Australien/Australia

USA er fuld af sorte amerikanere og latinoer, Europa mere eller mindre af muslimer, og det ser ud til, at Australien er ved at blive fyldt med asiater. Man kan kun gisne om, hvad det kommer til at betyde for resten af os vesterlændinge.

Jeg må imidlertid indrømme, at jeg er faldet for Australien, og det hører til mine bedste rejseoplevelser.

Australien er så stort, at man ikke rigtig fatter det, før man begynder at rejse rundt i landet. Landet er det 6. største i verden, men der bor mindre end 20 millioner i hele landet. Den største del af Australien består af savanne eller ørken og man kan køre flere hundrede kilometer uden at møde en modkørende i de øde områder. Kun de sydøstlige og sydvestlige hjørner af kontinentet har et tempereret klima. Den nordlige del af landet har et tropisk klima med regnskove og ørken mens resten af Australien ligger i det subtropiske bælte, hvor der også findes regnskov og store frodige skove og bjergarealer. Overalt findes der et utroligt rigt dyreliv med rigtig mange smukke og farverige fugle og et væld af andre dyr, som man ikke ser i Europa eller andre steder i verden, men også vegetationen er noget for sig selv. Nogle steder er der så mange smukke blomster og planter og andre steder er der intet andet end lidt lavt grønt vegetation og nogle små dværgtræer, som bliver grønne med det samme, hvis det vel at mærke har regnet ellers er alt bare brunt og dødt. Ørkenen er ikke som Sahara men der findes områder med meget rødt sand pga. af jordens indhold af jernoxider ligesom i Dubai.

Der bygges meget tæt i byerne. Man har lov til at bygge klods op ad naboen ca. 1 meter fra skel. Man kan endda tillade sig at bygge i flere etager, selvom det også sker lige foran naboens vinduer. Jeg fik at vide, at man forsøger at få folk til at bo i og omkring byerne, da det er alt for dyrt at sørge for vand og elektricitet m.m. til de tyndt befolkede områder, så alle skal kunne være i byerne, og der er ikke tradition for at bo i lejlighed.

Indbyggerne over hele landet virker utrolig venlige og hjælpsomme. De standser gerne op på gaden og spørger om de kan hjælpe, hvis man står og ser sig undersøgende om. Selv i de offentlige transportmidler spørger folk velvilligt, hvor man skal hen, hvis man sidder og stirrer på et kort. Det kunne vi danskere godt lære lidt af. Der er advarsels- og oplysningsskilte overalt. Langs motorvejen står der bl.a., at man skal passe på ikke at døse eller falde i søvn under kørslen, og hvor der er afskærmet ved høje skrænter og bjerge står der, at det er farligt at læne sig ud. Der er utrolig megen sikkerhed, bl.a. var der i mineområdet opsat skilte, hvor man blev advaret mod at falde i mineskakterne, da man kunne dø af det. Det var både skrevet og illustreret. Selv på vejbanerne i bl.a. Sydney er der skrevet, om man skal kigge til højre eller til venstre for biltrafik, men så har de jo også sikret sig, at der ikke bagefter kommer nogen og sagsøger, fordi de ikke er blevet advaret eller oplyst. Sydney har fornylig indført, at man det koster 69 AUD (69 X 5,5) at J-walke dvs. at man ikke må zig-zagge mellem bilerne eller gå over for rødt men skal benytte de dertil afmærkede overgange. Man skal betale en bøde på stedet ellers får man ikke lov til at gå videre. Bøderne er enorme og priserne skyhøje. Vores guide på turen i ørkenen jokede med, at man kunne få et ½ år i fængsel, hvis man smed et æbleskrog ud af vinduet på bilen. Selv Australierne brokker sig over prisniveauet og sjovt nok ser man heller ikke bemærkelsesværdig mange overvægtige mennesker som f.eks. i USA og Europa.

Da jeg ankom til Brisbane kl. 5 om morgenen, stod Robert klar til at hente mig. Det var begyndende forår og forventningerne til temperaturen var kun omkring de 20 grader, men de havde imidlertid det varmeste forår nogensinde, så temperaturen nåede helt op på 29 grader de første dage i Queensland.

Jeg boede hos Lesley og Robert i Redland Bay området. Jeg lærte dem at kende i Vietnam for et par år siden. De er simpelthen så gæstfrie. Jeg fik eget toilet og bad foruden et dejligt stort værelse og blev kørt rundt til seværdigheder i Queenland. Første dag besøgte vi ”Koala Centre” og bagefter fik kaffe og kage ved vingården Sirromet Winery, hvorefter turen gik forbi Daisy Hill State Forest, hvor jeg fangede et nærbillede af en Wallaby.

Dagen efter gik den lange tur med et kort kaffe- og kagestop ved Canungra til Alpaca Farm med et lille dyrehold af lamalignende dyr og høns samt en lille shop og en fantatisk udsigt over bjergene. Bagefter gik turen til en subtropisk regnskov - O'Rielly's Rainforest Retreat i Lamington nationalpark ved the Green Mountains, hvor Robert, som havde medbragt eget fuglefoder til alle de små tamme lorries, blev noget hed om ørerne, da vi så et skilt, hvor der stod, at man fik en bøde på AUD 35,000 hvis man fodrede dyrene med eget medbragt foder.

Den efterfølgende dag drog vi den lange tur af sted til området langs ”The Gold Coast”, som er den andenstørste by i Queensland på grænsen til New South Wales. Byen er Queenslands andenstørste by med det største indbyggertal i Australien for en ikke-hovedstad. Området, som er meget populært blandt surfere dækker i øvrigt et kæmpe areal langs Byron Bay og helt ind i staten New South Wales. Vi så bl.a. landets mest østlige fyrtårn the Byron Lighthouse bygget 1901 – og formodentlig på lang afstand nogle hvaler, som er i bugten på denne tid af året for at yngle. Bagefter lavede vi en picknic ved Watego's Beach og besøgte Robert og Lesleys venner Jan and Terry Riordan i deres specielle "Cornubia" hus, der er bygget så det nærmest ligger oppe i træerne med udsigt til swimmingpoolen på 1. sal – meget usædvanligt. Middagen om aftenen blev indtaget ved vandet på Mamma Mia Cafe.

