Happy Birthday to my little friend, Sue!
We'll celebrate when I'm back in Chicago.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Spent both days in Cairns on The Great Barrier Reef. It is truly amazing. Everyone must come here one day to see for themselves. Saw so many amazing things. The first day scuba dived twice and snorkeled once in Michaelmas Cay. Today schuba'd and snorkeled on Flynn Reef (no, this isn't a typo.......there is a Flynn Reef) and Milln Reef. Not PADI certified to dive on my own, but the companies allow you to dive with a dive master as long as you can pass the skill tests. To my brother and friend, Robyn, I now have the 'dive bug' so think about a fun dive trip we can take somewhere together. Today was much better viewing on the reef. The location of the reefs are on the outer barrier reef along the Continental Shelf. The coral is so beautiful and the colors so vibrant. Saw sea turtles, reef sharks, stingrays along with so many species of fish and coral that I couldn't possible list here even if I knew all the names. The weather has been great in spite of all the rain Cairns has received this summer. I've been lucky because it's only rained overnight and the days have been warm and sunny. The water temperature on the reef was around 85 degrees. For my Galapagos Delfines who are following along ...........a far cry from the Humboldt current we snorkeled in with sea turtles and penguins!
Cairns is a very fun town with lots of outdoor activities as well as a hopping night life. Met up with some locals last night and had some laughs. Tonight went to a dinner and show at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park.
Dead tired so turning in now. Flying to Sydney tomorrow.
Cairns is a very fun town with lots of outdoor activities as well as a hopping night life. Met up with some locals last night and had some laughs. Tonight went to a dinner and show at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park.
Dead tired so turning in now. Flying to Sydney tomorrow.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Hi from the Red Centre of Australia.
Spent yesterday and last night in Alice Springs. All I can think of is how I felt in some areas of Alaska last year..........'who could live here?' The population is only 27,000 with the main industry being tourism. It is also home to the majority of the indigenous Aboriginal people adding to the quirkiness of this area. Too much to explain and believe it or not on a coin operated computer. Wrap your mind around that one.
Today transferred from Alice Springs to the Ayers Rock Resort. Spent the day in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park hiking in the Olga Gorge of Kata Tjuta and spending sunset at Uluru (Ayers Rock). The land is sacred to the Aboriginal people and in 1985 the park was handed back to the indigenous owners. Since then, the official name has reverted back to Uluru, which is the original name given by the Anangu tribe. The temperature has been over 100 degrees, but bearable. I never believed when someone said 'dry heat,' but it's true. Don't get me wrong, it's hot, but you're not soaking wet in 10 minutes.
Going out tomorrow morning at 5:00am to see Uluru at sunrise and hiking some additional areas. Then flying to Cairns in the afternoon. Will be in the Great Barrier Reef the following day and can't wait! Have definitely confirmed I'm a beach girl, not a desert girl.
Can't upload pictures from here, but will hopefully when I get to Cairns.
One thing all the travel books forgot to mention are the flies. Literally swarms. They don't bite, but very annoying. I will upload pictures of me with a fly net over my head. Everyone wears them and they're quite the fashion statement. The best $7.95 you'll ever spend in an Australian summer. :) Somehow this little fact and the 'Salzburg rains' are not mentioned in the travel books...........inside joke for my Austria traveling friends.
Stay tuned....................
Spent yesterday and last night in Alice Springs. All I can think of is how I felt in some areas of Alaska last year..........'who could live here?' The population is only 27,000 with the main industry being tourism. It is also home to the majority of the indigenous Aboriginal people adding to the quirkiness of this area. Too much to explain and believe it or not on a coin operated computer. Wrap your mind around that one.
Today transferred from Alice Springs to the Ayers Rock Resort. Spent the day in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park hiking in the Olga Gorge of Kata Tjuta and spending sunset at Uluru (Ayers Rock). The land is sacred to the Aboriginal people and in 1985 the park was handed back to the indigenous owners. Since then, the official name has reverted back to Uluru, which is the original name given by the Anangu tribe. The temperature has been over 100 degrees, but bearable. I never believed when someone said 'dry heat,' but it's true. Don't get me wrong, it's hot, but you're not soaking wet in 10 minutes.
Going out tomorrow morning at 5:00am to see Uluru at sunrise and hiking some additional areas. Then flying to Cairns in the afternoon. Will be in the Great Barrier Reef the following day and can't wait! Have definitely confirmed I'm a beach girl, not a desert girl.
