Camel Ride
Il primo giorno che siamo arrivati ad Alice Springs abbiamo deciso di andare su un cammello, così abbiamo chiesto informazioni all’ostello dove alloggiavamo (Alice Lodge) e il ragazzo alla reception ha chiamato il Pyndan camel tracks. In circa due ore un furgoncino ci e’ venuto a prendere proprio di fronte all’ostello portandoci poco fuori Alice Springs, dove inizia il deserto, e li, in una piccola proprietà, c’erano 6 cammelli. I loro nomi sono Doc, Betty, Morgana, Odin, Trillion e Greyhound.
Il costo per un’ora sul cammello e’ di 50 dollari, ogni prenotazione si può’ fare su http://www.cameltracks.com o chiamando lo 0416 170 164 per chi si trova in Australia.
The first day we arrived at Alice Springs we decided to have a ride on a camel, so we asked for information to the hostel where we were (Alice Lodge) and the reception’s guy called the Pyndan camel tracks. In about two hours a van came to pick us up right in front of the hostel taking us a bit outside Alice Springs, where the desert starts, and there, in a little property, there were 6 camels. Their names are Doc, Betty, Morgana, Odin, Trillion and Greyhound.
The cost for one hours ride on a camel is 50 australian dollars, you can take each booking on http://www.cameltracks.com or calling the 0416 170 164 for who is calling being in Australia.
Se decidete di andare a cammello nel pomeriggio, portatevi una felpa e dei calzoni lunghi o qualcosa di pesante da mettervi addosso, perché’ durante l’inverno australiano ad Alice Springs e Uluru può fare molto freddo. Noi siamo stati li a meta’ giugno e di giorno erano 10-15 gradi, di notte la temperatura calava a -2 gradi.
If you decide to ride the camels in the afternoon, take with you a jumper and some long trousers or some heavy cloths to wear, because during australian winter in Alice Springs and Uluru might be really cold. We were there in the middle of June and during day it was 10-15 degrees, during night the temperaure decreased till -2 degrees.
Di fronte alla fila di cammelli c’e un ragazzo che li guida, li fa alzare a abbassare e aiuta tutti a salire e scendere dai cammelli.
In front of the queue of the camels there’s a man that leads them, make them stand up and get down and helps everyone to get on or off the camels.
Non pensavo che i cammelli fossero così alti. Sono sempre stato abituato a vederli solo in foto e non vedevo davvero l’ora di cavalcarne uno. Appena sali su uno di loro e si alza vieni spinto in alto in un attimo e poi per un ora oscilli a destra e sinistra, con il tuo cammello che ogni tanto morde delle foglie o dell’erba al volo nel tentativo di mangiare qualcosa.
I didn’t think camels to be so high. I was always used to see them in a photograph and I really was looking forward to riding one, As soon as you jump on one of them, it stands up and you are pushed upward in a rush and then for one hour you swing on the right and on the left, with your camel that stops every now and then trying to bite some leaves or some grass just to eat something.
I cammelli vengono nutriti ogni sera e se si sceglie il turno della sera ai clienti viene data l’opportunità’ di dare da mangiare agli animali.
The camels are fed during night and if you choose to ride in the late afternoon the owner allows you to feed the animals.
Alla fine del tour si viene condotti in questa stanza per bere qualcosa, guardare le foto e gli oggetti nella stanza o comprare un souvenir.
At the end of the tour all the people are lead to this room to drink something, to take a loot to the photos and the items in the room or to buy a souvenir.
Kangaroo Island Seal Bay
The second day we have spent in Kangaroo Island we have driven to Seal Bay starting from the hostel in Kingscote,40-50 min by car.The most interesting thing there is over there is a tour across the seaside(15 dollars to be allowed to walk till the point lookout without guide-30 dollars to be taken by the guide to the seaside among the sea lions,moreover you will have the possibility to go to the point lookout by yourself),the place is crowed by sea lions that rest there after have come across the sea towards the south pole,three days to go and three more to come back,all without any stop or any meal,then after a lump sum of food they come back where they left,and they lay down on the seaside,sleeping for days.
Il secondo giorno che abbiamo passato a Kangaroo Island siamo andati a Seal Bay partendo dall’ostello di Kingscote,40-50 min in macchina.La cosa più’ interessante da vedere che c’e’ laggiù’ e’ un tour attraverso la spiaggia,(15 dollari per poter accedere al punto di osservazione senza bisogno della guida-30 dollari per poter essere accompagnati dalla guida fino in spiaggia,e poter camminare fra i leoni marini,più’ la possibilità’ di andare al punto di osservazione )il posto e’ affollato da leoni marini che riposano qui dopo aver attraversato il mare in direzione del polo sud,tre giorni di viaggio per l’andata e tre per il ritorno,senza alcuna sosta per mangiare o riposarsi,poi,dopo aver fatto scorta di cibo tornano da dove sono partiti,e si accasciano sulla spiaggia,dormendo per giorni.
