So you think that life has been pretty good so far and there can't be anything better than what the past two months have held. Well we thought this until we got to go to Rotto Island (a small island just 16 km west of Perth). These Perth boys took us out on their crayfish boat to Rotto for the weekend of January 16/17. It was amazing!! We were so excited to go that the day seemed to take forever until of the boys could pick us up. We even made cookies to pass the time! Needless to say when Andy came to get four girls for a two day trip he was quite surprised with the massive amount of stuff we had. We just wanted to be prepared that is why we each had a bag of clothes, pillows, blankets, towels and enough food to feed heaps of people; we didn't want anyone to go hungry! Soon we were boarded on the boat and headed out to sea. The winds were up and the waves high. These two factors made the trip out the funniest ride we have ever been on!! Even the boys said they have never taken the boat out on that rough of water!! We had to have a grip on the railings or ceiling at all times for fear of being cast over and at one point a wave rocked the boat that I was literally swinging from side to side parallel to the floor! Stu and I had a contest of who could remain balanced the best on one foot on deck and sadly I lost to this sea veteran with a near slip over the side! The only other metionable incident was a very close encounter with a yellow sailboat that seemed to appear out of nowhere and come within a foot of our ship! Later in the weekend the skipper of that sailboat found us and had a friendly chat of the close proximity of the two boats.
Arriving at Rotto at sunset will be one of the most beautiful sites of this trip. The glow from the sun cast an air of magic over the water and boat. Life doesn't get better than this! We docked the boat...well the boys did as we sat and watched. They tied it a little far back that in order for all the girls to make it the jetty we needed a guy to give us a hand. A smart trick of the Aussie's to use as a ploy to keep us on their boat until they lend us their hand. Always cheeky these ones! At the back of the boat, Danielle leaned over the edge a little too far and the boys didn't pull her in in enough time that she fell overboard and tested out the waters for us! Soon we all joined and christened the Rotto weekend with a swim in the ocean. The boys pulled out the BBQ for some sausages, steak and veggie skewers (I will give you one guess to what we girls provided!) Danielle nicked her fingers twice cutting the vegetables, granted we were using a tiny torch (flashlight) and had a few beers by this point! Nothing a nurse can't handle though! The evening continued with a relaxing pace on the boat getting caught up with tales of contiki days and sharing stories. There is a cute pub on the island that we went to and on the way we had our first encounter with Quokkers. These creatures are tiny little marsupials that look like miniture kangaroos and are only on this island. They are protected and even touching them is a hefty $2000 fine!
Now one would wonder where do you use a bathroom or get ready to sleep but the boys have thought of everything with their boat and there is in fact a little toilet to use on board that is very handy. Since we are docked we also can just walk to the public toilets...it's as simple as that! Sleeping on the boat that night was like being rocked heavily to sleep. It was so bad that the next morning we all were swaying on dry land for a few hours until we adjusted to being on land again! It may take a while for these Canadian girls to get there sea legs but we will by the end of this trip!
The boys took the boat out and went fishing and to catch some crayfish as we girls went to the Basin beach to play in the water. Today the water was flat and I swear we could have been in the Caribbean for the torquoise blue waters that were teasing us to come play in. It was amazing!!! The day was toasty so we couldn't be on the beach for long and took breaks in Dome (a coffee shop) for Chai lattes. We waited for the boys to return anxiously seeing if they were actual fisherman or posers. We were thrilled to find fish was indeed on the menu for supper. Jan was champion and caught the biggest fish...talent or luck we are happy with either! Stu proved to be quite the chef as ge seasoned and grilled up the fish and we all had a taste along with an amazing salad by Jenna. Another night of hanging out on the boat with friends as the sun dipped into the west and we had round two of sharing stories and getting to know each one even better. I can't tell you how amazing it is to have these boys take us on their boat, give us the only bed-like mattress (that all four of us shared comfortably) and see Rotto from the eyes of Perthites but it is priceless!
The following morning we had brekkie on land of smiling toast with eggs in it and 10lbs of bacon! We didn't even get through half of it but one of the boys works for a butcher and that was his 'little' contribution. When renting a space on the jetty you have to have your boat out by 10am so we were at sea early in the morning and our only task was to find the most beautiful cove around the island to play in. Hard task but we aim high! It is an incredible experience to see the island using the boat because you get access to beaches and coves that has no bike trails to. The seclusion makes it feel like we are taking part in a movie and we are still waiting for a director to pop out and yell cut...but our movie just keeps going!
About into 45 minutes at sea we found the perfect cove and as Stu pointed at the most beautiful water stated "I want to go play in that!" Here we spent a few hours cliff jumping, swimming, finding seals, snorkling and sunbathing. This day could not have been more perfect if we had wrote it ourselves. The water was glass, the weather was a warm 41'C and when we got to the point of heating over, just jumped into the water and cooled off. This is the only way to spend a 40'C or above day...on the water, well in the water! We were soooo sad when the boat turned towards Perth. This weekend went by too fast and there was no way we wanted to leave these beautiful coves or these fun boys! But Sundays are always followed by a Monday which means the work week begins for almost everyone but us!
The ride back was vastly different then the ride there. There were some spots so clear that you could see straight down to the sea floor! We even got to see a few dolphins as we approached Perth. I even got to steer the boat with Jenna on my right giving me pointers! I think we could be Perthites. Work in the week, get a boat, take the boat out to an island on the weekend, swim, fish, eat and be with friends. Yep we could do it!
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