I made it! I am in Tokyo -- at last! Yay!!!
After 7 days I was ready and happy to leave Shanghai yesterday morning. Don't get this wrong: I loved visiting China, but will admit that i was also ready for a break from 'chinese hospitality', by which i mean: dealing with hordes of people pushing you around, stepping on you on the street/in the subway/everywhere; pulling your sleeve/your bag/your hair in order to get you into their shop; spitting on your shoes (spitting is considered a healthy habit), and grumbling at you that you have to pay 3 times the price because you are foreign, with a look of "and i really hope you leave my establishment soon"... I don't think most of this is meant in a bad way, just that chinese manners are very different from anything western, so it was hard to figure out "what was going on" most of the time without a translator/more time to learn the rules -- making it a bit taxing after a while, but a great experience and certainly very interesting. I was also quite looking forward to regaining access to free press, something i guess we really take for granted most of the time and not something i would have expected to miss so soon, but after a week of watching the CCTV (Chinese Television) English News you start to appreciate having two sides to a story and not having to listen to propaganda-fied versions of daily events that stress how China's handling of any given situation is far better than any western/other approach. Finally there's the whole internet access thing: I couldn't load my own blog at any time while in CN, update it yes, read it no... all very interesting, but also nice to be away from again :)
My trip here was quite eventful in the sense that after a week of very limited contact/conversations with other travellers [-- let me elaborate a bit on this: China is not exactly a backpacker mecca yet, so there aren't really that many people around to meet as most people travel in big organized groups. The other impediment is the fact that a lot, not all but A LOT, of (male) western travellers are not there to befriend western women, if you know what i mean -- it's a bit sad really imho.) so, I felt almost overwhelmed by the amount of people I have met within the last 24h: The belgian dude on the flight, the korean dude on the next flight, Denise the Canadian girl in last night's hotel shuttle (-- who teaches english in Kyoto and who has promised to give my Mom and I a guided tour during Mom's Golden Week visit), Reiko the language school event coordinator who picked us up from the airport and provided 3 hours of transfer bus entertainment, and finally Carrie and Theron ("Tag"), my fellow language school newbies from the State Department/Foreign Service in DC (- it's certainly good to know that my chosen school finds official US approval... ;)).
We arrived at our Residence/Dorm early this afternoon. I've never lived in a dorm before (-- I was a spoiled Uni student with my own Studio thanks to east german/berlin rental rates...), but this is everyhting i imagine a japanese dorm to be. I have a 2 by 4 meter room, with a bed, desk (futon!), bookcase, open-closet-type-thing and micro fridge. Bathrooms down the hall, showers & shared kitchen on the first floor. Oh and of course everyone takes their shoes of right at the main door/lobby and slips in to the mandatory slippers, of which I must of course purchase a Hello-Kitty pair. The Residence is located in a suburb called Matsudo, northwest (I think!) of central Tokyo and is apparently a bit of an attraction here as it is the only place in the area to host (crazy) foreigners... Around 100 people live here, so it is a bit larger than expected, but certainly provides ample possibility for socializing (= I have already forgotten the names of all the people I met today.)
After check-in, lunch and general unpacking, Carrie, Tag and I ventured to Ueno Park where Cherry Blossom Season/viewing has just started. We were a bit concerned about arriving there after dark (will we be able to see anything?!), but our dorm manager assured us that going at night was almost better, because they have "lighto-uppo" and a great deal of partying going on, and maybe we should get drunk before we go... We skipped the latter, hopped on the subway and arrived to discover that "lighto-uppo" means that red lanterns are stringed under the trees, making it really quite pretty in the dark as well. We also discovered that he wasn't joking about the partying, people were having very wet picnics under the trees and there were heavy Sake fumes in the air.
We're quite lucky: Cherry Blossom Season has indeed just started, with the trees currently being 50% in bloom according to official reports from the national meteorological institute. I'm hoping that this means we still a few weeks of blossoms to go.
Well it's time for me to turn in - my new US friends have planned a great day trip tomorrow morning, to a place where the first Shogun to unite JP set up his capital (-- the city name currently escapes me) promising no less than 65 temples, so I have a busy day ahead!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Tokyo Time
Last night in Shanghai - tomorrow I will travel to Tokyo via Seoul, Korea (and yes, I am hoping for kimchi and or Korean barbecue during my lay-over ;)). I'm pretty excited about finally getting to Tokyo and to my new little temporary home (which supposedly includes free internet access - whoa hoa!).
