A very lovely waterfall in Lao, Helen and I elephant riding, a couple of views across stunning Vietnam and Hoi An old town.
Friday, 25 January 2013
Some photographic highlights
I've been feeling remiss for not including more photos in my blogs so I'm going to try to make up for that over the next few days...
Here are a couple of amazing temples in northern Thailand, our wonderful tour group, some very cute Lao kids and a view from the Mekong river.
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Fiji continued...
Just in case you were worried that all I've done in Fiji is lie around philosophising about the meaning of life, let me put your mind at rest... Helen and I invented a new form of exercise today!
It basically involves running about a kilometre along the beach and back as fast as possible with the sea coming up to your shoulders. It works best if you quietly hum the Baywatch theme tune to yourself as you go, but that's optional. It's excellent fun and received a thumbs up from the locals who declared it wonderful exercise (or maybe they said entertainment, I can't be sure) and from small children and even one teenage girl who started running through the sea with us. Much to the amusement of an Australian father who made several joke at the expense of us Brits. We plan to repeat this everyday until we go (two more days) and so I'm confident we'll arrive in New Zealand with bodies to rival Elle McPherson.
Pondering the secret of contentment... and a spot of shark diving
It will come as no surprise I'm sure to hear that Fiji is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Dramatic green mountains poke up out of a warm aqua sea. There's palm trees, exotic flowers and sandy beaches. The Fijian people are smiley and friendly and nothing is too much trouble. H and I have a bura (beach hut) 10 paces from the beach which is kitted out with a terrace, a couple of very comfy beds, a sofa and chairs and an outside shower in its own private garden. It manages to be simple and luxurious at the same time. The resort is large considering there aren't more than 40 or so guests and it has a pool, activity hut, restaurant and bar. I might get a massage today. H and I are rather like the queen in that we don't need currency here, just a signature ;)
And yet.... I've met quite a few people who aren't in a state of total blissed out contentment. It turns out lying around is actually quite boring (there's a lot of people drinking in the afternoon, not that I'm one to judge...), it's easy to get complacent (someone said to me 'I decided not to travel around the islands too much because they're all much of a muchness' which is fair enough for him but slightly harsh on Fiji's 322 islands which I'm sure are all unique!), general apathy sets in (the local cultural centre is a very achievable 20-30 min walk away but all I feel I can manage is the 10 paces today), or with so much time to think there's a danger of homesickness. So even though we're in paradise it doesn't always feel like it....
This issue of contentment is one that I've mulled on with Christian friends as we try to follow Paul's example and be happy with what God gives us in life and not sweat what we don't have but would quite like (Philippians, especially chapter 4, is a good place to find out more). And I think this leg of our trip has reinforced for me that we're are right to do that because contentment and deep down happiness is not situational, it's not about the surroundings. Fiji is proof.
Which begs the question, what does make us happy...?! Now actually (despite this ridiculously navel gazing blog) I am very relaxed and happy here and yesterday was probably my best day so far. I'm putting that down to two things, first that I dived with sharks (in the open sea with no cage, there were lots of varieties, the largest being a group of 11ft mama Bulls, they were so close it was awesome, truly the most amazing creatures I've ever encountered) and second that H and I went out for a nice dinner and, as well as the yummy food, we had really good chats. So I think doing something extraordinary that I was previously quite scared of and having a lovely time with a best friend have definitely been ways for me to feel fulfilled and happy! Sadly though I don't think I can dive with sharks everyday, and even if I did the appeal might wear thin, so I'll just have to look forward to the next adventure on this little trip around the globe :)
So to sum up, yes, maybe it is easy to be very content and happy with life here in Fiji!
Thursday, 3 January 2013
We wish you a Melburnian Christmas....and a Sydney New Year
Having ditched the rental car, we set about making the apartment in Melbourne our own, which generally means we put the wine in the fridge and fling our stuff everywhere we could. Then we settle down to the dilemma most backpackers in Melbourne face; what to wear to Neighbours night? Dressed up and ready to rock, we meet up with the party people from Apollo Bay and brace ourselves to meet Dr Karl.
If you are reading this thinking. "Uh, Neighbours?" and "who is Dr Karl?" Then you are either a) American b) straight c) dead or d) all of the above. For those of you who are not familiar with Ramsey Street, Neighbours is a loooooonnng running Aussie soap that British students and dole scroungers are addicted to. It's set in a Melbourne suburb and the story lines are preposterous, but it is practically an institution. Anyway, time to meet the cast. We have much hilarity and dance to Karl Kennedy's band until the word 'shame' no longer exists in our vocabulary.
The following day we hit the beach. Not much you can say other than that really. Went to the beach, lay there for a bit, swam in the sea, got out, listened to Manuel from Fawlty Towers narrating Jerusalem for the 6th time, still haven't got a bloody clue what's going on, or even which century we're in. But I digress.
