So here we are in Sydney with a singular photo to prove it.  Unfortunately something has got my computer in meltdown mode and after two trips to the Apple store I’ve managed to get it working again but with only three gigs of hard drive to spare so I will have to be a bit more judicious in what pics I take and post.  I decided to spend the time enjoying Sydney and living with the small hard drive space rather than running from Apple store to Apple store.

Yesterday we climbed the harbor bridge and it can truthfully be said it was the thrill of a lifetime.  Here is a short video.  The sound is not good with much wind but Wayne is talking about the cruise ship that was leaving the harbor and everyone on deck was waving to us while we were on top of the bridge.

We also took the cliff walk at the opening of the harbor to the Pacific.  Stunning.  More to come.  Tomorrow we are off to Abu Dhabi until the 14th and then home after a month of travel.

 

We knew we would love this place but didn’t realize how much.  I want to live here.  Waking up in a tree house in the rainforest is something I never thought I would do.  But here we were and decided to spend a day with our feet planted on one piece of property.

Again, the flora and fauna is remarkable.  I ran into the gardener who came over from France to become acquainted with  rainforest plants and he confirmed that it is just a matter of letting things do what they do.  These sprigs on our porch have grown about a foot since we first arrived.

The swimming pools look as though they were carved out of the rocks.

And if that were not enough the place is filled with wonderful staff who make sure you feel comfortable and have everything you need.  Here is Sharada who first greeted us on arrival and has been a warm smile during our entire stay.

If that wasn’t enough, the property borders a river and has it’s own “billibong”, which is Aussie for swimming hole.

Here you can see the height of the tree houses.

I was able to meet Serena, who is the local florist responsible for incredible floral arrangements throughout the property.

She had a full 30 gallon garbage can of flowers from her garden that she was arranging.

Our day ended at dinner, and we so loved the food that we told the chef to just cook what he wanted us to eat.  Would it be possible for anything to taste bad in this setting?

We sated ourselves with smoked salmon with mango and pesto, filet of beef with Shiraz glace and potato cake, and finished off with a mango souffle and an Avvocato with coffee and Frangelico.

Tomorrow we are told we have to leave here although Wayne has threatened lies, torture and any number of things to stay in this state of perfection.

Next time we’ll say hi from Sydney.

 

 

Evidently Australian turkey guard the doors at the Silky Oak Lodge because this one was insisting that I give him food before letting me pass to breakfast.

This bird was the only thing standing between me and this cappuccino.  Guess who won.

Who knew that we would be seeing two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in our visit to Australia.  Today we went deep into the Daintree Rain Forest.  Not only a heritage site but at over 100 million years in age, the oldest rain forest in the world.  We got picked up in a four wheel drive vehicle that looked a bit over the top to thrill the tourist.  Little did I know how much we would need it to climb mountains and go through streams to reach the heart of the rainforest.

Our first stop was a river cruise on the Daintree River.  We were up close and a little too “personal” to snakes and crocodiles.  Don’t take offense but they are really lazy creatures who eat their young, live solitary lives, and just hang around the shore line until dinner presents itself.

Then we were off to take a hike into the forest itself.  It is very hard to describe with pictures the feeling of being completely surrounded by the flora and fauna of a rainforest and to see the natural cycle of the forest before your eyes.  I’ll let some pictures talk here.

 

Oh, and lizards

And spiders the size of your hand.

And Peppermint Stick Insects.

We ended the day with a dip in a fresh water creek, with water so clear and pure that your skin was rejuvenated when you came out.  And guess what happened, it rained in the rain forest.  So there we were standing in the water with the warm rain washing over us.  I only have a picture of the swimming hole because you can’t take an iPhone into the water without some protection.

The most memorable part of the day was our lunch at a cafe/animal rescue facility, Lync Haven.  There website does not do justice to their work.  Our guide filled a bucket with apples and other fruit and we hand fed them to the rescued kangaroos.  Max, who likes to hold the bucket in his arms had a hand injured and could not survive in the wild.  Jack who had the equivalent affection of a dog like to be scratched behind his ears and on his chest.  His mother was killed by a car and he had to be hand fed to survive.  Jack loved our guide and actually hugged him around the legs until he gave him the scratches he so desired.  These “roos also recognized a Swedish couple upon their return after twenty years.  Don’t tell me animals are without emotion.  I was so overwhelmed that the pictures I took don’t reflect the moment they way I would like, but here they are.

