Ubud, Bali – Day 41

This is our last full day on holiday and at the moment we are relaxing by the pool in 28 degrees of heat trying not to think about the four degree temperature in Scarborough. We arrived at the Samaya Hotel in Ubud yesterday morning, since when we have been soaking up the atmosphere and shopping. Ubud is a touristy town about an hours drive from the capital Denpasar and the port of Benoa where our ship docked. It is a touristy and busy place with inadequate roads choked with traffic, particularly mopeds. However our hotel is an oasis of calm, consisting of little bungalows each with their own pool on the side of a river valley.

This morning I arose early to take a guided walk around the area of the hotel. It was fascinating to see the intensive agriculture taking place almost in the middle of the town. The principal crop is rice grown in well-irrigated paddy fields.

There is certainly no shortage of water here. The more well to do houses are in the form of walled compounds where the extended family all have there own smaller houses. Integrated into the compound is a Hindu temple for festivities and a graveyard for your ancestors, truly cradle to grave living. Evidence of Hinduism is all around with temples, statues, and small shrines.

After a lovely breakfast we went shopping, first for coffee particularly the Lowok coffee that is famous here. Our guide probably described it best as poo coffee; yes the beans have been digested through the gut of an animal and then excreted.

Sounds horrible, but is tastes really good, although it is fairly expensive. The normal Balinese beans are also good so various purchases were made. Watch out when you next come to Throxenby Lane, you will maybe be drinking poo coffee.

Then it was onto a batik shop where Marion was in ecstasies over the material on show, particularly the hand designed cotton batik. Even to my untutored eye it looked lovely. Having made our purchases we toured some of the rural country around Ubud, particularly looking at the rice fields and the terraced agriculture. Unusually it has not rained.

All is left is our final dinner and to pack tomorrow morning before the journey home and a farewell to what has been a lovely holiday. We hope to return to the southern hemisphere sometime soon. I will sum up our feelings about the holiday when we are settled in in Scarborough on Monday or Tuesday. 

Photos - Day 41

We are now back on land in Bali so I will post some photos representative of the time we spent creasing from Sydney to Bali.

Leaving Sydney at Night

Brisbane Skyline

Encore docked in Brisbane

River ferry - Brisbane

Kayaking - Moreton Island

At Sea

Whit Sunday Islands

Rainforest

Mangrove Swamp - Cairns

At Sea

Timor Leste

Snorkeling

Coral

Komodo Dragon

Last day on Board – Day 40

We docked in Benoa the port of Bali at 10am this morning. This is an unscheduled stop as we were due to visit Lombok, but because of the recent earthquake damage have been unable to visit. So we have had a relaxing day on board in high heat and humidity. The temperature in the pool was around ninety degrees so it was great to get in there and do some exercise this morning.

Lunch was our new favourite sushi and then it was down to some packing, with promise of some ice cream at the end of it. 

So here we are at the end of our cruise on the Seabourn Encore, we have had a great time. We have met some interesting and friendly people, had great food and some fantastic experiences. I think the best was seeing Marion’s smile after she had been snorkelling in Timor Leste. Only two days to go before we fly home, but I am sure that our exploration of Bali will be very interesting and enjoyable.

If we have a reasonable Internet connection tomorrow I will try to post some of the pictures that we have taken over the last few days since we embarked on the cruise.

If you wish to see the official blog of our cruise and compare it to my amateur offering follow this link https://my.yb.tl/encoreventures

Slawi Bay or Komodo Island – Day 39

We anchored in the most beautiful bay off Komodo Island, one of the over 17,000 islands that comprise Indonesia. `In the bay many islands rose up from the waters while mountainous hills formed a ring around the bay. Those in the know tell me that the bay resembled Halong Bay in Vietnam. However the principal reason for our visit was not the fabulous scenery, but the famous Komodo dragons, which are the largest lizards on earth. 

Our visit started with a short tender ride to a long jetty. At the end of this was the entrance to the park where we were divided into groups. Each group had a guide and two rangers with long poles, reputedly to protect us from the dragons. Apparently they are very dangerous because their saliva is highly poisonous, containing sixteen different types of bacteria. The first dragon we saw was a young one about three feet long, just walking across the beach.

After walking along a dusty track for some minutes we were told to be quiet as the next part was extremely dangerous!! I think this is like every Australian guide telling one to look out for snakes and deadly spiders, of which we have seen none. Any way we came to a dusty looking waterhole where there were several dragons torpidly lying around, flicking their tongues in and out. I was able to get one shot in which the dragon looked fierce but apart from that not a lot happened. One of the cynics in our party thought that they had been drugged, who knows. An interesting experience.

The sail away from the bay was beautiful in the late afternoon sunshine, with rain clouds hovering over the mountains. We then played the final team trivia game, our team had much fun and surprisingly came second. It was then time for the crew to be thanked and recognised at a deck party. Finally we had dinner with Kathy and Fred from Pittsburgh, the discussion was wide ranging. Surprisingly he thought that the English legal system was more expensive and cumbersome than that in the US.

