"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu
Our journey wasn't exactly the most direct, but where's the adventure in that? Having booked our flights about a year before leaving, our round about trip took us over 41,200km and touched on 4 countries excluding home. We took 8 flights in total and crossed not only the international date line and equator but also experienced 5 different time zones. Enough to make anyone wonder what the heck day it is. But aside from our unique route, we got to experience 24 hours in Beijing and the most amazing 2 weeks in Australian. If I could find a reason to move Australia, I would...the weather, the beaches, the scenic coastline, capped with some unique nature are all reasons enough for me. Sydney reminded me of home, minus the mountains....it is a clean city (at least in the areas we visited), with great public transit options to get you from A to B. The only draw back is the cost of living, but then I understand wages are also higher there.
Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef is definitely in my top 5 things I've experienced in my lifetime so far....the crystal clear water provided the best visibility to the natural aquarium below. Hanging at the beaches was another favourite activity on this trip....the feel of the soft, white, fine sand on my feet brought me to my happy place each time. The beaches are perfect conditions for some beach volleyball which if I had a volleyball with me I would have played.
Getting to see animals unique to Australia at the habitat and also in the wild was a pretty cool experience. I loved watching a pod of dolphins playing around in the surf in Noosa; they looked so free. Australia is certainly an outdoor adventurist's playground.
Being able to experience this with my love and partner Z made this trip that much more special. This is the furthest south in the world I've travelled and it was well worth the long journey. To do it all over again would be a dream come true....so much left unseen.
"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of lands remote, to travel is to live." - Hans Christian Anderson
My sentiment exactly...to travel is to live! To experience different parts of the world and different cultures is what this is all about for me. So until next time when these globetrotters jet off....life is good!
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
Sydney Opera House
You can't come to Sydney without seeing the iconic Sydney Opera House. Situated right on the harbour, the opera house is a multi-venue performing arts centre. Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, construction of the opera house started in 1958 but was not completed until 1973 and apparently some 15 times over original budget. In 1965 a change in government caused some tensions with Utzon because construction was taking much longer and way over budget. Story has it that the government refused to pay Utzon 100 grand in fees and he ended up leaving the project and never returned to Sydney to see the completed structure. He wasn't invited to the opening ceremony either. In an effort to speed up completion and to save some costs, the new project manager used inferior products to complete the interior of the theatres to the detriment the acoustics and it is estimated that to fix this now would cost $1 billion. What a shame, the opera house is magnificent. Besides the theatres, there are cafes, restaurants, bars and a gift shop. All are relatively pricey, but you are also paying for the experience and the views of the harbour.
You can take a guided tour through the opera house, or you can do what we did and purchase tickets to a performance. We thought it would be neat to see a performance there, but thought about it a little late in the game. Shortly before we left on our trip we looked up what might be available and found that The Nutcracker was being performed by the Australian Ballet. The only tickets available were standing room, not the most ideal, but we really wanted to do this. So we bought tickets for $59 each for the opening night of the performance. The performance was in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, which is the eastern side of the opera house.
The performance was incredible. From the sets to the costumes, the orchestra and dancers, it was all just very spectacular. Despite saying earlier that the acoustics are not what they should be, I'll be honest and say that the orchestra sounded pretty darn good, so to the average ear one cannot tell. This is the first time I've ever seen a ballet and such a wonderful venue to experience this in. The performance was split into 2 45 minute acts. During the first act we stood at our standing room spot and it wasn't bad at all. We had a great vantage point, but during the intermission the usher mentioned that there were some empty seats. He couldn't technically take us to them, but did say he wasn't required to look for us if we weren't in our spots. So just as the 2nd act was starting we moved to some empty seats in the 2nd row of the upper balcony. These seats would have cost about $200...what an absolute treat! You're not supposed to take pictures instead the theatres, but I did anyway....the usher told that I wasn't allowed to, so I said sorry and went on my way with my illegal photo! :)
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| Inside Joan Sutherland theatre |
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| At The Nutcracker |
More of Sydney
We've been very fortunate with the weather.....it's been sunny everyday except for 1 in Sydney when it was overcast and occasionally spit a few rain drops throughout the day. The following day it was back to sunny skies and warm temperatures.
Just a short walk from the hotel is the Royal Botanic Gardens. Founded in 1816 by Governor Macquarie (he's responsible for building a lot of landmark sites in Sydney) the gardens are situated just east of the Opera House and sit on about 30 hectares. The Sydney Harbour borders the gardens on the north and provides for the gardens to be that much more scenic as a result. We read that visiting the gardens first thing in the morning is best because that's when you can get the best glimpse of the wildlife. This is true. We went after breakfast and were treated to seeing a wide variety of birds. Especially abundant was the Lorikeet who were feeding off the nectar of flowers. The gardens are full of hundreds of different flora species and thankfully they labelled most of them. This fig tree was planted in 1845 and is absolutely massive.
You can access the boardwalk leading back to the Opera House and Circular Quay from the gardens. One morning we decided it a good idea to run the boardwalk past the Opera House, along the garden's edge and over to Woolloomooloo Bay - roughly a 5km return run. I'm really liking these away from home runs mostly because we've been fortunate to find some really scenic routes but also because it helps me to stay on my running. We saw a lot of Sydneysiders out running as well and it would seem that most of the locals we encountered are fit and enjoy an active lifestyle. How can you not with such a great waterfront boardwalk?
We took a 10 minute ferry ride over to Watsons Bay which is about 11km north-east of Circular Quay. After getting off the ferry, we walked up Military Road to the highest point in the area where in one direction you have views of the Sydney Harbour bridge in the distance and the other direction provides views of the Pacific Ocean and the rock cliffs upon which this point is located on. There is a gap between two rock cliffs conveniently known as The Gap. It's quite a sight to see the ocean pounding at the rock cliffs and I wonder how many more years it will take to erode the cliffs to a point of instability.
The Rocks, one of Sydney's oldest established neighbourhoods, is adjacent to Circular Quay. We took another I'm Free walking tour through this area and learned there is a great rich history for the area. The area was established shortly after colonization in 1788 and had a reputation of being a rough part of town. It's much safer nowadays and it's a pretty cool area to walk through as the streets are all pretty inter-twinded and still have the original stones from which they were built. Story has it that the stones in the streets are actually the stones used to stabilize the ships that came over during the colonization. Whether true or not, still makes for a great story. We enjoyed a great dinner at one of the restaurants here called The Vintage Cafe after the tour and also got to listen to a guitarist play. This area is starting to experience some gentrification with the government starting to sell the rental flats in the buildings they own. The buildings are old and in need of a good renovation and the government figures why not make some money instead of spending money to fix them. The amount the flats have sold for is astounding, north of $1.5M for a 4-bedroom flat. Might sound reasonable given the number of bedrooms and given the location, but if you took a look at the building and knowing that the interior needs to be gutted and redone, seems a little high. Interestingly the buildings have been given heritage status so cannot be torn down. Needless to say the residents in the area are not happy with this most particularly because they are being forced to move. Our guide on this tour reminded both of us of a surfer-dude, fitting I guess seeing as we are in Australia.
As in most major cities, the "American" fast food chains have made their way to Sydney. We saw locations for McDonald's, Subway, Starbucks, KFC and 7-11. There is a fast food chain called Hungry Jacks which has a logo and food menu eerily identical to Burger King. Their whopper tastes about the same as BK. Speaking of food and how adventurous I am....not....I did try a kangaroo kebob, which I actually found to be quite tasty. The meat was flavourful and quite tender. I had read that kangaroo could taste quite gamey but I didn't find this the case; might have been the way this kebob was prepared. We caught the tail end of The Rocks Village Bazar and found a vendor who had discounted his skewers to $10 for 1 kangaroo and 1 prawn. Also tried vegemite...one word to sum that up: disgusting!!! I really don't know how people can eat that. I only tried a tiny bit but man did that taste last for some time....yuk! It contains wheat and barley and it sure tastes awfully like that.
A very beautiful beach about a 30 minute ferry ride north from Sydney CBD is Manly beach. Situated on the Pacific Ocean, this beach is probably one of the nicest beaches in Sydney. It's a short walk from the ferry dock along a side pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants. The surf here was great for surfers and there was no shortage of them catching waves. The water felt a little cooler than in Port Douglas or Noose but was refreshing nonetheless.