Det hårde program fortsatte søndag, da vi tog til Redland Art Gallery og bagefter mødtes med familien til en fælles fars dag i Musgrave Park ved Brisbane River, hvor der blev grillet og delt en fælles picnic lunch. Bagefter blev det til en tur med the RiverCat på floden til Southbank Parklands, hvor man langs bredden af floden har lavet kunstige strandområder, hvor folk kan bade.

Så blev det tid til at rejse videre og dagen efter bragte Robert mig tilbage til lufthavnen (God bless him). Jeg glæder mig til at få lov til at gøre gengæld i mit land.

Jeg ankom til Alice Springs midt i ørkenen først på eftermiddagen. Byen ligger helt isoleret midt i ørkenen og har kun ca. 25.000 indbyggere. Den er ikke særlig stor og det tager ikke lang tid at komme fra den ene ende af byen til den anden.

Jeg lagde stærkt ud med det samme med at gå ind til centrum, hvilket kun tog omkring 10 min., idet mit hotel ”Chlifley Resort” lå lige uden for bygrænsen. Byen var let at finde rundt i men virkede mærkværdig øde allerede omkring kl. 17, hvor de fleste forretninger i gågaden var lukkede. Det gentog sig dagen efter, så det var nok sådan at det skulle være. Det er nok også den by, hvor jeg så flest indfødte – The Aboriginals – som her lever af støtte fra regeringen i nogle sølle barakker – de drikker og er meget støjende men generer ikke folk, hvis man holder sig væk fra dem og undlader at gå de forkerte steder om aftenen. Jeg nåede en tur på det lokale bibliotek og at bestige Anzac Hill og så var det hjem og slappe af på hotellet. Dagen efter blev det til en tur på krybdyrscentret – et lille privatejet sted med nogle firben, slanger og lidt småkryb og en enkelt krokodille. Det var ulideligt varmt om dagen, så det var en underlig fornemmelse at gå i hotellets udendørs swimmingpool, hvor vandet føltes ret koldt.Om aftenen skulle jeg mødes med mine rejsekammerater de næste 12 dage.

Vi var 6 deltagere, som blev blandet sammen med et 8 andre, der allerede havde rejst sammen i 8 dage, men dem så jeg først om morgenen dagen efter, da jeg af Robert og Lesley havde fået at vide, at deres søns kammerat David Garnham spillede på the Rock Bar senere på aftenen, så ham drog jeg op til byen for at høre. Hans musik er rigtig god, men desværre kunne jeg ikke blive så længe, da jeg skulle tidlig op næste morgen for at drage ud på turen ned gennem midten af Australien.

Det blev til en fantastisk udfordrende tur i bus mange mange mange timer om dagen. Nick, en fyr fra New Zealand var vores guide og utrolig velvidende om Australien lige tilbage til dets oprindelse og han virkede aldrig sur eller tvær på os. Vi kom til at køre mellem 350-750 km om dagen. I alt blev det til over 4.000 km fra Alice Springs til Melbourne. Vi kørte det meste af dagen gennem stepper med lav vegetation og ingen beboelse. Det eneste vi stødte på med flere hundrede kilometer mellemrum var klipper, en enkelt benzinstation og toiletter.  Alt i Australien er røvdyrt men sjovt nok er toiletbesøg gratis (de vil ikke have alt det svineri, så det er der taget hånd om), og det er også en af grundene til, at man ikke bare kan gå, hvor man vil længere eller kravle rundt oppe i klipperne ved Ayers Rock, som The Aboriginals har omdøbt til Uluru. Området er beskyttet og er nu givet tilbage til de indfødte for at bevare naturen. Australien gør meget for at give denne del af landet tilbage til naturen, og det er ikke tilladt at færdes uden for de afskærmede områder.

I en hede på omkring de 40 grader så vi The Garden of Eden in Kings Cayon. I minebyen Coober Pedy, hvor de udhugger Australiens nationalsten Opalen, har de 55 grader om sommeren. Minearbejderne tjener så godt, at de betaler omkring 300.000 kr. om året i husleje, så det kunne godt betale sig at købe et hus og leje det ud, da disse små ikke særlig skønne huse ”kun” koster omkring 1 mill., men det er jo ikke lige sådan at komme dertil. Jeg så ellers straks en god forretning. Dog bor mange under jorden p.g.a. varmen om sommeren. Vi besøgte et minemuseum, hvor de også solgte opaler til en fornuftig pris. The Sound of Silence Show i Yulara en af de første aftener gik ud på at spise middag midt i sandørkenen, hvor der var arrangeret borde og stole i sandet og med en improviseret buffet. Vi fik champagne mens solen gik ned. Efter vi havde fået noget at spise, slukkede man alt lyset, så de mange millioner stjerner blev meget klare og synlige på himlen, hvorefter en mand fortalte om dem. Seancen varede i alt omkring 4 timer.

Ingen havde advaret os om fluerne. Jeg havde godt nok observeret, at de var ret irriterende i Alice Springs, men det var intet mod hvad der ventede os på turen. De fleste af os kapitulerede og købte et fluenet til hovedet, da man ellers havde dem i ører, øjne, næse og mund. Der var bare millioner af dem og de var alle vegne. Et skilt vi så på vejen et af stederne, hvor vi gjorde holdt, sagde det hele: Her har vi 3,5 millioner får, 2 millioner fluer og 30 mennesker.Det er ikke slemt med fluerne i storbyen, men om sommeren er de uudholdelige ude i bushen. De kommer lige så snart det bliver lyst og forsvinder så igen, når solen går ned.

Vi sov forskellige steder næsten hver nat – kun i Yulara, Port Augusta og Adelaide blev det til 2 overnatninger.The Lady Bay Resort i Warrnambool hører bestemt til blandt de bedste. En dejlig altan med udsigt over bugten og et kæmpe værelse. De ansatte var utrolig belevne og morsomme, så der var vi gerne blevet lidt længere. Efter Alice Springs gjorde vi foruden Yulara og Coober Pedy og Port Augusta ophold i Adelaide, Grampians og Warrnambool inden vi sluttede i Melbourne. I Port Augusta var den første aften fuld af en af Australien største motorcykelbander ”the Rebels”, der var på vej til den årlige samling i Perth. De vækkede os op allerede kl. 4.30 om morgenen og blev ved med at holde deres motorcykler i gang i næsten en time inden de endelig forsvandt. I nogle stater er det blevet forbudt at bære rygmærke for at få skovlen under disse bander, men de kan altid genkendes fordi de ikke bruger visir på deres hjelme. I Port Augusta var det åbenbart ikke forbudt, men de var mandsopdækket af politiet.