Tomorrow we dock in Bali for our last whole day on the Seabourn Encore.

A lovely evening – Day 38

Today we have been cruising between Dili and Komodo Island in flat calm seas thinking about the cruise so far and enjoying new friendships. The Ventures team shared their photographs with us; the ones of Marion snorkelling in Dili were spectacular. Hopefully when we have a good Internet connection in Bali I will be able to share them. This afternoon we watched flying fish scud across an absolutely flat ocean.

This evening was all about what we like about being on a Seabourn cruise. We had pre-dinner drinks in the Observation bar where we met two friends from Medicine Hat in Canada. We then had a lovely dinner with our trivia team, a multi-national group of eleven from the old-Commonwealth, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and of course ourselves from England. We spent three hours laughing and talking over a lovely meal. Then it was on to see the late show with a comedian, he was very funny, Marion was rolling around. Unfortunately his humour was probably lost on the Americans in the audience. I will see if I can recall any of the jokes when I arrive home.

Tomorrow we risk life and limb seeing the Komodo dragons.

Timor Leste – Day 37

Marion taking over from Nigel:  Well what a day! We awoke on a beautiful morning to see the beautiful sight of the hills of Timor Leste rising through the mist and the sea sparkling and shimmering. After breakfast we took a Zodiac ride round the bays and stopped on Cristol Beach where Nigel joined a short hike uphill to the miniature Christ of the Andes-type statue, which overlooks the bay. I flopped under the shade of a tree for a while and when Nigel got back we both tried our hand at snorkelling. The Ventures team from the ship were so encouraging and I found it a joy to be in the wonderfully warm, clear water and eventually, with the help of one ventures team members, felt able to snorkel round the coral reef. It was great to see the many varieties of coral, some still, some moving gently with the movement of the sea. They were less brightly coloured than I had imagined but there was a huge variety. My mentor was diving around and under me, photographing the different corals and an eel that we saw. She also took a snap of me snorkelling to prove that I did it!! Sadly, Nigel missed this experience because without his glasses he just couldn’t see the coral and tiny fish.

At Sea – Day 36

Today we sailed out of Australian waters and are now in Indonesia/Timor Leste. We land in Timor Leste tomorrow, and today we learnt some interesting facts about the third newest nation in the world. Only Montenegro and South Sudan are newer. It is also one of the poorest nations in the world. It was a Portuguese colony that suffered a postcolonial struggle to become independent from Indonesia. Quite unreasonably I feel I should write to my MP for an explanation as to why I have to pay a $55 visa fee, while almost everywhere else in Europe is exempt.

We have had a great day today, after a late breakfast we talked to the Ventures Team, these are the knowledgeable experts who are on the ship. They are so willing to impart their considerable knowledge. They also reassured Marion that she would enjoy the zodiac trip to the beach tomorrow. There was then a caviar party where unfortunately even though it was before midday Marion and I drank a little too much. I think it was the strawberry daiquiri that did it. We and the other teams were thus well lubricated for trivia, how was it than one of our team knew the exact date that Disneyland opened?

We had and agreeable lunch with an Australian couple, he is a former Cathay pilot who regaled us with several “tall” tales, including the one where the pilot hung a pair of fluffy dice in the windscreen of a 747. After the Timor lecture there was a classical concert on deck, very relaxing. I then cleared the swimming pool by doing aqua-robics; the water temperature was just less than 90 degrees.

Finally we watched the sun go down and then had a lovely dinner. We are ready for Timor Leste tomorrow.

North of Darwin – Day 35

This was the third of four consecutive days at sea so the blog will be quite brief. After an early morning shower it was dry today, with the temperature in the mid-eighties. There is only one or two degrees change at night.

It was a quiet start as Marion was a little under the weather, no it was not alcohol related. It did however turn out to be quite a social day. As usual it was the trivia quiz before lunch, which we shared with Fred and Kathy from Pittsburgh. Much political discussion, Fred who is a lawyer is convinced that Trump will be in trouble with the courts in the southern district of New York over his tax affairs. We shall see.

During the afternoon we had a really interesting conversation with two of the experts on the cruise. It is really interesting talking to people with a great expertise outside of ones experience. For instance I did not realise that Darwin and similar explorers financed their expeditions by selling the specimens that they collected. Joe also told us of his experiences undertaking environmental impact studies for offshore wind farms. It turns out that they could actually be helpful to seabirds by creating new reefs for fish. Even onshore wind farms are not damaging as long as they are not on the migratory routes of birds of prey.

After some exercise in the pool we had a very pleasant dinner outside with an Australian couple, who lamented the cold Sydney winters, but extolled the virtues of Indonesia. Another potential holiday destination?