Our last beach day was at Coogee beach. Now everyone always thinks that Bondi beach is the place to go, but all the locals we talked to said skip Bondi and head to Coogee. So we did. We took a bus from our hotel and arrived about 30 minutes later. Coogee is situated in the suburb of Randwick, about 8 km south-east of Sydney. This beach is popular with the locals. The waves here were a little more rough for my liking so I didn't really spend much
time in the water. Z enjoyed it immensely though. We started to notice blue box jellies wash ashore so once we noticed them we pretty much stayed out of the water not wanting to get stung on our last day. It's also at Coogee where we met up with a former co-worker of Z's and his family. We had a great visit with them and learned a little more about their time living in Sydney. It was a fantastic way to end our last day in Sydney.
Just a short walk from the hotel is the Royal Botanic Gardens. Founded in 1816 by Governor Macquarie (he's responsible for building a lot of landmark sites in Sydney) the gardens are situated just east of the Opera House and sit on about 30 hectares. The Sydney Harbour borders the gardens on the north and provides for the gardens to be that much more scenic as a result. We read that visiting the gardens first thing in the morning is best because that's when you can get the best glimpse of the wildlife. This is true. We went after breakfast and were treated to seeing a wide variety of birds. Especially abundant was the Lorikeet who were feeding off the nectar of flowers. The gardens are full of hundreds of different flora species and thankfully they labelled most of them. This fig tree was planted in 1845 and is absolutely massive.
You can access the boardwalk leading back to the Opera House and Circular Quay from the gardens. One morning we decided it a good idea to run the boardwalk past the Opera House, along the garden's edge and over to Woolloomooloo Bay - roughly a 5km return run. I'm really liking these away from home runs mostly because we've been fortunate to find some really scenic routes but also because it helps me to stay on my running. We saw a lot of Sydneysiders out running as well and it would seem that most of the locals we encountered are fit and enjoy an active lifestyle. How can you not with such a great waterfront boardwalk?
We took a 10 minute ferry ride over to Watsons Bay which is about 11km north-east of Circular Quay. After getting off the ferry, we walked up Military Road to the highest point in the area where in one direction you have views of the Sydney Harbour bridge in the distance and the other direction provides views of the Pacific Ocean and the rock cliffs upon which this point is located on. There is a gap between two rock cliffs conveniently known as The Gap. It's quite a sight to see the ocean pounding at the rock cliffs and I wonder how many more years it will take to erode the cliffs to a point of instability.
The Rocks, one of Sydney's oldest established neighbourhoods, is adjacent to Circular Quay. We took another I'm Free walking tour through this area and learned there is a great rich history for the area. The area was established shortly after colonization in 1788 and had a reputation of being a rough part of town. It's much safer nowadays and it's a pretty cool area to walk through as the streets are all pretty inter-twinded and still have the original stones from which they were built. Story has it that the stones in the streets are actually the stones used to stabilize the ships that came over during the colonization. Whether true or not, still makes for a great story. We enjoyed a great dinner at one of the restaurants here called The Vintage Cafe after the tour and also got to listen to a guitarist play. This area is starting to experience some gentrification with the government starting to sell the rental flats in the buildings they own. The buildings are old and in need of a good renovation and the government figures why not make some money instead of spending money to fix them. The amount the flats have sold for is astounding, north of $1.5M for a 4-bedroom flat. Might sound reasonable given the number of bedrooms and given the location, but if you took a look at the building and knowing that the interior needs to be gutted and redone, seems a little high. Interestingly the buildings have been given heritage status so cannot be torn down. Needless to say the residents in the area are not happy with this most particularly because they are being forced to move. Our guide on this tour reminded both of us of a surfer-dude, fitting I guess seeing as we are in Australia.
A very beautiful beach about a 30 minute ferry ride north from Sydney CBD is Manly beach. Situated on the Pacific Ocean, this beach is probably one of the nicest beaches in Sydney. It's a short walk from the ferry dock along a side pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants. The surf here was great for surfers and there was no shortage of them catching waves. The water felt a little cooler than in Port Douglas or Noose but was refreshing nonetheless.
Our last beach day was at Coogee beach. Now everyone always thinks that Bondi beach is the place to go, but all the locals we talked to said skip Bondi and head to Coogee. So we did. We took a bus from our hotel and arrived about 30 minutes later. Coogee is situated in the suburb of Randwick, about 8 km south-east of Sydney. This beach is popular with the locals. The waves here were a little more rough for my liking so I didn't really spend much
Collection of photos
Outside Tiananmen Square
Mutianyu Great Wall 
Z snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef
Surface view of Great Barrier Reef
Wavelength - our boat for the day
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| Z driving in Australia |
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| Z playing with a snake |
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| Sulpher-crested cockatoo |
AuZ so Far by Z
Our Aussie trip is coming to end and it has been an amazing past 2 weeks! I am so glad we decided to venture out to East Coast Australia in late November 2014. We took several flights to travel here and in a somewhat roundabout way but all flights were super comfortable and only one was delayed (so far, we still have to make it home J). This also allowed us to make a pitstop and see the Great Wall of China on our way to Auz which was worth it for sure. While Australia had some wicked weather in Brisbane (super storm) and Sydney (heatwave) and several areas we travelled to had major events going on like APEC and the G20 Summit, we managed to just miss all the hecticness! The weather we did get was perfect. In Port Douglas, it was hot and sunny with 30 degree ocean temperatures at the shore and warm waters when we explored the Great Barrier Reef. In Noosa, it was also sunny each day, a little cooler than Port Douglas (28 degree water!) and we were situated next to the National Park which we hiked in several times.
In Sydney, it cooled off just enough to allow us to explore the city in comfort. Our accommodation everywhere has been just right. Apartments with everything we needed in Port Douglas and Noosa and great hotels in Beijing and Sydney located centrally so that we could walk or take transit anywhere we fancied. Many things are definitely more expensive in Australia than back home (restaurants, groceries, drinks) but good deals can still be found especially along the harbour where I enjoyed a delicious Northern Australia fish called Barramundi (a very flavourful Seabass like fish that is more meaty than sweet) several times for lunch or dinner! I swam in 4 Mile Beach in Port Douglas (had to use the stinger net because of jelly fish season), Main Beach in Noosa (a perfect white sand beach with no stingers!), Alexandria Bay in Noosa National Park (accessible only by foot), Manly Beach in Sydney (cooler at 22 degrees but still enjoyable especially with the surf) and on our last day in Sydney I hope to swim in either Coogee or Bondi beach.
After discovering a tasty Shiraz called Tscharke from the Barossa valley, I found myself trying more Shiraz’s at any opportunity I had and they were equally tasty. Lory discovered a white wine she really enjoyed as well made from Semilon grapes and the 2013 De Bortoli Willowglen Semilon Chardonnay also ended up in several of her glasses during the Sydney portion of our trip. Another amazing Aussie experience was all the wildlife we encountered on this trip in mostly natural settings. We saw koalas, kangaroos, possums, monitor lizards, dolphins, sea turtles, many MANY fish and coral in the reef and so many beautiful birds everywhere. I enjoyed Auz immensely and especially enjoyed seeing and experiencing everything for the first time on this continent with my wonderful travel partner and life partner! J
In Sydney, it cooled off just enough to allow us to explore the city in comfort. Our accommodation everywhere has been just right. Apartments with everything we needed in Port Douglas and Noosa and great hotels in Beijing and Sydney located centrally so that we could walk or take transit anywhere we fancied. Many things are definitely more expensive in Australia than back home (restaurants, groceries, drinks) but good deals can still be found especially along the harbour where I enjoyed a delicious Northern Australia fish called Barramundi (a very flavourful Seabass like fish that is more meaty than sweet) several times for lunch or dinner! I swam in 4 Mile Beach in Port Douglas (had to use the stinger net because of jelly fish season), Main Beach in Noosa (a perfect white sand beach with no stingers!), Alexandria Bay in Noosa National Park (accessible only by foot), Manly Beach in Sydney (cooler at 22 degrees but still enjoyable especially with the surf) and on our last day in Sydney I hope to swim in either Coogee or Bondi beach.
After discovering a tasty Shiraz called Tscharke from the Barossa valley, I found myself trying more Shiraz’s at any opportunity I had and they were equally tasty. Lory discovered a white wine she really enjoyed as well made from Semilon grapes and the 2013 De Bortoli Willowglen Semilon Chardonnay also ended up in several of her glasses during the Sydney portion of our trip. Another amazing Aussie experience was all the wildlife we encountered on this trip in mostly natural settings. We saw koalas, kangaroos, possums, monitor lizards, dolphins, sea turtles, many MANY fish and coral in the reef and so many beautiful birds everywhere. I enjoyed Auz immensely and especially enjoyed seeing and experiencing everything for the first time on this continent with my wonderful travel partner and life partner! JThursday, November 27, 2014
Sydney
We took a Jetstar flight from the Sunshine Coast airport to Sydney. Flight was about 1.5 hours and was fine once we got in the air after experiencing an almost 2 hour delay. Got to just roll with it despite there not being much to do at this airport. In fact the shops, all 3 of them closed down after our flight because the next one out wasn't for another 3 hours.
