Not The Advocate

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 08:48:00 +0000

Sunday Monday Tuesday

Lucerne to Lugano in 3 parts

A two hour ferry trip the length of Lake Lucerne, from Fluelen to Bellinzona quite a bit through tunnels, then regional train from Bellinzona to Lugano, arriving on a late Sunday afternoon with not many around. We didn’t find the funicular from the station down to the Old Town, so some anxiety about directions, pathways and so on, but soon at the Walter au Lac and fantastic aspect from our rooms over LakeLugano . A drink in the square, then the next priority was to find a restaurant with good seats for the World Cup final. We did that and settled in for the night. I thought it was a very engrossing match and disappointed that Spain got their goal in extra time. This was temporarily overshadowed by a massive downpour. We waited and waited for a break but eventually gave up making our way back under the colonnades the best we could. It was very humid with lots of lightning across the lake, then the Spanish fans took to the streets with much car hooting and racing up and down outside our window. Fortunately they gave up pretty soon and went off to party.

Monday

First to tick off is Bellinzona capital of the Ticino canton. The trains are very frequent so we were there in 20 minutes. The town was just waking up, and World Cup shop windows were being dismantled. The Castle dominates the town, has extensive walls, a small museum going back to the stone ages, and restaurants but closed.We had lunch in the main square, and then back to Lugano Paradiso on a split moment decision to take the funicular up to Monte San Salvador Another 45 degree climb straight up the mountain to a restaurant with a great view of both arms of Lake Lugano, limited for us by the fact the restaurant had stopped serving and our legs were still recovering from Mount Pilatus. Candy and Hal went for a swim in the lake, we went for a siesta. We had dinner on the edge of the lake near the PublicGardens

Tuesday

An attempt to get a better handle on Lugano but when we thought we had found the Art Gallery in a very fine Villa, it was closed for renovation. There was an exhibition on Unite, but with no English interpretation it was pretty difficult to make sense of. One room was set up which looked very like the Macaroni Factory. We started wandering around the shops and with the start of the sale season there was some serious shopping going on.. Our big expedition for the day was to go around to Morcotte on the bus to eat in a “grotto” restaurant. Morcotte is on the lake and the recommended restaurant was just a pleasant local restaurant looking out on the lake, with a cool breeze blowing. We caught the last ferry back to Lugano at 10pm, a good way to end a night out.

Off on an Adventure in Japan with Ellie

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 06:06:00 +0000

Ellies Japan trip 2019

Day 1 29-9

I flew to Melbourne on my own, the plane got delayed 45 minutes, but it was a good flight. When I arrived Yaya and Papa picked me up and we went to Tim and Mary’s house though Julian was the only one home. We went out for dinner at a Thai restaurant that was really nice.

Day 2 30-9

We got up at 3:45am and got a taxi to the airport. We had breakfast at the Qantas lounge and were first on the plane. We took a flight to Cairns and then after a 30-minute stop flew to Japan (all up it was 12 and a half hours). We landed in Narita and took a shuttle bus to the Hotel Tobu where we stayed. There was a restaurant at the hotel where we had dinner, but it was not the nicest but still ok.

Hotel

Arriving in Tokyo

Day 3 1-10

We got up at around 7:00 am.

This day was full of train ride. We packed up at the hotel and got the shuttle back to the Narita airport at 7.30am where we got our Japan Rail Pass.

and booked our ticket through to Hiroshima. We had time for breakfast at Starbucks and I had a caramel frappochino.

Then we caught the Narita express to Shinagawa then went and got bento boxes and took another train, a shinkensen (bullet train) to Shin’osaka and the another train to Hiroshima then got a local train to Maezora where we were staying for 3 nights at Horainosato another hotel. We got there unpacked then went for a walk down to the store where we got dinner. We found whatever looked good enough to eat by the pictures that were on the boxes because it was all in Japanese.

My chicken and rice bento box

New York New York

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:21:00 +0000

Now had a week to find our way around New York and spend a fair bit of time in the subway but you can get all over Manhattan very safely and quickly.
We started with a knock out day at the New York Botanical gardens -the biggest conservatories, the most beautiful cherry blossom, the most conifers, the best bookshop, just a marvellous garden. But perhaps the most spectacular of all was the Orchid display in the grand conservatory.
Then Peter and Dorothy went off for a few days in the mountains with friends and we started exploring on our own. Found an African Film Festival happening at the Lincoln Centre and saw 4 films as part of that, went to the famous Blue Note Jazz Club to hear some jazz for Sunday brunch, went to a Farmers Market in our neighbourhood - there're a lot of farmers markets including at Union Square. Spent a day at the American Museum of Natural History, vast but very traditional style, and another at the Museum of the Native American Indian which was very good - realised we knew hardly anything about the native indians which have links from tip of Chile to far north Canada.
Near us is the Cloisters Museum with the famous Unicorn Tapestries. Yesterday was spent at the Guggenheim Museum.
Will send some photos soon Love to Everyone Jenny and eddie

How quickly the world changes

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:27:00 +0000

Just a short note to explain the long time between drinks. On our second last day on the boat I tripped, skidded across the floor, hit the window, and badly sprained right wrist and right ankle.That slowed me right down, to the indiginity of being wheeled through SchipolAirport in a wheelchair. I will not be pleased if there are photos. Thanks to Easyjet incompetence, there was no wheelchair waiting the other end as promised. Thanks to sympathetic and helpful travelling companions however we have managed pretty well. Alsö thanks to Melinda' s Arnica and walking stick, and drugs and alcholol too.
I am living proof that getting back on your feet as quickly as possible is the best way to go and I have seen a lot of Berlin, and this morning we are off to Frankfurt where I will find a computer and do a proper update

