I feel much more relaxed in myself after this trip. Yes, the future is uncertain - I WILL need to find myself a survival-income job before the end of the summer - but I am not unduly worried about it. We spend far too much time on the money mill chasing more and more of the ruddy stuff! Yes, of course it's lovely to have, and I enjoy spending it as much as the next person, but it can take over...
Whether book-making will come back into my life much I don't know: there has been the odd enquiry. My main push at the moment is to get shirt-making: people have always admired my loose, floppy shirt design, so I'm busy making up samples and such. In an ideal world they'll be made to measure, but I will have to have some 'off the peg ones too. Natural fabrics of course - linen, cotton etc.
One of the 'fun' things about starting a new venture is deciding what to call it! 'Made by Me' seemed a good one, but a) all the web domains are already taken and b) what happens when things take off and I have to get in outside help?(!) I'm working with 'Mainly for Men' now. Very apt actually as the shirts ARE primarily aimed at men, but will also suit women as well. Hey! they'd even make good maternity blouses! And of course most men are dressed by their women... I am also in the process of making an extended one as a dress for a friend.
So, watch this space... well, perhaps not this actual space... more like www.mainlyformen.com - once it's up and running!
All the best everybody - and keep in touch.
ADAM
ecologicaladam@gmail.com
Thursday, 19 July 2007
Winding-up thoughts...
I just can't believe I've been back three whole weeks - where HAS the time gone??!! And what IS going on with the british weather? I know we often have wet summers, but really!!
Talking to people about my trip has made me concentrate on what I feel I got out of the holiday: I certainly think I know a bit more about myself!
In no particular order...
I feel a strong need to do the things I want to do: I am already playing the harp (more of that in a moment). And since being back I have bought myself a smart, sporty little Nissan. Ok it's not the Bristol 410 I've always fantasised about, but I did test drive one a couple of weeks ago and, yes, it's a fabulous car, yes I still think it's one of the most graceful car designs ever, but... just not for me. I realised that what I am really looking for is STYLE (something a Citroen Picasso simply does not have!). A visit to a classic car auction also removed a whole drove of other older cars that I've always hankered after. And now I have this cheerful, bright red 20yo Nissan 300ZX. Not at all what you'd expect BUT I think most of my friends have realised by now that I am not a predictable person!!
What else? Well I have made an effort to do things I've not done before, even follow leads I might have been unsure about (mostly catalogued in the blog). The majority of these have been great, with only a few disasters (Great Barrier Reef forninstance).
I have learnt the need to be less judgemental, especially about people: Our society places huge importance on how we look, what we do and even what names we have. I now realise that this is all twaddle: It's not your clothes or your name that is important, it's WHO YOU ARE that matters. I have met many new friends in some somewhat unlikely places.
I am definitely going to try and get more colour into my life - especially on the clothing front: mens' clothes are SO incredibly dull. Yesterday I dyed a selection of shirts purple, today I'll do some bright yellow. And anay further shirts I make for myself will be good strong colours!
Talking to people about my trip has made me concentrate on what I feel I got out of the holiday: I certainly think I know a bit more about myself!
In no particular order...
I feel a strong need to do the things I want to do: I am already playing the harp (more of that in a moment). And since being back I have bought myself a smart, sporty little Nissan. Ok it's not the Bristol 410 I've always fantasised about, but I did test drive one a couple of weeks ago and, yes, it's a fabulous car, yes I still think it's one of the most graceful car designs ever, but... just not for me. I realised that what I am really looking for is STYLE (something a Citroen Picasso simply does not have!). A visit to a classic car auction also removed a whole drove of other older cars that I've always hankered after. And now I have this cheerful, bright red 20yo Nissan 300ZX. Not at all what you'd expect BUT I think most of my friends have realised by now that I am not a predictable person!!
What else? Well I have made an effort to do things I've not done before, even follow leads I might have been unsure about (mostly catalogued in the blog). The majority of these have been great, with only a few disasters (Great Barrier Reef forninstance).
I have learnt the need to be less judgemental, especially about people: Our society places huge importance on how we look, what we do and even what names we have. I now realise that this is all twaddle: It's not your clothes or your name that is important, it's WHO YOU ARE that matters. I have met many new friends in some somewhat unlikely places.
I am definitely going to try and get more colour into my life - especially on the clothing front: mens' clothes are SO incredibly dull. Yesterday I dyed a selection of shirts purple, today I'll do some bright yellow. And anay further shirts I make for myself will be good strong colours!
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Final day pics...
After the temple I followed a peaceful woodland path through rain-foresty woodland and past derelict houses to find something called the Wisdom Walk. This turned out to be engraved Chinese calligraphy on 38 incredibly tall wooden stele; text from the Heart Sutra apparently. They were very magnificent and austere - in very much the same way as a good set of standing stones in a remote place would be. Sadly, as I was sitting quietly admiring them, a Chinese family rolled up, radios blaring and all talking at the tops of their voices. Chinese seems to be a shouted language...
It broke the spell somewhat (my private journal is a little more succint about it!!!) but I'd had some truly beautiful moments earlier, sitting quietly looking at the view and just 'being'.
I admit to feeling just a little sad that my adventure is coming to an end: it's not all been a bed of roses, but I've had some truly wonderful times - in many different ways. And somehow the mundanity of coming back 'home' is a little hard to get used to.
