shantitour

shanti tour Europe//Africa//Seychelles

2009-02-09T18:35:00.002+13:00

For all of you who find your way here....there is more!!!!! The rest of my year of travel can be found at :

http://journals.worldnomads.com/shantitour

Southern Cross

2008-07-06T12:44:00.003+12:00

So I was looking out at the stars last night and could not remember if I had written about the Southern Cross! Used by the earley explorers to guide them south, pointing towrd the south pole since there is no star marking the pole as the North star does in the Northern Hemisphere.

My first sighting was in The Seychelles, one clear late night while hanging out in the pool with some friends..we searched and found the Southern Cross...very cool to see...and then we all started singing... "when you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you understand now why you came this way- 'Cause the truth you might be running from is so small, but it's as big as the promise, the promise of a comin day" top of our lungs at 2am, nice.. Anyway, it was pretty cool to see and think that I was seeing something that isn't in my sky in the Northern Hemisphere.

Next sighting in New Zealand with the aurora australis, visible on the South island..pretty cool...the Southern Cross or Crux (the real name of the constellation) is on the New Zealand flag..the four stars...quite cool.

Now, the cross was visible most nights while I was down under, however there were only a few occasions...mentioned here..when I took the time to find it, usually with the help of some locals, as there are false crosses in the southern sky, quite close to the crux. Again, with the help of Mark Slade in his back yard in Rotorua, NZ we found the beauty again!

Another side note, not sure I mentioned in my tales from NZ and Oz the ever popular captain Cook! Well if I didn't, I don't know how I left him out, as he is part of every story told about the beginnings and how things came to be in those young countries- 1769 is when he first stepped ashore in NZ and met the Maori's. Story after story of the places he named and why. Australia, same thing...huge statue of him in Cairns, like 8 stories high, and tons more stories of the Captain and his adventures and discoveries...and again in Indonesia...there he was, so strange but true, a bronze Captain Cook amidst all the Hindu statues and temples...quite fascinating stories, I actually would like to read a book on the life of Captain Cook, although I have a really good idea of how it went!

Ok-back to the Southern Cross...Surf Camp, west coast of Oz, our party on the beach, stereo in a rubbish bin with wheels, nice red neck sort of work, rigged up with speaker and all...weather proof, also portable fire, so as not to disturb the pristine beaches and habitat..ok so yeah, there it was, there was some question tonight...no one was really sure, but I think I was right!

On to Byron Bay, Australia sat out on the rock point listening to some drummers and watching the surfers catching the last waves as the sun sets...so lovely..and up come the stars...thank you sweet Steve for pointing! Gorgeous night!

And...of course..Sailing the Whitsundays!! Out on the deck of the Avatar, sleeping on the trampoline, watching the clouds scream by, the clouds in Australia move soooo fast, all the time, they are crazy and explosive, anyway, they pushed aside and all the gorgeous stars appeared as we sat in the bay close to Whitehaven beach, waves lapping below me! Skipper Adam did the pointing tonight, I feel a little crazy and excited each time I see it, it's so fun being in the Southern hemisphere....tee heee

On to Indonesia, Lovely Bali, quiet and peaceful and stars galore, lovely sea and black sand, rest my soul......and it's gone-

I miss it...I miss finding it, I miss the excitement and trippy feeling it gave me...I miss the southern hemisphere.....

Whitsundays Sail Day 1 3/19/07

2008-05-17T05:10:00.001+12:00

3.19 Sailing the Whitsundays

Today is sail day!!! We arrive at the beautiful Avatar, a huge trimaran sitting in a huge marina filled with so many big, gorgeous boats. There are 25 of us and 3 crew members for our 3 day cruise, the nice thing about the Avatar are the trampolines on either side that hang over the water and give lots of extra deck space. We head out of the marina, once clear we hoist the sails, 10 people on the main mast to pull her up....Such a beautiful boat when she is sailing!! We will sail for a few hours this morning and go out to Maureen Bay to snorkel and have some lunch. The islands are scattered around, all 74 of them that make up the Whitsundays, most are uninhabited, all are so beautiful, it reminds me of the thousand islands region in upstate NY.

We arrive at Maureen Bay and anchor and stinger suit up!!! The very stylish stinger suits,which include booties and hoods,really good lookin'- are suppose to protect us from the deadly box jellyfish, not so much from the small thumbnail size irigangi jellies, that can also be fatal. The snorkeling here is quite cloudy, we heard it would be, with all the rain and silt washing into the ocean the water is churned and murky..it was a bit disappointing to me, and being Russ's first snorkel couldn't have been to exciting... I will tell you what was exciting!,me, deciding I was done snorkeling and instead of raising my hand for a boat pick-up deciding to swim back! Oh ya, no problem...I can swim, until I start freaking myself out half way back to the boat, I am sure there is a shark following me out there in the open water! Holy Shit,what am I doing???, now I am swimming very fast and about to pass out, when I finally make it back to the boat,damn!!!

. Food on the Avatar was very good, Erin put on quite a feed for each meal, and each day for sunset we got plates of veggies,crackers, cheese and spreads..all went down well with the goon. Have I mentioned goon yet???? Goon is wine in a box, and if you say you are drinking wine you get laughed at.....$12.50 for 4 liters is goon, with names like fruity lexa and dry white...it is the drink of choice among backpackers -as it travels so well once you shed the box and sharpie your name on your goon...soo sad....I refused to buy the $12.50 variety, had headache written all over it!!! Oh to be young again!!

We are off and sailing again...now heading out to Whitehaven Island for the night. We get a great anchor and go ashore for a walk at sunset on the beach...if you see a picture of a gorgeous beach on a post card from Aussie chances are it is Whitehaven Beach....beautiful...powder soft white sand, you just want to walk on it all day, or perhaps roll in it naked! and the rainforest reaching down to meet the beach....lovely...5 of our crew are camping on the beach tonight...

Whitsundays sail Day 2

2008-05-17T05:02:00.000+12:00

Day 2
Up by 7am and sailing by 7:30...cruisin around the islands and more snorkeling for the day..doesn't matter it is beautiful and relaxing...we have 11 countries represented on our boat..and 1 older couple...and that is not us..for once we are not the oldest!! The snorkeling is better today and the weather is perfect. This afternoon we will sail to a cove near Hayman island, an exclusive offshore resort...very swanky...We get a good spot for the night and soon lots of boats are surrounding us. We are treated to a double rainbow and then a gorgeous sunset!!!!!! that lingered forever. Dinner was a prime rib roast and very good, and later slaps, a drinking game the..Irish girls taught everyone "what's the name of the game..slaps..what's the aim of the game ..get f*&^&(% up" best game I think I have ever played...scary playing a drinking game with goon....Our boat was rockin until about 3am..after slaps will brought out the guitar for a sing along and then most people passed out...Ferg our crew member from NZ slept up in the main sail...like a hammock

I grabbed my pillow and sheet and slept up on deck on the tramp, our room was in one of the side pontoons, you had to jump down a hatch in the ceiling, however Russ was snoring so loud he was heard all over up on deck!!! The clouds and the moon were mesmerizing and I could barely go to sleep...suddenly there is music and it is 5:45am....payback for our antics last night from another boat nearby..ouch!!

Skipper Adam slept on deck as well, we wake up around 7ish with lots of people up and around and ready to go! and so we go....

Sailing the Whitsunday's day 3

2008-05-17T05:00:00.000+12:00

Day 3

It is good Friday today, we will sail all day and arrive back to port around 4pm, the boat has been great..great people, great crew and great time...I find a piece of rope on the boat and skipper makes me a Turkish rope something..he tries to explain to me as he is tying it how it is done....uh...no not getting it, but I get a cool anklet, in America they are big in Nantucket where I think they are called something else????

The winds are fast today and the weather brilliant, we arrive back in Airlie to early and have to tack and turn and go back out to sea for a bit...it is fun and we get to see and race a few other beautiful boats along the way. We all make plans to meet for dinner and drinks at Beaches tonight..later to learn all the crazy good Friday rules..So on Good Friday in Australia there is no drinking alcohol, restaurants get around it if they are serving food....so....we get to Beaches and the line for the food is to the door, you can order food but you get a slip with the time on it and you can only drink for 1.5 hours after you order the meal and no one can drink at all after 10pm...soooo... at 8:30 the doors are shut and no more food cause it is 1.5 hrs til 10pm and..all our crew is left on the other side of the doors...all bars and restaurants are now closed until midnight when they can reopen!!!! We are stuck in beaches and about 2/3 of us are stuck outside...bummer...Thanks for the trip!!!

Fraser Island 3/13/08

2008-05-17T04:59:00.000+12:00

3.13.08 Fraser Island

Today we have a bunch to do to organize for our camp!!! Up and out of the rooms by 6:30am....Watching videos, getting maps, learning Dingo safety, how to drive on sand, how to get out of sand if bogged down, not to drive thru ocean water...etc...by *:15 we finally have our group of 10...Team 1..and we are off for the grocery shopping. We have a schedule and have to catch the ferry over to Fraser at 11am, we make it.

We drive our jam packed land cruiser onto the ferry and have a 45 minute ride over to Fraser island, the largest sand island in the world, it also has a rain forest and several eco-systems as well as several fresh water lakes.

First we have to lower the pressure in our tires and head into the sand tracks..damn..really crazy tracks, especially with 10 people in the car and all our gear!! We spend about 45 minutes in the deep forest until we come to Lake Mckenzie.

Lake Mckenzie is a gorgeous fresh water lake with turquoise water and snow white sand, the sand is so fine and soft it is great for cleaning jewelry and even whitening teeth and scrubbing feet. It is a bit overcast so the water does not look as brilliant as it truly is. Dingo's are all over the beach and the parking lot...beware of the dingo has become our motto..altho it is hard to think of them as wild animals..they look like timid dogs...but remember..the dingo ate my baby!!!

We head back thru the Eucalyptus forest out onto 75 mile beach, it is the main road on the island..and also the runway, so you must keep a heads up for planes and yup one landed right in front of us... we are heading to find our campsite along the beach for the night as the tide is rising and we have times we have to be off the beach driving...after a few trips up and in the dunes we find a spot and start pitching tents, really simple..only one pole!!! old army tents, a small bit alarmed about all the snake holes, oh crab holes according to some...but we later learn they are funnel web spider holes...google the funnel web if you want a real scare...I still cringe!!! we eat a lovely meal of sandy sausages and hot dogs coated with sand too..too much drinking goon and cooking, and head with tarp in hand to a neighboring site for fun and games. Night.

Fraser Island 3/14/08

2008-05-17T04:58:00.002+12:00

Day 2
This morning we all head out with the shovel to find our personal dunnies, oh the joy of the bush! Me, I go out into the sand dune and hope no one is driving by...I will not venture into the woods like the others, who all come out shrieking with stories of many spiders and critters....The spiders and critters in Australia are very big,furry,deadly and have been seared into my brain for eternity! The dunes are wide open and there is no fear of any crawly thing climbing on me while in a squat!

Back to back the land cruiser..and ...my most horrible memory of Australia!!!! As I am handing in the tents and such I look over on the seat of our land cruiser and see the biggest, furriest, nastiest spider I have EVER seen or even thought of!!! I scream and point it out and of course people are going nuts!!!! Next thing I know someone is swinging the shovel at it...please don't miss and let is burrow somewhere in the vehicle, cause I will not get in!!!!! It flies thru the air...looks like a bird it is sooooo big!!! and then splat on the floor of the truck...oh my freakin shit!!! It was as big as a softball, black and brown and furry and so scary it makes me squirm just thinking of it...and DEADLY as we later found out...you die with in 15 minutes of a bite...oh yay..good to know...can you guys drop me off at the ferry....

Back to the cruiser, it took a lot of inspection time before any of us would get in... we head back out on the beach and stop at the rusty wreck of the SS Maheno a luxury liner that crashed on the island long ago. We keep driving up to Champagne Pools where the violent sea is kept at bay and little Jacuzzis of safe water are filled with bubbling seawater. This is the only place where you can actually swim on the island other than the freshwater lakes in the center of the island, the ocean is too dangerous and filled with sharks and undercurrents. We eat lunch and hang here for most of the afternoon as the tide is high and we can't be driving until 4pm. When the tide is up there is no longer a beach to drive on, gone poof

We head out to Indian Head at 4pm and climb up to the top for a beautiful view of the beach, the ocean and the sand dunes on the island intermixed with the forests, it is so beautiful. The sun is setting and the light is glorious,there is a 360 degree view that takes your breath away....Beautiful Australia!

Fraser Island 3/15/08

2008-05-17T04:53:00.003+12:00

Day 3
Still alive!!! Nice campsite last night and yummy pasta dinner. Today we head out to Lake Wabby. We have a hike to get there, starts out thru the rain forest and opens up to a huge sand dune. The massive sand blow of hot soft sand requires bare feet. When I turn around I see a line of others trekking over the dune up and over the hill, all just sand as far as you can see. And just when I get really hot and sweaty and curse the sun and sand-there it is, like a hallucination out of nowhere; an emerald green lake against a backdrop of lush eucalyptus forest. We slide down the dune, chuck our clothes and dive in the fresh water!!! Others are sand boarding down the steep dune right into the water...fun times...This is a dune lake, one of 40 on the island and half of all that exist in the world. We swim into the center of the lake and gaze at all the sand dunes and forest surrounding us.

After an afternoon of swimming we have to head back over the dunes and thru the forest to the truck, as we get close to the end a huge brown snake comes out of the bush onto the path before me, of course it is the venomous Brown snake and it is huge!! get me off this island!!

may 7 Paris

2008-05-06T13:32:00.000+12:00

Another day exploring everywhere...Champs Elysees from Place de la Concorde to L'arc de Triomphe, Hotel de Ville, Pompidou Centre, Trocadero, Opera Granier, Les Invalides.etc..etc.. Mom and I took the bus tour around the city after lunch.

Another cool thing in Paris are the Velib which are the bikes for rent all over the city. They have rows of bikes parked and you can "borrow" them and then take them wherever and return them to another stand when you are all done..how great is that!!

Tonight Mom, Dad and I went to Isabelle's home! Isabelle was our exchange student back in high school and the next year I stayed in Paris with her family! It didn't feel as though we hadn't seen each other in 23 years !!! We went to her home and met her husband Patrick and the beautiful Clarisse who is 2! They have a lovely home in Paris where Isabelle served up a great meal, we were there until 11pm and Clarisse was a doll every minute, she had gone over to the couch and fallen asleep at the end of the evening.....so sweet!!! A fabulous way to end our time in Paris!

May 6 Paris

2008-05-06T10:35:00.000+12:00

Another day in Paris!!! I had forgotten how cool this city is! Another amazing spring day! Took the Bateau Mouche down the river Seine, hopped off at the Eiffel Tower and took a ride to the top for some great views of the city!!! Another nice lunch outside and more French wine...and back on the boat for more pretty sites on the Seine, the Louvre, Pont Neuf, etc..it goes on and on so many sites here everywhere you look, left and right famous shit!!