Bath the Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:37:00 +0000

A perfect English city with rows of fine georgian buildings,the abbey and roman relics The Roman Baths now have a very sophisticated interpretation centre and you can see the original spring the hot water came from, the only warm mineral baths in England.
There is also a recent development of a modern bathhouse with all the features of modern day indulgence.-Daylesford on a grand scale with the most beautiful outdoor heated pool on top of the building looking out over Bath to the rolling green hills beyond.
We went to see Warren Clarke (of Dalzeil and Pascoe fame) in Three Days In May where he played Churchill, and a Mozart concert in the Abbey.
But the nicest part was catching up with Katrina Clancy and Charlie. His parents are right- he is truly delightful , very sociable and easy-going. We had 2 days with them They arrived on the Monday and went off home on Wednesday. Katrina came to the theatre with us and Charlie babysat and the other night we all went to an Indian Restaurant for dinner and Clancy went to sleep in his pusher.
Candy and Hal have just arrived from Singapore without their luggage so I had better go and hear about that Love to Everyone Jenny & Eddie

Bath Via Narita

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:49:00 +0000

Friday, September 16, 2011
Bath via Narita
Our stopover at Narita worked fine. We followed hundreds of High School students on their way to school because we knew the ryokan was next to Narita High School That worked , although a student was conscripted to show us the way when we looked puzzled at one point. Our room was a traditional 12 mat tatami bedroom The food was terrific, they had proper japanese baths and a host who insisted on helping us get around, even if he left us marooned at a regional park with wrong information on the bus to get back. About 500 metres from the Ryokan was a beautiful garden at the back of the thousand year old temple.

Our flight to London was as tedious as ever, but nothing compared with the 2 hour wait to get through Customs at Heathrow. It had nothing to do with border protection as when we finally got to the counter it took 10 seconds.It was due to not enough staff.and deliberate policy I think as their own passport holders were all through in no time. So we started off in very bad humour, but when we came out of the underground at Tower Hill, all was forgiven as the streetscape is so amazing. Kay and Denis were at the hotel and Kay was having real problems with her feet and spent the next days visiting specialists, ending up with a cortisone injection which doesnt seem to have made much difference
We spent our only London day just walking around the area-Bermondsey Market, All Hallows Church, the Monument, along the Thames, the Design Centre. It is a great city with hidden gems around every corner. The highlight of the day was dinner at Fergus Henderson Nose-To Tail Restaurant St John The cost was similar to a Friday night in Daylesford which made it even better.

On Saturday we caught our train to Bath from Paddington
without trauma and arrived in Bath at 1.30 to find a very good apartment in a really great location just around the corner from the Abbey, the Roman Baths and the Square.

The perfect Greek beach

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:29:00 +0000

Goodbye to Lugano and Switzerland and a short train trip to Chiasso, then Cernobbio by taxi to Hotel Asnigo, Again a fantastic aspect overlooking Lake Como, but a very steep path down to the town and the ferry. Back to Euros so a trip on the ferry to Como to sort that, but the banks closed at 4pm so just the autoteller. Como has a very fine duomo and square and a fine old shopping centre. The hotel had a good pool so that was the next stop. We had dinner on the terrace of the hotel on the promise of fireworks in honour of France’s National day. We were getting close to giving up at 11pm, but it was worth the wait as they were set up on a barge on the lake and were very spectacular

A less steep path down to town and a side trip to see Ville D’Este, a very beautiful hotel for the beautiful people- a grand villa converted to an hotel in the 1800’s and with lovely gardens down to the lake. We got the ferry to Como and went to the Rubens exhibition, an excellent exhibition in a great old villa-Villa Olmo. The collection included some luxurious still lifes even with a yellow crested cockatoo in the middle of one, and the Circumcision of Christ, not often featured in religious paintings. Back for a siesta and a swim and we finished our sojourn in Italy at a high restaurant looking back over the lake to Como- a really spectacular aspect and good food too.

Friday Off to Athens

Hotel Novotel

The taxi as arranged at 8am and a slow trip to the airport, but no problems, Candy and Hal weren’t due to leave till 1.30 so goodbyes to them and the second instalment of our holiday. Switzerland and Italy have been great. Free seating with Easyjet and then the train into Athens- there is now a very good modern underground for Athens, which was easy to negotiate. We changed for Larissa and found the Novotel-recently refurbished with a swimming pool on the roof terrace and a great view of the Acropolis. Athens is such a white square city, sitting surrounded by barren hillsides, just as I remember it it still is special as the first Northern city we explored. We headed for the Plaka, via Syntagma Square, and in no time we were back in familiar territory not much changed from 32 years ago. We had a very pleasant meal to the bouzouki backdrop.

Saturday THE ISLAND CHIOS

Plane arrived Chios. As usual no children to meet us but before the luggage arrived Tim & Mary were there with wet hair just having a swim accross the road . Mary’s Birthday too So back to Aghia Georgiou and Marlon, Andrenicki and Julian at the house. Julian had 20 stitches just below his knee, a whole saga of rushing from one hospital to the next on a Sunday. We finished the day at Lithi, the idyllic Greek beach. just perfect Clear water , fine sand, sun lounges, the occasional coffee frappe

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:19:00 +0000

Sunday Monday Tuesday

Lucerne to Lugano in 3 parts

A two hour ferry trip the length of Lake Lucerne, from Fluelen to Bellinzona quite a bit through tunnels, then regional train from Bellinzona to Lugano, arriving on a late Sunday afternoon with not many around. We didn’t find the funicular from the station down to the Old Town, so some anxiety about directions, pathways and so on, but soon at the Walter au Lac and fantastic aspect from our rooms over Lake Lugano . A drink in the square, then the next priority was to find a restaurant with good seats for the World Cup final. We did that and settled in for the night. I thought it was a very engrossing match and disappointed that Spain got their goal in extra time. This was temporarily overshadowed by a massive downpour. We waited and waited for a break but eventually gave up making our way back under the colonnades the best we could. It was very humid with lots of lightning across the lake, then the Spanish fans took to the streets with much car hooting and racing up and down outside our window. Fortunately they gave up pretty soon and went off to party.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday Thursday

Hot el Asnigo Great view of Lake Como, good swimming pool

Bern and Lucerne Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:44:00 +0000

World Cup fever is everywhere - chocolate shops, and even optometists

Our visit to Bern started with a steep walk up to The Garden of Roses (Rosengarten), from which a great panoramic view of the medieval town centre was achieved at a cost. World Cup fever is reaching a high point and we watched Germany beat Uraquay at the Hotel Bern after having difficulty finding a restaurant not swamped with viewers. .

