Back On The Dam Ship

Light House Island Great Barrier Reef

Volendam Deck Leaving Brisbane

This was my second trip on the Volendam and I really enjoyed it.  The weather, the food and the people were good.   The ship is old but it is small and has a homey feel to it.  I played in the Ping Pong tournament and won it.  I must be honest and say, I played a woman in the finals.

My Tennis Mate Geoff Arriving In Singapore

Actually, afterwards we talked and she said, her husband was looking for someone to play tennis with.  Believe it or not the ship had a mini court.  I played tennis with her husband Geoff a bunch of times, and we became good ship friends.

Glass Bottom Boat

View From Glass Bottom Boat

We stopped on the Great Barrier Reef and I went on a Glass Bottom Boat and snorkeling.  I took my own tour on a boat to Green Island.

Yours Truly With New Snorkel Mask

It was a little bit disappointing.  The water was murky.  Nevertheless, it was my first time snorkeling since I was a teenager. 











 I did see a sea turtle and the boat ride back to the ship was great.

There were some nice fish though.

Next stop was Darwin Australia, which is at the Northern Tip.  There were lots of Aborigines there but my main destination was to see the crocodiles.  At the port there was a safari type guy holding a baby crocodile and a woman at a stand selling crocodile goods.  I talked to her and she asked me if I wanted to see the crocodiles, she would drive me over.  Turns out that she and her husband own the crocodile farm.  She is a zoologist from Columbia, where they also have lots of crocodiles.

She met her husband in Columbia and they moved back to Australia to open a crocodile farm.  They have 12,000 crocodiles and sell the hides primarily as well as the meat.  One of their customers is Hermes in Paris.  She said, the bags form the finest crocodile stomachs, sell for $50,000. 

At the farm,  I watched jumping crocodiles catch chicken in their mouths.  They were enormous.  It started down pouring during the feeding and I was unable to see the rest of the farm.  I went back to town and walked around and had a massage before taking off on the ship. 

 Different kinds of crocs in pen.

 Crocodile Bags worth thousands.

This Girl Grabbed My Arm and Wanted a Picture in Jakarta

Our other stops were Bali and Jakarta Indonesia, which I will touch on in the next blog.   I wanted to mention that the picture of myself and the Indonesian kids and the blonde lady.  The Blonde lady is Helena from Hungary.  I shared a car with Helena and Neely and her husband Darrel, a Jewish couple from LA, who I also befriended.  Helena did not really speak any English.  She was the mother of the girl who was in charge of the buffet area.  Her daughter was  a very attractive blonde, who looked great in a nautical uniform.

Helena, Neely and Darryl

I was having a round robyn game of tennis with Geoff, my English buddy and Geoff, the ships preacher from Australia and Helena walked by, so I asked her to join us as the fourth.  We actually made a good doubles team.  So after the game, the two Geoffs asked me who she was and I explained.  I also said that I knew I was getting old as I was closer to the Mother's age than the daughters age.  Well these guys thought this was hysterical and made every opportunity to tease me about it.  In fact, I learned a new Brit/Aussie term for teasing or ribbing.  It is "taken the mickey outta ya."  That night at the grand finale desert buffet, I was milling over which of the fabulous desserts to eat and Geoff the preacher, asked me which one I would choose.   He was talking about the mother or daughter not the desserts.  I had a laugh, and not 1 minute later, his wife, not knowing our conversation, came up and asked me the same question.  I said to him, "you told your wife? You are a   preacher, isn't that gossip?" and he said, "it is not gossip, if you tell your wife."  Well, we all had a lot of fun with this scenario.  Any way, I actually had a few meals with Helena and used a lot of sign language and enjoyed her company and her daughter Elieta was very lovely and I'm glad I got to know both of them.  I also enjoyed some laughs with the guys.   

The Road Les Traveled

Les and Beck at Playground

I attended a Spiritual retreat at the Heartland center in New Gympie, Australia.  It is operated by Les Dyer and is wife Trudy.  Hence the title "The Road (Les) Traveled.  Les is a non denominationally spiritual teacher.  He basically motivates you or inspires you to improve yourself.  This means,  helping you to overcome negative behaviors,  thinking in a more positive light and taking a good look at your life.  Llke any activity that we are drawn to, spirituality is just another activity for humans to participate and enjoy.
It is also like a camp for adults.

Spirituality encompasses a wide range from self help and self discovery to mysticism and higher states of consciousness to contact with spirits and the divine.   There is a wide range to it.  The people attend spiritual retreats for different reasons and everyone there do not believe the same things.

Ever Present Parrots

Heartland is in the country and on a small farm or compound.  There are some individual blocks that have guest rooms and I stayed in the main house.

It is a holistic approach and a combination of activities, community, meditation, art, lecture, music and written work.  All of these activities together produced a profound affect.