We are staying in the Circular Quay area and read that taking the train is cheaper than taking a taxi. Being in a big city, we figured it would probably be easiest to take public transit to get around. This is proving to be the right call. The public transit system is quite extensive and gets you pretty much anywhere you want to go. Their system runs very efficiently with the tap in, tap out system; not sure why this same system has so many problems being implemented back home. It works over the world. We determined that a weekly MyMulti3 pass would suit us best. It includes ferries, buses, and trains. There is an extra fee of $12.80 to leave the airport on a train however Z figured out that it was actually cheaper to buy a weekly airport pass so we went that route. So at a final cost of $168 for two tickets for a week, which included the airport link, we were set to explore Sydney.
The train from the airport to Circular Quay took all of 15 minutes. The walk from the train station to our hotel, the Sydney Harbour Marriott also booked on points, was a short 5 minutes. We had a nice view of the bridge from our room.
Right at Circular Quay you can walk over to the Opera House or the Sydney Harbour bridge; both spectacular sights to see. There is a wide boardwalk around the harbour lined by numerous restaurants and a variety of shops. This is also the place where you can catch a number of harbour ferries.
We found a free walking tour called "I'm Free Tours" which we thought would provide a good introduction and orientation of Sydney. The tour lasted about 2.5 hours and took us to various sights from Sydney Town Hall, Queen Victoria building, Hyde Park, Australia Square, down to Circular Quay and the Rocks. Our guide was Lisa and she provided a very informative commentary on the history of not only the sights but also of Sydney. One of the interesting tidbits I learned was the Sydney has a bunch of tunnels that were originally dug for the underground rail system to mirror London's tube system, but they were a little over zealous and dug too many tunnels. As a result many of these tunnels were left unused and some have now been converted into shopping areas. We toured one such tunnel as part of this tour and aside from having to walk down a flight of stairs you wouldn't even know you were underground. We also got to see the one and only canon that defended the harbour of Sydney for many years but never ended up being used. We learned there is a big rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne with each city thinking they are better than the other and as a result when it came to choosing a capital for the country the compromise was to name Canberra the capital. The walking tour ended up on the boardwalk with the opera house and bridge on either side of us. The tour itself was free and the guide relied on tips to be paid.
After the tour we hopped on a ferry to Darling Harbour where we walked along the boardwalk and found a restaurant for lunch. Most restaurants offer a set lunch menu at a slightly reduced price or you can order regular lunch items. Happy hour is a big thing here and seems to start at 3pm. The boardwalk here too is lined with restaurants and you can also find the aquarium, Sydney wildlife zoo, and IMAX theatre here. They are building a new convention centre here which is slated to open in 2016. The number 1 restaurant in Sydney according to Tripadvisor is located in this area and was only a short walk from the boardwalk. It so happens this restaurant is actually a gelato place called Messina. And I'd have to say it was quite fantastic!!! Z renamed the ferry to this area the F4 ice cream ferry.
As we were searching for Messina we happened across the 2014 ARIA awards and just missed seeing Katy Perry and One Direction walk the red carpet by a mere minutes. The ARIA's recognize Australia's musicians and apparently the biggest names in Australia were present. Shame we didn't know any of them; we may have been rubbing shoulders with celebrities and didn't even know it. Seems to be the story of this trip....we're just missing a bunch of big name things. APEC in Beijing, G20 in Brisbane, and now the ARIA red carpet walk.
Hyde Park
Darling Harbour
Sydney Town Hall
We are staying in the Circular Quay area and read that taking the train is cheaper than taking a taxi. Being in a big city, we figured it would probably be easiest to take public transit to get around. This is proving to be the right call. The public transit system is quite extensive and gets you pretty much anywhere you want to go. Their system runs very efficiently with the tap in, tap out system; not sure why this same system has so many problems being implemented back home. It works over the world. We determined that a weekly MyMulti3 pass would suit us best. It includes ferries, buses, and trains. There is an extra fee of $12.80 to leave the airport on a train however Z figured out that it was actually cheaper to buy a weekly airport pass so we went that route. So at a final cost of $168 for two tickets for a week, which included the airport link, we were set to explore Sydney.
The train from the airport to Circular Quay took all of 15 minutes. The walk from the train station to our hotel, the Sydney Harbour Marriott also booked on points, was a short 5 minutes. We had a nice view of the bridge from our room.
Right at Circular Quay you can walk over to the Opera House or the Sydney Harbour bridge; both spectacular sights to see. There is a wide boardwalk around the harbour lined by numerous restaurants and a variety of shops. This is also the place where you can catch a number of harbour ferries.
We found a free walking tour called "I'm Free Tours" which we thought would provide a good introduction and orientation of Sydney. The tour lasted about 2.5 hours and took us to various sights from Sydney Town Hall, Queen Victoria building, Hyde Park, Australia Square, down to Circular Quay and the Rocks. Our guide was Lisa and she provided a very informative commentary on the history of not only the sights but also of Sydney. One of the interesting tidbits I learned was the Sydney has a bunch of tunnels that were originally dug for the underground rail system to mirror London's tube system, but they were a little over zealous and dug too many tunnels. As a result many of these tunnels were left unused and some have now been converted into shopping areas. We toured one such tunnel as part of this tour and aside from having to walk down a flight of stairs you wouldn't even know you were underground. We also got to see the one and only canon that defended the harbour of Sydney for many years but never ended up being used. We learned there is a big rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne with each city thinking they are better than the other and as a result when it came to choosing a capital for the country the compromise was to name Canberra the capital. The walking tour ended up on the boardwalk with the opera house and bridge on either side of us. The tour itself was free and the guide relied on tips to be paid.
After the tour we hopped on a ferry to Darling Harbour where we walked along the boardwalk and found a restaurant for lunch. Most restaurants offer a set lunch menu at a slightly reduced price or you can order regular lunch items. Happy hour is a big thing here and seems to start at 3pm. The boardwalk here too is lined with restaurants and you can also find the aquarium, Sydney wildlife zoo, and IMAX theatre here. They are building a new convention centre here which is slated to open in 2016. The number 1 restaurant in Sydney according to Tripadvisor is located in this area and was only a short walk from the boardwalk. It so happens this restaurant is actually a gelato place called Messina. And I'd have to say it was quite fantastic!!! Z renamed the ferry to this area the F4 ice cream ferry.
As we were searching for Messina we happened across the 2014 ARIA awards and just missed seeing Katy Perry and One Direction walk the red carpet by a mere minutes. The ARIA's recognize Australia's musicians and apparently the biggest names in Australia were present. Shame we didn't know any of them; we may have been rubbing shoulders with celebrities and didn't even know it. Seems to be the story of this trip....we're just missing a bunch of big name things. APEC in Beijing, G20 in Brisbane, and now the ARIA red carpet walk.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Noosa
From Port Douglas we drove back to Cairns to catch a flight to Brisbane on Virgin Airlines. From Brisbane we then drove about 136km north to a town called Noosa. We stayed in a studio apartment at Seahaven Noosa Resort. A perfect home away from home while staying here. The apartment once again had everything we needed for this stay, a small kitchenette and insuite laundry. Our unit faced the main road running through the area called Hastings Street which is lined with an abundance of swimwear shops and restaurants. The street is lined with trees on both sides which they have lit up with white Christmas lights. It looks very pretty and especially when the trees sway with the wind.
Main Beach is literally right outside the doorstep of the resort. What an incredibly beautiful, spacious beach to have as your "backyard"!! Perfectly fine white sand leads up and extends into the ocean where you can bob in the surf quite safely. The grade is ever so slight so you can walk out quite a distance before it actually gets deep. We spend quite a few hours on this beach soaking up the fantastic natural vitamin D and playing in the surf. Nothing like laying on the beach and listening to the best sound ever...waves crashing into the shore. There was a constant breeze each day which became a little stronger in the afternoons but it provided a nice relief from the intense heat we experienced while here.