Well, tomorrow I shall be up at 04:15 to catch my 07:35 flight and will spend most of the day travelling one way and another... what a lovely thought. I do not expect to be compus mentus for a day or two!
It broke the spell somewhat (my private journal is a little more succint about it!!!) but I'd had some truly beautiful moments earlier, sitting quietly looking at the view and just 'being'.
I admit to feeling just a little sad that my adventure is coming to an end: it's not all been a bed of roses, but I've had some truly wonderful times - in many different ways. And somehow the mundanity of coming back 'home' is a little hard to get used to.
Well, tomorrow I shall be up at 04:15 to catch my 07:35 flight and will spend most of the day travelling one way and another... what a lovely thought. I do not expect to be compus mentus for a day or two!
Final day
My final day... (sigh) Took the local bus up to Po Lim Monastery, with its famous 'Big Buddha'. The largest outdoors bronze Buddha... and no, I didn't walk up the steps to see it!! Instead I spent some very peaceful time just wandering about the temple buildings. The most wonderful scent of incense on the air everywhere. The temples themselves generally had a selection of very brightly gilded statues under glass cases. The nice touch was the pots of flowering orchids everywhere...
Monday, 25 June 2007
Still more HK
This is the IFC tower - certainly the most elegant skyscraper I've ever seen and one of the tallest.The other picture is of a typical HK street. As with so many places in the world, you get whole areas of one type of shop: a whole alley of cobblers; a clutch of mobile phone shops; a street of antique shops; a whole quarter of shops selling traditional chinese foods and medicines. The latter have baskets full of nameless bits and pieces spilling out onto the pavement and jars and jars of things on shelves in the shop. Perhaps it's better that one doesn't know too much of what's what, altho one can't escape the obvious things like sharks fins...
It's hard to judge prices of a lot of things as I can't remember how much they are 'back home', but I bought myself a set of Mahjong pieces in a lovely lacquered wooden box for a little under £20. Cups of coffee, on the other hand, are very much at Western prices!It was an absolutely knackering day, but a wonderful experience. In terms of seeing the sights I've probably not done terribly well, but in terms of sheer atmosphere it couldn't be bettered!
Today (Tuesday)? Well, Po Lim monastery is somewhere on Lantau Island - I just have to work out how to get there...!
Hong Kong Central
There's something very special about approaching somewhere like Hong Kong on the ferry: one sees the extraordinary conglomeration of sky-scrapers to best effect.First stop was the International Financial Centre tower with its amazingly smart shopping mall and chilly, but welcome air conditioning. Then it was off and wandering up and down the side streets, looking at the shops. I only visited the area right above the ferry docks - all around Queens Road Central, but it gave me a pretty good feel of the hubub that is HK.
All cities have a mix of wealth and lack of it and this is just as apparent in HK as anywhere else, only it's more contrasted: On the one hand there's all these sleek, smart, expensive sky-scrapers with VERY expensive, chic shops below them and then, in the narrow alleys and streets that separate the building there's the higgledey piggledey mish mash of street stalls and more ordinary shops. And everywhere there are food outlets. "Live to eat rather eat to live" emblazon the advertising hoardings and certainly the Hong Kongers take it to heart. It doesn't seem to matter how smart the shop, but at lunchtime they are all sitting behind their counters slurping away at their noodles!
The tram ride up to The Peak was certainly an experience: going up at 45 degrees for some of it! Going back down - facing UP the hill, was even odder. The view from the top was of course spectacular (the photo above) even tho it was a bit cloudy.
Hong Kong
The first thing that hits you in Hong Kong is the humidity. The heat's Ok - mid to upper 30s perhaps - but the humidity aint! One starts quietly dripping as soon as you set off down the street! However, once the tee-shirt has developed a uniform dampness, one ceases to notice it so much...
Staying on Lantau Island - 40 mins ferry from HK Central - in a pleasantly ordinary hotel (the Silvermine Beach) of un-certain age, but it's clean comfortable and, relatively, cheap!
The village (Mui Wo) is pretty quiet and a stroll along the beach is very pleasant. Nearly tripped over a dozing buffalo this evening...!
Fresh Fruit
This is what being on holiday is all about: fresh fruit - nearly all of it locally grown. Going out into the garden to pick mandarines and lemons straight from the tree, Trying to crack the (incredibly hard) shell of home grown macadamia nuts, etc etc...
Friday, 22 June 2007
Winding up... well, sort of...
Another day of driving round the Queensland countryside, this time north of Brisbane. I do a lot of thinking when I'm out in the car I find and I've spent most of today musing on the last four months...
I know that people are going to ask me which I preferred: NZ or Oz and it's not going to be easy to answer. NZ has a lush magnificence and dramatic beauty that I can admire, but I didn't connect strongly with it at all. Australia is a much harsher environment with some potentially very unpleasant wildlife and yet I feel much more relaxed and in tune here. If the opportunity arose to come back and live in Australia I would jump at it - even though I have only seen a tiny part of the country. And of course I am totally smitten with the laid-back Ozzie drawl...
My next challenge is to get everything back into the trunk - harp included - before my final leg on Sunday to Hong Kong. A few days there then it's back to dear old Hereford... (don't you just love irony?!)