Tomorrow is our final day at sea before arriving in Timor Leeste, one of the world’s newest countries.

Somewhere South of Papua New Guinea – Day 34

Today there has been no sight of land at all as we navigate between Australia and Papua New Guinea, so we have been left to our own devices, and a very relaxing day it has been. The temperature stays at around 84 degrees day and night so the swimming pool is a lovely temperature; in fact it is pleasantly cool compared to the outside temperature, Ideal for Marion’s aquarobics. The only problem is that every couple of hours there is a heavy rain shower.

Our team won the trivia today, mainly because one of our number knew the Internet code for Antarctica. We had a lovely lunch outside during which time we were offered three cocktails, I finally succumbed to a peach daiquiri. I attended a lecture on change in Indonesia where we were literally bombarded with political and economic facts and figures. Needing to get this out of my system I had a short session in the gym.

This evening we had an Indian meal, with a couple from Pittsburgh, Fred is a keen sports fan with tickets both to the NFL and the MLB, so an interesting conversation on knuckleball pitchers was had. Kathy has an extremely interesting job administering the philanthropy of a foundation designed to make life in Pittsburgh better.

Clocks go back tonight so we have an extra hour in bed, we need it with all this hard work.

Cape York – Day 33

I realise that my day count has been a little out so hopefully I have corrected it today. This morning dawned dull and overcast with a very high humidity of 80%; this means that every time I go out on deck from an air-conditioned environment my glasses steam up. Also I have to open the camera up for some minutes before it is usable.

No matter we have had a great day today, it might seem a little tedious to those of you reading from afar, but we have really enjoyed it. After a leisurely breakfast and an additional coffee we attended a lecture about Indonesia, Knowing nothing about this country it was very informative. From end to end if superimposed on the US it would stretch from Portland to three hundred miles off the coast of Maine, it has 22% of the world’s active volcanoes, and the temples dating from the tenth century are spectacular. The lecturer by coincidence had graduated in geography from the same university as myself albeit ten years earlier. I shall have to look into getting one of these gigs on a cruise ship!!! 

Then it was trivia, we were off form today, do any of my readers know what the Dutch navy gave to sailors to prevent scurvy?

This afternoon we spent on deck as we navigated through the reefs and islands at the tip of Cape York, in the extreme North East of Australia. This is an area that is not visited much, there are no roads and few cruise ships follow this route. Combined with the storm-laden skies this was very beautiful. The experts on deck were able to identify our exact position as well as the many bird species that surrounded the ship.

This evening we have had a lovely dinner; it was a chef’s presentation of six delicious courses with beautiful well balance food. This was rounded off by a game of Scrabble. Another question for my reader(s), would you allow “strim”? 

Farewell to Australia – Day 31

We left a very wet Cairns in the early evening bound for Dilli in East Timor, 1400 nautical miles away. This was our last Australian landfall after over for weeks in the country. It is sad to leave Australia, a country that we found hugely hospitable. We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay here; it is a marvellous and surprising country. Without exception we have been received with friendliness and enthusiasm. The public infrastructure is excellent and everywhere is immaculate. Against expectations the food has been very good, and we have eaten some exceptional meals. The cities have been vibrant and interesting, while the countryside has excited us. Hopefully it will not be too long until we return.

Our plans for Cairns were changed and judging by the reports of others it may well have been for the better. The trip to the Barrier Reef involved much too much walking for Marion so we opted for a different sort of day. I took a zodiac trip to the mangrove swamps that surround Cairns; two experts who explained this unique habitat and the creatures that live there accompanied us. The mangrove tree can withstand saltwater so grows on shallow silt deposits that are exposed at low tide. The roots system cleanses the water run-off from the hills, this is important for the Barrier Reef, as it means that the reef is protected from pollutants. In turn the reef protects the mangrove habitat from strong waves.

I returned from the tour in late morning and joined Marion for lunch, after which I explored the city of Cairns while dodging heavy showers. It is a modern city, which has grown in recent years due to tourists coming to the Barrier Reef. Like many others it has built an attractive promenade and because jellyfish make the sea inhospitable has a large lagoon like swimming pool on the foreshore. It had a lovely art gallery with a David Hockney exhibition and attractive shop.

Those that went to the Barrier Reef reported poor conditions due to the rough seas and little sign of fishes or reef, so I think that we may have had the best choice made for us. We are now looking forward to four days at sea.

Townsville and Rainforest – Day 30

By now we are well along the Northern Queensland coast, and today docked at the capital of the region, Townsville. Now in our Rough Guide to Australia, Townsville does not get a favourable description, so we had low expectations. We docked at 8am by when we had already had breakfast in our room as we had an early start on a rainforest tour. The weather was overcast but the sun was trying to peek through. First impressions are always important and Townville had a group of cheerful volunteers to meet and greet the arriving passengers. Soon we were driving along the city’s promenade, which like Australian cities everywhere was immaculate. Much attention has been given to the infrastructure, including a cycle path following the coast for eighty kilometres. The city is also Australia’s major military centre.