Add caption

We awoke early around 6:45 to Les singing and were given a glass of fresh juice.  One morning we had lemonade.   There is actually a fruit, called lemonade and the juice tastes like lemonade.  The food was mostly vegetarian and they served eggs from their own hens.  They really made you feel welcomed and were gracious hosts.  They were not going through the motions.   After juice we had a meditation session and or chakra dancing.  After each session, everyone hugged.  At first, it seemed very silly and a little difficult.  By the end it was fun and I had lots of laughs when I had to hug a big Frenchmen named Philipe.

Outdoor Dining Canopy

After morning meditation, we had a nice breakfast, complete with fresh eggs, right from the hens on the farm.  After breakfast we would have a lecture by Les.  If you have ever heard a great inspirational speaker on any topic, then you will understand that Les, was one of those speakers.  To listen to him in a small casual setting was real treat. 

Misty Hoola Hooping, I Did It Too

 Les was orphaned at the age of 5 months, had TB, is blind in one eye, has disease where he has tumors on his body.  He had success in the advertising business and then lost it.  Besides his compelling story he draws on the Bible, science, the Holocaust and Eastern philosophy.  His main focus on all is for one to be able to be proactive on their view points and dispositions.  Negatives can be turned into positives, it is all about perspective change.   I have to say, the week had a profound effect on me.  I did not realize that I really was a pessimist as I  saw the glass half empty.  I saw in myself that I always wanted more and was not content.   To see the glass half empty so much of the time, is self defeating.  That glass will never be full.  I found that this was a habit that needed to be changed and now I am able to see life through a new perspective.

All in all, I really enjoyed heartland.  It took some getting used to though. Besides what I mentioned, we also had art everyday and I made a collage and a painting of a labyrinth.  We had music and drum sessions and chakra dancing.  I especially liked the crystal bowl playing.  These are large bowls made

Me And New Friends

of silicone and when you move a soft covered mallett around them, they make a beautiful sound.  It is really mesmerizing.  I had some wonderful walks on the grounds, petted donkeys and had some great conversations.  I really liked and bonded with the Australians.  They have a down to earth sensibility, have good senses of humor and are very in touch with the land, having a great knowledge of the indigenous plants and animals.   I also had a massage and a chakra healing session, in which the practitioner was in contact with my guardian spirits.

The moral of the story is this.  Whether you believe in something does not matter.  Even if it is hokey and seems silly.  The truth of the matter is any positive thoughts, positive beliefs, positive behavior true or not is much more beneficial than any of the negative like.

Hopping Back On The Road

River Houseboat

After my second time in Sydney, I rented the car and hit the road.  The first stop was an area called the Blue Mountains, which was a few hours west of Sydney.  I left my bags in Sydney when I had been traveling and went to pick them up.  I did not realize I was a day early and the bags were not there.  The bags were stored in another location.  I had to go to a place outside Sydney to get them.  Of course I got lost.  I finally found the place and picked up my bags.

Three Sisters Blue Mountains

 I was hoping to get to the Blue Mountains before sunset but it was not looking good.  I was tired and just wanted to find a hotel but decided to see if I could take a quick look of the view.  Well when I got there the view sun was just setting and the colors where absolutely amazing.  It looked like Mars.

3 Sisters Motel

After hanging out there and watching the sky color change, I hopped back into my car to find a hotel.  About half the time, I do not book hotels and just pop in as I see one along the road.  This one was a no brainer (my Mom has two sisters)  It was called the "The Three Sisters" and is actually named after the three rock formations that I took the picture of.  The guy at the reception happened to be very nice and helped me plan the rest of my trip.

The next day I was to hike the Canyon and take in the spectacular view, unfortunately it was drizzling with a dense fog, so it was good that I at least saw the view the night before.   I walked in a slight drizzle and dense fog through a rain forest.

It was very peaceful and tranquil and I real enjoyed the hour and a half hike.  The walk was transcendent  I took a cable car up to the top of the bottom and gotten in my car and drove.

Byron Bay

I drove through the Australian country side en route to Byron Bay via Wisemans Ferry.  The drive was through some hills and when I reached the river I took a car ferry over the river.  In Australia in certain places they do not have bridges so they set up car ferries to take you across.   After crossing the river, I followed the river almost all the way to my next stop, a small beach community.  The rivers in Australia are amazing.  They are very wide and at some points seem like small lakes.
The next day I was headed to Byron Bay, which is a a bit of a hippie and alternative community.  On my way, I got lost a bit in the country.

Large Male Kangaroo

I was ready to turn around and then I noticed, one small kangaroo in the wild.  Then I saw two others.  I stopped to get my camera and it turned out there were around 20 or 30 of them.  This was in farm country so the fences you see were for cattle not the kangaroos.

Watching Them Hop Is Amazing

I probably spent a half hour taking pictures and unfortunately, my camera had some problems.  But I still managed to get some good shots.

Click To Blow Up This One.