Maden i Australien er ganske udmærket. Jeg smagte for 1. gang kamel – en Marlaburger. Landet er plaget af en eksplosiv vækst af kameller i ørkenen. De kom dertil som arbejdsdyr men lever nu vildt og former sig ukontrolleret. Kænguru kunne jeg ikke få mig selv til at spise. Dem så vi en del af undervejs. Derimod er Koalaer svære at få øje på men det lykkedes i Grampians Nationalpark. Slanger så vi slet ikke, men der lå af og til krybdyr på asfalten og solede sig. Man ser og hører vildt mange fugle alle vegne og de er alle utrolig smukke og farverige.

Undervejs gjorde vi stop for at se alt lige fra klippeformationer og bjergområder til regnskove. Det blev til nogle vandringer i de forskellige nationalparker og regnskove og et kig ind i Aboriginal kulturcentre undervejs. Derudover besøgte vi Lake Eyre i Flinders Rangers National Park. Flinders Rangers er Australiens største bjergkæde og Lake Eyre er enorm saltsø i midten af ørkenen og et geografisk vidunder, som ligger 15 m under havets overflade for det meste uden vand, så der kun er salt tilbage. Det blev også til et besøg på Claire Valley vingård med en masse smagsprøver. Der var ikke mange stunder uden gruppen, men i Adelaide blev vi sluppet fri på egen hånd,og jeg så bl.a. Adelaide Oval – en kæmpe sportsarena, som er under udvidelse og var en tur rundt i byen, hvor jeg fandt mit yndlingsspisested Asian Food Court. Først var jeg taget med sporvognen syd for byen, fordi jeg havde hørt, at der var noget dyrskue men jeg så kun et større tivoli, som åbenbart kun var der en gang om året, men var den store attraktion for børnefamilier.

Den sidste del af turen gik langs The Great Ocean Road, som fører gennem nogle af de mest naturskønne områder i verden og langs en fantastisk kyststrækning, hvor vi bla. så et berømt hus bygget på oppe en kraftig pæl og de 12 apostle, der er klippeformationer, som vandet har fravristet fastlandet, og som blev omdøbt fra at være kendt som Sow and Piglets for at tiltrække flere turister. Disse klippeformationer er gradvis ved at blive nedbrudt, og der er kun 8 fritstående klippeenheder tilbage.

Den sidste dag ankom vi til Melbourne og blev checket ind på Vibe Savoy hotel. Vi skiltes efter en middag på en dyr italiensk restaurant, som ikke så dyr ud. Vi blev da også stuvet sammen på en meget lille plads og kom til at betale en skyhøj pris for middag, der ikke var bemærkelsesværdig. Betalingen var også et stort roderi, fordi restauranten valgte at bonne os samlet. Det havde de helt sikkert prøvet før – det skæpper godt i kassen med disse udenlandske grupper, der bare vælger at betale. Der var selvfølgelig nogle som fortsatte festen i nattelivet bagefter. De så også noget hængt ud næste morgen.

Det var sørgeligt som altid at skulle sige farvel. Tak til jer alle og især til Marylin – min værelseskammerat for god ro og orden og til Nick, som uden sure miner holdt os alle ud og gjorde rejsen til en problemløs oplevelse.

Der blev en larmende stilhed efter at have været sammen døgnet rundt med 14 andre mennesker. De fleste skulle videre, men Stefan, en tysk deltager og jeg skulle blive et par dage ekstra i Melbourne og gjorde derfor de næste par dage hinandens selskab rundt i Melbournes gader, Victoria Market, Lygon Street (italiensk bydel), hele Docklands området omkring floden og St. Kilda (2 gange), et turistområde med strande ca. 20 min. sporvognskørsel syd for Melbourne. Tak for selskabet Stefan – beklageligt at mit engelske i den grad forværrede mit tyske. Stefan blev et par dage længere end jeg, som fortsatte til Sydney for at få det sidste med fra Australien.

Igen havde jeg valgt et hotel centralt beliggende – denne gang et asiatisk hotel ”City Hotel” i Sydney midtby. Jeg fik nok hotellets mindste værelse noget lignende det i Singapore, men denne gang var der knap plads til at gå på pga. et stort skab og en dobbeltseng i et værelse på ca. 2,5 x 2,5, så kufferten måtte jeg hoppe over for at komme ind i badeværelset, hvor jeg måtte sætte min håndbagage under vasken.

Jeg nåede det mest vigtige så som operahuset, Sydney Habour Bridge, den gamle bydel ”The Rocks” og Cadman Cottage, hvor der var undervisning i gang for de små omkring tiden for de første pioneres ankomst. Jeg gik helt op på Sydney Habour Bridge for at opleve højden men havde det alligevel dårligt, fordi den på en eller anden måde virkede skrøbelig. Man kunne mærke trafikken, som kørte over. Det blev derfor ikke til et langvarigt ophold eller overgang, da broen er 1149 meter lang. I stedet gik jeg til Circular Quay og tog en turbåd under broen i stedet. Da jeg tog en pause med en bid medbragt brød, var jeg nær blevet udplyndret af en fræk måge. Havde jeg ikke holdt godt fast på brødet, var det forsvundet. Det var tilsyneladende ikke noget særsyn, at mågerne er frækkere end duerne hjemme. Jeg så både Queen Victoria Building med de dyre forretninger, Rialto Tower (hvor jeg valgte ikke at gå op pga. de mange asiater, der havde fået samme ide om aftenen) samt Hyde Park med Anzac War Memorial og sluttelig inden mørkets frembrud St. Mary’s Cathedral, hvor der var en gudstjenste i gang. Desuden var jeg 2 gange på byens bibliotek for at klare lidt mails, da jeg ikke ville betale for 24 timers brug på hotellet, når jeg nu ikke var der. Jeg mødte også en meget flink australsk mand i øsehamrende regnvejr første dag jeg ankom til Sydney og tog regnslag på for at gå ud og lede efter mad. Der var efterhånden lukket alle steder, så han tilbød at servere te og lidt at spise, hvilket jeg gjorde op med mig selv, var vældigt sødt, men nok ikke noget jeg skulle afprøve.