Now despite having an attractive beach, and I assume warm seas there was no swimming, because at this time of year there are stinging jellyfish offshore. Swimming is only allowed in a small area that is fenced off from the rest of the ocean. The city is also suffering the effects of devastating flooding in February during a tropical cyclone. Then they had many metres of rain over one week, in perspective they normally get a metre a year. The reservoir went from 13% of capacity to 213% capacity within days. As a result the decision had to be taken to release some of the water, which caused devastating flooding in the city.

Our first stop was for elevenses at Mr Frosty, an ice cream parlour with a difference, most of the flavours were locally grown tropical fruits. I had a type of mango that produced an ice cream that looked like chocolate but tasted quite odd. Suitably refreshed we climbed the hill to the Paluma National Park, this is a UNESCO World Heritage site recognising it as one of the most ecologically diverse habitats on earth. Our guide said that it was second only to a part of Venezuela.

One of the unique things is that it contains a number of very primitive plant and animal species, flightless birds and very slow growing trees. All are in a competition amongst the dense forest for light. So trees have enormous canopies, birds excrete stick seeds that attach themselves to leaves high in the canopy, and the parasite plants then grow high in the forest. Some plants lay dormant while others grow rapidly. Some trees had huge buttress like roots. What was noticeable was how damp everything was, I wore a hat and at the end of the walk it was quite wet, despite it not raining.

The road that we took up the mountain had only been built in the 1930s as a work relief scheme; it spawned a little community of ninety or so houses at the summit. Here we had our lunch in a community hall. This was an opportunity to talk to some locals about the history of the village. From being a place to support logging, it now hosts two camps where scientists and students come to study this unique environment. Apparently plants that grow very slowly are excellent to study for the effects of environmental change. So an interesting and informative day.

Airlie Beach and an Anniversary – Day 29

We are now in Northern Queensland within the Great Barrier Reef natural reserve. Today we anchored off the small town of Airlie Beach. This is the centre for exploring the Whit Sunday Islands a group of seventy or so offshore islands. Our method of exploration was an old wooden schooner called the Derwent Hunter. This was the last working sailing boat built in Australia, in Hobart Tasmania in 1945. Captain Pete recalled its varied career since then, which included working for the Australian secret service. It was an exhilarating trip because much of the time it was under sail, and with the strong wind we fairly whipped along. Did I mention that once again we have brought cloudy overcast weather to Australia, the consolation was that it was really warm.

We anchored in a sheltered bay to snorkel amongst the reef. I am afraid that I was not very successful with snorkeing as without my glasses I could not see very much. Also every time I took a breath I seemed to get a mouthful of seawater. However it was possible to look at the coral through a sort of reverse periscope while on the zodiac. Even this limited view enabled me to gain a perspective on a unique and lovely environment. The colours of the fish were amazing. After a picnic lunch we had an exhilarating sail back to the port

Today was of course our wedding anniversary so we had booked the speciality Thomas Keillor restaurant on board. Prior to that we had pre-dinner champagne accompanied by caviar, a real treat. In the restaurant we had a lovely meal, both choosing lobster thermidor for our main course. We were then presented with cake for our anniversary and a white rose for Marion. 

We have had a great anniversary and one that will live long in our memory. 

A Day at Sea – Day 28

Having survived Moreton Island we are now sailing to the Whit Sunday Islands, which form part of the Great Barrier Reef. Today has been spent at sea so I will take this opportunity to describe what was a typical day on board.

I woke around seven and after reading the Guardian headlines showered, dressed and walked down to Seabourn Square. Here there is a coffee bar, where there is a great innovation, they have a coffee roaster so there is always the lovely aroma of freshly roasted beans. I got take away coffees taking Marion’s back to the cabin. While she came to I read on the balcony, it was delightful being in the early eighties. 

We then took a late and leisurely breakfast, after which we sat reading at the back of the ship. Mid-morning saw us get into our swimming costumes; we then entered into the pool and attempted some exercises. The water was lovely although it was necessary to keep your shoulders under, as the sun by now was very hot.

We had a great forty-five minutes of exercise but had to be out and showered for midday. On sea days this is the time for the team quiz session in which ten teams of ten take part. Is light-hearted fun with deadly serious undertones.

Today we had lunch outside by the pool, a freshly cooked hamburger patty with a Caesar salad followed by ice cream. After lunch there was a lecture about the Great Barrier Reef by a local pilot. I had high hopes, but this turned out to be very boring, I think that Marion closed her eyes at one point. By now it was late afternoon so it was time for a quick turn around the deck before we had to dress for dinner. Tonight was the one of two formal nights, though this only means a jacket and tie for men and evening dresses for the ladies.

