The Last Pub

There are still many things to ponder about Perth and Australia. 

The menus with entrees, the great Australian fly, a sampling of fast foods including Maccas and Hungry Jacks.

But it's time for the blog to end, and where better to end that at a pub?

Now I've been to many a pub in my Australian stay including a few since my pub update in December.

Gingin

Dalwallinu

Freemason's (Toodyay)

Freemason's (Bridgetown)

Collie

Goomalling

Wokalup

I realized that I have done a large amount of pondering while riding through the wheatbelt and bush of Western Australia in a ute with the windows down. 

The combination of black bitumen, red sand, white bark and green leaves of the gum trees and a blue sky (or rainbow!) are one of my favorite images.

And now as I perthfect ponder for the last time for awhile, I can't help but think of all the reasons I fell in love with country Australian pubs. Here's a list of 10:

*Pub patrons are always good for a yarn - For someone who is more introverted than some and doesn't mind a bit of silence, they can share stories of farmers, pub gossip, or just the daily news, someone there will be able to talk your ear off.

*Publicans will often go out of their way to make you feel special - whether it's giving up their kid's room in their private home so you can stay upstairs, finding a bottle of bubbles with a fresh picked flower, or just calling by your name (or nickname).

*Pubs have strong country values, like a cowboy code or the country wave. The meals are hearty,  the beer isn't overcharged, and strangers are welcomed. They open early and sometimes go to bed early, support the community, and respect family life.

*Sometimes pubs take you out of your comfort zone - the stains on the carpets, the holes in the wall, long walks down dark hallways in the middle of the night, and ghost stories accompanied by bumps in the night. But as the morning light returns, a part of you feels like you belong there and always have.

*Pubs accept you for who you are - No dress codes like city bars (just please leave your work boots at the door), from age 1 to 100, and even with a funny American accent.

*Pubs care about the little things - There's always a fresh towel and bar of soap on your bed, a warm electric blanket or pedestal fan, vegemite for your breakfast toast, and a kettle for afternoon tea. Simple and thoughtful.

*When you're at a pub, you feel like the world disappears - Most of them have no phone reception and the world news (other than footy scores) takes an extra 24 hrs to travel the extra 100+ kilometers. Cuddling up and watching a 20 year old DVD is the only thing to pass the time (other than above mentioned yarn with the locals).

*As times change and the world progresses, the country pub remains loyal to its roots - The traditions of Slim Dusty in a Queensland pub can still be found today and hopefully for many decades to come.

*Pubs will always leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling, even on the coldest or roughest days - Sometimes it's a class of Shiraz or just the glow from the jarrah logs in the fireplace.

*To some pubs are nothing extraordinary, but they can sure make a day (or even a life) become extraordinary.

Pubs are the perfect match for me.

So that leaves me at the last pub. 

Kukerin, Western Australia circa 1928. 

It's where this story ends, but another begins.

Kukerin

And while I may leave the Aussie country pubs for a while, the pubs, the memories, and Australia will always be a part of me. Australia will always feel like a home to me.
I know I will be back among the gumtrees.
You will find me on the veranda...

And as I walk through this world, a little piece of Australia will walk through this world with me.

To my pubbin' partner and favourite Australian "souvenir"...

It's for the birds

I've been meaning to write this blog for ages. 

I'm just not good at taking pictures of birds. 

Partially because I'm scared of them and it's difficult to get near enough to something that's flighty and that you're terrified of. 

But I am finally sucking it up and doing the infamous bird blog, ready or not.

On a daily basis, I can't hide from them. I swear I've come centimeters from running over ducks on my bike (and sadly I know someone who has so it is possible!). They're EVERYWHERE.

Pelicans - they are HUGE

Cormorants - make me think how much I like basking in the sun.

Seagulls

More seagulls by the lion king tree

Peacocks - the noble kind that hang around the campus of the University of Western Australia

Kookaburras - I'm very good at pronouncing this word too as he sits in the old gum tree, eating all the gum nuts he can see.

Rainbow lorikeets - make me think I'm in a tropical paradise

Swamphens

Scary magpies

Emus!

Black Swans on the Swan River

Cheeky ringnecks coming for my breakfast in Toodyay (aka 28's)

Terrifying magpies, Before coming to Perth, I had several encounters with Northern Mockingbirds on the streets of Columbia, South Carolina. They were coming to take my eyes out. I swear! Here, the dangers are magpies. Seriously, being "swooped" is a thing. SERIOUSLY.  I've been swooped.( Did I mention I don't like birds?)

That doesn't even included cockatoos (red and white tailed), corellas, galahs, willy wagtails, ibises (apparently one of the dirtiest birds), wedge-tail eagles, the random deformed bird that lived by Burswood casino, and the birds I have no idea what their names are. 

But by far, the bird that is most iconic to my Australia adventure is the Australian raven.

I've had the intentions of recording one at our numerous lunches where the annoying birds are waiting for a crumb. But I've decided I can no longer be bothered, and have stolen their "beautiful song" of the Google.

Before my parents came to visit, they would hear a weird noise in the background over the phone. When they got here, they quickly realized that these "crows" were the noisiest and most obnoxious birds on the block.

So my advice if you ever visit Australia and hear a tweet, caw, or warble. cover all soft tissue (eyes!), close mouth, cover head with arms and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction. 

Forget the deadly snakes, spiders, and sharks. 

It's the birds!