Bern is a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage listed City and the City Centre is largely medieval next morning we collected audioguides from the Tourist Office and visited all the main sites. Perhaps its most famous sight is an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets. It also has an impressive 15th century Gothic cathedral, and a 15th century town hall. Thanks to 6 kilometers of arcades, the old town boasts one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe. Albert Einstein also lived in an apartment in Berne, from 1903 to 1905is still a highly regarded citizen.

Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear pit, just on the edge of the Old Town. The extended and renewed pit actually contains four bears, including two young, who were playing happily while we watched.

We then returned for a guided tour of the National parliament, built from 1857 to 1902, For a country the size of Victoria, and with a similar population, they have 200 politicians in the lower house and 46 in an Upper House like our senate. They also have several referendum each year But the best feature is the set of fountains in front of the Parliament. Small children were having great fun as it was a very hot day.

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:25:00 +0000

On to Ascona Saturday Sunday Monday

Zermatt Tuesday

An easy introduction to Switzerland- fast train to Locarno, lunch by Lago Maggorie, ferry to Ascona with our hotel Art Hotel Riposa in the pedestrianised section of town and very cute. The Jazz festival was competing with the World Cup for attention. We settled for the World Cup- Paraguay v. Germany at a waterfront bar, and Germany went on to the semi final. Our hotel had a marvelous roof top terrace looking out on the lake , with swimming pool, served aperitifs at 6pm, then dinner in their restaurant. There was a very regular set of guests, who were very well managed. On Sunday we decided to ‘do’ the Jazz festival , starting with a concert in the piazza.

Everything was very accessible, bands roaming the street, music in restaurants spilling out on to the street. We had lunch at one of the participating restaurant and had a whole afternoon of Jazz-Paris Washboard. We looked for something similar for dinner, but ended at a lovely garden restaurant on the waterfront with jazz piano as a backdrop.

On Monday we visited the Isole Madre and Isola Bella by ferry calling at Intra and Stresa

At Isola Madre the Palazzo Borromeo was built in the sixteenth century, and surrounded by impressive gardens, covering eight hectares constructed in the English style and begun in the eighteenth century… There is one of the earliest camellia collections in Italy, parrots and peacocks, a family chapel, constructed 1858 and a notable palm collection, with specimens up to 125 years old.Then on to the piece d’resistance Isola Bella.Carlo III. Borromeo began to level the rocks and create on the island a palace for his wife in the 17th Century, The works continued till 1958 following the original plan.

Isola Bella is now one of the major tourist attractions on Lake Maggiore. The stately palace dominates one side of the island, while its elaborate, ten-tiered baroque-style gardens fill the opposite side. Connecting the two areas is the shell grotto. The series of six rooms were first conceived in 1685, by Vitaliano the Sixth, with the aid of the architect Filippo Cagnulo. It took 100 years to complete them. In the cavern-like coolness, now as then, the rooms provide a refuge from the summer heat. Every inch of space, including ceilings, floors, and archways, is covered in a mosaic of black and white shells and pebbles.

We left from Lucarno by train over very steep mountains, back through Italy, then coming back into Switzerland at Brig, where we took the Glacier Express to Zermatt, the closest town to theatterhorn. Not the highest in the Alps but truly specd Swiss walkers. We went up on the cog railway to the glaciers and the view was breathtaking. People were just about speaking in a whisper it was so awe- inspiring. But this image is what it looked like from our bedroom window. Zermatt is a lovely picture postcard town with no cars and stone houses .The mushroom caps stop the vermin getting into the storerooms

Hong Kong & Milan

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:03:00 +0000

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Hong Kong & Milan

We had a fun day with Pam and Stan, going to Stanley market and back to the Jumbo Restaurant at Aberdeen for lunch, then finishing the day at the Intercontinental. It rained most of the day and was very humid. They met us he night before at our hotel,

and had booked dinner at the Hutong, which was a great success. A wonderful place to see the light show and great food."This stunning restaurant, is about as far from a real hutong as you can get, since it's located on the 28

th floor of a strikingly modern high-rise. The restaurant has a down-to-earth yet dramatic setting, with red lanterns providing the only splash of color against a

dark, muted interior, and with birdcages everywhere -- hanging from the ceiling, decorating tables, and silhouetted against windows" The Beggar's Chicken was fantastic.

They went off to New York and we had another great food experience.We went to the cheapest Michelin restaurant in the world Tim Ho Wan, which means "Add Good Luck", and seats only 20 people in its tiny dining room. We had to queue for an hour but the dim sum were terrific. We handed the waitress a paper menu with our dish choices circled in pen, and were seated elbow to elbow at a long table crammed with other diners, the clatter of the kitchen to our backs. The Hong Kong restaurant is headed by Mak Pui Gor, the former dim sum chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, where he worked at the three Michelin-starred restaurant Lung King Heen. The chef decided during the economic crisis to branch out on his own and offer his dishes at bargain prices. It cost us $8 for 2 people.

Milan Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday

The overnight flight was OK and our hotel Palazzo delle Stelline was where we remembered it opposite the Church of the Last Supper and even better our rooms were ready at 9.30am. The hotel was just as it was in1984, which isn't surprising as it started as a monastary in the 15th century.So soon we were on the tram into the centre to the Galleria Victor Emmanual and the Duomo, just as stunning as ever. I hope you remember this Nicole

The shoes are for Dulcie and Stacey-

they are the latest in Milan

The weather was really hot and steamy so we fell quickly into the Italian siesta mode.Later in the day we did a canal trip The history ofMilan is closely connected with the system of canals, that pass through the whole city. .