We had pre-dinner drinks, a Sidecar for Marion and a Gibson for me, in the Observation Bar on the eleventh deck watching the sun go down over the Whit Sunday Islands. At dinner we were on a table with a couple from California whom we had met previously and another couple form Pittsburgh. The talk flowed easily and we were amongst the last to leave after three hours. I had come caviar, followed by a cheese soufflé, beef wellington and cheese tasting plate.

Finally we retired to the bar for a nightcap. So ended another busy day on the Seabourn Encore.

I am the entertainment, or how I cheated Davy Jones Locker – Day 28

Today we anchored off Moreton Island, the second largest sand island in the world. It was grey and squally, but I had booked on an early kayaking trip. So I left a sleeping Marion and headed for my briefing at 8am. We were instructed in the use of the lifejackets and other safety procedures before heading to a zodiac for the mile or so trip to shore. I suppose I should have read the runes when the zodiac driver said that they were a little unsure about the conditions but had decided to it was worth starting. 

We were completely wet before reaching the beach from the spray coming over the zodiac, however the water and the air were very warm so it was not an issue. But undaunted we had a demonstration of paddling and launched our kayaks from the beach. There was little chance of seeing the promised marine life, as the sea was too rough. I also did not realise that my co-kayaker was a volunteer with the Australian coastguard, so he knew his port form his starboard. It was a lovely paddle in amongst wrecks parallel to the beach. There was quite a swell but after a bit I became use to the motion and more adept at pointing the kayak into the waves.

After about an hour the three kayaks (there were originally four but one couple dropped out) were called together and told that ship to shore operations had been called off. I suppose we should have noticed that the tenders ferrying people to the shore had stopped operating. So the first challenge was transferring from the kayaks to the zodiacs in the open sea with a considerable swell. Not easy, one person had to be literally dragged from one to the other. We then bumped our way back to the ship, and got thoroughly wet, completely soaked. It then became obvious that it would become quite a challenge coming alongside the ship in a heavy swell. Indeed on the first two attempts the swell was too great and we had to abort. By now quite a crowd had gathered on the ship to watch us poor saps try to disembark. I am not sure whether Marion was waving or reviewing the travel insurance policy.

Eventually thanks to the professionalism of the crew we made it back on board, after a rather interesting thirty mines bobbing around in the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately for the rest of the day the weather deteriorated so there was not possibility to go ashore. Instead after a lovely hot shower we had a quiet day on board. 

So I was one of only six passengers to make it ashore and make it back again, truly a good adventure that became more exaggerated in the telling. Did I mention the six sharks that surrounded the kayaks! 

Brisbane – Day 27

This morning we woke up as we sailed up the Brisbane River to the city of that name. I must admit that first impressions were a little underwhelming, it was not unlike sailing up the Humber to Hull, only much, much hotter. I suppose most river ports are the same though with cargo and oil terminals along their banks.

Marion looked at the weather and decided that it would be better to have a restful day on board, a good decision as I have already walked over 15,000 steps. The area where we docked was a little bit like Docklands, new flats, cafes and bars, some prior research was to my advantage. While most people made for the shuttle bus into town, a few others and I found the CityCat quay. This is a fast catamaran service that runs the length of the Brisbane River. A really efficient way to travel, with the added bonus of being able to stand in the open air and admire the riverside properties of the Brisbane skyline as we approached.

I alighted in the new South Bank area, there I walked through tropical rainforest and saw the impressive public infrastructure that the city has built. There was a public swimming lagoon complete with artificial beach, water features and fountains. This was very popular with young children and mothers in the eighty-degree heat. It was a delightful green lung right in the centre of the city. Otherwise the planners appeared to be modern day disciples of Robert Moses, building urban expressways along the north bank of the river.

The town has the feel of a sub-tropical city, sure there is the usual mish-mash of modern skyscrapers, but interspersed amongst these are buildings from the turn of the Twentieth Century. In the centre there is a lovely botanical garden, which in reality is a big park, with bougainvillaea and enormous trees. I particularly liked the old wool warehouses along the banks of the river that reflected what drove the areas prosperity. I did see a new business concept, a boutique barber with craft beer, now that is a thought.

So it was back on the catamaran to the calm and cool of the Seabourn Encore, and a well deserved cold beer, Grolsch I am afraid, but needs must but a great accompaniment to hamburger steak with a Caesar salad. We are in port until this evening when we sail the short distance to Morton Island for some kayaking.

Resting at Sea – Day 26

After over three weeks of touring and living out of suitcases it has been great to unpack properly, get all the washing up to date, and relax. We sailed out of Sydney last night and are headed for Brisbane tomorrow. So today was spent adjusting to the rhythms of the sea. Firstly I had an unfortunate incident with women’s knickers.