I felt kinda weird today and i realized that i was feeling homesick, something I haven't experienced in a long time and something I was sort of hoping to re-discover on this trip, because i was starting to wonder if you get to a point where you just never feel homesick. Not so, at least not for me, what a relief. So, I've been relishing the feeling today, even if it is not all that pleasant, just because it is such a good reminder of who I really am and what really matters to me: today, i am just very undeniably white and European, and it feels good to feel so at home in that identity, even if it puts me at odds with pretty much everyone else here...
I felt kinda weird today and i realized that i was feeling homesick, something I haven't experienced in a long time and something I was sort of hoping to re-discover on this trip, because i was starting to wonder if you get to a point where you just never feel homesick. Not so, at least not for me, what a relief. So, I've been relishing the feeling today, even if it is not all that pleasant, just because it is such a good reminder of who I really am and what really matters to me: today, i am just very undeniably white and European, and it feels good to feel so at home in that identity, even if it puts me at odds with pretty much everyone else here...
Monday, March 27, 2006
Hello Lady DVD, Bag? or Paging Ryan
Shanghai time is passing in blur of sights and scenery. Noise is everywhere, mostly out of any range that I would understand, but once in a while cutting the air with a few staccato words like the above: Watch, Bag, DVD? Beatiful Lady, what you like? or Shoeshine? Shoeshine? I look at my sneakers, walk on and the moment passes, turning the noise back in to a magic wall of sound that surrounds me like green tea poky stick jello.
I've spent the last few days checking out most of Shanghai's main sights: The Old City (this was the China Town within China experience) with the Temple of the City God and the Yuyuan Gardens (a Ming dynasty garden, of which I must have a mio. photos, including one of me that i after much pleading convinced a chinese lady to take), The City Planning Center (a very fascinating testament to Shanghai's most recent urban development and and even more fascinating preview of it's next 20 years), the Shanghai Museum (where they keep "all the old stuff", bronzes, ceramics, jade and other good stuff from the last 6000(!) years), Xintiandi (a new part of the city made to look old and pretty, so that tourists don't have to deal with the real old and dirty stuff), The Moca (the Museum of Contemporary Art currently featuring an exhibit called "Fiction @ Love" -- the title says it all, just as you would expect this is manga bunnies with blinking plush hearts chanting korean lullabies and the like), People's Square (it's big and there's a lot of people in it, a good number of Shanghai's 17 mio. people seem to be hustling and bustling around here), Nanjing Lu (The oldest shopping street, a pedestrian zone with unlimited malls and craziness included), The Bund (the promenade that goes along the Huangpu river and faces the new Pudon development, Shanghai's "new" skyline, the Bund side itself houses the "old" (1930's skyline) and finally the "French Concession" (the part of town that the french were once granted the rights to, and which now houses all sorts of hipness in the shape of bars, restaurants, shops along plane tree lined streets.
I feel pretty succesful on the sightseeing part, only having a few more things left to go, such as the very important visit to a local SPA for example... however what i have enjoyed the most so far, is probably just being here, just observing and trying to understand this place.
During my first two days here i realized that this is probably the first time i've ever been somewhere, where i couldn't blend in, even if i wanted to. During my highschool year in Brazil i quickly figured out that there are enough blond, german immigrant descent, south americans (note: see mr. kufeld :)) to pass for one if you're able to mutter a few local words. Here however there is nowhere to hide, being blonde and caucassian) and it was a bit of a shock to have that many people staring at me, approaching me and yelling random things at me that i didn't understand (mostly trying to sell sh.. -- they're good at that), "shock" might be a strong word, but let's just say that it was a big shift from being in a laid back australian surf oasis where people couldn't care less. Second, for the spoiled linguista in me, it took a while to accept the fact that i really didn't understand a single word -- not a bit here and there, a word or two, but nothing, nada, zip (and this is where i started thinking about Mikhail's friend Ryan, who actually speaks chinese, and how brilliant it must be to travel around here with him). Luckily this phase passed rather quickly, almost too quickly -- it surprised me a bit how quickly the brain gets used to not only not understanding anyhting, but to not caring that it doesn't understand anyhting, and to enter a state of blissful ignorance where everything that exists is noise, visuals and new rules of survival, such as:
traffic lights are generally useful, they however do not apply to scooters, bicycles and taxis. Any of these will readily kill you while crossing at green. I'll elaborate on the scooter part: if at anytime you hear a scooter behind you: *jump*, in some direction, any direction really, a near death experience is approaching at lightening speed.