Can't upload pictures from here, but will hopefully when I get to Cairns.
One thing all the travel books forgot to mention are the flies. Literally swarms. They don't bite, but very annoying. I will upload pictures of me with a fly net over my head. Everyone wears them and they're quite the fashion statement. The best $7.95 you'll ever spend in an Australian summer. :) Somehow this little fact and the 'Salzburg rains' are not mentioned in the travel books...........inside joke for my Austria traveling friends.
Stay tuned....................
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Spent last night and today in Melbourne. Not enough time here and had to stay in the city due to more threats of bush fires in the outlining areas. The weather is very hot, but tolerable. I think it was 97 today, but doesn't feel like 97 in Chicago. I've learned how to accurately convert Celsius into Fahrenheit. Now I need to work on learning the metric system. Had dinner last night in Chinatown, which there is a very large Asian population here. Melbourne is a very diverse city and tons of ethnic places to discover. It's a very nice, clean city that you can literally walk the entire thing in a day, which I did. Lots of cute little alleyways dotted with cafes and coffee houses. Off to an early dinner tonight and then flying to Alice Springs tomorrow morning to see Ayers Rock.
Will update again soon.
Will update again soon.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Today was the highlight thus far........ three days in so it can get better, but this one will be hard to top. Went to another coastal town called Bunbury where there is a Dolphin Discovery Centre and booked an excursion to go out and hopefully swim with dolphins in the wild, which obviously could be hit or miss. It was AMAZING!!! The discovery center has cataloged almost 200 dolphins so the naturalist was counting throughout the day and came to a total of 22 that she could recognize. Literally they were swimming < 10 feet away. You weren't allowed to touch them, but we could dive down if they were below us and swim along side. They would just roll over and check you out. One of the neatest things was hearing their communication clicks and whistles under the water before you could see them. It was so cool!!! So, now I can say I swam with dolphins in the Indian Ocean.
Flying tomorrow morning to Melbourne so will update again in a couple of days.
Flying tomorrow morning to Melbourne so will update again in a couple of days.
G'Day Mate as the Aussie's say.......they seriously do! Yesterday (Friday, Feb. 20) took the train from Perth to Fremantle stopping off at Cottesloe Beach. So I can now say I've swam in the Indian Ocean.
Fremantle is such a cool little town. It is one of Western Australia's most historic cities. Founded on the Indian Ocean in 1829, at the mouth of the Swan River, it was established as a port for the new colony. A wealth of the 19th century buildings have been restored and remain today utilized as bars, restaurants and shops. I hung out on the harbor at a micro brew restaurant overlooking the harbor. Fremantle was under the world's gaze when it hosted the 1987 America's Cup. Australia won the AC in 1983 for the first (and only) time it was not won by the US. America regained the trophy in '87 and it is still a bone of contention for the locals. Listening to them was eerily reminiscent of Chicagoans still talking about the '85 Bears. Hilarious.
The locals are so nice and welcoming and genuinely love that you are visiting their country and more importantly their town. It feels very British here, with a vibe of 'beach bum' and 'no worries' attitude. Of course, that is my three day assessment thus far.
Fremantle is such a cool little town. It is one of Western Australia's most historic cities. Founded on the Indian Ocean in 1829, at the mouth of the Swan River, it was established as a port for the new colony. A wealth of the 19th century buildings have been restored and remain today utilized as bars, restaurants and shops. I hung out on the harbor at a micro brew restaurant overlooking the harbor. Fremantle was under the world's gaze when it hosted the 1987 America's Cup. Australia won the AC in 1983 for the first (and only) time it was not won by the US. America regained the trophy in '87 and it is still a bone of contention for the locals. Listening to them was eerily reminiscent of Chicagoans still talking about the '85 Bears. Hilarious.
The locals are so nice and welcoming and genuinely love that you are visiting their country and more importantly their town. It feels very British here, with a vibe of 'beach bum' and 'no worries' attitude. Of course, that is my three day assessment thus far.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Traveled yesterday (Feb. 19) to the Margaret River Valley wine country and the southwestern point of Australia. The picture below is from Augusta, which was founded in 1830 and is the third oldest settlement in the state. The spot marks the intersection of the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean.
The tour I took to the wine country did not meet my expectations, but live and learn. You really need to stay in the Margaret Rive valley for a couple of days to really enjoy it. Did meet some fun women from Scotland, which kept the laughter up.
Heading out today to a beach community south of Perth called Fremantle.
Still no jet lag, so doing great.
Will report back later.
