Sunday March 11, 2007
Great Barrier Reef
A picture perfect day has ended our sojourn. We left at 8:00 this morning and boarded the Wave Length for an hour and a half journey to Opal Reef on the Outer Barrier Reef. There were only 14 of us on the boat so it was comfortable and relaxed. The day was clear and sunny and the wind and sea was calm. The ship made three stops – Ray Ban, Turtle Bay, and a third I have forgotten the name of already : (
The snorkeling was amazing. The reef is famous for being home ot 1500 species of fish and 400 of coral. There was a marine biologist on board who briefed us at weach site on what to look for. I rented an underwater digital camera for the day. However, the monitor was about the size of my thumb so I pretty much was shooting blind – the true meaning of “point and shoot: They will download the photos and copy them to a disk and mail it to me so I have NO idea what I got – except for one shot – the money shot. NEMO !!!! Cute little guy just sat there and let me shoot and shoot. When I got into the boat, I had a look and there he was !! That’s it – I can go home now – I have seen Nemo and a kangaroo in the wild. Worth the price of admission. !!
On the boat, they served morning tea – fruit and cookies;
lunch – buffet of meats, cheeses, veggies- raw and cooked, boiled shrimp, deviled eggs, hard rolls, huumus – plus a completely redundant “vegetarian platter”: for me that included feta cheese, olives, grilled zucchini, a spinach- cheese filled thingy, and a piece of veggie cheese frittata
afternoon snack – fruit, cheese and crackers
I will be on the treadmill for the rest of the year !!
We are back at Thala and packing for our return to Sydney tomorrow. We will spend one more night and eat one more meal with the DeFrans and then we are off for Denver on Tuesday. We leave Sydney on Tuesday afternoon at three and arrive in Denver - about 24 hours later – and on the other side of the dateline - on Tuesday afternoon at four !
It has been a fabulous month. We have had a ball. I am ready to get back home now –sleep in my own bed, watch a little CSI : ) and find out how Merideth is doing on Gray’s Anatomy !
This will probably be the last post til I get home. Hope you have enjoyed the journey.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Saturday March 10 Low Isles
Saturday, March 10
This morning we finally got to the Reef. We took a high speed boat called the Reef Sprinter to the Low Isles and snorkeled for a couple of hours. The clarity of the water here is not quite what it will be on the outer reef - because if the nearness of the land, it gets a little cloudy. However, we were thrilled. It was the most coral and fish we have ever seen. AND we saw a giant clam!!! Gorgeous !! It was an oval about 4 feet long, 2 feet deep. The valve looked like a fire hose. The wavy edges of the shell were a deep teal blue. Amazing!! Every kind of coral you can imagine – fans, brains, boulders, lettuce, staghorns in several colors, and a million others. We were surrounded by schools of fish in electric colors –didn’t see Nemo or Dory, though. Tomorrow we are taking a boat to the outer reef – maybe he will be there.
We had lunch in Port Douglas and then headed back to Thala. We spent a couple of hours at the pool and headed back to Port Douglas for dinner.
We are winding down on the adventure. Tomorrow is our last day at Thala. We head back to Sydney on Monday for a final night and dinner with the DeFrans. And fly home on Tuesday.
This morning we finally got to the Reef. We took a high speed boat called the Reef Sprinter to the Low Isles and snorkeled for a couple of hours. The clarity of the water here is not quite what it will be on the outer reef - because if the nearness of the land, it gets a little cloudy. However, we were thrilled. It was the most coral and fish we have ever seen. AND we saw a giant clam!!! Gorgeous !! It was an oval about 4 feet long, 2 feet deep. The valve looked like a fire hose. The wavy edges of the shell were a deep teal blue. Amazing!! Every kind of coral you can imagine – fans, brains, boulders, lettuce, staghorns in several colors, and a million others. We were surrounded by schools of fish in electric colors –didn’t see Nemo or Dory, though. Tomorrow we are taking a boat to the outer reef – maybe he will be there.
We had lunch in Port Douglas and then headed back to Thala. We spent a couple of hours at the pool and headed back to Port Douglas for dinner.
We are winding down on the adventure. Tomorrow is our last day at Thala. We head back to Sydney on Monday for a final night and dinner with the DeFrans. And fly home on Tuesday.
Friday March 9 Cooktown
Friday March 9
Dad’s 89th birthday is today. A bunch of kids and grandkids will be going up for a visit and a celebration.