The female sing in order to call the males.
Le femmine cantano per fare in modo che i maschi vadano da loro.
We have been told to not get closer to female sea lions because if a male notice someone getting closer to them,he will chase the threat to defeat it:a grown male weighs about 400 kg,you wouldn’t like a beast like that jumping on you,that’s the reason because we had to visit the seaside as a group and not alone,the single one could be attacked anytime.
Ci e’ stato detto di non avvicinarci troppo alle femmine di leone marino perché’ se un maschio se ne accorgesse,correrebbe incontro alla minaccia per affrontarla:un maschio adulto pesa circa 400 kg,non vorresti che una bestia del genere ti saltasse addosso,questa e’ la ragione per la quale abbiamo dovuto visitare la spiaggia in gruppo e non da soli,il singolo può’ essere attaccato in qualsiasi momento.
In one day and a half we have been able to see all the interesting things there were in the island,there is a lot of advertising about Kangaroo Island and for that reason I expected much more,is a beautiful place,but all the costs like plane or pullman and boat,hire a car,hostel and organised tours,comes really high for some days,but at the end it has been a wonderful experience.
In un giorno e mezzo siamo stati capaci di vedere tutte le cose interessanti che c’erano nell’isola,c’e un sacco di pubblicità’ su Kangaroo Island e mi aspettavo molto di più’,e’ un posto meraviglioso,ma tutti i costi come l’aereo o il pullman e il traghetto,affittare una macchina,l’ostello e i tour organizzati,arrivano a essere una spesa abbastanza elevata per solo qualche giorno,ma tutto sommato e’ stata un’esperienza meravigliosa.
Adelaide
Yesterday we left Melbourne for Adelaide,a cheap flight with Jetstar,1 hour and 10 minutes and here we are.We actually are at Backpack Oz hostel,27 dollars by night and the wireless,breakfast and bicycles free all the days.Today thanks to all this kindness we have gone from Adelaide city to the seaside with two bikes,something like 30-35 km.
Ieri abbiamo lasciato Melbourne per Adelaide,un volo economico con Jetstar,1 ora e 10 minuti e eccoci qui.Per ora siamo all’ostello Backpack Oz,27 dollari a notte con internet wireless,colazione e biciclette gratis tutti i giorni.Oggi grazie a tutta questa gentilezza siamo andati da Adelaide centro fino alla spiaggia con due biciclette,qualcosa come 30-35 km.
Even if neither Lonely Planet seems to know what there is to have fun in Adelaide,is a beautiful city,really relaxing,nothing compared to the rush there is in Melbourne or Sydney.
Anche se nemmeno il Lonely Planet sembra sapere cosa ci sia per divertirsi ad Adelaide,e’ una città’ stupenda,veramente rilassante,niente a confronto con la fretta che hanno a Melbourne o a Sydney.
Funny game indeed,it worthed one photo!
Un gioco davvero divertente,valeva una foto!
This is still the inner city,the path towards the beach was much more far.
Questo e’ ancora il centro città’,la strada verso la spiaggia era molto più’ lontana.
Today was sunny,and this huge park along the river was amazing.
Oggi c’era il sole,e questo enorme parco accanto al fiume era stupendo.
The river was crowed of animals,birds and most of all black swans,they are really everywhere here.
Il fiume era affollato di animali,uccelli e soprattutto cigni neri,sono davvero dappertutto qui.
Too little,but fast and smooth,useful to backstab a black swan.It’s not racism,the white ones were missing.
Troppo piccolo,ma veloce e silenzioso,utile per attaccare alle spalle un cigno nero.Non e’ razzismo,i cigni bianchi non c’erano.
At the end of the park there was a dam with a little bridge,but given that we had been told to follow the river to get to the seaside (…)
we went on on the path.
Alla fine del parco c’era una diga con un piccolo ponte,ma dato che ci era stato detto di seguire il fiume per arrivare alla spiaggia,
abbiamo proseguito per il pensiero.
If you veto too close,he gets really cranky,but it worthed the shots.
Se ti avvicini troppo si arrabbia davvero,ma gli scatti ne valevano la pena.
During the ride,we started to hear a really annoying noise.The more we got closer,the more we started to figure out what was that,
the most annoying bird in Oz.Cockatoo.Full trees.
Durante la strada,abbiamo iniziato a sentire un rumore davvero fastidioso.Piu’ ci avvicinavamo,
più’ ci rendevamo conto di cosa fosse,l’uccello più’ fastidioso d’Australia.Cacatua.Alberi pieni.
