Australia 8/19/2022 - 9/6/2022 |
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Wednesday 8/24/2022 - Waterfall Gully, Meeting Sonam and Sonam in PerthToday was our last day in Adelaide; in the afternoon we would be catching a flight to Perth. Our time with Tshering Om, Tshering Wangchuk, and Rigsel had been incredibly enjoyable. We got along as if we had known one another forever, despite the fact that this trip was our first in-person meeting after knowing each other for years online.We woke up around 7 a.m., showered, packed, and checked out of the hotel. The hotel had been perfect - simple and no-frills, but the location was priceless! Tshering Wangchuk picked us up on the way back from dropping Rigsel at school. We went back to their house and had a meat pie, toast, and coffee for breakfast. Then we headed to Waterfall Gully at Cleland National Park for our last excursion in Adelaide. It wasn't far from where we had visited yesterday. In fact, there is a short but strenuous hiking path which goes from Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit. Waterfall Gully is the home of the largest waterfall within Cleland National Park. This waterfall (known as the First Falls) is only a short walk from the car park, and we got some nice photos there. There is a small pavilion next to it which can be rented for parties. We then walked up an 800 meter trail (which passed over a very picturesque stone bridge) to the Second Falls. There was a sign explaining that this used to be called Fern Falls, due to the immense amount of ferns which once covered the falls. There was a photo showing what it used to look like. But unfortunately, a lot of the vegetation was stolen by early settlers, and it never fully recovered. Waterfall Gully was quite peaceful, and we could see and hear many birds amongst the interesting and lush vegetation. Then we went back to the house and had lunch (onion pokaras and fried rice and yogurt) while we watched Youtube travel vlogs. When we were sufficiently stuffed, they brought out ice cream for dessert. At 1:45 p.m., we headed to the airport. We thanked Tshering Om and Tshering Wangchuk for their wonderful hospitality, and told them to say goodbye to Rigsel for us when he got home from school. We checked in, and found that our 3:30 flight was running about half an hour late. We had beef macaroni and cheese and red wine on the plane. We landed in Perth at around 6 o'clock local time, and waited to be last off the plane for the wheelchair. The flight attendant wheeled Craig to baggage claim, as there was no wheelchair attendant. I took over from there. There was no way that I could handle all of our bags and the wheelchair, so I tried to get a luggage cart despite the exorbitant price. However, I couldn't get the machine to accept my credit card or cash. I was getting increasingly frustrated when Sonam Tshering and Sonam Choki showed up to save the day. They helped with the bags and pushed the wheelchair. We got to their car, and we drove 15 minutes to their lovely new home in the Perth suburb of Wilson. They greeted us with a welcome cake, Nepalese chili chicken, beer, and Bailey's. We sat in the living room and caught up. It has been three years since we have seen each other. We video chatted with Sonam's father (who is currently on a religious retreat in Shelmakha) and with Sonam Choki's family. They were all happy to see us together. Sonam and Sonam gave us their bedroom and they took the guest room so that we would have a little more space to spread out our things. They are so sweet! It was so nice to be reunited with them! Waterfall Gully |
 Tshering Om, Craig, and Tshering Wangchuk at First Falls, Waterfall Gully  Adelaide Airport mural  At Sonam and Sonam's new apartment
See all photos from August 24 (Adelaide)
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