This evening we head out on the metro..subway over to Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur. We get off the metro and see people running to catch the elevator?? no big deal we will take the steps...think spiral staircase u the empire state building....I was so dizzy at the top I could barely stand..and then we come out, walk a block and are at the bottom of a bazillion more steps to the top where the Sacre Coeur sits!!! Oh my freakin something! So we start walkin, almost to the top we hear singing, laughing and clapping..the stairs below the church are filled with people, it looks like a stadium, and a guy is at the bottom with a guitar leading the sing along to the Beatles Imagine..really cool scene....

And we reach the top as the sun starts to set over the city...this is one of the most magnificent views I think...and the Sacre Coeur shines as the last sun hits it...we sat on the steps and just enjoyed it all....

Wandering through the narrow streets of Montmartre with all the cafes and artists it all comes back to me being there 23 years ago...and the portrait I had done in the same square where people are sitting for portraits today...the same portrait still on the wall in Mom and Dad's house. We find a cute cafe and take a seat along the cobblestone road and eat french wine and cheese for hours...

May 5 Paris France

2008-05-05T09:42:00.000+12:00

Today we fly from Istanbul to Paris and arrive early afternoon to a lovely spring day!! Spring is definitely the best time to come, everything is in bloom smells wonderful! Our hotel is in the Latin Quarter down the street from the Sorbonne and the Notre Dame, perfect for getting out and walking and exploring!

We head over to a lovely Brasserie for some lunch, french onion soup and a caprese salad..and of course some french wine......yumm....we sat outside overlooking a little square. After lunch we took a stroll down to the Seine and over to the Notre Dame, lots of people watching and fabulous warm sun.

Took a nap after hanging out on the balcony for a while, didn't wake up until midnight...but it's Paris so deb and I headed out!!! Found a hopping area full of people, clubs, pubs, brasserie's and fun, we got an outdoor table and joined in the fun at a little piano bar, eating dinner at 12:45!!
Bonsoir!!

May 4 Istanbul Turkey

2008-05-04T13:38:00.000+12:00

So we sailed from the Aegean Sea through the straits of Dardanelles and Bosporus into the Black Sea where Istanbul sits on the southeastern part of Europe and also Asia Minor. So we have European Turkey and Asian Turkey.. Today is overcast and dreary, and raining a bit, somehow it seems right,the weather seems to fit Turkey, but off we go on our tour.

First stop- the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet which is also called the Blue Mosque, we stand in a long line in the rain, get to the door and have to take our shoes off and put them into a little bag and carry them all wet and dripping. The Mosque is stunningly beautiful, amazing, so ornate on the inside, gorgeous blue tiles all over the walls and a magnificent ceiling. It felt very holy to me,it was huge and vast and yet it felt warm and welcoming. A portion was roped off where the MEN could go and pray, the women were segregated to the back of the mosque,this society is not very respectful of women in any way. Outside the Mosque is the Hippodrome where all the political struggles and uprisings of the Byzantine Empire used to take place.

Next we visited St Sophia originally built in 532 AD and over the years has been a church, a mosque and a museum. The dome is huge and most impressive...strangely the inside has gorgeous fresco's of Mary and Jesus,as well as huge banners with turkish writing from the mosque.
On to the ancient Bascilica cistern built in the 6th Century, under the city used to supply safe water to the city during the attacks when the city was under siege, it has 336 marble columns and is 2.4 acres in size, part of the James Bond movie from Russia with love was filmed here...it was damp and kinda creepy.....

Last stop, The Grand Bazaar, big highlight of Istanbul, and it is closed cause it is Sunday. The shops around it are open, so we wander, check out some amazing lighting shops with beautiful blown glass. I found a cool restaurant with authentic Turkish bread and food. In the front window of the place two women sat on cushions and made the flat bread, spread out and worked the dough and cooked it on these grill things, some of them they stuffed with spinach, cheese and minced meat. The meal was good, served by men in fluffy pants, vests and a red fez, it ended with apple tea, must say I was diggin that!! Interesting city and people!

may 3 Ephesus (Izmir) Turkey

2008-05-03T07:30:00.000+12:00

Izmir is one of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean, it is surrounded by mountains and olive groves, and the blue Aegean Sea. The drive to Ephesus is through fields or farmland, fig trees, olive trees, fruit trees and mountains.

Ephesus is one of the most beautiful ancient cities in the world and considered the 7th wonder of the ancient world. It was built in the 3rd century BC and dedicated to the goddess Artemis. The ruins are amazing and they have done an incredible job piecing them back together. We visited the Amphitheater, Library of Celsus, Temple of Hadrian, Scholastic baths..aka toilets or a slab of stone with holes lined up where the men would go every morning and shit and chat. also saw Lower Agora, state agora and Odeon.

Next stop a beautiful garden of roses also home to the carpet makers...we got a demonstration of how the silk is spun out of the worm cocoons and how the carpets are weaved...so much work!! The silk carpets take months to make. I could not resist buying a beautiful angora wool rug, made in the mountains in this little town, all the colors in the rug come from natural dies, saffron, crushed bugs and flowers, the angora wool is a unique gray color in its natural state. They folded it up and stuck it in a carry-on bag and off I went!!!

It's My Birthday!! In Mykonos Greece!!!!

2008-05-02T14:11:00.002+12:00

Quite a way to wake up on the big day....in port at Mykonos! Another beautiful Greek Island... this one very cosmopolitan, attracting lots of artists and intellectuals from all over the globe..also known for it's fabulous beaches!! The capital is Hora, with a cute harbor with little fishing boats..as well as some pretty swank yachts!

The streets are narrow and whitewashed, everything stands out against the beautiful sea and sky, and lovely bougainvillea, I can't help snapping pictures everywhere...someday maybe everyone will get a peek. The town seems almost not real it is so beautiful. At the end of the street around the corner a bunch of little taverns sit on the water and overlook the windmills of Mykonos.

I am serenaded by a table of maybe 10 at one of the little outdoor restaurants, with a loud Happy Birthday!! We join them for some lunch...and more exploring lovely Mykonos!

And back on ship for formal night in the dining room and Birthday party for me!!

may 1 Santorini Greece

2008-05-01T13:16:00.001+12:00

I awake to a gorgeous view out the window this morning!!!!!!!! Santorini Greece!! in the Cyclades, Aegean Sea is one of the most spectacular landscapes in Greece and in the world. As I look out the island surrounds us and set high up on the cliffs are all white villages, contrasting against the blue sky, it is breathtaking, seriously! They look like snow capped mountains!

The island forms a crescent around the submerged volcano. The entire center of the circular island sank into the sea when the volcano erupted. It is called a caldera and is the largest one on earth. The volcanic cliffs are red, brown and greenish and are walls of pumice stone...that used to be mined from the island. The road winds up the sheer cliffs from the port to the top of the island, covered with low lying bushes, which turn out to be their vineyards.

There are 13 villages around the island the two most famous and impressive are Oia and Fira. Fira is the capital of Santorini and the largest village all perched on a cliff, with houses, churches, shops and restaurants carved into the cliff side. We visited Oia 1st, it is set way out at the end of the island and is absolutely stunning!! I wandered the narrow paths, wandering down corridors for secret views into houses set into the cliff, pools, real infinity pools...all looking down on the deep blue Aegean Sea. the churches with their blue roofs, match the bright blue sky...it is just as it looks in all the incredible photos you see....

We travel on around the island, vineyards, donkey's, terraced land and the beautiful beaches. We arrive in Fira and head to a lovely restaurant for lunch... with a view so distracting it was hard to look at the menu and order. The baked feta and greek salad were perfect, and lovely Greek wine. We wandered through the narrow streets and shopped, heading for the tram to get back down to the boat..or the donkey ride down the huge cliff...I had a skirt on and was a bit alarmed about riding side saddle down a cliff...so tram it was... Only regret is not being able to see a sunset from Oia!!!

4.29.08 at sea 4.30.08 Iraklion, Crete

2008-04-30T13:51:00.001+12:00

another day at sea cruisin back up from Egypt and back into the beautiful islands of Greece. This stop at Crete we are on the other side of the island from where we let the medical emergency off. We are at the port of Iraklion.

Iraklion is a pretty little town sitting up above the sea. We spent the day wandering around the city with it's lovely cafes and small winding streets. The day was sunny and warm and we ate lunch at the big square in the center of town, lined with outdoor cafes. I could eat Greek food all day! Back to shopping and wandering, we turn down a small street and find a cool little area with really chic restaurants and bars loaded with trendy young people. I had to check my watch, yep a weekday at 2pm and all these people are out socializing. It was a very cool place and vibe....

Continued back down the streets toward the water. Spent some time checking out the boats in the marina and the old fort sitting at the end of the pier. The water here is crystal clear and blue,blue,blue, makes me want to jump in!!!!!

Iraklion is also the largest city on Crete and the home of the palace of Knossos. A little history..Knossos is home of King Minos whose wife gave birth to Minotaur,half-bull, half-man.

4.28.08 Alexandria Egypt

2008-04-28T13:38:00.002+12:00

Another day in Egypt, we will be pulling out at 6pm. I stayed on the boat today, not venturing out to explore. Not my usual adventurous self, but yesterday was quite enough. Mom and Dad went on a city tour today and actually were taken to the nice part of the city. They were much more impressed and said it was actually quite nice. The beaches in Alexandria were pretty and crowded, with men only.....hordes of men. The women stayed completely covered and off the beach.

6pm we set sail, pictures are of the harbor in Alexandria

Memphis, Step Pyramid and the Nile

2008-04-27T13:05:00.004+12:00

So we traveled 12 miles west of Cairo, along the gorgeous canal..and we got to see the houses in Cairo, they are brick, square buildings, with unfinished top floors..they leave them unfinished in case more family members move in and they need to add another floor!! Seriously!! they are all left open.. very ugly and institutional. In all the yards..trash..the whole yard is just covered in bags of trash spread all over, there is no grass, no flowers, no parks..just trash..everywhere it looks like the dump everywhere you look. We asked the guide if they don't have trash service, they do, they just don't care.

On to Memphis, the ancient city, once the capital of Egypt, now just a few spread out ruins remain. The huge statue laying down is The Colossus of Ramses. Also in Memphis, the alabaster sphinx and a lovely garden with ruins , a small haven in the hell hole of Cairo.

On we go to the Step Pyramid and downtown Cairo...more of the same..and a view of the mighty Nile. The best part of Cairo has to be the Nile and the land surrounding it.. Take a look.

4.26.08 at sea 4.27.08 Alexandria Egypt

2008-04-26T10:58:00.002+12:00

We left Corfu at 4:00pm and set sail for Egypt, we will be at sea all day the 26th. As we cruise along we pass many islands, and boats, and land?? The water of the sea here is a blue like I have not seen before, it is a dark but brilliant blue, so gorgeous on a sunny day!. I spent a bunch of time out on the little deck watching the sea go by.

The boat was full of activity, all the time, we would get a schedule of the next day each night and every hour there are activities and things going on.....I am enjoying laying out on the top deck sunbathing and getting spritzed down by the waiters with their mr. misty water gun!! About midday we are getting really close to this island..and the boat that had been speeding along slows to a halt. A small boat comes racing out to meet us, come to find out their was a medical emergency, someone had a heart attack and he is being taken off the ship to Crete. We are off and running again within the hour.

Always sleep with the window open, so wake up to see and smell we are in Egypt! Alexandria is a large port, not like the little ones we have been docking at so far. We have to be on the bus early today for our 3hr drive to Cairo and the pyramids.

We head out of the port, lots of security and gun toting guards. The part of the city we drive thru is dirty and dingy, the buildings are run down and ugly. The guide tells us that in Egypt people don't spend any money or time fixing up the exterior of their homes, they focus only on the inside...it shows..not anywhere I would want to walk around. We leave the city and head into the country which is a whole bunch of sand, and some mosque's and these crazy looking cone things with holes in them. We find out these huge structures, bigger than many of the houses, are pigeon houses, cause they keep pigeons, and eat them.....ouch..won't be eating out with any mystery meat. So..did I mention we are travelling with a caravan of buses and a police escort...it is not safe for the buses to travel alone, tour leaders and tourists have been killed in the past...um..so..here we are in Cairo!

Cairo is disgusting...we drive along a canal that goes thru the center of the city and my mouth is hanging open as I am floored by the filth..A woman crosses the road with bags of trash and throws them into the canal!! The canal is filled with trash, I am talking they have dredged and pulled heaps of trash up on the banks, the banks of the canal are just huge heaps, 20 ft tall of trash, dead donkeys, and who knows what else are in there..and just when I think it can't possibly get worse..I see a man sitting on top of the trash with a fishing pole!!!!!!!!!!!! Yup, not just one deranged man out there, as we drive along their are several of them, even men in boats out there. Let me move on....

We arrive at the Giza plateau where the pyramids are, which are actually right in the city, strange, you would always think when you see them they are out in the middle of the desert...while they are..and so is Cairo. The Pyramids are very impressive, just amazing thinking of how old they are and how they were built and just how massive they are!! Taking away from all this are the annoying people trying to take your camera and take pictures of you, or trying to get you on their camel, or having you take a picture of them and then trying to charge you for it..Oh and then the pick up lines Egyptian style, how many cows for your hand, how many camels, I will give you 1 million camels to be my wife, I can't recall the others...cause they were so annoying..strange and annoying, just wanted to crawl back in the bus....The children, and vendors, would get irritated and say rude things if you wouldn't buy their things, they were rude and unfriendly. ok I am gonna stop here and separate some stuff here for better clarity....

We visited the sphinx and then on to the step pyramid, also the

Corfu 4.25.08

2008-04-25T05:32:00.000+12:00

Today we are at Corfu also known as Kerkyra in Greek. Corfu is located between Italy and Greece surrounded by the Adriatic and Ionian Sea, it is one of the Ionian islands which is green and forested in contrast with the Cyclades islands that are dry and rocky.

I went on the bus for a tour of a monastery and a beautiful drive around the island of Corfu, with all it's vineyards and olive trees. We climbed to the highest point on the island for gorgeous views of the island and sea, and a one way road barely big enough for the bus! We stopped at a lovely restaurant at the top for a plate of greek tapas and some Ouzo and amazing views!!!

As we made our way back to Corfu town it was packed with visitors from all over Greece on holiday for Easter. We were able to see the old and new parts of town and the ancient forts.

Katakolon Greece 4.24.08

2008-04-24T02:11:00.000+12:00

So wake up this morning and look out the window and we are in port!! Katakolon is a small fishing village with cafes and shops along the water. The island is also home to the archaeological site of Olympia where the first Olympic games took place in 776 BC held in the honor of Zeus. The ruins of the Temple of Zeus are still here today.

Beautiful little town to hang around, sat by the water at a little cafe and had cappuccino and watched fisherman repair their nets.

