Perfume River

In Hue we also did a dragon boat cruise on the Perfume river. On the way there we stopped to see some more of the local handicrafts. 

The boat trip was nice and relaxing with beautiful views. We stopped to have a look at a pagoda that was the tallest in Vietnam. It is one of the oldest and most famous religious buildings of the country.

We took yet another overnight train to Hanoi, where we would arrive early in the morning. 

Motorbike Ride in Hue

The motorbike tour in Hue was one of the best trips we did in Vietnam. Naturally, we didn't ride the bikes ourselves, since that would have been a suicide. We jumped on the backs of the motorbikes of experienced local riders and were taken to the countryside. 

It was one of the motorbike rider's son's wedding that day. Still, he had to be there riding tourists around.

It was a hot day with temperatures over 40 degrees. We visited the old kings' tombs.

We also visited a local Buddhist monastery that is also an orphanage. The little girls in the monastery come from different sad backgrounds such as poverty. 

It is an interesting place to visit and the food is fantastic. At the same time you make a small contribution to the children's future by supporting the monastery.

Royal dinner in Hue

From Hoi An we took a scenic bus ride to the old capital of Vietnam, Hue. The bus ride took about 3,5 hours  with some stops on the way.

Rubbing the belly of a laughing buddha brings you wealth.

The city of Hue is located in the centre of Vietnam. The weather was boiling hot when we arrived. In the hotel lobby I had a very pleasant surprise waiting for me. My backpack had FINALLY made its way back to me. 

Hue is known as the most royal city in Vietnam, so our travel guide had arranged us a royal dinner.

King and queen.

The dishes were as good as they looked! And we had some entertainment as well.

Afterwards we went for some drinks to a local bar. Unfortunately we had to leave the costumes!

Kings Canyon

The next day we drove to Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon is a part of Watarrka National Park. We did a 3-4 hour walk around the top of the Canyon. It was a hot day, and the walk started with a really steep climb that the locals call 'Heart Attack Hill', but it was one of the best walks we did during our trip, if not the best. 

The walls of Kings Canyon are 300 metres high. Needless to say, the views were AMAZING. 

Beehive rock formations called the 'Lost City'. Doesn't look like it belongs on this Earth. 

Wild watermelon!

The Big Red Rock

In the morning we drove to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. We first spotted the big red rock from 50 km away.

There, in the middle of flat wilderness, the Australian icon, a huge red rock pokes out of the land 350 metres high. We bought a 3 day pass to the park.

We started from the Cultural Centre where we learned about aboriginal culture, beliefs and their way of life. The Anangu traditional owners have been in the area for tens of thousands of years and they are one of the oldest human societies on earth.

Uluru has a deep spiritual and cultural meaning for the Anangu people. The foundation of Anangu culture is Tjukurpa, somewhere referred to as Dreaming or Dreamtime. Tjukurpa is their law and it defines the rules of behavior and relationships between people and people and the land. Tjukurpa explains how these relationships came to be, what they mean and how they must me maintained. Tjukurpa refers to the time of creation as well as present time.

Aboriginal art on the Rock

A great deal of the Anangu Tjukurpa is related to Uluru and Kata Tjuta. There are many sacred sites and mythologies surrounding both rock formations.

When we went there, you were able to climb the rock if the weather conditions allowed it. Soon the climb will be prohibited. Dozens of people have died climbing Uluru, and the Anangu people have requested people not to climb as it is a very sacred place for them.

I didn't want to disrespect the traditional owners' culture so I stayed down. I thought it is a bit like going to a church and sitting on the altar. The aboriginal people don't build temples, their church is in nature itself. But here is a couple of photos Rohan took from high up.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Red Centre

After 10 days of driving from Cairns we finally reached the Red Centre of Australia. Alice Springs, with only 27,000 people is the unofficial capital of Central Australia and is situated in the geographic centre of Australia. 

Alice Springs is a nice little town, a mix of old-style buildings and modern shopping centres. It is also the aboriginal art capital of Australia, and the streets are full of art shops one after another. For the flocks of tourists there are also tour operators and travel agencies in every corner. 

Approaching Alice we ran into these signs. Alice Springs is a dry zone, and that means you will get a heavy fine for drinking in public or carrying too much alcohol with you. You see, the indigenous Australians in the area (25% of the population in Alice Springs) like the booze a bit too much. So the town is trying to reduce alcohol-related problems with these new laws. For instance, bottle shops don't open until 2 pm and you can only buy cask wine after 6 pm, and only 2 litres per person. But when we visited the local Bottle-O, to us it seemed like the liquor was still flowing among the aboriginals despite the laws. 

But we only did a quick stop in Alice this time and moved on to the West MacDonnell Ranges for a couple of nights. 

Oasis of the Outback

After a 3-4 hour drive from Mt Isa, for a moment it looked like we would have to turn back because of a deep, strong water crossings on the road. 

We decided to take the risk and went for it. 

Lawn Hill National Park is one of Queensland's most scenic national parks with lush vegetation, spectacular gorges, sandstone ranges and gorgeous views. We were very happy that we took the detour. We camped beside the creek and hired a canoe. 

Around the gorge there are small waterfalls that form an amazing natural spa pool. 

After hours of paddling we did a short walk to see Aboriginal rock art. The national park is an important Aboriginal site. They have been occupying the area for over 35,000 years. The Aboriginal name of the place, Boodjamulla, means the rainbow serpent that created the gorge.

More photos coming up!

Finally in Cairns

So, after one month of travelling, we finally arrived in our destination, the tropical tourist town of Cairns. So far this had been the best trip of my life. The East Coast really exceeded all my expectations.  Gorgeous long, deserted beaches one after another, a real tropical paradise. Not to mention waterfalls, mountains, rainforests. I was having the time of my life, meeting new people, seeing new places every day, having fun, taking it all in. I was loving my travelling companion, the Jucy girls and Rohan. I loved travelling in a campervan, too. It's such a laid-back way of travelling. Especially when you don't have to drive! 

One month back I was miserable. Now I was in the middle of the tropics without a care in the world, happier than ever. For the past weeks I had been enjoying the feeling of not knowing what would happen when we got to Cairns. All the other girls had a plan. Sabrina would keep travelling, Alix would soon return to France, Stine would look for a job. But the closer we got to Cairns the more I started to worry about my plan. So, when Rohan asked me to keep travelling with him, and return to Melbourne via Alice Springs, I hesitated for one nanosecond before saying OK.

Cairns is a vibrant backpacker town. Lots of hostels, bars, tourists. Me, Rohan, Stine and Mark, who we met on Fraser, spent an evening drinking goon and ended up checking out the local nightlife. We camped right on the side of the street. 

The beaches in Cairns are a fair drive away, but there is a nice big lagoon for swimming. 

We had a little bit of drama in Cairns when I was on my way to a gym and realised I had lost my precious gym shoes. Anyone who knows me, should know that that was a personal disaster. 

It was time to say goodbye to the girls. On our last night we had dinner together and went for a walk at the night market. 

The same evening Rohan and me jumped in the van and drove out of Cairns. Just outside Cairns we stopped the car to see the lights of Cairns at night. Heading to the Outback, it was the last time in a while we would see a bigger town. A new chapter of the trip was beginning. (of my life, too, just didn't realise it yet...)...