Hong Kong, the city of bright bright lights......

The contrast between all the places I had been and Hong Kong was amazing and really interesting!  My overnight flight had been changed by Quantas to a day flight so it was 6pm when we landed at the new airport on Lantau Island and already dark.  From my window seat, I had seen patches of lights as we approached, then there was nothing but darkness.  As we got closer to the airport and the cabin lights were dimmed, I made out the lights of a series of high rise appartment buildings, all uniform in height but that was all that stood out in the darkness.  

Pick up by the transfer company was a bit of a fiasco and it was an hour before I was on a coach heading towards Kowloon and I was quite weary after an early start but by the time I arrived in Kowloon itslef, the weariness was replaced with excitement and anticipation.  It was by now about 8.30pm and dark but the streets were brightly lit with illuminated shop signs and with many people still out on the street.  A far contrast from what you would expect in the UK in winter.  And to add to the usual illuminations, the city was already prepared for christmas with decorations and tinsel everywhere too.  First impressions, vibrant and buzzing, a very positive place to be.

My hotel was very central to the Kowloon commercial district, just off Nathan Road which splits that district down the middle.  This proved to be a very useful location and a good choice.  It had had mixed reviews on Trip Advisor for small rooms and unfriendly staff, but I had no issues at all. The only comment I had to make was that the bed was as hard as a board and gave me back ache.  But as I understand, that's how it is in China and hotels cater to local preference rather than the needs of delicate Europeans.

The hotel had a tour desk in the lobby and I picked up a few brochures for day trips which looked interesting, and very reasonable in price so I decided I would try them out with a half day Hong Kong Orientation trip the following day. 

The tour started at our hotel and took us through the tunnel from Kowloon over onto Hong Kong Island and made its way through the central area, past the Happy Valley Race Course and up the hill towards Victoria Peak which was to be our first stop for a view over the city and harbour which was stunning.  Next stop was Aberdeen fishing village to look at the remaining fishing and houseboats and of course to admire the famous Jumbo floating restaurant, the largest floating restaurant in the world.

After that we were taken around the south side of the island, past Repulse Bay and then on to Stanley Market for a spot of shopping.  The guide was really very informative and I learned a lot about Hong Kong, its history and people and traditions which made the trip excellent value.  

That evening, I opted for an evening excursion which would take us on a cruise around the harbour then on to Aberdeen again for dinner on the Jumbo floating restaurant and then a trip up to the mid levels of Victoria Peak to get a view of the city lights and harbour from that vantage point.  The cruise was very interesting, the harbour was pretty choppy and stepping on board our boat was quite interesting, the crew didn't seem to bothered and just yanked us each on board without giving us chance to be too worried about it.  I had met up with an Australian couple, Sonia and Rob who had also been on the earlier trip so we spent the evening getting to know each other.  They were actually on their honeymoon so I was quite lucky that they didn't seem to mind company.

Dinner at the Jumbo was excellent, the benefit of doing a tour and eating with a group of people is that you get to try so many more dishes.  We were started off with soup, then went on to have 5 main dishes, mainly seafood with noodles and rice, all followed by mango pudding.  It was all very tasty and we enjoyed it.

A good day all round, I decided to take the following day to explore myself and headed out to the MTR (underground) station to pick up an Octopus Card, something like the London Oyster card, and take myself over to Hong Kong island to explore.  Once I had established what I was looking at in terms of the map and the different routes, it was fairly easy to navigate and I was really pleased becasue I had been a little disortientated and had been a little intimidated by the size of the place, it was much bigger than I had been expecting and everything looked the same.  Whatsmore, Kowloon is almost built on a grid pattern but with so many one way streets that the buses which did pick up and collection from our hotel seemed to me to be going around in circles.  I normally have a very good sense of direction, but this was very confusing.  So by the time I was on the MTR and heading for Central station on Hong Kong, I was already feeling a small sense of acheivement.


The other benefit of doing the day trip was that I met people who had been in Hong Kong for longer than me and who had friends living there, so I was able to get some tips from them as to where to go and what to do.  From Central, I wandered towards an area called Soho and found street markets selling fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, lots and lots of fish.    It was really interesting to look at all the produce, some of which I recognised, other things I didn't.  I was looking at fruit on one stall and the stallholder was trying to get me to buy a fruit I didn't recognise.  It was like a large grapefruit but shaped like a pear and some of the fruits had been half peeled like an avocado halved with the tone still in.  It looked interesting and he kept telling me they were very sweet, so I decided to buy one and then worry about what it was afterwards.  He kindly peeled the rest of the fruit for me and separated some of the segments to make it easier to peel then sent me on my way!  I later discovered it to be a Pomelo, the flesh was quite dry and less juicy than a grapefruit and milder in flavour but very interesting.  I enjoyed it.