4.23.08 debarkation Norwegian Jade

2008-04-23T01:58:00.001+12:00

We leave Athens today, head to Piraeus Port to the pier and check-in. First glimpse of the Jade....she is HUGE, I am really going on a cruise, my first, open to see how it goes!! The check-in seems a bit like a nightmare when we arrive, but it is very organized and moves very quickly..and we are in.

The rooms are actually quite nice, and we have a lovely balcony to sit on...all aboard!! Let's get movin!

4.20 athens Greece

2008-04-20T03:11:00.000+12:00

4.20 and so on

We are off...drove to Cornwall and were picked up at Bob's by the big bus and headed to Montreal..all 38 of us.. I am exhausted and not sure when I will be on any sort of normal schedule, just know it has been 8 days of craziness and lack of sleep!! Flight to Paris seems short at 6 1/2 hours..or the norm for me lately..get to Charles De Galle and have to walk a couple miles to our next terminal to get to Athens...and we are here, next big bus to the Divani Palace for 2 nights in Athens, our hotel sits near the base of the Acropolis.

We wander down to a pedestrian street and find a lovely outdoor cafe, of course I had to have Greek salad..oh boy...huge...and with a big huge hunk of feta across the top of a pile of tomatoes, etc.. delicious.

4.21 Athens

Took a tour of Athens this morning, up to the Acropolis, amazing views of the city and sooo old and being refurbished, for the next 30 years..it is quite crazy to think of how old it really is...We also went to the original Olympic Stadium, all marble seats, very beautiful..but so small!! Everywhere you look in this town are ruins. The city of Athens is very large and very spread out, something like 5 million in the central city, all the buildings look white on the hills as far as you can see, there is also some haze or dust from the Sahara floating in the atmosphere making the visibility a bit mute...strange it comes so far and affects the atmosphere here but it is very obvious.

We walk to the Plaka and stroll the narrow, old streets of Greece, vendors of all types and outdoor cafes line the streets, the streets wind on forever with ruins down every other one, we wander around with the Acropolis set high above us like a guide as to where we are...there are steep stairways leading up with cafes and tables all the way up, very quaint and pretty, we decide we will come back this way for dinner..it is lovely.

Dinner we decide will be at one of the restaurants on the Plaka where the owner had given us his card earlier in the day, all 38 of us show up and they are all set to accommodate..and the food starts filling the table....plate after plate of Greek specialties are loaded on the tables, as well as wines and beers, and 2 old Greek men sit close by playing guitar and singing, they are so pleased when Donna gets up and dances..they won't let her sit down!! The food is amazing,tzatziki,salmon pate, olive pate, and so many other things I cannot remember...it went on forever...we finally left and went back to find a quiet rooftop with views of the lit Acropolis..and had shots of the local drink Ouzo on the rooftop below the Acropolis with a lovely guitar player singing to 4 of us...beautiful way to spend our last night in Athens!!!

Home to Colorado

2008-04-15T03:07:00.000+12:00

4.15
Took a quick trip to Colorado during my 6 days in the states before Greece. Got off the plane to a gorgeous Colorado spring day!! The bright blue skies were a perfect back drop for the snow capped mountains. I felt like a tourist in my own state, I was a bit giddy and pulled over to take pictures.... I miss Colorado! Headed up to Evergreen, it's the same but so different in the 8 months since I left..new restaurants, changed restaurants, new shops, new buildings...still gorgeous! I have missed it! and then...spring in the Rockies....we get a foot of beautiful snow!!! Yup me in my thongs, jandals(japanese sandals, kiwi speak), flip flops, whatever you call them.. and a foot of snow...so lovely and then..melt..melt..melt and blue skies..love springtime...quick trip but good for the soul...

Osaka Japan

2008-04-13T07:50:00.000+12:00

Osaka Japan

Well my flight left Bali on time and I had a 6 & 1/2 hour movie fest with little sleep. I was the only person who was not Japanese on my whole 747!! full flight and I was the only other nationality on board...strange..and the breakfast they served even stranger!!! I had drifted off and when I came to I was being served seaweed, some sort of fish and another thing I did not recognize..a bowl of plain noodles, and a bowl of rice with water flooding it and some yellow things floating in the rice, a small bottle of noodle sauce, one of soy sauce and yay some fruit!!!so I had a bit of fruit.

I arrive at the airport and none of the signs are in english..they are in many different symbol languages tho...and finally I find one in english!! I find my way to my gate only to find out my 4 hour layover has turned into 8 and 1/2 hours!!! Now to figure out how I am going to make my connections....sit down...breathe...imagine somehow it will work....the girl at the counter thinks she has solved my problem and re booked my flight to Laguardia..then I tell her I have another connection from NY to Burlington Vermont..???!!! now she is lost!!! I hand over all my itineraries and she tels me to have a seat!!

Osaka I can see out the window...lots of mountains and many big buildings...big city, all on the water. I can see a bunch of big long span bridges and a huge Ferris wheel!! I didn't imagine all the mountains tho....it is very hazy out here.

I walk around trying to waste time...can't even shop, everything here is outrageously priced..I know what is in all the shops tho! Try to find something to eat and there are only 2 restaurants and they have those displays of the plastic food..all of which looks completely not edible...I end up with edaname and some frenchfries and onion rings..mmmm... I cannot wait to leave!!

Bali Last Day

2008-04-11T07:45:00.002+12:00

4.11.08
last day in Bali....
Glad I thought to look at my ticket..I was thinking I left on Saturday night the 12th...well the flight was actually at 12:50am on the 12th....friday night..yup..close one!!
Spent my last day enjoyin the pool and the beach...another beautiful and hot day....crazy that you have to lay in the shade and still end up burnt...or super brown in my case....Met an Aussie lady today in Bali to visit her grandkids, her son married a girl from indonesia, she was telling me all the stories of cultural differences and the rituals and wedding they had, very traditional Javanese...quite a story...the grandfather of the bride has a calender of 350 years and he has to check it to find out if the 2 are an excellent match..there is all this criteria..the Mom asked what if they are just a good match? grandpa said they would ship the girl of to another island until her son left for good..crazy...and the grooms whole family had to go to meet the brides family before they could marry, they thought maybe because they were different religions and it might be a problem, but really it was because he was the eldest son and they wanted to make sure their daughter was good enough for their son...Grandpa also piked the day they married based on the calender, and since the day was in February, the rainy season, they had to slaughter a chicken and so a dance and offering to the gods and stick the chicken on a pole and drive all over town so it would not rain on the day of the wedding. Very interesting stories she had!!!

3pm I was off to the Sofitel and Le Spa. I will end my vacation with a 90 minute special facial....and boy was it special...one of the most amazing facials I have ever had...actually I think it is the most amazing one!! It started with a full body massage...really nice...different than any I have had since being here..then the facial...each step had a different smell...it was the aromoplasty facail and it was!!! the smells were brilliant and relaxing and this girl had amazing hands...ahhhhhhhhh, My skin feels so good and I am mush!!

Saw a lovely sunset tonight...the beach was packed...it was Friday night and all the Balinese people come to the beach on the weekends, people were everywhere...

We decided to go back to Gado Gado again for dinner, one more dinner by the sea....and it was incredible again...we both ordered different dishes and they we excellent again..A lovely way to end my days in Bali..

Gado Gado

2008-04-10T12:33:00.001+12:00

4.10.08
Bali is hot...did I mention this before...I just got back from walking on the beach and even tho I was swimming in the ocean every couple feet I am dripping in sweat!! Surfed and boogey boarded this am with some Austrians I met yesterday at the pool, pretty fun waves, had more fun watching this little 8 year old rippin' he was sooo good!!1 I know if this kid is not already winning comp's he will be ...He was from Australia and was out in some sick surf for hours, I have been watching him every day and it is amazing!!Lots of really good surfers here in Bali, it's so fun to hang at the beach and watch....A little annoying getting sown to the beach with all the hawkers, you get swarmed and touched and bugged...

The sand on the beach is black, and glistens like diamonds in the sun..and it's black...so it is inferno hot when you try to walk on it...I was screeching as we walked up to the hotel...but the beach and the water here are lovely....

So after my walk I was trying to lay down under my umbrella and look at the sea...and people are calling my name..interrupting my peace...it is eta, from the beach she wants to paint my nails, and Jonah and Luka who want to sell me tattoo's and paintings....So I figure I will go let Eta paint my toes, cause I promised...well......we haggle and I get ripped off and end up paying her $15 when I could go into the spa at the hotel and pay $8, but I figure I am supporting the locals......but then every other beach hawker is grabbing me, one is massaging my shoulders, one is braiding my hair, one scrubbing the other foot Eta is not working on, one has my hand and is pumicing it with lotion!!and Jonah and Luka have moved in too!!!and the brow chick, telling me I need to have my brows plucked...help!!!!So I don't make it off the beach until I have dropped $35 and that was only 3 people!!! had to bargain with the other's to get away from me!!not so much fun..but I have cute little flowers on my toes and made some people's days!!

Dinner tonight at Gado Gado a restaurant I'd read about and wanted to try. It is set right on the beach and they have a spotlight on the crashing waves...so pretty...I ordered a tuna dish...wow.....it was fabulous..the chef came out after we ate, he had just changed the whole menu and only started there 2 weeks ago. He is from Holland and just took over the restaurant..we told him how impressed we were...it was lovely. Dessert was the volcano, caramel oozing out of some sort of cake with berry coulis..once again fabulous!!! Russ complained at first about the price, but there could be no complaining after the meal....

Uluwatu and Jimbaran

2008-04-08T12:42:00.006+12:00

Day trip to Uluwatu

Today our driver Made picked us up at 3:30 and we headed down to Uluwatu a beautiful temple high on a cliff on the east coast. We stopped on the way down at a cultural center called GWK, which stands for Garuda Wisnu Kencana the tree major Hindu gods, actually I learned today the Hindu religion on believes in one God, but that God takes on different persona's or manifestations. I thought they worshiped several different gods but that is not true. Also for each family temple and city temple they include little altars to each of the 3 GWK gods. So the cultural park is basically in the works, you drive up and see the rock walls are all shaved and on the top of the hill is a huge statue of Wisnu. apparently the huge bust is only 15% of what the statue will be when it done. It will be the highest statue in the world when it is finished and it will be really elaborate and have all 3 gods. Up on top of the hill the view was incredible, we were able to see the huge mountains on the island looming thru the clouds above Kuta.

Next we head down to Uluwatu. Made warns us not to wear sunglasses and to hold on tight to everything because the monkey's here are "cheeky"!!! WE explain we have experienced the monkeys at the monkey forest and he assures us these monkeys are different!! We sarong up and head in to the temple, and the monkeys are everywhere, so are the dragon flies...very cool!! I am over taking pictures and walk by a monkey and it grabs my sarong and takes a bite, and won't let go...it starts ripping the sarong as I pull, he takes another bite, finally a man with a stick gets him to let go!! The temple is high on a cliff, with a rugged beach far below, quite beautiful..I go over to pose for a pic near the temple and suddenly a monkey runs over and rips a clip out of my hair and runs off with it!!! I go over to try to get it back and big daddy monkey starts hissin at me and showing his teeth, so instead of retreating i move at him again and then he starts running at me..yikes!!!!!!!!! Cheeky monkeys!!!!!

It is like a million degrees and we are cursing the heat waiting for the Kecak Dance show to start. We are seeing the Kecak Ramayana and fire dance, a story of Rama and Sita along with Laksanama,Bhagawan and Garuda and the white monkey Hanoman. The story is acted out by dancers in stunning outfits and the music is a choir of chanting men..tack..tack.tack.tack...just remembering the sounds.. And there was fire walking at the end of the story as well..very cool performance, all overlooking the ocean on the cliff as the sun went down over the sea...

And finally dinner!!! We head down to Jimbaran where all the seafood is fresh and everyone eats on the beach..and it's true...We picked our food, picked the red snapper and then some prawns and they take them to the kitchen and we head to the beach...up and down the beach as far as you can see are candlelit tables and people out eating on the beach, really cool scene.....And we were serenaded by the lovely 5 piece band with a bit of Hotel California and some Bob Marley...and the fish and prawns...excellent and fresh..yum..

Bali All Seasons

2008-04-06T12:03:00.002+12:00

Bali 4/6/08

so its hot here...like really really hot!!! I try to go out and walk around and explore every morning but have to end up collapsed in some bar or restaurant seeking air or a breeze!!! I cannot stand dripping in sweat and being this hot!!! So in the water I go. The beach was fun this morning...tons of surfers and great waves for miles, the sets of waves are cool here as the ocean goes completely flat between sets and then picks up again and whammy waves!!! Some pretty rad surfers here too!

The All Seasons hotel where we are for 4 nights is smallish and very retro....The pool area is nice but not as big as I would like...but whatever...I head to the spa here for the Shirodara treatment. Shirodara is where the warm oil is poured on you third eye, it is suppose to relax you and clear your mind..and the oil is really good for your hair too....It was pretty cool, started with my hair being soaked in hot oil and my scalp, head, neck and shoulders getting massaged, then arms, hands and chest...then the oil...feels really cool and warm..I really didn't want it to stop and it was over too soon...bummer....perfect ending to the day tho....

It had been raining really hard before the spa, like downpour...and when I was walking around to get to the spa the streets out behind the hotel were completely flooded...people were still riding their motorcycles with the water up past their feet, up to the seat on the bike!!! The next street over there were people walking in thigh deep water...crazy....when I came back out the water was pretty much gone..

day trip from Ubud

2008-04-02T11:49:00.003+13:00

Bali Day trip from Ubud

So today we are going with the brother of a guy we met at Putra, the reggae bar, last night. his name is Dara and we will spend the day with him. First stop today is in Bedulu to visit the Elephant cave temple called Goa Gajah. We suit up in our sarongs and head down numerous steps down to the temple, and it is literally a cave, people still meditate in the cave nightly from 10pm until 5am in these little carved out spaces under ground, a man was at one end of the cave meditating as we walked thru. Outside there are separate temples and the fountains with the sacred water. We walk out the back side and there are rice paddies where the food is grown for festivities that take place at the temple, down the other side and down many more steps is the Buddhist temple, the remains of the original one have fallen down into the river below but are still recognizable. We hike back up and out and pay off the little guide we had who needed money for his 6 kids....

Back on the road..there are artisan shops everywhere no matter where you drive..and dogs everywhere..and temples.. The beauty of Bali is amazing, it is poor but everything here is beautiful and carved, Each home has a family temple, so everywhere you look in Bali there is a temple...and they are beautiful and decadent and big , many buildings, with daily offerings, all carved in wood and stone and lovely chiseled gods, it's really amazing to see, and smell, there is incense in the air always.

Our next stop is Pejeng and the rock temple. We walked down so many steps to get to this temple, I started feeling faint when thinking of climbing back out....not kidding...It is like 98 degree2s with 110 % humidity!!!! I was dripping when we got 1/2 back up.and with no breeze it is ridiculous, I am really not good with heat!! The temple was really cool tho!!!