I know that people are going to ask me which I preferred: NZ or Oz and it's not going to be easy to answer. NZ has a lush magnificence and dramatic beauty that I can admire, but I didn't connect strongly with it at all. Australia is a much harsher environment with some potentially very unpleasant wildlife and yet I feel much more relaxed and in tune here. If the opportunity arose to come back and live in Australia I would jump at it - even though I have only seen a tiny part of the country. And of course I am totally smitten with the laid-back Ozzie drawl...
My next challenge is to get everything back into the trunk - harp included - before my final leg on Sunday to Hong Kong. A few days there then it's back to dear old Hereford... (don't you just love irony?!)
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Mid-winter's Day
I've just noticed that Blogger dates my entries with yesterday's date - I suppose we ARE way ahead of everyone else down here!Anyway, today is June 21st. The winter solstice is technically at 4am tomorrow, but I'm out and about TODAY. It does seem very odd to be at the shortest day when it's so incredibly bright and sunny everywhere here (northern NSW/southern QLD). Cool, but sunny - well, it's been shirtsleeve weather for a few hours at least! By the evening, esp up at Nimben, it was a matter of putting on every layer one could!
The drive back to Brisie was rather nice - stayed on the back roads as much as I could, stopping off here and there. Even the motorway into Brisbane was quite pleasant.
The top photo is the waterfall at Natural Bridge.
Not especially spectacular at the moment due to lack
of water, but a lovely setting.
The second photo is just a view acrossa cane field...
Piratical Interlude...
Forgot to mention: my dissatisfaction with Byron moved me to go to the cinema. Toss-up between Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Shrek the Thrird... (Ok, ok, I can hear the groans from here!).
Pirates won - simply cos it was the next showing. Well, actually, it was a lot of fun. COMPLETELY over the top of course - Jonny Depp and Orlando Bloom seem ideally suited for that, as well as the girl, whose name totally escapes me!
It's all wonderful tosh of course, with some amazing special effects (but then what film doesn't these days?) and lots of tongues firmly in cheeks. At one point, after one of JD's more daring escapes, one of the characters even asks: 'Do you think he has it all planned out, or does he just make it up as he goes along?' One rather suspects the latter...
Pirates won - simply cos it was the next showing. Well, actually, it was a lot of fun. COMPLETELY over the top of course - Jonny Depp and Orlando Bloom seem ideally suited for that, as well as the girl, whose name totally escapes me!
It's all wonderful tosh of course, with some amazing special effects (but then what film doesn't these days?) and lots of tongues firmly in cheeks. At one point, after one of JD's more daring escapes, one of the characters even asks: 'Do you think he has it all planned out, or does he just make it up as he goes along?' One rather suspects the latter...
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Nimben
At the insistence of George and Sol in Clarence River, I'm staying a couple of nights at a community just outside Nimben. Tucked away in the hills, down a long, rather perilous dirt track there's a rather ramshackle wooden house with some even more ramshackle sheds and the odd, elderly caravan dotted around the bush - not unlike 'Wildways' for those who know that estimable establishment, but rather run-down and overgrown!
Everyone's very friendly and we all eat communally. I spent yesterday just mooching about, initially in front of the wood-burning stove, then progressing to the balcony as the day warmed up. Even pottered out for a walk, harp in tow...!
Everyone loves the harp of course and at a birthday gathering last night, pretty much everyone had a go. The harp is, I think, unique in being an instrument that absolutely ANYone can make a nice noise on!
Woke this morning to nip outside for a pee, to be greeted by the local wallaby and her joey nibbling the plants outside the back door... of course I didn't have my camera there. Anyway, imagine me discretely hopping from one foot to the other in the chill morning air, desperately wanting to answer Nature's call, but also not wanting to disturb this particularly sweet scene!
Byron Bay
This epitomises the sort of town I DONT like: very commercial and touristy. At one end of the scale there's the shops selling cheap new agey stuff and at the other there's the shops selling the very expensive designer hippy stuff: the place seems to abound with rich women wearing studiedly de-structured clothes. Oh, and arts are crafts are relegated to and 'Arts and Industry Village' outside town - you guessed it: an industrial estate... Hmmm
Luckily I was staying at Lennox Head, just down the coast, which was much smaller and had more of a villagey feel to it. Also a wonderful Persian deli...
Luckily I was staying at Lennox Head, just down the coast, which was much smaller and had more of a villagey feel to it. Also a wonderful Persian deli...
Saturday, 16 June 2007
Clarence River
Staying with a couple of guys out in the middle of nowehere (but then a lot of Oz seems to be in the middle of nowhere!). I've been passed on via one of my hosts in NZ: "Oh, give George a call, he's got a lovely house and I'm sure would be delighted to see you..." (This is so typical of the antipodes!) And, yes, here I am, a complete stranger and being welcomed like a long-lost friend. It's a wonderful feeling!
They have just finished building a really wondefull house on 500 acres of land overlooking the Clarence River. Current accomodation is in the tractor shed as they haven't moved in yet, but I ended up kipping down on a mattress in front of a wood-burning stove in the new house itself. There's something terribly primaeval, but also somehow sibyritic, about sleeping in front of a fire... It also happened to be warmer than a bed in a shed...!!
The silence at night is slightly unnerving tho - and the darkness (it's the dark side of the moon at the moment), but waking up as soon as it gets light to see the mist on the river
and then the actual sunrise was truly wonderful.