Det var vældigt modvilligt at jeg tog hjem til Danmark med alle problemerne og det evigt anstrengende arbejde med huset.

Læs om turen til Singapore i foregående indlæg.

ENGLISH VERSION:

The US is crowded by black people and Latinos, Europe more or less by muslims and it looks like Australia is being overpopulated by Asian people. What will happen to the rest of the people from the Western world is only for you to guess.

I must admit however that I have lost my heart to Australia and it is among the best of my travelling excursions.

Australia is so big that it is hard to comprehend before you start travelling the country. It is the 6th largest country in the world but it has less than 20 million inhabitants. The majority part of Australia has a scarce vegetation or desert and you can drive hundreds of miles without seeing another car in the deserted areas. Only the south east and south west corners of the continent has a temperate climate. The north of the country has a tropical climate with rain forest and desert while the rest of Australia is in the subtropical zone, where there are also rain forests, vigorous plants and big mountains. Everywhere you see a fantastic animal life with many very colorful birds and a lot of animals you do not see anywhere else in the world, and also vegetation is something of a kind. Some places there are so many pretty flowers and other places there is nothing but shrubs and dwarf trees, which turn green as soon as it rains but most of the time are brown and dead. It does not look like Sahara but the sand is red like in Dubai because of the type of soil.

Houses are built very close in the cities. You are allowed to build only 1 meter from the boundary line of your neighbor. You can even build your house in several storages although it covers your neighbor’s view. I was told that the government is trying to make people live in the city because it is too expensive to provide plumbing etc. in the vast populated areas and building close makes more room for everybody and there is no tradition to live in apartments.

People everywhere all over the country are very friendly and helpful. They will readily stop on the street to ask if you need any help as soon as you look as if you are lost. Even in public transportation people ask you were you are going if you look a bit confused at a map. I think this is something that the Danes should learn from. Everywhere there are also signs that warn you or inform you. Along the highways and motorways you are warned about being too tired to drive or fall asleep while driving. By every tourist attraction where you might risk falling over the edge of the high cliff fences signs tell you that it is dangerous to lean out. The security is extremely high i.e. the signs in the mining area told you not to fall backwards into the mine shafts, as you might risk dying. This was even illustrated with drawings. Also on the lanes in Sydney it said whether you should look left or right for the traffic, but of course then no one can come later and claim that they were not warned or informed and consequently lawsuit is not an issue. In Sydney a new fine was introduced recently. You have to pay 69 AUD to J-walke, which means that you must stick to the marked crossings and not walk between the cars on the road or cross when the red light is on. The fine must be paid on the spot before you are allowed to continue. The fines are enormous and prices sky high. Our CEO on the G-tour joked about getting 6 months in prison if you threw an apple out the window (everyone bought that). Also the Australians are discontent with the level of prices and I noticed that not very many in Australia seem to be extremely fat as they are in both the US and Europe.

When I arrived in Brisbane 5 o’clock in the morning Robert was there ready to pick me up. It was early spring and the temperature should normally be around 20 degrees at that time of the year, but this year Australia had experienced the hottest spring in 40 years and temperatures reached 29 degrees some of the days in Queensland.

I stayed with Lesley and Robert in the Redland Bay area. I got to know them on my trip to Vietnam a couple of years ago. They are very open and very friendly. I got my own bath and toilet and a nice room and they took me to a lot of sights in Queensland. The first day we visited the Koala Centre and had coffee and cake afterwards at the Sirromet Winery. Then the tour went on to Daisy Hill State Forest, where I caught a close up photo of a Wallaby.

The day after we went for a long ride to the Alpaca Farm with a short stop for coffee and Lesley’s cookies in Canungra. The Alpaca Farm has Alpacas looking like little llamas and some hens, a little shop and a spectacular view over the mountains. After that we drove on the subtropical rain forest - O'Rielly's Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park by the Green Mountains. Robert brought his own feed to all the tam lories, but he got very uneasy when we spotted a sign saying you would be fined AUD 35,000 if you fed any of the animals with your own feed.

The following day we did another long drive this time to the area along the Gold Coast, which is very famous among surfers and by the border to New South Wales. The city is also Queensland’s second most populous non-capital city and the 6^th largest city in the country. It covers a huge area along Byron Bay reaching into the state of New South Wales. We visited the Byron lighthouse built in 1901 and Australia’s most easterly lighthouse – presumably we also spotted some whales in the bay – there was a big splash in the water. They come into the bay at this time of year to breed. Then we had a Robert’s picnic on the Watego's Beach and went to visit some of Robert and Lesley’s friends Jan and Terry Riordan in their special Cornubia home built on level with the top of a lot of trees and with a swimmingpool on the 1^st floor – very unusual. Dinner that night was by the Redland Bay in the Mamma Mia Cafe.

Saturday we went to the Redland Art Gallery and afterwards we met with the family to a father’s day reunion in Musgrave Park by the Brisbane River, where we had a barbeque and shared a picnic lunch. Before going back we took the RiverCat to the Southbank Parklands where spectacular beach areas have been made by the river bank for the city people.

The next day it was time to move on and Robert brought me back to the airport – God bless him. I look forward to return his and Lesley's hospitality in my country.

In the afternoon I arrived in Alice Springs – the only town in the middle of the desert. The town is totally isolated with a population of only about 25.000. It is not very big and it does not take long to get from one end to the other.

I started out right away by going down town which took only about 10 minutes, as my hotel the Chlifley Resort was just outside the border line of the town. It was easy to find your way around the town, which seemed deserted already at 5 pm as most shops in the Todd mall pedestrian street were closed. The same was the case the day after so it was probably the way it was. The town was also the one where I saw most Aboriginals. They lived on welfare in very poor housing. They drank and were very noisy but they do not bother anyone, if you stay away from them and avoid going the wrong places when it is dark. I managed to get into the local library and do some mails and to "clime" the Anzac Hill before going home to rest in the hotel. The day after I visited the Reptile Centre – a small private owned place with some reptiles, snakes and other strange species and a single crocodile. It was horrible hot in the middle of the day so it was a strange feeling going into a cold pool in the hotel afterwards. I was to meet my travelling mates for the next 12 days in the evening.

