3 day KI tour

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leaving Ad at 10am (well not really it was closer to 11am before we left the city) I kind of didnt like that 1st day thought it was a HUGE waste of $$ and .... unnescesrry stops. we stoped at two places for wine tasteing (at 11am I wasnt up for it) our "van" was very full. and I guess I felt uncomfortable with people I didnt know- but at the same time we meet two other groups from the same company and they were full to so this company is definitly making its $ worth. we also stoped to have lunch at a park and a choclate "factory" where its just like a cherru belt and the fruit or candy is just covered in choclate- you could get whatever you wanted done.

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we were a group of 14- guide dave- his friend colin- me- 1chick from Maine, USA- 2 german couples-one german chick=one swiss but spoke german-couple from mel-older vitiamese lady who also spoke german and Andy he is english but has been working in detroit for past 10years then here in ad for past three mounths and wants to get a canadian vias.

Just before 4 (we were early for our charter boat) so we went into a bar and this guy had a movie that the locals of cape Jervis had made. there was a dead whale (I think a ... blue whale) near the harbour and tons of people (litterlky the whole town) went out to look at it and ther just happened to be great white sharks eating this whale. very cool. It was just someones personal video camera and they were small great whites but it was very cool. then at 4pm we caught our "private" charter boat over to the Island (it was a charter fishing boat - no life jackets no real seats) we raced the fery accross- it was cool to see how short the distance really was. from there we traded vans with the group and they took our boats back to mainland where we had left our van for them. then.... we drove thru penneshaw got food and then drove to Cape willoughby at the Northern tip (I guess you could call it) where there was a light house, and for some reason that our guide could not explain there was always three families on call.

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next we drove to a beach where wed spend the night (kind of a no named beach with solar showers and compost toliets- very nice place. I took a picture of the shower cause I thout it was cool, pretty much a calvert open at the top. we ate and then talked till it got dark when we moved our swags down to the beach.  we did have a very small fire (like three sticks of kindeling) but our guide was very concerned about 1 getting caught and 2 starting a fire cause it was really quite windy. the sleep on the beach was beautiful- so realaxing and you could see the stars and ... nice and cool but not cold-I wore my toque and soxs- some of the girls were cold.

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Next morning the sun woke us up bright and early I believe like 6am ish. breakfast and paking up were done and we were on the rd by 8:30am. But the thing that I didnt like was the early morning hike upo prospect Hill. only 502 stairs up and not the hightest hill on the Island but enough of a hill that I didnt want to do it at 9am. (dont worry now Im done compaining)from the top of this hill we learned about the history (like did you know that the english were here first and the guy named all of the ... right side of the island but ran out of water and therefore left the Is but told the french guy that there was tons of food on the Is and to go there for food and in trade he could name the left side of the Is- which was rougher and harder to navigate around) it was good to learn acouple of things but the wind was .... very strong and there a bit unpleasent up at top. from there we drove (lots of driving for a small Is) to the Eucalyptus oil distrillery- which was really kind of interesting. I liked that in 99 these people decided that sheeps wool prices were not going to help them live their lives so they decided to go back to farming the oil. they grow the seedlings and when the "trees" are 2 years old they harvest them (with chainsaws) because the leaves give off the most oil in this trees young life. It was intersting yet very short (the free tour that they did- kind of would have liked to do the real tour) I baught the oil in hopes of it cleaning up my skin...... and some honey candy and the choclate was really good too. off after that to....Seal Bay- which really interested me- but I soon found out that all the seals do is sleep. except for this one baby whos mom seemed to be out fishing cause we watched him run from one end of the beach to the other. I guess they have a right to sleep, they go out and eat for three full days the come and sleep for three days. theres about 3700 of these seals left in the world. I got video tape the babies were really quite cute. I learned more in the first 10min of the tour then I did all day we saw them our guide started talkking and we just attacked him with questions. it was funny but we were all very curious. and then we watched- 4 or 5 of "us" had really good cameras and prob some skills in photography so there was lots of that and lots of just watching. it was pretty cool. Next stop was lunch (same as yesterday but a sandwhich is a sandwhich) over to remarkable rocks after lunch and its funny all these are r rocks- nothing special but at the same time same with the GOR all thoes were were coast line. Nothing special yet special at the same time. the rocks r cool forms and we did get a great group shot. then off too.... the fur seals and the admiral arch. where the wind was ... Ive never felt wind that strong before. the arch is just a rock formation but the seals were cool these ones were a bit more active and lively. I got a good shot of one "standing" up. the flinders chase National Park (which was really busy) we did go on the hike to se the platpus but the likely hood of actually seeing the duck like guy are very slim. but it was good to get out and about. there were kangroos or wallibees in the parking lot and they were very friendly (like they had ben feed before) when we left Dave our guide stoped because there was one on the rd and then he had the nerve to call it over and shake its hand. I mean .... its so going to get hit I would never do that, Id like to think I wouldnt. there a time and a place to pet kanagroos and in a National park in the middle of the rd is not one. I was a bit pissed. we then drove to where our next night would be- I thought this really sucks but in the evening I didnt regret it cause at dusk all the kanagroos came out and I thought that was really cool. It was only a quick ride to Vivonne Bay  where we did see thepenguins (were not alloved to call them fairy penguines anymore because the gay community does like it- weird eh?)we saw three babies in their dens and three adults comming out of the water, I was really quite disapointed because yes it was cold but were left after ... well not srue how long but it wasnt that long at all. I was very disapointed and Im really glad that I have the other days here to see them at my time.

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as I woke up on the last morning colin said he saw three kanagroos jump not 5 feet away from my head. that would have been cool to have seen but I was asleep or without my glasses so I missed them.  we picted up the sandboards and went out to the Little Sahara. which was very very cool. and it was fun too. exactly like sledding on snow (well very closed to the same) we went swimming after that cause we all had sand on everything. the water was quite freezing. which was surprising but at the same time it was beautiful once you got used to it. we went for a short walk to see koalas and the stoped for lunch- nice change we had a bbq and then drove fast and far to stokes bay. where you look at the beach and you like why did we come here? but you hike/walk thru the rocks in a tunnel type path and it opens to a large and open beach. very pretty. I got to snorkle and it was fun. then our fast drive to catch the charter boat where they first dropped me off.