Out on the road
Had a lovely drive down from Brisbane on Friday - thru the mountains to New South Wales. It really IS nice to be in a car again: being a tourist on public transport is just not my scene!!! It also means I can have my harp with me ;-)
The scenery in NSW is somewhat more attractive than in Queensland (well, the bits I have seen...): for a start, there's WATER on this side of the mountains!! And one's driving along a fairly small, basic road, with bugger all trafic, thingking things like 'a cappuccino'd be nice, but I'm not going to find one out HERE'... only to pass a sign saying coffee... screech of brakes, hasty turnround... and there's a very smart restaurant in the middle of absolutely nowehere where a delicious Capp and choccy tart appeared in moments!!! Bliss
The scenery in NSW is somewhat more attractive than in Queensland (well, the bits I have seen...): for a start, there's WATER on this side of the mountains!! And one's driving along a fairly small, basic road, with bugger all trafic, thingking things like 'a cappuccino'd be nice, but I'm not going to find one out HERE'... only to pass a sign saying coffee... screech of brakes, hasty turnround... and there's a very smart restaurant in the middle of absolutely nowehere where a delicious Capp and choccy tart appeared in moments!!! Bliss
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Back to Brisbane
Back in Brisbane for a couple of nights, then hiring a car and pootling down the coast to Byron Bay and environs. It's a LOT colder here!
More Kakadu
After a night in an extremely basic lodge (there was a dingo roaming around outside when I got up for a pee in the night - and we were warned to beware of snakes!) we set off on another longish drive to the rocks at Ubirr. This by way of the Ranger Uranium mine - from a comparative distance. This is one produces some 7% of the worlds uranium supply... Evidently well run and more eco-aware than many other mining projects: their waste water is actually cleaner than the town supply!The rock paintings I saw both days reminded me somewhat of those I have seen in France, but then I suppose there is a stylistic simlicity about a lot of primitive art that seems reminiscent... Also, the very rocky landscape was not unlike that of Corsica (also a very prehistoric place).
The figure here is a 'sickness' figure, with joints swollen, warning people of sickness in the area. It's interesting that these figures are found at sites where it is now known that uranium is in abundance in the rock...
There was another boat trip in the afternoon, but with less wildlife to look at (apart from crocs). But we did get a demo of aboriginal spear throwing. Their spears are very light and 'wobble' in flight. This has particularly nasty consequences for the prey at the wobble makes the spear blade slice into and through the body most effectively! Also, aborigines do not punish their youngsters (well, only very rarely); they punish the PARENTS if the child misbehaves as it is the parents' fault the child has not been brought up properly. What an estimable idea!!!
The temperature up in Darwin was blissfull: about 30/33C during the day and 23/24C at night. Now THAT's what I call a comfortable temperature!
Kakadu
The bulk of the afternoon was taken up with visiting the rock paintings at Nourlangie. The first few left me a little underimpressed, but they improved as the path wound on. The one below has been re-painted in the 1960s - which is normal aboriginal practice seemingly. At least it was clear to see...
The rocks themselves are quite dramatic, rising as they do out of a substantially FLAT surrounding, and must have been a haven of shelter from both the scorching sun and the torrential rain, depending on the time of year.
This last rainy season, water levels rose by an astonishing 5 meters! Only the very tops of the trees were visible...
In a month everything will be tinder dry and in danger of catching fire... such is the power of Nature...
The rocks themselves are quite dramatic, rising as they do out of a substantially FLAT surrounding, and must have been a haven of shelter from both the scorching sun and the torrential rain, depending on the time of year.
This last rainy season, water levels rose by an astonishing 5 meters! Only the very tops of the trees were visible...
In a month everything will be tinder dry and in danger of catching fire... such is the power of Nature...
Darwin
Arrived in Darwin Sunday night after dark - which I hate, as I can never get my bearings properly! Then up on Monday morning for a 6am collection (which turned out to be nearer 7!) for a two-day trip out to Kakadu National Park.
I was more than happy I'd booked myself onto a coach tour for this bit: there was a LOT of driving, mostly along very straight, boring roads, bordered by the now ubiquitous gum-tree scrub and the odd termite mound (some of which can be 6ft tall...).
A fascinating boat trip on the Yellow River, spotting birdlife (parrots/cranes/waterfowl) and various sizes of crocodile. These are waters you REALLY don't want to swim in!
I was more than happy I'd booked myself onto a coach tour for this bit: there was a LOT of driving, mostly along very straight, boring roads, bordered by the now ubiquitous gum-tree scrub and the odd termite mound (some of which can be 6ft tall...).
A fascinating boat trip on the Yellow River, spotting birdlife (parrots/cranes/waterfowl) and various sizes of crocodile. These are waters you REALLY don't want to swim in!
Photos from Cairns
The b
ack-garden pool that every BnB seems to have!
Where we had lunch on the bush/rainforest trip
Strangler figs - that literally strangle the host tree, which eventually dies...
ack-garden pool that every BnB seems to have!Where we had lunch on the bush/rainforest trip
Strangler figs - that literally strangle the host tree, which eventually dies...
Photos from Townsville
Handmade BasketBIG spiders they have up here!
Whymsical brass player in the town fountain...
Fraser Island photos
Villas at the Kingfisher Bay Eco-LodgeSunset from the pier
A huge epiphyte
and a wreck...
Saturday, 9 June 2007
Books
For me, reading is part of being on holiday. Not guide books - I almost never read those once I'm in the country I'm visiting!
