Good Old Chinwagging
Oz Walkabout
Resort Holiday
Lord Howe Island
Al and I made to Lord Howe Island in 1997. check out the journal for this trip. This was one of our early holidays in Australia, it was a great destination that was relaxing and interesting.
Road Trips
Cairns and Surrounds
Lime Pocket Weekend
[singlepic id=104 w=320 h=240 mode=watermark float=right]We had planned for weeks, the weather was forecast in the high 20′s centigrade. Preparation for the trip included me hammering and banging in the shed by me, with the normal gear reconciliation and quarter master activities that Ali is in charge of. Expectations are high, this will be a great fishing weekend. My garage efforts saw the boat now equipped with a hydrofoil on the motor, to make take off smooth and a portable console. The console is to house the fish finder, switches for the lights and a power take off for running all those little handy things in the boat. When you have a simple aluminum boat like mine, everything needs adding, and we are finally getting there with it. Lumpy and dirty the sea at Donnybrook looked a little uninviting, but when I stepped into the Pumicestone Passage to launch the boat, it was very warm, around 27 centigrade. Nearly warm enough for croc’s, it’s a good job they don’t come down this far south. We have booked a camp site at Lime Pocket in Bribie Island Recreation Area, its bush camping on the edge of the passage with the only access by boat and the girls…
The Rock and Back
In August and September of 2007 we drove from Ningi to Uluru following the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks to the Stuart Highway, then returned via Alice Springs and Mt Isa
Travelling West from Canberra
In 1998 on boxing day bored and looking forward to a few days off with nothing planned we decided instead falling asleep in the back yard we would drive a little west.
West to Waltzing Matilda
Fishing
Easter in Noosa Everglades
This is one of the most special places we camp and fish, it is unique in the world I believe. The access to the area we fish is by non powered craft and the section of river we fish in is more than twenty five kilometres. We seldom see other people fishing, we do see other people using the river for other kinds of fun, it is a great adventure for the backpackers with camp sites one to three giving access to the big sand blows and providing basic toilet facilities. The rest of the camp sites have no facilities and so you have to take everything with you and dig your own toilets. If you can’t shit in a hole is probably not the kind of camping you will like. This journal is about our Easter 2011 trip up the river, a time the river was the fullest we have seen it and provided some surprising results.
NZ & Pacific
Rarotonga
This is the holiday that we weren’t really sure why we were going other than Al’s sister and brother-in-law were going, which in itself is reason enough. But Rarotonga! This turned out one of the best island holidays we have had, we meet a great bunch of people through family and greeted and treated above and beyond by some of Chris and Barbs friends and family of Rarotonga friends. Its amazing to think that in the 15 islands their is only around 13,000 locals and even that is on the decline, you would think a place like this would have the opposite problem. The climate is so temperate and the atmosphere so relaxed it is a wonderful place to be. It was a great place to visit and hopefully we will return one day to do it all over again. To navigate the journal you can follow the date links at the bottom of the text or use the calendar on the right of the post
Christmas in Lae PNG
Asian Anecdotes
Merlin Beach Patong Paradise
May Day in Seoul
Mile High Ballet
Looking like they were the lead part in a ballet the pair stepped up the aisle of the Boeing 767 that was winging its way to Hong Kong. Straight legged and in perfect time they strode down the gangway with elegance and grace, lifting their legs high and keeping their toes pointed outward. Linking their arms behind each others backs they delicately touched each others hands. On reaching the curtain demarcating business class from us peasants he turned to face his audience while she remained facing the bulkhead. I swear I saw the hint of a bow as his performance of English policeman impressions began. Hands clasped behind his back he raised himself on his toes. He stayed there for a second, executing a series of minute bouncing movements on the balls of his feet before lowering himself slowly and spreading his knees as he moved to a squat. Reaching the squat triggered the reverse process and he again rose with poise back to the balls of his feet. Dressed in a black three-quarter length frock covered in red roses, she was going through ballet warm up routines. Each position carefully practiced and executed with grace and poise. Starting with…
Underground Rugby
The train roared in, appearing to go right past the platform, and then stopped almost instantly. Hundreds of faces pushed flat against the windows bursting out as they doors opened. Orderly lines of commuters on the platform turned into a stampeding mob mauling its way to the carriage filling every gap created by those tumbling off the train. My efforts to stay calm and walk on in a dignified way spoilt by a strong push in my back; propelled through the doors, I staggered ungainly into a wall of unappreciative Japanese business people. I scrutinized the heaving mass of crushing travelers to my rear to see what was shoving me like the front row of a scrum . There behind me supported by two prop forwards, stood the hoodlum who had assaulted me, the trio had heads hung in shame of the hooligan act they’d committed. I threw a brave menacing, eye piercing stare at this unruly scrum of three. Instant humiliation flooded through me as I realized they were mid seventies gray-haired skinny old Japanese women who between them didn’t weigh as much as my beer gut. [singlepic id=130 w=320 h=240 mode=watermark float=left]When I turned to face them off, they…
China
Beijing Taxi Ride
It was a square green box that looked like the kind of car you would peddle when you are three years old. The doorman let me in through the right back door. The bench seat inside was roughly covered with white blankets. These towelling blankets were strewn across the seats in an attempt to stop you hurting your bum on the cracks and creases. Unless of course they were there to prevent you doing any further damage to the already badly damaged black vinyl seats. There was some interchange in Mandrin between the driver and the doorman over my destination. Well I suspect it was over my destination, as I only have a few basic Mandrin words and none of them pertain to directing a taxi. The raising and lowering of voices both in tone and strength gave me the impression they were having some sort of intense debate about a subject that was far more important than where I was going for the evening. The doorman’s black bear-like arm reached through the window offering me the return of my hotel address card. You could only see his face as he wore gloves and a huge black coat that reached almost to…
Glass Jars
Security Pat Down
Grumbles
Family Tree
About
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Tall Tales told over the Kitchen Table
