Saturday, November 23 2013
Tokyo, Japan
Clear, Crisp Autumn Morning
Last post about the Australia trip! For the last weekend in Australia, it was time for a road trip. We did the infamous Great Ocean Road. I love living in Tokyo, but miss the gorgeous coastlines of California. Miss the beautiful beaches with clear ocean water. So was very much looking forward to this weekend adventure.
We met at the Hertz location in Melbourne and loaded the car. Sandra was the designated driver and I was the navigator. We also got a GPS just in case. And Bob sat in the back seat catching up on news, work and enjoying the ride. But since the Hertz office was right next to Victoria's market, we did another trip there so that Bob can buy some gifts for his grandkids.
And then we were off to the Great Ocean Road. Sandra did an amazing job getting us out of the city but thank god for the GPS as the one way streets of Melbourne were a bit confusing. And we had to remember to stay to the left!
We left the city around 11am and made our way out of Melbourne to the coast. The signs were very well marked so it was pretty easy to figure out where to go.
Our first stop was Bells Beach which hosts the famous Rip Curl Pro, the world's longest running professional surf competition. It was a gloomy, drizzly and cold day but we got to see some surfers with thick wetsuits and hoodies do their thing. The beach was GORGEOUS!!
Our next stop was Anglesea for a bathroom break on a delicious Melbourne latte. The coffee scene is amazing in this part of Australia. And they have there own lingo:
Short Black: espresso
Long Black: normal coffee
Flat White: similar to latte but less foam
And I'm sure there are many more
After Anglesea, we headed to Lorne for lunch but not before taking a photo of the arch
At Lorne, we decided to go to a cafe called Arab as they seemed to have a good menu. Big mistake! The service was awful! The "main" server looked like Abe Lincoln and was so rude! One couple left because he was so rude. Anyhow, we survived the lunch and took a short walk thru the cute town. I bought some surfing T-shirts for my nephews.
Wild cockatoos everywhere in Lorne
As we headed to our destination for the nite, Appollo Bay, we stopped at "scenic spots" to take photos.
And then we got to Apollo Bay. We stayed at the Best Western which was basic but very clean. As we got in around 5ish, Sandra and I did some wine shopping for our night cap and made reservations at an Italian place across the street from the hotel. After a good nights sleep where a storm blew by, we woke up to a crisp, cold but clear day. Sandra and I took a walk along the bay. The air was fresh and beautiful.
Magpie sighting!
Beautiful but shy birds
Our next stop was the highlight of the Great Ocean Road - the 12 Apostles. Unfortunately, some of the apostles have crumbled into sea but still magnificent. The coastline is breathtakingly beautiful. It took major perserverance to take photos as the wind was blowing, rain falling and freezing!
The next stop was the Loch Ard Gorge named after Loch Ard, a ship that met its fate here. Its stunning yet frightening as one can see the power of the ocean.
Since we had time, we decided to take a side trip to the triplet falls located in a rain forest off the Ocean Road. It was recommended by the lady receptionist/owner of the Best Western in Apollo Bay. Bob stayed in the car while Sandra and I did the one hour round trip hike. It was a beautiful rain forest and suprisingly warm! We stayed on the paths though as the area is a habitat to some of the world's deadliest snakes!
After the hike we headed to Melbourne Airport. I had a midnight flight and Sandra/Bob had an early morning flight on Sunday. I'll report on the restaurants we ate at in Melbourne in another blog post. But a great, great and fun vacation. Melbourne is definitely a city I can live in and want to visit again and again and again.
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