We stopped at a coffee plantation next where they had every plant and tree you could imagine, herbs, oils spices,coffee's teas, chocolates, very beautiful and lush.

We started to climb, gradual climb and then we were on this skinny road the crater rim looking over to Mt Batur and active volcano. We stopped here on the rim in Kintamani for lunch with beautiful views of the volcano and lake Batur at it's base, quite spectacular. Now back in the car just as the afternoon rains come and we drive in a downpour back down the mountain. We pas thru Batubulan, meaning stone moon, this is where all the stone carvers are...miles of stone carvings line the road...huge Buddha's and statues down to little bitty one's, shop after shop, it is truly amazing how many artisans are working in this country. We pass next into Mas and all the stone carving turns to woodcarving.....on and on along the roadside.....

We pull over at Bukit Jambul for a stunning view of the rice terraces....it is amazing...but quickly we are swarmed by people trying to sell....and they come in 10's...so quick back in the car and keep moving..too bad absolutely lovely and peaceful here...

Back to Tjampuhan and out to dinner at Three Monkey's...a fabulous place to go if ever you are in Ubud....Lovely atmosphere set out in the rice paddies with umbrellas and nice lighting and the food was delicious!!!! Lovely last evening in Ubud.....

Monkey Forest.Ubud

2008-04-01T22:35:00.001+13:00

4.1. Ubud

Got up today and headed over to the monkey forest and temples. Ok..monkeys everywhere!!!! Big, small,babies,newborns, all in this forest with temples down every path. The monkeys were pretty tame and unaffected by humans, very curious. I sat down and one jumped on my lap and climbed up on my shoulder and then head, his little hands were soft and warm like a person, he grabbed my chin with his hands and just looked in my eyes, then hopped on my shoulder and started chewing on my ear and earrings, when I covered them he started grooming my hair, I am gonna be in alot of photos of Bali and the monkey forest as a big group of people had gathered!! He was a cool little monkey!! We walked around looking at the temples and amazed at all the monkey's everywhere going about their business, grooming and wrestling and fighting over food, it was pretty cool being in there forest and watching how the live and get on. The temple was spectacular!! again as I was trying to get photos of it a monkey jumped on..he started jumping up and down on my shoulders and head..Russ has some pretty funny video of this monkey having a great time on me!!! There were only 2 that frightened me...one that was holding my hand and then started showing his teeth..may have been smiling I don't know but it was freaky!! and then the big male...I had picked up a bunch of bananas off the ground and was walking down the path when this big guy comes running at me and tackles my hand and grabs the bunch from me...he takes them and I am left with 1 in my hand and walk on..only to hear someone yell lookout and he comes running up from behind and swipes the last one!! bugger!! This is why all the drivers said don't buy the monkey food!!!!

Left the monkeys and headed into Ubud for some walking around, shopping and lunch before our 2pm spa. Lots of family temples, galleries, art and markets, nice little village. Russ stops to buy a book and a local guy tells me of a cremation ceremony starting at 1pm up the road...kinda a rare thing for tourists to get to see and a big part of the Hindu Culture. We head up that way and there is a huge float all decorated and a life size white cow all decked out in flowers and gold, tons of people are gathering and it will be a huge procession. a lady keeps pestering me and telling me we need sarongs and that she will sell them to me...it is still 40 minutes away and I take some pictures..she says I really need a sarong and that is is very big deal...apparently the dead person is inside that big white decorated cow and the process thru town and light the cow on fire and burn the cow and the person...I will post a picture of the cow...but think I really don't want to watch a person burn!!! We leave to get some lunch and make some decisions on the cremation!!

Went to Nomad for lunch on the main street, had some fried leaves as an appetizer!, the seafood curry was really nice, and coke is less expensive than diet coke...just weird...back to the Ubud Palace to catch a shuttle back to the hotel...

Here's my description of my afternoon..."The epitome of Balinese massage: detoxifying & stimulating herbal skin preparations flush away all tension, followed by a cooling yogurt rub for Ph balance, with the final touches of a Bali flower bath and fresh pressed herbal tonic"...2 hours..traditional Mandi Lulur..ah it was all that...

Nusa Dua to Ubud

2008-03-31T23:23:00.003+13:00

3.31.08 Ubud

After 5 nights at the Aston in Nusa Dua we are moving to Ubud. It should take us 1 1/2 hours to go 40 km. The roads here are tight and crowded with cabs trucks and motorcycles and there are no real rules, people kinda just drift between lanes and use their horns if someone is too close... Our driver asks if we want to stop at some of the artisans along the way and I say sure, he asks which ones and I say all of them!!

First stop is at the Batik place, we get to see the long process up close as the artisans are working on the pieces, the little pen like devices that hold the hot wax are primitive and yet very effective, all the designs are dotted on with hot wax and after that dries the 1st dye happens then more wax, more dyeing and that repeats until they achieve the desired product with many colors, really beautiful and so much work. Then on to where they are weaving the sarongs, the weaving thread that makes the pattern is first run thru a wax design which creates the pattern of colors in the thread, then the main color is put on the loom and the design thread is woven thru piece by piece, it takes weeks to make 1 sarong or scarf. We get to go into the gallery next and see all the batik paintings and the gorgeous clothes sarongs , bags and shoes.

Next stop is the silver makers. Once again we are shown the process from the making of the silver into 925 weight which is the weight that is best to work with for jewelry, they melt down pure silver and add copper and then form the shapes they want, then they form little tiny beads which they hand glue onto the larger pieces in designs,so intricate. We then go into a HUGE showroom, I was like a kid in a candy store, but when it comes to price I am lost about how cheap I can get stuff for and of course they want the most they can get so I found bartering a real pain, I managed to get a ring, a pendant and some nice earrings for $55 US, I had wanted a bunch of beads and nice silver for beading but put them back, probably should have gotten them too for that price but who really knows!!

Now we are on to the Painters. A huge gallery, museum like with paintings of all types. Lots of Balinese culture and the Hindu gods,really beautiful, rooms and rooms of stuff at the 1 place we stopped, and the whole road was just painting shops and artisans, lots of egg painters as well..the artisans tend to group so you go down 1 road and its all wood carvers, the next stone carvers, silver smiths and so on....really an amazing amount of talent here!!!

ok last stop today are the woodcarvers. The process is long, about 3 weeks for a piece and the craftsman have a hierarchy of skill. They carve in Bali wood also called crocodile wood cause the bark looks like a croc, mahogany imported from Java and ebony imported from Borea, the work is so intricate and beautiful. I find many things I want at the shop but I am so tired of bartering and not knowing how much to pay I leave with nothing. bummer..

on to Ubud and the Tjampuhan Hotel and Spa. We are close to town yet set on a hillside overlooking a sacred river and there is a temple on the hill across from the hotel, it looks a bit unreal, kinda like a movie scene or something you might imagine...and the grounds are equally unreal...the spa made my mouth drop open and I was walking around saying whoa....it is tunnels of stone carvings and dim lights and passageways and pools and temples..crazy...

Nusa Dua and Kuta

2008-03-28T03:51:00.002+13:00

3.28
bali aston resort and spa

Another day in paradise...went to Kuta this afternoon, Kuta is bit nuts...lots of noise, people and craziness not to mention it was so hot I looked like I had hopped in a pool!!! Walked around for a few hours and found nothing really impressive..couldn't wait to get back to Nusa Dua and the quiet and peace. Got back in time for the Balinese dance and music, pretty cool.

Found out about a 2 for 1 at the spa so I made Russ get a massage and we split the cost another hour of Balinese bliss! Then was able to secure a lovely spot under the terraces by the pool to chill out for the day, life is good. nothing to do but swim and chill until back to the spa at 3 for a pedicure,,,dinner tonight is a japanese BBq and show...moving to a new place in Legian tomorrow, well see how it is...we may be back...

Bali Aston Resort and Spa

2008-03-27T03:54:00.001+13:00

3.27 Bali Aston Resort and Spa

Love it here!!!! Got a glimpse of sunrise this morning, gorgeous over the ocean...Breakfast is included with our $54 dollar a night room and I think the breakfast is worth $20 of that...what a spread!!!! (H think Le Blanc Spa) There were more food stations than I knew what to do with..yum....so we ate and ate and won't have to eat again until dinner!!! The grounds of the hotel are stunning..see some pics..gardens and carvings and flowers and ponds everywhere, also a really cool pool and waterfalls leading into a "
grotto"- little benches and steps to lounge on all over the pool..beautiful...I spent the next few hours in the pool just blissing out waiting around for my first spa appointment in Bali!!!

I decided on the Aston Combo at the spa...starts with a steam and plunge shower, then I am taken to the waiting area and served some sort of yummy spice tea and cucumber water, there are fresh ylang ylang and plumeria flowers on all the tables giving off a yummy smell in the room..Shri comes to get me for my 2 and 1/2 hours of joy!!! First up 60 minutes of a Balinese massage with scented balinese flowers and spices in oil rubbed all over, not a muscle missed, I was drooling into the lovely bowl of plumeria floating below my head where I can see it thru the hole in the table...Next was an hour facial, yummy homemade cleansers and toners and masks and a long pressure point and lymphatic drainage massage of the face and skull..heaven...as the mask was drying I drifted away for a while until I woke myself up with a snort of a sigh???? I don't think I could be more relaxed...until...the herbal scrub!! Ground up herbs and flowers in a scrub rubbed all over the body and allowed to sit and soak in and slough off dead skin...than up and out on the porch of the room for an outdoor shower pouring out of a huge urn standing on a path of marble squares set in a bed of small white stones..after drying off I was slathered with moisturizers and sat down for a final flower foot bath and cup of stewed ginger and honey....I am ruined...all this for $60!!!!!!!!!! I think I will never leave this heaven...ever...and I haven't even left the hotel yet!!! just wait...Joy pure joy!!!

2008-03-26T03:57:00.000+13:00

3.26 cairns to Bali

long travel day today...left hostel at 8am fly 3 hours to Sydney have a 3 hour layover and then a 6 hour flight to Bali..nothing like backtracking...no direct flights go Cairns to Bali... and of course we had a almost 3 hour delay in Sydney...so finally we are in Bali and it is so worth it!!! It is lovely here!! I had forgotten how excited I was to get to Bali, now I remember...even in the dark at midnight I can feel this place in my soul.

I found a hotel on the Internet for the first couple nights, it is the same price per night as we were paying for the hostels in Australia and it is a 4 star resort and spa on the beach!!! incredible rooms and carvings everywhere, huge rooms and lovely spa bathroom and tub..we get in and admire our non-hostel surroundings and order room service..banana crepes for me..yum were they good..and now to bed so I can get up and enjoy this place bright and early...heaven!!!

Cairns Heli the Reef

2008-03-25T03:59:00.002+13:00

Cairns Heli snorkel 3/25/08

Turns out I only have 1 day to explore Cairns..started out in planning that we would be here for a week and got cut back to just 1 day!!! What to do...got up early and went to the travel desk to explore the options..I didn't think there would be many I was gonna like, cause I wanted to get out to the reef and all the tours I saw left at 7:30 and 8 am... Instead I got lucky..not only was I going to get to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef today I get to take a helicopter out to the boat!!!

I am picked up at the hotel by a private limo van and taken to the airport where I get a front seat in the chopper next to the pilot!!! The flight is spectacular, the weather is gorgeous...Cairns has had a crazy last 2 months with flooding and monsoon rains stranding travelers and cancelling all the tours..today is the best day they say they have had in months!!! It is bright and sunny in the tropics today and we fly out of Cairns out to the reef. The reef is broken down into several reefs and they are all named, some have tiny sand Caye's, most that wash over in the tides but a few that maintain a touch of vegetation and support a huge bird population. The sand Caye's make a nice beach for people who drop anchor off the reef. The colors are incredible and we dip down and fly low able to see reef sharks and turtles. We fly out to Norman Reef one of the outer reefs where not many tours go as it is quite far out and most boats are not fast enough to get out here for day trips. I was a bit leery of what I would find for snorkeling as the part of the reef we snorkeled in the Whitsundays was very murky, not many fish and really low visibility, what a surprise!!!!

The heli landed on a little pontoon out near the reef and the Osprey v docked and sent a boat over to me and the other 4 people up. We got on board the big boat and dropped our things and jumped in, the water was like a bath, so warm, an yay no stinger suits!!! Box jellyfish season is at the tail end and they said just to keep an eye out...box jellies are the deadly ones, one sting and it's over quite quickly!!! I swim over to the reef and am floored!!! The bright sun illuminates the corals and the fish and it is just SO ALIVE!!!! The fish are gorgeous and plentiful, the corals like nothing I have ever seen, and every where I look is something new and different, huge shells opening and closing, turtles, sharks,colorful fish big and small and so many kinds it blows my mind!!The corals and plants are so diverse and little rainbow colored fish trail me and hug close to my body and swim with me as I float along...they are so cute and curious and let me touch them. I am truly shocked at how fabulous it is!!! I had heard not to bother diving or snorkeling as all the rains had washed silt out to sea and churned it all up and visibility was less than a meter...not so...maybe cause we were so far out...don't know..I could not possibly have hoped for anything more!! After almost 2 hours I climb back on the back of the boat ditch the snorkeling gear and hop in for a quick swim...big huge barracuda and other huge angelfish looking fish swim around me..little freaky...so I hop out and grab my plate of food for lunch and head to the sun deck. Stretch out and relax and soon we are high speed on the big boat back to Cairns, a nice 1 & 1/2 hr cruise while laying out on my towel on the bow...a perfect day!!!

Returned to the marina where I was escorted back to my limo van and taken back to the hotel...all this for an extra $60 off for my late booking!!

My friend Dave who we met and hung out with at Magnetic called and came by and we went to dinner downtown after a nice walk along the esplanade and ocean..then stopped off at the (in)famous Woolshed for some drinks...perfect 1 day in Cairns!!!

Maggie Island to Cairns/ Croc Farm

2008-03-24T04:03:00.001+13:00

3.24.08 Magnetic to Cairns

Woke up early and watched the sunrise on the ocean from my bed...wish we were staying in this little a-frame longer, it is lovely..the ocean breeze rolls in and I just cuddle in my sheets and listen and watch the crashing waves...

Have to peel myself off the bed and head down to the bus for 8am then to catch the ferry back to Townsville and on to the Oz bus for the last ride!!! Magnetic was fun so glad we went and stayed 2 nights, had fun hangin with the Aussie's too!!