90% og beijing art students have relocated to Shanghai, where they are now desperately trying to get-by, by hosting an art exhibit, which you must come see - NOW.
sneakers are prime targets for shoe shine.
shanghainese people like egg in their food, doesn't matter the meal or the food (from beef stew to coconut bun) they will get egg into it (people with egg allerigies, like me, beware!)
the best way for western college students to make money in china is through modeling. at any time, expect a lingerie clad, potate nosed, midwestern gal to look down at you from a billboard with a look that is more "gee, i hope my parents didn't book that china trip yet" than "check out the hot ensemble".
beauty ideals indeed do vary: goal number is to be whiter than white and creams, lotions and special water will make you so. ear-widening surgery is a good thing (still don't know which direction this refers to?!). TV is a prime way to sell what looks like a bob-the-builder helmet with screws inside it, wired to an elictric current, that will make you mane grow to fabio dimensions (all of this is certified by professor dr. greenfeld, how works is a lab situated in something that looks like a scottish castle and who has many, many pretty blond assistants who marvel his skills.
And I could go on (and I might, at a later point :) - but in between 'learning' all of these things, there are other little moments of utter brilliance, like the english woman approaching me in the French Concesssion asking if I was lost (yes! - but not in a way you can help cure :)) or the little girl in the department store who shrieked with joy and giggles over my (blond) hair (-- while her parents where desperately trying to make her behave more 'appropriately') or the girl from the boonna cafe, who came running after me to give back what was meant to be her tip... ah yes, moments of sheer joy.
I have so much more to say, but am starting to fade a bit, after having spent the equivalent of 3 big mac value meals on the internet time for this update (don't ask how I know...). Next to me, the hotel cafe personel is engaging in a favorite chinese pastime (i'm speculating here, admitted) and are ripping cds like crazy, on the 'work' computer -- that's the way we like it. I am off to take some snapshots of the night-lit Bund and to prep for tomorrow, which will take me out for some more shopping (oh - did i forget to mention that the #1 activity in Shanghai, above any and all other popular activities, is shopping? - this place is hell, girls... :)) and to my chinese aroma-oil massage here:
dragonfly massge.
I've spent the last few days checking out most of Shanghai's main sights: The Old City (this was the China Town within China experience) with the Temple of the City God and the Yuyuan Gardens (a Ming dynasty garden, of which I must have a mio. photos, including one of me that i after much pleading convinced a chinese lady to take), The City Planning Center (a very fascinating testament to Shanghai's most recent urban development and and even more fascinating preview of it's next 20 years), the Shanghai Museum (where they keep "all the old stuff", bronzes, ceramics, jade and other good stuff from the last 6000(!) years), Xintiandi (a new part of the city made to look old and pretty, so that tourists don't have to deal with the real old and dirty stuff), The Moca (the Museum of Contemporary Art currently featuring an exhibit called "Fiction @ Love" -- the title says it all, just as you would expect this is manga bunnies with blinking plush hearts chanting korean lullabies and the like), People's Square (it's big and there's a lot of people in it, a good number of Shanghai's 17 mio. people seem to be hustling and bustling around here), Nanjing Lu (The oldest shopping street, a pedestrian zone with unlimited malls and craziness included), The Bund (the promenade that goes along the Huangpu river and faces the new Pudon development, Shanghai's "new" skyline, the Bund side itself houses the "old" (1930's skyline) and finally the "French Concession" (the part of town that the french were once granted the rights to, and which now houses all sorts of hipness in the shape of bars, restaurants, shops along plane tree lined streets.
I feel pretty succesful on the sightseeing part, only having a few more things left to go, such as the very important visit to a local SPA for example... however what i have enjoyed the most so far, is probably just being here, just observing and trying to understand this place.
During my first two days here i realized that this is probably the first time i've ever been somewhere, where i couldn't blend in, even if i wanted to. During my highschool year in Brazil i quickly figured out that there are enough blond, german immigrant descent, south americans (note: see mr. kufeld :)) to pass for one if you're able to mutter a few local words. Here however there is nowhere to hide, being blonde and caucassian) and it was a bit of a shock to have that many people staring at me, approaching me and yelling random things at me that i didn't understand (mostly trying to sell sh.. -- they're good at that), "shock" might be a strong word, but let's just say that it was a big shift from being in a laid back australian surf oasis where people couldn't care less. Second, for the spoiled linguista in me, it took a while to accept the fact that i really didn't understand a single word -- not a bit here and there, a word or two, but nothing, nada, zip (and this is where i started thinking about Mikhail's friend Ryan, who actually speaks chinese, and how brilliant it must be to travel around here with him). Luckily this phase passed rather quickly, almost too quickly -- it surprised me a bit how quickly the brain gets used to not only not understanding anyhting, but to not caring that it doesn't understand anyhting, and to enter a state of blissful ignorance where everything that exists is noise, visuals and new rules of survival, such as:
And I could go on (and I might, at a later point :) - but in between 'learning' all of these things, there are other little moments of utter brilliance, like the english woman approaching me in the French Concesssion asking if I was lost (yes! - but not in a way you can help cure :)) or the little girl in the department store who shrieked with joy and giggles over my (blond) hair (-- while her parents where desperately trying to make her behave more 'appropriately') or the girl from the boonna cafe, who came running after me to give back what was meant to be her tip... ah yes, moments of sheer joy.