This holiday I downloaded a whole lot of easy-reading, vaguely fantasy-fiction books by the likes of Mercedes Lackey onto my laptop, so I've always had SOMEthing to read. But one can't easily use one's computer on, say, a flight or a long train journey, so back to actual PAGES!!
A really good find (I don't think I've mentioned this before...?) has been the 'Temeraire' novels of Naomi Novik. Set in the time of the Napoleonic wars, they are somewhat in the style of Patrick O'Brien but with the added premise that dragons were a part of daily life. Basically, very good yarns - just what one needs on holiday!
At the moment tho, I'm reading Richard Dawkin's 'The God Delusion', which I can highly reccommend to anyone who has the remotest doubt about the existance of any sort of god or gods: the fundamentalist Christians of Middle America would run screaming! He writes in a very amusing way about some very serious problems (and let's face it, the majority of the world's problems stem from religion) and his logic as to why the concept of 'god' is delusional is quite unassailable. I am thoroughly enjoying it!
This holiday I downloaded a whole lot of easy-reading, vaguely fantasy-fiction books by the likes of Mercedes Lackey onto my laptop, so I've always had SOMEthing to read. But one can't easily use one's computer on, say, a flight or a long train journey, so back to actual PAGES!!
A really good find (I don't think I've mentioned this before...?) has been the 'Temeraire' novels of Naomi Novik. Set in the time of the Napoleonic wars, they are somewhat in the style of Patrick O'Brien but with the added premise that dragons were a part of daily life. Basically, very good yarns - just what one needs on holiday!
At the moment tho, I'm reading Richard Dawkin's 'The God Delusion', which I can highly reccommend to anyone who has the remotest doubt about the existance of any sort of god or gods: the fundamentalist Christians of Middle America would run screaming! He writes in a very amusing way about some very serious problems (and let's face it, the majority of the world's problems stem from religion) and his logic as to why the concept of 'god' is delusional is quite unassailable. I am thoroughly enjoying it!
A bit more Cairns
Yesterday was the first time I actually got into Cairns itself. It's yer typical antipodean town but with more shops. Very good art gallery with shows by a local artist and some excellent etchings by one Jorg Smeisser (?). Got the next stage of my trip sorted out (Darwin) and then had a barie on the beach with a friend-of-a-friend. Yes, there really are barbeques actually on the beach provided by the local council. Reckon they'd get vandalised within the week if they existed in the UK! I was very glad I ahd a number of layers on, as the weather here has suddenly got quite autumnal...
Today was the touristy thing: the Skyrail (cable car) up to Kuranda. I think it's one of the longest single loops in the world and it was certainly quite some journey. 'Flying' high over the rainforest canopy, looking down into the crowns of the trees is amazing! It's funny: altho I don't like heights (tops of towers etc) I don't actually mind being in the gondola of a cable car!
Kuranda itself is just a tourist village with all the usual tourist tat AND MORE. And as often as not the shops are run by orientals - even some of the shops selling aboriginal stuff... Had a long chat with an Oz guy who makes wire jewellry etc. His work was at least 'real'. Then the return journey by train, winding round and about the mountain on its decent. I do wish these people would in some way grease the brakes/wheels/whatever: the journey was almost completely accompanied by the incessant screeching of metal on metal (think nails down a blackboard and magnify ten times!). Passed some spectacular waterfalls on the way and lots of tight curves, so the punters had lots of opportunities to take photos of the train curving round...
For some strange reason they celebrate the Queen's birthday over here (her official one at least) so this is a holiday weekend - public holiday on Monday.
Only two weeks left in Oz - my goodness the time has flown... I'll try and get some photos on here on wednesday evening/thursday, when I roost in Brisbane for a couple of nights (my cousin has a wireless internet connection - yay!) before heading down to Byron Bay area for the last bit of my Ozzie adventure.
Today was the touristy thing: the Skyrail (cable car) up to Kuranda. I think it's one of the longest single loops in the world and it was certainly quite some journey. 'Flying' high over the rainforest canopy, looking down into the crowns of the trees is amazing! It's funny: altho I don't like heights (tops of towers etc) I don't actually mind being in the gondola of a cable car!
Kuranda itself is just a tourist village with all the usual tourist tat AND MORE. And as often as not the shops are run by orientals - even some of the shops selling aboriginal stuff... Had a long chat with an Oz guy who makes wire jewellry etc. His work was at least 'real'. Then the return journey by train, winding round and about the mountain on its decent. I do wish these people would in some way grease the brakes/wheels/whatever: the journey was almost completely accompanied by the incessant screeching of metal on metal (think nails down a blackboard and magnify ten times!). Passed some spectacular waterfalls on the way and lots of tight curves, so the punters had lots of opportunities to take photos of the train curving round...
For some strange reason they celebrate the Queen's birthday over here (her official one at least) so this is a holiday weekend - public holiday on Monday.
Only two weeks left in Oz - my goodness the time has flown... I'll try and get some photos on here on wednesday evening/thursday, when I roost in Brisbane for a couple of nights (my cousin has a wireless internet connection - yay!) before heading down to Byron Bay area for the last bit of my Ozzie adventure.
Thursday, 7 June 2007
CAIRNS
Staying at a very pleasant BnB just a bit north of Cairns proper. Not actually SEEN Cairns yet tho, as I arrived after dark on Tuesday, then headed out for an bush/rainforest exploration yesterday and the Reef today!
