West Coast - Monkey Mia with the Dolphins!

Well, I have to have a think about what I had been doing, as its been about 3 or 4 weeks since I last put a post on here. Some of the internet facilities along the way on the west coast have been a bit slow or hard to use. So anyway, I flew from Melbourne to Perth and stayed there a few days wondering around, visiting some of the tourist attractions like - Rottenest Island where I hired a bike and got myself some snorkel gear and headed off for a lovely cycle and relaxing swim! So anyway I got a puncture and I have now found after using the snorkel a few times that it is a piece of crap and I should have just hired stuff. But hey, it was still a gorgeous day!

From there I caught a bus and headed to a place called 'Kalbarrie' where they have a national park, a few shops, a youth hostel, a caravan park, some niece beaches and 20 billion flies. It is a nice place and I met a lovely girl there 'Christine' with whom I cycled 20k in 38 degrees with a fly net on my face sweating in the hot sun along the coast line. Beautiful views but the flies, oh those flies.

And then to my next volunteer project in Sharksbay, the Monkey Mia centre where for a couple of weeks I had the great honour of working with the dolphins. The dolphins have been coming in the the beach there for years, started off with local fishermen feeding them a couple of fish and now there is a couple of families that visit the shore every morning for a feed. I had the opportunity to defrost some fish, weigh them out in to particular buckets for each dolphin that was being fed and I also got to sweep up outside, wash the windows of the ampitheatre and display centre, cut up the fish for the pelicans and last of all and best of all - I got to get in the sea up to my knees with the dolphins swimming around me and invite tourists to feed them. The dolphins would nudge your legs and rub up against you and look up at you. It was one of the best and sweetest experiences. I also met another scot there who was also volunteering and we became the best of friends - cheers to Mandirs!

While in Monkey Mia feeding the dolphins I enjoyed the beautiful beaches there and did a bit of snorkelling and also went out in the resorts catamaran a couple of times called the 'Shotover'. On the Shotover we saw some wildlife although it was a bit hard to see things as the water was not that clear. But we did see some Dugongs, which are a cross between a whale and a walrus I think, some people call it the elephant of the sea. I will post a pic. Apart from that I took a lovely tour with the 'shark Safarri' and a guy called Leon who incidentally has worked in Edinburgh. It was a fun day where I got to see a lot of reef sharks and loads of sea life and some absolutely gorgeous beaches that you really would need some of your own transport to go and see. At one place 'Wilsons bay' I think we went in for a snorkel and then came out for some lunch. As we stood on the beach we saw some little reef sharks swimming around. I walked in to the sea and stood very still as one came up to me and then swam away it was a gorgeous experience, never forget it. Other than that I also went out for a 'Bush tour' with a guy called 'Capes' who's family originates in the area as he is aboriginal. He gave us some insight in what it was like to live there and how people survived. And also how there were different 'tribes' of aboriginals living around Australia in different locations.

And so from Monkey Mia an aurevoir to my dolphins who I will never forget. And I bought someone else's bus ticket as mine only went to Monkey Mia but I was told to go a bit further north as it was beautiful. And so one of the girls didn't quite make it with her ticket and was getting a lift back to Perth so she sold me a $200 ticket for $60, she wanted $100 but I am el skinto. Anyways well worth it and off I went to Coral bay (incidentally Mandirs paid for a ticket to Coral Bay for $110 one way!) And so a nice place to visit, especially to do snorkelling there absolutely beautiful. Went snorkelling with Mandi and another scot we came across - Erika. Me with my dodgy snorkel. And so it was nice and so the next day Mandi and I signed up for a $29 glass bottom boat trip. We got out a couple of times for a snorkel and the skipper feeds the 'snappers' there, I don't knowhow I felt when he threw the fish food at me and the fish all came at me like some thing from a Pirranha scene. But it was funny to see it happening to other people. The best part of the snorkel was when we came across a water turtle and we had a bit of a swim with him. It was fab.

And then to Exmouth where I thought I would try a 'dive' as I have never done one before and as my birthday is coming up on 9th march (yes ecards welcome) I thought I would hint to my family and treat myself. I got to the experience in the pool which was fun and got me ready for the real thing. However, on the day of the dive we had a cyclone coming 'cyclone Emma' and she had just hit just above us in 'Karratha' and flooded the place. We were also told another cyclone was coming after her and that would be the scary one. And so most of the backpackers headed out for the south, the roads to the north were blocked even though it ended up that 'emma' went further inland and totally missed us. So much for my dive. And so it was a farewell to Mandi and I decided I would end my time in Australia doing some youth work with some of the local aboriginal kids as I felt that was the experience I really wanted here. So I left Exmouth, got some cash back from my failed attempt to do a dive and headed for Geraldton. I contacted a youth service provider for the west of Australia and told them I was open for any volunteering. They then put me on to a woman in a place called Moora between Geraldton and Perth who runs a youth centre. I spoke to Amanda she offered me food and board as long as I was committed to the work and a whole load of cool experiences. And so right now, I am typing away on her computer in her home after 3 nights of youth work here and also a trip to the local swimming pool where I have played with some of the younger kids who come and I have totally enjoyed being around them. These guys seem to have a lot going against them by the things that are around them, but they have a lot going for them according to what I have seen inside them. Its all good.

I will let you know how that goes later on. After my two weeks here, then I am off to New Zealand. I will also try and get some photos posted as I KNOW half of you don't read my inspiring words!!! That leaves the other 2 who do, ie my mum and my neighbour Paddy!

Later Sylv x