Jun 21 - of Rat's nests

An early morning ferry ride from Fremantle to Rottnest island. Started down the 22 km bike trail around the island. The first rest stop and a quokka ( a rat the size of a cat - but really a tiny kangaroo) just settles himself by my feet. I almost screamed my head off. Instead I took my iPhone out and started clicking :)

Stunning beaches , 63 apparently , but I stopped counting. Great reefs - you can see them from the coast , but given its winter , wasn't exactly snorkeling weather. Would love to come back in summer. Almost escaped the intermittent rain down pours. A beautiful ride , even spotted a rainbow and treated myself to a veg pie once I made it back.

Jun 20 - of convicts and their escapades

Fremantle is a lovely port town - a quick train ride from Perth. Spent the morning at the Fremantle markets - lovely stalls with everyone from gourmet food , local trinkets , souvenirs and arts and crafts. Not to mention live music.

Onwards to cappuccino strip - a nice strip of coffee shops, restaurants and boutique shops made for a relaxed afternoon. Headed to the harbour at dusk - a line of seafood restaurants by the harbour. A cute, lit up Ferris wheel, cool sailboats tied up to the marina, a whaling tunnel, and a sleepy side of town on my walk back.

 Checked in at the Fremantle prison yha and read about the lives of prisoners and stories of them trying to escape, being caught again and executed. A bit depressing but the hostel was shiny , spanking new, remodeled  - so it wasn't exactly depressing to stay overnight in a prison.

Jun 19 - of Swan Valley and forgotten things

Started off the day trying to track the package with my rain jacket I had forgotten at yha Noosa. So much for sending it Cash on delivery - couldn't communicate clearly enough to ensure it got to Perth by the 22nd. Sometimes it's just nuts trying to convey your point of view to someone who refuses to see it.

Spent the afternoon going through a couple of wineries in swan valley , platter lunch , a brewery tasting as well as chocolate tasting. Last but not the least was the chocolate liquor - my favorite was macchiato. Yum!

Shopped for a rain jacket and then over to annalaxmi for dinner. A ou what you want place - that had real, simple, authentic South Indian meal. The best meal in weeks hands down.

Jun 18 - of Pretty Perth

Spent the day walking around Perth. The kings park and botanical gardens were a lush green. What with the imminent rains followed by bright sunlit skies. A quiet city - small population , cute little arcades.
Was a bit jet lagged so had a lazy day and called it an early night.

Jun 17 - of jumping off planes

So many years of thinking, stressing , imagining the worst, debating the merits and demerits of doing it alone, and then in a matter of 60secs it was over.

I had coffee and 2 slices of toast for breakfast. Bad ideCa - they kinda stuck in my throat for the next 2 hours as we made our way to the drop zone. My panic levels continued to go up but i put on a brave face and laughed at myself out loud to reduce the stress. Instructions seemed simple enough though the plane ride up seemed never ending what with being the last one to get off the plane at 15000ft!!

Cindi , the only female tandem skydive instructor was paired with me. Pretty knowledgable and kept up a pleasant chatter throughout. Gotta thank her for keeping me sane. Jumping off the plane was crazy but surprising , once done , and once I realized I could breathe, it felt great rushing to the ground amongst the clouds at 200 km/hr.

It was reassuring to have the parachute open up though it felt a bit scary to see the ground approach in so near and fast but the landing was smooth after a few fun curves.

And man was I glad to have landed on earth again. Now onto my next flight to Perth.