The tour I took to the wine country did not meet my expectations, but live and learn. You really need to stay in the Margaret Rive valley for a couple of days to really enjoy it. Did meet some fun women from Scotland, which kept the laughter up.
Heading out today to a beach community south of Perth called Fremantle.
Still no jet lag, so doing great.
Will report back later.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Hello from 'down under.' I arrived safely in Perth via Sydney this afternoon. It's 4:30pm Perth time on Wednesday, February 18. If my estimations are correct, it's approximately 1:30am in Chicago on Wednesday, February 18. Don't worry, I won't tell you what happens today.
The flight from LA to Sydney was 14.5 hours and the flight from Sydney to Perth was 5.5 hours. I actually slept a lot from LA to Sydney so the flight went by very quickly. By the time I fully woke up we only had another couple of hours left. Going to shower and head out to get myself on Perth time. Surprisingly feeling pretty good. The weather is beautiful; sunny and high 80's. Tomorrow will be visiting (and drinking) the Margaret River winery area.
Stay tuned...........
The flight from LA to Sydney was 14.5 hours and the flight from Sydney to Perth was 5.5 hours. I actually slept a lot from LA to Sydney so the flight went by very quickly. By the time I fully woke up we only had another couple of hours left. Going to shower and head out to get myself on Perth time. Surprisingly feeling pretty good. The weather is beautiful; sunny and high 80's. Tomorrow will be visiting (and drinking) the Margaret River winery area.
Stay tuned...........
Monday, February 16, 2009
Hello everyone. I spent a few days in Chicago and flying out of LA this evening on the red eye to Australia. Connecting through Sydney to Perth to begin my trip down under. This is going to be a long flight........approximately 20 hours. I arrive in Perth in the afternoon of the 18th. Will update after I recover from the jet lag and have something interesting to report. Take Care.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Back on the mainland of Ecuador this evening. Spent the last 5 days in The Galapagos Islands. Visited Isla Baltra, Seymour, Isla Bartolome´, Isla Isabela, Isla Santa Cruz and Isla San Cristobal. The ship I was on, Galapagos Explorer II, was fabulous and met some great people. Saw so many amazing things and learned so much. I´ve posted a few pictures below, but you can only imagine how many I have. The wild life was so vast and since these animals have never had humans as predators, they have no fear of us and you are able to get so close. The sea lions come right up to you. One day snorkeling a sea lion literally was swimming with me and wanting to play. The highlights for me were definitely when we could get in the water. Swam with sea turtles, sea lions and white tip reef sharks. No hammerhead sharks in site, but was hoping to see one.
Flying back to Chicago tomorrow morning for a couple of days and then off to Australia.
Will update again from ´down under.´
Flying back to Chicago tomorrow morning for a couple of days and then off to Australia.
Will update again from ´down under.´
Friday, February 6, 2009
Arrived in Quito yesterday afternoon. Spent the remainder of the day exploring Old Town including La Compania, the largest and most elaborate Jesuit cathedral in South America, Plaza San Francisco, which is where the Franciscan church is located, and Plaza de la Independencia where at the center of the square a monument stands that was made and donated by the French commemorating Ecuador´s independence to Spain. It resembles our Statue of Liberty..........torch and all although on a much smaller scale. Frankly, I can´t look at any more cathedrals. It´s difficult to separate appreciating the beauty of the architecture with the brutal history of how these buildings were created at the expense of the native people. Looking forward to going to The Galapagos Islands tomorrow. Every local and tourist I´ve spoken to said it will be the highlight of the trip.
Today spent the day exploring the surrounding villages outside Quito as well as the site of the equator. Seems the French, who originally ´discovered´the location of the equator in 1745, were off approximately 240m (787ft). According to GPS technology the equator´s location is now accurately determined. Interestingly enough the native Ecuadorians also marked the spot of the equator and they were only 90m off making them more accurate than the French. In the picture below I´m standing in front of the French monument and you can see in the forefront the egg balancing on its´tip. Touristy, but had to do it.
Spent some time in the village of Otavalo, which houses a huge market still used today by the natives to buy or trade produce and meats. Unfortunately that happens on Saturdays so did not get to witness. Today it was mostly tourist goods. Had to purchase a woven Panama hat though. Little trivia for you - the hats have always been made in Ecuador, but were called Panama hats because Ecuador supplied them to the workers on the Panama Canal, thus the name was coined. While in Otavalo had the opportunity to visit a woman in her home and shop to see how the weaving is done. The picture I include below is her utilizing a hand loom, which they still use today. The workmanship is incredible. She also described to me how they die the wool by utilizing seeds, vegetation and even bugs to get the different colors. This method has been in existence since the native Ecuadorians.