The oldest canal Naviglio Grande takes its water from the Ticino river. Tha canal was constructed from 1177 to 1257 and is about 50 km long. In the past it was used as transporting goods, particularly for the blocks of marble that were used for building the Cathedral.

Typical, old Milan houses, old wash-houses with wooden beamed roofs and craftsmen’s workshops are still there. Today you find boutiques and artists of Milan, cafes, restaurants and old moored barges fitted out as bars.

So off to Switzerland First stop Ascona

The Hepburn Springs Swiss Italian Festa is COMING

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:28:00 +0000

The decorations are up, the masks are being made and the artists are dusting off their studios. The full program is on the website but here are our recommendations
Friday 9 October
Landscape Art Prize and Exhibition at the Hepburn Pavilion Cafe - winner announced at the official opening 6.30pm
Saturday 10
The annual Grande Parade kicking off in Main Road Hepburn Springs at 10.30am followed by Festa Per La Famiglia and Primary Schools in Concert at the Hepburn Mineral Springs Sound Shell
Heritage Walk to Hepburn Mineral Springs and Gold Diggings

Masked Venetian Ball, 8pm at The Palais

Heritage Centre at Cricket Willow Noon-4pm
Sunday 11 October
Fabulous Feast of Choirs at the Daylesford Town Hall featuring Jonathon Welch and THECHOIR (formerly The Choir Of Hard Knocks) and more choirs on Sunday 18
Swiss Italian Themed Mass at St Peters Church
Also
Heritage Centre at Cricket Willow Noon-4pm
Convivio and dinners at local Wineries on both weekends

See www.swissitalianfesta.com for details
Old Macaroni Factory 150th Anniversary Photographic Exhibition at Daylesford Museum
Saturday 17
Giovani Calcisti in Torneo - Primary Schools Soccer Tournament at Cricket Willow
Heritage Walk to La Franchi's Hut
Heritage Centre at Cricket Willow Noon-4pm
Winery Wanderers Bus Tour
Cucina Nostrana - Community Feast featuring band Ricketty Bridge at the historic Daylesford Town Hall
Sunday 18
Ciclismo: Giro Del Distretto - Cycle Road Race start/finish at Old Hepburn Hotel
Family Bocce Tournament at Cricket Willow
Heritage Walk around Hepburn Springs Village
Heritage Centre at Cricket Willow Noon-4pm
Ensemble Gombert at the Convent Gallery
Trick Circus straight from the Melbourne Fringe Festival
Lavandula La Primavera: a tribute to Ticino
Pasta Sauce Competition at the Palais followed by pasta meal
Traditional Lantern Parade and Grande Finale Fireworks to close the 2009 Festa
Also
Artists' Open Studios, Galleries and Landscape Art Prize Exhibition throughout the ten days
Glenlyon Annual Sculpture Show Glenlyon Hall
Italian and Swiss themed Dinners at various restaurants and Cafes
Convivio and dinners at local Wineries on both weekends
Open Gardens featuring the historic Glenlyon Church (Sunday only), Villa Parma, Stafford Garden and Forget-Me-Not Garden (Saturday and Sunday)

The Channel Islands

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Guernsey is only one of several islands but does have roads and cars. We also visited Sark and Herm which do not. On Herm you could walk everywhere, and on Sark there are horse and carts, bikes and tractors. Mostly they are holiday destinations with hotels, tents and self catering accommodation. They all have good beaches, with lots of boating too.

Guernsey's main town is St Peter Port , where Katrina and Charlie live. It is very steep with lots of steps and stairs up from the port, has a large smart shopping area, a very busy harbour with cruise ships coming and going, a castle, and a thriving financial sector. There is really no government except some sort of cross between heriditary and nominated officials, and no taxes are paid to Britian, although they are still British Territory and defended by the British military. They run their own schools and health services but go to England for anything major. There are many very good restaurants , all serving crab in many varies forms, but best in crab sandwiches. Lots of fish as well, including sea bass and sole.

The Occupation is still their main tourist focus, with lots of stories from the children who were evacuated and those that were left behind under German rule. They all ran out of food by the end of 1944 but Churchill wouldnt allow supplies to be sent because that would benefit the Germans, but a Red Cross boat did come in December and they were finally liberated in May 1945.

We saw some lovely gardens with great perennial borders in the traditional English style, although we went to a garden walk on Herm, and the young gardener was taking great pride in being waterwise and was growing many Australian and African plants, such as callistemon and many echiums

This is the view of Sark as we flew over with a very dramatic road which links Little Sark with Sark. The road is on a narrow strip with cliffs falling away on either side. We went to a lovely garden here at the home of the Seignor (the hereditary boss).

We went for 3 days to St Malo in France and 2 hours on the ferry. We all enjoyed this very much , and you realise that living on an island can be quite limiting, also the food was great in France. We went to Mont Saint Michel which was really spectacular, even without being cut off from the land, just a huge structure started in the Middle Ages built on to solid rock.

SEE YOU ALL SOON HOME VERY SOON

THE WEDDING

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:04:00 +0000

The wedding has been now going for about 4 days but the partying is winding down, mainly because the party girls and boys are going home today. It has been great fun, and as some had been to Mooltan for Christmas we had quite a lot of connections.and Jan (Maytone) is here.

We woke to a lovely sunny day on Friday, the first for the week, which made it just perfect by 3o'clock when we all gathered around the pool, then the wedding ceremony was at 4pm . It was very short and just the official bit. Then we had drinks and canapes on the lawn and photos. This is the view from the bottom of the garden. We couild see the lights of France when it got dark.

Dinner was served in the marquee and the dancing began. Some of us sat in the summerhouse enjoying a lively discussion. Katrina made a great speech and Edwin made a very good one too.

Then the end of the night and Charlie is wondering how he can get Katrinato give up the idea of going on clubbing with the rest of the crowd.