We were 6 new participants, who were put together with 8 other people, who had already been travelling together for 8 days. I did not see these people until the next morning, as Robert and Lesley had told me that one of their son’s friends David Garnham played in the Rock Bar the same evening. I went by myself to listen to him and he was good. I had already heard him on a CD but the real thing is much better. Unfortunately I could not stay long as I had to get up early the next morning to be on the tour down the middle of Australia.

The tour turned out to be a fantastic and challenging ride in a bus for many many many hours. We drove between 350-750 kilometers a day. Nick, a guy from New Zealand, who was our tour guide, had a tremendous knowledge about Australia all back to the time of the country’s origin and never seemed to get cross with us. Altogether we ended up driving more than 4.000 kilometers from Alice Springs to Melbourne. We drove most of the day through deserted areas with small vegetation. The only thing we saw for hundreds of miles was some cliffs now and then and a single gas station and the toilets. Everything in Australia is ever so expensive but toilets are free (Australia does not want your shit, so that is taken care of) and it is probably also one of the reasons that you just cannot walk where ever you want or climb the cliffs of Ayers Rock, which has been renamed by the Aboriginals to Uluru. The area is sacred and given back to the Aboriginals to preserve nature. Australia does a lot of efforts to protect nature and consequently you are not allowed to walk outside the fenced areas.

We saw The Garden of Eden in Kings Cayon in a temperature of around 40 degrees. In the mining village Coober Pedy, where they carve Australia’s national stone the opal, the temperature is around 55 degrees in the summertime. The miners earn a good living and pay about 50.000 AUD in rent a year, which means it could be worthwhile to buy and let out a house, as these not very attractive houses can be bought at a price of “only” 200.000 AUD, but of course it is not easy to be a long distance landlord. I did sense a business though. Many people however do live under ground because of the heat in the summertime. We visited a miners museum, where you could buy opals at reasonable prices.

The Sound of Silence show in Yulara one of the first nights of the tour did involve a dinner in the desert with an arrangement of tables and chairs in the sand and an improvised buffet. We had champagne in the sunset, and after dinner all candle lights were put out to reveal the millions of stars showing up very clearly and visible on the sky and a man told us about the most famous ones. It all lasted about 4 hours.

No one did warn us about the flies. I did observe them in Alice Springs, as I found them a bit annoying but that was nothing against what was waiting for us on the tour. Most of us capitulated and bought a fly net to cover the face, otherwise you had the flies in your eyes, ears, nose and mouth. There were millions of flies and they were everywhere. We met a sign at one of our stops saying it all: Here we have 3.5 million sheep, 2 million flies and 30 humans. The flies are not bad in the big cities, but in the summertime they are unbearable in the bush. They appear as soon as it is daylight but disappear again at sunset.

We slept different places almost every night - only in Yulara, Port Augusta and Adelaide we had a 2 nights stay. The Lady Bay Resort in Warrnambool was definitely one of the best places among our accomodation. A lovely balcony with a view over the bay and a huge room. The staff was incredibly service minded and with a sense of humor and it made you want to stay a little longer. After Alice Springs we stopped in Adelaide, Grampians and Warrnambool besides Yulara and Coober Pedy and Port Augusta before we ended up in Melbourne. The first night in Port Augusta was full of Australia’s biggest motorcycle gang ”the Rebels”, who were on their way to the annual meeting in Perth. They woke us up already around 4:30 am in the morning by starting their motorcycles engines and kept them going for almost an hour before they finally disappeared. In some states insignia is forbidden to hassle these gangs but they are always recognizable as they do not wear shield on their helmets. In Port Augusta insignias were obviously not forbidden but the gang was man-to-man marked by the police.

The food in Australia is fine. For the first time I tasted camel meat – a Marlaburger. The country has an explosive growth of camels in the desert. They were brought to Australia for working purposes because they are so fit for the desert, but now they are living wild and are breeding to a still increasing number and that is a huge problem. Kangaroo meat is also served but I could not make myself eat those animals. We saw a great deal of them on our way. Koalas however are difficult to spot, but we succeeded in the Grampians National Park. Snakes were pretty invisible but reptiles were sunbathing on the road. You see and hear a lot of wild birds everywhere and they are all both beautiful and very colorful.

We made stops now and then as we drove and saw spectacular cliff formations and we passed mountains and had short walks in several rain forests.  We visited different national parks and Aboriginal cultural centres. We walked on Lake Eyre in Flinders Rangers National Park. Flinders Rangers are Australia’s biggest mountain range and Lake Eyre is a huge salt lake in the middle of the desert and one geographical wonder, which lies 15 meter under sea level most of the time without water leaving only the salt behind. A visit to the Claire Valley winery with a lot of tasting was also one of the stops. There was not much time without the group but in Adelaide we were on our own for the day and I was wandering around the city and passed the Adelaide Oval – a big sports arena, which is under reconstruction. Also I found my favorite eating area the Asian Food Court. I started out however by taking the tram to the south of city, because I had heard that a fair was taking place but I saw only a Luna Park, which is there only once a year and is a big attraction for families with small children.

The last part of the trip went along The Great Ocean Road, which lead through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and along a fantastic coastal line, where we saw a house built on a big pole and the 12 apostles, which are a collection of rock stacks of limestone separated from the main land by the waves and renamed from being known as Sow and Piglets to attract more tourists. The stacks are gradually eroded and there are only 8 of them left.

The last day we arrived in Melbourne and checked in to the Vibe Savoy hotel. We parted after a dinner in an expensive Italian restaurant, which did not look expensive at all and where we were packed together on very little space. We did however pay a sky high price for a dinner, which really was not that special. The payment also turned out to be a mess, because the owner of the restaurant chose to make us pay one bill. They have probably done that before – it pays well with these foreign groups choosing to pay instead of making a fuss. A part of the group did continue to party in the nightlife afterwards and they did look like awful the next morning.

It is always sad to say goodbye, anyway thanks to all of you – especially Marylin – my room mate - for an ever positive attitude and to Nick for a polite and humorous behavior and for making our travel an easy excursion.