Tomorrow we are just staying at the Silky Oak Lodge all day, absorbing the beauty and maybe taking a dip in the river swimming hole.  On Sunday we travel to Sydney so I am offline until then.

Again, thanks for all your comments.

 

 

We landed in Cairns last night just as dusk approached.  Thank Mother God that we had a driver because we would never have found our way to our hotel 90 minutes from the airport.  We are literally at the end of the road on a mountain rainforest.  We started our trip at the mega-airport at Ayers Rock.  The choice was between gate one or two.  We actually like this kind of traveling. Even the clouds in Australia are those of an open sky.

 

By the time we landed and our driver drove us the 90 minute trip to our resort it was pitch black.   We saw so many stars along the drive but I don’t have photos that would do them justice.  So we arrive and get into our room and look into a darkened rainforest.  We settled into our rooms and had a cocktail on the balcony of our tree house.

Time for bed!

At the crack of dawn we were met by Andy who took us to our boat for the sail to the Great Barrier Reef.  What can one say about this?  It is an experience of a lifetime.  There was a trusty Jack Russell terrier who monitored everything that happened at the port before our launch.  It was clear this was his territory and he was going to make sure everyone got on the right boat.

Our trusty skipper, Graham, has been with the boat for nineteen years.  And our snorkeling coach, Scott,  actually is doing this as part of the social endeavor of this enterprise to help at-risk adolescents.

Soon it was time to get into the water and experience the reef as a guest to this great ecological treasure.

   

On our way back to shore we chatted with the crew and guests and took in the glorious sky while getting a good share of sea spray.

Once back at our hotel we marveled at the flora and fauna we missed last night.

We made our way to to our tree house, “Bandiccot“, which is a mole type animal.  I guess that means we will have to sleep until spring.

We then enjoyed dinner in one of the most amazing places of our lives, hearing the river, watching the birds, and eating beets and kangaroo.

 Talk to you again soon.

 

 

 

Just figured out the only way to share this was to upload to YouTube so here is the link.  The clarity is much better if you do not go into full screen mode.  Remember, I was taking these shots without a tripod while tramping through the brush so I apologize that they aren’t the best in the world but should give a taste of what we saw.

 

So, how does one get up close and personal with such a large monolith as Uluru?  Stick with your intrepid guide, Rebecca!  She was with us this morning and came back for another dose of mostly the same crew in the afternoon.

She has an extremely respectful approach to her work and the environment in which she lives.  She taught us much about the sacred sites and was always mindful to stress the importance of this unique place to those who originally occupied it.  There is a climbing trail for those who want to climb the rock although the Aboriginals never climb the rock as it is sacred to their culture.  As a condition of the “handback” in 1985 the climbing path will be closed in 2020.  You can see the trail that has been worn in the rock by climbers.  Rebecca, out of respect for the land, has never climbed the rock.

Seen from a distance, Uluru has the face of an imposing monolith but once you approach you find out it is filled with nooks and crannies.  It is impossible to understand the scale of this “ROCK”.  And it is a solid piece of rock.

Here are some of the sights we saw this afternoon.

There is water at the rock.  When it rains it rolls down the side in a water falls and the algae that grows turns black.  You can see the water paths in the picture above and here is a water hole, one of the most valuable sites at Uluru.  Water attracted animals so not only did it provide hydration for the Aboriginals it made for a more fertile hunting ground.

And here is the reflection of the rock in the water hole.  As you can see, it was a very peaceful and contemplative place.

We then viewed some rock paintings that still exist after thousands of years.

After a day of hiking and much drinking of water, there was only one thing left to do – toast our incredible guide and another sunset.

Oh, an by the way, something just crawled across the floor of our room.  We think it was a lizard but are not sure.  One thing is a fact, there are some very different bugs here than in Chicago.

