A multi day hike in a SE Qld summer held little appeal, I needed somewhere with a cooler climate. So when an invite came to attend a mates 40th birthday in St Kilda, the idea to extend the trip and include a visit to the Victorian high country was born. Continue reading
At first glance it seemed like a Thai version of one of those armeggedon disaster type movies. Vehicles and boats strewn haphazardly against semi destroyed buildings, bodies motionless in the mess and rubble with anyone alive visibly panicked and traumatized; maybe a flash flood or tidal wave? I’m amused at the outward emotion shown by the locals standing beside me – have they not seen a movie before! The ‘movie’ is in Thai and my inability to speak the language has delayed my eventual realisation….it’s not a movie….its real! Continue reading
TIOMAN ISLAND
With our bus departure time only ten minutes away, Kerri and I realise we’re waiting in the wrong place. At any other bus terminal I’ve been this would not be too traumatic, but this particular bus terminal just over the border from Singapore is ridiculous in its size and volume of buses flowing through. We’ve been here over two hours and we’ve only realised now….we split up (her blond hair should be easy to spot in a sea of black) and begin our frantic search. With seconds to spare we locate our beloved bus before taking our seat with still elevated heart rates. Continue reading
In savouring the moment I haven’t noticed the sudden change in my surroundings; the tarmac has been substituted for dirt, the street lights are now few and far between, my eyes adjust to the darkness in a part of the city that has become a virtual shanty town, child prostitutes standing beside the street staring silently back. In an instant my state of relaxation has changed to one of agitation and stress…had I been lured into a trap… Continue reading
VIENTIANE
The capital Vientiane seems almost in slow motion after the sensory overload of Vietnam, almost like a big country town. The little things like a roadside conversation without shouting, no street vendors or hawkers (feels strange to actually have to wave down a taxi/cyclo). The city sits on a bend in the river which is now hundreds of metres wide, although after a long dry season, vegetables are being grown in the river bed. Continue reading
I get how it’s done, I’ve been told and I’ve observed numerous times but to disregard your natural ingrained instincts…I can’t do it!
And so I found myself standing on the roadside kerb staring at the unachievable….the kerb across the street. Unachievable because separating the two kerbs is eight lanes of horn blaring traffic dominated with swerving motorbikes that seemingly have overdosed on caffeine. Sure there are zebra crossings but it’s a waste of good paint if no-one understands their significance! Continue reading
Earlier this year I spent a week in Perth with my eldest daughter. It was a wonderful opportunity to spend time together, exploring a place neither of us had seen, and I realised that I’d never done anything similar with either of my parents.
Around the same time Dad mentioned he was planning a 5-6 week trip to Central Australia, but was lamenting the difficulty in finding someone to accompany him. My time living in Western Qld had given me a taste for the outback, but I had always been hungry to see more. Dad had the vehicle prepared, had done all the necessary pre-trip prep work (maps, permits, equipment etc). All I had to do was organise time off work and show up! The father and son trip was born!
We stopped for a rest beside the trail. The constant presence of the leeches and their vast numbers was taking its toll. For two days my annoyance had been continually building like a slowly inflating balloon, and things were about to go ‘pop’. I looked at Mike sitting on a rock in front of me wondering how he could appear so calm; surely it was bothering him too? With that thought I grabbed the utility knife from my pack and with a firm but shaky grip on the handle, I thrust it in a downwards motion…. Continue reading