Sydney Australia

Sydney,  March 16-19, 2012   [Republished to combine text with photos]

Hard to sum up my Sydney experience in a few words, but I'll just say it was my favorite city I visited here in Australia. Sydney's harbor setting is it's crown jewel. It has some 66 little harbors or bays along its main harbor that stretches for miles. Everywhere the shores are lined with beautiful homes valued in the 2 digit millions.

Captain Cook was the first to discover the eastern coast of Australia, landing in Botany Bay south of Sydney in 1770. Twenty years later the first inhabitants of Sydney were 1000 prisoners brought in from England. Countries in many places in the world used Australia as a prisoner dumping ground, England being the largest dumper. Australian governors recognized most prisoners were charged with petty crimes and after light servitude to locals and engaged in labor on city buildings, they worked their way into Australian society. One former prisoner became a well known architect designing many of Sydney's city buildings. I visited the Hyde Park barracks, a control point for prisoners assigned to locals as servants. It's now a World Heritage site.

And then there is the icon for Sydney, the Sydney Opera House also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is an amazing site. And ... Yes....I did buy a ticket for an opera..my first...." The Marriage of Figaro"..had to experience it in that house!

Went to famous Bondi (that's "bond-eye") beach, where the surf clubs established in early 1900's, were the father of our modern life guard systems.  Lucked out, it was a beautiful San Diego sunshine day that day, the rest were rainy.
Sydney was a nice combination of modern high rise, historical buildings and parks, all right on a beautiful harbor setting...in many ways like my own San Diego. It was my favorite.

Well great trips do end sometime, enjoyed this one a lot, thanks for coming along.

-Bill

Cairns - Latitude 16.9 - The Australian Tropics

March 12 - 14  [Republished to combine text with photos]

I flew up to the wettest part of Australia, the state of Queensland and the city of Cairns. Here in this city of about 160,000 people, annual rainfall is measured in feet (or meters) not in inches.  Cairns was established in the late 1880's to support the gold boom up here. At this low latitude it's very tropical and at the end of the monsoon (hurricane) season.  I was lucky, I got one out of 3 days here with no rain, the other 2 were heavy, but that's the way of life up here.

The city was fun, it had a long esplanade filled with restaurants, and a cool night market. In the Banyon trees above the streets of the city giant bats hung throughout the day then squawked as they took off at sunset flapping their wings which were up to 4 feet across!

Also up here was the chance to visit the great barrier reef. That was a bust, I took a boat to Green island on the edge of the reef, but the weather was bad, a monsoonal storm with buckets of rain. I scrapped the snorkel plans and took a glass bottomed boat. At least I made it to the Reef.

More rewarding was a 7km cable car ride over the top of the rain forest south of Cairns, an amazing ride with stops to view huge waterfall of the Barren river. Also stopped at a small village in the forest, Kuranda, where I visited a butterfly sanctuary, took an amphibious boat ride through the forest, and observed some Aboriginal locals demonstrate boomerang and spear throwing.

This was a great visit of this part of Australia. Next the great city of Sydney.

- Bill

Melbourne Australia

Melbourne Australia

March 10-11, 2012  [Republished to combine text with pictures]

Melbourne was a surprise to me, I expected a smaller town. It is huge, vibrant and reminds me a bit of San Diego with a harbor, and high rise buildings together. But Melbourne also has a river. I was there on a holiday weekend so the town was alive every where. It had a great mix of historical buildings, museums, and modern buildings including a new 88 story high rise tower.

I visited the well preserved Royal Exposition Building, built in 1880 for a world  exposition in Melbourne. The building was selected to be listed as a World Heritage Site. All these sites never disappoint the visitor.

Melbourne's downtown was fun, they have a series of "lane ways" which are old narrow street alleys in between the major streets. They have been converted into busy, pedestrian walkways filled with restaurants and shops.

I enjoyed the city for a couple of days. Now on to the city of Cairnes, in north Queensland. This is a tropical zone, hope to see the rain forests.