Daintree, Cape Tribulation, and Cooktown
Our “vehicle” arrived at 8:00. It is a four wheel drive bus sort of thing that looks more like a small tank than anything. There are six others with us. We traveled the coast road all the way from Port Douglas to Cooktown – a total of EIGHT hours – OMIGOD !!! We traveled the dirt, mud, downed-tree strewn Broomfield track for about 69 km through the rainforest. We fjorded small streams, crossed a road that was covered with water from a sluice way, and climbed hills that were about 45 degrees and seemed even steeper ! Someday, I am going on a vacation where I just lie on a beach and have a cabana boy bring me drinks ; ) It was very beautiful but after awhile –truth ? boring.
Oue driver and guide, Sidney, was great. He was a wealth of information on the history of the area and the people, wildlife, and flora of the area. He narrated a great deal but gave us a rest from the patter sometimes too.
We stopped a few times for photo ops and food. Actually saw a kangaroo in the wild and got a photo !!! yea !!! Also stood on Cape Tribulation where the rainforest actually comes to the shore and meets the Great Barrier Reef – the only place on earth where two world heritage sites meet.
Cooktown was a HUGE yawn – absolutely nothing to see or do. Capt James Cook sailed up the East Coast of Australia and ran upon the Great Barrier Reef and blew a hole in his boat. That was at Cape Tribulation – where all the trouble began. He patched up the hole with pig and cow urine and mud and hay and wrapped his sail around it. Then he made his men row to the nearest harbor – which turned out to be a place that he called – what else? - Cooktown, where he stayed for 37 days while he made repairs. That is the Cliff notes version but you get the idea. This intrepid sailor and unbelievable navigator was incredibly unimaginative when it came to naming places. Tribulation for where he had trouble. – The low isles when he saw – you got it a low island…. Anyhow a four hour ride back by the highway in the dark ended our trip – thank God for ipod !!
Dad’s 89th birthday is today. A bunch of kids and grandkids will be going up for a visit and a celebration.
Daintree, Cape Tribulation, and Cooktown
Our “vehicle” arrived at 8:00. It is a four wheel drive bus sort of thing that looks more like a small tank than anything. There are six others with us. We traveled the coast road all the way from Port Douglas to Cooktown – a total of EIGHT hours – OMIGOD !!! We traveled the dirt, mud, downed-tree strewn Broomfield track for about 69 km through the rainforest. We fjorded small streams, crossed a road that was covered with water from a sluice way, and climbed hills that were about 45 degrees and seemed even steeper ! Someday, I am going on a vacation where I just lie on a beach and have a cabana boy bring me drinks ; ) It was very beautiful but after awhile –truth ? boring.
Oue driver and guide, Sidney, was great. He was a wealth of information on the history of the area and the people, wildlife, and flora of the area. He narrated a great deal but gave us a rest from the patter sometimes too.
We stopped a few times for photo ops and food. Actually saw a kangaroo in the wild and got a photo !!! yea !!! Also stood on Cape Tribulation where the rainforest actually comes to the shore and meets the Great Barrier Reef – the only place on earth where two world heritage sites meet.
Cooktown was a HUGE yawn – absolutely nothing to see or do. Capt James Cook sailed up the East Coast of Australia and ran upon the Great Barrier Reef and blew a hole in his boat. That was at Cape Tribulation – where all the trouble began. He patched up the hole with pig and cow urine and mud and hay and wrapped his sail around it. Then he made his men row to the nearest harbor – which turned out to be a place that he called – what else? - Cooktown, where he stayed for 37 days while he made repairs. That is the Cliff notes version but you get the idea. This intrepid sailor and unbelievable navigator was incredibly unimaginative when it came to naming places. Tribulation for where he had trouble. – The low isles when he saw – you got it a low island…. Anyhow a four hour ride back by the highway in the dark ended our trip – thank God for ipod !!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Thursday, March 8
Thursday March 8
Pand at ‘em early this morning. We left the resort around 8:00 am for thr 45 minute drive to Cairns, where we took the Skyrail gondola over the rainforest to the village of Kuranda (tourist trap – aborigine style). The ride was spectacular, though – accomplished in three segments with things to stop and look at at each of the two stops. The whole ride takes about 40 minutes. Exactly like a ski gondola in design, it sails over the tree tops of the rainforest = so high above the forest and so dense the forest that you can’t see the ground. ‘what we did see were fernd growing out of dirt that had been blown into the tree limbs, cockatoos gliding above the treetops and perches on them, and butterflies the size of tea saucers. At one stop, we took a walk to a lookout and saw Barron;s Falls. I know htat in the rainy season they are a thundering cascade but we were impressed today, too.
Just as we neared the bottom in Cairns again, it started to rain, the first rain we have seen on the trip (except for a little when we were on the ship) For the most part it was just a shower with occasional bursts of downpour.
