SCUBA, SNORKLES AND SAILBOATS

After almost two weeks crossing the interior of Australia, we finally caught glimpse of the the South Pacific at Townsville where we spent on night before heading north to Cairns, where we stayed at a fabulous beach front apartment. The prospect of being in one place for a whole week was a welcome change from continual driving! .





Rory and David started their 4 day PADI diving course while the rest of us enjoyed the brilliant beach facilities, playgrounds, cycle paths just outside our front door. We all attended 'REEF TEACH' a two hour lecture on the flora and fauna of the Great Barrier Reef and more importantlt, its conservation. Even William and James were completely captivated by all the slides and pictures and were particularily interested in all things poisonous and deadly!



Whilst David and Rory were completing their course on an overnight trip on the dive boat, Alice, William and I took a 1 day snorkling excursion to Norman Reef. We were all suited up and thrown off the back of the boat on our arrival. This posed a little bit of a concern as Will and James also jumped in with little more than a foam "noodle" as a flotation device: James can barely swim! Bearing in mind that this adventure is in open water and the children are heading in every which direction I didn't get to see too much of the reef myself...that is until one of the guides observed my predicament and jumped in with a rope and had the boys hang on! I was then free to enjoy the spectacultar show of colour and movement that is The Great Barrier Reef.



With PADI certificates firmly under divebelts the next stop was the Whitsunday Islands and 1week Competant Crew course. We stayed for a few days in Airle Beach, the main yachting centre in the Whitsundays. Whilst David, Rory, Alice and William set off for their course, James and I enjoyed a splendid week on Daydream Island; a holiday resort that does exactly what it says on the box! It was lovely to spend this special time with James and he made a new friend called Brandon who lives in Sydney, and had lots of fun playing in the pool, in the fantastic playgrounds and petting the huge stingrays in the lagoon!

UP THROUGH THE MIDDLE

After crossing the Nullarbor Plain we hung a left at Port Augusta to make a 3000km diversion to see one of the iconic symbols of Australia...Uluru. The plan was to drive up to see "the rock" then head back down the Stuart Highway towards Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney.

The first stop of any significant size to break up our journey to Uluru was a town called Woomera. After referring to our trusty Lonely Planet guide we decided perhaps it was best to just drive on a little further. Woomera is "a rather drab looking government town with its roots in early British weapons testing and space rocket programmes" If that wasn't enough to inspire you to visit, perhaps the nuclear waste dump and detention centre for refugees might tempt you?

We finally decided to stay a few nights in Coober Pedy, one of the few places in the world where opals are mined. The surreal landscape created by the spoil heaps of abandoned mines are the advance welcome party to the town. It is a hostile, dry dusty place with scant rainfall and extremes of temperature.

Staying in the "cave hotel" was a fun experience. The accommodation created out of abandoned opal mines in the ground provide comfort and insulation from temperatures ranging from 50 degrees centigrade to below 0.

The tour at "Tom's Opal Mine" was probably the one of the best tours we have had all year. Dave, the crusty opal miner was excellent at engaging both old and young alike with information on mining and the area in general.

After a few days rest from driving, we continued our journey arriving at the resort town of Yularu in time to catch our first glimpse of Uluru at sundown. The atmosphere and sheer beauty of the landscape and was breathtaking, and even the persistent buzzing of flies endemic in the outback couldn't spoil the experience. Several days enjoying the dry warm climate, cycling around Uluru, driving out to the Olgas and swimming in the resort pool focuses the mind and we made the decision to continue travelling north then head cross country to the coast and Cairns.

ARE WE THERE YET??

After a month hosting the Wallers in Western Australia, we said farewell to our generous hosts Nicole and Jed Teague.

The Landcruiser was loaded up and feeling somewhat like the Clampetts on the "Beverley Hillbillies" we headed for the open road.







Driving long distances was not what I remembered. When I was a child, we drove across Canada on a couple of occasions and the trip was mind numbing to say the least. Now with portable DVDs and books on Cd's the road trips are made so much more bearable especially when the scenery doesn't change for days!





The absence of any historic or significant landmarks is no impediment to the resourceful Australians.

We made stops at borders between states marked by giant kangaroos and "1/2 way across Australia" giant birds. Even the odd road sign warranted a pit stop for a photo!

Western Australia is enjoying a mineral and mining boom which is transforming the states economy. Along the road we stopped briefly at Superpit, the largest open cast gold mine in the world, which gave us an insight into the huge scale of the mines and the machinery being used to exploit them.

THE LAND OF OZ

After a brief, but very luxurious stop in Singapore we finally arrived in at our entry point to Australia: Perth.

