saw no kangaroos on this island
Initially we had planned to drive around Adelaide, jump on the ferry to Kangaroo Island and drive around Kangaroo Island. What we learnt though while booking is that the car hire insurance does not cover the ferry trip across. That was not a risk we were willing to take so we booked a 2-day tour instead which was pretty jam packed. The drive to Cape Jervis was painfully long, not “leisurely” at all as advertised. It was probably twice as painful on the way back!
Day 1 –
The tour began at the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery before moving onto the Seal Conservation Park which was a main reason we wanted to come to Kangaroo Island. It was pretty cool being able to see the seals on the sand, although from a distance of about 30 metres away. The photos in the brochures all show the spectators (would-be us) standing much closer than what you are actually allowed! Oh well, guess its for animal and human safety! There was also a visit to a sheep dairy farm, Pardana Wildlife Park and a Birds of Prey show.
Day 2 –
A busy day starting at Clifford’s Honey Farm where we tried a non-alcoholic honey drink and the homemade ice-cream. Yummmmm! We also visited the limestone formations of Kelly Hill Caves which was amazing! As we were walking through the caves, the tour guide switched off all the lights and showed us how dark the caves were. She was explaining how when they were originally explored by candlelight, so imagine what would have happened as the candle began to shrink in size! We’ve never had that experience before where our eyes don’t adjust to the darkness, well simply because it can’t! When there is absolutely no light, our eyes can’t adjust to the limited lighting so all we see is blackness. Spooky spooky spooky! Last stops for the day were the aptly named Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch. At the latter stop, we were fortunate to view New Zealand fur seals in their natural environment being very very playful!
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first time away for the new year
We have never seen in a New Year anywhere other than Sydney. So our first New Year’s Eve away was in Adelaide. It was nothing like what we were use to at all. It was quieter.
On our way to dinner, the roads were extraordinarily quiet. We assumed it was everyone preparing for the NYE celebrations! So we asked our cab driver where everyone was ringing in the new year and he didn’t seem to think it was unusual that there was hardly any traffic on the roads. Maybe we were just too used to Sydney’s crazy traffic ALL year round at all hours!
Today we spent a day in the Barossa and on the way back we saw Drover’s Run (from McLeod’s Daughters)! And who would’ve guess that South Australia houses the biggest rocking horse in the world! How about that?!
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seeking the calm within
We drove up Mount Hiei to visit the renowned monastery and temple, it was a trip to find inner peace. Entering the Buddhist Sanctuary, there is a sense of calm and serenity, the air is fresh and crisp! The Sanctuary is surrounded by lush green trees, and there is not a sound in the air except the voices of the monks during prayer time.
We underwent brief training with one of the monks before we meditated. We were taught breathing techniques and the meditation stance. With each breath in, we were to count and if along the way we lost count or our brain wandered, we were to start back at one. Obviously the aim was to focus on our breathing and nothing else! And whilst we were meditating, the monk came round and hit us on our back with a stick. Not sure what the purpose was but definitely part of the ritual of meditating.
Away from meditating, we saw the eternal flame which has been burning for approximately 1200 years. There is a monk dedicated to keep the flame alight. We also were able to ring the bell of good fortune before enjoying a vegetarian feast overlooking Lake Bewa which is the largest lake in Japan.
Visiting Mount Hiei was a soulful experience that we will never forget. The meditation taught us to be mindful, especially in this fast paced society where we forget to take timeout for ourselves and be aware of what is around us.
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udons and geishas
You guessed it- we are now in Kyoto. There is a lot to see here but mainly does revolve around temples and shrines. We spent loads of time just walking, visiting the Imperial Palace, the Silver Pavilion and the Philosopher’s path. The main streets of Kyoto are busy but when you get to the temples and shrines, although teeming with tourists, there is still a very calming and spiritual atmosphere.
- There are two stand-out moments for us in Kyoto:
- Eating udon in Japan
Finally got to eat udons – Sydney is a culinary haven (or at least we think so), in the fact that there are so many different options available for different countries. Pretty much there are a large variety of countries represented in some shape or form. Hence, our love affair with eating different cuisines but more specifically eating our favourite country’s dishes in THE actual country. So being in Japan for almost 2 weeks and not eating udon seemed like a rort until we stumbled across a noodle shop in Kyoto. We hit the jackpot!
- And more notable than eating udons: coming face to face with a geisha in the streets of Gion – we were in Gion one evening, strolling the streets and admiring the area, when we reached the end of a block, a geisha was turning the corner and we literally would have collided with her had we were walking any faster. She had her face down scurrying towards a doorway. Her face beautifully white, her make-up immaculate and her outfit was exquisite, it was so surreal and truly beyond our wildest dream to ever encounter a geisha so close up. Within moments of seeing the first geisha, we saw another one, trying to cover herself with a Japanese oil-paper umbrella as she too scurried onwards to another doorway. The only thing that spoiled the experience was witnessing hordes of tourists chasing the geishas down the road to take photographs.
wise monkeys abroad 