Next door to the Skyrail station was a Cable Ski park. Don saw water skiers and there was no way we weren’t going to have a look. So off we went. What this is (we have never heard of it before) is a good sized pond, rigged with a cable system that rings the lake. The cable pulls waterskiers in and oval around the pond. Well …… Don was all over this!! He was in his bathing suit and life jacket before I could say “Are you sure?” He did a pass on regular skis easily and then came out and put on a slalom ski. After two circuits on that, he came out again and wanted to try the wave board – which he had never done before - like a snowboard on water. Did I mention……. if you fall down, you have to swim to shore and walk back to get back on – no pick up boat !!! Don actually got up and off on the board easily three times but fell in each time before he got to the get-out point. SO he did a LOT of walking. He tried it three times and really had a ball. When he got up on the board on the first try and took off, the kid who was running the mechanism (about 20), turned to me and said, “He’s got some skills !” No kidding ! He has no idea ….
We stopped for a rest and a bottle of water and watched some hot doggers for a while. Then headed for back to the hotel. We were planning to go to Mossman Gorge later today but the weather is not great and the place won’t br fun in the rain. SO I decided to get caught up on the journals and get them posted.
Tonight dinner in Port Douglas and tomorrow a 4 WD tour of Daintree National Forest, Cape Tribulation, and Cooktown – a long day.
Pand at ‘em early this morning. We left the resort around 8:00 am for thr 45 minute drive to Cairns, where we took the Skyrail gondola over the rainforest to the village of Kuranda (tourist trap – aborigine style). The ride was spectacular, though – accomplished in three segments with things to stop and look at at each of the two stops. The whole ride takes about 40 minutes. Exactly like a ski gondola in design, it sails over the tree tops of the rainforest = so high above the forest and so dense the forest that you can’t see the ground. ‘what we did see were fernd growing out of dirt that had been blown into the tree limbs, cockatoos gliding above the treetops and perches on them, and butterflies the size of tea saucers. At one stop, we took a walk to a lookout and saw Barron;s Falls. I know htat in the rainy season they are a thundering cascade but we were impressed today, too.
Just as we neared the bottom in Cairns again, it started to rain, the first rain we have seen on the trip (except for a little when we were on the ship) For the most part it was just a shower with occasional bursts of downpour.
Next door to the Skyrail station was a Cable Ski park. Don saw water skiers and there was no way we weren’t going to have a look. So off we went. What this is (we have never heard of it before) is a good sized pond, rigged with a cable system that rings the lake. The cable pulls waterskiers in and oval around the pond. Well …… Don was all over this!! He was in his bathing suit and life jacket before I could say “Are you sure?” He did a pass on regular skis easily and then came out and put on a slalom ski. After two circuits on that, he came out again and wanted to try the wave board – which he had never done before - like a snowboard on water. Did I mention……. if you fall down, you have to swim to shore and walk back to get back on – no pick up boat !!! Don actually got up and off on the board easily three times but fell in each time before he got to the get-out point. SO he did a LOT of walking. He tried it three times and really had a ball. When he got up on the board on the first try and took off, the kid who was running the mechanism (about 20), turned to me and said, “He’s got some skills !” No kidding ! He has no idea ….
We stopped for a rest and a bottle of water and watched some hot doggers for a while. Then headed for back to the hotel. We were planning to go to Mossman Gorge later today but the weather is not great and the place won’t br fun in the rain. SO I decided to get caught up on the journals and get them posted.
Tonight dinner in Port Douglas and tomorrow a 4 WD tour of Daintree National Forest, Cape Tribulation, and Cooktown – a long day.
Tuesday March 6 - to Great Barrier Reef
Tuesday, March 6 Cairns and Port Douglas
To Port Douglas
Thala Beach Lodge (pronounced Tahla) is amazing. We are soooo happy.
Bungalows perched on stilts in the canopy of the rainforest. Some have views of the Coral sea but not ours - we are in the low rent district : ) The pools look like lagoons in the forest. We unpacked, put on swim suits and headed for the pool. We read, sqam, relaxed and napped. Thios evening we had a beautiful dinner in the restaurant here. Went with another couple to sit down near the beach and star gaze. The hotel has a woman who comes with a laser pointer and points out all the constellations and tells you all about them. There is no light pollution here – except for the moon. Beautiful !! The beach is gorgeous but no swimming allowed this time of year –the box jelly fish is here and dangerous. Don asked if we could just wade along the edge – NO NO NO !! The jelly fish shed their tentacles and if you step on one, you could still be stung. The sting is not fatal but very very painful. There are beaches (not at the resort) where they have nets up to keep out the jelly fish – but sometimes the shed tentacles still get through.