When we set out on this adventure we only had the first 7 months planned and Australia seemed a long way away in mind and in miles. So much to see and do before our arrival on this antipodean continent! Our plans only stretched as far as booking our arrival to and departure from Australia. We had lots of time to think about how and where we were going to travel and eventually we decided to buy a Land Cruiser, pack it up an head out onto the open road.

We first stayed in Scarborough, enjoying the casual and laid back atmosphere of one of Perth's seaside suburbs. The towns are so geared up for outdoor living with brilliant parks, public BBQ areas, playgrounds, walking and cycle paths all with the white sands and turquoise blue water of the Indian Ocean as a backdrop.

We then spent Easter week with our friends Jed and Nicole Teague and their 2 sons, Ben and Jack, at their beach house in Myalup, a couple of hours south of Perth. Rory, Alice William and James really enjoyed having some lads to hang out with. Ben taught Rory, Alice and William how to body board in the surf, too cool!

Margaret River was not to be missed. This wine growing region of Australia only produces a small percentage of the country's wine but the quality is superb. A couple of days had to be spent touring and tasting and we crossed the threshold if several cellar doors: Vasse Felix, Cullen, Wise and Clairault. The children put up with us only because we promised a trip to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory!

The following week we headed 900 km north to a resort called Monkey Mia in the Shark Bay. No monkeys but plenty of wild dolphins swimming in the warm shallows of the bay. A mother and her calf came right up to William as he snorkeled 3 feet from the shore!

On our return journey to Perth we stopped in briefly at Shell Beach. It does just as it says on the box: a beach stretching for miles made up of tiny cockleshells 10 metres deep in some spots. The tiny mollusc's thrive in the hyper salinity of the waters of Shark Bay.

Another really interesting feature of the area are the worlds best known colony of Stromatolites. They mostly look like metre high mushroom shaped rocks but are covered in living organisms almost identical to those living 1900 million years ago. It is thought that the earth was covered in these at one time and they are responsible for increasing the oxygen level in the atmosphere to sufficient to sustain life. Pretty impressive for something that just looks like rocks! They are extremely fragile and a boardwalk has been constructed to walk over them and are best seen at low tide.

Back to Perth and time to get ready to load up the truck and head...EAST!

TOKYO AND TEMPLES

Japan seems a long time ago, especially as we have almost completed our journey across Australia. No excuses other that we have been busy travelling!

I wasn't that keen on including Japan on our itinerary as it has never been high on my list of places to visit, thinking the time would be better spent experiencing Cambodia and Vietnam.

We only spent a week in Japan starting in Tokyo where our dear friend Caroline Morris and her charming family hosted a few days in the capital.

Tokyo lives up to its reputation of a bustling, modern, electric, fascinating city though it has to be said it is little soulless. It is a far cry form the insignificant fishing village of the 16th century. Razed to the ground by fires, earthquakes and allied bombings it has had to reinvent itself time and again.

One of the highlights of Tokyo had to be the traditional Japanese meal hosted by our hosts Caroline Morris and her husband Yoshi. We went a Japanese restaurant and were shown to our own dining room where a hot pot of meats and vegetables were served on low tables. The children loved cooking their own food at the table!

We also explored city parks where Tokyo youth go to hang out some dressed in the as Elvis and doing their interpretation of Rock and Roll dancing while girls dressed like Mini Mouse in red polka dot skirts stand on the sidelines watching! It is like a dress up street party with young adults masquerading and posing for whoever wants to take their photograph! Really strange and screams of repressed childhood in my view!

David, William and Alice made the very early morning excursion to the Tokyo fish market. It was huge and the fish was displayed with care to the point of reverence. William found the huge sword like knives used to cut the fish fairly impressive.

The weather was lovely; crisp and cool with blue skies and perfect for our tour of the Imperial Palace and Gardens. We booked this tour months in advance and were accompanied by Caroline and her daughter Naomi. The gardens were so dignified and a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo.

After three days in Tokyo we headed to Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan. Getting there was a highlight as we booked seats on the Shinkansen "bullet" train. The Shinkansen defines Japanese pursuit of perfection in engineering. You purchase your ticket and proceed to the platform where the carriage is clearly marked. The train pulls in and the doors open exactly where they are supposed to, with the seats and carriages being spotlessly clean and comfortable, and a great view of Mt. Fuji along the way! Tokyo to Kyoto, 570 km in 2 hours 40 minutes...exactly.

Kyoto is a city of thought and reflection with over 1600 temples, 270 shrines and 200 gardens. We arrived just as the first buds on the cherry blossom were bursting forth. When in full bloom the city must look fabulous with the delicate petals floating in the breeze. We spent time walking through the gardens of the imperial palace admiring the trees coming into bloom and just letting the younger boys run off some pent up energy. We only touched on visiting the myriad of temples but managed to see some of the highlights like the Golden Temple and observed a Shinto ceremony. We all really enjoyed the excursion to the Nijo Castle, built by a Shogun war lord in the 1600th century as a reminder to the imperial family as to who really ruled Japan. The beautifully decorated rooms with priceless Kano paintings of tigers and leopards are perfectly preserved and the "nightingale" floors which squeak when walked upon fascinated William and James. The floors squeak to warn of intruders and possible assassins!