 

 

After a short plane trip yesterday flying over the vast wilderness of Australia we arrived at the Ayers Rock airport which has only one runway and no real taxiways.  Therefore the plane lands and turns round on the runway and goes to the terminal.

You can see that there are no roads here, only open space.  Where New Zealand had varied and richly different topography within the space of a few miles, here it is the vast open areas that are overwhelming.

I did catch one pic of our plane from the terminal.  Sorry for the focus but they are very snarky about taking pictures on active airfields so I had to sneak this pic.

Don’t say we weren’t warned!

 

Uluru which is what most people know as Ayers Rock is a sacred Aboriginal location.  Taken over by European and English settlers and turned into a tourist attraction is was only handed back to the Pitjantjatjara Aborigines in 1985.  It is one of only 29 UNESCO world heritage sites that have “dual” or “mixed” designations.  Uluru was listed for cultural and geological purposes.  Take a look at the link above for a full explanation of the unique geological aspects which created this place over millions of years.

The resorts here are all owned and run by the national park which helps keep them organized and reduces the impact on the environment.  The silence of the place creates peace and tranquility.  Here is a pic of the balcony off our room.

Last night we were scheduled to have a a dinner while watching the sunset over Uluru.  There was a rare thunderstorm which forced cancellation of the dinner but that was fine with us.  We got to see this incredible place with an unbelievable weather system passing through that created rare light and shadows.

A dingo wandered into our gathering, not sure if he was there for the food, wine, or us.

We were seated at tables in the open air but had to hurry and leave when the lighting and thunder started.

Who needs dinner when they can see this?

Not settling for a sunset, we rose about 4:45 AM this morning to see the sun rise.  We were again blown away even in our sleep deprived state.  The same weather system made the experience more stunning.  For those of you trying to figure out how we could see the sun rise and set over the same place, we were on the other side of Uluru for the sunrise.

After watching the sun come up we shared a breakfast and here is where the flies come in.  They are very intense, everyone has to wear a net and they still bother the heck out of you.

But you can’t beat the view

After breakfast we headed to the “Four Domes”.  Similar to the “big rock”, these were formed over millions of years.  It is impossible to understand the daunting scale of these incredible formations.  So I’ll be quiet now and let you enjoy the view.

The “pock marks” in the face of the stone are formed when boulders literally fall out of the face.  Geologists predict the next will fall in about 1,000 years.  Well after we are gone.

 Tonight we are off to another sunset dinner, maybe this time we’ll get to finish the dessert!  Please keep the comments coming and feel free to share.  We appreciate all the feedback and it seems that folks are liking the daily diversion.  Oh, and for you Chicagoan’s, it’s about 85 degrees today.  But it’s a dry heat!

 

We took a trip out to the preserves for Koala, Kangaroo, and Emu sightings.  Since I’m limited to this horrific wifi situation I’ll just let the pictures speak.  Keep in mind that I was taking picture without a tripod and a 26x optical zoom so I apologize for shaking and some issues with focus.  Tried to post a slide show but it wouldn’t upload

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DISCLAIMER:  The hotel has given me 30 minutes of WiFi time in the lobby so please excuse errors.  This is truly publishing on a deadline!

Our day in Melbourne began slowly with a leisurely breakfast at our hotel before heading off on a walking tour of Melbourne “Lanes and Arcades”.  I didn’t really know what to expect from the tour because I had not researched the city of Melbourne before we headed off on our adventure.  Little did I know that the charm of this unique urban environment would win me over so quickly.  The tour was organized by Hidden Secrets Tours.   At their website you can see maps and additional pics of our day.  Our guide was Lisa, who at one point called our group a herd of cats.  I loved that.

We met at the Federation Plaza that was originally built in honor of the 1901 federation of the Australian states and territories.  The recent renovation was quite controversial as you can see with very modern buildings in a Frank Gehry style, with everything askew and all angles.  Which brings us to the current architectural mood of Melbourne which Wayne describes as, “dramatic but won’t stand the test of time as the countless building from the late 19^th and 20^th century (there are many deco buildings that South Beach would kill to have).” 

