Freo X

When it comes to unsolicited advice, my father is king.

During my entire trip, behinds the scenes, I have been constantly receiving warnings about what to do and not do to ensure my survival. I have received links to the CDC about Dengue Fever and excerpts from papers on how to spot possible landmines in Cambodia.

When I was in Thailand, after my motor bike fall; I was told "its better to come home and see a doctor then to lose a leg."

When I was in Laos, I was told "be careful! You know what people in Laos are told to do when they hear a strange knock on their door in the middle of the night? . . . Shoot through it!"

In Borneo, it was shoddy aircrafts. In the Mekhong Delta, it was handling wild animals.

"Doug, you know you are handling wild animals in the third world!"

Not to mention, the pirates, riots, hookers, pimps, Russians, lethal avian flus and every other micro bacterial, human, or animal adversary any man could face.

I have never been more aware of my mortality then I have on this trip.

When I got to Australia, the concern moved to crocodiles and sharks. "Doug, talk with the locals about whether or not the water is safe to swim in. And dont buy any of this 'if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone crap!'"

Well I dont know how much of the other warnings he gave me had merit, but he got this one right.

There have been a string of shark sightings and close calls in Western Australia, and more specifically in Perth (I am staying in Freo, a suburb of Perth).

On May 10, in Rockingham, 20 miles south of Fremantle (Freo), a man fell into the water, after trying to stop a great white shark from attacking the motor on his boat. The shark was 15 feet long. He managed to survive.

And just last week, a surfer spotted a great white, while swimming off of Rottnest Island. Rottnest Island is probably 15 miles away and is where I went sailing for the first time.

When I was in Sydney, over Christmas, a hammer head was spotted off the Sydney coast and Bondi Beach was evacuated. And the day after Christmas, a man was 'taken' by a shark out here in Perth while swimming and is presumed dead. Its funny, out here noone is 'killed' by sharks they are just 'taken' by them.

I give my father credit. Shark attacks seem to be a very real threat out here. But there is no need to worrie it is getting too cold to get into the water out here now anyway.

I Love you, Dad. And I am still curious who you know in Laos.

. . . . .

Rockingham Great White Attack (May 10, 2009):

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,25456302-1245,00.html?from=public_rss

Perth Shark Attack (December 27, 2009):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7801202.stm