G'day everyone!

Just made it back from Exmouth and am currently in Perth but only for one night. Tomorrow, I'll be heading off to Ayers Rock. Haven't updated the blog for a wee while so probably best if I start at the beginning.Upon my return from Albany, I checked into the YHA for one night and it was certainly one of the strangest nights I had for a long time. When I checked in, everything seemed normal but when I came back to the room a mattress was on the floor and an Asian woman on it. Well, I thought, she obviously doesn't like sleeping in the top bunk so fair enough. It only got strange when we were trying to get to sleep as this woman made the strangest noise. Not only did she snore like there was no tomorrow but she kept farting (quite noisily but thank god not smelly) all night long. An experience I could have done without, me thinks....

The next day I was meant to go to Fremantle and stay there for two nights. When I arrived however, they couldn't find my reservation, which I had made 2 weeks earlier as I knew how difficult it would be to find a bed in Fremantle that weekend. It turned out that they got the dates wrong and thought I would arrive on Thursday (instead of Friday) and as I hadn't turned up they cancelled my booking! Well, so I was standing there without a bed (again!!!) but the guy a reception felt sorry for me and offered me his bed (without him I want to add!), he said he'd sleep on the couch in the staff room. As I didn't have any other options, I reluctantly agreed, didn't fancy a night on the streets... So I checked into the room which was hardly bigger than a box room but had 3 beds inside! There was no window and hardly any room to move at all. Ah well, at least the ceiling was intact. Went to Rottnest Island the next day and spent the day there cycling around. I can tell you, there really isn't much to do there apart from surfing, fishing or sunbathing. But I couldn't do either (can't surf, don't fish) as the wind was blowing so strongly that it was freezing even in the sunshine. Nonetheless, it was a nice day out and I can see why people come here during summer.

Back in Fremantle, I had to change rooms. This time it was a much bigger room with a window but I had to share with a couple! And what I didn't realise at the time of checking in, the big window didn't actually close so I was absolutely freezing during the night, wearing my fleece and trousers and trying to get warm inside my silk liner under the duvet! Well, eventually I got up and moved back to Perth and I sort of went uphill from there. My tour to Exmouth was starting the next day and I was really looking forward to it.

The trip to Exmouth has been superb and if I haven't learned anything else, I have learned that Australia is absolutely huuuuuuge and there is a lot of nothing in between little things. For the last two days we have been driving back from Exmouth, over 1250km! But the trip was really good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We saw the best of northwest Australia including koalas, the Pinnacles, kangaroos, emus, snakes, the Hutt River Province (independent state within Australia with its own money, stamps and border check points), the Z-bend Gorge, Natures Window, stromatolites (and anyone who knows what they are will win 100 brownie points!), Shell Beach, Shark Bay and dolphins at Monkey Mia. And as I don't know what the internet access is going to be like for the next week or so, you are lucky, all the photos are uploaded too! So enjoy! I certainly did!

Keep smiling everyone, will be in touch soon.
Yvonne
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