Being together with 14 other people around the clock made the silence afterways very striking. Most of the guys were travelling on to other places, but Stefan, my German co-traveller and I were staying in Melbourne and walked the streets together for the next couple of days to Victoria Market, Lygon Street (Italian part of the city), the Docklands by the river and St. Kilda (twice), a beach area for tourists about 20 min. tram travel south of Melbourne. Vielen Dank Stefan für deine Gesellschaft – Ich bedauere, dass mein Englisch mein Deutsch so viel verschlechtete. Stefan stayed a couple of days more than me. I carried on to Sydney to get the last sights of Australia. Again I stayed in a central hotel downtown – the City Hotel, an Asian hotel in Sydney city. I probably got the smallest room in the hotel – a bit like Singapore standards but this time a huge cupboard and a double bed in a room 2.5 x 2.5 m made it difficult to get around and the only place to put the trunk was by the end of the bed which meant that I had to jump over it every time I had to go to the bathroom. Also the hand luggage had to be placed under the zinc because there was no other room for it.

I managed to visit the most important places like the Opera House, Sydney Habour Bridge, the old part of the city ”The Rocks” and the Cadman Cottage, where I witnessed an ourdoor lesson for small pupils about the time of the arrival of the first pioneers. I went all the way up on the Sydney Habour Bridge to experience the height but felt bad about it because the bridge seemed unstabile. You could feel the traffic and therefore I did not stay very long or even crossed the bridge, which is also a walk of 1149 meters. Instead I went to the Circular Quay and took a boat under the bridge. I had a break in between and was almost robbed by a cheeky seagull. Had I not kept a god grab on the bread in my hand it had disappeared with the bird. It did not seem to be something extraordinary that the seagulls are more cheeky there than the pigeons are at home. I did also see both the Queen Victoria Building with the expensive shops, the Rialto Tower (where I chose not to enter because of the many Asian people, who had got the same idea that night I chose to go there), the Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park and before darkness St. Mary’s Cathedral, where a service took place. I also visited the library of the city twice to do some mails, as I was not prepared to pay for a 24 hours access in the hotel not being there much. I met a very nice Australian man in the pouring rain when I arrived in Sydney after having covered myself with a rain poncho in order to go and buy some food. All the food stores were closed more or less so he offered me the and something to eat, which was very nice but I decided however to decline.

I reluctantly returned to Denmark to all the problems and the ever exhausting work with the house.

Read about my Singapore excursion below.

Singapore

På grund af den lange tur til Australien gjorde jeg et kort ophold i Singapore. Singapore ligger i subtropisk område og derfor var det noget af en varm omvæltning, da Danmark jo var på vej hen i efteråret. Singapore er det femterigeste land i verden, når det gælder BNP pr. indbygger med helt moderne levestil med en stadig "on-going contruction" af moderne bygninger. I Singapore City har det stemningsfulde Chinatown, hvor jeg boede, overlevet landets moderniseringsbølge og bevaret sin charme på trods af, at arealet er blevet væsentlig mindre. Det er forbudt at tygge tyggegummi, og derfor må det heller ikke indføres i landet. Det er forbudt at spytte og smide affald på gaden, ryge på offentlige steder, undlade at trække ud på toilettet, gå over gaden uden for fodgængerfelterne og meget andet. Det straffes med bøde på op til 1000 S$ (det kan godt få en til at adlyde), og der er advarselsskilte alle vegne, men dem lagde jeg nu ikke så meget mærke til.

Jeg ankom sidst på eftermiddagen dødtræt efter godt 14 timers flyvning og et kort stop i Helsingfors.  Heldigvis regnede det, så varmen var ikke så uudholdelig.  Jeg havde hørt, at taxa skulle være billig i Singapore, så jeg fes bare hen og spurgte den første den bedste taxamand. Han skulle have over 40 SGD for at køre mig til hotellet – det var dyrt mente jeg og fik så at vide, at det var fordi han kørte i en stor dyr taxa og at man godt kunne få det billigere med de mindre taxaer. Jeg var træt, så jeg gad ikke begynde at skifte. Det var imidlertid ikke det værste. Da vi ankom til hotellet, gik han ikke engang ud af bilen, for at tage kufferten ud af bagagerummet. Jeg havde godt nok forhandlet mig til en max. pris på 40 SGD, men at han for at undgå at blive våd bare åbnede bagagerummet inde fra var lige i overkanten. Jeg måtte selv ud i en monsunregnen og hente min kuffert. Heldigvis holdt vi lige uden for hotellet, Bliss hotel i Chinatown, men jeg nåede da at blive gennemblødt.  

Regnen varede ikke så længe, så efter at have installeret mig på mit typisk asiatiske miniværelse, hvor man kunne se gennem glasvægge ind i det endnu mindre badeværelse (ikke sjovt, når man er to), begav jeg mig ud for at finde stedet, hvor man kunne købe billetter til sightseeing og en udflugt til Sentosa Island.  Jeg skulle først lige blive bekendt med MRT – undergrundssystemet, hvor man bogstavelig talt har et subkultur med butikker og restauranter m.m. i tempereret luft med air con – sikkert fordi at man jo lever i et subtropisk klima med en temperatur året rundt på omkring de 30 grader og høj luftfugtighed. Det var uhyre interessant og som en by under byen. En af de første indbygger, som jeg kom i kontakt med, var i undergrunden, fordi jeg spurgte om hvordan jeg købte billet. Det var en utrolig flink og hjælpsom ung mand, som gav mig penge til billetten, fordi jeg jo endnu ikke havde småpenge, som var nødvendig for at trække en billet. Jeg brugte nogle timer på at fare lidt vild i systemet inden jeg fandt stedet, som jeg ledte efter og som selvfølgelig var lukket, da klokken efterhånden var blevet 19:30. Jeg var imidlertid blevet nogenlunde fortrolig med hvordan det fungerede – fandt en billig Burger King i undergrunden, hvor jeg fik lidt mad – tog nogle billeder oppe over jorden og vendte træt tilbage til hotellet uden at have noget mad til næste morgen. Jeg faldt hurtig i søvn og sov så godt, at klokken var mange næste morgen, hvor jeg jo havde bestemt mig for at tage til Jurong Bird Park. Jeg havde ikke tid til morgenmad, så det var med en flaske vand at jeg skyndte mig til det busstoppested, som jeg havde læst mig til skulle have en bus direkte, men den kom i hvert fald aldrig der, hvor jeg ventede, og jeg måtte tage bybussen og skifte på "central busstation". Hele turen derud tog mig 1½ time – så undervejs bestemte jeg mig for, at den bustur ville jeg betragte som min sightseeingstur.