On our second night in Melbourne, we met up with a friend of mine, who I haven't seen since I was 9, when she moved back to Australia. It was lovely to catch up and see her photos and hear stories about her family, and we were particularly impressed with the restraining influence on her two eldest boys that is Bruce the Elf in the run up to Christmas. Aft dinner, we get gelato and wander down to the end of St Kilda pier, where tiny little penguins come out to feed at sunset. Cute!
Melbourne mainly involves eating a lot of good food, as recommended by my brother - Bar Lourinha, Radio Mexico and Mr Wolf being particularly singled out for fabulousness. We also do a lot of lazing around by the pool at our hotel. We do gird our loins to go to Melbourne zoo, where we stroke friendly kangaroos, see deadly native snakes, and have beautiful coloured butterflies landing on us. The meerkats also provide an opportunity to add to my burgeoning collection of animals pleasuring themselves:
Before we have time to blink, it's Christmas Day, and we've bought each other presents so we have something to open. We go to church (a promise I made to Vicky in London) then hit the aptly named Victoria sparkling wine and head to the beach, where I have a little swim.
Before we are ready, we have to leave Melbourne for our next destination Sydney. I've already been twice, and loved it, and I hope Vicky will too. We arrive at a very reasonable time and have a few beers on the quayside.
We spend the following day at a beautiful beach near Watson's Bay, before heading out in the evening to meet my friend Gemma and her boyfriend Ed, who have also come out here to escape the British winter.
A spot of culture after all this beaching and barring is called for, so we take the tour of Sydney Opera House. It's pretty cool inside and our tour guide Sue is hilarious.
We then go our separate ways; while Vicks heads off to meet friends, I go and have lunch with Cobber Joe's Aunt Marie, who is lovely. She recommends going to the Museum of Contemporary Art to see the Anish Kapoor exhibition, so with a free afternoon looming, that's what I do. It's just unfortunate that I've recently been watching the Absolutely Fabulous episode where Eddie goes to buy some art, as the line "it all looks like bollocks, so it must be worth something" keeps going through my head, although its actually quite impressive.
New Years Eve dawns and we climb the pylon of the Harbour Bridge to take some pictures and have a sushi picnic in the Botanic Gardens.
In the evening, we head to the rooftop of a hotel near ours, where we take full advantage of the free bar, eat pies as canapés (does this happen anywhere else in the world?), snog a cute Sydneysider (me, not Vicky - sorry Mum), admire the fireworks, have cross words as a result of the free bar (our first fight!!!), then head back to the hostel, where we sleep, make friends again (like we weren't going to) before Vicky, who had the stamina of an ox heads out for the day and I eventually get out of the ball gown and sandals I've slept in at 4pm.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
If you are reading this thinking. "Uh, Neighbours?" and "who is Dr Karl?" Then you are either a) American b) straight c) dead or d) all of the above. For those of you who are not familiar with Ramsey Street, Neighbours is a loooooonnng running Aussie soap that British students and dole scroungers are addicted to. It's set in a Melbourne suburb and the story lines are preposterous, but it is practically an institution. Anyway, time to meet the cast. We have much hilarity and dance to Karl Kennedy's band until the word 'shame' no longer exists in our vocabulary.
The following day we hit the beach. Not much you can say other than that really. Went to the beach, lay there for a bit, swam in the sea, got out, listened to Manuel from Fawlty Towers narrating Jerusalem for the 6th time, still haven't got a bloody clue what's going on, or even which century we're in. But I digress.
On our second night in Melbourne, we met up with a friend of mine, who I haven't seen since I was 9, when she moved back to Australia. It was lovely to catch up and see her photos and hear stories about her family, and we were particularly impressed with the restraining influence on her two eldest boys that is Bruce the Elf in the run up to Christmas. Aft dinner, we get gelato and wander down to the end of St Kilda pier, where tiny little penguins come out to feed at sunset. Cute!
Melbourne mainly involves eating a lot of good food, as recommended by my brother - Bar Lourinha, Radio Mexico and Mr Wolf being particularly singled out for fabulousness. We also do a lot of lazing around by the pool at our hotel. We do gird our loins to go to Melbourne zoo, where we stroke friendly kangaroos, see deadly native snakes, and have beautiful coloured butterflies landing on us. The meerkats also provide an opportunity to add to my burgeoning collection of animals pleasuring themselves:
Before we have time to blink, it's Christmas Day, and we've bought each other presents so we have something to open. We go to church (a promise I made to Vicky in London) then hit the aptly named Victoria sparkling wine and head to the beach, where I have a little swim.
Before we are ready, we have to leave Melbourne for our next destination Sydney. I've already been twice, and loved it, and I hope Vicky will too. We arrive at a very reasonable time and have a few beers on the quayside.