Public Transport

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:23:00 +0000

The weather took a turn for the better and so did Eddie's cough, although I have a fresh cold. We have had some great experiences, with Rick Stein the highlight. His session was generous, self-effacing, and entertaining. We were close to the action and they kept filling our glasses up with good wine and Chalky's Bite, his new beer. The food was also generous with three dishes from his new book, which is based on his trip through Asia. He has a real empire in Padstow, sometimes called Padstein, with a deli, a patisserie where we bought a Cornish pasty (very good), a cafe ( where we had a lovely lunch served by a very outgoing young woman from Zimbawe who had just been to Australia), a Roof terrace( where we had oysters and beer), we couldn't fit in Fish and Chips from his fish n'chip shop, or his pub which is a couple of km away from the town. The food was not expensive and the emphasis was on simple, straight forward local product. He is about to start a restaurant in Sydney where he lives for part of the year. Padstow is at the mouth of a river which rises very quickly when the tide comes in so we went on a boat up to Wadebridge one evening. We also went for a long walk -about 8 km on a coastal path then back along the beach. Padstow has very white wide sandy beaches just like home. It is very pretty but still a working fishing port.

We came across to Polperro using every kind of public transport there is. There is a great website which gives you all the options although a bit of local knowledge helps. First we got the big bus, with the driver egged on by most of the passengers, intimidateing all the other drivers into backing off in the narrow little lanes, then we got the train, then we got a smaller bus to Fowey to the ferry to Polruan. We didnt know where to find the ferry so that was a problem, dragging our luggage up and down hills, and the ferry was a very small boat. Then we got the smallest bus to Polperro. Politicians (and friends of) reading this please note- people with concession cards ride free in off peak, so there are always lots of people, sometomes just getting a ride up the hill. They all seem to know each other too.

At Polperro we had 3 days to settle in which was good. The first day we went for a 9km walk along the Coastal path, going around to Looe in a small boat, then walking back. It is only a narrow path and we were pretty tired by the time we finished, very glad to come around the corner and see Polperro which is behind a very narrow opening in the coastline. There are modern smuggler stories as well as old stories. Yesterday we went to a National Trust property which was very grand with lovely gardens as well. Today we are back to the other side to Newquay the surfing capital to go to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen and tomorrow back to London to meet up with June, Edwin and Frances,

Sunny England

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:18:00 +0000

Here we are in Plymouth, Cornwall which hasn't changed in 30 years. Last time it was Bank Holiday in August and it rained and rained. Since we got here it has been misty, grey and wet. We gave in and bought waterproof gear, but still came back damp. NB June - dont depend just on an umbrella. Tell Edwin & Frances you need serious wet weather gear, unless the weather takes a dramatic turn for the better.But somehow the greyness is part of the charm. In the background the gulls are making that special cry you hear in every English film about the sea. Everything is such a lush green. the roads are overhung with vegetation. The sides of the railway lines are covered in buddelia and evening primrose.

Plymouth has lots of connection to Australia, although I suppose that applies to all the places England was colonising . Drake sailed around the world nearly 200 years from Plymouth before Captain Cook sailed from here. Yesterday we battled up the Hoe, where Frances Drake played his game of bowls before his Amada defeated the Spanish and made England King of The Waves, the umbrellas were blowing inside out and really the only thing to do was retreat into a pub., appropriately named of course, the Admiral McBride just opposite the Mayflower Steps where the Pilgrim Fathers left for America.

We went up the Tamar Valley on a train ride today, to a small village that had pubs and not much else, so guess what we did? This train ride is famous for passing over the Tamar River on a very long viaduct, but from the train it didnt seem nearly as dramatic.

We also went over another famous bridge -the Royal Albert which is the subject of a really interesting exhibition at the City Museum and Art Gallery. We spent quite a bit of time there because it was warm and dry. The exhibition was also about the Eddystone Light as well, which was a remarkable engineering feat, when built in the 1700's about 14 miles off shore. The rock it was built on started to crack, and they dismantled it and brought it back to Plymouth (and became Smeaton Tower), after the replacement had been built nearby. I hope the Gabo Lighthouse is on solid foundations. This Museum had the best kids' program I have ever seen. There were stacks of kids playing with lego and train sets making things, and they even had wooden blocks showing how the lighthouse was fitted together, so kids could build up a lighthouse.

On our way back to our B&B, we walked through a very new shopping centre which wasn't a patch on the one we were staying near in Kuala Lumpur. I think the English might be the last to notice. Eddie still has a shocking cough, and had a very miserable plane trip. Our plan to get the train straight to Plymouth worked fine, although the train was so crowded we couldn't sit together for part of the way, but I knew where he was sitting because of his cough. Conversations invariably swing to swine flu whenever he is in the vicinity. Katrina's friend Jan who used to fill in at Maytone was on our flight from Mebourne with another friend of Katrina's on their way to Bali before they go on to Guernsey for the wedding. Also Kate White and Peter Dunne from Hepburn Springs were going through to London . Kate was planning to have a significant birthday in Paris.