- Bill

Christ Church New Zealand - On to Australia

March 11, 2012

Well said goodbye to New Zealand, what an amazing country!  Got to stay at a cattle farm home in Fairlie, met the family. Great people, had a chance to see their animals including a ostrich, 2600 pound bull and Wataki Deer. The Wataki is a deer the size of a horse, beautiful calm animal.  Chris and Derreck my hosts put on an amazing dinner and conversation.

Then a bus ride to Christ Church to fly across the "ditch" to Melbourne, Australia. The devastation from the earthquakes in downtown Christchurch was all very apparent. They had 5 earth quakes since September of 2010, the first one being a 7.0. Much of the downtown is still closed off for repairs. Many multiple story buildings have to be torn down. Lots of construction work for years to come. To give the town people a pick-me-up, they created a mall made out of container cargo holders..painted up and turned into shops. It was an incredible idea, worked well

Well am now in Melbourne. Beautiful city, much to see here, I'll get pictures out separately tomorrow I hope. Internet service has been sometimes hard to find now because everybody has it in their hands on their phones!!

See you in a day or two

-Bill

Sent from my iPhone

New Zealand South Island

I left Queenstown and took a bus to Dunedin. Dunedin was a town established by Scottish immigrants in the early 1800's. New Zealand experienced a major gold rush similar to that of, and at the same time as, the gold rush in California..about the mid 1800's. More gold was pulled out of this region than in California. Dunedin experienced a major boom at that time and became the center of commerce for New Zealand. I toured an old home in the area, and of course a brewery!

Speights (pronounced like weight) was established in 1876, and kept the thirsty New Zealand gold miners satisfied.
From Dunedin it was on towards Christ Church, and got a chance to view the New Zealand southern Alps. A rare view of Mt Cook, which is usually shrouded in the clouds was a highlight.

Tomorrow I'll go through Fairlie, a small farming town on my way to Christ Church. Hope to visit a farm home there

New Zealand Talk:
Car body shop is a "panel bender"
If you want a mug of beer, you as for a "handle"

Good on ya!!
-Bill

Sheep Shearing - Sequence Walter Peak Farm, Queenstown, New Zealand

Shearing sheep - Queenstown, New Zealand

Mustering the sheep - Sheep dog

Walter Peak Country Sheep Farm Tour - Queenstown

March 5, 2012 Dunedin, New Zealand

On Monday I went on a tour of the Walter Peak High Country sheep farm. The farm was reached by a 12 mile steamer boat ride across Lake Wakatipu out of the city of Queensland, New Zealand.  The ride was a tour in itself. The steamship, the TSS Earnshaw, is believed to be the oldest working coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere. It will celebrate  its 100th year anniversary this year. Judging from the black coal smoke rising to the sky out of the stack, they must have a historical exemption from clean air rules!

The sheep tour was amazing primarily because of our tour guide at the ranch - Lindsay. His dry humor and knowledge of sheep farming was incredible. He showed us all how to muster the sheep using a sheep herder's best friend, the sheep dog, then went on to demonstrate shearing a sheep. After shearing, the sheep dawns a new name - SHORN  

I'll try to attach two videos that tell the whole story. Also attached are pictures of the steamer and the ranch. This really brought into perspective one of New Zealand's largest agricultural industries - sheep farming.

On south to the city of Dunedin which  in the gold rush days (1860's) was the hub of New Zealand.

Yours in travel

Bill

Milford Sound - Text

Milford Sound, New Zealand
Sunday March 4, 2012

Today I went on a tour of the Milford Sound. Actually a Fijord as it was a glacier valley carved on the coast of the South Island during the last Iceage some 11,000 years ago. To be able to see this incredible valley that meets the sea, a tunnel had to be drilled through a mountain of solid rock. This was done just  before WW II, suspended during the war, then  completed shortly after. An amazing 5 hour drive  through farm country, then the mountains takes you there from Queenstown. Queenstown is a winter and summer sports mecca, much like our ski resorts, a lively village with lots to do. I'll stay here a couple of days then move south down the Island for a couple of days before heading across the "ditch" to Melbourne Australia.
Totally I lucked out with some beautiful sunny weather!!
See you in a few days
- Bill

Milford sound - New Zealand's Fijords

Auckland New Zealand- At Last!