We stop in Mission Beach for a brief stop, small quiet little town, had planned to try to skydive here as you jump to beach and see the reef and land on the beach, however time does not permit...bummer..I got the bug now...On the was in there are all these signs saying slow down speed kills Cassowaries....so we ask the bus driver, cause the signs are pretty funny and graphic, showing a car hitting a big bird..soooo the Cassowarie is this big bird, big like an emu or ostrich with a helmet thin on its head..the cassowary...and they are the most deadly bird in the world....bizaare..yes.. The Cassowary kills people with it's foot...it jumps up in the air and uses one of its toes to rip you open and reached into the person and rips you guts out, basically disembowels you...nice huh!!!! Anyway, the bus driver is telling us about the bird and how we will not see one in the wild, he has only seen 1 in all his years and....what the??? Out across the road walks a cassowary....I thought the driver was going to die...he was flipping out!!! Really Really Really rare to see...and it just wanders across the road and into the bush....CRAZY!!!!!!

We leave mission beach and head over to Johnstone and to the Crocodile farm and Reserve. This place is cool...it is the home for Rogue crocs who have to be taken out of society for basically being a menace..or killing to many girlfriends. We walk around and our guide wakes them up and gives a bit of a feed...They are huge and really aggressive...2 of them have killed people!!! one killed 30 cattle, a dog, another killed 15 girlfriends! There are so many here the pens go on and on!! Then we got to see the alligators, Steve the guide hopped in the water and picked up the alligator...it was whipping its tail and smacking his back very hard...the alligators are smaller and less aggressive, and a bit cuter...

Next we grabbed Kangaroo food and went to feed the kangaroos who roam all over the reserve, they are quite tame and you can just walk up to them and they just stand there, there fur is much softer than it looks. We saw and fed and pet kangaroo's of every age shape and style, Mom's with joey's in pouches and old men...very cool...

On to the emu's and cassowaries!!!!! Guide man was shocked we had actually seen one!!! Then he brought out all the lizards and snakes...so I wandered over and bought an icecream and made a friend as the male cocateel climbed up my arm to my shoulder and hung out with me the rest of the time!! Fun times at the farm!!!

Onto Cairns, smallish city, like 200,000, settled in to the room and just wanted to sleep...long day...

Magnetic Island

2008-03-22T04:07:00.001+13:00

Magnetic Island 3.22 & 3.23

We drove thru Townsville, lots of military here, a cute little town tho...reminded me a bit of new Orleans but much smaller. Got dropped off at the ferry terminal where we caught the ferry over to Magnetic Island, a nice little vacation spot about 8km off mainland. It is suppose to be quite busy because of Easter with lots of locals heading out for the weekend. Magnetic Island was named by...guess...Capt Cook, I may not have been mentioning this but Capt James Cook discovered and named almost everything in New Zealand and Australia...anyway he named it such because as he sailed past his compass started acting up and he thought it was some magnetic pull of the island...not so...but the name stuck.

We are in a 8 person dorm tonight as they had no privates...it is an a-frame, cute and rustic but so hot it is crazy!!! I am so not about being in the sun today after being on the boat for 3 days in the sun...and it is soooo hot!!! I try to go to the pool but it is too hot so I go to the room after a while and chat with the English girls who are roomies..then just try to lay down and have a little nap....in come 2 more roommates..2 Aussie's just returning from an all day dive at a shipwreck off shore. I rollover and meet them and they ask me to come have a beer...good idea..off we go..

It is much nicer outside now and the hostel has a nice deck over the ocean with an outdoor bar..a kookaburra bird lands on the rail, they are the ones who sing crazy songs...they are cool looking....the sun slowly sets as we sit and drink strongbows, a local cider....turns into a late night down on the beach meeting lots of new people, lots of locals and a few old friends from the boat...Will broke out the guitar on the beach and we had another singalong...until about 3 something am.....goodmorning....

Happy Easter!!!!!!

Due to Easter we missed out on the full moon party...famous parties on magnetic where they have dj's come out and there is a huge beach party til wee hours of the am...I guess we kinda had our own full moon party didn't we???? anyway happy easter....Wanted to sleep but it became way to hot in the room, unable to rent scooters or mokes as they were all booked out for the weekend so we hopped a bus, Johnny, Dave and I over to Horseshoe Bay on the other side of the island. Horseshoe Bay is a cute little strip of restaurants galleries and shops on the beach...also today vendors had set up on the beach...the beach has a stinger net enclosure where it is suppose to be safe to swim without the box jellies...so we did...it was lovely and refreshing!! Just swam and lounged in the water and under a tree for hours...finally went back and had moved out of the dorm into an a-frame overlooking the ocean..set up on rocks right above the water...big a-frame all ours..ensuite and spacious...always love that...especially after a 8 person dorm, where Russ kept everyone up all night with his snoring!!!!

Cleaned up and we all decided to try a Mexican place for dinner..walked like 20 minutes and the place was booked, so we bought a carton of VB and headed over to the pizza joint next store and ate lots of pizza and drank lots of beer and were entertained by a large yellow lab....love Maggie Island wish we didn't have to leave tomorrow!!!another good night!!!

Sailing the Whitsunday's

2008-03-18T19:25:00.002+13:00

3.19 Sailing the Whitsundays

Today is sail day!!! We arrive at the beautiful Avatar, a huge trimaran sitting in a big marina. There are 25 of us and 3 crew members for our 3 day cruise, the nice thing about the Avatar are the trampolines on either side that hang over the water and give lots of extra deck space. We head out of the marina, once clear we hoist the sails, 10 people on the main mast to pull her up....Such a beautiful boat wen she is sailing!! We will sail for a few hours this morning and go out to Maureen Bay to snorkel and have some lunch. The islands are scattered around, all 74 of them that make up the Whitsundays, most are uninhabited.

We arrive at Maureen Bay and anchor and stinger suit up!!! The stinger suits are suppose to protect us from the deadly box jellyfish, not so much from the small thumbnail size irigangi jellies, also can be fatal. The snorkeling here is quite cloudy, we heard it would be, as with all the rain and silt washing into the ocean the water is churned and murky..it was a bit disappointing to me, and being Russ's first snorkel couldn't have been to exciting..that his first and only attempt or venture into the water of the trip. Food on the Avatar was very good, Aaron put on quite a feed for each meal, and each day for sunset we got plates of veggies,crackers, cheese and spreads..all went down well with the goon. Have I mentioned goon yet???? Goon is wine in a box, and if you say you are drinking wine you get laughed at.....$12.50 for 4 liters is goon, with names like fruity lexa and dry white...it is the drink of choice among backpackers as it travels so well once you shed the box and sharpie your name on your goon...soo sad....I refused to buy the $12.50 variety, had headache written all over it!!! Oh to be young again!!

We are off and sailing again...now heading out to Whitsunday Island for the night. We get a great anchor and go ashore for a walk at sunset on the beach...if you see a picture of a gorgeous beach on a post card from Aussie chances are it is Whitehaven Beach....beautiful...powder soft white sand and the rainforest reaching down to meet the beach....lovely...5 of our crew are camping on the beach tonight...

Day 2

Up by 7am and sailing by 7:30...cruisin around the islands and more snorkeling for the day..doesn't matter it is beautiful and relaxing...we have 11 countries represented on our boat..and 1 older couple...and that is not us..for once we are not the oldest!! The snorkeling is better today and the weather is perfect. This afternoon we will sail to a cove near Hayman island, an exclusive offshore resort...very swanky...We get a good spot for the night and soon lots of boats are surrounding us. We are treated to a double rainbow and then a gorgeous sunset!!!!!! that lingered forever. Dinner was a prime rib roast and very good, and later slaps, a drinking game the Irish girls taught everyone...."What's the name of the game....slaps...what's the aim of the game..get f*&^&(% up" best game I think I have ever played...scary playing a drinking game with goon....Our boat was rockin until about 3am..after slaps will brought out the guitar for a sing along and then most people passed out...Ferg our crew member from Nz slept up in the main sail...like a hammock

I grabbed my pillow and sheet and slept up on deck on the tramp, our room was in one of the side pontoons, you had to jump down a hatch in the ceiling, however Russ was snoring so loud he was heard all over up on deck!!! The clouds and the moon were mesmerizing and I could barely go to sleep...suddenly there is music and it is 5:45am....payback for our antics last night from another boat nearby..ouch!!

Skipper Adam slept on deck as well, we wake up around 7ish with lots of people up and around and ready to go! and so we go....

Last day of sailing..Day 3

It is good Friday today, we will sail all day and arrive back to port around 4pm, the boat has been great..great people, great crew and great time...I find a piece of rope on the boat and skipper makes me a turkish rope something..he tries to explain to me as he is tying it how it is done....uh...no not getting it, but I get a cool anklet, in America they are big in Nantucket where I think they are called something else????

The winds are fast today and the weather brilliant, we arrive back in Airlie to early and have to tack and turn and go back out to sea for a bit...it is fun and we get to see and race a few other beautiful boats along the way. We all make plans to meet for dinner and drinks at Beaches tonight..later to learn all the crazy good Friday rules..

So on Good Friday in Australia there is no drinking alcohol, restaurants get around it if they are serving food....so....we get to Beaches and the line for the food is to the door, you can order food but you get a slip with the time on it and you can only drink for 1.5 hours after you order the meal and no one can drink at all after 10pm...soooo... at 8:30 the doors are shut and no more food cause it is 1.5 hrs til 10pm and..all our crew is left on the other side of the doors...all bars and restaurants are now closed until midnight when they can reopen!!!! We are stuck in beaches and about 2/3 of us are stuck outside...bummer...Thanks for the trip!!!

Happy St Patrick's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-17T04:23:00.001+13:00

3.17.08
Kroombit to Airlie Beach
11 hours on the bus today...and the small bus, jam packed. We shake off the dirt and leave the cattle station...good times..Today we go thru jambin...little town big pub,next up Rockhampton.

Next stop is at the Tropic of Capricorn, the actual latitude line...and we head off with lots of info about the Great Barrier Reef..1500 miles long largest living thing in the world..etc...didn't know the rain forest here in Aussie was the oldest in the world either....tons of info..

oh forgot Rockhampton is the beef capital of Oz and there are statues of cows everywhere and tons of cowboys....and good steaks..

Next is Sabrina and Lawn balls, bowling...big sport here, social outing for the young and old alike, a bit like bocce but with weighted balls and very competitive, and it's st Patty's and they were celebrating so we got green beer and balloons!! even more fun than the lawn balls...back on the road again and headin to Airlie for big night out for StPatty's fun!!

Kroombit Cattle Station

2008-03-16T04:25:00.001+13:00

3.16.08
Hervey Bay to Kroombit

Up and on the big yellow bus at 7am today, heading inland to the Cattle station. Today we are traveling with Chris aka Hoody...his last day, he is over the crazy schedules the driver keep over here and going home...

Wee traveled along back roads most of the day, lots of farming and sugar cane. WE stop in Bundaberg, home town of Bundaberg Rum and the distillery. This area of Queensland has about every industry you can think of, you come up with It they do it!1

We arrive at Kroombit Cattle Station as the helicopter was pulling back in from cattle mustering. Lunch today is some fresh beef from the station, salads and bread. We eat up and then Andrew, who Chris calls toy story...cause that's how he looks, gives us the lowdown on whats gonna go on, and a few of the chicks who are horse back riding leave to go muster the goats f9or our rodeo..

At 4:30 we all meet up in the huge outdoor dining are..see picture.. and head over to the shooting range and goat area. First we are given our shotgun shells and then taught how to lasso and rope handle. Spend a bit of time trying to lasso the fake goat..not as easy as it looks...brief not..not that it ever crossed my mind that I was cut out for the farm, but after this day I can guarantee I am not!!!I suck at everything!!

So up to the shooting range, we have a shooter a cameraman and a pigeon launcher, we each get 5 shots...I missed all 5...close but high on all!!! fun anyway..

Next we had to form teams of 3 and head to the goataseium and capture goats, one person ropes, one tackles and flips the goat and hold it down while the last person brands...and yes our team did win the competition!!!! Our prize was presented and pictures were taken...We received.....a large stuffed bunny, might I add a filthy bunny...so we offered it up for the next event...blowing shit up!!!! Bunches of aerosol cans and excellerents are lined up in the field and attatched to bunny...then...1 shot with the shotgun and kaboom!!!!!!!!!! good times!!!

Head back to the ranch for a big feed at the huge outdoor tables and then it is time for whips!!!! Yup leather whips...crack that whip!!!! not as easy as it looks!!! we all get a whip and start crackin....next event...mechanical bull!!!! once again ...not as easy as it looks..but really good laughs!! Really fun times at the cattle station...and goodnight!!!

Brisbane to Hervey Bay

2008-03-11T19:58:00.000+13:00

3.12.08 Brisbane to Hervey Bay

Up early and outta Brisbane heading up to the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay. We stop today at Rainbow Beach, the sands here are colored due to all the iron oxide and minerals in the sand. A very small and quiet town, we cruise thru pretty quick.

I am adding Noosa here although I think that it was yesterday...We stopped in Noosa and got to explore the town...Known as the yuppie getaway for Sydney...just a really cute little beach town with fun shops and restaurants, and a cute little beach with a good surf break. Sat by the beach and watched people surfin and the waves crashing...then took a cruise about the town, a gorgeous day, bright blue skies and nice surf, would have been a cute place to stay a night had we had more time...onward to Hervey.

Hervey is another little seaside town. Not much going on here and it is on a Bay so there is no surf....very quiet here...mainly just a gate town to Fraser Island, which is why we are here...just a quick overnight and then we are off camping...good night.

Mooloolaba..

Byron to Brisbane

2008-03-11T19:56:00.001+13:00

3.11.08 Byron to Brisbane

Left at 3pm after a great last day in Byron for our drive north to Brisbane. On the way to Brissie we stop in Surfer's Paradise, huge commercial center of the Gold Coast, called the Gold Coast cause it costs so much to live there...If you watch surfing competitions on tv from Aussie many are at surfer's paradise, think Honolulu..many high rise buildings, the highest residential building in the world is here the QE2...Anyway we leave surfer's and head to a zorbing hill outta town. Zorbing for those of you who don't know is a huge plastic ball you get inside of and they put some water in there with you and huck you down a hill...quite fun...see pic's.

Onward we pass thru some sugar cane plantations and then thru a bunch of timber and logging areas..even get to see some Brumbies, wild horses that travel in packs and are old time logging horses, brought here for logging and left when they were not used anymore, now wild. on to Brissie.

Brisbane is a big city with a small town feel, 2 million people there and hence we are only staying over night, have had enough of big cities...We arrive and are told we are booked in a 10 bed dorm!!! I am a bit alarmed and quite pissed as we called ahead and booked a private room 2 days ago....so we are told that is all they have and I pout my way up to a 10 bed dorm, a bit over tired and knowing we have to be up at 5:30am...anyway long story short, 10 boys could not have been any quieter!! Yay!!

Nimbin Hippie Haven in Oz

2008-03-10T19:54:00.001+13:00

3.10.08 Byron.Nimbin

I left this morning and took a bus over to the town Of Nimbin...a little hippie town in the hills. I took the Happy Coach...we stopped on the way at Minyon Falls..up Mt Warning and on the remnants of a volcano crater rim, the falls crash down...

The old logging road is rough in the bus...on we go..

