18 March 2018 - Day 15 - Albany to Perth

Last evening when I had gone out after occupying the room I had left my towel on one of the beds ‘staking’ claim to that bed. However, when I got back to the room after visiting The Gap and Dan Murphys I found a backpack dumped on that bed! The young man who had done that later offered to move to another bed. Since there was no one else expected to the room I occupied a double bed lower bunk bed and spread out comfortably. I had been a bit behind on the documentation and hence, I was out of bed early. My room was on the ground floor and the gents toilets were on the first floor. At that time of the morning the shared facilities were free. Last night Nick, one of the Canadian students, had told me that they would be leaving at 7 am. So, I was keen to meet that ‘rush hour’ for the toilets. Once the bath and shave was done I read what was pasted on the door – that there is another set of toilets on the ground floor! I felt foolish trudging all the way here.

The common kitchen is fitted out well with all plates, vessels and cooking equipment.  Coffee and tea are free in the kitchen all through the day and night. I made myself a cup o coffee and got down to my work. When I was at it the students assembled and the senior person who was in charge of their tour detailed the program for the day, including allocating work among the students; who would cook, who would clean up, etc. By the time I was done with the work the students had left.

It was indeed with a touch of ‘not wanting to go’ feeling that I was turning out of this picturesque town. Albany is the oldest settlement in Western Australia, even older than Freemantle and Pert. It was set up as an outpost to spike French ambitions to establishing their presence there. for many decades it also served as the only deep water port till the development of Freemantle. The population of less than 35,000 was largely asleep as I quietly left the town.

It was just a 6 hour drive to Perth and I had targeted to reach there after 3 pm. therefore, I took the drive leisurely. The drive right up to Bunbury was through a series of National Parks; green, wooded and roads lined with massive trees. I was tempted to stop over at Bunbury, which had been described as an incredibly beautiful port town. But I labored forth through vineyards and wineries, on both sides of the road. I did not venture into any of that either. By the time I reached Mandurah I was feeling quite sleepy and thought it necessary to take a break. It was not yet 1 pm and I had enough time on my hands to reach Perth as scheduled.

Once I got into a Woolworths store I forgot time. I spent more than an hour buying stuff that would serve me better on the drive, instead of buying huge meals, which eventually got wasted, at exorbitant rates. With that in mind I picked up a couple of tins of Spam, cheese and large burger buns, muesli and milk, grapes and apples, Heat&Eat items, baked beans, biscuits and granola bars. From a pharmacy nearby I also picked up a few bandages for the feet. It was nearly 2 pm by the time I motored out of Mandurah. It would take me at least 90 minutes to get to Perth I estimated.

Actually, it took me some more as I missed the exit and had to take a long detour. In the meanwhile, I had a message from Suresh Sebastian, my host in Perth, enquiring if I had reached Perth. Instead of stopping to respond I was at his magnificent house within half an hour. The huge house was a stone’s throw away from Lake Herdsmans, a setting so idyllic that it generates a lot of positive energy. I was meeting Suresh after 43 years and Ludi for the first time. Suresh and I had been schoolmates in St. Joseph’s High School in Trivandrum. Though we were in the same year of school, the sections were different; Suresh was in ‘A’ section and I was in the ‘B’ section. The rivalry between our sections was legendary when it came to cricket during the lunch break; a Trans-Tasman kind of rivalry. From the famed ‘Oval’ of the St. Joseph’s School Suresh and I went on to represent Kerala Schools cricket team for three years between 1973 and 1975. We practiced together under the watchful guidance of Coach Ganesh, who was a friend but a tough taskmaster. In 1975 Suresh moved over to study Naval Architecture and I migrated to Chennai for graduation in Loyola College. Since then we never met; ‘near meetings’ happened in the last few years. Ludi is the first cousin of my first cousin’s husband, but I had ever met her. The long hiatus and the first time did not matter once I turned the car into their drive.

Over a cup of hot coffee we caught up on the past; professional and personal. Suresh decided to retire early after a very successful career working in the Gulf, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia. Some things about you never change. Suresh had been a doughty wicketkeeper and one down batsman. I remember the time when, just before a major tournament match he was injured just above his eyebrow where the nasty cut required many stitches. The entire team was worried not only because he was the best in the business but more because of what we would lose in the field in terms of support and a ‘never-say-die’ spirit. The chips were never down with him. He refused to back out of the team practice sessions and eventually gave his best in the match too. He brought the exact same spirit into the various jobs he held, sometimes even earning the wrath of his colleagues who could not match his commitment and work ethic.

 

Ludi and Suresh suggested that we go to the Cottesloe beach to see the ‘Sculptures by the Sea’, the annual sculpture ‘festival’ of the city. Overlooking the beautiful, white sandy beach is the Indiana Hotel, which has played host to an array of international dignitaries. The exhibition was coming to an end in another day and hence, the beach was virtually overflowing into the sea! The sculptures attracted a lot of attention, particularly ‘Damien Hirst looking for sharks’ where the very young gathered while the Transition, In Awe, The Desert Island, Sunny Moon and others generated critical interest. What was most interesting to me was the fact that many sculptures had used waste materials such as scaffolding pipes, electrical connectors, packing material and the like. Ludi told me that the Council often buys them to adorn various parks and roundabouts.

From Cottesloe we made our way to Freemantle Port, the busiest port in Western Australia, past the University of Notre Dame. We made our way across Cicerellos, a more than a century old fish and chips restaurant, and other eateries and cafes on the waterfront. Ludi suggested that we go to the Roundhouse. The views of the sea and the port from there was indeed quite captivating. At the time of the visit we did not know that the Freemantle Roundhouse is one of the oldest public buildings in Western Australia, purportedly built to house convicts. Thereafter, it has served as a police lock up, accommodation for the coast guard, warehouse and presently as a tourist attraction, with conducted tours explaining how the convicts were handled in there in the past. Suresh suggested that we go to the Little Creatures brewery cum retail outlet for a couple of beers. Little Creatures captivated the Aussie market with their pale ales from the time they turned an erstwhile crocodile farm into a ‘hoppy head’ location. Once we reached the place I suggested that we go home and have a drink. Here Selena, the youngest daughter of Suresh and Ludi and who is in Graduate School, joined us.

The next point of visit was the iconic Kings Park, the 1000 acre botanical gardens right in the centre of the city. The eternal flame at the memorial is a poignant tribute to people who sacrificed their lives so that we could live in peace. The brilliantly lit views of the city and its neighborhood from near the memorial was like a conducted tour with Ludi and Suresh pointing out the landmarks and adding a short note, as it were, on each of them. Later we drove down through the city’s main road, St George’s Street, with the landmarks carefully pointed out yet again. We drove past the WACA – Suresh told me that the WACA would be yielding its position to the Optus Stadium, which was being readied to host international events with a capacity five-fold of that of WACA. We reached home after driving through the affluent neighborhoods in Perth.

Suresh opened a bottle of Australian single malt, Starward. Excellent meat cutlets and onion salad was the ‘touchings’ for the excellent whisky. The dinner was a feast of chappati and pork vindaloo; awesome stuff.