The bush/rainforest day was excellent: just thrre of us with a driver in a 4WD vehicle driving off into parts of the bush that Joe Public doesn't get to see. The rainforest in particular has very limited casual access. Saw Termite mounds, wallabees, cranes, raptors etc etc. Morning coffee sitting beside a small stream with fabulously pure, drinkable water; lunch by another creek (I had crocodile... I'd forgotten how tough it is!) watched intently by a large kookaburra, then a 15-min hike up the mountain for a dip in a large pool below a delightful waterfall (Emerald Creek Falls?). Definitely 'refreshing'! Then drying off lying on the enormous, smooth-polished granite boulders... A really wonderful day, very much at one with Nature...
Today (Thursday) was a tour out to the Great Barrier Reef - done against my better judgement... Horrid day altogether: the boat trip out was probably the roughest sea crossing I've ever had to endure. Stood on deck most of the time with a sick bag at the ready. In the end, I didn't need it, but it was a VERY CLOSE THING!
Then I discovered that I really do NOT like snorkelling! I have always loathed going under water and the business of actually putting one's face down into the water - even with a breathing tube, just freaked me out. Then, to cap it all the flippers brought on really bad cramp in my right (bad) leg. So I gave up and just sat and watched... I did venture out in the glass-bottomed boat, which was ok. I think I'll stick to watching the jacques Cousteau-type programmes if I want to see such things! Yes, I know: I'm a wimp... But perhaps it's more about discovering one's limitations...!
The bush/rainforest day was excellent: just thrre of us with a driver in a 4WD vehicle driving off into parts of the bush that Joe Public doesn't get to see. The rainforest in particular has very limited casual access. Saw Termite mounds, wallabees, cranes, raptors etc etc. Morning coffee sitting beside a small stream with fabulously pure, drinkable water; lunch by another creek (I had crocodile... I'd forgotten how tough it is!) watched intently by a large kookaburra, then a 15-min hike up the mountain for a dip in a large pool below a delightful waterfall (Emerald Creek Falls?). Definitely 'refreshing'! Then drying off lying on the enormous, smooth-polished granite boulders... A really wonderful day, very much at one with Nature...
Today (Thursday) was a tour out to the Great Barrier Reef - done against my better judgement... Horrid day altogether: the boat trip out was probably the roughest sea crossing I've ever had to endure. Stood on deck most of the time with a sick bag at the ready. In the end, I didn't need it, but it was a VERY CLOSE THING!
Then I discovered that I really do NOT like snorkelling! I have always loathed going under water and the business of actually putting one's face down into the water - even with a breathing tube, just freaked me out. Then, to cap it all the flippers brought on really bad cramp in my right (bad) leg. So I gave up and just sat and watched... I did venture out in the glass-bottomed boat, which was ok. I think I'll stick to watching the jacques Cousteau-type programmes if I want to see such things! Yes, I know: I'm a wimp... But perhaps it's more about discovering one's limitations...!
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Townsville
A pleasant little town. As usual, the shops are set well back from the road under a deep overhang to keep the sun off. Temperature's a deliciously pleasant 28C falling to about 23C at night: perfect! The B&B has its own swimming pool which the owners keep at 30C with the help of solar panels. I'm no water baby, but it's great to be able to go for a dip as and when...
There's a biggish museum here, mainly devoted to the wreck of HMS Pandora: the ship that came out after the mutineers of the Bounty and then sunk off the Great Barrier Reef. A full-size reconstruction of the prow shows just how small these vessels were... They've recovered drinking glasses, dinner services, sail repair kits etc etc. All quite fascinating.
Went over to Magnetic Island for the day yesterday. Regular ferries and a good on-island bus service. Very much geared towards tourism, and yet I felt it would be quite a nice place to live, so long as one had a property set well back from the road! Palm-fringed beaches, sailing boats bobbing about in the bay, even the bi-plane used in the film the Red Baron. Certainly a good selection of places to eat and drink and admire the view...
There's a biggish museum here, mainly devoted to the wreck of HMS Pandora: the ship that came out after the mutineers of the Bounty and then sunk off the Great Barrier Reef. A full-size reconstruction of the prow shows just how small these vessels were... They've recovered drinking glasses, dinner services, sail repair kits etc etc. All quite fascinating.
Went over to Magnetic Island for the day yesterday. Regular ferries and a good on-island bus service. Very much geared towards tourism, and yet I felt it would be quite a nice place to live, so long as one had a property set well back from the road! Palm-fringed beaches, sailing boats bobbing about in the bay, even the bi-plane used in the film the Red Baron. Certainly a good selection of places to eat and drink and admire the view...
Saturday, 2 June 2007
Journeying on...
So, I'm back on the road... well, the rail strictly speaking: tryin g not to hire a car if I can help it.
Took the Tilt Train from Brisbane, up the coast to Fraser Island - the world's biggest sand island. Stayed at a very well-appointed eco-lodge (Kingfisher Bay) built all in among the trees with all the accomodation built up on wooden piles, so damage to the environment is minimal. Had a day trip round part of the island in a 4WD coach - like nothing so much as a dustbin lorry with a coach body stuck on the back! Bumpy but fun.
Saw a dingo, various birds of prey and other wildlife - mainly birds...