Under the Flinders Street station is a coffee shop called the “Cup of Truth“.  A small business that serves coffee by the gallon and simply has a jar for people to pay, many which pay additional because of the concept.  There shop was closed on Saturday but here is their sign.

The tallest building is called the “Eureka” building.  Like the Sears (Willis) Tower in Chicago it has an “Edge” attraction with glass floors eighty floors above the ground.  The architectural inspiration of the building is the gold rush which propelled Melbourne into a world-class city and the top stories of the skyscraper are clad in 24 carat gold film.

Lisa got our group underway and immediately bowled us over with the incredible lanes and arcades filled with shops and restaurants owned by small businesses.   As in New Zealand, the majority of citizens work in firms with less than 20 employees.  One special shop introduced us to the Melbourne City Rooftop Honey.  A project that encourages rooftop hives to ensure the health of their honeybees.  Many restaurants maintain their own hives and harvest their own honey for use in marinades and salad dressing.  Melanie gave us a tasting of two types and explained the project with a clear passion.

We continued on foot exploring all sorts of nooks and crannies, including an arcade shop called “The Switchboard”.  Named so because it inhabits the space that formerly housed the 1930’s building switchboard and includes only a postage stamp kitchen on one side and two tables on the other. 

We stopped for a morning tea at Koko chocolates , where I enjoyed an original Hot Chocolate and Wayne had Chocolate Affogato, a carafe of double espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  Totally indulgent!  

While we saw so many remarkable things, I’ll let these pictures tell the story.

We made our way to a most special place, the Nicholas Building.  Insert link if possible.  This building has now been repurposed to house small studios for artists to share, take on their own, work, sell their wares, rent as small a space as one clothing rack to display their designs, and is a warren of creativity and inspiration.  From the macabre to the oldest button store you could find just about anything.  Most of the artists protected their work by limiting the taking of photos.

We ended up sharing luncheon with Robert and Jennifer in the city plaza.  Robert is from Chicago and actually knows our upstairs neighbor.  Here we are halfway around the world and still barely a degree of separation.

We ended the day riding the free city trolley around the Central Business District and viewing the sites from an antique tram.  All in all, a day of surprises, secret finds in the most surprising places, and Melbourne showing all its charm on a sunny, warm fall day. 

We are staying at the Savoy Hotel and they want an arm and a leg for internet connection which really ticks me off.  So for the next couple of days we will be dependent on hunting out free WiFi at cafes and coffee houses.  It was a shock to land in such an urban environment after our time in New Zealand.  Please forgive the spotty blogging in the next few days.  I promise I’ll make up for it.

For our final supper in New Zealand we headed down to the water front to a lovely “localvore” restaurant named, The Public

 

I love their sentiment, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”.

Wayne had another plate of plump oysters.

And I had a beet and watercress salad

Our table had a perfect view.

New Zealand and Queenstown gave us  a stunning final sunset.

This morning we had an hour to walk along the shore and a special Kiwi, Stella, came to give us good bye licks.

Now we board the plane to Melbourne

 

 

 

We have a bittersweet feeling in our hearts tonight as we leave this remarkable county and people tomorrow morning.  So we are not way farewell, we hope that this bit of paradise “Fares Well”.  We wish New Zealand and the Kiwi’s every opportunity and happiness that we have felt as a guest in their county.  Kiwi’s have a connection to their land inherent in everyone we met.  They do not consider themselves environmentalist but everyone  we have encountered has a respect for the land, their produce, and their way of life.  While they are not completely organic in every farm, before they will spray a pesticide they will endeavor to find a way for the land to heal itself rather than impose a quick human response to make the land eke out more produce for processing.  Everyone we have met here has been nothing short of the model of congeniality and we are grateful but sad to leave them behind.

We started this day before the sun rose with the moon and Venus as our guardians.

In the middle of a country field our team of eight intrepid ballooners got to work getting our kind and gentle ship in the air.

Once the balloon was filled with air it was time to turn on the heat.  At the top of the balloon the temperature will reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 degrees celsius.

We all climbed aboard the basket of the balloon and took off.  Once again we had a trusted pilot, Carrick, from Scotland.

He flew the balloon to a height of 5,000 feet but also took us on low flying to the astonishment of the local cattle.