Another reason for picking this place was its proximity to the Noosa National Park. A short 10 minute stroll down the beach boardwalk and you entered the 4000 hectare park. There are 5 different trails you can take each with their own varying degree of difficulty and distance. We took the Tanglewood track, a 3.8km one way trail which takes you through the inland of the park's tropical forest. The number of different tree and plant species we saw was remarkable. Walking through the forest we heard many mysterious, yet enchanting sounds, but were not always able to see the animals who made them. The birds flying so freely throughout chirped to their heart's content. This trail connected us to the Alexandria Bay trail which led us to Alexandria Bay. At the bottom of this trail you will find a most beautiful beach that is only accessible by hiking in. While it's not recommended to swim here because there are no lifeguards, Z ventured in while I took pictures. There were others swimming as well as a couple surfers. From here we got on the Coastal trail which takes the cake when it comes to scenic hikes. Now of course Australia has a bit of an unfair advantage considering it's an island continent and is entirely surrounded by coastline, but oh man this was the most incredibly breathtaking hike ever! The Coastal trail take you to a point called Hell's Gate. Not quite sure where the name came from, but doesn't really matter because we got to see the most wonderful sea creatures here...a pod of dolphins just playing in the water. They were intriguing to watch as they surfed the waves like the professionals do. On another day at this same point we saw a couple turtles as well as the dolphins again. At a point called Tea Tree Bay we happened upon a koala sleeping high in the trees. What a sight to see especially after our experience at the Wildlife Habitat with Cody. We got to see a lace monitor (lizard) as well has plenty of brush turkeys. It was interesting to see that most trees were trying to grow towards the ocean. Something I found rather unusual was that along the trails there were portions that were pure sand, and I don't mean just a little sand trekked there by all the hikers. I mean amounts of sand like one would find on the beach which made me start thinking about how it got there. Could it be that the ocean level was considerably higher at some point? I mean the trails now are well above sea level....I guess it will remain a mystery.
The beach boardwalk provides for an excellent running surface too. We ventured out one morning for a short run, about 5km, and made our way to the Spit and over to the Doggy Beach. We've been blessed with fantastic weather so far and even early in the morning the heat is already present making the run a little more difficult. Temperatures have been about mid 30's our entire stay so staying hydrated is important but staying adequately hydrated is challenging. It was rather evident in the evening after a few sips of wine whether I was successful at hydration. The answer was usually no.
Eating out in Noosa wasn't cheap, but man the food was very tasty! We ate at Gaston's, Rococo, Little Humid in Nooseaville, Cafe a la Monde, and ordered takeaway pizza from Zachery's. All the dishes we ate were amazingly flavourful. Some of the ingredient combinations seemed a little unusual but worked so well together. For example my gourmet pizza was cajun chicken with rocket lettuce, who would have thought lettuce on a pizza would work? One waiter tipped us off to an amazing gelato place called Massimo's after the dessert we wanted was sold out. This gelato is Italy quality with my favourite flavour being hazelnut. We also read that one of the more affordable breakfast options was to order from coffee carts found on the boardwalk or main road. Turned out to be a great tip. We each enjoyed a large flat white coffee and fresh baked muffin all for less than the cost of one breakfast dish at a restaurant. Z has taken a liking to the Shiraz from Barossa region, I have a feeling we'll be searching this out when we get back home.
Everyone we've chatted to has been super friendly and have been curious where our accent is from. It appears as though the locals at least in Noosa are quite active and fit. We saw many people out running, hiking or swimming in the ocean. There haven't been too many people that we've seen smoking which is nice. One weekend morning we saw lifeguard training school happening on the beach while another morning we saw some sort of swimming school for kids.
I'd have to say that so far Noosa has been my favourite place because of the amount of outdoor activities available right on our doorstep. The other great thing about Noosa is that it is not impacted by the marine stinger migration that takes place further north in the summer so swimming in the water is not restricted. It's not as commercialized as the Gold Coast and many Aussies come here to vacation. I'd certainly come back here and stay for longer next time, perhaps check out some more of the other magnificent beaches in the area.
Alexandria Bay
Noosa National Park - Tanglewood Track
Main Beach is literally right outside the doorstep of the resort. What an incredibly beautiful, spacious beach to have as your "backyard"!! Perfectly fine white sand leads up and extends into the ocean where you can bob in the surf quite safely. The grade is ever so slight so you can walk out quite a distance before it actually gets deep. We spend quite a few hours on this beach soaking up the fantastic natural vitamin D and playing in the surf. Nothing like laying on the beach and listening to the best sound ever...waves crashing into the shore. There was a constant breeze each day which became a little stronger in the afternoons but it provided a nice relief from the intense heat we experienced while here.
Another reason for picking this place was its proximity to the Noosa National Park. A short 10 minute stroll down the beach boardwalk and you entered the 4000 hectare park. There are 5 different trails you can take each with their own varying degree of difficulty and distance. We took the Tanglewood track, a 3.8km one way trail which takes you through the inland of the park's tropical forest. The number of different tree and plant species we saw was remarkable. Walking through the forest we heard many mysterious, yet enchanting sounds, but were not always able to see the animals who made them. The birds flying so freely throughout chirped to their heart's content. This trail connected us to the Alexandria Bay trail which led us to Alexandria Bay. At the bottom of this trail you will find a most beautiful beach that is only accessible by hiking in. While it's not recommended to swim here because there are no lifeguards, Z ventured in while I took pictures. There were others swimming as well as a couple surfers. From here we got on the Coastal trail which takes the cake when it comes to scenic hikes. Now of course Australia has a bit of an unfair advantage considering it's an island continent and is entirely surrounded by coastline, but oh man this was the most incredibly breathtaking hike ever! The Coastal trail take you to a point called Hell's Gate. Not quite sure where the name came from, but doesn't really matter because we got to see the most wonderful sea creatures here...a pod of dolphins just playing in the water. They were intriguing to watch as they surfed the waves like the professionals do. On another day at this same point we saw a couple turtles as well as the dolphins again. At a point called Tea Tree Bay we happened upon a koala sleeping high in the trees. What a sight to see especially after our experience at the Wildlife Habitat with Cody. We got to see a lace monitor (lizard) as well has plenty of brush turkeys. It was interesting to see that most trees were trying to grow towards the ocean. Something I found rather unusual was that along the trails there were portions that were pure sand, and I don't mean just a little sand trekked there by all the hikers. I mean amounts of sand like one would find on the beach which made me start thinking about how it got there. Could it be that the ocean level was considerably higher at some point? I mean the trails now are well above sea level....I guess it will remain a mystery.
The beach boardwalk provides for an excellent running surface too. We ventured out one morning for a short run, about 5km, and made our way to the Spit and over to the Doggy Beach. We've been blessed with fantastic weather so far and even early in the morning the heat is already present making the run a little more difficult. Temperatures have been about mid 30's our entire stay so staying hydrated is important but staying adequately hydrated is challenging. It was rather evident in the evening after a few sips of wine whether I was successful at hydration. The answer was usually no.
Eating out in Noosa wasn't cheap, but man the food was very tasty! We ate at Gaston's, Rococo, Little Humid in Nooseaville, Cafe a la Monde, and ordered takeaway pizza from Zachery's. All the dishes we ate were amazingly flavourful. Some of the ingredient combinations seemed a little unusual but worked so well together. For example my gourmet pizza was cajun chicken with rocket lettuce, who would have thought lettuce on a pizza would work? One waiter tipped us off to an amazing gelato place called Massimo's after the dessert we wanted was sold out. This gelato is Italy quality with my favourite flavour being hazelnut. We also read that one of the more affordable breakfast options was to order from coffee carts found on the boardwalk or main road. Turned out to be a great tip. We each enjoyed a large flat white coffee and fresh baked muffin all for less than the cost of one breakfast dish at a restaurant. Z has taken a liking to the Shiraz from Barossa region, I have a feeling we'll be searching this out when we get back home.
Everyone we've chatted to has been super friendly and have been curious where our accent is from. It appears as though the locals at least in Noosa are quite active and fit. We saw many people out running, hiking or swimming in the ocean. There haven't been too many people that we've seen smoking which is nice. One weekend morning we saw lifeguard training school happening on the beach while another morning we saw some sort of swimming school for kids.
I'd have to say that so far Noosa has been my favourite place because of the amount of outdoor activities available right on our doorstep. The other great thing about Noosa is that it is not impacted by the marine stinger migration that takes place further north in the summer so swimming in the water is not restricted. It's not as commercialized as the Gold Coast and many Aussies come here to vacation. I'd certainly come back here and stay for longer next time, perhaps check out some more of the other magnificent beaches in the area.