Nimbin is a cute little town..all the hippie and pot friendly it is cracked up to be....fun place to hand for a couple hours...left for the ride back to Byron..get home and decide to head down to the beach to watch the sunset. It is so peaceful at the beach..there are tons of people around and yet it feels like you are all alone..

The surfer's are out in droves...waves are good and really big!!!! I watch and take pictures and look for Steve in the waves...but then he calls...he shows up a few minutes later and we hand and watch the sun go down, creating a sky full of reds, oranges and then pinks...so beautiful...a drum circle has started behind us and the beat is lulling me into a trance, then the guy starts rapping about the waves...waves...waves, crashing waves...etc...we thought we would never get it out of our minds...it is still in mine...

Took off from the beach and to a place Steve likes for dinner and had some curry, it was a great little place...yum...then onto Railz to see who is playing tonight...some solo chick, a bit disappointing...we head to catch a movie instead and just hang out...

3.11.08

Sadly we have to leave Byron at 3pm today..... Russ and I head to the Balcony Bar for our farewell brekkie...The place is very cool, upstairs with a funky feel and great decor..overlooking the main street and roundabout, we lounged on couches and had a great meal. Ran around town for a last shop and feel...tried to fit in a last minute facial, but went for lunch instead ans Steve met us to say goodbye...it was so great to meet him and get to spend some days together and have him show us around his great town!!!! Loved it...

Cheeky=cheesy
seedy=hung over, feeling bad
how ya goin=guess
dodgy=shifty,questionable
locum=contract work
feral=think feral animal,wild unruly

Day 3 Byron Bay

2008-03-09T19:52:00.002+13:00

3.9.08 Byron Day 3
Back to the beach today and meet up with Steve to go surfin. He surf's off the shipwreck...Old boat stickin up outta the sea...danger...

another beautiful day of sun and fun...we hand swim and he surf's...waves are too big for me today...but I have fun watching and playing in the waves...We meet up with some of his other friends and stay at the beach a while and then head over to The Beach Hotel..or Beachie as the locals call it...4 to 8 a band...GREAT reggae band...best in Australia according to the rastas I met at the bar who are transplants from Jamaica...Firefall...they were so fun

After Beachie when the band ends, everyone moves to Railz...tonight is Krishna Jones playing...another rockin band...this town is sooo cool, I would never work tho..cause there is so much to do. I guess Jack Johnson just bought property down the road from here and Steve saw him on the beach one night and he played 2 songs, just hangin....guess he comes around a bit...I was askin cause I knew he has shows coming up this month around Oz...I was trying to make the the one in Brisbane on the 16th but I will be on boat sailing the Whitsunday Islands..bummer..

Anyway it would be so much more fun just to bump into him....

Steve and I get along really well, he is a sweet soul and we talk like we have been friends for a long time..strange how some people are just drawn to each other... We leave Railz when the band is done and head to the park and hang out and talk..good night..

day 2 Byron Bay

2008-03-08T19:50:00.001+13:00

3-8-08
Byron Bay
I got up this morning and headed out to explore the funky little town of Byron Bay...The main street is busy with people, shops, cafes and surfers heading to the beach...me too...

Byron Bay's main street leads up to the beach...a little park and then the lovely beach, going on forever in both directions. Mt Warning is a left over volcano plug at one end of the beach and the highest point in New South Wales, the Aussie state we are in at the moment. I pick my spot on the soft sand and settle in for some people watching..lots of people...tons of surfer's and boogie boarders...a yoga class on the grass..heaven!! It is gorgeous and sunny, bright blue skies...apparently it has been overcast and raining alot this summer..but we have lucked out as the weather has been fabulous everywhere we have been!!!

I hop in the ocean for a swim and some fun in the waves and surf...yay!!

I finally leave the beach and head back thru town, stopping at all the little shops..suddenly there is a parade of bikes outside..with nudie riders cruisin thru town, with a little body paint here and there the rest all skin!!! too funny...about 20 nudes just cruisin around town on their bikes..not sure why but who cares...They swing by a few more times as I make my way back to see if Russell s awake yet...

Tonight we cruise back over to Railz for some dinner cause we know there will be live music...the food and the band are great...and once again the place is hoppin...tonight the band is the soul shakers...they are good and everyone is dancing...A very cool surfer boy is in my seat when I get back from the bar...Steve is an Aussie boy, living and surfin in Byron.

Surf Camp to Byron Bay

2008-03-07T22:47:00.000+13:00

Surf Camp to Byron Bay
3.7.08
Cuddles picked us up at surf camp, for about a 4 hour cruise up to Byron Bay.

One notable from today's ride..random big thing #2!!!! in Ballina, the giant prawn...yup, big and pink...again, no picture, use the old imagination...

Pulled into Byron around 2pm, sweet little town on the beach, really cool and hip...described as not knowing if it is a yuppie town, a hippie town or a surfer's town...all of the above are ok with me and I immediately love the vibe here..and hence call up Oz and extend our stay from 2 nights to 4!!!

We check in and suss out the plans for further up the coast...it takes a bit of planning to get the Fraser Island and Whitsunday's Islands and sailing boats sorted...but it is done...barring no bad weather...they are up north at the moment having 100 year floods and such, some of the buses have been stuck for days..hoping all that will clear out as we make our way north....

Took a cruise around town, down to the beach for some sunset photos and a drum circle...such a lively little town with so much going on!!! Ate at a yummy cafe on the main drag with some live music, which initially scared Russell away...I made him go back...Puddles had pointed out the local hang out, the Rail station and on the way back from dinner it was going off...tons of people so we stopped by...The band was The Blue Hulas...they were GREAT!!! Really fun and lively and everyone was dancing!!! Really great live show, unfortunately it ended around 9ish...bummer. Stopped back at Cheeky Monkey's the bar we have been hearing about...walked in to chicks on stage in bras and panties and them coming off...then lots of dancing on tables...and that was about all I could take...I am a bit over the high school, college scene...Russ however is not...So I am here writing this up and will be up early for a good day...he will sleep all day tomorrow...we keep different schedules...
Can't wait for morning and time to explore...night

Sydney to Surf Camp

2008-03-07T19:44:00.002+13:00

Sydney to Surf Camp
3.6.08
So today we set off from Sydney on the big bus...not that big but bigger than our previous Oz bus. Our driver is Binks and she will shuttle us 9 hours to surf camp, to be fair the drive is only 7 hours up the coast, but we stop for meals and dunnies.

Not too much was memorable, did go through Coff's Harbour, home to Russell Crowe, who plays at the local pub with his band when he is in town. Also the home of the 1st BIG random thing, the banana....Australia has this thing with big shit and some people actually tour the country looking for these big random things, really they are just giant sculptures...weird but true, and they knew of this phenomenon in New Zealand cause when we saw this big display of fruit roadside, Smiley made mention of the random big things in Aussie and it is all coming together now....Anyway, big banana...no picture..use your imagination!! and a banana cause there are plantations along the coast here...

Pulled into surf camp and unloaded the bus and got settled in our trailer...10 beds down a narrow hall, not the norm for accomodations but it is surf camp and this is how everyone lives..including residents and owners...We take a cruise to the beautiful beach, and then around the grounds...groovy little place. We get our little briefing as to how our next 18 hours are gonna be and then chill before our cookout meal. All 100+ people come together for a big feed and party, at 8:30 the party picks up, tiki torches, fire in a wheel barrow and tunes in a huge rubbish bin, rigged with speakers all wheeled down the beach for out beach party. The sky was AMAZING!!!!! stars..stars...and so many more stars..and galaxies and fluff, and shooting stars, I counted 8, and I really wasn't watching...just caught them while talking with people...Such an incredible night with the surf crashing and stars and sand...couldn't be better!!

Everyone had fun...but the 6am wakeup and surf loomed...and then it came, as promised...a chick standing in the room telling us to get up, breakie was on!!! Food and then on to surf briefing,wet suiting up and grabbing boards...down to the beach by 7am!!!! A brief lesson and in the water we went...a perfect day, great waves, blue skies...fun times riding waves..and wiping out too!!!

We rode for about 3 hours, no dolphins..they have been around the last couple days , but not today...maybe cause we had so many, thursday's are the big days with loads in camp!!! Sad to go, the surf was great, water was warm and people were sweet!! 11am...back on the bus, off we go again..bye bye mojo surf!!!!

Bondi Beach

2008-03-05T19:41:00.002+13:00

5 march Bondi Beach
Walked the city a bit this am...big, quite nice city, tons of shopping...it's very hard not shopping... I am not even looking, especially since I mailed home close to 6 kg today and it cost me $118!!! So I won't be loading my bag back up!!!

Bondi Beach is a very cool place!!! A huge and beautiful beach flanked by rocks at each end. Tons of surfers , boogey boarders and swimmers...and lots of gorgeous sand. The boardwalk is full of activity..loved it. Really cute neighborhoods on the way there and great little shops and stores, got me a new aussie bathing suit or swimmers as they call them.

Took the bus back into Sydney and went to dinner down at Darling Harbour looking out on the harbour. Nice last day in Sydney!!!On up the coast now!!!

Katoomba Blue Mountains

2008-03-02T19:39:00.001+13:00

Katoomba
Hopped a train out of central station in Sydney for a 2 hour ride to the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are a vast and amazing wilderness area and National Park sooo close to Australia's largest city. Some of the areas here are so remote it is possible noone has been there before. In 1994 they found about 40 ancient trees thought to be extinct millions of years ago. Rock climbing and canyoning are huge in the area. We went to an Imax film today shot in the Blue Mountains, taking you by helicopter to places you could not other wise see..it was pretty cool.
Another chill day in the Blue Mountains.

Oz Day 3

2008-03-01T14:13:00.000+13:00

Day 3
Slept in a dorm room last night with the 5 chicks from the bus.woke to a concert of cell phone alarms and a freezing cold room!! The heat is off and the bathroom window open cause it is supposedly summer...who cares if it is only like 4 degrees c!!! The sunrise over Lake Jindabyne was beautiful off our porch! Today we are heading to Sydney via the capital city of Australia Canberra.

Canberra is a pretty new city with a population of 250,000. The first settlers came to Aussie in 1788 and Australia was united as a nation in 1901. The 1st Parliament house is now a museum, the new and current one was finished in 1988 and designed by an American design firm who won a worldwide competition for the design. It is built into the hill and faces a long stretch out the front looking on the old Parliament and then the War Memorial on to Mt Anslie. The city is designed in a triangle with specific points and the top being the new Parliament Building.

Inside all the finishes are from around Australia. The house of Representatives is done in a green to mimic the color of Eucalyptus trees. The Senate is done in a rose, the color of the flowers of the Eucaluyptus. After our tour we grabbed lunch and headed up to Mt Anslie for a beautiful panoramic view of Canberra and Parliament.

Back on the road for another 4 hours to Sydney!! Tonight is the Mardi Gras Parade. I was confused as Mardi Gras should be over...well this is the HUGE gay and lesbian parade and festivities that occur each year in Sydney...and due to Mardi Gras we are unable to stay in Sydney..everything is booked!! Soooo we get off our bus and onto a train and head out to the Blue Mountains and the town of Katoomba. Katoomba is a small mountain town with one main street and lots of mountain activities, loads of rock climbing and hiking. We grab some Thai food and head to bed after a long day.

Oz Day 2

2008-02-29T14:03:00.000+13:00

day 2 OZ
We left at 6:45 this morning...ouch!!! We will be driving on some crazy mountain roads and heading into the snowy mountains and passing from Victoria into New South Wales. We enter Alpine National Park and head into the mountains on dirt roads that are about a car and a half wide that fall off the sides to nowhere....Kinda crazy, but also not so many cars traveling here thank goodness. We reach the border of Victoria and New South Wales and the name of the NP changes from Alpine to Kosciusko National Park on the NSW side. We start to follow the Snowy River, which has a poem written about it, "The Man from Snowy River" and the man's name was Jack..and of course we pulled off at Jack's lookout for lovely views of Snowy River! We now enter the Jindabyne Region, the most popular place in Aussie for winter sports. Tons of summer sports as well because of the great terrain and Jindabyne Lake, but really only known for it's winter sports...where it just becomes overrun in the winter. We drive up above treeline to the snow fields, where they actually had snow last night!!! It is only 2 degrees c here today, quite unheard of for this time of year!!! A lovely hike on the rocky terrain, looks just like hiking in the Colorado Mountains....

Will cruise back down to Jindabyne for the night, don't think we will be swimming of wakeboarding as is the usual on this trip...a wee bit to cold today....

Australia!!!!!!!Day 1 Oz Experience

2008-02-26T00:54:00.003+13:00

Melbourne
We stayed 2 days in Melbourne in a suburb called St Kilda. It is a cool and trendy little place on the beach. It reminded me a little of The Highlands H...altho it was about 4 times the size with several more cool cafe's and shops. You can get just about anything..and trams run up and down the streets, a block perpendicular to the main street is the boardwalk ad the beach, and an amusement park...it is just a cool little place!

Day 3 Oz Experience...
Left Melbourne bright and early this am heading down the coast. We drove to Wilson's Promontory National Park, in gippsland, the most southern tip of Aussie. The ocean here is the Bass Straight which separates Australia and Tasmania. Wilson's Prom is full of Flora and Fauna only found in Aussie, lots of Tea tree's...., rain forests, eucalyptus forests,sand dunes,coastline,etc...we pulled off at the airstrip and right as we get off the bus there is a Kangaroo and a joey!! We are able to get quite close ad they go on their way eating grass and then they hop off!!, We continue thru the bush and come across a blue tongued lizard, kinda similar to the blue balled monkeys in Africa, same color blue!!! As `we walk on more kangaroo's just hangin out...very cool to just come upon them in the bush..and then!!!!!! a WOMBAT!!! they are nocturnal so it is pretty rare to find one out and about in the middle of the day!! So cool!! I was having trouble picturing one, but they are super cute little bugger's, really cute face and adorable waddle, again he didn't seem to bothered by us and we could get quite close...very cool! Left the airstrip and next up was an akinna, kinda looks like a porcupine with a pointy nose, family of the platypus, likes to hide his face.

We then set out for a hike out to Prominent point across Tidal River, a brown color from the tea tree's sap and then on to Squeaky Beach. Prominent Point has 360 coastal views off to one side is Whiskey Beach and Squeaky Beach to the other, lots of granite rocks and boulders and the gorgeous aquamarine, clear,sea. We ate lunch out on the granite rocks overlooking Squeaky Beach with gorgeous white sand, called that as it squeaks when you walk on it.

Back in our bus and onward, we run across an emu and baby next..the emu and the kangaroo are the aussie national symbols, what they have in common is that the are unable to go backwards or reverse..hence aussie's are always moving forward...

