Hans

One of the happy coincidences that just happen magically was that I got to meet in person an interesting man from New Zealand who has the same last name as me, Hans Maurer. He is a German emigrant, a relative of Heidrun who I mentioned earlier in this blog. We actually came to know each other through this blog here. And perhaps Hans and I are also related; we just have to find the 'missing link' between our genealogical trees...

We had a good conversation over an excellent dinner in a French restaurant he recommended in Port Vila, a house with historical significance: it was in this very place that the constitution of Vanuatu was negotiated 30 years ago, as a brass plaque on the wall tells.

The steering wheel above is from the vessel in the picture to the right, the Coongoola, on which I went on a day cruise to a remote beach on one of the smaller islands. A nice boat. 61 years old. Arr!

Vanuatu

Only been back to Sydney for 2 days and off in an airplane again! This time I went to...

"Vanuatu? Wo ist das denn?" was the question more than one of my German friends asked. The small country is seldom heard of. I first learned about it a few years back when I administered our Plan website for which we had a (free) .de.vu domain; the "vu" stands for Vanuatu.

The Melanesian island group is located roughly between Australia, New Guinea and Fiji. It was formerly co-governed by the French and British, known under the old name 'New Hebrides', and has been independent since 1980. This week they celebrate their 30-year existence as a nation. The emphasis of the word Vanuatu, by the way, is on the second 'a'.

I came here in order to relax for a few days in warmer temperatures before heading home, but it's not as warm as I had hoped. Overcast with clouds, very windy, rough sea and too cold for swimming. That was a bit disappointing. But it is still a good getaway here, and it is a little warmer than Sydney. I'm staying in a small resort near the capital Port Vila on the island of Efate and have a big self-contained bungalow all for myself.

The island is tropic and volcanic and there are beautiful creeks with waterfalls coming from the inland mountains. This image shows me at the picturesque Mele Cascades. You can walk up alongside, and in, these rapids of crystal clear water and get as wet as you like! Very pretty place.

Kata Tjuta

Kata Tjuta is Uluru's 'sister'. It's also a red sandstone formation and only 30 km to the west, which is why they made a national park that encompasses them both. Kata Tjuta is also called "The Olgas", but that's a silly name.

People say that the two, Uluru and Kata Tjuta, are connected underground. My German friend Heidrun, who had visited them in March, told me that the Earth's solar plexus chakra is located just in the middle between the two. In any case these two 'islands floating in a sea of sand' are, like any good pair, both similar and opposite in a number of ways.

Kata Tjuta is bigger than Uluru in terms of size and height. But while Uluru is one block, Kata Tjuta is many, it's divided in 36 dome-shaped objects. This means you can walk into those gorges between these walls. It feels as if you were going into a body, the womb of a fertile earth mother.

I did the short Walpa Gorge walk and also the long Valley of Winds walk. It was really very windy there, and quite cold! But an amazing surreal place to be in.

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

Finally, my last big highlight of my travels in Australia: the world-famous Australian landmark, Ayers Rock, or as it is known now: Uluru!

It is located in the "Red Centre" of the continent, in the deepest outback, far from any coast. By car it would take me 2 weeks to get there. But by flight it is so easy to reach, there's a direct flight from Sydney to Ayers Rock Airport.

The rock, a massive object made of red sandstone, eroded by wind and rain for millions of years but still there, is a marvel the way it rises in the otherwise flat landscape. It is also famous for its red colour in the sunrise and sunset. This is the classic view that you find on thousands of postcards.

As you see, Uluru is majestic from a distance, but it's also awe-inspiring and fascinating when you get close up and can discover its concave and convex shapes, its smooth and coarse surfaces, varied textures, streams of water, holes and caves. I did the full walk around Uluru, which is about 10 km. I did not climb it -- the Aborigines don't like people to do that and besides, it was forbidden due to weather conditions (wind, chance of rain) when I was there.

I arrived on Monday and stayed for two nights in Ayers Rock Resort. On Tuesday I got up really early, 2 hours before sunrise, to drive (in my rental car) to the best viewing spot, and was rewarded by one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen in my life. Isn't it just amazing?

And then on Tuesday I visited Kata Tjuta, which will be a separate posting.

Last day at work!

Finally -- it's my last day at work. I made it. Yay!

Two more weeks before I'll fly home. And two final highlights coming up -- stay tuned on this blog! *sings* Uluru -- I'll soon be seeing you...

Sold my car

That went quick! I put up an ad on Gumtree and waited this weekend for people to call me... and the first who saw it bought it.

So now I'm on foot again... and one less worry.

The photo shows last night, our new Korean housemate (Jade) made a special Korean dinner for us! I need to explain how that goes, I've never had something like this before: You make a kind of wrap. You take a lettuce leaf, put a Perilla leaf on top, then comes some rice, fried pork belly (Samgyeopsal), bean paste, and Kimchi. Roll it into a ball and stuff it into your mouth! Yum. And then you make the next one and so on...

Paul was right

Paul the Octopus was right. :(

Manly Scenic Walkway

Today we had a nice day, cool but sunny, and I went for a walk on a bushwalk trek known as Manly Scenic Walkway; it's along the coast inside the harbour on the north shore between Manly and The Spit. It is very pretty; the water is so blue and the view of North Head, South Head and Middle Head, and out to the open sea is awesome. There are always a lot of sailing boats cruising in these waters, nice to watch.

There are also some idyllic small bays, overhanging sandstone rocks, and ancient aboriginal engravings to see.

Improv Theatre

On Friday night I've been to an improv (improvisational theatre) show, called Scared Scriptless. Most of my friends in Germany know me as a big fan of improv, so I'm sure you may have already wondered whether there is any here in Sydney too. Yes, there is.

They did a theatresports show (9 players in 3 teams, one host, one timekeeper and one light-man for a small audience of about the same number of people). The players and the host did a fairly good job; although I must say I think 'my' group in Augsburg (Deschawüh) is just as good as them. For a city the size of Sydney you might expect a bit more, but I think improv is particularly big in Germany, which is why I'm spoilt (verwöhnt).