Alexandria Bay
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Great Barrier Reef photos
These photos really don't do the immense beauty of the reef justice, but here's a glimpse compliments of Z and our trusty Sony Cybershot waterproof camera.
The Great Barrier Reef
For me it was a simple decision. If we were coming to Australia then there was no question we'd have to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. One of the reasons we stayed in Port Douglas was because of its access to the reef. After much research we determined that Wavelength Marine Charters would provide us with the experience that we were looking for. They provide snorkelling only tours and keep each tour group to a maximum of 30 passengers. Our crew consisted of Jon, our skipper, Emma, a marine biologist, and Tim, the guide. They were fantastic and made the day's trip very memorable. Each was very friendly and quite knowledgeable not only about the reef but marine life in general. Throughout the day they provided us with fresh water, snacks consisting of fresh fruit, sweets, cheese and crackers and a lunch with sandwiches and salad. They provided us with all the gear we needed too...snorkel, mask, fins and even a full body lycra suit which was meant to protect against any possible jellyfish but in the end also protected us from the sun.
Our day started at 8am when we boarded the ship. After a quick safety briefing we set off on an hour and a half ride, about 30 miles off the coast to an outer part of the reef called Opal reef. At this reef we snorkelled three different spots. The Great Barrier Reef has about 2900 individual reef systems covering an area of roughly 344,000 square km's.
How to describe the absolutely stunning waters and sea life we saw? Words can hardly describe the utter beauty of what lies within the Opal reef. There is an abundance of vibrantly coloured and multi-coloured fish of varying sizes swimming amongst some of the most beautiful coral I've ever seen. The amount and different types of coral is unbelievable. The water was either crystal clear or the turquoise blue we all dream of when we think tropical waters.
Leading up to the tour I was thinking about what would happen if I encountered a shark in the waters. I pretty much figured that if I knew sharks were present then I wasn't getting in. I was chatting to our skipper on the way out and the topic came up. He assured me that I wasn't on the menu for reef sharks; that they only fed on fish. He also said that if I encountered a reef shark it would probably swim away from me pretty quickly. This helped to calm my fears and in the end we didn't end up seeing one, much to the disappointment of Z.
At one of the stops Emma provided a brief show and tell with a couple of the sea creatures that we were seeing. The first was a sea cucumber...I got to touch it and it's rather slimy on the top side and really quite soft on the underbelly. The mushroom coral was hard to the touch but apparently contains a substance which can be used as a sunscreen and used in anti-aging creams. During lunch Emma spoke about the different types of corals and how they actually compete amongst each other for access to the sunlight. The branching coral grows much faster and has better opportunities to reach the sunlight than day the brain coral. A tidbit that I didn't know was that coral doesn't have to be brightly coloured to be healthy; brown coloured coral is actually just as healthy as the rest. I always thought coral had to be brightly coloured for it to be alive. Interesting what you learn.
The reef is an incredible diverse self sustaining ecosystem so long as it is not disturbed. But that is hard to do with it being one of the main tourist drivers for Australia. The biggest threat to the reef is rising water temperatures. While we were snorkelling the water temperature was 28 degrees Celsius. Emma explained that when the water temperature starts reaching above 30 degrees it starts to mess with the coral's photosynthesis process and potentially results in the coral dying if the temperature doesn't drop back down.
This magical underwater world is so full of diverse life it's not in the least bit surprising to be one of the world's natural wonders of the world. I feel quite lucky to have experienced just a glimpse of its beauty.
Our day started at 8am when we boarded the ship. After a quick safety briefing we set off on an hour and a half ride, about 30 miles off the coast to an outer part of the reef called Opal reef. At this reef we snorkelled three different spots. The Great Barrier Reef has about 2900 individual reef systems covering an area of roughly 344,000 square km's.
How to describe the absolutely stunning waters and sea life we saw? Words can hardly describe the utter beauty of what lies within the Opal reef. There is an abundance of vibrantly coloured and multi-coloured fish of varying sizes swimming amongst some of the most beautiful coral I've ever seen. The amount and different types of coral is unbelievable. The water was either crystal clear or the turquoise blue we all dream of when we think tropical waters.
Leading up to the tour I was thinking about what would happen if I encountered a shark in the waters. I pretty much figured that if I knew sharks were present then I wasn't getting in. I was chatting to our skipper on the way out and the topic came up. He assured me that I wasn't on the menu for reef sharks; that they only fed on fish. He also said that if I encountered a reef shark it would probably swim away from me pretty quickly. This helped to calm my fears and in the end we didn't end up seeing one, much to the disappointment of Z.
At one of the stops Emma provided a brief show and tell with a couple of the sea creatures that we were seeing. The first was a sea cucumber...I got to touch it and it's rather slimy on the top side and really quite soft on the underbelly. The mushroom coral was hard to the touch but apparently contains a substance which can be used as a sunscreen and used in anti-aging creams. During lunch Emma spoke about the different types of corals and how they actually compete amongst each other for access to the sunlight. The branching coral grows much faster and has better opportunities to reach the sunlight than day the brain coral. A tidbit that I didn't know was that coral doesn't have to be brightly coloured to be healthy; brown coloured coral is actually just as healthy as the rest. I always thought coral had to be brightly coloured for it to be alive. Interesting what you learn.
The reef is an incredible diverse self sustaining ecosystem so long as it is not disturbed. But that is hard to do with it being one of the main tourist drivers for Australia. The biggest threat to the reef is rising water temperatures. While we were snorkelling the water temperature was 28 degrees Celsius. Emma explained that when the water temperature starts reaching above 30 degrees it starts to mess with the coral's photosynthesis process and potentially results in the coral dying if the temperature doesn't drop back down.
This magical underwater world is so full of diverse life it's not in the least bit surprising to be one of the world's natural wonders of the world. I feel quite lucky to have experienced just a glimpse of its beauty.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Port Douglas
Having saved money on our flights and a couple hotels by using points, we decided to splurge on our lodging in Port Douglas. We decided to rent a one bedroom penthouse apartment in a vacation apartment complex called Coconut Grove Apartments. Our apartment was recently renovated and had all the amenities we could wish for including a rooftop patio with small private swimming pool and a BBQ. The rooftop made a great place to relax in the late afternoon and provided a great vantage point to watch the sun set. We had a corner unit which gave us so much more natural light and also great views of the city with the extra windows. We even had a peek-a-boo view of the ocean from the rooftop. There was a subtropical forest
behind the complex and so we were treated to the beautiful singing of many different tropical birds. Taking advantage of the full kitchen facilities we bought groceries and had a few meals in. The apartment is only a 5 minute walk from 4 Mile Beach where you find the finest of fine white sand. The water was extremely warm and I'd venture to say it was probably at least 30 degrees Celsius; fantastically warm for bobbing around in. The only draw back was that it is currently marine stinger (box jellyfish) season which means the stingers are migrating to the shoreline to reproduce. This makes swimming extremely dangerous. But have no fear the Aussies have installed these massive industrial strength nets in spots which keep the stingers out and makes it safe to swim. Brilliant!!
Port Douglas is definitely a tourist town. Its main road is lined with quaint shops and restaurants, all of which have outdoor seating. Makes sense when you have such warm and sunny weather year round. Salsa Bar & Grill, is more of a local's place, and here is where Z feasted on a local barramundi fish dish. We ate at Dave's Takeaway, a burger and fish & chips kind of place and if your name is Dave you got your picture deed to the wall of Dave's and got a discount. Our last night we ate at Siam By The Sea, a great Thai restaurant. There's a great gelato place on the main road just a few steps from our apartment. We may have stopped in there a couple times. We discovered that tipping is not common practice, something very foreign to us because it's practically mandatory back home. Australian minimum wage is roughly $16/hour, which makes it easier to actually make a bit of a living.
We were quite interested in seeing the fauna native to Australia. After some research we found that the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas might just give us the experience we were looking for. Built in 1998 on 8 acres, this family owned and operated facility provides a unique experience by recreating the natural environment of the animals and allows the animals to roam freely within their areas. Guests get an interactive experience as they mingle with the animals. The habitat offers a breakfast with the birds or lunch with the Lorikeets. We decided we'd enjoy the breakfast which started at 8am. The breakfast itself had a lovely spread of pastries, cereals, hot breakfast items and fresh fruit. The bird enclosure had a vast variety of bird species; some of the most beautiful, brightly colourful birds I've ever seen. The birds were free to fly around which some did while other stayed on their natural perches posing for pictures. You needed to keep your eye on one wanderer, the Magpie Goose, because he was more than happy to snatch your bread items off your plate. Some of the most unusual birds we saw were the black-neck stork, cassowary, sulphur-crested cockatoo, lessor sooty owl, and the Australian pelican.