I'm travelling EXTREMELY light on this part of my trip - no harp, no computer. So the blog will probably not have photos on it for a few weeks.
The train trundles up the coast at somewhere between 40 and 60kmh. There really is not a lot to see out the windows: mostly flat grazing land interspersed with the ubiquitous gum trees and a few scrawny cattle. The trip from Fraser to Townsville (where I am right now) was also dull, but luckily most of it was at night - my first ever experience of a sleeper carriage... and hopefully my last - the bunk above was so low I felt I was sleeping in a coffin with a padded lid! Yuk. Still, it's a pleasant enough way to travel and at least I get to see what the countryside is like - even if it IS a bit dull!!!
Took the Tilt Train from Brisbane, up the coast to Fraser Island - the world's biggest sand island. Stayed at a very well-appointed eco-lodge (Kingfisher Bay) built all in among the trees with all the accomodation built up on wooden piles, so damage to the environment is minimal. Had a day trip round part of the island in a 4WD coach - like nothing so much as a dustbin lorry with a coach body stuck on the back! Bumpy but fun.
Saw a dingo, various birds of prey and other wildlife - mainly birds...
I'm travelling EXTREMELY light on this part of my trip - no harp, no computer. So the blog will probably not have photos on it for a few weeks.
The train trundles up the coast at somewhere between 40 and 60kmh. There really is not a lot to see out the windows: mostly flat grazing land interspersed with the ubiquitous gum trees and a few scrawny cattle. The trip from Fraser to Townsville (where I am right now) was also dull, but luckily most of it was at night - my first ever experience of a sleeper carriage... and hopefully my last - the bunk above was so low I felt I was sleeping in a coffin with a padded lid! Yuk. Still, it's a pleasant enough way to travel and at least I get to see what the countryside is like - even if it IS a bit dull!!!
Monday, 28 May 2007
Expensive real estate...
These are some of the properties overlooking the Brisbane river. All with their own moorings... VERY serious money here!
Brissie real estate
These are fairly typical of the average suburban house in Brisbane. A three-to-four bed house (almost certainly with a pool at the back) seems to be around the £225
Still in Brisbane...!
Well, yes, I'm still in Brizzie...
Went for a river cruise out to Newstead House - an old colonial villa 45 mins down the river. It was actually a very good trip - the commentary was informative and chatty without the usual attempts at chronic humour. The skyline of the city is truly amazing, esp as one passes the financial bit - some stunning sky-scrapers...
Also went to an excellent concert by the Queensland Orchestra. 'French Gems' was the programme title - but somehow Mr Mozart managed to gatecrash his way in with a violin concerto. Otherwise it was Debussy's L'Apres-midi d'un Faune and Ravel's Tzigane and Daphnis & Chloe Suites I and II. The concert hall in the Q'land Arts Centre is a traditional shoe-box shape with a judicious mix of concrete and wood, so excellent accoustics. The solo fute in the Debussy just seemed to float above a bed of orchestral sound - quite exquisite. Mozart's Mozart - nothing special there. The Tzigane was fun in it's gypsy way and of course Daphnis & Chloe is a gift to any competent orchestra. The ups and downs of the orchestral wave were superbly handled by Emanuel Plasson and the end properly orgiastic.
Spent the weekend doing a personal development course recommended by a number of people I've met on this trip and them today sorting out my travel arrangements: tomorrow I head off up the coast to Fraser Island and then on to Townsville and Cairns, where I plan to visit the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree. Then, possibly Darwin... Well, that all depends on how the ensuing time goes! Watch this space (but then you already are!)
Went for a river cruise out to Newstead House - an old colonial villa 45 mins down the river. It was actually a very good trip - the commentary was informative and chatty without the usual attempts at chronic humour. The skyline of the city is truly amazing, esp as one passes the financial bit - some stunning sky-scrapers...
Also went to an excellent concert by the Queensland Orchestra. 'French Gems' was the programme title - but somehow Mr Mozart managed to gatecrash his way in with a violin concerto. Otherwise it was Debussy's L'Apres-midi d'un Faune and Ravel's Tzigane and Daphnis & Chloe Suites I and II. The concert hall in the Q'land Arts Centre is a traditional shoe-box shape with a judicious mix of concrete and wood, so excellent accoustics. The solo fute in the Debussy just seemed to float above a bed of orchestral sound - quite exquisite. Mozart's Mozart - nothing special there. The Tzigane was fun in it's gypsy way and of course Daphnis & Chloe is a gift to any competent orchestra. The ups and downs of the orchestral wave were superbly handled by Emanuel Plasson and the end properly orgiastic.
Spent the weekend doing a personal development course recommended by a number of people I've met on this trip and them today sorting out my travel arrangements: tomorrow I head off up the coast to Fraser Island and then on to Townsville and Cairns, where I plan to visit the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree. Then, possibly Darwin... Well, that all depends on how the ensuing time goes! Watch this space (but then you already are!)
Thursday, 24 May 2007
More Brizzie pics
Left: Queensland State Library
Right: Looking across from the Southbank Performing Arts complex
Brizzie
Brisbane's a really smart place. I'm not a city lover, but I really quite like B's modernity. Actually, the total lack of historical clutter in both NZ and Oz is very refreshing. Because of its climate (currently it's 25C during the day) this is very much a cafe society. Everywhere you go there are street restaurants, coffee shops, food courts, bars serving pretty much any cuisine you could choose. Forinstance, I have just come back from eating in a Vietnamese restaurant: a large bowl of noodles and salad topped with spring rolls and minced prawn, plus a soft drink and the obligatory tea, all for £3.70!