I have so much more to say, but am starting to fade a bit, after having spent the equivalent of 3 big mac value meals on the internet time for this update (don't ask how I know...). Next to me, the hotel cafe personel is engaging in a favorite chinese pastime (i'm speculating here, admitted) and are ripping cds like crazy, on the 'work' computer -- that's the way we like it. I am off to take some snapshots of the night-lit Bund and to prep for tomorrow, which will take me out for some more shopping (oh - did i forget to mention that the #1 activity in Shanghai, above any and all other popular activities, is shopping? - this place is hell, girls... :)) and to my chinese aroma-oil massage here:
dragonfly massge.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Seattle Gloom
Here I am Shanghai prepping my next blog entry when I discover that within a mile of my old house in Seattle some crazy person goes and shoots 6 people at a party... makes Cyclone Larry and Shanghai's latest bird flu scare seem like peaceful everyday events, doesn't it?!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Post AU Update: The Big Storm
Just a quick response to the cyclone Larry questions: no it did not hit me while in Byron Bay (-- which is down below/south of Brisbane) - however it did hit pretty much all the places we had just been too in the weeks before (spooky!) and it did send a heavy influx of backpackers into Byron Bay who were trying to escape the bad weather. The only Byron impact was a slightly elevated surf (what a pity, he he), and even that was debated by the locals in regards to whether it could really be blamed on Larry or not.
Shanghai Calling
Made it to Shanghai yesterday after a fun, but maybe a bit too long trip through Kuala Lumpur (- where i learned some Malay: Bagasi means luggage, great, eh?!). I was a bit curious about how I was going to find my hostel here, as the from-the-airport directions were a bit vague and i don't really speak any shangaiese or mandarin for that matter. However all went well, especially after i dicovered that large parts of the extended city is laid out quite similar to East Berlin (-- where i lived during my college years). There is something about plan economy urbanization that never fails when it comes to "the subway entrance will be in the most non-descript building on this block of houses". So, I made it and even managed to get off the right subway stop in only two attempts -- on the first one i never made it to the door of the train before it slammed shut due to rush hour chaos, on the second i had learned that it is totally legit to push, fight and hit people with you 18k bag if you are trying to get off the train... good little intro to Asia after having been very relaxed in the Australia outback for a bit!
After checking in to my luxury room (-- i decided to splurge on the $38/day private room with air-con & tv, rather than bunk it (-- please don't hate me, hard core backpackers out there!)) i took my first stroll along The Bund, walking along the Huangpu river that seperating east & west Shanghai and admiring the Shanghai skyline. After that i ventured in to the Old City, which is sort of like a China Town within a chinese city, however, I'll add more about this later, as I am about to head out for today.
After checking in to my luxury room (-- i decided to splurge on the $38/day private room with air-con & tv, rather than bunk it (-- please don't hate me, hard core backpackers out there!)) i took my first stroll along The Bund, walking along the Huangpu river that seperating east & west Shanghai and admiring the Shanghai skyline. After that i ventured in to the Old City, which is sort of like a China Town within a chinese city, however, I'll add more about this later, as I am about to head out for today.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Shanghai Baby
Forgot to note on my last post: tomorrow morning I am off to Shanghai, China! In only a few hours, I'll start the plane trek that will take me from Ballina to Sydney, from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur and from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai. I'm looking forward to my first visit to China, betting that it will be a bit of a culture shock after spending a week in AU surf paradise... stay tuned!
Wetties, Rashies and Boardies or Surfing the Bay
My last post was going to be the final Byron Bay update, but after my surf lesson today I just have to done another one. I learned a few things today, apart from standing up on the board on my own, number one: I love surfing, or I should say, I love trying to surf (to pay proper respect to my friends who actually do surf), number two: surfing gets even better when adding the aussie vebal quaintness, when a wetsuit becomes a "wettie", a rash shirt a "rashie" and board shorts "boardies" - viva Australia!
I had so much fun today, I am truly not a very gifted surfer -- mind you, I didn't expect that (the only reason that I am a good snowboarder is that I practiced, practiced and practiced...) -- but still it is one of the best and most fun things i have started learning over the last year and I love every minute of it, even when these are mostly spent with my head under water. So, today was a great success -- and i am not giving up, one day I will be a surfer, I know it.