It started innocently as woke early and decided to do the washing. Now the laundry is the only place on the ship that is very busy and requires patience. I found a machine and set it going while I had breakfast. After a delay I also found a dryer, however I wanted to attend a lecture so I arranged that Marion fetch the dried washing. I then changed my mind and before the lecture decided to see if the washing was dried. At this point I found some knickers on the side of the room, but not all the washing. Indignantly I thought that somebody had gathered up my washing. I met Marion after the lecture and she said she had collected the washing; it then occurred to me that I had hijacked somebody else’s knickers, cue panic. This laundry lark really has etiquette of its own.

Other than that excitement we attended our first trivia session, ate and drank well. Despite being full the ship seems very quiet, there is no bustle around the pool, and for much of the time we had the back of the ship to ourselves. I can only conclude that everybody hibernates between meals. I will investigate further.

Leaving Sydney – Day 25

I am writing this from the Seabourn Encore as we sail from Sydney to Brisbane, which we will reach on Friday morning. It was a relaxed morning; Marion had a hair appointment so I took the opportunity to walk round the Domain. One of the lovely things about Sydney is the plethora of open space that gives it a very open feel.

It was then time to get ready for the cruise. The transfer was very smooth and we were on board on in our suite within twenty minutes of arriving at the cruise terminal.

Having finally unpacked after three and a half weeks travelling we settled down on deck to watch the departure from Sydney. It was truly wonderful; although we had previously sailed round the harbour at night on the ferries the view from the ship was amazing. I think I have some great photos, which hopefully I will get the opportunity to post later in the holiday. The Harbour Bridge and the Opera House were beautifully illuminated and were framed by the modern city skyline. It was stunning, a memorable end to our stay in Sydney. 

It was also a sad farewell as we have enjoyed our time in Sydney; it was a very welcoming city, dominated by the spectacular harbour.

West Side Story – Day 24

This maybe a briefer blog than usual as it is well past 11pm in Sydney. We have just returned to our hotel having attended a performance of West Side Story. This was performed by the Sydney Opera House, but was held on an outdoor stage situated at Mrs Macquarie’s Steps. To put this in context this is directly across the harbour from the Opera house, so that when you look back at the Opera House the Harbour Bridge behind frames it. This was to the right of the stage as we looked at it; to the left was the towering skyline of modern Sydney. These were all illuminated.

 

A huge stage had been constructed on the water, the actual design being modelled on graffiti daubed New York Subway cars. Firstly the evening was very kind to us, it was clear and warm. As neither the stage nor the auditorium has any cover this very beneficial.

The massive stage area meant that the musical’s huge cast had plenty of room to show off their dance skills. To my untutored eye the choreography and standard of dance was brilliant. Marian assures me that the singing was great. So this combined with the evocative setting and the strength of the original musical meant that it was a fabulous evening’s entertainment. Many of the songs are classics, and to hear them performed by top artists was a privilege. The setting of the stage within an iconic city skyline complimented the performance perfectly. A really great evening’s entertainment.

 

Earlier today we had ventured out on the ferries again, visiting Watson’s Bay, which is the site of the first settlement of Australia. It is also stunningly situated between the harbour and the Pacific Ocean.

The blog maybe restricted in future days as tomorrow we are boarding the cruise ship to explore the East Coast of Australia, and the internet connection will not be as good.

The Harbour, Manley and a Great Meal – Day 23

Today dawned very wet in Sydney, so it was a relaxed start while the weather cleared. The hotel we are staying in has a great location in the Rocks, just above the Harbour, and we found cooks a mean breakfast, so it was no hardship to linger. I received a telling off from Marion, she noticed that Asian women are constantly either taking selfies or having their picture taken by their partners. She felt that I was not caring enough. So at the end of this blog I will chart Marion’s poses during the day.

So we headed to the Opera House so that we could walk along the Central Quay to the ferries.

It is a lively spot with tourists and locals jostling, as the ferries are an important part of the Sydney inter-urban transport system. Today we took the famous Manley ferry, which does was it says on the tin and sails to Manley, a seaside resort at the mouth of Sydney Harbour about thirty minutes from downtown. It is a lovely trip from the views of the Harbour and the Opera House through the outer reaches of the harbour. We were able to sit outside, the breezes relieving the humidity of the morning.

Manley is a brash seaside resort, full of discount shops, and bars, but it does have a famous beach. This was the venue for a week’s surfing competition last week, however when we there the surf was little tame, this did not stop around fifty people in the water waiting to try their luck with the waves.

This afternoon I walked the Sydney Harbour Bridge, not the walk across the top but on the road deck, that gives spectacular views of Sydney’s Harbour. The only snag is the noise of the six lanes of traffic and commuter rail trains that cross along side you. However the panoramic view of the harbour activity more than compensates.