Clare in Africa

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 05:38:00 +0000

Here is an email from Clare Beacham in Africa
Hi all,How is the silly season going? Hope you are all ready for Christmas next week. Its hard to believe Christmas is only a days away, it hasn't felt like it over here, even though there are decorations in the streets and mall but its not the same as when you are buying Christmas presents and getting ready to finish work. I have just returned from 2 weeks volunteering at Na'an ku se Wildlife Sanctury about 45min west of Windhoek. I said in my last email I was going to Hanas, however that wasnt quite true. Naankuse was founded only a couple of years ago by a lady Marlice whose mother runs Hanas Wildlife Foundation, further north-west of Windhoek. Marlice grew up at Hanas, but apparently has differing views to her mother on how animals should be released and along with some other family issues it led to her starting her own sanctuary. Only being a couple of years old it is smaller than Hanas and there is a lot of work being done building facilities and enclosures. Naan ku se was until a few months ago trading under the Hanas name, but is now operating fully independently. They do still have ties with Hanas in that some animals come from there and some animals will also go from Naan ku se to Hanas. It was an amazing experience working there. They currently have 4 Caracals, 3 tame Cheetahs, 3 semi-tame Cheetahs, a number of wild Cheetahs, 5 lions, 2 wild dogs, 4 leopards (plus 3 wild leopards awaiting release), 15 teenage baboons, a mother and baby baboon and 2 baby baboons which the volunteers are hand raising, along with a number of farm animals including sheep, chickens, ducks etc. There were about 12 other volunteers and we lived in 3 bed rooms with shared kitchen area and bathrooms. The first week I was there I worked with the wildlife team. We were in groups of 4 and rotated jobs included food prep, which involved cutting up vegetables and fruit for the herbivors (baboons, pigs, rabbits, chickens ducks and other farm yard animals), then cutting up meat for the carnivors (lions, cheetahs, wild dogs and leopards). Cutting up the meat was probably the worst job. We had to cut up bits of horse or donkey which are stored in the freezer with an electric saw, this may be cutting a leg into slices or even cutting a donkey head in half for the lions! It was messy and quite hard work which I dont think anyone enjoyed doing. Probably the best job, apart from spending time with the Cheetahs, was feeding all the animals. The baboons were hard to feed as you had to take the bucket into their enclosure and some got quite nasty around feeding time and would bite. The bruises some people had from the baboons were incredible. Feeding the bigger animals like the lions was great, we had to throw the meat over the fence to them (which could be challenging when its a leg or half a donkey's head!). Other duties included cleaning enclosures by cleaning out the water holes and picking up old bones. We went into the wild dogs enclosure with sticks as they get a bit agressive towards you, but it was actually quite fun, especially when they stole one of the girls thongs as she was standing barefoot in the water hole cleaning it out! We also had had to help build a new baboon enclosure which meant digging trenches which was hot dirty work in 30 degree heat. The other job was enclosure and border patrol which was checking the fences for holes or digging under the fences. One of the easier more cruisy jobs. Walking the Baboons was an amazing experience. Anyone game enough to come on the walk could and we all started walking down the road and then the release the 15 baboons and they run after you and jump up on your shoulder for a ride or run along beside you. It was actually quite fun when I did it, but there have been problems in the past with some of them going a bit nuts and biting people. The second week I joined the research team which was great fun. We helped footprinting the Cheetahs for a new program they are trying to develop which would be like fingerprinting humans. They have done it for other animals like Lions and if it works for Cheetahs they should be able to tell by the tracks in the area if it is a Cheetah they know or a new one, which would make tracking them easier. We also got to go out on the the neighbouring farm and count game and count cheetah and leopard tracks. We were working with a Bushman tracker to do this who is amazing. Looking for tracks is done sitting on the bonnet of a ute while driving along the farm tracks, with the tracker next to you. We struggle to spot the cheetah tracks but Horhar spotted them with ease and when we stop to look at them knew if it was a male, female and if it was young old, large or small. The last night I stayed at the Lodge which was fantastic and some welcome luxury after the volunteer house. Volunteers got a discounted rate to stay at the lodge. Normal guests pay about 120 US while we only had to pay 35 US. A 35 dollars well spent. We had a great last night with the other volunteers having dinner and drinks at the lodge so it was a good way to say goodbye to everyone. I am starting to put some photos on facebook and will put some more up when I can. You can also check out the Na'an ku se website at www.ecoturism-namibia.co.na which shows some photos of the place and some of the animals they have had over the last couple of years. Hope you all have a great Christmas! I start my tour through Botswana on Sunday which Im looking forward to. Love Clare

Blue Skies in Beijing

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:25:00 +0000

Blue Skies In Beijing Done the big one- climbed a very small section of the Great Wall- had to almost crawl up, but a member of our group is 85 and he climbed up to the same point. It was very steep with uneven steps, but then we sat in an empty temple and watched people like ants crawling along a large section. We also had our best coffee for the holiday.It was a very big day as we had to leave at 7am to get to the Great Wall early, and then after lunch we drove by the Olympic venues. The Bird's Nest really is stunning and dwarfs the Water Cube close by. They are much better in reality than on TV. Then we went to the Summer Palace which is almost 300 acres and only 20 km from centre of Beijing but has no sign of urban encroachment. It has a huge lake, an island, a marble boat and the longest outdoor corridor in the world. All along the coridor there are thousands of paintingThe weather was sunny with bright blue skies, so much for Beijing smog. I wish we were doing what they are doing, which is building a new subway line every year until 2015. One fifth of private cars are banned on each day of theweek, according to number plate. Beijing is unlike any of the other cities, very open , a height level on buildings so no obvious skyscrapers, very wide roads (because they knocked down the old city wall!!)but with the moat still running beside the road.The day finished with a fantastic Acrobat Show, like the shows they used to bring to Australia with bike tricks and juggling and great effects.We came on the overnight train from Xian to Beijing. Xian is another intersting city with an intact city wall from when the SIlk road started here in the 1500's, it also has a large active Muslim section with a mosque where the men were streaming in to prayers,and the only English television was Al JazerraBeijing is different from all the other cities, more like Melbourne perhaps in the Melbourne /Sydney divide in Australia. Lots of young people and geared to young people but parks full of all ages exercising, playing Mahjong, badminton, table tennis, on exercise machines which are spread everywhere, ballroom dancing, walking very precious dogs,and of course grandparents with a grandchild, in fact some babies have 3 or 4 elderly people in tow, consequence of one child policy I suppose, but now the first generation of one child families are starting to marry and they are allowed to have 2 children if they are both only children. The impact of this policy is the most obvious feature of cultural/social policy I have ever seen. There are lots of stories from the young guides about the consequences, especially the demanding nature of girlfriends, who are, of course, in short supply and their capcity to demand fully furnished apartments as part of the wedding dealThe group breaks up now and goes their separate ways but we still have Guangzhou and Hong Kong
draft

The Great Rivers of China

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:37:00 +0000

Flew to Chongqing ,at the junction of the Yangtze & Jialing rivers. This is where the Three Gorges Project will impact Really big boats will be able to come up here and a lot of industrial goods can be transferred by river in future, also enough hydro for large area of China. Chongquing is very mountainous hence no bikes. It also has very few trafic lights relying on pedestrian overpasses and traffic over & under passes which saves a lot of pollution.