We cruise on to Lakes Entrance where we will stay tonight, called such as there is an inlet where the ocean comes and meets the fresh water lakes, a huge region of fresh water lakes. This is a big fishing region, with fishing boats galore on the downtown strip, so of course we go for some fresh fish and chips for dinner!!!Lovely. After dinner we take a sunset cruise out to 90 mile beach, this one apparently really is 90 miles, unlike 90 mile beach in NZ! It is stunning with the crashing surf, clouds and orange setting sun. The beach goes on for as far as you can see in both directions and is completely deserted. I wanted to stay there and sleep it was so amazing.

Auckland Day Trip

2008-02-22T00:37:00.001+13:00

Auckland Day Trip
So Kiwi puts on a free trip around Auckland...and we figured Why not?
We managed to squeeze on the bus around 10am and headed out, they took us thru all the cool neighborhoods with cool shopping and fun cafe's, by Victoria Market kinda like Fanieul Hall in Boston, why can't I think how to spell that any more!!

First stop is the Harbour Bridge where we get to leash up and walk out under the bridge. By leash up I mean we strap on harnesses and once we get out there we are latched on to a cable on the bridge and walk on a 2ft wide plank where you can see the water moving below. awe walk up,up,up and when we reach the middle of the bridge we unhook and climb straight up a bunch of stairs into a "pod". Once we are all in the pod the front side opens and we are hanging up on the underbelly of the harbour bridge at it's highest point!! An Maori tune starts pumping really loud as on of the guys straps on a harness and runs and dives off the platform toward the water below..yikes!!!!!! I am having a hard enough time just standing there with the see thru floor!!!
No one else is brave enough to hurl themselves off despite AJ Hackett's more than easonable price for the Harbour Bridge jump!!! We turn and back, back down the steep stairs and re-leash for our long cruise back! Thrilling!!

On we go to Devonport a peninsula across the bridge to the North of Auckland, we have some lovely fish and chips in the park by the ocean. after lunch we are kicked off the bus and told to climb straight up this hill, an old dormant volcano cone, which once housed a fort to protect Auckland. The views from the top are gorgeous looking back at Auckland and at Rangitata another dormant volcano to the north. "The Big Smoke" Maori name for Auckland looks pretty cool from this vantage point, even on an overcast and blustery day. We leave an head back across the bridge and stop by the Auckland Museum, set high above the city, on another dormant volcano lump, in a very grand roman looking building. We head over to another cute suburb called Parnell, lots of nice and trendy areas to shop and eat in the city...a worthwhile day about Auckland.

Arahi's Moko

2008-02-21T00:34:00.000+13:00

A Day with Colin
I have been anticipating this day for the last 3 since I met Andy and heard of Colin. It is fate that I will meet him and that I was on Andy's bus. Our first stop on our trip to the Bay of Islands Andy, our driver, talked of the Kauri wood carvings of the benches and tables done by his brother Colin who is also a tattoo artist. Since getting to NZ I have been asking around for a Maori artist and have been given a few names and even talked to a few, but it didn't work out and now I Know why.

I was picked up by Colin's wife Jeanne, pronounced John, french, she has facial moko too. I already had an idea as to how Colin or Arahi, his Maori name,would look, I looked him up on inkednation.com under NZ artists. Andy told me to look him up so I wasn't intimidated when I met him, he is a big and strong warrior and chief of the Maori people. Their house is in the bush next to a gorgeous beach an hour west of Auckland. I feel welcome and invited as soon as I arrive, a bit in awe, as Colin really is something in person!!

So I sit down and we decide on a location for the piece and then he starts asking questions...about me my family, etc...all the while he is sketching. I won't go into details but it was an unbelievable experience and I was sobbing before I knew what happened to me...he pulled out all this stuff and soon we were talking as if we had known each other for years, there was something spiritual and moving and completely familiar. We stopped for a break and some lunch out on the deck overlooking the bush and waterfall and I learned Colin is a Maori Chief and head of his family, and a priest..also a long time friend of Bill W, putting him in a place to understand my life in a way most can't. We talked alot about my trip, my life, his life, his family, and the future.

Back to work..he sat with the sketch and blessed it's place, Maori tattoo's are very sacred and always have much meaning, and lots of people are refused. It hurt alot more than the other tattoo's I have, not sure why..but even the conversation was not distracting me now, maybe I just needed to feel the pain..sounds like something Colin would say...anyway, it was worth every moment. When Colin finished and explained what each part of it meant and who it represented and what it represented it was AMAZING!! This is a day and a man that will stay with me and in my heart forever, I have been thinking of and trying to live by his words since meeting him...awe...

Strange too... I got back to Auckland and Jeanne dropped me off, I went to go around the corner and grab a drink and smashed right into Andy, full on...wierd...but he asked all bout his bro and got to see the work, cool for him.

Cape Reinga

2008-02-18T00:34:00.000+13:00

Cape Reinga
We are heading out to the winterless north. First stop is Puketi Kauri Forest to check out some of the Kauri trees that are dated back some 2000 years, they used to be cut for boats and timber but are now preserved as they take sooo long to grow!

We head to Cape Reinga where the two oceans meet and the light house stands to mark the most northern spot in NZ. The Maori consider this a sacred spot as legend tells this is where spirits pass into the next world via this tapu(sacred) place. WE head over to Tapotupotu Bay for lunch and a swim at a beautiful beach.

We load up and head over to the quicksand river at Te Paki stream, notorius for eating cars and buses...we power thru at high speeds and reach a spot at the base of the sand dunes where we can sand board!! We grab boogie boards and climb to the top and then hop on and speed to the bottom!!!!sweet dunes!!

We drive out onto the beach...90 mile beach..and start driving down the beach...we pull down into the waves and then circle back to test the sand and see if we can park and get out...seems safe, we park and head down to the surf with a bucket and collect a whole bucket of shellfish and open and eat them right there...we hop back on and keep driving...the beach goes on forever and we keep driving, we see noone for the longest time..so incredible. We come across the prints of a herd of wild horses just up ahead of us..we speed up to try to catch them but they disappear over the dunes before we catch up. We drive down the beach for some 50 miles before we head up and off...amazing...when there are storms you can see all the cars that are buried beneath the sand on the beach...apparently it happens quite often!!

We head down to Mangonui and eat fresh fish and chips on the water and then back on the road. Passing Whangaroa harbour and heading back thru Kerikeri to Paihia. Another night at the Pipi Patch.

Today we take the ferry over to Russell to spend the morning and early afternoon investigating the now quaint village. Quite tame from it's harsh reputation of yesteryear. Back to Paihia in time to catch the afternoon kiwi with Andy back to Auckland.

Awesome and Top Bit

2008-02-17T23:27:00.002+13:00

Awesome and top bit
Monday am and we are back on the KIwi bus leavin Auckland with Andy. Today we head on up for a 3 day tour of the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, the most northern tip of New Zealand. We head out over the Harbour Bridge and follow the Hibiscus coast thru the coastal town of Whangarei up to Paihia in the Bay of Islands. We check in at the Pipi Patch hostel and than head out on the Excitor. The excitor is a high speed jet boat that wil cruise us around the islands and out to the hole in the rock, gotta love these fast boats! The sea is spotted with islands and beaches and moored boats..it is beautiful. The hole in the rock is pretty cool..see pictures..then we cruise back in stopping in Russell, aka Hell hole of the pacific!!!! nice. Back on land we walk along the beach in the small resort town back to our hotel and a BBQ dinner put on by the hostel.

Raglan Soundsplash

2008-02-16T23:26:00.001+13:00

Spent Valentine's day in Auckland making more plans and hanging out with a friend in town for the day. It's now Friday and we are off on the airport shuttle to pick up the rental car to head down the coast to Raglan. I was excited to get a manual transmission until Russ reminded me that I would be shifting with the left hand...Yup that would be a bit much to remember...so we have an automatic. I get in and there is a sticker on the dash saying "keep left"..I have to keep repeating it in my head...stay left...stay left...not hard unless you are turning or in a rotary....

We spend 2 hours on the road and arrive in Raglan, a cute little surf town on the west coast.

We drive out to Kaiora Surf Camp where we will be staying for the weekend, it is high above the sea in a tropical garden..really cute and tucked away, good thing we rented a car. We drop our stuff and head down to the sea to watch the surfers on the break, surfers and lots of kite surfers too...We then head out to the venue on the hills above the sea, and one stage downj in a protected valley, the other up high on the hill. It is a bit cool and windy tonight but the bands start and things warm up!! Highlight of the night was Salmonella Dub..a New Zealand band who we have been hearing as we toured the country..they are excellent!!! also tonight was Olmecha Supreme...great!!!! They ended with the motorcycle song..it was crazy!!!! really great time!!! We got back to the lodge in the pouring rain..and saw the glowworms lining the walkway back to our rooms..

Back to the beach this morning, another gorgeous day, some good food at a cafe in town, a short nap and then back to the venue for more music. Soundsplash is also an eco festival...lots of tents and info on conservation and recycling..reduce..reuse..recycle...the eventy is a zero waste event...last year they recycled 80 % of all waste over the 3 days, this year they are hoping for 100%! the eco zone did a great job with info and displays. Tonight the weather is warmer and the tunes are on fire!!! We race from tent to tent as all the performers are on fire tonight. Dubhead,wicked draw and G corp rocked the heavyweight tent...on the mainstage Junior Kelly from Jamaica was hot and the most anticipated locals Katchafire were everything I was waiting for!!!! Back to the heavyweight where UK's Overproof soundsystem were on...we were in the front row...even tho Russ didn't want too...The were incredibble!!!The whole place was rockin! They left the stage around 2am and noone was leaving..soooo Sunshine soundsystem and loads of others took the stage for a good old kiwi jam!!! The rapper from Olmecha joined them as well as some of the boys from overproof..huge dance party..probably went til 6 or 7 am...we took off around 4am..AWESOME time at soundsplash!!!

got up and out on the road by 10am...saw one of the boys from Olmecha supreme packing his car at the surf lodge as we were leaving..still wearing what he had on this am early when we saw him last....so glad we ventured to Raglan!!

Waitomo caves

2008-02-12T23:24:00.001+13:00

Waitomo Caves

Today we leave Whitianga and head down the coast and then inward to Waitomo. Waiitomo caves are made of limestone and lie beneath the green countryside. Caves carved by rivers of water..leaving stalactites, stalagmites, cave coral,columns and lots of fossills and GLOWWORMS! by the zillions!! as we float in the underground caves in a boat in the pitch dark the whole ceiling is a glow, looking like stars in the sky, then they shine the flashlight and you can see the webs hanging off them to catch their prey..ewwww
Out of the caves and we board the not so magic bus and head on back to Auckland. and Valentine;s Day

Coromandel

2008-02-10T23:23:00.001+13:00

Magic Bus to Coromandel

We are in Auckland at Base for the night and today it is off by ferry to Coromandel Peninsula. the weather is a bit drizzley today which is bit of a bummer, but our weather has been so fabulous the whole trip you can hardly complain! We hop on the ferry and head out leaving Auckland behind, passing dormant volcano's and lovely islands. Whaiheke is our first stop to pick up a few people who were staying on the island, a popular getaway for Aucklander's, next stop is a small island with just a farm on it and we pull in to deliver thier mail! After some rough seas and a short nap we arrive in Coromandel and hop a tour bus to get into town..magic has not been real specific on what or where we are going so we try to find out from the tour bus guy who hooks us up with where to stay and what time in the am we will be picked up...we are used to Kiwi and having every thing handled and learning other tour companies are not the same!!!

We are staying in Coromandel town at Anchor Point,a really cool hotel/hostel. It reminds me of being in kauai, hilly, tropical and on the ocean. Coromandel is an old gold rush town, today it's one main street is lined with fresh seafood places, shops and cafe's.

We head out of Coromandel in the morning traveling along the coast, through the tropical forests and farm lands. Several mussel and oyster farms are visible along the coast as well as spectacular beaches. We head into Thames for some food and to catch up with the magic bus which will take us onward. Next stop is Whitianga. In Maori "wh" is pronounced "f". On the way we stop off at Hot Water Beach. Again on geothermal beds so when you dig into the sand at low tide the water that comes up is hot, you can make your own hot tub on the beach!!

Next we hike to Cathedral Cove and Stingray Bay. Along the coast a huge spie and hole in the rock washed away by years of erosion, beautiful place for a hike and a swim.

We get to our hostel in Whitianga right on the beach. This is the same beach captain cook moored his boat off in1769 and watched the planet Mercury cross the night sky, hence the area is today known as Mercury Bay. Fun little beachside town, quiet and slow paced.

Fly to Rotorua

2008-02-07T17:57:00.001+13:00

feb 7 Rotorua

We arrive in Rotorua on a beautiful day, Mark Slade, a friend from so long ago picks us up at the airport and we drop our bags and head to Te Puia, a Maori cultural place NZ's most well known thermal area with Geysers and boiling Mud pools. Rotorua is built on a volcano and so the earth underneath is seeping to the surface and boling hot. The town is known for it's sulphur smell and hot springs and mud baths.

At Te Puia we see a Maori cultural show where the perform the Haka,local song and dance and see local arts and crafts as well as a Kiwi bird...almost extinct and not to be seen unless looking at night as they are nocturnal.

We walk back to town and meet up with Mark and head back to the house where Denise has cooked us a lovely meal and we meet the 2 boys, Mitchel and Cameron. Mark breaks out some very funny pictures from Myrtle Beach so long ago, with sooo many people!! Toledo Travis's plus Russell and Mark Slade, Villigers, Whalen's plus Julie and Robbie..looked like fun. a dip in the hot tub and then bed. We get up and have a big brekkie and head out to the Redwood Forests for some Mountain biking!! Russ and I ren]]]]t bikes and off we go,
quite quickly I remember how long it's been since I was mountain biking...and the downhills are much steeper and narrower than I recall!!! It was great fun..I only crashed 2 times...the second time Denise wiped out on the gravel in front of me and as I swerved to avoid her ended up head over handlebars in a huge picker bush...bloodied and bruised I hop back on and keep going..only to be picking thorns out of my skin for the next 10 days!!!ouch! Gorgeous trails and woods, all so close to town and their house, they go every weekend.

We go down for a swim at the lake, beautiful calm lake with black swans swimming and crystal clear water, then back to the house and out to dinner in Rotorua. Our last night, we leave on the Naked bus in the am for Auckland.

more pic's qtown to chch

2008-02-06T17:48:00.000+13:00

church of the good shepard and lake tekapo

Kiwi Qtown to Christchurch

2008-02-06T03:26:00.001+13:00

Waitangi Day February 6

So today we leave Queenstown, sadly..as it's Waitangi Day, the 4th of July in New Zealand! and there will be parties and festivities throughout town, including a reggae party down at the wharf cause everybody knows February 6 is also Bob Marley's birthday!! Should be a good time..but off we go to Christchurch.
We head out over Lindis Pass into Mackenzie country. We stop near Twizel for a last look at Mt Cook, New Zealand's highest peak at 3750m, this time we get to see it from the east side. The Maori name for it is Aorangi meaning cloud piercer. Mt Cook is joined by 22 other peaks over 3050m in the range and the Tasman Glacier is the largest in the world second to the Himalaya's.

