Albany Whale Watching Tour and Whale World

Woohoo, time to visit the Willy Whales~ Got in the Albany Whale Tours***** sail boat at 9.30am, the friendly humorous old man named David was taking his time telling stories of the whaling history in Albany and the concept his business operates on, trying to create less carbon footprints. Law was enacted to protect the whales which forbid these sail boats from going near the whales less than 100 meters.

The whale season in Albany is around June - October, where they come close to shore for calving. Before this trip, we have search online on ‘where is the best spot for whale watching in south west OZ’. Because if you travelling south west, there are whale watching tours in Geographe Bay (sept – dec) and Flinders Bay, Augusta (June-sept). Forums say that tours in Albany are more professional and they give 3hours tour. Well, that’s why we ended up in this sail boat *plus the discount they give* =P

It was a great day out indeed. We managed to see a mother whale with its calve after 15min of sailing out. But just like any mother, protecting its child, it won’t let the boat go any nearer to it. Hmm, so we saw only the shape of its back. Continue on, to find the whaleys =) The refreshment on boat was really good, they serve coffee, tea, milo and finger snacks like spring roll, nuggets. And best of all, the SCONES! Crispy on the outside and softy inside, with some cream and homemade berries jam, YUMS =)

The boat brought us to see the seal colony, which was resting on the rocks. We had to remain very silent as we watched them. It was really beautiful. And on the way back, we saw another wonderful god’s creation, the dolphins~ Aahh, swimming along in groups, so cute yet so fast! Hey… … … … Don’t go yet. . .

 It was a full 3 hours cruise when we go back. And we got a card for a return cruise too. The owner’s policy is that you are welcome to join them within 2 weeks to see these wonderful creatures again =) How we wish we could come back~ to see the whales jumping right in front of our eyes >.<

Next stop à The Whale World**** Opens 9am to 5pm, this is once a whaling station in Albany. The entrance ticket is $28, with YHA card, we get to save $5 each. The tour takes you along the factory, describing on the whaling process, how they flense the whale, cut them into smallers bits, throw them into the boiler to make oil out of it. Aarrghh.. it was really eerie. But the whaling industry died with the creation of kerosene back then. So this station becomes a tourist attraction.

It was a great place to extend knowledge on these beautiful, giant mammals. There were movies and 3D video showing the history and process of whaling, really interesting, and we get to see them in the ‘oil tanks’. You can smell the whale oil when you’re watching the exhibits =.=

We had a wonderful time exploring the Cheynes IV boat, which was once used for whaling. Here, we can feel what it’s really like in this sail, not just imagining from the movies =)

Wish we could spend more time in Albany, cause it’s a beautiful old city, with so much history and places of interest to see. It’s time to stick our ass in the car for 5 hours ride back to Perth now . . .

The Blow Hole

You can always get these ‘wallpapers’ in Australia road trips, especially sunsets. . . Just be careful if driving during sunrise or sunset, because the Roos and other wild animals are most active that time! You don’t want to bang on these animals and paying a good sum of insurance though =P

Back in time for our ‘dinper’. Hehe we stopped at Alfred’s Kitchen***** located in Guildford, which is about 15min from Perth city. We saw this restaurant review in Airasia’s OZ promo program and just can’t resist not getting here. They open 5pm daily till late midnight. Famous for their yummy-licious burgers and soup. It’s takeaway only, but there is a fireplace right in front to warm your feet and appetite while waiting! We tried Alfred’s special, Cram burger, bacon burger and their Pea and Ham soup. YUMS, only it’s a bit salty. Hehe.. We still miss the environment there, it’s like a place for those ‘bikers’ and really ‘yeng’ people . . . Alfred’s Kitchen Address: Cnr Meadow & James St, Guildford, 6055 WA.

Chiang Mai#9 Golden Triangle & Donsao, Laos

We actually thought that we could go to the poppy plantation area in Golden Triangle**** (since we saw Chiang Mai postcards showing the poppy flowers) but the places is strictly not for tourists, probably because the plants are too valuable.

So here we are at the Golden Triangle --> the meeting point of the three countries, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. There is also another island called "no-man island" in the middle of this triangle (because no one live there) where you can only see it during dry season, we are lucky enough…  however, it's just a land with some grass. This island was once the trading place of opium for "businessmen" from the 3 countries and they use gold as trading currency.

The photo below shows the boat trail we're going to take:

Khong River means Mekong River which is the 10th longest river in the world and 7th longest in Asia whereby it's connected from China to this golden triangle and further down to Vietnam & Cambodia.

The sun is so hot in this season (aug) although its beginning of the raining season. Locals say the weather here can reach 10°c in winter and you'll get to see cherry blossoms in Chiang Mai too. One thing for sure, we are sweating like showering now =P  

We pass by the casino of Myanmar, Thailand has no casino since gambling is illegal, so Thais can just cross the border to Myanmar or Laos for gambling.

Casino Kings Roman, Laos

We were allowed to enter Donsao, Laos*** without visa for an hour, costs us 300baht per pax to enter. Well, considered we have already been to LAOS but of course we were not allowed to go further than this area.

The whisky and scorpion wine is popular in Laos, it looks weird but local says it is revitalizing, especially for man.

Actually it is just a small market place, so we just stroll around, took some photos, drink coconut (refreshing, at the right time!) and breath in some Laos air =)

Little ducky has his lunch!

Laos's immigration department? No, because he don't handle passport but only collecting money from the tour guide.

When we are leaving, we saw some poor kids begging for $$ from a woman. Actually it is advisable not to give money to the poor kids since it will not help them, but only encouraging them to be beggars.


Well that's the end of the boat ride in Golden Triangle.. Don't have too high expectations on this though since it was not like experiencing the opium plantation or trading places. And after some search through net, there are two Opium museum in Donsao where you could learn about but we were not brought there. 

After visiting Myanmar and Laos by "window watching", we had our buffet lunch (included in the tour package) at a restaurant back at Mae Sai area.

The Myanmar rice is so yellowish, tastes great when accompanied with some spicy sauce. P&A shall one day go to Myanmar to savor this Myanmar rice again. . .

Queen of Nagas seized by American Army at Mekhong River, Laos Military Base on June 27, 1973 with length of 7.80 meters.