After breakfast we decided to join the guided tours which took us around the different parts of the habitat. These tours were very informative and we learned a lot about the different animals and particularly their eating habits. The habitat also provides wild animal rescue by providing care to injured animals.
Our interactive experience included feeding a joey kangaroo. His food was these little pellets which he ate straight out of our hands. I had to shoo away a duck who kept trying to eat from my hand because the duck wasn't as gentle in eating the food. The joey had very soft fur and appeared to enjoy being pet. We learned a little about koalas and how they sleep for roughly 20 hours a day (my kind of life), they are very particular in their food and only eat about 7 of the hundreds of different species of eucalyptus leaves found in Australia. Their body structure is designed to sit in the trees and they have 3 fingers and 2 thumbs which allows them to grip the tree branches and stay put in the event of a storm. Their fur is designed to repel water keeping their skin dry even in the worst of rain storms. Cody the resident koala was a cute as a button and we got a once in a lifetime opportunity to hold him ever so briefly for a photo op. He too has very soft fur. After our koala experience came the reptile presentation. Not being a huge fan of snakes, this part was a little uncomfortable for me seeing a live snake outside of an enclosure. Z was all over having his picture taken with the snake. Turns out he was he only one in the group. They also brought out a baby croc, only about 2 feet in length. After this presentation we wandered over to the croc feeding. The croc enclosure had about 10 crocs in the water and you would never have guessed that because they were camouflaged with their surroundings. The guide called the crocs and slowly one by one they came out of the water onto dry land. From the walkway above the guide threw small raw chicks at the crocs' snout and the croc would catch and eat it. Some throws were misses and it was interesting to learn that crocs cannot see down so if they didn't catch the food and it landed even a slight distance from them they wouldn't realize it was there. Best way to avoid an encounter with a croc is avoid croc infested waters and if you encountered one on land, run in the opposite direction. Our experience at the habitat was very informative and gave us a great opportunity to interact with many of the fauna, something that really is a once in a lifetime experience. I would highly recommend visiting this habitat to anyone heading to Port Douglas.
behind the complex and so we were treated to the beautiful singing of many different tropical birds. Taking advantage of the full kitchen facilities we bought groceries and had a few meals in. The apartment is only a 5 minute walk from 4 Mile Beach where you find the finest of fine white sand. The water was extremely warm and I'd venture to say it was probably at least 30 degrees Celsius; fantastically warm for bobbing around in. The only draw back was that it is currently marine stinger (box jellyfish) season which means the stingers are migrating to the shoreline to reproduce. This makes swimming extremely dangerous. But have no fear the Aussies have installed these massive industrial strength nets in spots which keep the stingers out and makes it safe to swim. Brilliant!!
Port Douglas is definitely a tourist town. Its main road is lined with quaint shops and restaurants, all of which have outdoor seating. Makes sense when you have such warm and sunny weather year round. Salsa Bar & Grill, is more of a local's place, and here is where Z feasted on a local barramundi fish dish. We ate at Dave's Takeaway, a burger and fish & chips kind of place and if your name is Dave you got your picture deed to the wall of Dave's and got a discount. Our last night we ate at Siam By The Sea, a great Thai restaurant. There's a great gelato place on the main road just a few steps from our apartment. We may have stopped in there a couple times. We discovered that tipping is not common practice, something very foreign to us because it's practically mandatory back home. Australian minimum wage is roughly $16/hour, which makes it easier to actually make a bit of a living.
We were quite interested in seeing the fauna native to Australia. After some research we found that the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas might just give us the experience we were looking for. Built in 1998 on 8 acres, this family owned and operated facility provides a unique experience by recreating the natural environment of the animals and allows the animals to roam freely within their areas. Guests get an interactive experience as they mingle with the animals. The habitat offers a breakfast with the birds or lunch with the Lorikeets. We decided we'd enjoy the breakfast which started at 8am. The breakfast itself had a lovely spread of pastries, cereals, hot breakfast items and fresh fruit. The bird enclosure had a vast variety of bird species; some of the most beautiful, brightly colourful birds I've ever seen. The birds were free to fly around which some did while other stayed on their natural perches posing for pictures. You needed to keep your eye on one wanderer, the Magpie Goose, because he was more than happy to snatch your bread items off your plate. Some of the most unusual birds we saw were the black-neck stork, cassowary, sulphur-crested cockatoo, lessor sooty owl, and the Australian pelican.
After breakfast we decided to join the guided tours which took us around the different parts of the habitat. These tours were very informative and we learned a lot about the different animals and particularly their eating habits. The habitat also provides wild animal rescue by providing care to injured animals.
Our interactive experience included feeding a joey kangaroo. His food was these little pellets which he ate straight out of our hands. I had to shoo away a duck who kept trying to eat from my hand because the duck wasn't as gentle in eating the food. The joey had very soft fur and appeared to enjoy being pet. We learned a little about koalas and how they sleep for roughly 20 hours a day (my kind of life), they are very particular in their food and only eat about 7 of the hundreds of different species of eucalyptus leaves found in Australia. Their body structure is designed to sit in the trees and they have 3 fingers and 2 thumbs which allows them to grip the tree branches and stay put in the event of a storm. Their fur is designed to repel water keeping their skin dry even in the worst of rain storms. Cody the resident koala was a cute as a button and we got a once in a lifetime opportunity to hold him ever so briefly for a photo op. He too has very soft fur. After our koala experience came the reptile presentation. Not being a huge fan of snakes, this part was a little uncomfortable for me seeing a live snake outside of an enclosure. Z was all over having his picture taken with the snake. Turns out he was he only one in the group. They also brought out a baby croc, only about 2 feet in length. After this presentation we wandered over to the croc feeding. The croc enclosure had about 10 crocs in the water and you would never have guessed that because they were camouflaged with their surroundings. The guide called the crocs and slowly one by one they came out of the water onto dry land. From the walkway above the guide threw small raw chicks at the crocs' snout and the croc would catch and eat it. Some throws were misses and it was interesting to learn that crocs cannot see down so if they didn't catch the food and it landed even a slight distance from them they wouldn't realize it was there. Best way to avoid an encounter with a croc is avoid croc infested waters and if you encountered one on land, run in the opposite direction. Our experience at the habitat was very informative and gave us a great opportunity to interact with many of the fauna, something that really is a once in a lifetime experience. I would highly recommend visiting this habitat to anyone heading to Port Douglas.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Heading to a land Down Under
Our flight to Sydney left Beijing at 5pm and was 11 hours. I was thankful that it was an overnight so that I could try and get some sleep. I was starting to feel quite jet lagged with the 16 hour time difference and also having spent a couple hours climbing the Great Wall. We flew Air China and after dinner I managed to get some good sleep. The lay flat seats are rather roomy and actually allow for you to get quite comfortable.
We've now also crossed into the Southern Hemisphere so literally all the way around the world from home. We landed in Sydney around 7:20am to a warm 19 degrees. Sydney is 3 hours ahead of Beijing; this time change should be a little easier to switch to. We were first off the plane which allowed for us to breeze through immigration and customs. The airport is already decked out with Christmas decorations. It is somewhat strange to think of Christmas in hot weather but the Aussie's get to celebrate in their summer.
We decided we'd start our Aussie vacation up north in Port Douglas, so after landing in Sydney we had to make our way to the domestic terminal to catch our Jetstar flight to Cairns. This flight was a short 3 hours and when we landed we were hit by the immense heat. I had packed my shorts at the bottom of my suitcase so was stuck wearing pants; none other than black pants. We now had to drive 1 hour north to Port Douglas. It was sweltering and once we got into our rental car we cranked the AC. The outside temperature registered at 32 degrees but felt much hotter. It was a stark contrast to the frigid temperatures in Beijing or even those back home for the week leading up to this trip. But I admit I'd rather have hot temperatures over cold any day.
The drive was one of the most scenic drives I've ever taken. The ride up the coast on Captain Cook Highway provided for some of the most amazing views of the coastline on one side with subtropical forest on the other.
You drive on the "wrong side" of the road here and they seem to have a lot of roundabouts, or at least on the route we took. Z got the hang of this rather quickly though we did end up saying keep left a few times and the windshield wipers got turned on a couple times instead of the turn signal.