Also visited the village of Cotacachi, which is the home of excellent leather goods. You would not believe the quality and the low prices. Proud to say I didn´t buy any new purses, but was so tempted. It´s worth the price of the airfare.
Flying to The Galapagos early tomorrow morning and not sure, but doubt, I´ll have Internet access so this might be my last entry until I return to Chicago.
Thanks for following along. It´s been fun for me to share my trip and document my adventures. There is so much more, but not wanting to bore you all.
Today spent the day exploring the surrounding villages outside Quito as well as the site of the equator. Seems the French, who originally ´discovered´the location of the equator in 1745, were off approximately 240m (787ft). According to GPS technology the equator´s location is now accurately determined. Interestingly enough the native Ecuadorians also marked the spot of the equator and they were only 90m off making them more accurate than the French. In the picture below I´m standing in front of the French monument and you can see in the forefront the egg balancing on its´tip. Touristy, but had to do it.
Spent some time in the village of Otavalo, which houses a huge market still used today by the natives to buy or trade produce and meats. Unfortunately that happens on Saturdays so did not get to witness. Today it was mostly tourist goods. Had to purchase a woven Panama hat though. Little trivia for you - the hats have always been made in Ecuador, but were called Panama hats because Ecuador supplied them to the workers on the Panama Canal, thus the name was coined. While in Otavalo had the opportunity to visit a woman in her home and shop to see how the weaving is done. The picture I include below is her utilizing a hand loom, which they still use today. The workmanship is incredible. She also described to me how they die the wool by utilizing seeds, vegetation and even bugs to get the different colors. This method has been in existence since the native Ecuadorians.
Also visited the village of Cotacachi, which is the home of excellent leather goods. You would not believe the quality and the low prices. Proud to say I didn´t buy any new purses, but was so tempted. It´s worth the price of the airfare.
Flying to The Galapagos early tomorrow morning and not sure, but doubt, I´ll have Internet access so this might be my last entry until I return to Chicago.
Thanks for following along. It´s been fun for me to share my trip and document my adventures. There is so much more, but not wanting to bore you all.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Arrived in Cusco, the Incan capital, Sunday and spent the afternoon with a guide who took me around the city and to Incan ruins outside the city. Monday morning took the train to Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu. The train takes approximately 3.5 hours. You see a lot of villages and beautiful scenery along the way. It is a short bus ride from the town of Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. We arrived mid day and spent the entire afternoon at Machu Picchu. I had a guide who is a native Cuscoian so he was very knowledgeable as well as made the experience so special. I thought about how I would describe it to you, but I truly have no words. It is so spectacular and awe inspiring. It is such a blessing that Pizarro didn't find it when he conquered the Incas or it too would be destroyed. Considering it's the wet season, I am so blessed that I had the day I did. As you can see from the picture it was blue skies, sunny and warm. Thanks to Carlos for taking so many pictures of me throughout the day.
I got up the next morning and caught the first bus at 5>30am to go back up. The plan was to see the sun rise over the mountains to illuminate MP, however, as you can see from the second picture, the weather had other ideas. It was pouring rain, but I went up anyway and found some shelter along with a few others and waited it out. I actually enjoyed seeing it in the rain and low clouds. It made it seem even more magical than the day before. The weather did eventually break late morning and the rest of the day was beautiful. Arrived back in Cusco last night and went out with my guide and met some Irish travelers. Imagine that, I met some Irish. Going to explore Cusco the rest of the day and head to Pisac, which is an Incan community.
One more night in Cusco and then flying to Quito, Ecuador tomorrow morning. Will update again soon.
I got up the next morning and caught the first bus at 5>30am to go back up. The plan was to see the sun rise over the mountains to illuminate MP, however, as you can see from the second picture, the weather had other ideas. It was pouring rain, but I went up anyway and found some shelter along with a few others and waited it out. I actually enjoyed seeing it in the rain and low clouds. It made it seem even more magical than the day before. The weather did eventually break late morning and the rest of the day was beautiful. Arrived back in Cusco last night and went out with my guide and met some Irish travelers. Imagine that, I met some Irish. Going to explore Cusco the rest of the day and head to Pisac, which is an Incan community.
One more night in Cusco and then flying to Quito, Ecuador tomorrow morning. Will update again soon.
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