely she hadn’t seen one revving in a long time. That’s what you get when you don’t follow your instinct. You need to rely on your sixth sense, your very strong psi to judge if you should take that very welcoming trail. But not a problem, less than 500 metres ahead the road led us away from the jungle and toward some form of habitation. Now, that could greet us in distinctive ways.

Like running right across the road flooded in the bright headlight of our fast-moving four-wheel drive. While we screeched to a halt and prayed that a teeny weeny koala or a wallaby or a kangaroo wasn’t rubbing its back (hopefully) on the very comforting grooves of our front wheel, their cuteness just melted our hearts. And we realised that even though we were wary of driving in the dusk, the sight of so many of these little ones (and a few big ones too, of course) were worth the patience and caution. But cautious we must be because we just might be met by these beautiful beings at the house we called home during our stay. While we waited in our car for them to file out of the wide open gate, we observed our guests’ suspicion while they hopped all around before finally deciding to clear the canvas. And that left us heaps fascinated! The kids wanted to see kangaroos on Kangaroo Island, not that tall an order, and now they had had their fill. My husband was trying to be calm and in control of the situation but somewhere he was worried that the car might get a love-push. Eventually, we bid farewell to our nocturnal friends and made a dash for the door.

The best sight that greeted me specifically was the deep deep blue of the Admirals’ Arch. From that angle at the top, the car park appeared to be in the middle of the ocean and the view that met my roving eyes was one of the best I had ever seen. A long long meandering wooden bridge starting near the car park led us toward an unforgettable sight. Wait, before I started on that yellow pathway, I turned around (I seem to have a thing for turning around!) at the start of the bridge and spotted the lone lighthouse reigning over the wide expanse of the bottle green land. The road that we just drove in through added to the very scenic sight. Inevitably, a sigh escaped me and I started on the trek toward where I was about to view the New Zealand fur seal. But while I was sort of rolling down the passage, I started spotting the fur seals on the way. You might be thinking that they are called the NZ fur seal because probably at one time they might have swam all the way across from NZ! I wondered too but couldn’t collect a confident response. More research required.

And we went down and down and the link turned here and twisted there with picture perfect landing platforms fitted in. We went on relentlessly and as we reached the bottom of the stairs, the sight that made us smile was worth a thousand thoughts. An age-old naturally-shaped rock arch proffered shade (even in the cold) and respite to the fur seals while the chilly ocean sprays tried to kiss us wistfully. Mildew and lichen covered the arch black and very dark brown. We went click happy, selfie sticks all around us. My smartphone gave up and I needed to back up the data before I could snap that one more shot. So, I had to ask my son if he would click one last close-up for the day before I gave up the spot for the others in waiting. He magically obliged and all was well with the world. Smiled my way back up!

The last day dawned bright and early but we weren’t yet ready to say adieu. The brochure my dear husband had picked up at the ferry terminal while arriving advised that one must visit the site that was home to the endangered golden creatures – the sea lions. The sturdy sea lions were sprawled all over the sandy silvery beach. I tried to listen with rapt attention while the tour guide educated us on sea lions’ behaviour and how they swim to the ocean floor for days in search of food! But the garrulous tiff between two slick males startled me – the tour guide informed us that they were teenagers trying to impress the females - I giggled and winked at my sister, boys, I tell you (*eyes rolling obviously)! More pics and selfies, and one group photo too with our fellow travellers. Time to get on the road to catch the ferry back home! As the dusty view was passing us by, I realised my sentiments resonated with my niece’s sobbing because we’d already started missing all the koalas and the wallabies and the kangaroos!

To make up for that, I wrote a poem for my niece’s school presentation on how ‘we want to go to the Kangaroo Island right this instant’.

P. S. – My son loved the feel of the talons of a huge black & white owl while it was resting on his arm! And I forgot to mention the black venomous tiger snake that my niece was about to step on. We spotted it in the wildlife sanctuary we visited right after the birds’ show and where we bought sweet eucalyptus honey.