I was driving yesterday 9 hours 4WD car to reach hard-to-get beaches and viewpoints on the Christmas Island. Toyota RAV cost me 65 AUD per 24 hours plus fuel – not bad… Tracks pass through the lush jungle full of mosquitos and… crabs. Landscape is beautiful and the island is not as destroyed by exploitation of phosphates as Nauru…
Today I attended here the service in the catholic church – can you imagine – on the Christmas island they have not a single priest! There were like 25 persons including me…
People on the streets of the only settlement on the island smile to the stranger! Why don’t we in our Europe?
It is stormy and rainy today – I hope that the plain tomorrow will arrive anyway and will take me back to Australia…

There are two Christmas Islands on the globe – one on the Pacific, second on the Indian Ocean.
I just landed on the second one. I am very surprised because it has high, rocky cliffs, very few hard to reach beaches and… 60 percent of Chineese in the population… It is not like tropical paradise from our dreams… But still famous for excellent snorkeling and diving, rare birds and jungle landscapes… So far the sea is rough and another tropical cyclene is close to us… Very few tourists… Well – on Sunday I am going to the local church it see if there are any remains of Christmas tradition…

They are on the Indian Ocean… Only twice a week a little 54-seater plane flies from Perth to this little paradise. Yes, I got a seat… Two picturesque atolls – more then 20 islands with coconut palm trees, but only two of them are inhabited… People are smiling. I stay in a Beach Motel – under frangipani tree in blossom but without air conditioning. It is hot and humid but as the reward I have thousands of coconut palms, emerald lagoon, unspoiled nature, beautiful colors of the sea, coral reefs – all of this is waiting for me to explore… All is like a dream, let’s dream!…

Back in Perth we took a breath and drove down along the western coast of Australia. What a change! There are wineries on the rolling hills and the forests with giant karri and tingle trees – sometimes 30-40 m high! Finally we reached Cape Leeuwin with solid lighthouse. It is windy place where Indian Ocean meets the Pacific… the sea was not calm… The coast betweem Cape and Albany is very picturesque – with cliffs, boulders and empty beaches – this is the place to go!

Yes, they have Monastic town of New Norcia established by Benedictine Monks from Spain.
19-th century buildings are ornate, there is interesting museum but only 17 monks live there. The place is worth a visit – there is a clean guesthouse in the monastery where you can stay for 50 AUD – full board – what a experience!

We visited Karijini National Park. Access by 4WD vehicle – the one day tour organized by the agency from Tom Price is expensive but it takes full day and you drive almost 290 km. The gorges in Karijini are 100-150 m deep and very picturesque but suprisely narrow – do not expect anything like Grand Canyon. There are impessive, cool pools in the gorges you can swim – great experience in a hot day!

Still in Western Australia… Did you hear about Ningaloo Reef? They compare it to the Great Barrier Reef…
Yes, it is amazing – regarding the size of coral gardens, number of fish and… small number of tourist visiting this area. ….
First I took glass bottom boat, then snorkeling
on the reef – just great experience!
Tomorrow we will drivie to Kariniji National Park
– even further north. Uff todays temperature:
38 in the shadow – I believe there will not be
more then 40!!!

I rented the car in Perth and I drive north visiting first of all national parks – the pride of this country. Beautiful landscapes, heat, kangaroos,
few tourists, nice – easy going and helpful people. Warm Indian Ocean – just like the paradise, but dear Lord – just few centigrades less for tomorrow please!…
We just returned from Kalbarri National Park – what a fantastic cliffs and gorges. Unfortunately there is tropical cyclone coming to our area – I hope it won’t be strong….

After 9-hours flight with South African Airlines (recommended, but sometimes they depart ahead of the schedule) I landed in Perth.
I expected lower temperatures then in Africa but it was 31 Celsius in the shade!
It is beautiful city located on the bank of Swan River. Only few old buildings but skycrapers in the center are very impressive.
I took the boat to Freemantle – 50-min sail where more historical buildings waits for photographer…

There is a place in South Africa worth to recommend: Inkosana Lodge in Central Drakensberg. Friendly, well maintained, with beautiful view of 3000 m-high peaks. I was so sorry to stay there only 2 nights… I took mountain walks to the level of 2100 m – I did not expected that baboon monkeys live on this altitude… Beautiful panoramas, flowers, birds, silence … but the weather is very changeable – take your raincoat even if the sun is shining… To get there take a BazBus to Winterton or Greyhound to Eastcourt and then african minibus-taxi as I did…