There are times of the year when you can swim but the weather isn’t as nice then, Sooo…. I think I got it.. If you want to swim, you can’t; if you don’t want to, you can.
Ya………me for the pool : )
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Port Douglas
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel ($48. – eek !!) and then headed for Port Douglas – just 20 minutes north. Don is doing all the driving (on the left side of the road) He is doing just great and is very confident but I can’t help but be nervous.
Port Douglas is a small village – cute , clean, easy to walk about and get to know. There is asmall harbour here where many of the tour boatws put out because this is the closest shore point t the Great Barreir Reef. We shopped a little, had an ice cream for lunch – not even an attempt at control any more – and headed back to the hotel, where I had booked through the hotel, a private lesson with a travel photographer named Paul Dymond.
What an amazing three hours. We went for a walk to the beach and then around some of the hotel grounds. Paul is a young man – but has many awards and credits to his name. Check him and his photos out at http://www.dymond.com.au/
He spent three hours, helping to get more comfortable with the decision making process using the digital camera. He helped me to undersand some things that I have struggled with for years. I fell like I made significant progress in my knowledge. BUT , Now I sort of feel paralyzed every time I start ot shoot – so much more to think about !!
Years ago I had a Garfield cartoon on my desk. In the first fram, Garfield was walking along. In the second, John say to him, “ Garfield, when you walk on four feet, do you put your left front foot forward and hten your right rear or….. In the third fram Garfield is just staring out at us. In the fourth, he says, “I’ll never walk again” : ) That’s how I feel now.
During our walk we saw an enormous Lacey Monitor Lizard. (not sure of the spelling). He was up a tree and moving so I didn’t get much of a shot at him but I have posted it here. He is a out three feet long.
While I tramped and learned, Don spent some time at he pool and read. Then we showered and dined at the hotel restaurant. After dinner Paul did a slide presentation of some of his photos of the area, and discussed some travel photo tips and tricks. (That was why he was at the hotel and available for the tutoring session)
By the time the slide presentation was over, I was nodding off (I had the same problem in Art 101 at UCONN : )
To Port Douglas
Thala Beach Lodge (pronounced Tahla) is amazing. We are soooo happy.
Bungalows perched on stilts in the canopy of the rainforest. Some have views of the Coral sea but not ours - we are in the low rent district : ) The pools look like lagoons in the forest. We unpacked, put on swim suits and headed for the pool. We read, sqam, relaxed and napped. Thios evening we had a beautiful dinner in the restaurant here. Went with another couple to sit down near the beach and star gaze. The hotel has a woman who comes with a laser pointer and points out all the constellations and tells you all about them. There is no light pollution here – except for the moon. Beautiful !! The beach is gorgeous but no swimming allowed this time of year –the box jelly fish is here and dangerous. Don asked if we could just wade along the edge – NO NO NO !! The jelly fish shed their tentacles and if you step on one, you could still be stung. The sting is not fatal but very very painful. There are beaches (not at the resort) where they have nets up to keep out the jelly fish – but sometimes the shed tentacles still get through.
There are times of the year when you can swim but the weather isn’t as nice then, Sooo…. I think I got it.. If you want to swim, you can’t; if you don’t want to, you can.
Ya………me for the pool : )
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Port Douglas
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel ($48. – eek !!) and then headed for Port Douglas – just 20 minutes north. Don is doing all the driving (on the left side of the road) He is doing just great and is very confident but I can’t help but be nervous.
Port Douglas is a small village – cute , clean, easy to walk about and get to know. There is asmall harbour here where many of the tour boatws put out because this is the closest shore point t the Great Barreir Reef. We shopped a little, had an ice cream for lunch – not even an attempt at control any more – and headed back to the hotel, where I had booked through the hotel, a private lesson with a travel photographer named Paul Dymond.
What an amazing three hours. We went for a walk to the beach and then around some of the hotel grounds. Paul is a young man – but has many awards and credits to his name. Check him and his photos out at http://www.dymond.com.au/
He spent three hours, helping to get more comfortable with the decision making process using the digital camera. He helped me to undersand some things that I have struggled with for years. I fell like I made significant progress in my knowledge. BUT , Now I sort of feel paralyzed every time I start ot shoot – so much more to think about !!
Years ago I had a Garfield cartoon on my desk. In the first fram, Garfield was walking along. In the second, John say to him, “ Garfield, when you walk on four feet, do you put your left front foot forward and hten your right rear or….. In the third fram Garfield is just staring out at us. In the fourth, he says, “I’ll never walk again” : ) That’s how I feel now.