We spend the following day at a beautiful beach near Watson's Bay, before heading out in the evening to meet my friend Gemma and her boyfriend Ed, who have also come out here to escape the British winter.
A spot of culture after all this beaching and barring is called for, so we take the tour of Sydney Opera House. It's pretty cool inside and our tour guide Sue is hilarious.
We then go our separate ways; while Vicks heads off to meet friends, I go and have lunch with Cobber Joe's Aunt Marie, who is lovely. She recommends going to the Museum of Contemporary Art to see the Anish Kapoor exhibition, so with a free afternoon looming, that's what I do. It's just unfortunate that I've recently been watching the Absolutely Fabulous episode where Eddie goes to buy some art, as the line "it all looks like bollocks, so it must be worth something" keeps going through my head, although its actually quite impressive.
New Years Eve dawns and we climb the pylon of the Harbour Bridge to take some pictures and have a sushi picnic in the Botanic Gardens.
In the evening, we head to the rooftop of a hotel near ours, where we take full advantage of the free bar, eat pies as canapés (does this happen anywhere else in the world?), snog a cute Sydneysider (me, not Vicky - sorry Mum), admire the fireworks, have cross words as a result of the free bar (our first fight!!!), then head back to the hostel, where we sleep, make friends again (like we weren't going to) before Vicky, who had the stamina of an ox heads out for the day and I eventually get out of the ball gown and sandals I've slept in at 4pm.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, 29 December 2012
Road trip - the Great Ocean Road
We practically dance when we get off the plane in Adelaide. We are back in civilisation! We grab our hire car and make for the nearest beach. Glenelg is what we came to Australia for, white sand, turquoise water, cute surfers.
After mooching around in the surf for a bit, we hit the road for our first night in Hahndorf, South Australia. Hahndorf is a quaint little town, that was originally settled by Germans, and you can get exciting things there, such as the Bavarian bum burner.
Having burnt our bums quite spectacularly in south east Asia, thank you very much, we eat in the bustling restaurant twinned with our hotel, where the food is outstanding (a recurrent theme in Australia, as we will discover and I will blog separately) and I have something distinctly lacking in Asia, a CHEESEBOARD. The wine isn't bad either.
We move on the following day to Langhorne Creek for a mammoth wine tasting session, which I've written about separately. From Langhorne, we undertake the three hour drive to Robe, a picture perfect seaside town, where it's 35 degrees and we hit he beach, before eating possibly the best lobster known to man.
After Robe, we head to Port Fairy, and as we stop to take the obligatory photo of Vicky under the 'Welcome to Victoria' sign, it starts to bloody rain. We are at first unsure as to what this moisture hitting the windscreen is, as we haven't seen rain for weeks. By the time we arrive in Port Fairy, it is belting down, so we have comfort food and hole up in our apartment in our PJ's. How rock n roll are we?
The highlight of the drive from Port Fairy to our next stop, Apollo Bay, are the amazing rock formations, including the 12 Apostles, that run along the coast for this part of the trip. Even in the pouring rain (yes, still) they are beautiful. Less beautiful is the human condom/poncho I have to wear to stop getting soaked, and which, for reasons of vanity, I took off for the photos.
On this drive, we also see cuddly little koalas in the trees, which necessitates several shouts of 'koala, pull over'. We make several, probably illegal, road manoeuvres in order to see the little beasts, and are rewarded with some awesome photos.
The twisty turny driving in the pouring rain puts us in a foul mood, so we crack open a lovely bottle of red wine when we arrive in Apollo Bay, before summoning the towns only taxi driver to collect us. He turns out to be a grumpy old bugger, who gives us a good telling off for not being outside our apartment on THE DOT of 6pm. We spend the rest of the evening (after a delicious scallop pizza) slagging him off spectacularly to the locals. Only the following day do we realise that word probably got back to him (hey, it's a small town) and we are therefore without transport for our second night in Apollo Bay.Which actually turns out OK, because, having spent the afternoon in the hot tub, we meet some lovely Brits (including a total hottie) and spend the evening barbecuing and playing drinking games with them.
Subsequently, the following day when we drive to Lorne, I am feeling somewhat grotty, and although Lorne is very pretty and I haul my sorry ass up to take some pictures in the evening, I'm ashamed to say that the highlight of the visit is discovering that one of the Aussie TV channels is showing Pillars of the Earth. I think by this point both Vicks and I are desperate to get to Melbourne and decamp for 10 days.
Ahhhh, Melbourne. The skyscrapers coming into view put a spring in our step, we negotiate the traffic systems and after driving around St Kilda twice, find our hotel. Our little car has driven 1200 kilometres and we haven't crashed it once. We settle into the apartment that will be home for the next ten days, and prepare ourselves for Neighbours night.........
