Saturday, April 18, 2009

The moon is made of honey

The wedding couldn't have gone better if we tried. The beachside ceremony and reception venue proved to be a spectacular choice. The weather was perfect and the day's activities went off without a hitch. Most of all, being married to my beautiful new bride made me the happiest man on earth. With the 'just married' sign pinned to our back, our honeymoon was the next port of call, the very next day. We chose to go to Broome, and the choice was definitely the right one.
Arriving amongst the heat and humidity instantly brought on the holiday feeling. Entering our apartment with its own plunge pool and all the creature comforts made the holiday feeling even more real. This place had all we needed, so leaving for daily excursions felt almost unnecessary. Nevertheless, exploration of the old pearler's town was warranted, because the apartment's air conditioner and pool provided an awesome end-of-day destination.
On the night of our arrival, a phenomenon called 'staircase to the moon' was occurring. The best vantage point for this was at 'the mangroves' tavern where what seemed like half the town gathered to witness the spectacle. We managed to snag a front row seat and as the orange moon began to rise, all the lights were turned off, a local digeridoo player began to play, creating a great atmosphere. The event itself was a combination of the rising moon and a low tide over the mangrove mud flats, creating a series of moon reflections resulting in what looked like a stairway from the vantage point to the moon. This was a unique experience and one definitely worth seeing. We were just very lucky to experience it on our first evening in town.
The best way to get around is the local privately owned bus for a fraction of the cost of hiring a car or catching taxis. The bus goes through all of the town's main attractions so we were only happy to use it. The town center venues are clad in galvanized sheeting and full of pearl stores. Apart from that however, there are a number of unmissable destinations for anyone who's not looking to buy a $4000 pearl necklace. Small and friendly stores and cafes are dotted around the main street with 'Chinatown' being the main attraction. Hopping between each one is good fun as souvenirs are quirky and each store's air conditioning systems are refreshing retreats from the relentless heat and humidity outside. Eating out in restaurants in ridiculously expensive, so unless you're keen for a $40 steak and chips either eat at the reasonably priced lunch time cafes or buy your own supplies in the supermarket. We chose a combination of all of the above figuring that getting ripped off was part of the experience. But wherever we went the food and service was great, no matter how much we chose to pay. As we made our way around town, its unique and unforgettable features stood out. The outdoor cinemas, Matso's brewery, various pubs and general town architecture made us fall in love with the town, making us fantasise about how we could move there, setting up a small business and live our lives out amongst the friendly atmosphere.
While in town, we came across a camel souvenir store. There we were able to book a sunset camel ride along Cable Beach. The experience itself was unforgettable, where a combination of the surroundings and being part of a camel train made us feel like we were crossing the Sahara while witnessing a spectacular sunset on a beautiful beach. This is a must-do for anyone visiting Broome. It also showed us the beauty of cable beach, where we spent most of the next day bobbing around an the very warm Indian ocean for most of the day, followed by a burger in the beachside cafe - magic.
The whole experience of Broome was awesome. The town born out of a pearling tradition still retains its roots while providing anyone who visits it with a great holiday. This was a great honeymoon destination, a beautiful start to a happy married life.

No comments: