Oh, the Places I've Seen!

Eagles, Kingfishers, Bee Eaters, Scorpions, and Chameleons!

2011-01-19T13:17:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

It’s 10:30 PM on our last night at the incredible Rhino Watch Lodge, and I’m just now downloading today’s pictures. I’m guessing there may be a thousand, just from my camera today! Why? Because we saw LIONS!!! Up close (if you count about 12 feet away close!) and for a long time. Three times!!! We also saw several things today we hadn’t seen yet – Grevy’s Zebra, Red Saddleback Crane, Hartebeests, owls, chimpanzees, otters, and several more new birds. What a fantastic day!

More about today later – let’s take up where we left off, back at Roberts Camp on Friday, 14 January. You may remember that the gang had so much fun on the boat tour that they asked to do it again, so I was excited since I had missed the first trip. We had tea and the went down the road to catch our boats. Joshua was our guide, and he appears to be Shelley’s new BFF, as he remembered her name and now calls her “Shelley Mama”. The boats we were in were slightly larger than canoes, with a flat bottom and an outboard motor, and seats for five (or more) people. In our boat were Rex, Keith, Chris, me, and Shelley, in that order. We also had Joshua and a driver, so we were pretty loaded down. Joshua is very knowledgeable about birds in the area, and we spent most of the time spotting, identifying, and watching local birds, but the highlight of yesterday’s trip was feeding the fish eagles who live nearby. This is a big show and a fantastic photo opportunity! There are local fisherman in tiny one-man boats made of balsa wood who paddle out with things that look like soccer pads in their hands, and they supply the fish for ‘eagle bait’. They paddle over next to the boats and toss a fish onto the water’s surface. Quick as a wink, down from the treetops soars a huge fish eagle (looks a lot like a bald eagle) to snatch the fish for its next meal. It takes a bit to get the timing of the photo right, and sadly, there were only two fish to use as bait today… Still, it was quite the spectacle!

After luring the eagles, we could turn to other animals here. In the water, we saw hippos, crocodiles, and lots of dragonflies flitting from reed to branch, and in the air and trees we saw dozens of birds of all varieties, mostly very brightly plumed. My favorite was the Beautiful Sunbird, although I loved the Madagascar Bee Eater and the Malachite Kingfisher, too. They are all brilliantly colored – go figure! Our two hour tour was done too soon, but we had one last surprise left. Joshua told us he had some scorpions for us to see, and he did! We got a great show of both a black and a brown scorpion, on the ground and on him!!

We went back to our banda (cottage) at Roberts Camp for breakfast, which was again stellar! David had fixed us papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, cereal, strawberry yogurt, avocado juice, mango juice, and any style egg could be ordered from the kitchen. I am getting SO SPOILED!! After brekky we all packed up our things and loaded the cars, because it was to to get started down the road to our next stop at Rhino Watch Lodge, at the base of Mt. Kenya and almost on the equator. Frank told us it was about a 2.5 or 3 hour drive, so I’m guessing it will take us at least five hours to get there…

John was our driver, and just after the gate closed behind us, he realized we had left our lunches back at camp! So back we went!! And THEN we were off, at about 10:30 or 11:00. By 1:15 we were back at an overlook of the Great Rift Valley, the Subukia Viewpoint, getting hit up again by Kenyans selling curios. This time Rex and I both bought a few trinkets! I bought mine from Grace, who invited me into her shop and who told me she has four children and walks up the big hill from the valley below to the overlook every day to work. At 1:45 we stopped at Thomson Falls for lunch and a little break, which turned out to be pretty funny. To see the falls, or get your photo made with some Kikuyu warriors, or play with some chameleons, or take any pictures of same, it would cost you!! As we belatedly learned…. All was not lost, though, as there was a wonderful washroom (with the big three – seat, running water, and paper!) and lovely grounds. We ate our box lunch down the hill where we were again beseeched to BUY SOMETHING!! We resisted.

Back on the road for a mercifully uneventful rest of the trip. I finished a book and by 5:45 we had been to our lodges and met back at one of the bars at Rhino Lodge for tea. So much for our 3 hour drive… I can’t say enough wonderful things about Rhino Watch! INCREDIBLE!! More about that later, as I am running short of time to get this posted tonight! Dinner, and appetizers, as always when David is cooking, were awesome. Did I mention that David and crew came with us here? We are so happy about that!

Having a fantastic time and so thankful for the cool mountain air,

Jan

A Relaxing Day at Roberts Camp

2011-01-17T20:56:00.001-06:00

Monday, 17 January 2011

I’ve moved from our terrace at Rhino Watch to the Bush Bar, where we are enjoying some adult beverages with Alan and Margie, who also stayed here this afternoon. My Captain and Coke even has lime slices and ICE (made from bottled water – no worries!!) We have an assortment of appetizers on the rock-topped table in front of our cushy corner couch, and there’s a fire roaring in the fireplace next to us. It rained much of the afternoon, and the mountain chill is coming, now that the sun is down. So much for my evening today – let’s go back to Roberts Camp last Thursday and try to catch up!

Remember that rumbly tummy I woke up with at the Ostrich Farm? Well, today was a bit worse, so I decided to stay at the house instead of hopping on a small boat for a three hour tour… Turned out that I would have been fine, but you never know! At any rate, I was up at 5:30, showered and dressed in time to watch the sunrise and see everyone off for their boat trip on Lake Baringo. I spent the morning on the lanai (still don’t know the Swahili word!) blogging and culling photos, watching birds and boats and animals, and taking photos here and there. Frank kept me company, as he worked on his computer, and David was busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast for us. The rest of the crew rolled in a little before ten, and they had enjoyed themselves so much that we decided to go back again tomorrow morning, so I’m excited! I’ll tell you all about the boat rides in my next post! David had a huge spread ready for us, complete with avocado juice, mango juice, peach yogurt, cereal, tropical fruits, homemade bread, and eggs cooked to order. We had a bit of time to ourselves after breakfast, and then Chris gave us an hour-long basic photography overview, which was excellent. Now we were prepared for the afternoon’s activities!

Jess, Margie, Pat, Rex, and I were going with John back to Lake Bogoria to photograph the flamingos from land, and the rest were either recovering from tummy troubles or resting or going to a nearby snake park. It took us about an hour to drive to Lake Borgoria, but it was so worth it! I didn’t feel like I got many great shots from the plane, so I was glad to have another shot at the flamingos! I started out with the 400 mm lens, Pat used her 500, and Margie was using the 600 on a tripod. We each trekked along the lakeshore trying to find a good spot for photos, but it was hot again (of course, it was midday!) and we soon got smart and hopped back into the car and started shooting from there! It was SO much easier and cooler! Even then, Pat and I both had a little sinking spell, and that was after we had scarfed down our box lunches (as if we hadn’t pigged out on brekky!) We all took turns using the 600 mm lens as we searched for that technically and aesthetically perfect shot. Three hours and 650+ photos later (that’s just counting my photos!), we were headed back to Roberts Camp, and we rolled in about 6:30 after stopping for an ostrich family, a beautiful rainbow, and a herd of camels! And that’s what I love about Kenya – you never know what is waiting for you just ahead!

Back at home, we were in time to see a Marabou crane in the yard and a heron in the water, and we got to watch David barbeque some meat on the grill. Dinner was delicious once again, and we even had ice cream for dessert! Another fantastic day in the bag!

Still seeing pink,

Jan

Odd to Graceful: Ostriches to Flamingos

2011-01-17T08:23:00.001-06:00

Monday, 17 January 2011

Today we have an easy day, and we were ready for one! It’s been go, go, GO! ever since we stepped foot in our safari jeep! Pat, Max, Margie, Alan, and Chris left early this morning, headed back to Solio Ranch in hopes of spotting the elusive big cats. Shelly, Keith, Rex, Jess, and I didn’t wander down to breakfast until 9 AM, since we were making a trip to Aberdare Country Club for a nature walk. We all met back at the Bush Bar and Restaurant at Rhino Watch for lunch, and now everyone is taking a much needed afternoon break. There is hope that we may be able to do a nighttime game trip this evening, but that has yet to be determined. For now, I’m on the terrace of our lodge, looking out over the colorful terraced grounds. I just borrowed one of Chris’s macro lenses to take some up close flower pix. Sweet!

When last we chatted, we had tucked in for a peaceful night at the Maasai Ostrich Farm. We had a nice big tent there, with a double bed and a twin bed. I should explain a bit about these tent camps we are staying in, lest you think we are completely roughing it. The tent platforms are permanent – concrete or tile – and the rear portion of the platform is walled in and contains a bathroom with running water – a toilet, sink, and shower. Now, the water is not fit for consumption, so we use bottled water to brush our teeth and we try really hard not to get any water in our mouths while showering. It’s not as easy as you might think, as almost all of us can attest today… The tents connect to the rear portion of the platform, and sometimes the complete ceiling is a tent. We have mosquito netting around our beds, as malaria and yellow fever, both borne by mosquitoes, are the most feared diseases (other than HIV/AIDS) in Africa. You must have documentation that you have been vaccinated against yellow fever in order to leave Kenya, and we are all taking oral anti-malarials and covering ourselves with DEET every day. Because of mosquitoes, though, we must keep our tents closed at all times, which has made for some pretty warm evenings so far.

My dip in the pool at the Ostrich Ranch really helped, so I was able to sleep pretty well, but I woke up with a bit of a rumbly tummy. Nothing major, but around here, when bathrooms are few and far between, even minor annoyances can lead to big issues! Today’s agenda was complicated, as we were traveling from the Ostrich Farm to Lake Baringo by both car and airplane, but since only three of us could fly at one time, we were playing musical chairs! We left the Ostrich Farm after breakfast, a bit after six. We were in three cars, and let me tell you, it was like the Three Stooges on a road trip! Frank had told John to take this short cut to the airport (a term that is used very loosely around here!) but he only knew how to get to the shortcut… We were in John’s car, in the lead, and John stopped some shy school girls to ask directions. The children here are just precious, always proudly wearing their brightly colored school uniforms, but they are very shy when directly approached by strangers. John told us there have been too many incidents of bad things happening to children, just like back home. Keep in mind that here, almost everyone walks almost everywhere, and it could be miles from village to school. Children as young as three are out with older siblings and friends on their daily walk to learn! One little girl sent us back in the opposite direction, so off we went, with the other two cars following us. Then we pulled off the paved road onto a dirt track, then onto grass. Then we all backed up and went back to the road, and John pulled into a drive to ask directions from a woman in the yard. Finally we were on our way to the airport. Security was tight. A Wells Fargo agent greeted us at a padlocked gate, spoke a few words to John in Swahili, and let us pass. A chicken wire fence surrounded the area, and even though there were no trespassing signs posted, schoolchildren were trekking down the hill inside the fence. When we got to the top of the hill, I understood, as there was a small village there next to the airfield. This airstrip was tarmac, and there were about ten or twelve hangars for small planes. Waiting there for us was Joachim and his twin-engine four-seater Cessna with the rear door already removed and stowed in the back. First up for the day were Chris, riding in the co-pilot seat, Max, riding next to the open door, and Shelley, riding behind Joachim. We all listened to the safety spiel (fasten your seatbelts, try to stay inside the plane, and use the bag provided should you become ill) and encouraged them to take lots of photos! And then they were off!!

The rest of us got back in our cars and took off for the next rendezvous point, which was at a Kenyan Army airfield many kilometers away! Our drive took us north and west, passing through the towns of Matasia, Ngong (of Out of Africa fame), Karen (named for the author of Out of Africa and home of the Nyumbani AIDS Clinic), Kikuyu (home of one of the best schools in Kenya), Sigona (famous for cow skins and Marengo sheep), and into the spectacular Great Rift Valley. The Great Rift Valley stretches from Jordan (or Israel, by some accounts) to Mozambique, some 6500 km long. We stopped at an overlook for photo ops for us and easy sales targets for the local merchants there. Most of us bought some trinket as a memento of the Great Rift Valley, and we all learned a few tidbits while there. We next drove through Kikopey, the barbeque capital of Kenya, and soon we pulled up at the 81st Tank Battalion were security was SERIOUS. John warned us not to take photos of anything military or police in nature, so we didn’t! Now it was our turn for the plane ride, as Keith, Rex, and I were due to fly next. We were happy to see Shelley, Max, and Chris all safely on the ground, although they had been waiting for us in the hot sun (no shade in sight) for about 90 minutes or more. They were even looking forward to that car ride now!

We boarded the plane and Joachim fired up the engines and we toddled out to the airstrip, which might have been partly paved at one time, but now it is mostly gravel. If there was communication between Joachim and any air traffic control, I was not aware of it! My job was to pretend to be the door and, on Joachim’s signal, push a button that the closed door usually activates. It was a pretty important job, as I was now operating the wing flaps! Okay, then. A new skill to add to my set! Take off worked, and soon we were airborne. The countryside and the Great Rift Valley looked beautiful from the air, and we could so easily see the well-worn footpaths that crisscross the countryside and hills. Most Kenyans are farmers, raising crops like corn, potatoes, and other vegetables or raising cattle or goats, and we could see all of this from the air. Soon we approached Lake Bogoria, which is truly not to be believed!

Millions of flamingos live on the lake, giving the illusion of an undulating pink quilt on the lake’s surface. Parts of the lake are natural hot springs, as much of Kenya is like Yellowstone National Park – volcanic soil, craters, hot springs, canyons, and more. It was difficult to get good photos from the plane, as my lens would find its way out of the plane and then get almost pulled out of my hands! And when I remembered to keep my camera completely IN the plane, it seemed that each time I pressed the shutter, we encountered a bit of turbulence. Add to this the fact that we were warned we would be cold and should wear a jumper (sweater), so I had on a polar fleece sweatshirt. Given that it was 11:15 when we took off on a very warm (and getting warmer) day, the fleece was a BIG mistake. I was SO HOT!! The heat added to the turbulence, but it was still such an incredible experience! At times I just put down my camera and enjoyed the spectacle! Joachim would fly down quite close to the lake, and huge flocks of flamingos would scamper across the water on their spindly pink legs and take off in flight, seemingly in unison. It was AMAZING!!! We made several passes around the lake, getting closer each time, and then we flew on to the next rendezvous point near Roberts Camp, where we would be staying for the next two nights. This time, the landing strip was gravel and dirt, but our landing was a very smooth one, somehow! Just after we landed, a car drove through the gate with a couple of men who were there to fetch us. Joachim secured the plane, and the six of us (Joachim was as tall as Rex) piled into a little Toyota and took off for Roberts Camp, which thankfully was only about a five minute drive away.

At the camp, we pulled out the box lunches that had traveled with us from the Ostrich Farm, to the airport, on the plane, and in the car to Roberts Camp and settled in at the Thirsty Goat Bar and Restaurant to enjoy our meal. There was the usual hard-boiled egg, fruit, juice box (mango this time!), cookies, an ostrich sandwich. A cool Tusker from the bar completed our meal. We sat in the shade and watched even more splendidly feathered birds frolic in the trees, but it was still very hot. I had pulled off my fleece before the plane had even come to a complete stop, and I was already down to just my camisole, but I was pretty uncomfortable. Shortly, a man named David (Frank’s brother-in-law) appeared and led us to our new digs. We would be sharing a house with Shelley and Keith, so we had plenty of room and we each had our own bathrooms. David took Rex and me on a tour of the grounds, and before we had even gone a few yards, we had seen a gorgeous hornbeaked bird and a graceful egret. We stumbled upon a swimming pool, so I promptly took off my shoes and socks, unzipped the legs off my pants, and sat on the side of the pool, splashing cold water all over me. AAAAHHHH!!! Once I had cooled off a bit, I found a chaise and took a little siesta until I woke up hot again!

We made our way back to our house, and I’ve already written about my afternoon nature sightings (see my post from 12 January), although I will tell you that there were a few minutes I was thinking I might need to be wearing my adidas instead of flip flops when that croc was nearby! After a bit, Pat, Margie, and Alan arrived from their plane ride, and they were exhausted, as they had driven all the way here and then taken their trip to Lake Bogoria. Jess was with them and had been a really good sport by riding all the way and not getting to fly! Shelley, Max, and Chris were still at the lake, photographing the birds up close, and we weren’t expecting them back until well after dark. The birds put on quite a show for us, with the prize being the Red and Yellow Barbet, which is a glorious bird! At one point, there were probably a hundred birds on the feeder and on the ground below it! Everyone cleaned up a bit and then we gathered back on our lanai for sundowners.

David was to be our cook for the next week, and his first night’s meal was a huge success! First we had some delicious appetizers, and while we were munching away, the rest of the group arrived. As soon as they were ready, we sat down together for dinner. David had cooked red snapper, a spinach salad, and a rice dish, and they were all delicious! Truthfully, I don’t even remember much more about that night or the meal – it was a long day!! No one lingered too long after dinner, partly because we were all beat and it was still HOT!!We said our good nights and everyone retired to their rooms, as we had another early day planned!

Visions of pink flamingos filling my head,

Jan

Game Drive, Car Ride, Ostrich Farm

2011-01-16T13:39:00.001-06:00

Sunday, 16 January 2011

I’m lying on my king-size (almost – they are not quite as long as our beds in the States!) bed, listening to the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the thatched roof above me and looking out across a cloudy valley. Enormous Mt. Kenya is completely shrouded by the clouds, and dusk is almost upon us. We are back early from our afternoon game drive, as rain, photography, and open-sided safari vehicles are not a great combination. Rex is reading with his eyes closed and we have a couple of hours before “sundowners” and dinner, so maybe I’ll get another day or two in the bag here!

When I last posted, we were at Kibo Safari Camp and dawn was breaking on Tuesday morning. The day’s agenda included an early morning game drive, breakfast back at Kibo, then packing and loading up our gear for an another game drive and then a trip to our next stop, the Maasai Ostrich Farm. The morning’s sunrise was spectacular, and we were quickly entertained by our elephant friends. We stopped by the site where our fellow travelers had seen a baboon tribe steal a baby gazelle away from a cheetah yesterday afternoon. The poor mother gazelle was still standing watch, waiting for her baby, who was now dinner for a couple of hungry jackals and who would soon be only bones after the vultures we spied in the trees finished with it. Frank’s car, with Margie, Alan, Pat, Maxine, and Chris had witnessed the carnage the afternoon before while they were repairing a flat tire. I’m sort of glad we missed that part…

Mt. Kilimanjaro was visible this morning, so that was a treat! Our next treat was an hilarious display by a couple of ostriches doing a little mating dance. Now I know where the Las Vegas feather dancers stole their routines! More elephants, including the sweetest little baby and its mama, arrived (silently) on the scene, followed by a huge herd who crossed the road directly in front of us! Talk about up close and personal!! We watched a couple of elephants go tusk to tusk, until the referee elephant walked by and broke up the fight. I can’t tell you how fascinating it was to watch these giant animals curl their trunks around the grasses, kicking the roots with their feet if needed, pulling them out of the ground, and then taking them to their mouths. I observed that most elephants seemed to wave the grasses in the air three times with their trunks before popping them in their mouths, and I guess that is to knock as much dirt off as possible. John told us that elephants have notoriously bad digestive systems, so most of their day is spent eating so that they can have a hope of getting enough food. We rounded out the morning with herds of gazelles and lots of birds, and then it was time to bounce down the track back to Kibo.

We were hungry now, as it was about nine and we’d been up since five! Breakfast at Kibo was served buffet style, as all meals were. There was a selection of cereal (none for me, thanks!), juices (mango, pineapple, and passion fruit), fruits (mango, pineapple, passion fruit, and some greenish oranges), and brown egg omelets, cooked to order. There was bacon, sausage links, and meat patties, too. Pretty typical, and kind of surprising to me, since we were in the middle of the bush! After eating, we returned to our tents to pack up, and then we loaded up the trucks and by 10:30 we had headed out in search of more game.

Our first stop was to photograph a brilliant blue bird with a lilac colored chest – it was so pretty! Next, we saw a HUGE herd of elephants in the distance, along with some gazelles right next to us and the occasional wildebeest lurking about. There were some good dust devils today, too. They are pretty impressive here at Amboseli (which means dusty place) as they pop up from out of nowhere and rise high in the sky like geysers. They whirl around like a waterspout or tornado, but it’s just dust and wind, and then they disappear. Right after we saw the big lot of elephants, a big herd of zebras crossed the road right in front of us. Zebras are a bit more skittish than elephants, who do not seem to be afraid of anything. Given that they are bigger than everything else, I guess that makes sense! The zebras had to get up their courage to cross the road, and they went in smaller groups. Probably four or five groups finally galloped across, then stood there eyeing us suspiciously as they grazed and frolicked. There is a lot of frisky behavior in the animal kingdom! Our elephant herd was on the move again, but we only knew it because we saw the dust rise up – not a sound!! Wouldn’t you think that hundreds of heavy elephants would be noisy???

We spied a hyena, slinking around as usual, and soon we were near the watering hole beneath the lookout where we ate breakfast yesterday. Lots more birds to photograph, but then Frank urged John to keep us moving, as we had miles to go! It’s hard to resist the stunning crested cranes, though, and then we spotted a majestic fish eagle! Alas, we got one shot and then had to go! But, our next treat was a fun one – we drove along a dried lake bottom that reminded Rex and me of the Bonneville Salt Flats. It was nice to be able to go fast and have a pretty smooth ride! All too soon, we were back on a dirt road, passing an abandoned Maasai village before leaving Amboseli National Park (and more chances to buy trinkets at the gate!) John pointed out the border between Kenya and Tanzania to our left as we turned to head north for the evening. I was sort of surprised to see that there was an armed crossing. We drove for some time and then stopped for lunch about 1:30 at a little restaurant and shop in Nmunga where we sat on the patio and ate our box lunches from Kibo. We were able to order a beer or soft drink and there were flush toilets with seats and paper!! Isn’t it funny how easily pleased we can be!

At the restaurant, Rex and I were amused to see an Obama – Biden bumper sticker on the door. We were told Obama is very highly regarded in Kenya. There was an intricate mural painted on the wall around the patio, and the bougainvillea was loaded with blooms and was so pretty! It was a nice change from the poverty we had been seeing along the road. We spotted a beautiful bird that had nests in the trellis above the patio, and Frank told us it was a Paradise Flycatcher. We spent a good bit of time trying to get a good picture of one! After lunch, Pat called me over to have a look at something in the dirt, and at first glance it looked like a sea urchin. Since I thought that was pretty unlikely, I looked closer and realized it was a little hedgehog! And there were two of them. We had fun photographing them and watching them curl up to protect themselves. After lunch we had a chance to shop for curios with no pressure this time!

We were back on the road by 2:30, headed for the Maasai Ostrich Farm. Most of us snoozed, read, chatted, or culled photos off of our cameras to pass the time. I tried to work on the computer, but it was way too bumpy for that! We had brought our lunch leftovers along with us in hopes of finding some children who might want them. That turned out to be harder than we expected! The children in Kenya go to school at an early age (as young as three!) and they wear the most colorful school uniforms. We saw some young boys and tried to give them the food, but even with John speaking to them in Swahili, they were terrified and ran away. We finally found some other boys whose mothers were nearby, and they were so happy to have our leftover juice boxes and cookies! About 4:45 we rolled up to the Ostrich Farm, which had beautiful grounds and main building. Signs on the property called it a “Haven of Peace”, and it was very restful. We were greeted with delicious passion fruit juice and shown to our tents. We had a little mix-up, as our key wouldn’t open the lock on our tent, so we got moved. We had to rush, though, as we were getting a tour of the ostrich farm.

We first had to sanitize the soles of our shoes, and then we were shown some actual ostrich eggs, which are equivalent to about two dozen chicken eggs!! Then we got to see the baby ostriches, which are so ugly they are cute!! We saw five or six pens of different aged chicks, and then we saw the breeders. The male ostriches had bright pink legs and black feathers, while the female has gray feathers and cream colored legs. They were pretty funny! The guy doing our tour said they had more than 6000 ostriches on the farm. Most are slaughtered at 8 months and sold for meat. Once we had finished our tour, we all hit the swimming pool, which was pretty chilly!! We were so hot that it felt perfect! We cooled off, then cleaned up for our buffet dinner of salad, goat stew, ostrich, lamb, and several side dishes. For dessert, we had creme caramel and bananas and chocolate sauce. Yum! Off to bed we went, with another EARLY morning wake up call on the horizon.

Wondering how God decided to make a bird like an ostrich,

Jan

Life is Good Today! And Everyday!!

2011-01-15T13:38:00.001-06:00

Friday, 14 January 2011

This evening, I’m sitting at a desk in a proper room overlooking Mt. Kenya, the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest peak in Africa. I’m gazing down on the thatched roofs of the other huts on the beautifully landscaped terraced hillside of Rhino Watch Lodge. As we arrived here this afternoon, a thunderstorm arose, so now all the air is clear and water droplets glisten off the brightly colored flowers dotting the hillside. We’re in mountain country now – where the world-famous Kenyan marathoners live and train – and the air is thin and mercifully, cooler! We’ve just unpacked, as we will be here for four nights, and had a spot of tea with the rest of the group. I’m using the time before happy hour and dinner to do a little catch up blogging! If the roads were a bit smoother, I would have had plenty of time in the Range Rover today (and several other days) but I quickly realized that would be futile. I have a new appreciation for our roads and it will be a long time before I whinge about potholes again!

So, where did I leave off? I believe we need to go back to Monday morning at Kibo Safari Tent Camp and the Amboseli National Park….

Safaris are not for the lazy! Our day starts at 5 AM, as we are to be on the road by 6:00 so that we can catch the animals in the subdued light of daybreak. I’ve learned that showering in the morning is not for the faint, either, as solar powered hot water is not a peak strength before dawn. So, a cold shower it was! Those who know me well will know that means I was either really hot or really dirty to subject myself to that, and the answer to that is that I was BOTH! I had not slept all that well, which is to be expected on the first full day of a time zone 9 hours ahead of the one I’d left. Add to that the heat of the day and the excitement of the whole trip and my normal bad sleeping habits and, well, there you have it! We met at the Karibu Bar (karibu means ‘welcome’ in Swahili) for tea and we were piling in John’s jeep by six. Today, Jess was with us, and I got to have first play with the 600 mm lens! WOW!! Am I ever spoiled!

It didn’t take long for us to come upon our first photo opportunities, between the sunrise and a herd of elephants, including several nursing babies. And then the real show started, as one of the bull elephants was feeling a little frisky, if you catch my drift! It was a sight, I can tell you that!! We passed a wildebeest and some gazelles, and then we caught another of the ‘Big Five’ – a LION!! The Big Five refers to Elephants, Lions, Rhinos, Leopards, and Cape Buffalo – the common prey of big game hunters. So, two down, three to go! Next sightings were gorgeous crested cranes, many more elephants, a fat hyena and friends, gazelles, ostriches, and a glimpse of snowy Mt. Kilimanjaro peeking through the clouds. We saw a Goliath heron and a herd of Cape Buffalo (check!) On our way up to the lookout atop Noomotio Hill, where we were to have breakfast, we saw a stunning blue bird. We took tons of pictures of this bird, called a superb starling, and when we got to the top of the hill, there were dozens of the same bird, foraging in the rubbish like common old US starlings…

We had a box breakfast that had toast (with butter and jam), fruit (orange and pineapple), a meat patty, a sausage link, a hard-boiled egg, some biscuits (cookies), a chocolate mint candy, orange juice, and of course, coffee and tea. As we looked down onto the steppes below, we could see the Cape buffalo, pelicans, three zebras, and bunches of birds, but by far the cutest thing was a line of elephants (including two babies) doing an elephant walk, tail to trunk, through the reeds in the swamp below! One of the first things we saw once we were back on the road was a herd of zebra at a water hole, including several young ones, who have brown stripes instead of black. We passed the Cape buffalo and saw a few random wildebeests, and then we caught a glimpse of some mostly submerged hippos. A spectacular African fish eagle was perched on a log – it is very similar to a bald eagle in looks and size. We watched some Cape buffaloes ‘lock horns’ and then even more elephants joined the party. Our surprise sighting this morning started with a solitary giraffe that seemed to just appear at the side of the road, and then we saw a whole herd of them, munching away on nearby acacia trees. On our way back to Kibo for lunch and siesta time, we saw more gazelles, wildebeests, and elephants – pretty good for a morning’s work, I’d say!

We were again greeted with cool wet cloths at Kibo, and we needed them. This is a hot, dusty place! We dropped off gear at our tents then met for a buffet lunch. It was really hot, so we decided to take a swim – the water was great, but the steps into the pool (that really slick ceramic tile!) were so slippery that I stepped one foot on the top step and slid on my bum to the third step. And I’ve got the bruise to prove it! I’m sure it was ultra-graceful. Always happy to provide the humor….

By three o’clock, we had rested and cooled off enough for another game drive. This afternoon, we saw gazelles, ostriches (including a mating dance), elephants, lots of birds, including crested cranes and pelicans, a jackal, hyenas, and some hippos. Rex had the big lens for a time and got awesome pix of the hippos in water. After sunset, we were back at Kibo for dinner and then bedtime. Tomorrow will be another early morning start!

Counting elephants in my sleep,

Jan

Jeannine Was Right! Elephants Are Quiet!

2011-01-13T12:36:00.001-06:00

12 January 2011

I’m sitting in front of Lake Barengo, a volcanic lake in the Rift Valley, watching a crocodile sun himself on the bank as snowy egrets silently stalk their prey in the shallow water, slowly moving through the tall grasses. Numbers of birds, not familiar to me, have joined us on the lanai (not sure what the Swahili word is…), anxiously awaiting dinner, while presumably trying to avoid being someone’s dinner. Proper tea has been served, complete with milk, sugar, and biscuits (cookies), but how ANYONE can drink ANYTHING hot today is beyond me. I have unzipped the legs off my pants, making them shorts, and taken off my safari shirt (not to worry, I have on a camisole), and stuck my feet and arms in the nearby swimming pool, and I am still hot.

We arrived here at Roberts Camp in the heat of the day, after taking a plane ride over Lake Bogoria, where millions of beautiful pink flamingos line the shoreline. Oh, and it wasn’t just ANY plane ride! It was a small four-seater Cessna with the back door removed. Rex was riding shotgun in the co-pilot’s seat, Keith was behind the pilot, and I was sitting next to the open door. Our mission: take fantastic flamingo photos and enjoy the ride. I’m hoping I got a few good shots, but I’m really counting on Shelley, Chris, and some of the others to have gotten the stellar shots! But it was so worth it! And had I not been warned to wear a fleece, I might not be so hot! As it was, I thought I might expire on the plane, even next to the open door. Did I mention we are very near the equator? I will be ready for the coolness of the mountains in a few days, after spending our first few days on safari in the dust and heat. Lest you think I’m complaining, I’m not – it has all been fantastic!!! And hot and dusty!

But let me try to start at the beginning….

We had an uneventful and fairly typical flight from Houston to London’s Heathrow Airport on British Airways, which is still civilized enough to serve decent meals and free alcohol (meals are free, too!) on its overseas flights. We spent a couple of hours at Heathrow, getting online and having brekky at Starbucks. We got to our gate early, and I inquired about the possibility of getting upgraded to business class. I was told no, not now, we’ll see, so we figured, oh well… But, as we were preparing to board the bus that would take us to our plane, the clerk informed us we had been upgraded!! Woo hoo!! Now we are completely spoiled, as we had our own little cubby and seats that reclined completely with an adjustable footrest, electricity, champagne, three course meals, warm blankets, and more! Crossing our fingers for good luck on the flights home! We arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, a bit early, about 9:20 PM local time on Saturday. It took us a while to get our visas, but we finished just in time to collect our bags and see someone holding a sign with our name on it. We had another passenger on the van to the Hilton with us, and in the ‘small world’ category, he was from Cary, NC, just down the road from Durham! We arrived at the Hilton, and after passing through fairly tough security, we saw Shelley and Keith waiting for us on the stairs! Big hugs!!! And then another surprise at check in – I gave the clerk my Hilton Honors card and he upgraded us to a suite!! So, up we all went to the 16th floor and a HUGE set of rooms – living room, dining room, kitchenette, king size bedroom, and two full baths! Shelley made us tea and we sat down and visited. It was so great to see her and Keith!!

Sunday morning we met Shelley and Keith in the hotel restaurant for brekky, which was a HUGE buffet – cheese, smoked salmon, pastries, breads, cereal, yogurt, omelets, waffles, breakfast meats, and hot foods that looked more like lunch! I am going to be tested though, not having ANY ice or iced tea for two weeks. Sadly, the water is not safe enough to drink, so ice is out of the question….At the table behind us were fellow safari members Alan and Margie from Adelaide, Australia, and Pat from Victoria (near where Kerrianne grew up). We would be picking up Maxine at the airport later. After breakfast, we packed up our things and met Chris and Jess, our guides, and the rest of the group in the lobby. Hugs all around, and pressies from Chris! Oh, and I forgot to say that Rex and Keith made a quick trip to Tusky’s for a universal adapter, as ours was not able to accept three-pronged plugs (like the one for the computer! Details!) Soon we were on the curb, meeting Frank and John, our drivers, and loading up our gear into the safari jeeps. Frank is German, but has lived in Kenya for some time, and John is a native Kenyan. Off we went to the Giraffe Centre for our first taste of wildlife. Soon we were up close and personal to a very friendly giraffe who ate right out of our hands! He didn’t have a black tongue like giraffes I’ve seen at zoos, but he was very slobbery! In the yard was a warthog (Pumba!) and out in the forest were several other giraffes. We went inside for a short presentation by Vincent, who told us about the three kinds of giraffes found in Kenya. They are the Reticulated, the Rothschild, and the Maasai giraffes, so now we know what to be on the lookout for!

From here, we headed back toward Nairobi on Langata Road and stopped at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage to see the one hour feeding of the baby elephants! You cannot imagine how CUTE they are! Down on the plain below us, we saw several giraffes in the distance, but the stars of this show were the adorable baby elephants. Down they came, doing the Baby Elephant Walk, so excited to get their giant bottles of milk and then have a chance to frolic and play in the mud and show off for the hundreds of people lining the ring to take pictures! On our way out, we stopped by to see a rhino that is being cared for by the trust. He was not nearly as cute as the baby elephants! Next it was lunch at Haveli’s, a local Indian restaurant, and the food was delicious! I had Chicken Markhiti, onion rice, na’an, and a Tusker, my new favorite beverage of choice. I see a lot of Tuskers (beer) in my future! Now we were about to get going, stopping to rendezvous with another driver who had picked up Maxine from the airport.

I can’t begin to tell you how different driving is in Kenya. Although Nairobi is very populous and has a lot of traffic, it is evident that most Kenyans walk to get where they are going. Everywhere we went there were people walking along (or on) the highway. And not just people – goats and cows were out in droves as well! Outside the city, roads may be anything from asphalt to tarmac, to lots of potholes to gravel to dirt to heavily rutted dirt. Let’s just say we’ve had some very bouncy rides, and more are in our future! In Nairobi, we saw lots of familiar billboards and ads for common products, but outside the city, the “strip malls” took on an entirely different look. Shacks of sticks and tin line the roads, offering fresh vegetables, butcher shops, colorful plastics, ‘hotels’, food, cell phones, hardware, lumber, clothing, curios, and more. I was surprised to see that almost all signs of all kinds are written in English. Swahili is the official language of Kenya, but all children are taught English in school and each of the 42 tribes of Kenya has its own language. What was very remarkable to me was that in spite of the incredible level of poverty here, almost everyone has a cell phone! Our trip out of Nairobi took us south to the Amboseli National Park, on the border of Tanzania and at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Part of the road we traveled was good, and newly constructed, but most was bumpy! We were rewarded though, with a herd of giraffes that we spotted on the side of the road. Frank drove us right up for a close look at them, and we easily identified them as Maasai giraffes!

As we entered Amboseli National Park, about three hours after we picked up Maxine, we were accosted by about a dozen Maasai women who wanted to sell us beaded bracelets, carvings, necklaces, and more. They tried very persistently for the whole time we were at the gate of the Park (which seemed an hour, but was maybe 15 minutes!) but we did not buy anything – this time! Once in Amboseli, we had only driven for fifteen minutes before we spotted our first herd of elephants! We must have taken hundreds of photos of the grazing elephants and their constant companions – the lovely white birds who ride on their backs and eat insects off of the elephants! Shelley got to use one of Chris’s $16,000 600mm lenses, which are INCREDIBLE!!! It takes some muscle to maneuver that giant thing, but it is so worth it!! When we could finally tear ourselves away from the elephants, we next spotted some ostriches strutting around. followed by a slinking hyena, the beginning of a beautiful sunset, and a wildebeest. But then we got a HUGE blessing and saw a cheetah stalking a herd of gazelles!! We watched it watch them for about ten minutes, but dusk was upon us so we moved on toward Kibo Tent Camp. On the way, we got a good family portrait of three elephants by the side of the road, and just as we got to camp, a giraffe stepped into the headlights! Soon we arrived at Kibo and were greeted at the reception area with cold wet washcloths and a glass of juice – both were very appreciated!! By 7:30 we were settling into our tents and preparing for dinner. What an exciting first day!!

It All Started With........

2011-01-03T13:10:00.001-06:00

.....a skype chat!

And as I type those words, I laugh to myself as I think how MANY stories I have written and told that started with the words, "It all started with ________" and you can fill in the blanks - an email, a phone call, a chance meeting, a casual comment....... I guess that tells you right away that I am a pretty impulsive person. It doesn't take much!

But back to my story!

It all started with a skype chat.......from Shelley, my friend from Sydney (see previous blog posts!) She was very excited about about something she had seen on a website, so she sent me the link, and here's what I saw:

"The Holy Grail of Photography"

I wasn't hooked yet, but I was intrigued. And then I started reading. And looking at the pictures. And THEN I was hooked! Now, the funny part of this is that as much as I love to travel, Africa and/or a safari were not even on my Top Ten list. Heck, they were not even on my list of things to do before I die! But, before the end of the day, I had talked to Rex, shown him the website, and determined that we would be joining Shelley and Keith on this trip!

Needless to say, there were details to work out, but that was back in June! And now it's January, and Shelley and Keith are already on their way to Africa, and Rex and I leave in a few days! We've had our shots (well, I have one more...), we have our prescriptions, plane tickets, passports, safari clothing, bug spray, cameras, computers (well, still waiting on the iPad repair...) and a long list of things yet to be done, so I'd better get busy! The catch is that we are not expecting to have phone or internet connections for most of the trip, so the blog posts may not show up until after we get back, but I'll do my best to not only write, but post daily.

Thanks for coming along with me!

Jan

PS And after I got a new Canon camera in November, I saw this post in December. I. CAN'T. WAIT!!

One if by Land, Four if by Seaplane?

2010-01-02T14:27:00.001-06:00

Friday, 4 September 2009

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I can't believe our dream vacation is almost over - I know I'm not ready to go home and I'm sure I will be back! But, for our last full day in Australia, we have the most incredible adventure planned! Shelley had booked us on a seaplane flight that would take us out over Sydney Harbour and up the coast to an exclusive cliff-top restaurant, and even though it was rainy and dreary yesterday, the sun was out!!! Off we went to catch the seaplane, which was over near the place (Watson’s Bay, I think?) Shelley had taken me on my first day in Sydney. We were all dressed up (well, for us, anyway) and Keith drove us over. Rex and I had taken a seaplane ride in Vancouver several years ago, and we were so looking forward to this! We had time to take some pictures and to watch some other planes land and take off, and soon it was our turn!

In addition to the four of us, another couple was on our plane, and unbeknownst to them, they provided our entertainment for the day. They were celebrating the guy’s 40th birthday, and I would say the girl was in her late 20’s. She was wearing a fairly short skirt and VERY high heels, so she had quite a time getting on and off the plane…I refrained from taking any pictures, but I’ll bet you have a pretty good mental image! They had to get on first, as they were in the back seat of the plane. Next up was Rex, sitting in the cockpit with Adam, our pilot. Shelley and Keith went next, and I was the last one in. It was a little snug, but we all got our seatbelts and headphones on, along with our life jackets (which have never been used on this company’s planes, I’m happy to report!). And then we were off!

We buzzed over the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, and we caught a glimpse of the Manly Ferry on its way out to Manly Beach. We flew over North Head, marking the entrance to this beautiful harbour, and then we followed the coastline north. The colors of the water and rocks were incredible! We saw some “secret” installation, golf courses, suburbs, beaches, and lakes, and then we got to a point where the other 0.1% of the population lives – you know, in a gorgeous house on a fantastic beach with a boat in the water! I figured that meant we were almost to Palm Beach!

Sure enough, Adam set us down safe and sound, and a launch was waiting to take us to the dock. I got to make my exit first, which was fine, since no one except the launch driver had to see my big butt coming down the stairs! The four of us got situated in the boat and then we all got to watch the happy couple disembark. Sir Galahad was not following directions in an effort to appear gallant, and he almost put the two of them in the water because of it! But, like I said, we enjoyed the show! And the guys really enjoyed Legs! Once we were all settled in the boat, it was a quick ride to the dock, where we had a rousing welcome from three cute pups! Then, we were ushered into a waiting van – this was turning into quite a production! Up the hills we went, and soon we had gone from Palm Beach to Whale Beach and were dropped off at Jonah’s.

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I know you are going to want to have a look at their website, so click the pic to go there!

The setting was just amazing – we were seated at a table by the window overlooking the coast (thanks to Shelley!) and we took a deep breath as the feeding frenzy was about to begin! Our drinks were brought to the table and we were invited to take them outside, so we did. We got some wonderful photos of the beach, the ocean, the surfers, and the surrounding area, and we were really hoping to spot some whales. The weather was perfect – I still can’t believe they call this ‘winter’ although as of 1 September it is officially Spring here – no messing around with those silly solstices and equinoxes Down Under – they just declare the first of the month as the first day of the season! Makes sense to me! Anyway, we had a coastal toast to new and lasting friendships and started planning a way we could all meet again.

Somewhere along the way, we had perused the menu and made our choices, and now we were being summoned back inside…

All I can say is, this was one of the most beautiful, most delicious, most sensory incredible meals I’ve ever eaten! I’ll try to do it justice by just giving you the menu descriptions, because they tell the story (along with the photos!). First, we were offered a little shot glass of a cauliflower soup starter with truffle oil on top – heavenly!

For our entrees, I think Shelley won the prize for most unusual. Hers was freshly baked butter croissants, seared foie gras with a short stack of buttermilk pancakes á la mode prune and Armagnac ice cream and baby rocket. It really was ice cream, and she said that even though she’d never had liver and ice cream before, it was delicious! Rex and Keith each had Tasmanian black truffle and Gruyere toasted “cheese soldiers” with a soft boiled truffled egg and Cyprus black sea salt. Mine was sort of pedestrian in comparison - steak tartare topped with a quail egg, served with crostini and an array of condiments. I don't know what all of them are, but there was a yummy sweet chili sauce, herbs, French mustard, shallots, cornichons, and something else. I ate them all, and loved every bite!

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Next came our mains – we all went the seafood route. Keith chose seared pink snapper and Coffin Bay scallops, broad beans, potato puree, corn nage and Tasmanian black truffle. Rex got the blue swimmer crab-filled roasted John Dory, wild rocket, foie gras ravioli, melted leeks and baby herb salad, and Shelley and I both went with oven roasted Jewfish fillet with salsa verdé, cherry tomato, garlic and spanish onion confit.

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Oh, did I mention that we also had a few side dishes? Pommes frite with malt vinegar, tomato, and aioli; long beans, creamed potatoes, and a lovely salad with raspberries and sugared walnuts.

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And just when you thought that surely we’d be DONE, it was time for dessert. But wait – first we got a little pressie! A little shot of hot chocolate and shortbread cookies to sip on while we made our decisions! ALMOST as good as my Chocolate Dome in Melbourne!! Rex must not have filled his chocolate quota, because he opted for the orange laced chocolate mousse, cocoa meringue, mocha rum sauce and chocolate brownie cake. Shelley and I, being health conscious like we are, had fruit. Well, sort of. It was strawberry, mascarpone and brioche pain perdu, a sable biscuit stack with fresh strawberry and vanilla cream topped with spun sugar, and a dried strawberry, ricotta cheese and pistachio filled cannoli. YUM. Keith, however, totally won the prize on this one, as he provided enough belly laughs for the day that maybe we lost a few calories. And who would think that a simple vanilla panna cotta with fresh pomegranate and lavender honey would do that?

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As you can see from the photo, the panna cotta’s conical shape and its wiggly, jiggly composition, combined with the vanilla tip made for a hilarious trip across the entire dining room. I was seated so that I saw it come out of the kitchen, so I was laughing so hard before anyone else saw it that I couldn’t even speak. Let’s just say the whole restaurant was entertained. I’m not sure how Keith even managed to eat it! I’m hoping to be able to publish the video Shelley took so you get just a little idea about how funny it was!

Bet you thought we were done. NOT!! Now it was time for tea, which we took out on the veranda (as we say down here!) Funny, our veranda does not have an ocean view…Rex had a pot of Earl Grey, Shelley and Keith had Yunnan, and I had vanilla (the panna cotta made me), and as we were finishing the last drops, we were summoned to catch our van for the ride back to the dock. We shared our van with a group of businessmen who had been having a lunch meeting at Jonah’s (what recession?) so we got a good shot of them riding out to board their plane. And again, Legs and Sir Galahad joined us, texting on their individual phones the entire trip. I did grab his camera so they’d at least have ONE photo to remember the day…

You may be thinking that after our meals we were over the weight limit for the plane (probably) or that after we returned to Sydney we just went straight home for a nap, but you should know better by now! Rex was not leaving Australia without seeing world-famous Bondi Beach, so off we went! But first, here are a few photos from the ride back.

We drove over to Bondi Beach, where things were starting to wind down for the afternoon. Surfers were coming in for the day and most sun-worshippers had already left. Several surf schools were still in session, and lifeguards were just taking up the warning flags. There was the ubiquitous old man with the metal detector, a young man (not a kid!) digging a hole to China, a little kid learning to ride a bike in the coolest way – it had no pedals and was not high off the ground – he could just push it with his feet and then lift his feet so he got used to the feel of coasting and balancing! And then the kids playing cricket (!) and even a little eye candy still out sunning – just another day in paradise! We even saw them setting up the World’s Largest Twister Game – hate that we missed that! Rex was so happy to be at Bondi, and I was feeling like I had come full circle, going back to many of the places I’d been on my first day here.

As we headed back to Shelley and Keith’s, we were treated to the most wonderful sunset – just a little going away, come back soon pressie, I hope! Once back at the house, we all changed into our jammies and crashed on the couch! Keith made me some delicious iced tea and Shelley and I looked at pictures while the guys watched TV. Somewhere along the way, Shelley heated up some soup (in case we were starving) and then it was time to pack…but what a beautiful way to end the BEST.HOLIDAY.EVER!!!

Already planning my next trip but wondering if I can leave here again…

Jan

These Shoes Were Made for Walking

2009-12-16T16:40:00.000-06:00

Thursday, 3 September 2009

Up at the crack of dawn, we were!! It seemed like I had just fallen asleep when it was time to wake up! We couldn't even get a good shot of Janice's house, as it was pitch dark except for this lovely full moon. So, our chauffeur Janice got us all loaded up and off to the airport, and soon Rex, Shelley, and I were boarding our flight back to Sydney. Shelley and I sat together and talked the whole time while Rex got to snooze uninterrupted. Or maybe he read - I was engrossed in conversation! Shelley was telling me about this great 'grand finale' idea that she had for us - she had booked us (Rex and me, along with her and Keith) for a seaplane flight to an exclusive restaurant on the edge of the harbour and the Pacific for the next day. Oh, it sounded so good!! The only problem - you take your chances with the weather, and the outlook was not favourable!! But I was SURE that we would have perfect weather for our perfect day. How could it be anything else? At any rate, something fun to look forward to, but that was tomorrow - what about today?

I think Keith picked us up at the airport, but maybe Shelley had left her car there - I really can't remember that part!! We got back to their house in Kensington, got freshened up, and took off to spend the day in town. We didn't have a set agenda - just thought we'd do whatever we hadn't done yet! We took a bus down to Circular Quay, where we were again treated to the hauntingly beautiful sounds of the digeridoo. We opted to take a ferry across the way to the zoo, only this time, instead of going to the zoo, we took a hike around the adjacent shoreline. Right away, we saw some beautiful birds and pretty plants. It was very overcast and looked like it could rain at any minute, so one of the only cloudy days we'd had in a month! I took that as a good sign, thinking that surely the next day would be sunny again!

The area where we were walking was the site of Curlew Camp, which was one of two artists' camps settled in the foreshore near Mosman in the late 1800's. It was a place for artists to practice painting outdoors, and some of the more famous Australian painters who visited and worked her were Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, Julian Ashton, Alfred Daplyn, Henry Fullwood, and Nelson Illingworth - not that those names mean anything to me, but I can see how they would have been inspired here, even without the views of the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and the Sydney skyline of today!

Curlew Camp was "very refined" with canvas tents, fences, and maybe even a bush oven! By the early 1900's, it had a weatherboard dining hall, a billiards tent, and maintained gardens. This rock still bears the chiseled inscription "Curlew 1890". Sounded a bit more primitive than refined to me, but I guess considering the time...

While we were amongst the trees, it did start raining a bit. We wandered right along the coast, and got some great shots of the harbour and boats and just enjoyed the light and the surroundings. And the company!

We walked through a little park and up a steep hill through the Mosman neighborhood. There were exquisite flowers and magnificent houses, but no people to be seen! Not even any wildlife! I loved the rooftops of the houses - they reminded me of English homes and I was waiting for Dick Van Dyke to pop out singing Chim-Chim-Chiree!

We walked back down the hill to the Mosman ferry station and went back across the way, and we
decided to grab a bite of lunch. We ducked into City Extra, which was a neat little bistro with a bit of Superman flair to it. Not only was my meal delish, I got the best and biggest glass of iced tea, American style, that I had on the whole trip. And to top it off, we all shared a pavlova, complete with strawberries and passionfruit! Heaven!
After lunch, we thought we would try again to see if we could get an Opera House tour. This time, we were in luck!

I loved the wavy sinks (and stalls) in the ladies room in the Opera House! Plus, it was nice and warm in there!! We got our tickets and waited for our tour guide, who, sadly, reminded us all of one of our worst teachers ever. She had one of those really grating, sing-songy voices and she talked to us like we were kindergarteners. And Shelley got reprimanded for (you guessed it) taking pictures! Oh well, the Opera House was still cool, anyway, and it was fun to see it from the inside out. Jorn Utzon, the Danish architect who designed the Opera House after winning a design competition begun in 1956, resigned from the project amidst cost overruns in 1966. The building took 16 years to complete, and was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1973. I encourage you to take time to look at this website http://jornutzon.sydneyoperahouse.com/househistory.htm and learn about the history of this iconic building and architectural wonder - it is a fascinating story! Relations with Utzon were repaired and in 1999 he developed a set of design principles to act as guidelines for any future building or renovations. Sadly, and remarkably to me, Utzon died in 2008 without ever seeing his masterpiece in person!! Here are some of my favorite shots from the tour - the huge tapestry in the Utzon Room, our guide, the beautiful and acoustically sound main auditorium, and a close up of the exterior shell:

After our tour, we strolled along the esplanade and did a little shopping, then we took the train over to the famous Queen Victoria Building for more shopping. I LOVED this building - everything about it! We didn't do much actual shopping, but it was a feast for the eyes! There were tons of cool clocks, many with dioramas depicting world history - so entertaining! Check it out at http://www.qvb.com.au/index.amx?pid=X&mainid=2 - it was built in 1898 as a monument to Queen Victoria and a way to employ out-of-work tradesmen during an awful recession. It was almost demolished in 1959, but it has now been restored to its original glory. Magnificent!

By the time we left here, my dogs were BARKING and I was about to lose my personality. But then I got a glimpse of this building as we waited for the bus...

Mercifully, the bus finally came and we were back at Shelley and Keith's, where they prepared a lovely dinner for us and their son Rob came over to say hello. Another fabulous day, and more to look forward to on our last day in Sydney!

All walked out, but still fat and sassy,

Jan

A Ferry G'day, Mate, and O! What a Night!

2009-12-15T12:31:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, 2 September 2009

Morning comes earlier every day! We awoke to a bustling household, with Kerrianne's family getting off to school and the five of us getting off for our day in Melbourne (or meh'bun, as they say here). Kerrianne's house was so cool - new and modern, with rooms that just kept on going! We were all envious of her HUGE pantry! One thing I have really liked about all of the homes we've been in here is how uncluttered and uncomplicated they are compared to our homes in the US. Lines are sleeker, and knick-knacks are fewer - it made me want to go home and de-clutter - again! Kerrianne's scrapbooking room was wonderful, too, mostly because of the copious evidence of her creativity! My head was spinning with ideas, but I was sure I would forget them long before I got back home.

Kerrianne and Janice had tea and lots of toast and goodies for us, and we probably lingered a bit long over our brekky...at any rate, we ended up RACING to catch the Queenscliff ferry! You would have thought someone was in labor or something. Complicating matters was the fact that we were in two cars, since Kerrianne would be coming back home after dinner and Shelley, Rex, and I would be staying at Janice's. Kerrianne and Shelley led the way, and Janice kept them in her sights and we made it on to the ferry, by the skin of our chinny-chin-chins!

Once safely aboard, we went up on the top deck of the ferry, which was completely empty save for the five of us. It was a bit brisk, but the sun was out and the day was glorious. We had fun taking 'selfie' photos in as many different ways as we could, and we tried really hard to conjure up the dolphins like the ones Kerrianne had posted, but they weren't coming out today - yet. We had a nice morning just relaxing on the ferry and enjoying the ride. As we left the port, we looked back on the town of Queenscliff. One of the main buildings that I noticed was once a prison, but it was an architecturally interesting building.

Crossing the bay over to Melbourne was such a pleasant ride, and I was again struck by the changing colors of the water here - just gorgeous! Once we arrived, Janice led us up to Arthur's Tower, which was high up on a hill where a ski lift-like tram used to run. There was an overlook that allowed us to see Melbourne and the entire area, and we posed for lots of photos on Arthur's Seat. There was a little pub there, but we didn't stop for morning tea (or afternoon tea!) - too much to see!

Our next stop was at Chapman's Point, where we got another lovely view of the bay and the city below. It was a beautiful drive down into town, although I have to admit that I may have taken a little nap or two as we drove along. Janice was a good sport, though, and hopefully Rex was staying awake longer than I was. When we got to Frankston, we decided to stop for a bite of lunch, so we pulled into the carpark at the Frankston Lifesaving Club. It was quite an experience trying to find a place to park, but we were finally successful and joined Shelley and Kerrianne in Waves, the restaurant there. We had a wonderful view of the bay, and we were entertained by our somewhat cranky server. We used her attitude to invent a whole story for her and some of the other servers and patrons. Lunch was delish, by the way - I had a great salad!

From here we drove past the house that Shelley's family used to rent on holiday, and then we walked down to the very beach box that was her grandmother's! I loved the beach box concept - they are little wooden houses (sort of like cabanas) that people could change in and/or store beach toys and equipment. Shelley told us her grandmother's even had an outhouse next to it (highly illegal, but nontheless handy!)

Our next stop was to see the famous Brighton Beach Boxes, which are so fun and colorfully painted! We drove past Janice's neighborhood and past a really high-rent district to get here, and we could see the skyling of the Melbourne CBD across the water.

By now it was sunny and warm out, and we had fun picking out our favorite beach boxes and posing in front of them. We even saw our dolphin! As we were leaving, there was a wonderful older gentleman sitting on the stoop of one of the boxes watching some children playing. He wore a straw hat, rakishly tilted, and he just made me smile.

To Janice's house we went, with just enough time for tea (I even got to make some iced tea!) and to grab a change clothes for dinner. We would be dining in the Conservatory at the Crown Casino in downtown Melbourne, but we still had lots to see before then! With only a teeny bit of trouble (just making sure we didn't miss any streets downtown) we got ourselves parked in one of the many casino parking decks, and we ran off to see the sights in Melbourne while it was still light. We made our way through the maze of casinos and hotel lobbies until we found ourselves out on the broad sidewalk lining one side of the Yarra River, which bisects the downtown area.

Melbourne is dotted with cool sculptures and artwork - there seems to be a bit of a rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne as to which city is more cultural, but Melbourne claims to be the cultural and sporting centre of Australia. Melbourne is also home to the Rod Laver Tennis Centre and Australian Open, Aussie Rules Football got its start here, and it's the birthplace of the Australian film and television industry. A city of almost four million people, Melbourne is located on Port Philip Bay, and it has many parks and gardens. As I mentioned earlier, the Yarra River runs right through the downtown area. It's a beautiful city - not as dramatic as the Sydney Harbour area, but full of surprises at every turn.

We slowly made our way (because we kept stopping to take pictures!) to the tram that would take us on a quickie tour of the city, and we paid attention to the signs warning us from hopping the tracks. Seems at least one of our group has had first-hand experience with some of the consequences of breaking that rule (it wasn't me!) Soon, the red tram car pulled up and we piled on for our free tour. We made a large rectanglular loop of the CBD and here are some of the fun buildings and sculptures we saw:

Once we finished our trolley tour, Janice hustled us past the "clocks" at the train station and directed us over to another fun artsy place, then we walked down by the river where we caught a glimpse of the Tennis Centre and the football stadium. We were on a bit of a timetable, not only for our dinner reservations, but because of the 'dancing buildings' that were alleged to be happening later. Hmmm. There were scullers on the river, and we could hear the bats (they are following us, too!) chirping under the bridges. Night was falling and the lights were coming on - everything was so beautiful as it was reflected in the water.

It was getting a bit cooler, so we walked back towards the car through an upscale shopping mall, but we resisted the impulse to shop (dancing buildings, you know!) and we still had to change clothes before dinner! We did stop to look at a huge globe of the world hanging in the shopping mall - Australia looked just right, but check out America. The east coast has sprouted boobs!

Now we were RUNNING back to the car, getting a teensy bit turned around in the maze of hallways and lights and glass of the Crown Centre, and since we had not passed any restrooms along the way, we opted to change clothes in the cars! Sorry, no photos...oh, and I might mention that Janice just changed in between some cars!! It was pretty hysterical! So we fluffed and primped and soon we were respectible enough to go to dinner. By now, Janice and Kerrianne were PULLING and DRAGGING us along so we wouldn't miss the big show. Just in time, we found ourselves looking up at giant fire-breathing structures. Now are these cool, or what?

When not in the middle of a drought, there is water running down the sides of these tall chimneys, and there must have been at least a dozen of them lining the walkway next to the river! Best of all, once we made it into the restaurant, we were seated at a window right in front of one! Every hour they erupted in a ball of light and heat and fire! So fun - much better than dancing buildings!

Dinner at the Conservatory was entertaining all on its own! It was a HUGE buffet - sushi, appetizers, salads, main courses, side dishes, pasta and rice dishes made to order, soups, and of course, dessert... We just ate and ate and ate! And I had the good fortune to snag a Chocolate Dome, which was by far one of THE BEST desserts I've ever had. Oh. My. Gosh! I wasn't good at sharing, but everyone got a kick out of me and my "O" face! And then, out came the iphones, and Kerrianne and I shared our new toys from the night before with Rex and Janice. Shelley managed to stay on good behaviour.

Once we were so stuffed that we could barely move, we waddled through the hotel, past the tanks of rock lobsters, through the mirrors that made us skinny (we loved them!) and into our cars. We bid sad goodbyes to Kerrianne as she headed home for the night, and Janice delivered us safely to her wonderful home where we fell into bed - it would be another early morning as we were flying back to Sydney. Our wonderful trip was drawing to a close...

Visions of sugarplums (well, chocolate domes, anyway) dancing in my head,

Jan

The GREAT (Awesome, Fantastic, Gorgeous) Ocean Road!!!

2009-12-14T00:49:00.000-06:00

1 September 2009

I remember very little about our flight from Perth to Melbourne, so I must have gotten some sleep! I know I was tired enough that I should have!! We landed in Melbourne at about 5:30 AM, and lo and behold, there to meet us at baggage was Janice!! She had no problem finding us (Rex tends to stand out in a crowd) and the airport crowds at 5:30 AM are not dense. So off we went! I have to admit that I snoozed a bit on the ride from the airport to Kerrianne's house in Geelong, which is about 50 miles southwest of Melbourne. Geelong is the second largest city in Victoria, and it's also a port city. I think something like 90% of Australia's population lives on the coast, so it's no surprise that almost all of the women I've met live near the ocean. It was fitting, then, that today's adventure was a drive along the Great Ocean Road! We picked up Kerrianne and Shelley, who had flown in from Sydney to play with us, and we all squeezed into Janice's car. It was so fun to be reunited with three such fun girls, and of course, it was Rex's first time to meet Janice and Kerrianne. Off we went!

The Great Ocean Road begins in Torquay, which is only about 10 miles south of Geelong. It won't surprise you that almost all of today's photos will be of the magnificent Pacific Ocean, but what may surprise you is how different it can look! The weather in this part of Victoria is constantly changing - although the overall climate is temperate, the winds and weather coming north from Antarctica can cool things off in a flash! Janice and Kerrianne had been warning me that the weather was cold and rainy, and I'd been promising them I'd bring the good weather with me, so I was glad that the day was mostly sunny and just a bit chilly. Janice had gathered up some warm jackets for us, even finding one that would fit Rex, and there were times we were glad we had them!

The Great Ocean Road was built by 3000 returning servicemen (called Diggers) as a memorial to their fallen comrades who were killed in World War One. It was begun in 1918 and finished in 1932, but it was proposed as far back as 1864!

Here are some of our first glimpses of the ocean:

You can already see how different it looks - from deep blue crashing waves to light teal gentle waves lapping the beach. Our first stop along the Road was the Split Point Lighthouse. Amazingly, the paparazzi found us here!

The four of us girls posed for a picture and Rex got the shot for us. I was intrigued by a couple of things - the 90 km Surf Walk that follows the Great Ocean Road and this simple gate that was outside a house next to the lighthouse.

Can you tell how quickly the weather was changing?

Our next stop was Lorne, and this is its new rebuilt pier. I loved the ladders that went down to the water, and the color of the water in this shot was brilliant! After a bit, we decided to have a bite of lunch at a little cafe. Well, we girls had lunch, and I'm not sure whether Rex had breakfast or dessert, but it sure looked good! He wasn't sharing...
....but he did make sure we had plenty of chips - he ordered two orders of them, not realizing that we all got some with our steak sandwiches!

And of course, this was all after Janice had broken out one of her Australian treats for us... I was glad we had this handy signpost to let us know where we were - isn't it fun? And again, look at the changing weather!

Back on the road, it was a bit of a struggle to stay awake, between our overnight flight, our early morning, my full tummy, and being in a moving vehicle! But the scenery was awesome and Janice made sure to stop at all of the places where there was something good to see, like this rainforest! We went for a bit of a hike in a futile effort to work off our chips!

Here's a good shot of the road - Janice did a fantastic job keeping us on it and playing the tour guide. She and Kerrianne both were wonderful ambassadors for their breath-takingly beautiful state! One of the things I remembered most from some of the pages they had posted on facebook was the Twelve Apostles, an incredible group of rock formations created by the pounding surf. We were about to see them in person!

There was no way I could leave out any of these photos, so just sit back and enjoy. Pay attention to the light and sky - rain and sunshine, serenity and savagery, colors and greys - all mixed together!

It was time to head back to Kerrianne's house for dinner, so Janice steered us over to the regular highway for a faster drive back. I'm not gonna lie - I slept through most of that ride, and I have a feeling I wasn't the only one...at least Janice stayed awake! But I did stay up long enough to get a chuckle over this sign!

At Kerrianne's house, we were in for another treat - a bit of a barbie! Darren had things well under control, and Janice had brought some of her yummy chocolate slice, and soon there was quite the spread in front of us - prawns, burgers, sausages, potato salad, green salad, and more! Yum!!

Kerriane's men were so cute - Liam was a snuggler, Riley is the true tweener, and Darren was a love - even washed the dishes! Which reminds me, so did Bob up in Geraldton - a nice trait these Aussie men have!

It was another full day of new experiences and stunning scenery, to say nothing of good times spent with new friends. This has got to be the BEST vacation EVER!!

After dinner, Kerrianne, Shelley, and I stayed up and played on facebook and with our iphones - we had such a giggle over our newly acquired (well, I'm not sure Shelley got it, but Kerrianne and I did!) Atomic Fart apps that I thought we would wake up Janice and the boys! But we eventually gave it up and got some sleep for another big day tomorrow!

Rocking and rolling with the waves,

Jan

Planes, Train(ing)s, and Automobiles

2009-12-13T20:53:00.000-06:00

31 August 2009

It was hard to say goodbye to Jenny and Bob this morning - we had had SO MUCH fun - although they probably needed a couple of vacation days to recover from our vacation!

Bob gave Rex some last minute driving tips, and we got our road train warning, but we were so glad to have a sunny day for travel. We had no worries as Bob led us through town and got us pointed in the right direction on the Brand Highway. I liked this sail sculpture we saw as we left town.

Rex was doing some better with the turn signal today, and we had time to laugh about the other side of the road experience. We even found a radio station that was featuring a pair of DJ's from Australia who were touring the US in an RV. They were in Mississippi and could not believe the size of soft drinks (and of the people who drank them) in the States!! Of course, we've hardly seen soft drinks here, and certainly no drive thru's or Big Gulps!!

It wasn't long before we saw our first road train - this photo doesn't do justice to the experience! Rex loved that Australians call 'passing' overtaking. Shelley explained to us that passing means you pass someone who is traveling in the opposite direction, so overtaking is when you pass someone on your side who is going slower than you. Here are a couple of signs...

We enjoyed the drive south and had no trouble finding our way to the airport. We used the maps Bob gave us where he plotted out our route - great job, Bob!! Anne, Dan, and Eric were waiting for us at the airport, so we loaded up the van (wow - it was really something!) and took off for Freemantle and fish & chips! I should mention here that Dan is Anne's good friend and he was our driver for the day (thanks, Dan!) and Eric is Anne's son, who is a quadriplegic following a horrendous car accident many years ago, so the van really was tricked out to accomodate Eric and his chair. Rex and Dan were up front, Eric was in the middle (he was the middle seat driver!), and Anne and I brought up the rear. I'm not sure why I didn't take any pictures of us in the car - probably because Eric kept me laughing the whole time! Anyway, soon enough, we were in Freemantle (home of the America's Cup yacht races) and going into Cicerello's for their famous fish and chips.

We have laughed at some of our language differences, but where I've noticed them most of all is around food! Not that I can't figure most of them out, I just find it humorous that we differ so much at the table! But no worries, we sure know our deep fried seafood!! It wasn't Calabash, but it sure was good! Can't you almost smell and taste it? Oh, one thing really cool about this oceanside restaurant was the 22 metres of fish tanks full of colorful fish inside. As long as I didn't think about eating them...

After lunch, Dan drove us around Freemantle a bit, and then he steered us toward King's Park in Perth. Along the way, we stopped at Cottesloe, a cool old beach club, which also happened to be the site of Heath Ledger's wake. There was one brave (and undoubtedly cold) surfer out there, adn one mom with a few little (bottomless) kids playing in the sand. Must have been potty training time! Anne and I posed on the elephants in front of the Indiana Club there.

Even though we thought we'd been spotted by the helicopters from Sydney, Dan got us safely to Kings Park, which is even bigger than Central Park in New York City. You can see a bit about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_Park,_Western_Australia if you'd like to know more. We spent a good amount of time in the Botanical Gardens, and I had a great time taking photos of the gorgeous flowers. We found even more kangaroo paws - a black variety and a pink one, in addition to the red & green one, but I was glad we saw them first in the wild. They are still really cool plants.

We sort of all parted ways in the park and saw what we wanted, so after the gardens I wandered over to the water garden and then to the fountain honoring pioneer women. It was there that I saw the little family of ducklings - they were so cute!

There were LOTS of birds in the park today - it was fun just having time to leisurely walk around and take pictures. At one point I looked up to see Eric flying down the grassy hill in his chair - we had a nice chat as we took in the sights of the park. Dan found us and drove us over to the DNA Tower - see if you can guess how it got its name! From up here, we could see Anne and Eric down below us, as well as Perth's Central Business District spreading out around us.

After we climbed down the many steps of the Tower, Dan drove us over to the State War Memorial, which is located on Mount Eliza overlooking Perth Water. It comprises the Cenotaph, Court of Contemplation, Flame of Remembrance and Pool of Reflection. It was really serene and just beautiful in the light of the setting sun!

Here's one last shot of Perth - I see yet another Ferris Wheel and am kicking myself now for not riding at least one of them! Guess I'll have to go back!

Dan fought through the evening traffic to get us back to the clubhouse where tonight's training would be. I was excited to have been asked to do some training for the Western Australia girls - it's such a long way that many of them were not able to attend Showcase, so this was a way we could bring a little bit of it to them. There were about 30 people in attendance, which for a rainy (didn't start raining until after we got there!) Monday evening wasn't bad! Anne had handled all of the arrangements for Wendy (the only Director over this way) and everything went well - even got the projector to work! Best of all for me were the great pressies - tons of candy, a huge card, a commemorative coin, and more. After the training was over, Dan and Anne drove us back to the airport for our red eye flight. But did they just drop us off like I would have done - no, they came in with us and waited at the gate until our flight was called! We ate some dinner and had a little visit, and all too soon our time in WA was over. Thanks a million, Anne, Dan, and Eric, and to the WA CMC's, for making our trip to Perth a memorable one, even in a really short time!

Planning to get some shut-eye on the red-eye,

Jan

PS Remember that dinner we just ate in the airport? Qantas served us a full hot meal on the flight...

From Ocean to Outback

2009-12-13T17:41:00.001-06:00

30 August 2009

Today we were going to see the Indian Ocean! Somehow, it didn't occur to me before we got here that we would get to see a 'new' ocean - I was just thinking of Australia as being in the middle of the Pacific. Duh. Anyway, our awesome hosts Jenny and Bob got us properly warmed up with a hot brekky (more Vegemite!) and a cuppa, and off we went for another exciting day full of new experiences. Geraldton is right on the west coast of Australia about 263 miles north of Perth. It's a city of a little over 30,000 people - you can read about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldton,_Western_Australia and here's a map to give you an idea about its location:

After a quick run through at a local grocery store to pick up some sausages for our barbie in the bush, as advertised, our first stop was the Indian Ocean, and what a smashing sight it was! The waves were crashing in and the sun was sparkling off the water. In one small cove, we saw a man riding a horse in the water, evidently a common practice around here. Geraldton is home to a horse racing industry, too! Good exercise and therapy I reckon.

We even got a pretty good shot of the two of us, and even though it was a bit chilly to put our feet in the water, I did go down and stick my hands in. The colors of the water ranged from a really deep blue to dark teal to aqua - I could get used to seeing this every day! We had stopped at one of the many surf clubs, and then we went across the street to see the newly refurbished Point Moore lighthouse. At 34 metres high, it is the tallest metal lighthouse in Australia.

We made a swing past the Geraldton Fisherman's Co-op, where the famous Geraldton lobsters (aka crayfish, aka rock lobsters) are processed. Rex could not wait until tonight's dinner when he could order one and we could see what we would call it in the states! From here we stopped to see the Yellow Submarine, which was located in a waterfront park across the street from a KFC! This submarine, 8.4 m long, had been invented by Geraldton native Severn Graham as a prototype cray fishing submarine for a local fishing group. It was designed to test the feasibility of establishing a nearby fishery for green crayfish; however, when it was discovered that emissions from the batteries caused major technical difficulties, the sub was never made operational. I'm thinking any two men who might have been its occupants can't be too sorry it didn't work! Right next to the Yellow Submarine was a HUGE tree with a merry-go-round swing hung under it. Jenny told us she remembered swinging in it as a child!

From here, we hustled up the hill to the HMAS Sydney Memorial, where we had a tour appointment. This memorial is one of the coolest I've ever seen! Every single detail had been thought out, and every piece of the memorial was there for a specific reason. I really encourage you to visit this website and learn about the Sydney, its sinking off the coast near here, its discovery (it was not found until 2008!) and the memorial to it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Sydney_(1934) - the story is quite fascinating!

To me, one of the coolest things about the memorial is the stele that is the same size and shape as the ship's prow. What is odd about it is that when the ship was finally found, long after the memorial was dedicated and finished, is that the only part of the ship that was missing was its prow! Kind of freaky. The dome (The Dome of Souls) that you see in the picture is comprised of 645 free form seagulls, one for each life lost on the Sydney. The inspiration for the dome came from a flock of seagulls which flew in formation out to sea during a Remembrance service in 1998 when this permanent memorial was just in its planning stages. There is also a statue of a waiting woman looking out to sea and the wall surrounding the memorial lists the names of all the men lost. It's a lovely, sobering reminder of the costs of war.

Our next stop was St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral, which was designed by Monsignor John Hawes (same as the church we saw yesterday). Monsignor Hawes was a priest and an architect. The construction of this church began in 1916 but was not finished until 1938. I've never seen a church quite like this one - very interesting and most beautiful. I'm afraid I would not pay much attention during Mass as there would be so many things to distract me! Jenny serves as a docent here, so she was full of fun facts.

Now that we had seen the major cultural attractions in Geraldton, we were off for a day in the outback! Bob drove us north, where our windscreen was attacked by a huge flock of insects - the windscreen won, but the casualties were great... Soon we were at Munga Gabbe, another spectacular vista!

Jenny and I went off exploring while Rex and Bob (mostly Bob) set up the barbie and started cooking. She and I had just started down an embankment, sort of steep and rocky, when we both heard this very loud buzzing sound. It sounded really ominous, and we didn't wait to see how many bees might come after us if we had the misfortune to disturb them! We just skedaddled back up that hill, lickety split! We were content to just take a walk on the flat ground and take more wildflower photos. Before long, Bob was whistling for us and we sat down to enjoy our lunch and a cold beer.

After we cleaned up, we were back on the road, and of course, Jenny and I felt the need for a little sweet to go with our meal!

Here are some pix of things we saw along the way: This first shot is sort of a memorial to a man near Lynton Station, which was a convict hiring station near Port Gregory. The man on the bike is a replica of the late Ron Simkin high on the hill overlooking his property.

This is the Pink Lake - isn't it different?

This is a memorial to Jenny's father, Charles Thomas Cripps who was a man for all seasons and a great fisherman, and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal. Here's what Jenny had to say: "It's quite ironic, although he was my Dad, I didn't realise all the good things he'd done and was appreciated for until he was awarded the OAM in 2000 for the Queen's Australia Day Honours. It was short lived unfortunately as Dad passed away in October the same year. This memorial is a dedication to his work for local charities and just being a genuine good bloke!!"

Our ultimate destination for the day was the sheep station that Jenny's brother and his wife run, but Jenny was dead set that we would find some kangaroo paws along the way. Before you get too upset, a kangaroo paw is the state flower of WA (Western Australia) and it should just be blooming. So we were on the lookout! Of course, Rex and I had NO CLUE what we were looking for, so were we ever surprised to see this!

Isn't it great?!?! I thought they'd make wonderful Christmas flowers! We also saw these lamb's wool that I really loved.

I can't say much for the scenery along this drive, except that I have a new admiration for all the farmers who are brave enough to work the land here.

It is not a very forgiving climate, and Jenny and her family told us stories of the horrible drought of recent years that were unbelievable - except that her brother showed us pictures of it. But the most unbelievable part of all, too me, is that Jenny's brother's sheep station is 15,000 acres, and he and his wife do ALL of the work! There is no hired help! They raise sheep and care for other assorted animals, and grow all kinds of crops - alfala, canola, etc., and grow their own vegetables. They are out in TRULY the middle of nowhere and so they have to be self-sufficient, as do all of their 'neighbors'. I vividly remember studying Australia and sheep stations in fourth or fifth grade social studies, but seeing one up close and personal put a whole new spin on things for me!

Here are Bob and Jenny MacKay and Jenny's brother and his wife, Peter and Ann. Jenny said she had not seen Peter in a while and didn't know that he had a beard - she thought it was her dad walking toward her!

I loved this fence at the farm! Peter and Ann were so gracious - of course, we had afternoon tea around their kitchen table, complete with several different kinds of slices - as they shared with us a little about life on their farm. But when Peter showed us photos of the farm a few years ago, during the drought, I was almost in tears. It looked like the Sahara desert, only the sand was red. Dunes piled high, covering cars, fences, and farm machinery. They lost most of their sheep, as there was nothing for them to eat. It is a testament to the human spirit that they are still here and still farming! I am quite sure I would have given up!

On the drive home, we passed the home where Jenny grew up, Mumby Farm, which was established in 1867, but we didn't make many stops. Bob wanted to make sure we got to see the sun set on the Indian Ocean! We did have to stop though, when Jenny spotted an emu in someone's yard. And she really had wanted us to see a kangaroo, since Rex missed the one that the girls' car saw yesterday. So while we were looking at the emu, look what was right across the street!

And still, we got to the beach in time to see this:

and then...

Fantabulous!!!

And yet, the day was not over! We raced back to Jenny and Bob's, cleaned up, changed clothes, and made it downtown in time for dinner at Skeeta's with the whole gang! And Rex got his lobster, which I think we would call a rock lobster or spiny lobster - definitely not a crayfish (or crawdad, as we say down South) or a regular lobster, because it didn't have claws, but Rex said it was delicious!

So what more could we have asked for or done? I think Jenny, Bob, and friends showed us the very best of Geraldton and Western Australia, and we are so grateful for their generosity and hospitality! It was so worth it to come all the way across the country - thanks for having us!!

Counting sheep,

Jan

Wild(flower) Wonderful Western Australia!

2009-12-13T12:05:00.000-06:00

29 August 2009

It was a chilly morning, but the sun was shining, so it was all good! Jenny and Bob had been up scurrying around in the kitchen and packing things up and loading the car - we weren't quite sure what to expect today, except we knew we were going to see wildflowers. We sat down to a nice breakfast and then were off for the day's adventure. Our first stop was up a muddy hill, where we were treated to a gorgeous vista, and really our first good look, at the Western Australia countryside. The bright yellow fields are canola. Isn't it pretty?

From here we went to the Moonyoonooka General Store where we met up with the rest of our traveling companions - Kerry, Janet, Jan, Karen, Cece, and Bob. We split up, with the guys in one car and Kerry driving Janet, Jenny, and me and Karen with her mom (Cece) and the other Jan. We had to laugh at all of our alike sounding names - two Bobs, two Jans, a Janet, a Jenny, and Kerry and Karen! Only Rex and Cece were safe from mixups! So, off went our caravan, in search of wildflowers. Soon we were out in the middle of nowhere, driving down red dirt roads. I'm not sure how Bob knew exactly where to go - there surely were no road signs pointing the way to Wildflowers! But Bob is a smart man, and soon we were standing with our mouths wide open in the middle of thousands (if not millions) of wildflowers! In this photo, left to right: Jan Mc, Janet, Jenny, Kerry, Jan, and Karen

And here's a pretty good shot of Rex and me, sitting amongst the Everlastings. I'm not sure what I thought wildflowers would be - back home, when my mom would make my sister and me come foraging for wildflowers with her, we were usually in the woods, peeking under big plants and looking around tree trunks for tiny little things like Jack-in-the-Pulpit or trillium. I know I didn't think we'd be looking at wide open fields FULL of blooming flowers! We spent about half an hour here and then we were off again. Soon, Bob led us to a little pull off (again, we're in the middle of nowhere) and the caravan pulled in. Boots were opened, and out came a feast for morning tea! You won't believe all the food we had! In addition to thermoses full of hot water (plenty of tea, milk, and

sugar) along with various "slices", including one with licorice topping and some really tasty pumpkin scones, all homemade, of course! So we had a little picnic at Tenindewa, and then we were off! We headed into the town of Mullewa, where there was a Wildflower Show going on at the Town Hall. One of the things we got to see there that was not in bloom in the wild yet was the famous Wreath Flower - this is the only place in the world that it grows!

I hope you'll take the time to explore this website a little bit - http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Things_to_See_and_Do/Forest_and_Flowers/Pages/Wildflowers.aspx

You simply cannot imagine what all of these beautiful blooms look like in person! And the whole town of Mullewa was decked out for the festival of flowers! Even the telephone poles were each painted in honor of a different wildflower - everlastings, banksias, grevillieas, mulla mulla - each one more exquisite than the next! While we were in Mullewa, Jenny and I wandered over to a gallery full of Aboriginal art, where we promptly got in trouble for taking pictures of it. So I won't post any of them here, but of course the one I wanted the most was by far the most expensive painting in the store... Our Geraldton friends kept running into people they knew - it was a beautiful winter Saturday, so people had come out in droves to celebrate the wildflowers!

After about 45 minutes or so, we took off again and soon were out in the bush. But look what fun things we came across! I love this photo of the canola fields and the windmill that has to be held in place with guy wires - that should give you some idea how windy it gets here!

Then, out of nowhere (in the middle of nowhere) comes this Road Train! See what I mean? And then I spotted this graceful heron stopping to take a drink. We turned around and went flying past something in the trees - I couldn't tell what it was and I didn't have any way to ask Bob (in the lead car) to turn around, so I thought I'd just missed it. But then, as if a wish were granted, we turned around again, only to get the biggest belly laughs of the day. Here's what was in the trees....

I still don't know what or why, but there were two trees full of these funny critters! Off we went again, still looking for wildflowers. And we found them!

I have no idea where we were, but there were signs to a waterfall, so we followed them. It's really a good thing there were signs, because I never would have mistaken this little trickle of water for a waterfall!

We got so tickled - it was maybe a foot high! But keep in mind that we are in the outback of Western Australia, which has just survived one of the worst droughts in history, so at least there is some water!
After our hike to see the waterfall, we piled back in the cars and drove up to the Mullewa lookout. Here's the whole gang!

From left - Rex, me, Janet, Jan, Bob MacKay, Jenny, other Bob, Karen, Cece, and Kerry. From here, we had a great view of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which was designed and built by Monsignor John Hawes, who was the local Catholic priest from 1916 to 1939. I believe this church was built in 1927, and it was so sweet. We went inside to see the stunning stained glass windows, and we admired the flowers in the churchyard. Against the bright blue sky, it was so pretty!

We spent about a half an hour exploring the church, and then we were headed south to the Coal Seam for a bit of lunch. Rex and I had no idea of the treats that were in store for us there! There was a nice little picnic area, and lots of people were taking advantage of the nice weather. Again, all of our cars pulled in and boots were unloaded. What a spread!!!! We even had hot food! Just look at all of this!

Cece had made meat pies, wrapped them in foil, and they were still hot! Janet had made some yummy quiches - so tasty! We had a vegetable and dip plate, and Kerry had made about five kinds of sandwiches - egg curry and chicken I remember as being especially yummy. Chips, tea, fruit, slices, and even wine - of course, we had to sample everything! And we even had tablecloths and comfy chairs to sit in - where was all of this stuff hiding??? After we ate (and could move again) we crossed the almost dry riverbed and explored the old coal mining site, which was covered in wildflowers.

I loved all of the colors of the prolific Everlastings - pink, yellow, white, and purple - it was like a multi-colored carpet, and I spent the day feeling like I was in a Monet painting. The settings were so beautiful they made us look good!

The day was drawing to a close, but we had more to see. And look what we saw bounding through the fields of flowers - Skippy!

Bob led us to a little park near the Ellendale Pool. It was so serene - we saw some ducks and lots of ghost gum trees. The sun was about to set, so the light on the water was perfect!

As we were leaving the park, the eagle-eyed Karen screeched to a stop, because she had spotted an echidna (a spiny anteater) on the side of the road. I just barely caught him as he skuttled into a culvert.

It was now officially sunset, and wasn't it spectacular? With the numerous windmills (no better place to have them, except maybe Kansas!) as a backdrop, it was glorious!

What a wonderful day! It was such a treat to meet some of the girls on Jenny's and Kerry's teams, and to really experience the Australian bush with the people who live here! And the flowers - if they had been ordered just for us, they couldn't have been any prettier! Once we were back in Geraldton and at Jenny and Bob's, we had a bite of lasagna (I know, you can't believe we could eat another bite!) and then Bob took me next door to meet Cocky. Isn't he cute?

But he LOVED Bob, way better than me - and would hardly leave his shoulder (or his head). Back at the house, I took some time to download photos but it was not long before I fell into bed, dreaming of colorful wildflowers! I don't know how everyone keeps topping themselves - each day is even better than the one before!

Wildly happy,

Jan

Crossing the Continent

2009-12-12T18:01:00.000-06:00

28 August 2009

We left the Drysdale's house EARLY this morning, since it was a long way to the airport and we had to fight work-week rush hour traffic. Chris was a dear again, as he and Elinor delivered us right to our terminal. It turned out to be a good thing we had loaded the car the night before, as we barely got there in time. As it was, the line was LONG, but in true Qantas style (US airlines could take a page or two from the Qantas book!) they called us up to get our boarding passes and check our bags just before boarding time - we got to bypass the line!

Today we were traveling from Brisbane, in the center of the east coast of Australia, to Perth, on the southwest coast, and then driving to Geraldton, about five hours north. Some of you may not realize that Australia is roughly the size of the US, so it was like flying from RDU to San Diego. And then driving to San Francisco. On the wrong side of the road! Here's a map to help you get a little perspective:

As usual, I had no problems sleeping on the flight, and I even read a little bit, too. We arrived in Perth to a cloudy, dreary day, but were met at the airport by a sunny, smiling, Anne Cook! Anne met us at the car rental place just so she could lead us out of town and get us safely on the road to Geraldton. Now is that hospitality, or what?? The best news was that the car we had rented was a Prius, so at least we were familiar with that! After a few initial bumps on the 'other' side of the road (no real bumps, just a little getting used to things) Rex got the hang of everything except the turn signal. He turned on the wipers 95% of the time! At least it was sort of rainy, so it didn't look as funny as it could have! Anne capably led us out of the airport and through the suburbs of Perth and onto the highway we would then take straight up the coast. We stopped at a little convenience store and had a bite to eat - fried pies, fries, and some other fried foods - typical gas station food - but it hit the spot! We bid Anne farewell and took off on our own.

We had been warned about the 'road trains' and it wasn't long before we figured out why. You know those big tandem (piggy-back) semi-trailers that we have on the interstates here? Well road trains are TRIPLE and QUADRUPLE trailers, usually looking more like open boxcars that travel on this two-lane highway!! Thank goodness for 'overtaking lanes'!

Our journey north was mercifully uneventful, and the biggest drama was that we almost forgot to call Jenny and Bob to let them know we were almost there. Actually, we did forget (and we didn't have cell service) but Jenny called us just in the nick of time. She made it to the petrol station where we met just before we got there, and she led us safely to her house. And what a treat was waiting for us there - lamb roast!!

We met Jenny's husband, Bob, and visited for a while, then sat down to a most delicious Australian favorite meal of lamb roast and vegetables. Nicole Kidman even picked her mum's lamb roast over Tom Cruise many years ago (she maybe should have stuck with that decision!) and we could see why! We had a nice custard for dessert and it was so much fun to get to know the MacKays!

Jenny and I headed for the computer room after dinner and shared some Storybook tips and visited facebook, and then it was time for bed. As you can imagine, we had another big day ahead of us!

Loving Western Australia (and its people) so far!

Jan

Koalas and Kangas and Cassowarys, Oh My!

2009-12-12T16:28:00.001-06:00

Thursday, 27 August 2009

We awoke to another amazingly beautiful day, and it was great to see the Drysdale's lovely home in the light of day. We are so grateful to have had such a warm and welcoming place to stay - Elinor and Chris had done their homework and knew all about Durham, and Chris had plenty of beer in the firg and made me iced tea every day! Thanks, y'all! Chris had gallantly taken off work for the day so that he could drive us around on our adventures, and soon we were off to meet Brissie Jan at College's Crossing for breakfast. There was just a bit of chill in the air, but as long as we were in the sunshine, it was very pleasant. The little restaurant, Colleges by the River, had only outdoor seating, complete with plenty of big sun umbrellas, but we managed to find a nice unshaded table and sat down to wait for Jan. Chris and Elinor told us a bit about the restaurant (great reviews and magazine articles!) and we ordered some warm beverages. Rex got "Taboo Hot Chocolate", Chris got coffee, and Elinor and I had some beautiful and delicous Chai Lattes.

Jan arrived shortly, and we all ordered the breakfast special of Canadian French Toast, which was egg in toast, bacon, and REAL maple syrup. Don't you love the cute little heart cutout? It was yummy - and I may not be able to eat (well, I'll eat it, but I won't appreciate it the same way!) American bacon again. As we savored our meals, we were joined by this pretty kookaburra - isn't he cute?

On the agenda today - wandering around downtown Brisbane, checking out the Maritime Museum, going to the old Government House, seeing the Parliament building, and then petting the animals at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary! We had a lot of ground to cover, so we didn't linger. We parked downtown and walked through the wonderful pedestrian water park at South Bank. The main feature of downtown Brisbane is the river that meanders through it, and this waterpark is right along the river in the heart of the Central Business District. Built for the 1987 Expo, the predominant feature of the park is the Arbour. Here's what I learned from the website www.visitsouthbank.com.au: "The award-winning Arbour was conceived as a horticultural wonder and has become a defining symbol of South Bank. It is made up of 443 curling, tendril-like columns of steel, each covered with a train of vibrant magenta bougainvillea plants. The stunning architectural masterpiece weaves through the centre of the parklands for one kilometre, leading the way to the parklands’ many attractions." See for yourself - it was really gorgeous!

I loved the fact that people were actually swimming in the water features (mind you, it’s mid-morning, mid-week, mid-WINTER), but my favorite was the “beach” area, complete with surf rescue equipment! As we passed the swimming areas, we wandered through the Aquativity section, which was full of cool fountains and play/educational areas for children.

Feeling the need for a little education ourselves, we stopped in for a visit at the Maritime Museum, which was full of lots of great exhibits. We were especially enthralled by the many, many models of ships – incredible detail! My favorite things here were the dry dock, which was OLD, and the ship in it, the HMAS Diamantina. I love touring ships like this and just imagining what it would be like to be at sea on one without actually having to live that way!

On the way out, we passed a TEENY WEENY (2.7 metre) aluminum boat. Turns out that a young Canadian man built the boat, christened it “Happy”, sailed down to and through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific, and into New Caledonia, where he wrecked. He rebuilt the boat and named it the Happy II, (this is the one that’s on display) which he sailed to Australia, where he donated it to the Queensland Maritime Museum. I can’t even IMAGINE that journey! From here, we walked across the river on the pedestrian bridge, where we got fantastic views of the Brisbane skyline and the Brisbane Wheel.

Our next stop was the Old Government House, which now houses a museum, a café, and a brand new art gallery, which had it’s opening night the night before we were there! The gallery features the works of Brisbane-born artist William Robinson, who is the only artist to have won the coveted Archibald Prize for Portraiture twice. The Government House once served as the residence for the governor of the state, so we got a chance to see what some of the living quarters would have been like back in the day. We were getting a bit hungry, so we had sat down in the scullery to sample some of the treats served in the café. Many groups were enjoying an elaborate tea, but we opted for light lunches. Rex just got some banana nut bread, but I chose a goat cheese and vegetable tart – and some iced tea!! It was some sort of herbal tea – reminded me of Red Zinger – but it had ice in it! We all shared an order of Lamingtons for dessert – mmmm! From www.australianfood.about.com: “Lamingtons are a quintessential part of every Australian's childhood. The little sponge cake is dipped in chocolate icing and then rolled in desiccated coconut. These little treats are sold at school fairs and bake sales around the country.”

We walked down the street a ways to the Parliament House, but we didn't take the time to go inside. We checked our taxi options for getting back to the car, and decided instead to take a ferry back across the river. It took us a little while to find our way to the ferry stop, and then it took no time to get back to South Bank! And then we were off to see the animals!

On the way to Lone Pine, Jan pointed out this classic example of Queenslander house. It reminds me of a Savannah style house in the States, and it's a look I love and could live in!

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary recently was voted one of the Top 10 Zoos in the World by aol. Created in 1927, it is the world's first and largest koala sanctuary with over 130 koalas (some to cuddle), kangaroos to pet. lorikeets to feed, lizards to step over, and tons more native animals to look at, all in natural settings.

I LOVE the colorful lorikeets! Their brilliance is stunning, and they will fly right up to you and eat out of your hands. Heads are a favorite perch! We got there just in time for the last feeding. After the birds were fed, we went to pet some roos! There was a huge enclosure, full of kangas and joeys. They were SO CUTE! But I have to say, some of the joeys looked WAY too big to still be in their mama's pouches!

Then for the highlight of my day, and one of the highlights of the whole trip - I got to cuddle a koala! Meet Miss Crumpet - isn't she sweet?

From here, we just saw as many Australian animals as we could, and they were very cooperative! Everybody was out and looking good! Check out the echidna and the wombat:

Then there was the very colorful and really ODD Cassowary, and the almost smiling River Crocodile:

After we left Lone Pine, we went back into town to meet Jan's kids, Cassie, Liz, and Anthony, for dinner at an Indian Restaurant. We were a little early, so we stopped in a pub and had a drink and bought a bottle of wine to take to dinner. Here we are, except for Elinor, who was taking the picture, enjoying our very tasty Indian food - we sampled lots and shared it all! After dinner, we crossed the street to Cold Rock Creamery for some ice cream. The perfect end to another perfect day!

Feeling like a Queen in Queensland,

Jan

From Hilltop to Mountaintop; Rainforest to River

2009-09-09T15:25:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, 26 August 2009

We were determined not to waste a minute of our last day on DDI, so we got up and packed, put on our swimmers and sunscreen, and walked to the other end of the island via the Rainforest Walk. This little hike took us across the ridgeline of the island where it really was rainforesty. There were some great views of the water and neighboring islands and we just enjoyed a little more nature.

We passed the huge water treatment plant (nicely camouflaged) and the staff quarters, and the trail ended at the wedding chapel, which had fantastic views of the water! A lot for a bride to compete with!!

We saw this incredible spider web and even got to see the spider spin a little bit and mend the web. We walked back on the sidewalk, past the playground and the rock with the lizard sunning on it.

Oh, and I totally forgot to mention the bats! Last night, as we were walking back down this same path after dinner, the sky was filled with what we first thought were birds – until we heard them and watched them a little closer. From high up on the ridge, wave after wave of bats soared from the trees out across the ocean, evidently going to another island to hunt. We had looked for signs of them on the rainforest walk but didn’t see any, so who knows where they ‘hang out’ during the daylight hours! Just as we were getting to the boat dock, we saw a cockatoo devouring a bag of pilfered cashews. He was so funny, and he must have thought we would take them from him, because he grabbed the bag and flew up to a nearby balcony!

We wandered down to the beach near the mermaids and soaked up a few last rays of sunshine as we waited for Mermaids (the restaurant) to open for breakfast. One of my favorites, eggs Benedict was on the menu, so that’s what I had. It turned out to be eggs Florentine/Benedict, but it was still good. I’m pretty sure Rex had an omelet – as mentioned earlier, the food was the weakest link here on Daydream. Not bad, but nothing to waste many words on! After breakfast on the patio, we spent our last hour or so at the pool, just reading and relaxing. All too soon it was time to get cleaned up and catch the boat for the airport.

We rode on the top deck of the boat and met Ariel, who is from New York. At the airport, we met her friend Rachel, who had gone to NYU and now lives in Austin – just like our kids – small world, huh? We didn’t know it, but it was Race Day on Hamilton Island. The harbor was full of boats and the airstrip was being used as a racetrack in between flights! Too funny. The joint was hopping though, and our plane was a bit delayed (perhaps on purpose, for maximum racetrack use) but we were on our way to Brisbane and there before we knew it!

When we arrived at the gate, Jan V was there to meet us. At the gate!! It made me realize how nice that is and how much I miss being able to do that in the States any more. Jan said she saw and recognized Rex (who she’d never met) before she saw me – the advantages of height and white hair! We passed a coffee shop advertizing iced tea, so we got some. You know those dome top cup lids they put on top of Icees? Did you know that if you take one of those lids off of your iced tea so that you can sweeten it, it would be a really bad idea if the guy had filled the dome part with tea? Well, some things you learn the hard way…. Anyway, it was okay, but it turned out to be peach flavored tea from a bottle. But it had ice in it!!

We had arrived in Brisbane just at rush hour, so it was slow going as we made our way out of the city.

Jan pointed out some grass trees (they were so cute) and showed us a really beautiful old Queenslander style home - weatherboard, on stilts, shingled roof, nice Victorian looking wrought iron - a house built for the heat of Queensland.

We drove and drove, and the city became the country and soon we were going up, up, up, until we were at the top of Mt. Coot-tha. Elinor and Chris were waiting there for us, and what a perfect spot it was! Incredible views of the city below allowed us to see the meandering Brisbane River wind its way through town. In the tile flooring of the overlook was a map of the river and its many curves, and to our left was a café and restaurant. What a perfect place for dinner! We watched as the twinkling lights of the city came on and we had a lovely meal and got to know Jan, Elinor, and Chris.

For dinner, I had a delicious salad of greens, pumpkin, goat cheese, and nuts, which I thought I was ordering to share, but which came as an entrée just for me. And here I thought I had figured out how things worked here – salads had been coming with or after mains and were usually shared… Anyway, it was so good I was glad I didn’t have to share. For my main, I had a Javanese noodle dish with prawns, chicken, beef, and pork and everyone else had surf and turf, which was a nice tenderloin and ‘bugs’, which are a crustacean we had been told we had to try. They’ve been described to us as like shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab – to me it looked like a crayfish shell that was the size of a lobster tail. Rex gave me a taste – yummy! I’m pretty sure we shared a dessert, but that was so many meals ago that I don’t remember what it was!

We split up going back to Elinor and Chris’s – Jan, Elinor, and I drove in one car and Rex rode with Chris. We were really not that far from downtown Brisbane, but we were out in the country. It was so nice and I was looking forward to seeing the countryside in the light of day. We girls arrived before the guys, but Elinor’s housekeys were in Chris’s car, so we were locked out. We sat on the back porch and met their cute little terriers. It had gotten chilly, so I went looking for my favorite blue CM windbreaker, which was missing in action. Must have left it on the plane – rats!! So I snagged Rex’s sweatshirt and we waited for the guys to show up, which they did before too long. Elinor and Chris showed us around their lovely spacious home, and we settled in for the night. Big day tomorrow!

I just have to say here how grateful we are to all of the people, strangers until now, who have opened their homes to us, taken time off work to show us around, researched and planned itineraries, fed us, fixed me iced tea (!), washed our clothes, and become our friends. Sometimes I laugh when I think about how all of this came about and other times I just shake my head and pinch myself. We are so blessed! Our everlasting thanks to our new Australian friends who have been so kind – you know who you are!

Feeling mighty lucky and well taken care of!

Jan

Just Another Day in Paradise

2009-09-06T23:21:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, 25 August 2009

Since we had learned there was no point in getting up early for breakfast, we didn’t! Today was going to be a fantastic day for me - it was my spa day!! Those of you who know me well know that I love a good massage, and I make it a habit to get one especially when we are at a resort with a spa. The man who developed Daydream Island made his fortune in skin care products, and the spa here is supposed to be one of the best (if not the best) spa in Australia. Go to www.daydreamisland.com if you want more info about the resort or the spa. Once I knew that, I decided to splurge! In addition to getting my all-time favorite hot stone massage, I also opted for a water treatment called Daydream Delight. I could hardly wait! First things first though…

We walked down to the South end of the island and took our morning tea/brekky at the bakery, where we ran into our London friends who were leaving later that day. Rex had a big cinnamon roll, but since there were no scones, I just had tea. The shops were open, so I found a new bathing suit and by the time I finished that, there were scones! So we shared a couple – yummo! We wandered over to the miniature golf course to see how late it stayed open so that we could play later in the day. It was a cool course – “Around Australia in 19 Holes” – with each hole representing something about the country. I had fun just taking pictures of all the holes!

We came across one that we didn’t get – it had a bunch of signs that looked sort of like picket signs, and one of them said “Not Happy Jan”! What, Jan not happy??? I don’t think so! We would have to investigate! I’ll report back on our findings later. OK, here is the link to the TV commercial that made "Not Happy, Jan" a part of Aussie lingo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2akt3P8ltLM - it's short and hilarious!

On the walk back, we took our time as I photographed some of the tropical plants and Mr. Big Lizard on the rock.

We still had several hours before spa time, so we decided to visit another of the three pools on the north end of the island. We grabbed our kindles and slathered on the sunscreen and staked out a place by the pool with a swim up bar. Duh. It was another glorious day – I could stay here for a long, long time! Before too long we were offered drinks (we didn’t even have to get wet!) so I chose a Mojito and Rex had some tropical concoction with mango stuff on the top and blue Curacao on the bottom. Drink with purpose – cheers! What a restful day!

Soon it was spa time!! Rex stayed out in the sun and at some point went down and rented a jet ski for thirty minutes, while I laid in the lap of luxury for two and a half hours! My water treatment was sensational – first a light exfoliation, then a mask was painted on me. I was in a giant white shell that looked like a cryogenesis machine but was really a giant steamer. I was steamed for twenty minutes, then sprayed with cool water from sprayers inside the steam machine. Ooooohhh!!! After I was properly unmasked, I was oiled up. Oh, almost forgot the most heavenly part! While I was being steamed, I got a hair treatment and scalp massage. OMG!!! Stick a fork in me and call me done!! Now that I was exfoliated, hydrated, and moisturized, to say nothing of noodle-fied, it was time for my massage. Like I needed more relaxation! This was a different hot stone therapy than I’m used to, but I’m not complaining! They used stones that are fairly uniform thickness and are flat on the top and bottom, and they didn’t do any placing of stones on chakras or between toes or anything delicious like that. Victoria gives a great massage (MASS-age, as they say here) and I was in nirvana by the time it was done. Lovely day!

After luxuriating on the balcony overlooking the pool (did I mention that my massage room had a glass wall overlooking the ocean?) and sipping some juice, it was time to rejoin the world and meet Rex for some mini golf. The course was entertaining and could use some improvement, particularly on the boundaries. I had a bit of trouble staying within the lines – what a surprise! Neither of us tore the course up, and I have to report that Rex beat me by one stroke. Blame it on my nirvanal state! Anyway, we had fun and then we went in search of food. We were aiming to eat at the Fish Bowl again, but had to wait for it to open. It’s beyond me why every restaurant on this resort doesn’t stay open longer than it does! When opening time came and went with no activity, we investigated and found that we were in for a bit of a barbie! Rippa!

I’m not sure, but I think this may have qualified for a FULL barbie! Served buffet style on the beach, we had chicken wings, steak, sausages, pasta salad, tossed salad, potato salad, rolls, and probably more – that’s all I got! We watched a colorful sunset and simply enjoyed the end of a luxurious day! I tried not to remember that we would be leaving the island the next day, but to wonder what fun would await us in Brisbane.

Feeling mighty pampered and delighted!

Jan (HAPPY JAN!)

PS Here are the official descriptions of the spa therapies I had:

Daydream Delight: Sensory Journey

Relish in your time away by immersing yourself in the essence of island luxury. Rebalance your well being with an exquisite exfoliating Salt Glow assisting in smoothing your body contours. Cocoon your soul in a rich and warm body wrap creating serenity followed by a tantalising facial and scalp massage, complete with a deeply hydrating protein hair treatment. Complement your delight at Daydream with a therapeutic and rejuvenating Steam Affussion shower and release all muscle fatigue and stress with a relaxation massage.

    * Aromatic Salt Glow
    * Your therapist will design a treatment to meet your needs from a selection of Botanical wraps from the earth and sea to smooth, soothe, contour and tone
    * Facial and scalp massage with hair treatment
    * Exclusive Hydro-storm Steam Affussion Shower
    * Moisturisation with relaxing body massage

Well Being Rejuvenation

Hot Stone Therapy (1.5 hours)

The pressures of daily life are continuously increasing. Your ongoing drive and fast-paced momentum can quickly result in premature ageing, increased stress, fatigue, and a depleted energy level. Exhale and relax as Sabais therapeutic massage de-stresses your entire being…mind, body and spirit. Feel yourself completely unwind vanquishing fatigue and tension whilst delivering a unique blissful state of relaxation.

    * Combines the use of two micronised minerals, with the finest aromatic essential oils.
    * Alleviate muscular pain and discomfort
    * Increase blood and lymphatic circulation and oxygenation
    * Balance your energy and centre your well-being
    * Hot Stone Massage Therapy

PPS This was not false advertising!

Here are some photos of the beautiful sunset - all shot in color, one right after the other...

On the Sea, in the Sea, by the Sea!

2009-09-06T22:53:00.000-05:00

Monday, 24 August 2009

Bright and early we were up, ready to grab a quick bite at the bakery on our way to catch our boat to the Great Barrier Reef. Wearing our swimmers (bathers if you live in Victoria, swimsuits or bathing suits if you are in the States) and sunnies (sunglasses) and lathered up with sunscreen, we were on our way for a walk from the north end of the island (where our room was) to the south end and the bakery and boat dock. On the way we passed a huge lizard our sunning himself on a big rock, and we took a look at the kids’ playground (way cool!), the tennis court, and the basketball court. Once on the south end, there was a small shopping area (souvenirs, apparel, and the bakery), a health food (sort of) shack, another pool, a wedding chapel, a bar & grill called "The Fish Bowl", another live reef, a miniature golf course (more on that later), a water sports center (jet skis, snorkels, etc.), an outdoor movie screen, and the boat dock.

I was psyched for the bakery – they do all of the baking for the island and the breads we’d had so far were yummy. I was sure there would be scones! And there might have been, once it opened at 10 AM!!!! What self-respecting bakery doesn’t open before I wake up? Since our boat was due at 8:10, it seemed like breakfast might be today’s daydream, and you can probably tell that I hate to miss a meal! We strolled on down to the dock, sort of expecting a crowd there, even though we were early, but there was no one in sight except for some birds. I was almost about to think we were in the wrong place when a family of a mom and dad, two young girls, and a little boy arrived, followed closely by a couple with a baby in a stroller. Before too long, our CruiseWhitsundays boat was pulling up to the dock. We were in the right place, and off to experience one of the seven natural wonders of the world!

It would take us several hours to get to the Knuckle Reef, where there was a huge pontoon anchored as a permanent station full of diving and snorkeling gear. In addition, there was an underwater observation station, a semi-submersible submarine, and a glass bottom boat. On the way out, we heard from several crew members (they even had a masseuse!) about what to expect (whales!) and a bit about the nature and wildlife on the reef. And then it was time for morning tea – we wouldn’t starve after all! What a spread! We took our goodies up to the open top deck of the boat and enjoyed the immensity of the Pacific Ocean and the spectrum of colors that surrounded us. I’ve never seen such deep blues, greens, teals, and everything in between! It wasn’t long before a few spouts were seen off the port side of the boat. Whales! We didn’t get too close though, and never got a good look at those. Maybe later. We had a chance to visit with the family we had met on the dock – they were on holiday from London, and their kids were cute and very well-behaved. As we approached the reef, the color of the water changed again, lightening up as the water got shallower. It was stunning!

Once we docked next to the pontoon, the divers were scrambling for position – they couldn’t wait to get suited up and in the water! We got wet suits that fit (gotta grab those long ones first!) and staked out a table. Most families with kids headed for the glass bottom boat, and there was a line of snorklers jockeying for position, too, so we just wandered down to the underwater observation area. That was great! Not only could we see lots of fish and coral, we could see how the pontoon was anchored and then we saw the divers stepping out into the water. It was cool! They had displays set up showing the kinds of fish we could expect to see, so that was good, too. We took the second glass-bottom boat run and got fantastic looks at gigantic clams, multiple varieties of coral, and many schools of fish as well as singles and smaller groups of fish. Now we could hardly wait to get in ourselves!

We snorkeled for over an hour (water was a little chilly when we first got in, but it wasn’t bad) and covered the whole cordoned off area that we were allowed in. Words are not enough for this experience – you’ll have to see the photos and/or come see it for yourself!! Big fish, little fish, colorful fish, scary looking fish, brain coral, branch coral, mushroom coral, anemones – it was spectacular! Shelley had lent us an underwater camera, so we had fun with it, trying to capture the undersea wonderland beneath us. We were not disappointed with Knuckle Reef! Once we got out of the water, we dried off and visited with our London friends, and then we went over to the boat for lunch. What a spread -again! Bright pink prawns with heads, cold cuts – roast beef, turkey, and ham – cole slaw, German potato salad, cheeses, tossed salad – there was plenty of food to keep us going for the rest of the afternoon.

Back on the pontoon, we went up to the top deck, where I got comfy and warm and enjoyed a little sunshine and read on my kindle while overlooking the crystal blue and green waters of the reef. Rex went back in for another short snorkel, and all too soon it was time to head back to the island. We had excitement on the ride home – we saw lots of whales!! Not many up close, with one notable exception! We evidently crossed a pod of about a dozen humpback whales who migrate north to warmer waters from Antarctica, and one of them came up out of the water just off the port side of our boat!! Thankfully he didn’t come up with the boat on his back and toss us over. We made some jokes about the “three hour tour” and I swear that I expected to find Gilligan and his mates on one of these exotic tropical islands! The captain had to practically stop the boat for a while until the whales got safely past us. And vice versa! I was sorry that I had not brought my good camera with the big lens on it, but I am thankful that I at least got some spouting shots on Shelley’s camera. Oh, almost forgot to mention that there was afternoon tea, too! I don’t know how anyone ever loses weight here! I have certainly found many of the pounds I just got rid of before I came!!

Once back on land, we cleaned up and tried to get to dinner in time for our movie date. Our little London friends were insistent that we attend the outdoor showing of “Surf’s Up” with them on the beach. Talk about the world’s coolest drive in (or walk in) movie – it is on Daydream Island! We ate supper at The Fish Bowl – I wanted steak and Guinness pie but I got fish and chips, which were tasty and exactly what I expected. Rex had a chicken Caesar salad – nothing too exciting tonight. The movie was just underway when we got out there, but all the good seats were taken. We pulled up some chairs from the patio dining area and laughed ourselves silly. I think every beach should have a movie screen like this one! Such fun! And so ends our day at the Great Barrier Reef. Rippa!

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea,

Jan

What a Day for a Daydream!

2009-09-05T19:35:00.000-05:00

Sunday, 23 August 2009

It was blissful to be able to sleep in this morning, until it occurred to me that we had no idea what time we would be expected to check out! I have learned that Down Under, check out time is usually 10 AM, compared to around noon in the States, and check in time is generally 2 PM, as opposed to 4 PM at home, so when I was finally feeling like being agile, mobile, and not the least bit hostile, it was almost check out time! Rex was able to buy me enough time to shower and get ready, and then we went down to Capers (remember the bar/restaurant where we found the night clerk for the hotel?) to have our complimentary brekky. After some fruit salad, toast (with teeny little packets of vegemite!), and tea, on the patio, we were ready when our taxi arrived to take us to Abel Point Marina for our ride over to Daydream Island.

In the daylight, Airlie Beach was very similar to some of our NC beaches – there were even some shops that reminded me of the ubiquitous Waves! I have to say that the water is prettier here, though. Houses were built practically on top of each other going up the hill behind our hotel. It was a short ride to the marina, and our luggage was whisked away and Rex got our launch tickets while I did a little people watching and photo taking. It was the most mellow Sunday morning I’ve had in a long time, and before we were even on the launch, I was recalculating our itinerary. By the time we boarded the boat and headed out to the Whitsunday Islands, I knew that we would be bagging the train (unless we absolutely couldn’t get out of it) and spending an extra night here!

For those of you who have been to Hawai’i, multiply it by about 10 and you have the Whitsundays. Seventy-four tropical islands, about the same distance below the equator that Hawai’i is above it, make up this island fantasy! Blue, green, and blue-green waters, sandy shores, coral beaches, palm trees – this is my idea of paradise, hands down! Most islands are either not inhabited or sparsely inhabited, so there is very little to spoil anything. As we approached Daydream Island, we realized that the resort and the staff accommodations were all that were on the whole island! What more could you want? By now I was sure we would be staying here longer!

As we pulled into the slip, a band serenaded us from the dock and we were greeted with a necklace of shells and a tropical drink. Pinch me now! I used up our remaining internet time booking plane tickets and cancelling train tickets while Rex made sure that we could have a room for another night. Once those details were arranged, I made my spa appointment (supposedly one of the best spas in Australia was here!) and we were off to explore. DDI has two large living coral reefs filled with fish, coral, stingrays, sharks, starfish, anemones, and more – I wasn’t sure I would make it to the pool because I was so entranced by the reef pools. But it was getting on in the afternoon, so off we went, in search of lunch and of sunshine!

We had sandwiches at Mermaids, the nicest of the restaurants here on DDI. Rex had a hamburger (and he even ate the beetroot that is a staple burger condiment here) and fries, while I had a chicken sandwich with avocado and onion jam. It was tasty, especially the bread, which was a good thing, since there was way more bread than chicken! Let’s just say the setting and the views far outweighed our first meal here! I did enjoy my beer though – I tried a honey wheat brew called Beez Neez and loved it. We simply delighted in the sunshine and watched the birds take care of any leftovers. There is a bird here called the kerlew, which is a protected species but pretty much of a pest. They strut around on long skinny legs like they own the place, and they will flat wake you up squawking! We chatted with our server for a while – she’s from Canada and is in Australia on a year-long work visa, and this is her eighth month here. What a plum job she has! The staff can live on the island for about $60 a week (!) and they can run, swim, dive, snorkel, whatever when they are not working. How great is that? Live in paradise and get paid for it!

After our rather late lunch, we sat by the pool and read until the sun started setting – on the other side of the island! So we followed it down to the aptly named Sunset Beach and watched the light on the water. The temperature got a little cool for me once the sun was gone, so we started back to our room. I turned the corner on the path and came face to face with about a dozen kangaroos!! Or so I thought – evidently they were wallabies, but they were cute all the same! And right in front of us! What a treat!

On the way back to the room, we stopped again at the reef and watched the fish. We must have been standing at the place where they get fed, because the rays came gliding right up to us and ‘waving’ at us with their wings (?) They were humongous!! So fun to watch – I was mesmerized. We got settled in – our room was done up in tropical blues and aquas with sunny yellow accents, and we had plenty of space – a king size bed and a sofa and sitting area which opened up via a wall of windows to a beachfront garden (that would be yard for those of you in the States) with a table and chairs on the patio. We cleaned up a bit for dinner – we had made the latest reservations possible back at Mermaids, but that still had us eating at 8:30. Clearly Daydream is not the party island, which was fine with us – we just wanted a little fun in the sun time! Dinner was back on the patio and was not a lot to write about. I had a nice risotto, wild mushroom I think, and Rex is for some reason unable to remember a meal he only ate a couple of weeks ago!! I’m pretty sure he had barramundi – I know it was some kind of fish.

We had a big day ahead of us – a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef!! – so we called it a night and I dreamed of fish and the deep blue sea!

Don’t wake me up from this dream life!

Jan

Riding the Rails

2009-09-01T16:33:00.000-05:00

Saturday, 22 August 2009

Rex hired a cab to get us to the train station with all of our bags, and he was due to arrive a little after eight, so we were up early getting our suitcases packed in a way that we could get them all on the train. Funny thing about international travel – if you’re just going to one place, you’re good; if you’re moving around the country, you may have to leave clothes behind, and you sure can’t be picking up souvenirs at every stop! We found it really strange though, that the train allowed the LEAST amount of baggage. At any rate, we used our carry-ons as real suitcases so that we could take everything with us!

It was only about a five minute ride to the station, so we checked our bags and walked a few blocks back to a coffee shop to get a bite of breakfast. Lo and behold, ICED tea was on the menu! Sadly, the tea was still boiling when it was poured over the ice. Need I say more? Anyway, the friends were delicious and they even gave me another cup of ice for my tea. Back at the station, we had a little bit of a time figuring out what to do – no one had asked for any ID or a ticket (even when we checked our bags) and it turns out you just find the car that you’ve been assigned and hop on. Guess terrorists do not travel by train!

Our plan was to ride coach class on this leg of our train trip, which was from Cairns to Proserpine, about xxxx km or a twelve hour train ride, and then to ride Queenslander class (with a berth) on Tuesday and Wednesday when we went from Proserpine to Brisbane – about 19 hours! We were in coach I, two cars behind the club car, and it was like sitting on a bus – two seats on either side of a center aisle, not much legroom, a tray table, and overhead storage. And there was another place we could have put our carryons… As it was, I had my purse and my laptop and Rex had his backpack, and we both had our kindles. All aboard!!

True to form, sitting in the seats behind us were three active young boys, probably ages 4 to 8 or 9, and their mom, who was glad to not be having to pay much attention to them. Right away, someone whacks me over the head from behind… I took the teachings of Barney Fife to mind and nipped that action in the bud! I grabbed the bag I got hit with, rose up over my seat, and gave those little blokes the look. Strike one!

The trip was largely uneventful. It was evident right away that sleeping was not going to be much of an option, so I finished my book (Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See – very good!) and then Rex came back from exploring to tell me that he’d found an outlet in the club car. I grabbed my laptop and took off! I pretty much spent the rest of the ride sitting on a bar stool working on the blog and chatting with a couple of cute English teenagers who were doing the same thing. Well, they weren’t blogging, but they were working on their photos! Don’t need to tell you what we talked about!
At some point, Rex hunted and gathered and brought me a salad of some sort, and on I blogged. Since I was a week behind, it was great to get almost caught up! We passed field after field of sugar cane and lots of sugar cane processing plants. We stopped a few times, but only long enough to get off at Townsville. I got off to stretch my legs, but the stop was short and we were soon heading south again. We had a few beers to pass the time, and at dinner time Rex again scored a meal from the dining car and brought it to the club car. Evidently, that is frowned upon. It was okay – mine was penne and tomahto sauce (really think and sort of sweet) and Rex had barramundi and chips. The time passed pretty quickly since I was occupied, and around 9 PM we pulled into the town of Proserpine. We were to catch a bus to take us to Airlie Beach, so we collected our bags from the sidewalk and hopped on the bus.

With us on the bus (really just a 15 passenger vehicle with a luggage trailer) were the family from England. They were from Cambridge, and they had been to Sydney and Daintree and were going to be staying in Airlie Beach for a few days and then going back to Sydney. They had not yet done the Bridge Climb, so we shared our experiences with them. We enjoyed our conversation with them and wished we had chatted with them more on the train. The bus ride was pretty humorous – the driver rarely took anyone all the way to where they were going. She sort of got you almost there, unloaded your bags, and pointed you in the right direction. But we found our way to our hotel, via the parking lot to the restaurant next door, where we got someone to scrounge up our room key. By the time we got to the room, about all I did was figure out how to get online so I could upload all of the blog entries I’d done and we were down for the count!

Dreaming about Daydream Island,

Jan

Surrounded by Green!

2009-08-29T18:36:00.000-05:00

Friday, 21 August 2009

We were to be picked up for our tour of the Daintree Rainforest at 7:10 AM, and you’ll be shocked to know I was on time. Of course, Doris, our driver, was early, and she had even gotten a couple of free shots! While she was waiting for us, a bloke appeared on the balcony of his room stark naked (or nekkid, as we say in the South!) TWICE, and Doris said she was so glad that he wasn’t who she was picking up! But the day was off to a fantastic start, as we learned we were getting a private tour! How lucky can we be? Oh, and the weather was – you guessed it – PERFECT! So off we went in our Land Rover, ready for another great adventure.

We were riding north up the Captain Cook Highway, past field after field of sugar cane being harvested. Each field has a narrow gauge railway that runs next to it, because once the cane has been cut, it must get to the processor in 16 hours. Doris told us that once the practice was to burn the undergrowth to make harvesting easier (got rid of the rodents and snakes that might be lurking there), but now it is harvested by machine and not burned. We did see a good number of controlled burns of countryside (not cane fields) but I’m not really sure why…

We passed a field of wallabies, and then we made our first stop at Rex Lookout. They were doing a controlled burn on the hillside south of us, which is the one we just passed, so it was interesting to see if from another perspective. It was early enough that the sunlight on the Pacific was just beautiful, and the smoke in the air was like adding an overlay to a digital page! Doris pointed out several osprey nests up on the telephone lines and she was thrilled to have someone who wanted her to stop for photos in her car. We got some great shots of a mama osprey guarding the chick in her nest.

We came to a small town surrounded by some tree-covered hills. Doris pointed out some rock outcroppings and/or absence of trees on a couple of them – one was supposed to look like a figure of a shepherd with his crook and a sheep at his feet, but it was hard to make that out; however, in the photo I took, it’s a bit clearer. See what you think… We stopped there at a rest area covered in a detailed mural of the rain forest, and there was even a huge sculpture in the play area. The rest stop was just across the street from a tiny little stone church with a sign out front that said “Historic Church Open”, so I walked over to have a look while Rex and Doris chilled. What a surprise was waiting for me! This church had three of the most exquisite stained glass windows I’ve ever seen, and they all had a good shepherd theme. Behind the altar was an intricate mosaic – it was the sweetest little Anglican church and I was glad I peeked in.

A few more kilometers down the road, Doris pulled off at a small beach. I couldn’t resist sticking my toes in – no surprise that I got about 3 inches of my pants wet. Soon we were at our first rainforest stop, and shortly after that we stopped across from the orange elephants (a bed & breakfast) for morning tea. Doris carefully unpacked tea and biscuits (and coffee – we had to laugh – we Americans don’t drink coffee and she didn’t like tea!) and we took our mugs and cookies and walked through the jungle down to the ocean. Daintree is the only rain forest in the world that goes all the way to an ocean, and it’s the only place that two world heritage listed areas, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, meet. I got some great photos down there – everything is so lush and green that it was hard to stop snapping! I loved watching the little crabs tossing out perfect spheres of sand and making cool patterns with them.

Back on the track, we crossed a one-lane wooden bridge and found ourselves at Cape Tribulation, where we headed deeper in the forest. Doris was an excellent guide and teacher, pointing out strangler figs, red bark trees, stinging trees (the leaves are covered with glassy hairs that will not only cause immediate pain upon brushing against them, but they will keep hurting off and on for upwards of a year!), and the cutest little katydid-like baby called a peppermint stick, due to the smell it can produce. We saw mushrooms and lichens, basket ferns high up in palm trees, beautiful butterflies, and then we even ate some green ants whose abdomens tasted like lemon!

As we continued on deeper into the rain forest, we saw a tree that had been completely overtaken by strangler figs, and it looked suspiciously like a photo I had seen in Shelley’s album! Next we learned about a plant called the “wait a while” or the “lawyer plant” because it was covered with short, sharp needles that would grab your clothing and not let go for a while! There were orchids growing high up in the tall, tall palm trees, and soon we were in the midst of a mangrove swamp. It’s really amazing how plants and animals adapt to their surroundings to survive and thrive – we humans could take some lessons from them and bloom where we are planted! We saw the berries of the porcelain plant and an itty-bitty spider clinging to the side of the boardwalk. The boardwalks throughout Daintree are made of recycled plastics – we’ve noticed Australians are much ‘greener’ than we Americans – everyone carries reusable bags to the shops (any kind of shop, grocery or otherwise), there aren’t many ‘take-away’ restaurants, and, as mentioned numerous times before, no place to get a Big Gulp or a Sonic Route 74! We have seen very little litter and not much smoking, either. Good on you, Aussies!

Amongst the mangroves, we saw lots of little crabs like we saw in the mud flats of Cairn, and Doris pointed out a cannonball palm tree, very aptly named! We were seeing lots of the buttressed roots on trees, many more orchids and basket ferns, mangrove knees, beautiful vines with heart-shaped leaves climbing up tree trunks, and a pretty little jungle gardenia (I think it had another name, but I can’t remember it now!) Soon we were back in the sunlight, out from under the lush green canopy that had been shading us.

It was nearing lunch time, and Doris had promised us an ice cream treat if we were good. Yep, ice cream before lunch – my kind of woman! So we pulled into a little fruit orchard that was also home to a homemade ice cream shop. They used whatever fruits were ripe to make several kinds of ice creams – we got lucky today as there were seven different flavors! Normally, they make four flavors and you take what you get. Today I got wattle bean (tasted like cappuccino), sweetsop, raspberry, and pineapple, and Rex got soursop, chocolate pudding fruit (looked and tasted like chocolate), wattle bean, and one other flavor (maybe custard apple) that neither of us can remember now – that means he must not have given me a bite of it!

We were back-tracking now, going past the pink boobs (there is a retaining wall along the road made with big round rocks, and random ones have been painted pink) and taking the cable ferry back across the river to the Daintree Tea House. Doris had already called in our orders of roo steak, so our places were set and our meals ready when we arrived. We sat out on a lovely semi-sheltered terrace where we were served a delicious rare kangaroo steak, chips, a green salad, a roll, juice, water, and the most delectable array of fresh tropical fruits. As we ate, one of the proprietors came out and gave a presentation about all of the fruits we were eating. We had soursop, passion fruit, dragon fruit, orange, red grapefruit, taro chips, pineapple, papaya, and chocolate pudding fruit. Everything was so tasty! Even our ice cream didn’t stop us from cleaning our plates!

Our next stop was for a ride on the river with Captain Lex, which is short for Lex. He was a character! Doris even rode with us, because she said Lex was her favorite river guide. Our hopes were to see some crocs out in the wild, and we hadn’t been on the boat for five minutes before we came upon a large female gaping on the beach. That means she was sitting there with her mouth wide open (looked like a stuffed croc when we first saw her) which is a means of temperature regulation. We saw lots of birds, including a great blue heron, some beautifully colored tropical birds, and a kingfisher. Rounding a bend, we passed two Brahmin cows who had come down for a drink, and then we passed another boat whose captain told Lex about another croc downriver. We found that one hiding in the bulrushes, next to an empty rowboat. Hmmm…. We maneuvered in amongst some mangroves to catch sight of a pair of tawny frogmouths (a bird that is not an owl but sort of looks like one). What a rare treat! We headed back for the dock and passed another cow with a bird upon its back – turns out this particular species of bird has a symbiotic relationship with the cows and it eats all of the insects that but the cow. It was a funny sight! We saw an ibis, which look cool to me but they are as pesky to most Australians as crows and pigeons are to us. All too soon our river adventure was over and we were back in the car, headed for Mossman Gorge.

After a short walk down the trail, we came out at a swimming (sort of) area that reminded me of places along the Little Pigeon River in the Smokies. It was very rocky and the water was rushing down a little sluice that made a great place to sort of body surf. A little dangerous, which makes it even more fun! We didn’t get to hop in, but I had fun thinking about it! There were a lot of people cooling off in this Garden of Eden-like place. It was just gorgeous! We wandered down the trail, stopping at several more overlooks, all with completely different views of the river below. Once we left there, we were seriously on the way back to Cairns.

We stopped again at Rex Lookout – still pretty, and still smoky – and then just sat back and enjoyed the quiet ride home. I’m sure I dozed – moving car, after a good meal, not driving, in the sunshine – and Doris let us off at the Best Western. It had been a wonderful day! After going through photos and getting packed up for our train ride to Proserpine and Airlie Beach, we were ready for some dinner but not wanting to walk too far. The first place we found was a Balinese restaurant called bayleaf, so in we went.