Here is a view of the interior of the balloon.

And one of our reflection in a pond while crossing.

The views, as in all of New Zealand were astonishing.

After our sunrise balloon ride we came back to the view from our room.  Since we got up at 5:00 AM naps were in order.

 

As a farewell, we took dinner down at the local harbor, oysters, a beet salad, and a shared chicken dish, while looking at the view from our table

 

So, we bid farewell and hope that this precious land “fares well”.

 

It appears that my videos were too dense to be posted directly on the website so I sent them to YouTube where you can view.

 

Waterfalls.  More Waterfalls and . . .

More Waterfalls.  This one is professional with music.  It is a “Calgon Take Me Away” experience.

Aaron, our trusted pilot safely landing us in Queenstown.

The only other experience I’ve had where someone told me to close my mouth and move along was in the Tutankhamen exhibit at the Egyptian Museum.  Well, today rivaled that experience.  We were picked up at Brown’s Hotel, where the innkeepers are on vacation.  I volunteered Wayne and I for the next vacation watch to no avail.  After a short bus trip we arrived at the Queenstown airport to catch our flight to Milford Sound.  The airport was alive with activity since no flights to Milford Sound had taken off for the last two days due to weather.  Our pilot explained that they depend completely on visual flight rules so an overcast day could ruin many a vacation.  We were exceptionally fortunate that today was saturated with sunlight.  In Milford Sound, the home of the Milford Track, a quite well known hiker destination, the trees cling to the sides of the mountains and do not have a root structure.  Since the mountains are pure rock, when it rains the water collects into multiple waterfalls that tumble into the sound.  It is spectacular.  So spectacular that words do not do justice so I will leave it to the visuals to tell the story.  After landing, we boarded a boat to cruise around the sound, ate a brief lunch, and then flew back to Queenstown.  I lobbied our pilot, Aaron, with every flight terminology I knew and was able to needle my way into the co-pilot seat for the return trip.  Simply amazing.

 

 

The web server won’t let me load videos so I will post to YouTube and post the links here.

We woke this morning after our day in Akorora and had time to explore Christchurch on foot.  Sorry to be a downer here but the city center is still akin to a war zone.  We took off on foot and had an intriguing three-hour walk.  I previously commented on the difficulties of rebuilding after the earthquake but today we saw the visual effect upfront at almost every turn.  For those of us who are not old enough or had the experience of seeing  a city after a war, this is what I imagine that to be.  More than 80% of their city center buildings were demolished by or after the earthquake.  Lot after vacant lot presents while you walk through once verdant gardens and walks.  They vow to rebuild but somehow, Wayne and I think they have lost something forever.  That sense of history that lay in architecture and city plans that is no more.  These were apartments that are now vacant.

Everywhere on the sidewalks you see spray painted codes for underground  telecom, electric, water and sewer.  They have had to reconstruct over 350 miles of underground infrastructure

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The downtown area is one vacant lot after another.  Some still with the first responder codes of categorizing buildings the were not suitable for habitation.

While this seems desolate, the Kiwis have come up with creative ideas to fill the empty lots.  Here is a temporary structure that houses a cafe and garden but is made out of pallets.

It has only 13 days to go before it is taken down.

There is not a more compelling visual of the impact than that of the cathedral.  As this city was founded as the home of the Anglicans it seems to pierce the heart of the city.

Here is a record of what the cathedral square was like just after the earthquake with the chess pieces tumbled on their sides.

But not all is lost, there is still quite a bit of beauty left in the city which we were able to absorb with a trip to the Botanical Gardens.  Where the trees are so large you can walk inside them.  Here is Wayne at the door of this evergreen.

And here is the structure “inside the house”.

Fuscia was so prodigious that it was the size of a small tree.

And the central rose garden had a plethora of varieties.  The rule is, a new rose must prove itself for a period of no less than six years before it can qualify for planting in the garden.

After a quick trip to the airport we boarded our flight to Queenstown and checked into the most lovely, spirit filled room with a remarkable view.

This morning we are off to explore Milford sound via plane and boat.  Thank you for all your comments and I hope this brings a little diversion to you each day.