I had so much fun today, I am truly not a very gifted surfer -- mind you, I didn't expect that (the only reason that I am a good snowboarder is that I practiced, practiced and practiced...) -- but still it is one of the best and most fun things i have started learning over the last year and I love every minute of it, even when these are mostly spent with my head under water. So, today was a great success -- and i am not giving up, one day I will be a surfer, I know it.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Byron Bay - The Sequel
A few of you have asked what I am up to here in Byron - and apart from desperately trying to upload photos (-- however blogger's photo upload is experiencing an upload malfunction) -- my time is spent something like this:
morning: spinning (studio cycling) class with Monique
afternoon: take your pick from any two of these: kayaking/snorkeling/surfing/reading on the beach/shopping/sightseeing the hinterland
evening: barbecuing, movies, night club bouncing
quite rough, I know...
I've been quite excited about this 'program' as it has allowed me to pick up several new skills in no time. Spinning for example, is something I had never done before and have been a bit weary of, given my general tendency to feel bored when cycling long distance, however it's turned out to be quite addictive and fun. It's also a darn good workout, so for any of you out there contemplating how to address the amazon/google/yahoo-15 before bikini season this year -> this is what you have been looking for.
Sea kayaking here is excellent for two reasons: first the surf is great pretty much everywhere and yes you can actually ride waves in a kayak and it is pretty fun, second, dolphins galore. We went out yesterday and for half an hour just sat on the water watching the dolphins jumping in front of us, next to us, everywhere. I was most fascinated by how much they seem to like waves: jumping out of them and 'surfing' them on their backs. Towards the end they came right up to us and did a few rounds around the kayak to say hello - very cool.
Snorkeling, the Byron Bay Marine Park is where the southern, cooler, currents meet the northern, tropical, currents, which makes for great snorkeling albeit lacking the coral of the GB reef. It's been fun to see an abundance of larger fish: eagle rays, leopard sharks (these do not have teeth I hear, eh hope...) and several large see turtles that in these waters seem to be patient with visitors and just hang out while people dive/snorkel around them.
Surfing, alas, my surf lesson will be later today, so no real update on this one yet -- if it goes anything like my last lesson, it will be a story about swimming more so than surfing...
I've also been able to add a new job experience to my resume: Night Club bouncer. Monique and I worked the doors at Cheeky's this past Saturday and it was a riot. They cater mainly to the backpacker crowd, so it was a good chance to talk to people from all over them world, which led to some fun observations, such as, for example, that Fabio haircuts are really popular among 20-year-olds in Sweden at the moment (unfortunately I never found out why! :)
quite rough, I know...
I've been quite excited about this 'program' as it has allowed me to pick up several new skills in no time. Spinning for example, is something I had never done before and have been a bit weary of, given my general tendency to feel bored when cycling long distance, however it's turned out to be quite addictive and fun. It's also a darn good workout, so for any of you out there contemplating how to address the amazon/google/yahoo-15 before bikini season this year -> this is what you have been looking for.
Sea kayaking here is excellent for two reasons: first the surf is great pretty much everywhere and yes you can actually ride waves in a kayak and it is pretty fun, second, dolphins galore. We went out yesterday and for half an hour just sat on the water watching the dolphins jumping in front of us, next to us, everywhere. I was most fascinated by how much they seem to like waves: jumping out of them and 'surfing' them on their backs. Towards the end they came right up to us and did a few rounds around the kayak to say hello - very cool.
Snorkeling, the Byron Bay Marine Park is where the southern, cooler, currents meet the northern, tropical, currents, which makes for great snorkeling albeit lacking the coral of the GB reef. It's been fun to see an abundance of larger fish: eagle rays, leopard sharks (these do not have teeth I hear, eh hope...) and several large see turtles that in these waters seem to be patient with visitors and just hang out while people dive/snorkel around them.
Surfing, alas, my surf lesson will be later today, so no real update on this one yet -- if it goes anything like my last lesson, it will be a story about swimming more so than surfing...
I've also been able to add a new job experience to my resume: Night Club bouncer. Monique and I worked the doors at Cheeky's this past Saturday and it was a riot. They cater mainly to the backpacker crowd, so it was a good chance to talk to people from all over them world, which led to some fun observations, such as, for example, that Fabio haircuts are really popular among 20-year-olds in Sweden at the moment (unfortunately I never found out why! :)
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Byron Bay
We've made it - to our final AU destination, the quaint township of Byron Bay situated at the very far north of the NSW coast (in other words just below QLD and Brisbane).
Byron is a surf/beach/alternative community and also happens to be where Monique, my former high school exchange 'sister' lives. It's a wonderful experience to be here with 'family', very relaxing and very cool as Monique is also a bit of a local celebrity, being the owner of Byron's most popular night club Cheeky Monkey's.