When Laura was in Sydney at the beginning of the month she recommended a restaurant, Ester, so we gave it a try. The cooking is based around using the extreme heat of a wood fired oven, which gives most things a smoky taste. We moved smoothly from roasted oysters, through blood sausage, potato pasta with scallops to hanger steak to finish with a lemon pudding accompanied by left over sour dough ice cream that was truly outstanding. The meal was paired with Australian wines, all in all a great recommendation by Laura and a really enjoyable evening out.

Finally to recompense Marion I include a few photos of her being a typical tourist.

Some Missing Pictures

Great sign in village where we purchased fortified wine from Chambers Winery

Marion in Snow Mountains

Charlottes Pass and Highest Mountain in Australia

Senate in Canberra

Service of Remembrance - Australian War Memorial

Early Morning in Blue Mountains

Three Sisters - Blue Mountains

Blue Mountains

To Sydney – Day 22

The touring part of our holiday has come to an end. This morning we left the Blue Mountains for Sydney. Our arrival was iconic as our route took us over the Sydney Harbour Bridge; our hotel is just underneath it. So I dropped off Marion and the luggage and went in search of the Avis office. With our two hire cars we have travelled around 5,500 kilometres in three weeks from Perth in the West to Sydney in the East via the Great Ocean Road in the south. We have travelled through five Australian states, seen many kangaroos and absolutely no koalas.

The trip back from the Avis office was slightly difficult as there was a demonstration blocking Central Sydney, so I had a crash course on the Sydney transport system. Fortunately it operates a cashless system using a credit card juts like London, and after a change of trains

I reached Circular Quay, which is a short walk from our hotel. Of course at Circular Quay on either side there are the two signature Sydney sites, the Opera House and the Bridge.

The bridge is of course a homage to Teesside, being built from iron and steel from the now defunct Dorman Long works in Middlesbrough. It is of course a copy of the bridge across the Tyne in Newcastle.

We had time this afternoon to explore the Rocks Market, which took place a stones through from our hotel. This is a lively market selling all sorts of Australian goods. After purchasing several interesting items, look out Tomas and Alison, although I did veto the boomerang, we had Japanese pancakes and made friends with a Chelsea supporting Malaysian couple on their honeymoon. As it was hot and humid we felt we deserved the excellent pint of IPA from the brewpub around the corner, one of the best Australian beers that I have sampled.

A sharp shower of rain did not dampen our spirits; rather we had a pub dinner and then took a scheduled ferryboat around the harbour.

For less than £1 each we had a spectacular round trip viewing one of the most spectacular cityscapes in the world.There were even some fireworks over the Opera House just for us. This rounded off a really great introductory day in Sydney.

Still lots to do and see tomorrow.

The Spectacular Blue Mountains – Day 21

The Blue Mountains are a little bit of a curates egg, there are areas of outstanding beauty and there are honeypots of tourist concentration. It is inevitable that such a beautiful area easily accessible Sydney will attract sightseers. Indeed I should not be hypocritical, why should I enjoy the area and deny it to others. What we did find is that it is easy to find areas of great natural beauty, which can be experienced a short distance from the crowds.

We started this morning with a visit to the most famous site, The Three Sisters at Echo Point, because it was only five minutes from the hotel. The early morning sun had created a spectacular effect as the valleys were covered with cloud that we looked down on. The white fluffy cloud meandered through the valley floors with a bright blue sky above. To contrast I returned this evening when the cloud had gone, but now the threatening black of the late afternoon thunderstorms silhouetted the mountains. I am hopeful of some faster Internet in Sydney that will allow me to upload my photos, as my words do not do justice to the beauty of the two scenes.

We then meandered round the Scenic Mountains Drive stopping at the numerous viewpoints. The busy Great Western Highway intersects the area and it is almost impossible to travel any where locally without using it. So we left the town of Katoomba where we are staying and drove west along the highway turning off in the town of Blackheath, to the National Park Visitors Centre and Govatts Leap. This was situated on the other side of the ridge, and allows views of waterfalls tumbling over the cliff edge, and also allowed us to appreciate how dense the canopy of the temperate rain forest is. There is no break in it and there must be very little light on the forest floor. I took a short walk to Bridal Falls; here I shared the spectacular look out with only a couple of others. This whole area was lovely. I returned to collect a patient Marion who had been sitting on a bench taking in the view, and I think people watching.

Then by way of contrast we drove down onto the valley floor so that we appreciated the escarpment from below. There was a lovely shady outdoor café where we had a lovely light lunch. There was time to visit Hargreaves Lookout before we ventured back to the hotel. While Marion had a little rest I walked into town to buy ferrules for her walking poles. Stopping in a bookshop, what a surprise, the cover of a book about the history of the area showed the station platform crowded with Edwardian ladies and gentlemen taking a day trip to the mountains. So the local tourism is not a new phenomenon, tourists like us just come from further afield.

So a lovely days sightseeing and walking, when the weather was equally glorious. This is the final day of the touring element of our holiday as tomorrow we head for Sydney.   