We've now also crossed into the Southern Hemisphere so literally all the way around the world from home. We landed in Sydney around 7:20am to a warm 19 degrees. Sydney is 3 hours ahead of Beijing; this time change should be a little easier to switch to. We were first off the plane which allowed for us to breeze through immigration and customs. The airport is already decked out with Christmas decorations. It is somewhat strange to think of Christmas in hot weather but the Aussie's get to celebrate in their summer.
We decided we'd start our Aussie vacation up north in Port Douglas, so after landing in Sydney we had to make our way to the domestic terminal to catch our Jetstar flight to Cairns. This flight was a short 3 hours and when we landed we were hit by the immense heat. I had packed my shorts at the bottom of my suitcase so was stuck wearing pants; none other than black pants. We now had to drive 1 hour north to Port Douglas. It was sweltering and once we got into our rental car we cranked the AC. The outside temperature registered at 32 degrees but felt much hotter. It was a stark contrast to the frigid temperatures in Beijing or even those back home for the week leading up to this trip. But I admit I'd rather have hot temperatures over cold any day.
The drive was one of the most scenic drives I've ever taken. The ride up the coast on Captain Cook Highway provided for some of the most amazing views of the coastline on one side with subtropical forest on the other.
You drive on the "wrong side" of the road here and they seem to have a lot of roundabouts, or at least on the route we took. Z got the hang of this rather quickly though we did end up saying keep left a few times and the windshield wipers got turned on a couple times instead of the turn signal.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
The Great Wall - Mutianyu
Considering the time zone change and the long flight to Beijing, I managed to get a descent amount of sleep. We had until mid afternoon Monday until we needed to make our way to the airport for our next flight taking us to our final country destination. Since we don't know when we might be back in a China we thought this was a great opportunity to explore a portion of the Great Wall. We (actually Z) researched a couple different sections that we could see and determined that Mutianyu was the best part and it was only a 1.5 hour drive from our hotel. So we hired a driver for the day, Terrence. He suggested that we go early to avoid the crowds. His suggestion proved to be invaluable. He picked us up at 7:30 am and it was fricking cold. Glad I had brought some gloves along which seemed silly to pack for just one day. He was quite friendly and spoke English quite well. Part of our drive took us through countryside Beijing which was quite scenic.
We arrived at Mutianyu just before 9am and with the help of Terrence got our tickets and off we were. It cost us $160 Yuan RMB each (roughly $30 CAD) for the gondola ride including return and entry to the wall. First was a bus ride up to the gondola which would take us to the wall. There is a second option that you can take which is a chair lift and on the way down you take a toboggan. We opted for the gondola up and down because it was so cold. There weren't many people up there this early which was fantastic because it meant we had most of the sections of the wall all to ourselves. The views from the wall are absolutely breathtaking. It is completely surrounded by dense forest on both sides.
This section of the wall is one of the better preserved parts of the Great Wall and is 2250 metres in length. There are watchtowers placed throughout this section and most had openings on both sides so to better defend against enemies. The wall is built mainly of granite and was first built in the mid sixth century. It was certainly an awesome experience to be able to climb the wall. There were many stairs often quite steep and rather uneven. I'm very glad that it was sunny and not raining during our visit because I couldn't imagine how slippery it would have been. There were a couple times that I felt my shoes sliding slightly as I walked on an incline. The feeling of "being on top of the world" certainly rang true as did the sheer amazement in how the wall has withstood the test of time. Certainly One of the Wonders of the World!
Good thing our trip wasn't a week earlier because China was hosting the APEC meeting in Beijing and I'm quite confident it probably would have been a little more difficult to get around. We heard President Obama visited Mutianyu so I can only imagine it was closed to tourists that day.
You hear about how the Chinese government restricts internet access to its people and blocks many sites that we are accustomed to using every day. It was strange experiencing this firsthand...The Great Firewall of China as it's known wouldn't even allow me to google search.
I was pleasantly surprised by a few things: how clean the streets of Beijing were, how well the roads were signed in both Chinese and English, and how friendly and helpful the people we encountered were even if we were unable to speak their language.
We arrived at Mutianyu just before 9am and with the help of Terrence got our tickets and off we were. It cost us $160 Yuan RMB each (roughly $30 CAD) for the gondola ride including return and entry to the wall. First was a bus ride up to the gondola which would take us to the wall. There is a second option that you can take which is a chair lift and on the way down you take a toboggan. We opted for the gondola up and down because it was so cold. There weren't many people up there this early which was fantastic because it meant we had most of the sections of the wall all to ourselves. The views from the wall are absolutely breathtaking. It is completely surrounded by dense forest on both sides.
This section of the wall is one of the better preserved parts of the Great Wall and is 2250 metres in length. There are watchtowers placed throughout this section and most had openings on both sides so to better defend against enemies. The wall is built mainly of granite and was first built in the mid sixth century. It was certainly an awesome experience to be able to climb the wall. There were many stairs often quite steep and rather uneven. I'm very glad that it was sunny and not raining during our visit because I couldn't imagine how slippery it would have been. There were a couple times that I felt my shoes sliding slightly as I walked on an incline. The feeling of "being on top of the world" certainly rang true as did the sheer amazement in how the wall has withstood the test of time. Certainly One of the Wonders of the World!
Good thing our trip wasn't a week earlier because China was hosting the APEC meeting in Beijing and I'm quite confident it probably would have been a little more difficult to get around. We heard President Obama visited Mutianyu so I can only imagine it was closed to tourists that day.
You hear about how the Chinese government restricts internet access to its people and blocks many sites that we are accustomed to using every day. It was strange experiencing this firsthand...The Great Firewall of China as it's known wouldn't even allow me to google search.
I was pleasantly surprised by a few things: how clean the streets of Beijing were, how well the roads were signed in both Chinese and English, and how friendly and helpful the people we encountered were even if we were unable to speak their language.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
To the Far East
This trip was booked almost a year ago and departure day has finally come. It's a frigid morning to be getting up early on what would normally be a day off and I'd be making every effort to sleep in as long as possible. But knowing that the final destination in a couple days will be warm sunshine brings a smile. Poor Z he just returned from a week long work trip the night before we leave and so in the span of 3 weeks he'll only have had 1 night at home.
Booking flights on points doesn't always get you on the most direct route, so we will be stopping in Beijing, China first. The original plan was for a couple hour layover in Beijing but that flight time got changed on us and so we needed to make alternate plans. Thankfully we were able to get on that same flight a day earlier and now we had a 24 hour layover in Beijing instead. True to his researching form, Z figured out that Beijing was one of the major cities in China that allowed travellers entry without a visa if they are transiting within 72 hours. Score....no need to apply for a visa!!!
This is my first time to China and with 24 hours don't have a huge amount of time to explore, but we've got a couple things planned. First, our flight from YVR to PEK to my surprise took us north over Alaska, Russia, crossing the International Date Line at some point before making its way down to China. I thought we'd fly straight across the Pacific but what do I know? Our flight left promptly on time at 12:25pm. The only draw back with leaving at this time is that my body clock was programmed for daytime and so trying to sleep on the flight proved extremely difficult even after taking a sleeping pill. Having booked business class with our points, the 11 hour flight was actually quite comfortable.
Our approach into Beijing took us over a vast area of farmland on the outskirts of the city. Nestled in between the farms were numerous apartment buildings. In the horizon you could see the city's countless skyscrapers clouded by a layer of smog. There were many towering cranes amongst the buildings, a sign that the city is still growing. As we descended and these skyscrapers came closer into view it was evident that many of these buildings were in fact empty. A sign of overbuilding perhaps. It struck me that the densification of places back home have nothing on the densification here in China which is par for the course. With 20 million people residing in Beijing and the outskirts going up is the only way that makes sense.
Once again, Z having done his research, steered us towards the 72-hour transit entry line bypassing the extremely lengthy immigration line up. We walked right up to the officer and were through in about 2 minutes. All that was required were our passports, entry documents and proof of our flight out of China. This saved us probably a good 45 minute wait.
After collecting our luggage we found the taxi stand and were off into the traffic chaos of Beijing. Our taxi driver ended up driving down the shoulder of the freeway bypassing the gridlock traffic for quite some time. The whole time we thought he was doing this because we would be taking the next exit, but no....ended up he just wanted to get further ahead in traffic. Seems like this is a normal practice as other cars did the same and then forced their way into the gridlock when needed. Despite some nerve racking driving we made it to our hotel in one piece.