Byron Bay - Wreck Beach with Mount Warning in the background
Whitsunday Wonderful
On Tuesday the 7th we embarked on our Whitsunday cruise aboard the majestic Condor, a maxi racing yacht (i.e. a huge sailing machine -- 23 meters long). We were to be on board for 3 days with 12 fellow travelers and a crew of 4 taking care of us, the sailing and keeping the sharks away (just joking about the last part).
The 74 Whitsunday Islands make up a Maritime National Park on/within The Great Barrier Reef, which makes for great sailing and adventure territory and the type of cruise we went on is a typical way to explore the region. And what a great way -- we had heard from quite a few people that their Whitsunday Cruise was the highlight of their AU trip and we now understand why. Basically the entire marine park looks like one of those Bounty (chocolate) commercials from the eighties - turquoise bays, white sandy beaches, nothing around but a few yachts and people having a good time.
Our yacht cruised at a leisurely pace from island to island, with breaks for snorkeling, beach walking and swimming, only interrupted by food breaks when the crew served us goodies fresh off the barbie (yes, they actually call it that, but no, they mostly do not grill shrimp...). It was pure relaxation and just a wonderful vacation experience.
Hmm. Since I know you are all in to wildlife stories, I should probably add a bit of info on what we saw and / or avoided... The snorkeling was indeed spectacular (it's the G.B. Reef after all) - better than anything I have seen before, tons and tons of fish that will swim with and next to you and the reed itself is just beautiful, so many colors, so many different types of coral. We also swam with turtles and had the chance to see dolphins and sharks, the latter we lured to the boat at night with flood lights and grilled chicken. So what did we avoid? Well, they will make you wear a so called stinger-suit when swimming (and you will want to wear it!) in order to avoid a couple of scary jellyfish, mostly the Irukandjis which are know to cause excruciating pain and possibly death, while being tiny and invisible... I won't go in to more detail on the deadly dangers of the AU tropical waters (-- I believe Mikhail's blog has more info, if you really want it) but will say that this suddenly made me feel much better about the blue bottles we encountered in Sydney, as these will 'only' cause excruciating pain...
The 74 Whitsunday Islands make up a Maritime National Park on/within The Great Barrier Reef, which makes for great sailing and adventure territory and the type of cruise we went on is a typical way to explore the region. And what a great way -- we had heard from quite a few people that their Whitsunday Cruise was the highlight of their AU trip and we now understand why. Basically the entire marine park looks like one of those Bounty (chocolate) commercials from the eighties - turquoise bays, white sandy beaches, nothing around but a few yachts and people having a good time.
Our yacht cruised at a leisurely pace from island to island, with breaks for snorkeling, beach walking and swimming, only interrupted by food breaks when the crew served us goodies fresh off the barbie (yes, they actually call it that, but no, they mostly do not grill shrimp...). It was pure relaxation and just a wonderful vacation experience.
Hmm. Since I know you are all in to wildlife stories, I should probably add a bit of info on what we saw and / or avoided... The snorkeling was indeed spectacular (it's the G.B. Reef after all) - better than anything I have seen before, tons and tons of fish that will swim with and next to you and the reed itself is just beautiful, so many colors, so many different types of coral. We also swam with turtles and had the chance to see dolphins and sharks, the latter we lured to the boat at night with flood lights and grilled chicken. So what did we avoid? Well, they will make you wear a so called stinger-suit when swimming (and you will want to wear it!) in order to avoid a couple of scary jellyfish, mostly the Irukandjis which are know to cause excruciating pain and possibly death, while being tiny and invisible... I won't go in to more detail on the deadly dangers of the AU tropical waters (-- I believe Mikhail's blog has more info, if you really want it) but will say that this suddenly made me feel much better about the blue bottles we encountered in Sydney, as these will 'only' cause excruciating pain...
coastal service part 2 - queensland (QLD) coast towards the whitsundays
We left Cape Trib Sunday night about 2 weeks ago now. Plan was to drive the beloved wicked (our "cowboy delux" camper van) down to the "Whitsundays" a collection of beautiful, lush and green islands that sit smack dab in the middle of the great barrier reef, about 800 KM south of Cairns.
The drive itself included certain challenges, we had gotten fairly used to the whole 'driving on the wrong side of the road' thing in NZ, but it can be a very different experience on narrow coastal roads in the middle of a tropical storm... A few of you have commented in e-mails and phone calls, that you had heard of flooding and massive rains in NE Australia, let's just say that we can confirm that these events took place. We did have a bit of a discussion about what would be the best approach to take, if/when we get stuck on a flooded road (we saw up to about 30 cm / 1 foot of water on the roads at times) within a croc zone - do you get out and try to push? Or do you just wait for the water (and potential crocs) to go away?!
