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June 3, 2018

Woke up on our last morning in Exmouth excited to go sea kayaking. We chose our groups for the double kayaks and headed out to the breakers. It was a little scary at first but they told us to just paddle really quickly to get past them. Well of course as we were paddling a huge wave came and I thought it was going to crash over us but we managed to just get up and over it, it was crazy!

Once past the breakers, it was easy we went out a bit and then kept parallel to the shore. There was beautiful coral that we could see underneath us with sea turtles and colorful fish. At one point we saw dolphins a little bit farther out in the distance. We kayaked out but still a safe distance from them and all lined up and stopped to observe. There were so many, jumping, playing, breaching, amazing to see so close! A few times they would disappear for a few minutes then surface closer to us like they were checking us out. Pretty cool to watch them so close.

When it was time to head back, we all went in one at a time to get through the breakers and have someone on the shore to help us. Again Andrew and I did it perfectly and made it in without capsizing.

They had snacks and drinks set up at a picnic table on the beach, and we just talked about what we saw and enjoy the scenery. Some of us went swimming some just talked.

When we got back to Mantaray’s, we didn’t have much time to eat, shower and check out to make it to our afternoon flight to Perth and then on to Adelaide. But, we did manage to get about a half hour in the pool, something we haven’t done since we got there. We all ordered a cocktail and just sat in the pool trying to enjoy the resort for the first time. I knew we were going into colder weather and I didn’t want to leave this beautiful resort and climate.

Flights weren’t that bad, it was about 90 minutes back to Perth, about a 45 minute layover until we boarded our flight to Adelaide. That flight was about 2 1/2 hours but with the time change again, it was about 10:15pm when we landed and 11pm by the time we made it to the next hotel, the Playford. Of course we had to go out, so we went across the street to the casino and they have a big bar there so we all had a drink or two, interacted with some locals and had some laughs, then headed back to bed, long day.

June 2, 2018

Today is the day we have all been looking forward to, swimming with whale sharks!! Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo picked us up bright and early for a full day of fun.

The dive boat we were on was very nice, larger than what I expected and very comfortable. We started out with a snorkel just to get everyone comfortable in their gear and getting on and off the boat. Then we spent some time going over how the swimming will work. Which group we are in, how they alternate groups and how to swim alongside them. They have strict rules as to how many people can be in the water with them at once (10), how long you can be with them and how close you can get to them.

The first time we jumped in was exhilarating! The adrenaline starts pumping, then you actually see it and you lose your breath. It’s enormous and graceful at the same time. You just can’t believe you are a few feet away from this majestic beast. These pictures were from my iPhone.

The one above is from a GoPro.

By the end of the day we swam about 10 times with 5 different whale sharks, about 27-30 feet in length. But never got tired of it!

These pics are from the professional photographer who was with us.

Our last swim was with a Manta Ray! It was about 9 feet across its graceful wingspan. Another experience that can’t be described!

After we were done swimming, we went looking for whales. We saw Humpbacks and even saw one breach. There were a lot of dolphins cavorting all over and jumping out of the water. We also saw a Dugong and her pup, which is kind of like a Manatee.

The day could not have been any better!!

We had dinner at Whaler’s Village, an excellent restaurant less than 5 minutes away from our resort. We were all tired but hungry from our adventures. All the local seafood was excellent, I learned about and tasted bugs! They are tasty little crustaceans like slipper lobsters that are very popular here.

Another night of sleeping well…..

June 1, 2018

3am wake up calls are not fun, especially the second night of the trip when your body clock is very off! But we were leaving the wonderful Crown Towers Perth for another exciting destination.

The airport was full of miners in uniforms headed out for 2 weeks of work. They were dressed in blue and yellow uniforms and I think a few had orange instead of yellow. We spoke to a bunch of them and asked about their work.

The flight was an easy 90 minutes and wow what a change in climate! Everything was orange, brown, red and arid, a pretty barren looking landscape set against a dark blue ocean. It was definitely striking.

Exmouth has some of the clearest turquoise waters on Earth and the world’s largest Fringing Reef, Ningaloo Reef-a UNESCO World Heritage site. Exmouth is a great place to visit due to its underwater paradise for divers, snorkelers, game fishing, whale watching and the big three-Whale Shark, Manta Ray and Humpback Whale.

We dropped our bags at the hotel, Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort and went out to explore Exmouth.

Ningaloo Safari Tours picked us up at our hotel and we boarded a covered float/pontoon type boat for an Eco Safari. We toured around Cape Range National Park, a beautiful water filled gorge with steep weathered walls of many different shades of orange, red, brown and black. Set against the water, it made a beautiful landscape. We spotted a lot of wildlife that was well camouflaged in the walls. Lots of wallaby, osprey, egret, bats, and more. You had to have a sharp eye to find them.