Next on to the brilliant blue Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo where the church of the good shepard sits by the lake, with it's bronze sheep dog outside it's doors. The lakes are an amazing blue that looks a bit fake, but so beautiful.

We get back to Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island with about 400,000 people. It has a very English flair and was named the #1 garden city in the world..great facts I know!! Jill picks us up with Jade and we head off to a friends house for a Waitangi Day party!! One night in Christchurch with Flitzy,the huge cat..and we take off and fly north to Rotorua in the morning.9:26 AM 2/26/2008

Milford Explorer

2008-02-04T14:44:00.004+13:00

Today bright and early after about 2 hours of sleep...we boarded the bus to Milford Sound. The ride takes us into Fjiordland National Park with gorgeous views of farmland, mirrored lakes, tons of waterfalls, lots of forests and mountains. Justin is our leader today...watching all of us sleep in the way over and making fun of us!!

We arrived at Milford Sound and hopped on a boat for a cruise in the sound out to the sea. It is a beautiful day and the mountains rise out of the sea straight up, it is impossible to even photograph as we are so "amongst it". We see seals sunbathing and diving off the rocks, the penguins and dolphins are hiding today....Just can't stop smiling....

We cruise under a huge waterfall and feel the mist and then head down a small inlet and hop off at an underwater observatory where we walk down under the sea and find all the living things in view under the cold sea.

After the boat we hop back on with Justin and head on out of the Fjords. I didn't mention the Homer Tunnel, kinda like the eisenhauer tunnel in colorado in that it goes thru a mountain...but this thing is long and 1 lane, and pitch dark, and appears to be unfinished...it is just a semi-circle of raw exposed rock, heading at a sharp downward angle...very interesting...the views on either side...amazing. Long day, but pretty incredible.

Kiwi Day 7

2008-02-01T14:27:00.003+13:00

Wanaka to Queenstown
We enter the Kawarau Gorge and the lush green turns to rugged rocky dry brown scrub. The Kawarau river lies at the bottom of the gorge as we follow it and pull off at the Kawarau Bridge aka K Bridge and the home of the 1st commercial bungy site in the world! 43 m down where you can be dunked in the river below as you hurl yourself off the bridge...or not! AJ Hackett owns and operates and started bungy in NZ.

Queenstown is a quaint town nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu facing The Remarkables mountain range aka "The F*%#ing Amazing" mountain range so named by an american film maker....The scenery is simply magical and stunning and I did not want to leave. Today Queenstown has a population of 20,000 and is known as the adventure capital of the world, there are ski fields, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, river boarding, luging, jet boats, everything you can think of to do on the Lake, mountain biking, paragliding,canyoing,skydiving...I could go on but won't...you wanna do it I bet you can!

Can't talk about Q-town without mentioning the Fergburger!! HUGE and delicious burger, had a couple...so tasty. Also the World Bar, best filet steaks in NZ also teapots...scary drink concoctions served in teapots with so much booze it's a bit scary!

We also took the gondola up to the mountain peak above town for a stunning view and a couple luge rides down the side of the mountain...heaps of fun on a gorgeous day!!

Kiwi Day 6

2008-01-31T19:42:00.001+13:00

Back on the road this am heading to Haast and Wanaka. First stop Lake

Matheson near Fox Glacier, where I jumped , for a hike to catch the reflection of Mt Cook and the southern Alps on the still lake.

As we head down the coast it will be our last glimpse of the coastline before reaching Haast and heading inland. At the Gates of Haast we head up the pass and into Mt Aspiring National Park. Here is where we start seeing the thousands of waterfalls that line the roads in new Zealand. As we drive toward Wanaka we pass stunning lakes surrounded by mountain ranges. Wanaka is headquarters for Mt aspiring NP where everything outdoor goes, camp,fish,swim,boat,mtn bike,waterski,wakeboard, snowboard in the winter on the snow fields...Cardrona and Treble Cone NZ's steepest. This is the Otago region, where we have lake Wanaka and lake Hawea. Wanaka population 6000. Wanaka home to Rippon festival...kick ass..

Kiwi Day 4

2008-01-30T19:23:00.001+13:00

After a long night we hop on the bus for a short drive to the Bushman's center at Pukekura. There we learn about Helicopter hunting and deer recovery for the deer farms, as well as possum trapping and possum pies.

We head on down the coast to Franz Josef Glacier Village nestled in the westland National Park, passing several kettle lakes along the way left by the glacier long ago. The Franz glacier has a depth of 45m and has been receding dramatically since the 1890's.

It is here that I jumped out of a plane!!!! I jumped with Rod at Skydive NZ over the Alps near Fox Glacier. I was right up there at 13,000ft level with New Zealand's highest mountain Mt Cook (Aorangi). The scenery as I floated, or actually sped to earth for 45 seconds...and then floated was mind blowing!!! The most intense was when the door opened at 13,000ft and I was hanging outside the plane, did a roll out the door and saw the plane flying away over my shoulder as I did a flip and realized I was speeding toward the earth!!! INTENSE!! and so exhilarating. Once the chute opens it is just quiet and peaceful as the Southern Alps. glaciers, rainforest's and the oceans, rivers and farms surround you below, unreal...as you float to the earth the sheep below and then gently land right next to the car....Loved it!!!

Franz Josef is a cool little town, just there to cater to the activities on the glacier and the tourists, fun and quaint and everyone knows everyone..fun 2 days here!!! Had a massage an hour before my jump...couldn't have had a better day!!

Kiwi Day 3

2008-01-29T19:01:00.001+13:00

We leave Westport down the spectacular Hwy 6 along the rugged Tasman shoreline. Lots of farmland, sheep,deer,cows,deserted goldfields, rainforests and the snow still left on the Southern Alps. Our first stop is a beautiful sea walk for a few km at Cape Foulwind and tauranga Bay and a huge seal colony.

Next stop is Punakaiki, the pancake rocks and blowholes. The pancakes are limestone stacked after years of erosion, see the picture...

On to Greymouth, chief commercial center of West coast, population 12,000!! We shop here at St Vincent de Paul for an outfit to wear at our party at the poo pub tonight, theme..anything but clothes, or if clothes must be less than $5.

On to Hokitika, where we cross the Arahura River and the valley where the Pounamu or Nephrite jade aka greenstone, sacred to the Maori people comes from. Also Hokitika was known for its abundance of gold back in the day.

Final stop today Lake Mahinapua Hotel where we spend the night with the only resident of Mahinapua Les Lisle, the 85 year old who runs the place and cooks us dinner with Smiley tonight. I get out and head off to the ocean, out the door and to the right, over the dunes..pure gorgeous beach, noone on it as far as I can see in both directions! I snap a few photos and head out to the Lake before dark....Out from the hotel to the left, down a tunnel of heavy bush and rainforest which ends with a beautiful moutain lake and the southern alps as a backdrop.

Dinner was great...Thanks les and Smiley, we even got to try some fabulous venison. The Poo Pub was where we were told to buy our Pounamu...some of the best we would find...carved by a local Gary..and good prices for the beautiful work...My piece has recieved countless compliments from people all over New Zealand!! I love it!!!!!!!!!!

The party was a riot, lots of costumes and fun and the whole pub closed down to only us...Much fun at Lake mahinapua!!!

Kiwi Experience Day 2

2008-01-28T23:10:00.001+13:00

We were picked up today by the big green bus..and Smiley, our driver...I have never seen so many teeth!! He is a riot. We head out and wind through the mountains next to the Buller River on a very skinny road. The bridges in New Zealand are all one lane, so you wait for traffic to clear and then proceed... Smiley tells us about the land the river, the history, etc..as we drive along, pretty entertaining. Along the ride all our accomodations and activities are also organized and taken care of, pretty simple.

We arrive at Buller Adventures for our jet boat ride on the Buller. The jet boat is sweet!!! and loud and fast. Dane is our driver, he has a bit of devil in his eyes...and what a ride we get!!! Spins and dunks and driving full speed at the rock ledge and turning within inches..yikes, what a ride!! And soaked, yeah we were soaked, raincoat did nothing, it was like someone took a barrel of water and dumped it on our head!! over and over.

Dane drove us to Westport, a cute west coast town where we checked in to Bazil's Hostel for the night. Headed downtown to sample the "best pizza on the west coast" according to Smiley. The pizza place is also the bar, owned by an Aussie, our bus all showed up there, including Dane and Smiley. We met up with an Auckland couple who were taking her mother around on the bus, she was from Brazil. They were the closest to our age at a whopping 30!!! The town was quite deserted aside from us, there were really no other people out or on the streets.

Kiwi Experience day 1

2008-01-27T18:22:00.000+13:00

Spent a few days with Chris, Jill and Jade...seeing sites, out on Chris's boat seeing blow holes, Hector's Dolphins, mini dolphins found only here..and driving the boat into caves..yikes..watching heaps of surfers in Sumner, and partying in Christchurch until the wee hours...

Decided the best way to see the country is going to be bus tour due to lack of public transport...so we hop on the Kiwi Experience, the big green bus, which we later learn has quite a reputation and quite a few nick names...but I will tell you it is what you make of it and we had a GREAT time ( hanging out with 20 year olds)..not all of them....

We get left the 1st night in Murchison, by our driver Brent, a Maori guy, who is a little concerned we are staying in Murch....On the way from Christchurch, we stop for a lovely bushwalk and look at a lake and gorgeous mountain range. We are flagged down by the police and given free sausages, drinks and lollies...strange Kiwi experience already...

We stop again to see a waterfall, learn about the flax plants, and Manuka trees, the kiwi tea tree. On to Murch, a teeney little town, we walked the whole town and visited every shop in under an hour, tried to hit the bar and found some scary locals and lots of ACDC playing, shot back to the hostel, The Lazy Cow, learned about the owner and his 2 gold dredging machines, saw pictures of the dredgers in action and all the gold he has mined off the Buller River, about 100k a year, not bad....night

New Zealand

2008-01-24T18:08:00.000+13:00

After 26 long hours on a plane...no it was not suppose to take that long!!! I had a 3 hour sit on the tarmac in Montreal and another 2.5 hours on the tarmac in LA..bummer! BUT...I am here!! and it is gorgeous!! Staring out the airplane window I was giddy looking at what was below...beautiful sweeping hills, farmland , rolling down huge cliffs to the sea, so much unpopulated gorgeous land.

new Zealand is a young country and there are only 4.2 million people in the whole country!! 1.5 million of which live in Auckland...you really get a sense of how unpopulated it is as you travel the coasts and the roads, amazing.....

I hopped another flight from Auckland down to Christchurch after arriving and was met at the airport by cousin Russell and Chris, a friend from christchurch we will be staying with. Chris , Jill, from the US and Jade live in Redcliffs, high above Christchurch overlooking the Tasman Sea with sweeping views of the whole coast from their fabulous house.

2008-01-09T02:40:00.000+13:00

om time centers for yoga practice, trainings, supplies, community and inspiration

Jan 8, 2008

The Ransom Note of Dreams

New Years would not be New Years without a pair of scissors and a glue stick.
Sitting down the other evening, New Year's Day, with my husband and business partner, we cut out snippets and words, and letters and images of WHAT WE WANT to manifest this coming year.

We played like kindergartners as the collages began to take shape. Upon the last image glued in the last perfect inspired space on the poster board, I gazed. How is it, that life can offer so much color? How is it that I can want so much from one year? How is it that all of these feelings, people, places, and goals are POSSIBLE?
Because, they are. The universe just SAYS YES.

How cool.

The universe remembers you, even when you forget. The universe answers the call of whatever is plastered across your mind. The universe does not know the difference between what you want and what you do not want, it just feels the power of your minds manifesting energy. I have learned this through years and years of study, noting that my worrying practice manifested many of my worst fears into pure truths. I have learned this through years and years of study, noting that my visioning and daydreaming practices brought me everything gorgeous and loving that my heart and mind dared to consider.

The mind just moves. The mind just thinks. What I want my mind to think is deeply my own responsibility. I sit DAILY in a decision post of how I am going to claim my dreams. I sit in a space of choosing to either worry about all of the possible dramas and obstacles that may arise or dreaming about what it will feel like to have the dreams come true.

This year, as I stare at my vision board, I realize that I created a visual RANSOM note for my soul. I have 365 days to respond to these dreams. If I choose to ignore these demands, my heart will have grave consequences. Since my lifetime is at stake, I am complying to the terms of the ransom.

I sit here… envisioning and dreaming… BIG.

To create a vision board for yourself, follow these easy and FUN steps:

Collect all of your favorite magazines, a glue stick, and pair of scissors.
Secure a piece of poster board, any size and color you choose, the bigger, of course, the better.
Flip through the magazines and begin to cut out words and phrases and images of places, inspirations, colors, themes, intentions, and goals you would like to MANIFEST in the coming year and your life in general. DROP any worries about HOW or WHY or WHEN… just cut them out.
When you have cut as many snippets of success, happiness, and love as you desire, begin to organize on the poster board and glue them down.
Once complete, take a long and inspired gander at the coming brilliance of ALL that you are inspired to experience.
Place the completed vision board in a conspicuous space in your home or office.
Commit to a visioning practice of 2 – 5 minutes a day: wherein, you commit to looking at these images and holding space for them AS IF THEY WERE YOUR PRESENT moment experience.

Dream BIG.
If there were ever a time to dare,
to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing, it is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily —
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that’s your aspiration,
something that’s your dream.
You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig deep.
Stretch.
Dream big.
Know, though, that things worth doing seldom come easily.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
pack it up, and call it quits.
Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself,
that you are not afraid to learn by trying.
Persist.
Because with an idea,
determination, and the right tools,
you can do great things.
Let your instincts,
your intellect,
and your heart guide you.
Trust.
Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.
The start of something new brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.
Do it right.
~~~ Author Unknown

Next............

2008-01-05T14:11:00.000+13:00

JB loving Christmas!

Bill (un)dressing his doll

Aunt Beck and the Girls!

Ok...back stateside for the holidaze!!!!!!!
Upstate New York is actually covered with snow this year! a WHITE Christmas, sure beats the rain last year!! Went shreddin (aka snowboarding) at Titas with the Casey Family for New Years Eve, felt great getting on the snow, fresh fluffy powder...very special for the North Country!!

I am switching blogs for the new year...this one allows pictures in the text..and has spell check!! Looking forward to 2008...or 2000 GREAT as Stuart is calling it!! I am anxious to get back on the road, trying to figure out my travels....for January to March I am trying to decide...Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan with a Meditation retreat in Kopan Monastery outside of Kathmandu. Then I would travel to Madagascar and on to Mozambique and surrounding islands OR New Zealand and Fiji and surrounding islands and then to Denver, then Florida and back to the North Country to get ready for my trip in April to the Greek Isles, Turkey and Egypt and then on to finish Europe and head over to Bali and Thailand..decisions..decisions..Life is good...OM