We reached our weather low point near "Tully", a place we got to late at night Sunday and where we decided to camp for the night, because we just couldn't take it anymore. After a good night's sleep we ventured out for breakfast, only to discover from the local tourist info material that we had in fact spent the night in the place that has officially been declared 'Australia's Wettest Place', suffering the largest amount of rain per year :) -- Ironically it was bright and sunny that morning, however I must not forget to mention that Tully is also the home of "The Large Gumboot" - the Australians seem obsessed with large objects to be placed at the town entrance (the large squash, the large mango, the large you-name-it) an interesting fact which Carmine had kindly informed me about back in Seattle.
The further south we got, the more the weather cleared and we drove through landscapes that surprised us by looking more like African Savannah (or what we would expect that to look like I should say, never having been..) than 'the outback' - something that was later confirmed by one of our Whitsunday sailing mates, who had just come from the Kruger National Park in SA. Not entirely unexpected probably given that we were driving along the coast and that this region was formerly known as "the wet tropics", a name they recently changed, which is probably a good thing for the local tourism industry...
The drive itself included certain challenges, we had gotten fairly used to the whole 'driving on the wrong side of the road' thing in NZ, but it can be a very different experience on narrow coastal roads in the middle of a tropical storm... A few of you have commented in e-mails and phone calls, that you had heard of flooding and massive rains in NE Australia, let's just say that we can confirm that these events took place. We did have a bit of a discussion about what would be the best approach to take, if/when we get stuck on a flooded road (we saw up to about 30 cm / 1 foot of water on the roads at times) within a croc zone - do you get out and try to push? Or do you just wait for the water (and potential crocs) to go away?!
We reached our weather low point near "Tully", a place we got to late at night Sunday and where we decided to camp for the night, because we just couldn't take it anymore. After a good night's sleep we ventured out for breakfast, only to discover from the local tourist info material that we had in fact spent the night in the place that has officially been declared 'Australia's Wettest Place', suffering the largest amount of rain per year :) -- Ironically it was bright and sunny that morning, however I must not forget to mention that Tully is also the home of "The Large Gumboot" - the Australians seem obsessed with large objects to be placed at the town entrance (the large squash, the large mango, the large you-name-it) an interesting fact which Carmine had kindly informed me about back in Seattle.
The further south we got, the more the weather cleared and we drove through landscapes that surprised us by looking more like African Savannah (or what we would expect that to look like I should say, never having been..) than 'the outback' - something that was later confirmed by one of our Whitsunday sailing mates, who had just come from the Kruger National Park in SA. Not entirely unexpected probably given that we were driving along the coast and that this region was formerly known as "the wet tropics", a name they recently changed, which is probably a good thing for the local tourism industry...
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Updates, Updates, Updates to come...
I've been offline for a little while (-- what a nice experience!) but have now arrived at Monique's house in Byron Bay. Staying here includes the luxury of having limitless internet at hand and a chance to upload more photos, so stay tuned dear readers...
Saturday, March 04, 2006
James Blunt
I wanted to add a comment on our trip's "sound track": James Blunt is the tune of the day down under and we have taken quite a liking to it. Check him out if you haven't already. Oh and for some reason they are also really in to the "Curious George" sound track (Jack Johnson)...
Into the Wild - Cairns, Kuranda & "Cape Trib"
Just a quick little note to let you know that we have made it up to the north end of the Australian east coast (and no, we didn't drive all that way so quickly - we flew up to Cairns and will be driving back down, so that we can end up in Byron Bay with Monique for the last part of our AU visit.)
After spending a day in Cairns, which was probably the most touristy place we've been so far (people trying to sell you "the OZ adventure" on every corner), we spent a day in the Kuranda Rain Forest via Skyrail (sort of like a ski lift gondola) & Scenic railroad, which was our intro to the rain forest. Turns out, some of the world's oldest rain forest is right here and even though it seems like there is plenty of it, i actualy only takes up 0.01% of the Australian continent (statistic fact of the day :). In Kuranda we also got to cuddle Koalas - yay! - something we have extremely cute pictures of which i will post when i get a chance.
From the Kuranda experience, we've driven north so that we are now in "Cape Tribulation", which is pretty much as far north as you can go without a 4-wheel drive. This place is the home of the Daintree rain forest, Kuranda's older brother by several million years and the place is spectacular. Lush green rain forest everywhere and beautiful white sandy beaches. No swimming however, due to deadly Box Jellyfish and Crocodiles! To give you a bit of imagery, this is the campground where we stayed last night : Cape Trib Camping
After spending a day in Cairns, which was probably the most touristy place we've been so far (people trying to sell you "the OZ adventure" on every corner), we spent a day in the Kuranda Rain Forest via Skyrail (sort of like a ski lift gondola) & Scenic railroad, which was our intro to the rain forest. Turns out, some of the world's oldest rain forest is right here and even though it seems like there is plenty of it, i actualy only takes up 0.01% of the Australian continent (statistic fact of the day :). In Kuranda we also got to cuddle Koalas - yay! - something we have extremely cute pictures of which i will post when i get a chance.
