insert the following emojis: smiley face with heart eyes + tropical drink

I mean, I've had some good blog titles, but we can all agree that that one is probably the best. Major cheers to my brain.

If you've never heard of Broome, you aren't alone. It's a tiny beach town on the Western edge of Australia that is known for pearls and camel rides (I'll get to that in a few). Once the Australian tour wrapped up, we still had a few days before I had to be back in the US and Ron left for the UK so we researched temporary headquarters for Ron Pope Music/DancePanda Entertainment. We ended the tour in Perth, so we weren't exactly in the best position to get to a lot of places. We found some AMAZINGLY cheap deals for Bali... if only it wasn't the height of rainy season! After some deliberation between our Aussie friends, they decided for us and told us to go to Broome, WA. We wouldn't be disappointed - they just knew it. Admittedly, the lure of camels was just about enough to make us say yes anyway.

Let me give you the run down on why this place is so damn special:

Hotel: Cable Beach Club, which is the highest rated resort in the area. It's not the fanciest place I've been, but I really don't want/need that in a beach resort. It was perfect. It was calm, private, and exactly what we needed for a few days away from tour.
Staircase to the Moon: friends told us about this, but we had to see it in person to understand how amazing it is. The moon "rises" out of the ocean and casts a staircase like reflection on the very low tide. My pics don't do it justice, so here are some pro-level ones from good old google images. Also, there is a great food truck area/market right outside the beach where you watch this phenomenon. Awesome way to make a night of it!
Camel ride at sunset: Camels were brought to Australia in the 1800s... and then their population kind of exploded. Camels gone wild. It is estimated that there are somewhere between 300,000-400,000 wild Australian camels now! With those kind of numbers, it's no surprise that they are exploited a bit for tourism. While we had an amazing time, I do feel a little strange riding animals for no real purpose. Is that weird? Should I feel weird? Who knows. Malachi (our camel) didn't really seem to care one way or the other.
Matso's Brewery: Yes, this tiny place has its own brewery & it's absolutely worth the trip! The mango beer won my heart (just the slightest mango flavor in a really smooth brew), but the rest were pretty tasty as well.
Aarli Bar & Restaurant: There aren't too many restaurant options here, but this one really knocks it out of the park. It's a tiny, hole-in-the-wall type place with mainly outdoor seating. They call it modern Australian cuisine, but it really has more asian influences. Per usual, we shared everything: thai style short ribs, chargrilled lamb with harrisa & yogurt, and twice cooked duck with tamarind. Oh, and like 8,000 glasses of wine. I think we said we were celebrating something.
Cable Nudist Beach: Let me clarify... this was not a favorite activity because we were naked. We weren't. Or Ron wasn't. I just did a little topless sunbathing because WHY NOT? My boobs won't always be this great, let's be honest with ourselves. We did see a totally nude 60-ish year old woman fishing at the edge of the ocean. That was... really something.
Indian Ocean: this baby is bright blue and really cold! Pretty refreshing though - just watch out for jellys and crocs, who are known to swim these seas.
Zander's: Our almost everyday lunch spot. A little pricey, but all of the food was really great & you barely have to leave the beach to eat. Plus, crocodile salad? Sure! Seriously - tastes like chicken.

photographic proof of our adventures (also, aside from a little cropping, due to pure laziness, I did not edit these photos. ALSO - the place doesn't need it, so yeah that too):

Overall, we were completely smitten. Amazing sunsets, low key atmosphere, good food. Really what more do you need or want out of life? I'm not sure we'll ever have the opportunity to go back, but I hope we do. My love affair with Australia is still going strong.

xo,

b