To the Blue Mountains – Day 20

This is just about the half waypoint of our Australian adventure, and it has flown by. Today was low-key following on from the packed schedule that we had in Canberra, we left after breakfast initially on the motorway to Goulburn, reputedly the first inland city in New South Wales. The sat-nav took us through the back streets, really interesting as it displayed something that we have seen throughout the country. The houses, mostly bungalows are so close together, which seems strange in such a vast country where apart from in the major cities space is not at a premium. Few seem to have much garden.

We then took a rural road on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains across the Great Divide. It was predominantly above 1,000 metres, through hilly country that was much greener than we have been used to. For the first time the road kill was wombats rather than kangaroos. We stopped at the village of Taralga for coffee, and there got a lesson in rural NSW politics by reading a local paper. There is an election in NSW this weekend, and in this constituency there is a hard fought battle between the incumbent Liberals (conservative) and Labour (left wing but oddly in favour of more liberal gun laws). The opinion polls show that this traditionally Liberal seat is on a knife edge, but it reflects politics everywhere, the government have suddenly found money for local projects, while the opposition say that they will stand up for rural people rather than throwing money at big city (Sydney) vanity projects. I shall look at the outcome on Monday with interest.

We purchased a picnic lunch and stopped in a park in the town of Oberon to eat it. Oberon takes every opportunity to stress its tenuous links with a Mid Summer’s Night Dream including a Titania Motel. No mention of Tom Sheppard’s Bottom though!

As we approached the Blue Mountains the heavens opened and there was a thunderstorm. Also the traffic grew heavier, so it was relief that we reached out hotel just after four. The hotel is old fashioned and really could be situated in any English Spa town. However it is very comfortable, the service excellent, and had a great indoor swimming pool in which we exercised this afternoon. Unfortunately it has very a slow Internet connection so you will have to wait for some more pictures until we arrive in Sydney on Sunday.

Canberra – Day 19

The day started with a short drive from the Snowy Mountains to Canberra, the capital of Australia, a city that was only created in the early Twentieth Century. Our hotel is one of the original buildings in the city, built to house the administrators who were moving to the new city from Melbourne and Sydney. The city is comparatively small for a capital at fewer than half a million inhabitants. An American husband and wife team, from Chicago, who were devotees of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style of architecture, planned it.

In order to maximise the short time we had in the city we had a personal tour for the afternoon. After a general orientation the first stop was at the new parliament building, opened in the early 1980’s. This was a hugely impressive structure, which had a completely integrated design, from the flagpole to the chairs. The colours and thought that had been put into the structure were amazing. At one point we looked at the wall of the Kings Hall at a stunning painting representing the Australian country, on closer inspection it was a beautifully made tapestry. There were very few visitors while we were there, the atmosphere was relaxed and we were able to wander freely.

Much was very recognisable from the UK, form of government, the speaker’s chair, the mace, and the method of division, while some resembled more the model of the US, for instance the horseshoe assembly and the bi-cameral system. From the roof of the parliament, which is grassed it is easy to see the similarities with Washington DC, there is a long mall leading to the old parliament building, then the Avenue of Remembrance with at the end the Australian War Memorial. In a triangle in front of the parliament are the main government buildings, while to one side is the embassy quarter. The roof is grassed to symbolise that people can walk on top of the parliament, rather than the parliament dominating the people.

Throughout the tour there are interesting artefacts and portraits of past Australian leaders. I did not know that one of the copies of the Magna Carta was on display. There was the desk on which Queen Victoria signed Australia into being, together with the signed proclamation.

After our tour of the parliament we drove through the embassy quarter, there because the embassies were all purpose built rather than taking over existing buildings it was interesting to see how each building reflected the nation. It was possible to guess the country simply by looking at the building’s style.

 From the summit of Mount Ainslie it was possible to get an overview of the city and appreciate its planned nature, and in particular the broad avenues. From there we visited the Australian War Memorial, which is also a museum. Our visit to the museum was all too brief as it was a fascinating display of the conflicts that Australia had been involved in. Of particular note was one of the original landing boats used in the Gallipoli campaign, the only life raft found after HMAS Sydney had been sunk in World War Two, and the Japanese mini submarine that had penetrated Sydney Harbour during that war.

At 5pm we watched the daily Ceremony of Remembrance. At this short but moving ceremony the last post is sounded, wreaths are laid, and poignantly the life of one of the 62,000 Australians killed in war is remembered, today in the presence of some of his surviving relatives. Also at the ceremony were schoolchildren who are brought to Canberra as part of their civics course. 

So we saw learnt all about Canberra in a short space of time, in doing so I think that it helped explain Australia a little more to us.

This evening we met our great friends Barbara and Iain who are also touring Australia. It was good to meet friends and catch up with their adventures, particularly their trip to Tasmania and the region around Melbourne. Iain also made an excellent choice of restaurant!