The Gion district of Kyoto traditionally houses the geisha quarters and is home to the Gion Corner where demonstrations of the geisha arts of dance, tea ceremony and music are performed nightly. There are so few geisha now in Kyoto that they are quite difficult to spot. If you are lucky, like we were , you may spot one as she shuffles between appointments in tea houses!

WALLS AND WARRIORS

Only a week was allotted in our itinerary to explore the delights of China. It was an action packed week starting with arriving in Beijing at midnight with no tour guide greet us. All our dealings with the tour company were via the internet and we hadn't printed off our itinerary, (which included the name and address of the hotel) and the only information we had was the Bales emergency number. Arriving in a country where you can't speak the language let alone read it, without a name of our hotel etc. constituted an emergency in my books! Joy our tour guide finally arrived 40 minutes later and we were swiftly dispatched to our hotel. We spent 3 days in Beijing and flew to Xi'an for three more days.

China is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games and the capital is preparing itself to welcome the world. The airports, roads, public transport systems and other infrastructure are very clean efficient and modern and build to cope not only with the crowds expected for the games but an exploding and increasing wealthy population.

Tienamen Square, Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven have vast open spaces and despite the crowds of locals and Chinese tourists, never felt overwhelming which is what we had expected. The sheer scale of the squares and public buildings dwarf the throngs of tourists beetling about. China is not the grey and dower place we naively thought it would be but vibrant, dynamic and colourful.
The countdown clock to the Olympic Games in a prominent position on Tienamen Square. I wonder if there is one in London or are the British authorities just trying to ignore the fact that they will have to have everything ready for the 2012 Games in 5 short years?

Our whistle-stop tour of Beijing had us dashing through Tienamen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and a rickshaw ride through the old town of Beijing noted for its thousands of kilometres of narrow alleys and passageways. A Peking duck diner was not to be missed and David spent many hours perusing all the markets for that elusive Ming vase at a bargain basement price!





We flew to Xi'an, home to, most famously the Terracotta Warriors. Fortunately the excavations of the warriors site is undercover as It poured with rain on the day of our excursion.

We were all surprised by just how vast the site is with ongoing excavations revealing new finds everyday.

Each of the Terracotta figures are unique with different facial features and expressions. The foot soldiers, archers, cavalrymen, captains and generals are all in battle formation, though many of the figures were damaged in a peasant uprising shortly after the emperor died. The ongoing restoration work is labour intensive and time consuming, but is impressive and well worth the effort.

This brief stay in China has whetted our appetite to explore more of this country. Our tour only touched on the highlights and urban areas and we would like to return and explore the more rural parts of the country before the rapid development of changes it forever.

CRUISING IN KERALA

After a brief stop in Cochin, we boarded our houseboat for a 3 day cruise in the backwaters of Kerala. These waterways are made up of interlinked channels and lagoons and a perfect way to unwind after a hectic 6 weeks touring through this spectacular part of the world. We really enjoyed observing everyday life carrying on on the riverbanks; people fishing, working in the rice paddy fields, doing laundry or just splashing about in the water. It was quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of road travel and life in many parts of India.

A farewell to India...we will return!

MYSORE MARKETS

Firstly, apologies for taking so long to update our blogg! We have been so busy travelling we have had very little time to sit down and organize our thoughts!

Our journey through India started to wind down and our penultimate stop before leaving was the City of Palaces, Mysore in the southern state of Karnataka.

The capital of Karnataka has shifted between Bangalore and Mysore for the past 200 years. It became the capital after the battle of Srirangapatna in 1799 during the Anglo-Indian War, when the British defeated the Tiger of Mysore, Tippu Sultan. The British influence is evident in the many buildings and the infrastructure which still exists in the city. Not for long though as many of the colonial bungalows, which were residents of British officers and merchants are being razed to the ground and replaced by new multi story modern office buildings and hotels.










Mysore is also known as the "Sandalwood City" due to the flourishing incense, and essential oil industry. The markets are fragrant with the smell of Jasmine and tuberose's used in Hindu worship and fashioned into garlands. The stalls are piled with mountains of powders is incredibly vibrant colours and vats of flowers and petals. shop windows display an assortment of antique perfume bottles containing mysterious essential oils. It is a feast for the eyes and nose...a nice change!






Beautifully displayed vegetables and fruit! Sainsburys not quite up to scratch!

Alice trying her hand at making incense sticks!