This was the capital during the Japanese War, which had a fair bit of emphasis. It is a very foggy city making it hard to attack. After a city tour, including a very well used central park with karaoke happening at midday Saturday, we had the visit to the General Stillwell Museum, which was his headquarters during the War but Chiang Kai- Schek had him sacked as he was too close to Mao.

The next day a bus to Dazu where there are 800 year old buddhist carvings, really detailed, carved in sandstone at 2 different locations

On Sunday we arrived in Chengdu. This is the capital of Sichwuan, where the earthquake caused such devastation in April, not that there is any sign here. It is also the home of the very spicy cuisine so lots of chilli, but as we usually eat at the Restaurant Of Many White Faces, it has been toned down , but we do get some interesting dishes. Tonight one was just like an Indian curry served in a steamed bun and lots of noodles. Our English contingent don't like the food but the Aussies do. Fortunately we have 1 Korean from Canberra and 1 chinese guy from New Zealand who understand and read Chinese a bit so that gives us some good insights and our 29 year old guide is excellent-competent and thoughtful. Chengdu is a very prosperous and modern city. We had a day trip from here to see the enormous statue of Buddha at the junction of 2 rivers. it is huge

Then the pandas . The research staton is just on the edge of this city of 10 mil, and about 50 pandas, including these unbelievable babies all together in a baby's cot, except for one in a humidicrib. Mostly they were lying on their backs eating bamboo. They really are very cute & likable..
Meanwhile the world as we know it seems to be disintergrating out there. We have just watched the Obama McCain debate which has been going all morning here. We have the morning off to get ready for 12 hour train trip to Xian. We are just missing Jon Faine who leaves there today. Listen to hear what he says on the ABC this week, because he is seeing what we see.

Space Walking

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:42:00 +0000

The last few days have been consumed by the space walk. It was all broadcast live, which was fairly risky, but all went well. Our guides were desparate to be finished in time to watch on Saturday and again for the landing on Sunday. Edwin Maher reads the news on the official English channel, and they havent ducked the milk scandal either. That is reported on each day, including the Premier visiting the children in hospital. Meanwhile the American economy still seems to be in freefall. Our final night in Shanghai was the obligatory trip on the river to look at the lights, which is spectacular, but does have gross consumerism written all over it. But they do have longlife globes everywhere and all rubbish is separated and recycled and they have many more solar panels than we have.
On Sunday afternoon we flew to Guilin which is absolutely stunning - Halong Bay but on land.
On Monday morning we went on a river boat down to Yangshou- 4 hours of just spectacular scenery. It is a major tourism industry with at least 50 boats on the river each one carrying up to 100 people. We could see 10 boats ahead & behind us.
When we got to Yangshou we had a 15 minute walk through the town to our hotel. The town is nestled among the limestone peaks, some right next to the walls of the buildings.
In the evening we went to spectacular performance on water, a sort of modern Chines opera performed by a cast of 600 to an audience of 2000 in tiered seats looking out on the lake. The lighting and effects were stunnung. It was devised by the same guy Zhing Jaimou who was responsible for the Olympic opening & closing ceremonies. It has been running for 4 years & has 2 shows every night.

Tuesday 30 September

These are very sophisticated cities -well dressed people, all using mobile phones, wide roadways, clearly the spoilt only child being taken for treats, lots of retail therapy.
This week is National Week, a week's holiday for most people except in the tourist industry. We flew to Kunming yesterday and visited the Stone Forest today a very extensive area like the Pinnacles in western Australia and absolutely packed with holiday crowds. The food is different in each of the regional areas we have visited, this area has goats cheese and the soup is served at differnt times in the meal,although so far it is usually tomato & egg with variations. This province has a high proportion of minority groups and they were running the tourist activities at the Stone Forest. They wear very elaborate costumes and many Chinese were being dressed up in the costumes for photo taking.

Back Home After beautiful country interlude

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:35:00 +0000

Thursday 25 September Hangzhou
Next day was fairly busy and the weather was very hot and humid . We first visited the LIngyin Temple, built in 327AD. The gold-gilded, seated Buddha in the main hall is 24.8m high, apparently the largest wood-carving of a seated buddha in China - each ear is over 1m high. The hall was extremely full of people and monks chanting and banging the gong, with a very heady aroma of burning incense. ! The area around the temple is known as Felai Feng and has many stone statues carved into the mountainside. The paths and caves could be quite dark and slippery, but fascinating to see the carvings in and around the hill in all sorts of nooks and crannies.
Then we drove out to the hills to visit the Dragon Well Tea Plantation, one of the most well-known green tea brands in China - drunk by emperors through the ages. The plantation area looks quite prosperous - apparently tea farmers are some of the wealthiest people in China. We were given a tea drinking demonstration and then had to walk through the very expensive shop to get back to the coach.
After lunch we went to the Six Harmonies Pagoda, dedicated to the six codes of Buddhism. It was once used as a lighthouse and was thought to have mystical powers to stop the tidal bore which heads up the nearby Qiantong River. We found a lovely garden with a pond and stepping stones, so had a rest from the noise and people.
We took a cruise on the West Lake in the afternoon, after a walk through the gardens. The gardens were lovely, very well-kept and interesting plants. The cruise itself was a relief as the weather was really oppressive.
Friday 26 September
Drove 2 hours this morning before arriving in Wuzhen, a lovely old-world water canal town on the way back to Shanghai. We wandered through the old streets and buildings, the town being like a living museum where people still live and work and produce the old products such as rice wine and dyed calico. Another interesting exercise in extremes when you look into the houses which have centuries old facades, lino on the floor and plasma screen cable TV inside! Visited a rice wine distillery and a calico dying plant, Lunch was in a canal-side restaurant and featured much more local-style food, which was more authentic with pig’s trotter wrapped in banana leaf and local fish.
After lunch we traveled back to Shanghai to the same hotel – it all seemed very familiar. Dinner was at another hotel restaurant The Restaurant Of Many White Faces, which is always a worry. While the food is well cooked and fresh ingredients sometimes it is very like the standard Aussie Chinese-lemon chicken