We had a very nice lunch on the beach. Meats, cheese, vegetables and rolls. But the best were the local Exmouth prawns! They were cold and cooked in their shells so you had to peel them but well worth the effort.

We were at Turquoise Bay, on of the most beautiful beaches in the area and also great snorkeling. Some of us sat on the beach, some swam and some snorkeled. The snorkeling was very close to shore so it was easy and there was even a turtle! After lunch we were all swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean and enjoying the day.

We did a site inspection at a beachside eco-luxe camp resort called Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef. It’s nestled in the dunes of Cape Range National Park with stunning views of the Indian Ocean and the Bush.

We saw so many kangaroos too!!

On the way back to Mantarays we stopped at Vlamingh Head Lighthouse for some beautiful 180 degree views of the coast.

Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort is full service Resort on Sunrise Beach, in fact it is the only Resort on the beach. The grounds are stunning with impressive palm trees, a big pool, rocky landscape and the backdrop of the water. There is a restaurant that has great food for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus a full service bar that is both indoors and out. The sunrises and sunsets are so colorful and the look of the landscape reminds me of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

After a long day it was nice to have dinner at our resort. Many of us ordered the local seafood choices and were very happy with them.

We slept well in our two bedroom units with balconies that have sweeping views of the grounds and the water. Good night Exmouth.

May 31, 2018

I did not want to get up at 6:15am this morning, but we were being picked up at 8:15am so I wanted to make it up to the Crystal Club for breakfast. I had a nice strong cup of coffee and some seafood shui mai.

We took a ferry over to Rottnest Island for the day. Weather forecast was terrible, showers and thunderstorms all day. Rottnest is a great vacation escape for those living in Perth, it’s own island getaway. It has a casual atmosphere, lots of families riding bicycles, gorgeous scenery, beautiful beaches and bays and Quokkas.

Reminds me of Fire Island in New York mixed with Nantucket, MA.

We opted to do a bus tour on the island to see if the rain would stop. The island is beautiful, I can only imagine how pretty it is in the sunlight. It is almost fully surrounded by a Reef so lots of colors in the water. We had showers and thunderstorms all day, some great thunder and lightning too!

This is how it looks in sunny weather.

Most exciting thing about Rottnest are the super cute Quokkas all over the island. They are small marsupials that are indigenous to the island and found all over.

Tourists must take a selfie with Quokkas, and it’s not easy!! You aren’t allowed to touch or feed them but can be close to them. I got a few good ones and loved the experience!

After lunch of fresh local seafood, weather still wasn’t great so we didn’t bicycle around the island or snorkel. Just played with more Quokkas!

On the ferry back to Fremantle the sky started clearing! We walked around a bit and admired the cute streets and architecture. Some of the buildings reminded me of New Orleans with the second floor balconies the length of the building.

We had some Cappuccino and Espresso and relaxed a bit before our big evening tonight.

As our last night at the Crown Towers we had a very nice evening planned for us. An evening in the Chairman’s Villa (Presidential Suite) with dinner. We walked in and there were waiters holding trays of Champagne glasses filled with Veuve Cliquot and music playing lightly in the background. I graciously accepted a glass and walked into the manse. First thing you notice in the center is a curving glass staircase to the second floor with a colorful floral centerpiece. The living room had ceilings up to the second floor with a full bar. There were doors that led to an outside terrace that was as long as two sides of the villa with breathtaking views. Plus the weather was mild so we sipped Champagne out of a perpetually full glass and nibbled on tray passed hors d’oeuvres.

We enjoyed speaking with the two managers who hosted us. Lots of talk about Western Australia, Perth, how they got here, traveling, and the gorgeous hotel.

We explored the three bedroom, two floor villa with its sumptuous bathrooms, spectacular views, stunning design, plus many extras like a small gym, a massage room, pool table and a piano.

Dinner was served around a large round table, which I love. We had a gourmet menu made just for us from all local ingredients and local wines. There was great conversation and food-perfect!

After dinner we moved our conversations to different areas of the villa, played piano, that Paul McCartney played when he stayed in this villa, and a fun game of pool.

Unfortunately we had to make it an early night because we had a 3am wake up call! We had a 5am flight to Exmouth the next day….

May 30, 2018

We skipped a day over the International Date Line so I missed May 29, 2018!

Landed around 5am local time in Auckland, it was still dark and cold-5°C!! But I felt good after my 9 hours of restless sleep. Headed straight to the Air New Zealand Lounge for a recharge and relaxation.

We found a great area for all 12 of us that was warm and cozy and all flopped down!