We booked this hotel on points as well and it ended up being a steal of a deal. We stayed at the Marriott Beijing Northeast, slightly outside the main core of the city. We ended up getting a rather sweet upgrade into an executive suite. The suite was one of the nicest well appointed rooms I've ever stayed in. As you entered the suite you were in the spacious living room which included a work station area with floor to ceiling windows behind. Immediately to the left of the entrance was a dining table....from there you walked down the hallway and behind what appeared to be a closet was a hidden bar area. Further down the hall was a half bathroom and at the end was the master bedroom with the biggest ensuite I've ever seen in a hotel room. Again floor to ceiling windows in both the master bath and bedroom. The views were quite spectacular. Too bad we were only here for 1 night. We received a complimentary basket of fruit too which was a nice added touch. The hotel staff were all about the guest experience. Everyone we encountered was very friendly and helpful. This isn't the first time when travelling through/to Asia where we experienced exceptional customer service. There is certainly something to be learned here.
After selling into our room and grabbing a quick bite to eat we decided to make our way to the metro station and head to Tianamen Square. Again the hotel front desk clerks were more than helpful in giving us directions to the metro. We decided to walk and it took us about 15 minutes. The metro cost 2 Yuan RMB for a single journey ticket, so total 4 for both us which is the equivalent of 74 cents CAD. The metros can get extremely packed but thankfully we were travelling off peak times and so it wasn't too bad. It was still more crowded than I'm accustomed to. About a half hour and 2 trains later we emerged for the metro and walked towards Tianamen Square. It was very cold, similar to the temperature back home; the same cold this trip was providing an escape for. It was already dark when we got there and access to the interior of the square was already closed. So after passing through the security checkpoint we emerged from the underground passage way and took in the exterior of the square and all the bright lights set up at night. It was an impressive sight; too bad we couldn't get inside - perhaps someday we'll return and plan to head here during the day. Because it was evening, the temperature was dropping quickly and we didn't exactly pack that many warm clothes because this trip was actually providing us with an escape from the cold so we walked around a little and then decided to head back to the hotel. I'd say the cold played a part in our short visit, but the jet lag was also setting in very quickly for both of us and at that point all I wanted to do was crawl into bed.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Booking flights on points doesn't always get you on the most direct route, so we will be stopping in Beijing, China first. The original plan was for a couple hour layover in Beijing but that flight time got changed on us and so we needed to make alternate plans. Thankfully we were able to get on that same flight a day earlier and now we had a 24 hour layover in Beijing instead. True to his researching form, Z figured out that Beijing was one of the major cities in China that allowed travellers entry without a visa if they are transiting within 72 hours. Score....no need to apply for a visa!!!
This is my first time to China and with 24 hours don't have a huge amount of time to explore, but we've got a couple things planned. First, our flight from YVR to PEK to my surprise took us north over Alaska, Russia, crossing the International Date Line at some point before making its way down to China. I thought we'd fly straight across the Pacific but what do I know? Our flight left promptly on time at 12:25pm. The only draw back with leaving at this time is that my body clock was programmed for daytime and so trying to sleep on the flight proved extremely difficult even after taking a sleeping pill. Having booked business class with our points, the 11 hour flight was actually quite comfortable.
Our approach into Beijing took us over a vast area of farmland on the outskirts of the city. Nestled in between the farms were numerous apartment buildings. In the horizon you could see the city's countless skyscrapers clouded by a layer of smog. There were many towering cranes amongst the buildings, a sign that the city is still growing. As we descended and these skyscrapers came closer into view it was evident that many of these buildings were in fact empty. A sign of overbuilding perhaps. It struck me that the densification of places back home have nothing on the densification here in China which is par for the course. With 20 million people residing in Beijing and the outskirts going up is the only way that makes sense.
Once again, Z having done his research, steered us towards the 72-hour transit entry line bypassing the extremely lengthy immigration line up. We walked right up to the officer and were through in about 2 minutes. All that was required were our passports, entry documents and proof of our flight out of China. This saved us probably a good 45 minute wait.
After collecting our luggage we found the taxi stand and were off into the traffic chaos of Beijing. Our taxi driver ended up driving down the shoulder of the freeway bypassing the gridlock traffic for quite some time. The whole time we thought he was doing this because we would be taking the next exit, but no....ended up he just wanted to get further ahead in traffic. Seems like this is a normal practice as other cars did the same and then forced their way into the gridlock when needed. Despite some nerve racking driving we made it to our hotel in one piece.
We booked this hotel on points as well and it ended up being a steal of a deal. We stayed at the Marriott Beijing Northeast, slightly outside the main core of the city. We ended up getting a rather sweet upgrade into an executive suite. The suite was one of the nicest well appointed rooms I've ever stayed in. As you entered the suite you were in the spacious living room which included a work station area with floor to ceiling windows behind. Immediately to the left of the entrance was a dining table....from there you walked down the hallway and behind what appeared to be a closet was a hidden bar area. Further down the hall was a half bathroom and at the end was the master bedroom with the biggest ensuite I've ever seen in a hotel room. Again floor to ceiling windows in both the master bath and bedroom. The views were quite spectacular. Too bad we were only here for 1 night. We received a complimentary basket of fruit too which was a nice added touch. The hotel staff were all about the guest experience. Everyone we encountered was very friendly and helpful. This isn't the first time when travelling through/to Asia where we experienced exceptional customer service. There is certainly something to be learned here.
After selling into our room and grabbing a quick bite to eat we decided to make our way to the metro station and head to Tianamen Square. Again the hotel front desk clerks were more than helpful in giving us directions to the metro. We decided to walk and it took us about 15 minutes. The metro cost 2 Yuan RMB for a single journey ticket, so total 4 for both us which is the equivalent of 74 cents CAD. The metros can get extremely packed but thankfully we were travelling off peak times and so it wasn't too bad. It was still more crowded than I'm accustomed to. About a half hour and 2 trains later we emerged for the metro and walked towards Tianamen Square. It was very cold, similar to the temperature back home; the same cold this trip was providing an escape for. It was already dark when we got there and access to the interior of the square was already closed. So after passing through the security checkpoint we emerged from the underground passage way and took in the exterior of the square and all the bright lights set up at night. It was an impressive sight; too bad we couldn't get inside - perhaps someday we'll return and plan to head here during the day. Because it was evening, the temperature was dropping quickly and we didn't exactly pack that many warm clothes because this trip was actually providing us with an escape from the cold so we walked around a little and then decided to head back to the hotel. I'd say the cold played a part in our short visit, but the jet lag was also setting in very quickly for both of us and at that point all I wanted to do was crawl into bed.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Reflections on Europe
Reflecting back on this trip brings with it many good memories. Getting to Europe is always a trek and this time was no different, but once you are there it's so easy to get around. Trains, planes, and automobiles provided all the modes of transportation we needed to visit 6 countries in 2 weeks. That sounds a little much and the reality of it is that while our feet physically touched 6 countries during that time, we spent very limited amounts of time in most of them. Our major stops were Belgium and France, but we also hit the Netherlands, Italy, Monaco and Germany.
This trip was different in that we had Z's mom travelling along with us. It was fun showing her around and playing a bit of a tour guide especially in Paris. Our worry was that our general pace of travel which is to see as much as possible would be a little too much for her, but she kept up nicely. It was also really great to meet some of her family and spend time with them getting to know them.
I always love travelling to Europe. The countries and cities all have such a rich history, culture, and beauty to them. It's such a change from back home and it's a change that I absolutely love. The lifestyle there is so different and when I'm exposed to it makes me crave it for my own. We had a lot of really good food and perhaps a few too many tasty pastries and gelato. But as they say, when in Europe......
There are many good memories and experiences that I'll cherish but if I had to pick a favourite, I'd have to say was attending a match at the French Open. I am so happy that Z managed to get us tickets. It's always been a dream of mine to either see Wimbledon or the US Open live so to be able to see the French Open on the clay courts helped to satisfy that dream (for now).
With so much of the world out there to explore, these globetrotters won't rest for long....so until next time....life is good!!
With so much of the world out there to explore, these globetrotters won't rest for long....so until next time....life is good!!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Some of the foods....
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| Waffle in Brussels |
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| Panini lunch in Bruges, Belgium |
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| Breakfast crepe on Champs d-Elysee, Paris |
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| Lunch in Cannes (Z's not mine!!) |
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| Making of crepe in Eze, France |
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| Pesto lunch in Imperia, Italy |
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| Creme Carmel in Monaco |
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| Temptation in France |
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| Dinner in Nice |
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| Lunch in Freising, Germany |
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