March 2, 2012
Hi all,

Arrived at long last in Auckland !  A fourteen hour flight is an ordeal but I know it will all be worth it. The Qantas flight was excellent, two great meals, great service, everything included B&B (booze and blankets)  except for one thing, the darn seats are too close together!!! Isn't that always the way it is.
When I arrived didn't waste any time, got a bus to the Auckland museum, which had a great exhibit on the Maori people.

The Maori people were the original inhabitants of New Zealand going back thousands of years.  They are Polynesian descendants starting originally in Southeast Asia 6000 years ago then moving across New Guinea, and Fiji with the last descendants settling in New Zealand beginning about 1000 AD.
Much like our own native American Indians, many of today's younger Maori have learned and retained some of the ancient cultural dances and songs.

Auckland is called The City of Sails, a harbor for the sailing elite. Remember after Dennis Conner won the America's cup in 1987 for the San Diego Yacht Club, New Zealand challenged the  US with a super fast carbon fibre monohull sloop the following year. Dennis responded with a super catamaran, and beat the Kiwi's soundly. It was later challenged in the courts with Dennis ultimately prevailing. The Kiwi boat was permanently mounted here at the harbour.

Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the world. The original Moari word for Auckland is Aotearoa, which means "land of the long white cloud", for me it's been land of the dark cloud, little too much rain.  :)
Off to Queensland, and the beautiful south island of New Zealand, hope to catch some sun there.

Kiwi language lessons: OK is pronounced "ai-kai";  e's in words are generally long - leg is "leeg"

yours in travel,  Bill

Off to Australia/New Zealand Feb 29 - March 19, 2012

Hi Friends and Family!

I'm off again to see another part of this amazing world while I still can. This year it’s a new continent – Australia. But I can’t resist while I’m "down under", to revisit New Zealand. That’s one of my favorites. This is my first “go back”, but its close so why not? There are a couple of World Heritage Sites I will try to bag, including the Great Barrier Reef (got to snorkel there!), the Sydney Opera house, and the Te Wahipounamu region in New Zealand.

Australia is huge, it stretches about the length of the United States from east to west. Imagine “seeing the US” in 20 days!! I think it will take two or more trips to really get a feeling for this amazing country, so I’ll try to just hit some highlights on this trip.

I'll try to post to the blog including some pictures and videos every couple of days. Check back and travel with me! Click on the posted pictures for a larger view. Past weekly postings can be found in the "archives" here on the blog along with some postings from my prior trips.

We’ll see you on the road!! If you can drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you. You can email me at: doubleucubed@mac.com

Yours in Travel,

Bill

Hanoi City, Vietnam March 31 - April 2, 2011

April 3, 2011 Guangzhou airport China

Hi all,

After returning from the mountain trek in Sapa, I spent a couple of days in Hanoi to finish off the trip. Hanoi was founded by Vietnam Emperor Ly in 1010 AD, so it is quite an old city. The city within the Red river's bend. You can see the Chinese influence in temples and in its history. In the 19th century, the French arrived and did a little cultural vandalism by tearing down parts of the ancient city and temples, but they brought with them new European architecture and French bread!! Vietnam declared independency from the French in 1954. And then we know what happened with the American involvement in the late 50's through 1975.

I like Hanoi better than Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). They seem to be similiar in size, I think Hanoi is smaller. They are very busy with traffic, motorcycles, etc, but there is a character here I like better. Walking through the Old Quarter is a real trip. Shops are generally arranged in areas, each street specializing in a certain product. There is the shoe shop street, the plumbing street, the buttons and fabric street, and the paper lantern street. This dates back to age of the craft guilds in the 13th century. Actually a good concept. And of course all over, as in HCMC, the sidewalks are alive with activities, eating, motorcycle parking, barbers cutting hair, merchants selling fruit. Walking the sidewalks is a real challenge, dodging and weaving through the dining areas, residents all sitting on little stools about a foot off the ground, and motorcycle parking...it doesn't seem to end. It's fascinating and amazing. You can walk for hours, just

seeing and feeling the city, with action at every step.