Jurong Bird Park var en dejlig oplevelse – et smukt sted i udkanten af det centrale Singapore med en masse eksotiske planter og fugle. Jeg tilkøbte mig til en on and off "tram"tur, da parken var rimelig stor og ville have krævet en masse benarbejde. Først der fik jeg lidt at spise – i det hele taget var mit ophold i Singapore præget af, at jeg ikke havde tid til at sætte mig og få noget mad. Heldigvis fandt jeg den sidste dag en "public food Court" – et af disse asiatiske samlinger af madboder er billige og man får rigelig med god mad.

Efter Jurong Bird Park, hvor jeg kun havde nogle timer måtte jeg skynde mig tilbage til hotellet, fordi jeg troede, at hotellet havde skaffet mig en billet til udflugten til Sentosa Island kl. 14.30. Det viste sig imidlertid, at man ikke kunne være mindre end 4 personer, hvis man skulle hentes fra hotellet, så jeg måtte selv lave udflugten, hvis jeg ville se Underwater World og ”verdens største” akvarium. Det viste sig, at være temmelig dyrt, da selve øen nærmest er en slags entertainment park og en slags badeby for turister, så jeg købte blot billet til turen og akvariet.  Det var næsten som at komme i en slags luksus set up. Et rigtigt ferieparadis med overdækkede områder. Akvariet var måske stort i areal, men nu havde jeg jo været i Dubai og set det kæmpe store akvarium i Dubai Mall, hvor der var vand bag glasvægge i op til 3-4 meters højde (jeg nåede jo desværre ikke der at komme ind i akvariet på Palm Tree Island, hvor man kunne svømme med delfiner). Turen i akvariet var rigtig spændende og jeg så bl.a. en olm blæksprutte og rørte ved en søstjerne. Jeg fik også lige Singapores bedste kop kaffe – en baljefuld til 4-5 SGD. Jeg vendte tilbage til hotellet efter mørkets frembrud og nåede lige en kort tur i Temple Street tæt på hotellet, hvor der jo var det sædvanlige kinesiske marked med al mulig billigt skrammel. Jeg ville have været ind i et tempel, men det var desværre blevet for sent, da jeg så opdagede en lille biks, der solgte noget der lignede kontinental morgenmad til en billig penge, og lovede mig selv, at gå derhen næste morgen. Føj – det kunne jeg godt have undværet. Efter endnu en god nat gik jeg næste morgen til stedet, hvor jeg havde udset mig min morgenmad. Jeg fik godt nok noget ristet brød med lidt honning, men kaffen var frygtelig og så fik jeg et halvråt æg, som man bare havde smidt ned i en kop med kogende vand. Der skulle det så ligge i ca. 5 min. hvorefter det blev slået ud på en tallerken, og så lå hviden der og sejlede sammen med æggeblommen.

Efter morgenmaden var det hurtigt afsted til den sidste oplevelse inden afrejsen. Gardens By The Bay ligger tæt ved vandet ved Marina Bay og udløbet af Kallang floden er et imponerende anlæg af blomster og planter og ikonagtige kæmpe trækonstruktioner med en luftbro, som jeg gik på trods min højdeskræk.

Det blev lige til en sidste hurtig tur mere i kvarteret omkring Temple Street, hvor jeg  købte et nyt omslag til min mobil samt noget hårpynt og fortrød senere, at jeg ikke købte 5 tørklæder for 10 SGD.

Da jeg skulle flyve kl. 20, kørte jeg til lufthavnen omkring kl. 16 (inden myldertiden fandt jeg ud af ellers havde jeg måske haft svært ved at få fat i en taxa). Der var taxaholdeplads lige over for hotellet, hvor der også var MRT station. Denne gang blev det mindre end 20 SGD for turen til lufthavnen, hvor jeg købte gin med til Robert og Lesley i Australien.

ENGLISH VERSION:

Due to the long flight to Australia I made a 3 days stop in Singapore. Singapore is in the subtropical zone and consequently it was a warm change from the Danish weather getting into the autumn season. Singapore is the 5^th richest country in the world when it comes to GNP by citizens and it has an up-to-date lifestyle with an on-going construction of modern buildings. Chinatown is one of the few areas in Singapore city, which has survived the modernization expansion of the country and kept its charm in spite of a decreasing area. Chewing gum is forbidden and you cannot import it. It is also forbidden to spit and throw garbage on the street, smoke in public places, fail to flush the toilet, walk across the street outside crossing areas and a lot of other things. The fine is all up to SGD 1000 (that will make you obey) and warning signs are everywhere, but I did not really notice them.

I arrived late in the afternoon very tired after 14 hours in the air and a short stop in Helsinki. Fortunately it rained which made the heat less unbearable.  I had heard that cabs were cheap in Singapore and hurried to the first taxi I saw to ask the price. The cab driver wanted more than  40 SGD for driving me to the hotel – I pointed out to him that I found it pretty expensive and he told me it was because his taxi was an expensive one and that there were cheaper taxis. I was tired and did not want to bother about finding another taxi. The price was not the worst part of the experience but the fact that the driver did not even get out of the cab when we arrived to the hotel. I had made a bargain with him for a max. price of 40 SGD but did not know that it excluded his help getting my suitcase out of his car when we arrived to the hotel.  He only opened the trunk from the inside by the pavement and I had to get out into the monsoon to get the suitcase myself. Luckily we were just in front of the hotel, The Bliss Hotel in Chinatown, however I still got soaking wet.

The rain did not last long, so after having had a quick wash in my small Asian mini room, where you could see through glass walls into the even smaller bathroom (not so funny if you are 2 persons), I went on my way to find the place where I could buy tickets for sightseeing and a trip to Sentosa Island. First I had to make myself acquainted with the MRT – the underground system where they literally have a subculture of shops like a town under the city. One of the first inhabitants that I spoke to was an incredible nice and helpful young man, who gave me money for my ticket, because I asked about how the system was working and yet did not have any small change, which was necessary to get a ticket in the machine. I spend a couple of hours getting lost in the MRT before I finally found the place I was looking for, which was of course closed as the time was 7:30 pm. Anyway I became familiar with the MTR system and found a Burger King there – took some pictures above ground and returned very tired to the hotel without having any food for the next morning. I fell asleep quickly and slept so well that it was later than expected before I woke up the next morning.  I had decided that I would go to the Jurong Bird Park. It was pretty far away so I did have any time for breakfast and hurried along with only a bottle of water to the bus stop, where I expected to take a direct bus. It never came so I had to take the city bus and change at the central bus station. The entire trip took me 1½ hour one way, so I decided that the bus ride had to count for my sightseeing tour.