Passport

I have learned something living in Australia (well I've probably learned lots of things, but I have learned this!). Australians love to travel. They travel far. And they travel for a long time. A one week holiday? There's no such thing. A two week holiday means a quick trip down to Margaret River. Try 4 weeks to Europe. Six months driving around Australia. A year in a camper van in the US. It's not surprising when you're in one of the most isolated cities in the world and the closest "Road trip" is over 2,600 kilometers to Adelaide.

Before moving around the world, I had very limited (I now know) international travel. I spent 4 months studying abroad in Ireland, during which I traveled around Ireland and a quick trip to London and Edinburgh. I'd been to Canada (does that really count as internationally?) But it was only a quick conference in Toronto and crossing the border to the other side of Niagra Falls. I've been to Texas, but never Mexico. I've been to Puerto Rico, no passport required.

 Since my move to Australia, I have added 4 continents to my travel, for a total of 6. 

Australia & New Zealand, Oceania 

(try telling a New Zealander they're on the continent of Australia)!

On a side note, when I was a kid we played this game called Passport, and I still remember the way the electronic lady said, "Ocean-YA"

(it's hard to make out, but it's my first of a few entry stamps)

Brazil, South America 

South Africa, Africa

And my most recent trip to...

 

Thailand, Asia

(the Dubai airport doesn't count)

Yes, it was relaxing and lovely.

But there's one continent that will always be home...

I've been a lucky girl to have the opportunities to see some beautiful places. But the more places I go, the more places I want to go.

Antarctica, lucky number 7, here I come...!

Just Now, Now

As I was wandering around Cape Town, South Africa, a friend asked me, "Shouldn't you be taking pictures for your blog?" 

"I need to wait to be inspired by a theme. I've taken some beautiful pictures."

"Can't beautiful Cape Town be the theme?"

Well yes, yes I think it can.

There's a reason why Cape Town is one of the World's top destinations.

The center of Cape Town is Table Mountain

But the 12 Apostles are right behind.

To the morning Misty Cliffs...

And the Cape of Good Hope.

It was a perfect winter day for a walk.

The windy Chapman's Peak Drive was stunning in the "magic hour" light

And Hout Bay disappeared into the distance.

The wineries weren't too bad either... More pinotage please!

But in all this beauty, it's important not to forget that South Africa is still struggling for peace. The poverty and racial lines are still part of every day life, but Nobel Square is a reminder of the four Nobel peace prize winners from South Africa who have made a difference: Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk, and Nelson Mandela.

From the early morning view from the Rhodes Memorial, we couldn't hide from the #RhodesMustFall that started only a year ago.

But I can't wait to visit again and see the progress that's been made. Don't worry, change is coming just now, now.

Run for a Reason

Some of you who I met in South Carolina might have known that I caught a bit of a running bug. I'll admit it, I like to run. I always thought it was silly to run for no purpose, but there's something about a long, slow Saturday morning trail run that is my happy time. Thanks to my friend "crazy Katie" I've done some longer endurance challenges that prior to 2009 I would have thought to be ridiculous.

When I moved to Australia, I decided that I wasn't going to train for anything. Training for a marathon or a half-ironman takes a lot of time.

It's a lot of quiet Friday nights going to bed early and Saturday mornings are consumed. I didn't want to feel guilty about deciding to go to the pub on Friday night with some new Aussie mates, or leaving early Saturday morning for a weekend trek out to the bush. So I ran when I had time and when I wanted to.

I finally decided that I was going to see how an Australian race compared. August 2015 I was going to run a full marathon. I started getting back into my training regime in April. I remember my 14 mile run in the rain before a Dockers Saturday night footy match. I ran through Subiaco, Kings Park, onto the campus of University of Western Australia and back to the city via the foreshore. I was splashing through puddles and felt good. Countless weeks of not running, three physios, a torn meniscus & cyclops lesion, a knee surgery later, and almost two years later I had still yet to run in an Australian road race. (I may have walked 100 km, but that's different)

I knew it was going to be ugly. I knew it would be my slowest half marathon race yet. But I knew I had to do it and get it out of the way. My training was sparse (I still have some sightseeing to do! Plus I'm missing part of my meniscus (think cushion between your bones), so I tried to take it easy.

The race of choice? One of Perth's biggest, HBF Run for a Reason. 30,000 participants taking on the 4 km, 12 km, or half marathon. And I can walk to the start and finish lines. Not to mention my dearest friend (not a runner) was in town, so I signed her up for the 4 km too, and everyone else I know.

I pinned my race bib on before dawn and thought. "This is the least prepared I've been for a race."

And how does an Australian race compare?

Well, the course music was a little different. I think I hear a cold chisel song. But I also heard Sweet Home Alabama running through the freeway tunnel. It's the same as any other race I've done. It was a beautiful, and relatively flat course, with no race clocks. I didn't wear a watch so I had no idea of my pace. After a bout of flu two weeks prior (no, not the man flu, the real flu), I ditched any goals I had and just ran my "happy pace". But I was happy when I crossed the finish line. And as we were corralled from the finish line, some 70 year old man told me "You're a great runner". I wanted to say "oh, this is the worst race I've ran" or "I'm usually a lot faster". But my laid back Aussie attitude was content with finishing, pleasantly surprised by my time, and just happy to be running again.

Happy trails everyone. Whether you're running, walking, or cheering on a friend. Be thankful.

Some proof that I actually did run and finish.