I visited the Old Quarter, buzzing with activity, walked the Hoam Kiem lake, the Fine Arts Museum, the Temple of Literature and the Hoa Lo Prison. The Hoa Lo Prison, aka "Hanoi Hilton" is where the American pilots including Senator McCain, were held during the Vietnam war.

At the prison, for the coverage of the American involvement in the war, the only pictures shown were of protestors objecting to the war, and there was a big play on how well the Americans were treated in prison - basketball courts, nice clothes etc....yea right! Propaganda is here loud and clear.

It was a very depressing prison, it served a great deal for housing the political prisoners protesting against the French in the early part of the 20th century. The French even installed a Guillotine in the prison.

Well I'm sitting in an airport in China, waiting for a flight home. I guess this signals the end of the trip. It was an amazing trip, Cambodia and Vietnam, small countries in size but historical and cultural giants, growing rapidly with new economies that are blossoming under a communist regime now nearly 40 years after the war.

Enjoyed having you along.

-Bill

Sapa Village, Vietnam - March 29-30, 2011

April 1, Hanoi Vietnam

Hi all,

About 200 miles north of Hanoi in the northern portion of Vietnam lie the

mountain ranges that border China. In this mountainous region also known as

the Tonkinese Alps, filled with cascading rice terraces and lush vegetation

lies the city of Sapa. Sapa is a popular destination because it puts you

among a diverse population of hill peoples. Sapa is a trekking hub where you

can hike out in several directions and visit 3 or 4 of Vietnam's 54 ethnic

groups.

Sapa is reached best by train, the usual method being a night train leaving

Hanoi about 8PM, then arriving in Lao Cai the next day about 5AM. Then a one hour ride

from 1500 feet elevation up to Sapa at 5000 feet elevation. Sapa was in the

colonial days, a mountain resort that provided an escape from the hustle

bustle of big city to the cool mountains - it remains that today.

The trip to Sapa was one of the highlights of my trip to Vietnam.

I met my local guide, Ta, raised near Ha Giang, a small village about 50 km from Sapa. Ta was

amazing. Over the 2 days he shared his knowledge of the people and the

area, and assisted me in trekking to visit 3 different mountain villages and to

interact with many local residents. Many of the locals wear native, very

colorful clothes, with color schemes representing their respective heritage.

Among the peoples visited were the Black Moung (mung), Red Dao (tszow),

and the Day (tsai).

I was very lucky Ta said. The weather is hazy, but clear. It can be very foggy

in Sapa. The last few days he said you could hardly see 10 meters ahead on

the road.

When you arrive, you are surrounded by the ethnic ladies in their costumes

with a large hand woven baskets on their backs, carrying purses, cloth belts, and other all

handmade objects. Many will follow you for hours hoping to make the big

sale. Most have a small child wrapped in a cloth backpack. At first it's a bit

intimidating, you are a bit offended, then with a little time you converse, laugh,

take pictures, and as they put it, you are their "new friend". Their technique

works, after several hours and 5 to 10 km hikes, you give in and buy

something!!!

Right off the night train, in the early morning Ta took me through the Sapa

market. This was a REAL local city market, fresh vegetables, fish, chickens

including black chickens, all kinds of meat including the unmentionable....yes

dog. Tables set up with locals having the usual morning soup for breakfast.

No trip to a small village is complete without a trip through the local market.

This whole area is incredibly beautiful with deep valleys, many terraced rice

paddies, water buffalo, and hiking trails all over with lush green forests of

bamboo.

I took a 6km trek the first day to visit the Black Moung in the Cat Cat village.

The second day, an 11km hike down a long river valley to visit the Red Dao

and Day peoples. Yea..I gave in and bought several things to support the

local communities. They are good saleswomen. You bargain and bargain and end up with a agreed upon price. You get handmade items taking hours of work for very few dollars.

This was a wonderful pause from the busy city of Hanoi. Back to the city, for

my last 3 days.

Photos: Night train to Sapa; at the market; black chicken; villagers shopping; Sapa town; little Black Moung; trekkers and their "followers"; water buffalo; incredible valley; my guide Ta; my "new friends"

Video: An encounter with the water buffalo

- Bill