During our walk we saw an enormous Lacey Monitor Lizard. (not sure of the spelling). He was up a tree and moving so I didn’t get much of a shot at him but I have posted it here. He is a out three feet long.
While I tramped and learned, Don spent some time at he pool and read. Then we showered and dined at the hotel restaurant. After dinner Paul did a slide presentation of some of his photos of the area, and discussed some travel photo tips and tricks. (That was why he was at the hotel and available for the tutoring session)
By the time the slide presentation was over, I was nodding off (I had the same problem in Art 101 at UCONN : )
Monday March 5
Monday, March 5
A relatively quite day, we breakfasted at home – we are getting VERY attached to that espresso machine.
We went to a mall just to wander around for a while, then to lunch at a little café.
I did some laundry and a bit of ironing this afternoon. We are packing our summer clothes for our next week at the Great Barrier Reef and leaving two suitcases of the warm clothes we wore in New Zealand and the dressy clothes we wore on the ship here. Antonio will drop us at the airport in the morning for our flight to Cairns.
A relatively quite day, we breakfasted at home – we are getting VERY attached to that espresso machine.
We went to a mall just to wander around for a while, then to lunch at a little café.
I did some laundry and a bit of ironing this afternoon. We are packing our summer clothes for our next week at the Great Barrier Reef and leaving two suitcases of the warm clothes we wore in New Zealand and the dressy clothes we wore on the ship here. Antonio will drop us at the airport in the morning for our flight to Cairns.
Sunday March 4
Sunday, March 4
Happy Birthday Julia !!
Julia is 4 today !!! Oh my gosh, it seems just yesterday. We called to sing Happy Birthday and talk to her. She sounds so grown up all of a sudden! We are having the most fabulous vacation – we feel like we’ve been gone for a year – a completely different world. And then the sound of her voice makes me so homesick.
This morning, we went with Antonio to his condo (he calls it his “unit” to pick up his mail and check in. He has been staying here with us this week. His condo is in a small – 9 unit – loft space in a converted warehouse building. Very modern and very nice.
Antonio is on the board of the coop and they are buying new teak furniture for the outdoor common area so we went along to have a look. I could have done some serious damage in that place !! Acres of gorgeous teak tables, chairs, lounges, doors, beds, etc etc etc… from Indonesia.
We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to pick up some things for dinner. Lina is making pizza. Angelo and the family are coming for dinner in the garden. They grow fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. It is so pretty. They are going to put a wood burning pizza oven into the garden this year. THAT sounds fun!!
While Lina was making the dough and preparing the toppings – mushrooms, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, black Sicilian olives, onions, anchovies, peppers, home made tomato sauce, and shredded mozzarella – Orazio and Lina shared their recipes with me for their own sundried tomatoes and sundried pickled eggplant. I am going to try to make them at home even though I won’t have my own vegetables from my own garden as they do. There is absolutely no comparison to the products we buy in jars.
The pizza (she made six or seven - each with different assortments of toppings – was fabulous. The company and the environment couldn’t be better. Another great meal with great people.
Happy Birthday Julia !!
Julia is 4 today !!! Oh my gosh, it seems just yesterday. We called to sing Happy Birthday and talk to her. She sounds so grown up all of a sudden! We are having the most fabulous vacation – we feel like we’ve been gone for a year – a completely different world. And then the sound of her voice makes me so homesick.
This morning, we went with Antonio to his condo (he calls it his “unit” to pick up his mail and check in. He has been staying here with us this week. His condo is in a small – 9 unit – loft space in a converted warehouse building. Very modern and very nice.
Antonio is on the board of the coop and they are buying new teak furniture for the outdoor common area so we went along to have a look. I could have done some serious damage in that place !! Acres of gorgeous teak tables, chairs, lounges, doors, beds, etc etc etc… from Indonesia.
We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to pick up some things for dinner. Lina is making pizza. Angelo and the family are coming for dinner in the garden. They grow fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. It is so pretty. They are going to put a wood burning pizza oven into the garden this year. THAT sounds fun!!
While Lina was making the dough and preparing the toppings – mushrooms, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, black Sicilian olives, onions, anchovies, peppers, home made tomato sauce, and shredded mozzarella – Orazio and Lina shared their recipes with me for their own sundried tomatoes and sundried pickled eggplant. I am going to try to make them at home even though I won’t have my own vegetables from my own garden as they do. There is absolutely no comparison to the products we buy in jars.
The pizza (she made six or seven - each with different assortments of toppings – was fabulous. The company and the environment couldn’t be better. Another great meal with great people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)