Jurong Bird Park was a very nice – a beautiful place in the outskirt of Singapore and with a lot of fantastic and exotic plants and birds. I bought an on and off tram tour, as the park is fairly big and it would have taken a lot of walking. I was able to grab a small warm pie – my stay in Singapore was altogether influenced by the fact that I did not have time to sit down and eat.  Fortunate for me I did find one of those public food courts on my last day – these Asian places with food stores are cheap and you get plenty of food at a reasonable price.

I only had a couple of hours in Jurong Bird Park because I thought that my hotel has got me a ticket to Sentosa Island, so I had to hurry back. It turned out however that the tour company would not accept less than 4 participants if you were to be picked up at the hotel, so I had to do the excursion myself.  I wanted to see the Underwater World and the world’s largest aquarium. It was very expensive just to go the Island, as it was a kind of an entertainment park Island and a beach area resort for tourists, so I bought a ticket only for the aquarium. It was almost a luxurious setup – a real holiday paradise. The aquarium was perhaps big when it came to space but I have been to Dubai and seen the huge aquarium in Dubai Mall, where there is water behind glass up to 3-4 meters. The aquarium was however very fascinating and I saw among other animals a nasty looking octopuss and touched a starfish. I probably also got the best cup of coffee in Singapores – a entire bowl at 4-5 SGD. I returned to my hotel after dark and just managed a short walk in Temple Street close by the hotel, where you could find the usual china marked with a lot of cheap garbage.It was my intension to visit a tempel, but it was too late, but I spotted a little shop advertising breakfast looking like continental breakfast at a very cheap price and promised myself to go there the next morning. Ugh – I would have been better without. After a good night’s sleep I went there the next morning to get my breakfast. Right, I got some toasted bread with a little honey, but the coffee was awful and then I got an almost raw egg, which was put into a cup with hot water and had to lie there for about 5 min. after which it was emptied out on a plate so the white was in mess with the egg yolk.

After breakfast I had to hurry again to the last event before departure because of the scarce time available. Gardens By The Bay is next to Marina Bay and the mouth of the Kallang river. It is an impressive garden with flowers and plants and huge iconic tree constructions with a skywalk, which I walked in spite of my fear of heights. A last walk in the neighborhood of Temple Street and I bought a new cover for my mobile and some hair assessor  on the marked and later on I regretted not buying 5 scarves at 10 SGD.

As my flight was at 8 pm I headed towards the airport around 4 pm (luckily before rush hours I realized – otherwise it would have been difficult to catch a taxi). There was a taxi rank just across the street of the hotel, where there also was a MTR. This time I only paid less than 20 SGD for the ride to the airport, where I bought a bottle of gin for Robert and Lesley in Australia.

Google

Google er noget lort, som holder sine bruger i stramme tøjler og under nøje observation. De tilbyder gratis services, som gør dig afhængig. Tingene er ufleksible og med så mange begrænsninger. Der er plads til en ny spiller på banen, der gør op med dette. Mon Anomynous kunne være et fremtidigt alternativ?

Jeg håber, at Google finder dette i deres søgemaskine.

Google is shit, which keeps a tight rein on its users and under close observation. They offer free services to make you addicted. Things are unflexible and with a lot of restrictions. There is room for a new player in this field, who can put an end to this. Wonder if Anomynous is a possible future alternative?

I hope that Google finds this by their search engines.

Gangsti/footpath

Så er lavet en ny gangsti op til huset og langs endegavl mod vejen. Alle fliserne var simpelthen forvitret og hver gang jeg skulle lave noget ved huset, der involverede en stige, var det med livet som indsats. Nu ser det da meget pænt ud og alt pynter. Det kunne næsten heller ikke blive værre.

A new footpath to the house and along the end wall facing the road. All flagstones were totally crumbled and every time something needed to be done which involved a latter I was risking my life. Now it looks much nicer. Anything improves - it could not be worse anyway.

Udestue (patio) og carport

Så er udestue og carport også malet indvendig - det pyntede lidt. Når gulvet i udestuen bliver ordnet, kan det være, at jeg vil benytte den i stedet for bare til opmagasinering. Nu skal trappen og gangen op til huset bare ordnes, så må resten vente.

The patio and carport have been painted inside - now they look a bit better. When the floor in the patio has been done I might use it for more than just storing. Now the stairs and the walkway to the house have to be done. The rest must wait.

PRINCE2® projektledelse/project management

I onsdags bestod jeg så eksamen i PRINCE2. Så kan jeg kalde mig certifcieret i PRINCE2 projektledelse, som er en kandidateksamen på niveau med en magistergrad. Hold da op - det bliver bestemt også den sidste uddannelse, som jeg tager. Jeg tror aldrig, at jeg har læst så meget på så kort tid. Det er godt at være færdig. Nu håber jeg at det giver bonus.

On Wednesday I graduated in project management as qualified in PRINCE2 methods. It is a candidate exam at the same level as a MA degree. No doubt - it is definately my final exam. I can't remember ever having to read that much in such a short time. It is good to be finished. Now I hope it will pay off.

JOB

Max fik jobbet - godt gået søn.
Max got the job - well done son.

Datamatiker årgang 2013/Computer Scientist year 2013

24. januar i år var en stor dag - ikke kun for Max men også for mig. Max bestod eksamen som datamatiker med rigtig gode karakterer og den 1. februar fik han så udleveret sit eksamensbevis. Hans lærer har gode forbindelser og Max har allerede været til sin første jobsamtale, og er indkaldt til samtale nr. 2 til jobbet, så der er gode muligheder. ET STORT TILLYKKE MED DET HELE søn, du har gjort din mor meget stolt.

The 24th January this year was an important day - not only to Max but also to me. Max graduated in Computer Science with great grades and on the 1st. February he got his diploma. His teacher has got good connections and Max has already has his first job interview and is called to the second interview in that job, so prospects look good. A HUGE CONGRATULATION WITH IT ALL son. You have made your mother very proud.