Saturday 27th Sept –
Grand final day. (We heard the result late in the afternoon.) We started the day on the Bund, where we came last Sunday but the haze has blown away and there are blue skies at last. Then to the obligatory highrise view from the Oriental Pearl Tower, but the bonus was an excellent Shanghai History Museum, very new and well presented. In the afternoon the Old Town and the Yu Garden.
Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden, occupying about 5 acres. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.
In the 400 years of its existence, Yuyuan Garden had undergone many changes. During the late Ming Dynasty, it became very dilapidated with the decline of Pan's family. In 1760, some rich merchants bought Yuyuan Garden and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. During the Opium War, Yuyuan Garden was severely damaged, but the Yuyuan Garden you see today is the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956. The garden was opened to the public in 1961We then spent some time in the Old Town and had dumplings from the famous dumpling shop outside the Garden near the tea House

Clearer air thank goodness-

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:53:00 +0000

Our first day of touring started with a visit to the Shanghai Museum - 4 stories of Chinese antiquities and arts in quite a modern building next to the People's Park. Outside there were kite vendors flying their wares and lots of small children running around. We started at the top and worked down through ceramics, Minority costumes,& furniture but didnt get to see lots, just a taste.
I was prepared to give Shanghai the benefit of the doubt about the haze. But my eyes have been giving me hell and today we moved on to Suzhou and they feel better already, then others said their eyes had been hurting. It reminds me of LA in 1984 when locals no longer noticed the pollution & just accepted it as natural. The traffic wasn’t that bad but it isn’t well managed so there are many traffic jams. The bonus was we didn’t go up the Jin Mao Tower because it would have been a waste of time. We went for a ride on the Maglev train instead - 431 kph top speed & 8 minutes for 30 km, which our guide Troy is so proud of. His naïve optimism is fascinating. He is committed to all the newness, the excitement of the changes, but unfortunately most of our group is here to see “the old stuff”, so he is treading a fine line all the time.
In the group there is an ex-pat Chinese, an accountant from Auckland and a Korean woman who works in the Tax Office in Canberra so fortunately we can’t be dismissed as Westerners who don’t know anything, & to their surprise most of us are well used to chopsticks. We have 5 people from England, including a gardener at a National Trust property, but there is a constant assumption we know nothing about China. One good thing about the group is that there are no smokers. However smoking is still a major problem in China with people still smoking everywhere. Although there are a huge number of bikes, scooters & motor bikes almost none of the riders wear helmets. On many major roads in cities there are dedicated lanes for them separated from the cars.
Up early this morning to drive to Suzhou, north of Shanghai. Distance-wise, it's only about 90 kms but due to weight of traffic takes around 3 hours. Sitting in slow moving traffic is something to get used to in China. Also, even if the traffic isn't heavy, you often don't go over about 60-80kms/hr because of the state of the roads. The major roads are pretty good, but some of the smaller ones are shocking, even though the drivers pay tolls on nearly all of them. The building thinned out between Shanghai and Suzhou, but you never actually felt like you'd hit "the country", it's housing and industry all the way. First stop was the government owned No. 1 Silk Mill, which opened in 1926. We saw silkworms eating their way through mulberry leaves right through to sale of the end products but mainly a huge shop selling silk stuff. Eddie had a go at stretching silk to make the duvets, and found it surprisingly difficult. The silk fibre itself is very strong. The factory also sells pillows filled with silkworm droppings, which are apparently good for insomnia - not sure that claim really needs to be tested. After lunch at the silk mill (along with a small and select group made up of about 40 other tourist coaches) we went on a boat trip on the Grand Canal, the oldest & longest canal in the world, the first 85 km section built in 495 BC. It finally became 2700 km long – an amazing feat like the building of the Great Wall. It winds through several cities including Suzhou which has 24canals with houses built all along these
. We then visited the "Master of the Nets Garden", the smallest private garden in the city.
There's a market lane from the garden back to the main street, so interesting to have our first experience of the bargaining required in a market street.
Wednesday 25 September
Suzhou also has several other world heritage gardens. This morning we visited the Humble Administrators Garden, a world heritage site covering about 11 acres of land and dating from 1509, the Ming Dynasty. The garden should be quite peaceful and calming apart from the sheer volume of visitors wandering around.

The start of the adventure

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:12:00 +0000

Ten hours on a plane is as boring as it gets, but 3 movies later and some television serials and we were in Shanghai at 6.45 their time, 40 minutes late. But all went smoothly with a guide from the tour company to meet us and a couple from Ballarat-Peter & Kathy , who are also doing a Wendy Wu tour. We went for a little walk around the hotel area, the Ramada CCECC, just a neighbourhood shopping area, had a bath and slept well.
Sunday 21 September
Breakfast was a good mix of Asian food, with a mix of customers too, but mainly Asian.
We got a taxi to the Old Town to look for the Antique market, Fuyou Market Fangbang Zhonglu, which we found without too much trouble. Lots of jade and wooden furniture and some Mao memoriabilia. We walked down Fangbang, lined with specialist tourist shops The weather is quite hot & with a fairly thick “fog’ . We then set out to look for the Bund and after a false start and a taxi ride found it. The river has a very high embankment to prevent flooding so you don’t immediately see the river. Up the stairs and there is a long walkway which gives you a good view of the fine buildings of the Bund.We had a long leisurely lunch at M On The Bund set up by an Australian, but food not very exciting but good ambience and great view of the Bund.

Off To China

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:48:00 +0000

Just double checking to see who has opened the blog

Just Testing

noreply@blogger.com (baj) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:44:00 +0000

Just to check if this system will work in China