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
After mooching around in the surf for a bit, we hit the road for our first night in Hahndorf, South Australia. Hahndorf is a quaint little town, that was originally settled by Germans, and you can get exciting things there, such as the Bavarian bum burner.
Having burnt our bums quite spectacularly in south east Asia, thank you very much, we eat in the bustling restaurant twinned with our hotel, where the food is outstanding (a recurrent theme in Australia, as we will discover and I will blog separately) and I have something distinctly lacking in Asia, a CHEESEBOARD. The wine isn't bad either.
We move on the following day to Langhorne Creek for a mammoth wine tasting session, which I've written about separately. From Langhorne, we undertake the three hour drive to Robe, a picture perfect seaside town, where it's 35 degrees and we hit he beach, before eating possibly the best lobster known to man.
After Robe, we head to Port Fairy, and as we stop to take the obligatory photo of Vicky under the 'Welcome to Victoria' sign, it starts to bloody rain. We are at first unsure as to what this moisture hitting the windscreen is, as we haven't seen rain for weeks. By the time we arrive in Port Fairy, it is belting down, so we have comfort food and hole up in our apartment in our PJ's. How rock n roll are we?
The highlight of the drive from Port Fairy to our next stop, Apollo Bay, are the amazing rock formations, including the 12 Apostles, that run along the coast for this part of the trip. Even in the pouring rain (yes, still) they are beautiful. Less beautiful is the human condom/poncho I have to wear to stop getting soaked, and which, for reasons of vanity, I took off for the photos.
On this drive, we also see cuddly little koalas in the trees, which necessitates several shouts of 'koala, pull over'. We make several, probably illegal, road manoeuvres in order to see the little beasts, and are rewarded with some awesome photos.
The twisty turny driving in the pouring rain puts us in a foul mood, so we crack open a lovely bottle of red wine when we arrive in Apollo Bay, before summoning the towns only taxi driver to collect us. He turns out to be a grumpy old bugger, who gives us a good telling off for not being outside our apartment on THE DOT of 6pm. We spend the rest of the evening (after a delicious scallop pizza) slagging him off spectacularly to the locals. Only the following day do we realise that word probably got back to him (hey, it's a small town) and we are therefore without transport for our second night in Apollo Bay.Which actually turns out OK, because, having spent the afternoon in the hot tub, we meet some lovely Brits (including a total hottie) and spend the evening barbecuing and playing drinking games with them.
Subsequently, the following day when we drive to Lorne, I am feeling somewhat grotty, and although Lorne is very pretty and I haul my sorry ass up to take some pictures in the evening, I'm ashamed to say that the highlight of the visit is discovering that one of the Aussie TV channels is showing Pillars of the Earth. I think by this point both Vicks and I are desperate to get to Melbourne and decamp for 10 days.
Ahhhh, Melbourne. The skyscrapers coming into view put a spring in our step, we negotiate the traffic systems and after driving around St Kilda twice, find our hotel. Our little car has driven 1200 kilometres and we haven't crashed it once. We settle into the apartment that will be home for the next ten days, and prepare ourselves for Neighbours night.........
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Going to church in Melbourne
Despite my best intentions before I left I'm sorry to report that I hadn't manage to go to church once until this Sunday. And it certainly didn't turn out like I anticipated...
The apartment we are staying in here in St kilda has a church directly opposite, its a beautiful old building with nice grounds so a lot of the hotel's artwork is photos of it. Given it is so convenient I really had no excuse not to go along for their informal service at 11.30 on Sunday. I was expecting a lively, young and large congregation but what I actually found were 4 men from the local social care centre, a man significantly impaired by years of drug and alcohol abuse who may have been homeless, a woman in her 50s and a similarly aged vicar called Father Jim. Over introductions one of the guys from the care home said that that morning a 25 year old woman called Noeleen had been found dead in the social centre from overdosing and had been taken away in a body bag. He himself was clean but struggling to return to anything like a 'normal' life. It was a shock for me to see what years of substance abuse do.
Father Jim gave a lovely and personal talk about God's plan for individual's lives and how you know you're following that plan when you're a blessing to others. I was struck by how faithful that small group of very disadvantaged men were, and by the end of the service I could just about get past the smell and the dirt and the slightly unnerving behaviour, and I'm very grateful for that opportunity for many reasons, not least because I realise how much God's given me to enjoy.
H came with me for my second visit to Christ Church St Kilda on Christmas Day morning (9am!!) and it was a bit more conventional but still special. Father Jim spoke about aspirations and not letting world values, particularly materialistic ambition, become consuming. I found it relevant and inspiring and I'm very much looking forward to church in Sydney and New Zealand!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Day too... and if you went to church it was a highlight of the day for you also.
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