From the Kuranda experience, we've driven north so that we are now in "Cape Tribulation", which is pretty much as far north as you can go without a 4-wheel drive. This place is the home of the Daintree rain forest, Kuranda's older brother by several million years and the place is spectacular. Lush green rain forest everywhere and beautiful white sandy beaches. No swimming however, due to deadly Box Jellyfish and Crocodiles! To give you a bit of imagery, this is the campground where we stayed last night : Cape Trib Camping
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Terra Australis
By way of third party complaints of blog update infrequency have reached me - alas, I must confess to being so smitten with our latest destination that I simply have not had the time to create a blog entry worthy of this continent... It is simply "grossartig" (German word for those not knowing :) in so many ways.
Anyway, we have indeed arrived in Sydney after a quick little 3.5 hour plane hop from New Zealand. Bjoern, one of our kind hosts here, picked us up from the airport and immediately after that introduced us to the 'Australian Way of Life': drinking cold beer on the deck while watching the parrots fly by, ah yes, quite pleasing in many ways!
Agnes, Bjoern & Cille, the family we are staying with, live in what is called 'the northern beaches' more specifically in Narrabeen beach, known as one of Sydney's prime surf spots. As stated, it is 'wild' here - being a suburb and all Narrabeen features a decent amount of lush greenery (of exotic kind seen with EU eyes) and plenty of wildlife of equally exotic nature. Mind you, the phone book delivery here includes a special book on which potentially lethal insects and critters to avoid while enjoying the local scenery (to be honest however, we haven't seen any snakes yet, just a few spiders and a decent amount of bats, the latter however in the botanical garden, which i guess doesn't really count ;)
Here is what we have been up to so far:
Tuesday: Visit to downtown Sydney: arriving to breathtaking views via Ferry from Manly (which is close to where we are staying) and spending the day hiking through the city from The Opera House, to The Rocks, to Harbour Bridge, the Observatory, George St, Hyde Park, Botanical Gardens and back to the Opera House for sunset cocktails and dinner (which included a crocodile + kangaroo appetizer!)
Wednesday: Beach day: hiking the beaches of Narrabeen and Dee Why, learning what rock pools is and trying to be cool with the local surf crowd (ok, maybe not so much, but it was worth a try...)
Up next: tomorrow Bjoern & Agnes will be taking us to the Kuringai National Park, which should be both quite exciting and exotic -- i recommend going to their website and/or checking out this link under which you'll find a list of all animals found in the park...
And now, I am off to work on adding some pictures - stay tuned!
Here we go - pictures! ->
Anyway, we have indeed arrived in Sydney after a quick little 3.5 hour plane hop from New Zealand. Bjoern, one of our kind hosts here, picked us up from the airport and immediately after that introduced us to the 'Australian Way of Life': drinking cold beer on the deck while watching the parrots fly by, ah yes, quite pleasing in many ways!
Agnes, Bjoern & Cille, the family we are staying with, live in what is called 'the northern beaches' more specifically in Narrabeen beach, known as one of Sydney's prime surf spots. As stated, it is 'wild' here - being a suburb and all Narrabeen features a decent amount of lush greenery (of exotic kind seen with EU eyes) and plenty of wildlife of equally exotic nature. Mind you, the phone book delivery here includes a special book on which potentially lethal insects and critters to avoid while enjoying the local scenery (to be honest however, we haven't seen any snakes yet, just a few spiders and a decent amount of bats, the latter however in the botanical garden, which i guess doesn't really count ;)
Here is what we have been up to so far:
Tuesday: Visit to downtown Sydney: arriving to breathtaking views via Ferry from Manly (which is close to where we are staying) and spending the day hiking through the city from The Opera House, to The Rocks, to Harbour Bridge, the Observatory, George St, Hyde Park, Botanical Gardens and back to the Opera House for sunset cocktails and dinner (which included a crocodile + kangaroo appetizer!)
Wednesday: Beach day: hiking the beaches of Narrabeen and Dee Why, learning what rock pools is and trying to be cool with the local surf crowd (ok, maybe not so much, but it was worth a try...)
Up next: tomorrow Bjoern & Agnes will be taking us to the Kuringai National Park, which should be both quite exciting and exotic -- i recommend going to their website and/or checking out this link under which you'll find a list of all animals found in the park...
And now, I am off to work on adding some pictures - stay tuned!
Here we go - pictures! ->
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