Australia

Sept. 17 - Oct. 6, 06

Sydney, September 29, 2006

My travels have now led me to Australia.

In Singapore I boarded a cargo-ship that was scheduled to bring me to Melbourne, with a stop-over in Fremantle. I cannot express how much I enjoyed this trip, I immediately fell in love with about every officer on board and had the most beautiful and most restful time.

I did find travelling in Australia somewhat more difficult, partly due to lack of preparation but also because Australia hardly caters at all for people who want to travel on public transport. Well, after some adventures in the outback - e.g. a sandstorm, an attack by a bird and the Australian way of sightseeing (as a rule one does not get out of the car, avoiding any walking at all) - I am now here in Sydney and again overwhelmed by Sydney Harbour: to the right Sydney Opera House, to the left Harbour Bridge and in the middle some Aboriginals who play masterfully the Digeridoo - simply breathtaking. I treated myself to a ferry-ride around Sydney Harbour and feel this is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

Sydney, October 5, 2006

This time Sydney did not put on the rain for me as it usually does (Fremantle and Melbourne did though). I had some spectacular sunsets, some ferry rides, some visits to historical places. Yes, it was very much the same and very much different. Something has happened to this country that I don't like. There is so much more affluence that goes hand in hand with arrogance and unfriendliness. I know the symptoms from Switzerland and I do not care for more. Why is it that the first feature of affluence is fear?

Despite having bought a ticket that could be changed around, I got into a major intercontinental muddle when indeed I tried to do so. Instead of flying from Brisbane I now intended to set off from Sydney. The same airline offers daily flights, but it took endless internet sessions and telephone calls to offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Switzerland - each one blaming the other and me standing helplessly in the middle. I could not believe that such a mess could be possible in a developed country. The service in India was a lot better than that.

So it is with one laughing and one crying eye that I say goodbye. I am off to Africa. On my itinerary I have such exotic names as Ras Kutani, Chumbe Island and Zanzibar. This last bit was intended to be the crowning highlight of my world tour, but it will be difficult to top my trip on the cargo ship!

A lovely Sydney house

Railway-station

Broken Hill

For sale in a ghost-town

In Mildura, with houseboat

Bus to the outback