Coffee was next on the agenda, made to order and nothing like Starbucks swill. After that it was time for a shower, wow, never feels better than after a long flight. We all sat together and got to know each other. Then everyone started working… it’s inevitable that Travel Agents always work! 5 hours in the lounge turned into 5 hours of work….

Breakfast was great, especially with a well earned Mimosa. We got to watch the sunrise in Auckland and by the time we had to board our next flight at 9:30am it felt like 2pm….probably because it was 2pm in LA!

We boarded a 787 Dreamliner for a 7 hour flight to Perth, Australia. I managed to get a better seat by asking the attendant and he found me an aisle seat with no one next to me. It’s a 3-3-3 configuration.

We didn’t fly Qantas but loved this aircraft because the nose said “Ningaloo Reef”-where we are going to swim with whale sharks!

Lunch was served and I watched some movies. I also had to do some New Zealand wine taste testing! But need to sleep because we have things to do in Perth when we arrive at 2pm local time after 26+ hours of traveling!

Somehow I slept well again, about 5 hours out of the 7. Was just awake in the beginning to eat and the end to eat again. I couldn’t eat when I woke up but just had coffee to wake myself up. I kept the panini on the side in case I get hungry, we start work right from the airport when we land.

We were picked up from the airport and went to explore the city. As tired as we were, we were still excited to see everything. Walking around really helped keep us from falling asleep because we had a whole night front of us. We went to King’s Botanical Garden and that had beautiful views of the city, nice walking paths, beautiful plants and it was very peaceful.

From there we went to Elizabeth Quay which is an area on the Swan River that just started redevelopment about two years ago. It’s really pretty and is going to be a great spot for restaurants, shops, hotels and activities. There was lots on construction and excitement about the area.

We finally made it to our hotel, Crown Towers, a brand new hotel that just opened. It’s absolutely gorgeous and our rooms were so pretty, so comfortable, and had amazing views of the Perth skyline. I loved that I could just lie in bed and stare at the changing sky during sunset with the back drop of the skyscrapers. The huge bathtub was very welcome after such a long travel day…..but I have to hurry up and change to go to dinner!!!

Made sure I left enough time to go to the Crystal Club at the top of the hotel. It’s like club level or concierge, they have a Happy Hour with Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres which were very tasty. There is an outdoor terrace and the view from the top was amazing.

We went to a restaurant called Garum, the newest hot restaurant in Perth. It’s located in the brand new Westin not too far away from us. The hotel was really pretty too, and they brought us to a private dining room in the restaurant. It was fun, we went down a few flights of stairs and down some hallways until we reached it. They had a special menu prepared for us and some local wines. The food was very good and we had a lot of fun talking, eating and getting to know each other. Plus we had a local from the Tourist Board eating with us so we learned a lot about the area, how the city is exploding with people, jobs and tourism and the food and wine of course!

Finally time for a bath and bed! It’s been 47 hours since I was in a bed so I think I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow!!!

May, 28, 2018

So excited to go to Australia, I have never been there! It has always been on my list and now I am sitting on a New Zealand Air 777 crossing the International Date Line.

After getting off the Norwegian Bliss Inaugural LA cruise on Sunday I was exhausted! But it was easy to just move some items from my small suitcase to my larger one. Plus I left a bunch of things in the large suitcase from my China trip last month, so packing wasn’t too bad.

NCL

The boys kept hugging me goodbye, they wanted to go with me. It’s so much harder to leave when they aren’t traveling with me.

The flight is 12 hours to Auckland, New Zealand where we have a 5 and a half hour layover. This is the first leg of our long journey to Western Australia.

The flight was comfortable and flight attendants very friendly and accommodating. Food was average but wine was nice. During dinner they served some great wines from New Zealand-Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from Marlborough, Chardonnay and Sparkling from Gisborne, and Merlot from Hawke’s Bay. Plus they circulated the cabin a few times during and after dinner to refill your glass, and this is economy! I looked at some of the wines offered in Business class and I saw Billecart-Salmon and Laurent-Perrier just to start, the list was really nice.

I watched Phantom Thread, I’ve been wanting to see it, perfect uninterrupted time now.

After dinner I managed to sleep for about 9 hours, not comfortably, but still sleep. I am in the middle of a 3-4-3 configuration. Aisle seat with the two center empty and other aisle occupied. So I managed to curl up on two seats with my pillow, blinders and noise cancelling headset. Flipped around a few times but made the best of it. I woke up to the cabin announcement that we were landing in 2 hours and breakfast was being served.

I watched the end of Phantom Thread and decided I didn’t really like it. It’s the kind of movie I like but it was a little dark.

Excited to land in Auckland in a few minutes!