After one hour on the bike at last we got to the seaside!
Given that we were starving,we stopped in the first place there was to eat something.
We both ordered coconut prawns,16 dollars of pleasure,but I have tasted no coconut…
Dato che stavamo morendo di fame,ci siamo fermati nel primo posto che abbiamo trovato.
Abbiamo ordinato entrambi gamberi al cocco,16 dollari di piacere,ma non ho sentito il sapore di nessun cocco.
That was the view from the balcony.
Questa era la vista dal balcone.
Adelaide is a really good city,really relaxing,but there’s not much to see,even Lonely Planet doesn’t know what to suggest.
If you like night life,parties,surf and big festival all over the city,don’t come here.
It’s more relaxing,there’s inner peace here,nothing like Melbourne or Sydney,here something that we liked in the city centre.
Adelaide e’ una bella città’,veramente rilassante,ma non c’e’ molto da vedere,anche il Lonely Planet non sa cosa dire.
Se vi piace la vita notturna,grandi feste,surf e grandi festival per tutta la città’,non venite qui.
E’ molto più’ rilassante,e’ la pace interiore,nulla a che vedere con Melbourne o Sydney,ecco alcune cose che ci hanno colpito nel centro città’.
The pigeons is watching,Hitchcock docet.
I piccioni stanno guardando,Hitchcock insegna.
Darling Harbour
Yesterday I have been in darling harbour,I wanted also to reach the luna park but at the end was too far walking,and the sun too hot!I have reached darling harbour by bondi beach where I’m actually living first by bus till bondi junction and then from there I took the metro till central station,and step by step (took a long long time,mostly with the sun striking in my hairless head) I got there,but if you don’t want to walk too much from central you can walk till george street and from there you can take the bus 555,it won’t go straight to darling harbour,but it will get really close.And it’s free.Easy 🙂
Once in darling harbour I have been in the hard rock cafe shopping centre,but the shirt costed too much for me (I have been in miami,new york,niagara falls,washington and los angeles in august and al the hard rock t-shirts costed 25 $,against the 44 of sydney)
I took something to eat for lunch and I went sitting right in front to the hard rock,close to the water and ships,where were a lot of angry,hungry seagulls.I drop 2 pieces of honey chicken (oriental recipe I guess,delicious,but too sweet after some bites)and a white shiver suddently moved around me,screaming and fighting like they were starving from months.Ten seconds and all the food disappeared.
White shepard
We have 13 white shepards running around the property,barking and playing all the day,in spite of the raining day playing with this puppies is an endless joy 🙂
We have called the only red hair one Chewbacca (like the star wars monster friend of Han Solo)
She is the fattest and the clumsiest among all the puppies!
Even if they are only one month and a half old they are getting smarter and smarter,they can even recognize their names,and sometimes they surprise you with very funny behaviours.
Rag doll
The funny name of that kind of cats comes from the fact that,if you pick up one grown cat or a kitten,all his legs and arms fall like the ones of a rag doll (bambola di pezza)
At the moment we have 3 kittens and 7 big cats,Mama cat included!
The face of that cat is relly stunning,it’s a pity I can’t take the photos of all the other cats,but they still are too scared too get too close to them
That kitten is the one that plays more with us,every time we enter in her pen she looks for us to play or to be petted.
Kookaburra
The Australian animal I love more
is not the kangaroo,
or the koala,
how banaal it would be!
It’s a little funny bird,
that laughs every time he tweet!
You can hear him from far far away!
Today I have been so lucky to meet one from so close!
He first noticed us,then we did!
We took some pieces of meet to bring him closer,
but he didn’t trust us at all!
Here is cleaning is beak,a lot funny,
most of all when he beated it several times on the brunch!
But today was windy,and the meat’s smell was too attractive!
Once he decided,he flew toward us in a rush,
taking all he was able to take!
He liked and he came twice in few minutes,grabbing with his bech and his claws
Then,once sated,he has flown away
Evergrades
The Everglades have been an invaluable experience,
even if the hovercraft ride lasted only half an hour!
the crocodiles swam quietly a few feet from us,
despite that many people put their hands in the water to spray them!
the driver made a whistle and in an instant a bird has fallen down from the sky to lean on his arm
that’s a bow or he is putting on a pose for the photo?
a small show with a poor crocodile youngling
See you later alligator!
In a while crocodile!
Washington Zoo
We did the trip from New York to Washington by train,four hours for 150 dollars,not so cheap after all.Anyway,once we reached the hotel and we left all the bags,we discovered that in the middle of Washington there was a big zoo,free entry moreover,so we immediately directed over there!
The toucan is one of the animals that I love the most, is extremely curious and has a beak out of proportion to the body
This peacock was walking a few centimeters from us indifferent
The Ambler Journal 