The art galleries are superb - big, modern, airy, with a good selection of stuff old and new. I particularly liked some of the modern aboriginal art and some very spiky carved 'trees'. Oh, and a room full of Anish Kapur sculptures: a hemisphere covered in darkest blue matt pigment that seemed to swallow light - you really could not see the centre and a huge block of stone with the space in the middle also dusted with dark pigment, also impenetrable. Fascinating and completely unphotographable!
The art galleries are superb - big, modern, airy, with a good selection of stuff old and new. I particularly liked some of the modern aboriginal art and some very spiky carved 'trees'. Oh, and a room full of Anish Kapur sculptures: a hemisphere covered in darkest blue matt pigment that seemed to swallow light - you really could not see the centre and a huge block of stone with the space in the middle also dusted with dark pigment, also impenetrable. Fascinating and completely unphotographable!
Settling in...
Sunday we had a family gathering with my cousin Martin's daughter, Nikki and her husband Shane coming over. Not seen her (or her brother Chris) in quite a few years!
L toR: Sylvia, yrs truly, Chris, Martin, Shane, Nikki
Monday Martin and Sylvia took me out to O'Reilly's Reserve right down on the border with NSW: lots of Rosellas (big budgies), lorikeets and bush turkeys. Also a slightly hairy 'tree-top' walk along a decidedly bouncy boardwalk suspended up in the canopy...
Wonderful drive through a countryside that is definitely different from NZ. More parched for a start - they are chronically short of water here. Reserves are down to 19% and 'Level 5' restrictions, which means no hoses, watering the garden (by can) only twice a week between 4pm and 8pm, only 4 minute showers etc. Level 6, due to come in in five or six months, will be even more draconian. Part of the problem of course is that they don't recycle any of their water back into the system. Seems so obvious when one comes from the UK (and esp when one has lived in London) where so much of our water is re-used. The attitude here is that they dont want to drink sewage thank you very much... Well, they may not have any choice in the matter if they dont get major, major amounts of rain very soon!
Sunday, 20 May 2007
AUSTRALIA... Wheeeee
Well, so here I am in a new country... Staying with my cousin Martin and his family in Brisbane for a week while I decide what I'm going to do here for the month and a half... We went for a walk in central Brisbane which, even on a Sunday has a pleasant 'bustle' to it. The weather helps: it's a glorious 25C during the day (albeit somewhat cooler at night).
I'm not really into big cities, but some of the buildings here are spectacular. Amazing glass-clad office blocks vie for space with old churches and the Anzac memorial park... Fascinating.
Oh, and the harp survived the journey ok. Now I just have to get it back in tune...
I'm not really into big cities, but some of the buildings here are spectacular. Amazing glass-clad office blocks vie for space with old churches and the Anzac memorial park... Fascinating.
Oh, and the harp survived the journey ok. Now I just have to get it back in tune...
Post script - LOOS
Travelling round any country as much as I have this last couple of months one does become a bit of an expert on public loos.....
Well, I can happily report that almost without exception all my experiences have been good. I doesn't seem to matter HOW remote the loo, it is always clean. Not, I fear, something one can easily say about most British public loos...!
Well, I can happily report that almost without exception all my experiences have been good. I doesn't seem to matter HOW remote the loo, it is always clean. Not, I fear, something one can easily say about most British public loos...!
Goodbye New Zealand
My last few days in NZ were lovely. Back with the guys at Koromiko Homestay, perched way above the Aro Valley above Wellington. Wonderful views over the city, day and night. The room at the top, with the wooden cross-stays, was mine. A bit like sleeping in a glass lift, but to wake up with the sunrise was just fab.
Right: Hosts Andy, Kris and Chris
Monday, 14 May 2007
Bookbinding
Nearly forgot: gave a two-day bookbinding course last weekend - it's always good to pass on one's skills - even to the point of how too cook up one's own flour-and-water paste! I had three very eager and willing students... Two of them are pictured below:
Winding up (or should that be 'down'?)
I HATE packing... Especially when I have to reduce all the collected bits of two months accumulation down to 30Kg (including the harp)... before the trip to Oz next weekend.
Getting the harp home is proving a challenge: it's just a bit too big to go on as cabin baggage (and they are so picky these days about what can and cannot go onboard) so will have to go in the hold. It's just a bit too big for the biggest suitcase (they seem to stop at 75cms high) so I have had to find an alternative... A large plastic bin basically. It has a handle and wheels, so does sort of look like a suitcase... The harp should be safe enough once safely packed up.
And to cap it all, I've developed a heavy cold... Hope it eases off before I go down to Wellington at the end of the week {:-(
Getting the harp home is proving a challenge: it's just a bit too big to go on as cabin baggage (and they are so picky these days about what can and cannot go onboard) so will have to go in the hold. It's just a bit too big for the biggest suitcase (they seem to stop at 75cms high) so I have had to find an alternative... A large plastic bin basically. It has a handle and wheels, so does sort of look like a suitcase... The harp should be safe enough once safely packed up.
And to cap it all, I've developed a heavy cold... Hope it eases off before I go down to Wellington at the end of the week {:-(
Thursday, 10 May 2007
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