They stare frozen and look at you and seem as curious as they are of them.  This shot on the left looks like a painting.  Make sure you click to on this one to blow up.

My  Bungalow and Hanging Laundry

 I found a great place to stay in Byron Bay.  It was a small Asian style hut, in the back of someones house.  It had hard wood floors and was very clean.  It was owned by an Australian, who was married to a Thai woman and she did my laundry for free.  She hung out to dry, never thought it would dry, it didn't and she put it in the dryer in the morning.  It seems that the laundry gods look out for me.

Great Restaurant Overlooking Town In Byron Bay

 I went swimming on the beach under cloudy skies.  And then went for an energy treatment.  This is where you are not touched by the practitioner.  The energy comes directly from his hands.  I told him about my kangaroo encounter.  He said the meaning behind the kangaroo is that they cannot go backwards.  They always move forward.  This was good omen on the trip.

On to Brisbaine, where I stayed twice.  There was some kind of festival, where there were a million young people hanging out in the city.

I stayed near China town and found a tea ship, where I had my second Chinese tea experience.

I returned to Brisbane later and walked around the water front, which was quite lovely.  There was a Max Brenners and I thought of my niece Brittany, who loves it there.

Surfers Paradise Beach Late and Cloudy

The last city on the road trip, was Surfers Paradise, which I found was a combination of Datyona Beach, Orlando, and Ft. Lauderdale.

It was more Florida than Florida.  The only difference is there were lots of Asians and Asian restaurants.  You almost felt like you were in an Asian country.

Ferris Wheel Near Casino Surfers Paradise

It seems that ferris wheels are very popular these days.

The Name is Bondi, Bondi Beach

On my second trip to Sydney and the last day that I was there, I journeyed out to Bondi Beach.  Bondi is a around a twenty minute train ride and ten minute bus ride from Sydney.   Like most of my trip, I was fighting the weather.  It was a bit cool, raining a bit.

I wanted to go when the weather was nice, but I was not disappointed with the photo opportunity.   There were lots of great subjects for the few hours I was there.

 Bondi is famous for its beach, surf and pop culture.  It also has a significant Jewish population.  I can equate it a bit to Brighten Beach near New York city, but quite a bit smaller.    There was a wonderful Hungarian bakery that I bought a few pieces of excellent strudel.  Other shops include lots of swim and surf stores.

 

In general, I thought that Sydney lacked a culture or a general vibe.   I really did not feel this any place in Australia, until I visited Bondi.

 

Besides the large waves and surf culture.  There is a also a culture of physical fitness, swimming, volleyball and lifesaving.

It boasts the worlds first  lifesaving club.  There are also swim clubs including a winter swimming club that they call "The Icebergs."

On my way out I passed several cafes but nothing jumped out at me.  Then I passed on old fashioned fish market, bingo, that was my place.  I often do this at a stop, I walk around until a place calls out and I was not disappointed.

I had a dozen oysters and then they cooked up a huge piece of Tuna, that I thing was around $4 dollars.  The bun was a dollar extra.  I really enjoyed the meal and sat at a counter next to a medical researcher from Boston.

On my way out, I saw that the sky was turning a bit, so I went back for a few more photos. A slight rainbow was peaking out through the clouds.   This was my second rainbow of my trip.  The last one was on the first cruise.

I hung out the beach for a bit and then when I turned to go, I saw the most magnificent sky.  The skies in Australia and New Zealand have been amazing and I have never seen anything like them.

One note, is it is very easy to get sunburned in these countries, they say there is a hole in the Ozone layer, and you can feel the suns heat like nowhere else.  Even hotter than the equator.

No Need For Rolaids in Adelaide

I took the ferry back to the mainland and drove to Adelaide.  Adelaide is in the south of Australia and since Australia is about the same size as the US.  It would be located at the tip of Texas vs. Melbourne which would be like where New Orleans is and Sydney around where Charleston, South Carolina would be.
I stayed at a hotel that has self check in so it is like going to a cash machine to check in.  They have no desk or desk clerk.  I checked in late and stumbled upon a Yakatori bar that was still open.
Yakatori is Japanese meet on skewers. I remembered ordering chicken and cheese.  The food was excellent.

The next day I checked out and went for breakfast.  I would say the pancakes I had where the best since my Grandma Jeans.

It was obvious that Adelaide was a culinary city.  I checked into another hotel, a really old one.  They had the most beautiful restaurant that had a bay area overlooking the street.  The special was salt and pepper squid for $10, another great meal.

I walked the streets of the city a bit and Adelaide has a small but very nice section of shops and restaurants.

This another vintage arcade that they seem to have in each large Australian city. You can see to the left there is a chocolate store and restaurant which are also prevalent in the Australian cities.

Gelato is very big there too. Food is taken seriously in Australia, much to my surprise. 










 Please Note:  All Photos taken by my BlackBerry