Since neither of us had ever had Balinese food before, we ordered this special dinner that we thought consisted of an appetizer, a soup, a main course, rice, and dessert. Wrong! We got two appetizers, shrimp chips with salsa and sate & sambal kacang (six small satays – two beef, two lamb, and two pork); a fragrant and delicate chicken and sweet potato soup; a huge platter of mains –hasil laut bumbu kuning (assorted seafood braised in coconut), be celeng base manis (pork in sweet soy sauce), pesan be pasih (grilled fish), tum bebek (steamed minced duck parcels in banana leaves), be siap base kalas (Balinese chicken curry), kambing mekuah (Balinese lamb stew with cardamon), be sampi mebase bali (braised beef in coconut milk), and pickled vegetables - one dish was kind of like cole slaw and one was cukes, onions, and peppers, all served with as much steamed Jasmine rice as we could eat; and then they brought out the dessert platter – dadar (coconut pancakes with condiments), buah (fresh tropical fruits), godoh (fried banana fritters with palm sugar), and something sort of like banana bread. It probably goes without saying that by now we were STUFFED!! I was just glad they would be weighing our luggage on the train and not US! Without a wheelbarrow and someone to push it to get us home, we staggered along, really glad we had not walked far. We tumbled into bed, packed and ready for our day-long train ride on Saturday.

It’s been a tropical day - Bali Hai!

Jan

There's Life in Them There Mud Flats!

2009-08-22T07:58:00.000-05:00

Thursday, 20 August 2009

I was already awake before the real alarm rang, so for once I showered, dressed, and packed before I did anything else (translation: before I even opened my computer!) Packing was somewhat of an issue, because even though Rex was allowed to bring two 70 pound suitcases and two carry-ons, and I could bring two fifty pound bags and two fifteen pound carry-ons (different rules for different airlines…), the rules for domestic air travel in Australia were more stringent and for some unknown reason, the train was the rate-limiting factor. On the train we would be taking from Cairns to Brisbane later in the week, we could only have two 20 kg (44 pounds) bags each. No mention of carry-ons… So, I left all of my 'convention clothes' at Shelley's, as well as my fleece, even though I will need it in Melbourne. But good news – Shelley is flying to Melbourne on the same day we are due there and will get to go with us on the Great Ocean Road and beyond! So I'm counting on her to bring my fleece!

All that to say that I'm hoping we can get where we're going with what we brought and that we brought what we will need! And I want you to be impressed that I have one suitcase and one small valise. Rex has one big suitcase, one medium suitcase, and his backpack. Ha! But he had extra room, so I used it!

We got to the airport in plenty of time, except that the check in queue was LONG!! And not moving. And then it really stopped, for ten minutes, because something went wrong with the Qantas baggage computers. Thankfully, we had printed our boarding passes the night before and got to go to the head of the line. No worries! I wish our US airlines ran like Qantas does! Real meals, which we didn't eat since we had breakfast (muffin for Rex, scone for me – I'm hopelessly addicted) at the airport, not believing that real food would be available on our flight. Shelley tried to tell us. The flight was uneventful, I suppose. I slept the whole time until they passed out fudgecicles. Yum. We landed in Cairns to a gloriously warm and sunny day! Did I say that it was cloudy when we left Sydney? In the words of Jimmy Buffett, take the weather with you!

We caught a cab (a Prius, no less) to take us to our hotel, but when the driver asked us which Best Western, we were stumped. Who knew there were four of them? But we (with the cabbie's help) guessed right and soon we were checking into our apartment. More than we needed, but the price was right. Rex called to see if we could get a ride to Kuramba on the scenic railway, but we were too late. We did score on a tour of the Daintree Rainforest the next day, though. No worries, we decided to walk around and explore Cairns and check out the Dome 'zoo' on top of the Casino that we had heard about.

Cairns is an interesting place, good mostly as a jumping off place. If you've ever been on an Alaskan cruise, think Skagway. At high tide, the waterfront is nice, although the water comes all the way up to land. At low tide, it's one HUGE mud flat! In other words, NO BEACH!! Evidently there once was a beach, until they dredged the harbor. Big mistake. So now there is a 'lagoon' (big public swimming pool, right at the edge of the shoreline) and things like casinos with zoos on top of them. We lucked out though, and there is an art show going on along the Esplanade, so that was sort of fun. And there's a funny thing about mud flats – they aren't good for sunning or typical beach activities, but there is a lot going on in that muck! Cairns is home to over 200 species of birds, and you would not believe all of the crabs (at least a dozen different varieties) and the strange fishy things (mud skippers?) we saw in the mud. Just have a look at the photos!

Now for the question of the day – is there a word that rhymes with Cairns? The 'r' is not really pronounced, but it sort of is. Rex keeps saying 'cans' or 'cons' like we were in France or something, but if I could figure out what it rhymes with, it might help. It's not 'canes' but it is sort of between cans and canes. Sort of. Maybe something like KAY-ens??? If my sister didn't live on a street called Cairn (and pronounced like it looks) I might get it. Help! I only thought we spoke the same language!

We had seen the highlights of the mud flats, including some strange man who was out in them up to his THIGHS and then 'walked' back to shore, peeling an orange like it was something anyone would do any day… To top it off, he was wearing a very strange combination of boxer briefs and budgy smugglers (google it!) and I'm quite sure he was really special! Since there was nothing more to experience here, we headed for the Casino and the wildlife housed there.

The Wilderness Dome was pretty cool – the first thing I saw (if you are squeamish or hate snakes, fast forward to the next paragraph – this is your only warning!!) was a pair of pythons who had just been fed. By fed, I mean that a big mouse had been dropped into their cage. An interesting spectacle ensued, or at least to me it was about 25 photos interesting! Suffice it to say that the mouse has breathed his last, and that humans are not the only ones who play with their food. By the time I got back to the snakes, the mouse had been taken away from them. Lucky for you, I'll only post a couple of pictures of this – don't look if it will gross you out!

The dome had several crocs, a number of lizards, a koala or two (sleeping), some frogs, a variety of marsupials, and LOTS of birds. I got some great shots of colorful birds, and we had fun just taking our time in there. We went to the 'Furry Friends' show and got to pet some baby gliders (sort of like flying squirrels) and then watch some strange marsupial crawl up on the handler's head and then pee all over her. Never a dull moment!

When we left the casino around five, we were starting to get hungry (I know, a common theme, but remember – no lunch for us today!) so we found an Australian restaurant on the 'pier' (try shopping center built next to the water/mud) and went in for supper. Alas, no dinner until 5:30. Okay, so they forced us to drink. I had a mojito and Rex had wine, and we both ordered iced tea. Really, what is so hard about putting ice in a glass??? You would think they didn't have freezers here or something. I have yet to see my first ice maker of any kind – ice trays abound. Ed, there's a market out there – want me to be your first Australian rep?!? The servers took pity on us and brought us a tapas plate of several kinds of bread and a black olive tapenade, a red pepper spread, and guacamole (sort of). It was all good! For dinner, Rex had the Australian fare – emu sausage, kangaroo steak, buffalo, crocodile kabobs, and barramundi, all served with roasted sweet potatoes - which he kindly shared with me. I had a scrumptious pasta dish – spaghettini with avocado, cherry toMAHtoes, caramelized onions, black olives, and feta cheese. It all hit the spot! We thought we were being so good by not ordering dessert, until we had to walk past (well, okay, we stopped first) an ice cream shop. I had maple walnut and really good dark Swiss chocolate and Rex had something so ordinary that we can't even remember what it was. But hey, it was ice cream!

We had an early morning ahead of us, so we walked back to our apartment and I tried, most unsuccessfully, to upload photos. So now I'm really behind, but at least the blog is almost caught up. For now!

Clear as mud,

Jan

I've Got the Zig Zag Blues!

2009-08-22T07:52:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, 19 August 2009

Okay, so we didn't leave by our appointed hour of 8 AM (guess who held up the works…) but by 8:30 we were off, straight into rush hour Sydney traffic. Today our travels would take us to the Blue Mountains of Australia, just a bit west of Sydney. On our agenda – stops at Leure for breakfast at the gourmet deli where Jenny's son, Peter, is a chef; at Katoomba to see the famous Three Sisters; at Blackheath for pies (aka pasties for some of you, the rest of you I have no idea what to call them!); and at Lithgow to ride the ZigZag train with facebook friend and digital diva Amy Taylor. We also planned to rendezvous with Janene Waldrop and Carolyn Roots along the way. All this in a day!

The Blue Mountains remind me of the Blue Ridge Mountains – gently sloping mountains covered in green trees, and often covered by a blue haze or blanketed in fog. True to form (for us, anyway), it was another perfect day! The little towns reminded me of our wonderful time in Asheville – lots of artists, craftsmen, and good places to eat and shop, all a world away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney. We got to Leure around 10:45 and quickly found the Gourmet Deli (if it has another name, I'm not sure what it is) This is a fantastic restaurant and takeaway (to go) place perched on the side of a hill overlooking the valley below (though you wouldn't know that from entering from the street!). Sadly, Peter wasn't working today, but the chefs who were did a fine job! I had a baby spinach, mushroom, and feta omelet with bacon, Rex had scrambled eggs and bacon, and Shelley had the vegetarian breakfast. Rex also had fresh squeezed (pressed?) apple juice and Shelley and I had hot chocolate with chili and cinnamon. Man, was it tasty!! We saw lots of 'slices' available for takeaway, but we restrained ourselves. Oh, and I have to say that the tomahto 'sauce' (not ketchup, almost more like a barbeque sauce) they served with our eggs was to die for. I may have to find a way to get some. Jenny, do you have any at your house??? A quick trip to the Candy Shop rounded out our stop (we didn't get anything there, either, but it was fun to look!) at Leure.

By noon, we were at Honeymoon Overlook, seeing what's called the Grand Canyon of Australia. Not quite THE Grand Canyon, but it beats the Grand Canyons of both PA and VT. At Katoomba, Shelley made us promise not to look at the Three Sisters until we were all the way out to the overlook. Rex cheated. According to the Aboriginal dream-time legend, the three sisters were beautiful women who had fallen in love with three brothers from a tribe that they were forbidden to marry into. The brothers decided to use force to capture the sisters, so a witch doctor turned them to stone to protect them. Although he intended to reverse the spell after the battle, the witch doctor was killed. The three sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation to remind future generations of the battle. And so there you have it!

From the overlook, we went up to Scenic World, where we took the steepest incline railway in the world down the mountain to the site of the old Katoomba mining (coal) company. There was a great boardwalk with entertaining and educational displays lining it. The scenery was unbelievable! Tall, tall trees and lots of ferns – it was so calm and green down there. We rode the cable car back up the hill, and then from there we were off to Blackheath and our meat pies, even though we were not even hungry! As it happened, Carolyn was not able to meet us and we were running so late (we had a train to catch!) that we didn't get to see Janene, either. According to Shelley, the best meat pies in the mountains are made in the pub at the Ivanhoe Hotel, so we were there. The special young man at the counter took our order for three beef pies and then let us know there was only one left after our order. Lucky us! Oops, spoke to soon. There was only ONE beef pie left. Other choices – chicken and mushroom or steak and kidney. I was praying that the chicken had been a slow seller! We were in luck, and quick as a wink, we left the pub with one beef and two chicken & mushroom pies, hot, hot, hot, which we would eat at some point when we got hungry.

Next stop, Lithgow and the Zig Zag railroad, where we would meet Amy and her three adorable children. We only got a little lost, and we got there in plenty of time to catch the train. The Zig Zag train is a coal burning steam locomotive that makes the trip from the Clarence station to Top Points to Bottom Points and back to Clarence. It goes through two tunnels (one really long and VERY dark one) and over three viaducts. It is called Zig Zag because it goes down for a while in one direction, then the engine switches from one end of the train to the other and it goes down some more in the other direction, and then it does that again. Amy's boys were so knowledgeable about the train – it was fun to have them to educate us! And Miss V is every bit as precious in real life as she is in photos – never a peep of protest out of her! The highlight of the trip, other than meeting Amy and kids, was that we got to ride in the engine on one of its switches. That was so much fun and we felt so special!

All too soon our ride was over, and it was time to drive back to Sydney. I'm not sure how Shelley did it – I was dozing off and on all the way home, worn out! We stopped at a McDonald's somewhere along the way and Rex and I got a frozen Coke (next best thing to ice…) and Shelley got a coffee. Oh, and we ate our still warm pies on the train – they were beyond good! By the time we got home, we were all beat, but since we didn't have a place to stay in Cairns or in the Whitsundays, Rex and Shelley got online and made some arrangements, then Rex wisely packed and went to bed. I stayed up and played with my photos.

It will be sad to say farewell to Shelley and Keith for a few weeks, but we are excited to be flying north to Cairns and the Daintree Rainforest. Even though I knew 6 AM would come early, I didn't roll into bed until one and I still hadn't packed. Imagine my surprise when my phone rang at 2 something - I thought it was my alarm and I got up to get ready, then the phone rang again. It was someone from Paducah who wanted to talk to me about Mom's house. Go figure – no bites since we put it on the market in March, and someone calls me in Australia! Then a couple of hours later, Rex's alarm (which should have been set for the next afternoon, but oddly enough was still on Eastern time…) went off to remind him to call someone about our rainforest tour. Needless to say, it was not a restful night! But planes are for sleeping, right?

Singing the Blues,

Jan

Zoosday!

2009-08-22T07:47:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, 18 August, 2009

This was a special morning – not only had Shelley promised us a real bacon and egg brekky, Aussie-style, but we were going to have our first taste of Vegemite! Thoroughly prepared not to like it, I was pleasantly surprised. All of my American friends have told me how hideous it is, and how it must be an acquired taste that only Aussies could love, but I found it to be a salty spread on good toast – nothing more, nothing less. So, sorry to disappoint all of you who wanted to see the picture of my face after I tasted it (remember last year's Moxie soda??), but I am smiling in that shot! And if that wasn't enough to make me smile, brekky was! Australian bacon is the bomb!! It's almost like eating a big slice of ham that tastes like bacon. So good! And we had happy eggs (no lie, they had happy faces on their brown shells) which had the yellowest, almost orange, yolks I've ever seen. Delish! Oh, and Keith made us fresh-squeezed OJ. Will y'all come home with me??

We had another fine and busy day planned, courtesy of our hostess with the mostest, Shelley! The big event for the day was a trip to the zoo, where Claire was meeting us, and then for the evening we were going to see a comedy show at the Opera House. We caught a bus to Circular Quay and bought our combo ferry and zoo tickets. With a little time to spare, we took a lift up to the street above the quay and just watched all the comings and goings of the morning. The Opera House looked sparkling white in the morning sun, and already there were climbers on the bridge. Soon our ferry was ready to board, so we sat outside on the starboard side and enjoyed the ride across the harbour. In no time, we were hopping off at Taronga Zoo and getting on the skyrail that would take us to the top of the hill.

On our way up, we got a glimpse at the newest zoo attraction, a baby African elephant. Its mom was lying down (Yikes – how to they get up??) and the baby was hovering nearby, probably pestering her to get up like children everywhere! We got off, met Claire, and went directly to the koala exhibit, and we were shocked to see that both koalas were wide awake and putting on quite the show! Since koalas sleep for about 20 hours a day, this was a rare and fortunate occurrence, just for us! These Sidneysiders really know how to roll out the red carpet, as we had another perfect day of weather, too! After taking probably 100 photos of these cutie patooties, we thought perhaps we should give the other animals a chance to cavort for us, too.

Here's a rundown of some of the animals we saw – look for photos on facebook and/or my phanfare.com site. If you need an invitation to see the phanfare slideshow, just comment on this blog or send me an email or message and I will fix you up! We saw a walking stick kind of insect, lots of birds, a giant iguana, two humongous tortoises, the bird show (excellent!), the elephants, including the darling baby, more birds, a binturong, which oddly enough, smells like popcorn. That made me hungry, so we decided to have our picnic lunch. While I was uploading photos and checking emails this morning, Shelley and Keith were hard at work cleaning up the brekky dishes and making sandwiches, so now we had a good meal waiting for us. Y'all are the best! Our picnic spot included a fabulous view of Sydney Harbour – the bridge, the Opera House, and everything in between. Could it be any better? We had chicken and avocado and smoked salmon and cream cheese on hearty wheat bread – none of that white Bunny bread here!

Now fortified, we had the energy to see Andean condors (with wingspans of about ten feet!), the big cats – two proud lions, two bored lionesses and a frenetically pacing Siberian tiger, the big-eared Fennec fox and the funny colony of Meerkats, an x-rated pygmy hippopotamus, a frisky red panda, the boring mountain goats, an iridescent peacock, a huge, sleepy Kodiak bear, the very humanoid gorillas, including a sweet little baby and a break-dancing (no lie!) toddler, the odd looking Cassowary (think a wild turkey with a blue neck), the almost human chimps, including one real comedian and another precious baby, the stately giraffes (Bonus – their exhibit was under construction and they were sequestered indoors, but we saw them anyway. It's hard to hide four giraffes!), lots more very fine-feathered and very colorful tropical birds, the spider monkeys, and lots of strange nocturnal animals. What did we miss? The platypus, the penguins, the kangaroos, and maybe a few others, but not because we didn't try to see them!

In fact, we tried so hard that we had to RUN (really, we all four were running, thankfully downhill) to catch the ferry that would get us back to the Opera House in time for a backstage tour. We were so parched when we got off the ferry that we had to have gelato. True to form, I branched out to try Belgian chocolate (90% fat free!), Rex had fudgy brownie, Shelley had something healthy – maybe mango sorbet, and Keith had a double – I don't remember the flavors because neither was chocolate… Alas, even though we caught the ferry, the Opera House tour was full. The young woman who had to give us the bad news was so nice that she brought us a pack of postcards and a some Opera House pins – who could be upset about that? Now we had plenty of time for a nice dinner before the Umbilical Brothers show! Oh, and another bonus – on the steps of the Opera House (there are a LOT of steps!) was the Black Dyke Mills Brass Band, who Keith says is the brass band that all others want to be!

We wandered around the quay for a while, and then decided to dine at the Oyster Bar (where Shelley and I ate on Sunday). Tonight, we ate in threes – three of us had Pigs Fly beer (Rex had wine), three of us had grilled oysters (Keith had the goats curd and shared it), three of us had barramundi (Shelley had snapper), and we shared two desserts – one was a warm rhubarb and something and one had honeycomb, ricotta, and figs. No one would have guessed we had just had gelato! Off to the show we went, pleasantly stuffed. And probably 2 kilos heavier!

The Umbilical Brothers are a uniquely Australian comedy duo, and we loved them! One of them makes these amazing noises while the other one acts in concert with the noises. I'm not doing them justice – google them or look for them on YouTube or something! They were really funny! After the show, we caught a bus home, where Shelley and I stayed up to look at photos and Rex crashed. Another fine day Down Under!

Wild and wooly,

Jan