Archive for November, 2008
South America without a clue – Part 6
6th June 1986
Part 6
The western approach to Miami Airport offered fine views of the massive Everglades. On landing a Concorde is refuelling, wow! Now a six hour wait for a flight to Costa Rica. This gives me a chance to absorb some Latin American culture before leaving the US mainland.
Miami airport is a bilingual world with just as many people speaking English as Spanish, announcements in both languages and signage in both languages. My six hours of relative boredom becomes a great last minute opportunity to brush up on my Spanish.
South America without a clue – Part 5
4th June 1986
Episode 5
Plans to take a trip into San Francisco for the day come to nothing after sleeping in. After a turkey sandwich and a beer for lunch, I take a walk with camera and daypack to Tilden Park. The walk of a few kilometres to the park is a workout in its self. Steep streets make me regret that beer. Tilden Park is like most of San Francisco is hilly, very hilly. Steep slopes are cloaked in pine forest and blue gums. The valley trail goes through oak and more blue gums. It is a touch of Australia that seems out of place. I walk 20 minutes up hills that turn my legs into a lactic acid mess. In about a week I will be hiking up Costa Rica’s highest mountain. In hindsight, a bit more fitness training would have been a good idea.
Best Practice Trails Development -The Better Business Blitz
We have just to the Goldfields for an exciting event. We participated in the Best Practice Trails Development -The Better Business Blitz. Long name but essentially it was a meeting of like minds – people who are passionate about trail development. The event was organised by Australia’s Golden Outback. Regional manager, Lance Hardy and Product Development Manager Kate Mills invited us as experts in trails following the Top Trails project.
The idea was that experts and people from Australia’s Golden Outback (www.australiasgoldenoutback.com) did a road trip. We all travelled in a bus and drove the Golden Quest Discovery Trail. This trail was one that we assessed during the Top Trails Project and it met the criteria and became one of WA’s Top Trails. www.goldenquesttrail.com
Photographing archeological sites
Perhaps in another life, I was an archeologist, because I can’t resist photographing and exploring the ruins of ancient civilisations.Now, as with most photography, paparazzi excluded, the trick is to somehow capture essence of the subject. Before leaving home, I often motivate myself and get ideas by browsing through archeology features in National Geographic magazines. Then comes the practicalities. Firstly, I travel light, only carrying camera gear essential for the task. Unlike the great pyramids on the doorstep of Cairo, many of the more interesting ruins are found in hard to get to places. The Mayan ruin of Bonampak in Mexico is a case in point. Getting there involved a bone jarring ride in kombi followed by a 12 km slog in knee-deep stinking mud and horse crap through clouds of mosquitoes and humid jungle.
South America without a clue – Part 4
3rd June 1986
Episode 4
I am soaking up American culture with wide eyed enthusiasm. Although differences between Australian and American lifestyle seems marginal, there’s one thing I noticed as I hungrily rifled through the cupboards. There’s no breakfast cereal. A minute later, Chris and Dave moped in. ‘We don’t have breakfast at home, nobody in the States does’.
Confessions of Puppy Sitters: Zorro and Zena
We are currently looking after Zorro and Zena. Both are boxers, one tortoise shell and the other white. Zorro and Zena are some of our regular doggy friends. We started looking after Zorro when he was a young boy. Zorro was the king of his castle. His deep bark would frighten any intruder. Zorro’s most distinguishing feature was the stream of slobber that dripped from his jowls. Then he would shake his head and globules of slobber would fly across the room. “Look out” was the cry.
South America without a clue – Part 3
1st June 1986
Episode 3
Leaving my heart in San Francisco
I became attached to Bryce and his family, but my short stay in Hawaii has come to an end. The next step of my adventure begins, when I’m dropped off at the airport. Once again, my transition through customs is smooth.
It’s a bit scary taxiing out on the runway for one used to slightly less busy Australian airports. It’s like being in a car waiting to cross a busy intersection without traffic lights. Like a flock of migratory birds, domestic planes land until a brief window opens. The 5 hour flight to San Francisco begins.
Market Daze
When travelling we are always drawn to the local market. This is where you learn about the real country, people going about there daily lives. This is a gallery of markets we have visited.