At the top of the street, there was a large group of people standing outside a bakery, queuing for freshly baked something or other.  I couldn't see what it was so I walked past and then doubled back.  An american bloke was now standing at the back of the queue talking to a group who were with him, I assumed them to be guests visiting from overseas, and he was explaining that this was the place to go for tourist to try the Hong Kong egg tarts, somewhere that Governor Chris Patten used to go when he was in charge there.  So I joined the queue and picked up a tart and some things which looked like they were made of coconut and then headed off to find somewhere for a coffee.

I spent the best part of the morning exploring, even went into Marks and Spencers, only because it was the first M&S I'd seen since August!  Very amusing to see typically M&S clothing in the middle of Hong Kong.  I went for a late lunch back in Kowloon at a place recommended to me by the lady from the tour desk.  It was inside a shopping centre and when I went in, there wasn't a single person in there who wasn't chinese and I soon discovered that the servers didn't speak english!   My server asked me if I wanted chinese tea, but when I asked her what was good on the menu, she didn't understand me.  I spent a little more time looking at the menu offering lots of things which didn't look familar and just as I was about to panic, one of the managers approached me and offered to help me make my selection.  Phew!  Dim Sum was what would be served, a meat choice, a seafood choice and then the restaurant's specialty, one dim sum filled with hairy crab coral.  It was a really delicious lunch and quite special as it was, I beleived quite authenic and in authentic setting surrounded by locals.  Although I have to say I did feel that all the people around me were sniggering at my clumsiness with my chopsticks, but I didn't care!!  And in the main, they did all smile at me which made me feel a bit less like I stuck out!

That day, Sonia and Rob had planned to go to the horse races but we had agreed to meet at a bar near the hotel in a shopping centre called The One.  The bar was on the 19th floor with an outdoor balcony offering seating with a view of the harbour and all the lights of the city. A beautiful location and when they arrived, they brought with them some other aussies who had also been at the races.  It was a fun evening, the view was stunning and at 8pm we had a perfect view of the laser light show.  A great end to the day.


To be continued......

Heatwave in Western Australia!

My flight from Fiji took me to Brisbane for an over night stay before my flight to Perth the following morning.  All pretty painless really, as was the 5 hour flight from the east of Australia to the west and with clear skies, I had an excellent view of the thousands of miles of desert which makes up the vast centre.

I arrived in Perth to a heatwave.  It was sunny and very very hot, 39 degrees and as I waited for the shuttle to my city centre hotel, I was wishing for a cool breeze to help cool me off a little.  And the next couple of days I spent reacquianting myself with the city I last visited in 1997 were almost unbearable, walking the streets exploring what had changed was exhausting, early starts when it was cooler helped, but by lunch time, I found myself seeking the cool air of the hotel before venturing out again after a nap.

Before arriving in Perth, I hadn't made fixed plans of what to do.  My first few days in the hotel on my own after a fabulous second visit to Fiji were a bit challenging again, I missed the company of all those lovely people.  I knew that I would have a bed with my friend Annamarie's daughter Sophie from the Sunday and after that, had thoughts of visiting the south west corner of the state where I worked on a vineyard during my gap year.

In the next block from my hotel I found an Avis hire car office and on enquiry, discovered I could hire a small car for a week for a very reasonable amount so decided to go for it, it would be necessary in any case to get myself to Sophies and made complete sense if I was to venture south.  Perfect solution and a plan formed.

I had one night with Sophie, then headed south towards Bunbury and Busselton for my first night away.  The highway was new since I was last in WA and took me straight to Bunbury where I stopped for a spot of lunch.  As I remembered it, Bunbury was a small town and easy to navigate, but not any more.  The road in from the highway was one continuous retail park all the way to the centre which is now a large shopping centre with supermarket and mall.  I didn't hand around as it appeared to have lost a lot of the charm it had before.  It wasn't far to Busselton which is where I had planned to spend my first night.  A quick stop in the Information centre sorted me out with a map and somewhere to stay, the Busselton Guest House close to the beach.  

Luckily this place was much as I rememberd it, quite a lively coastal town, maybe a little more lively that I had seen it before but it was 'Schoolies', the week when school leavers go away to the coast and have fun!  So there was lots going on.  The sun was shining and the accommodation turned out to be very comfortable so I booked straight away for a second night.


The following day,  I drove down the coast a little further to Cape Naturaliste, a rocky point with lighthouse which is lovely to have a walk around.  As I approached the car park, there were thousands of dragon flies circling which was an amazing sight, but when I got out of the car, I discovered they were not alone, there were thousands of flies too which was a real shame.  I had a walk around the lighthouse taking the shortest of several hiking routes and didn't hand around.  By the time I got in the car I had five bites on my legs.
After visiting a couple of the beaches on the way back , I the found my way to the beach at Busselton for views of the coast and the famous jetty and then had a late lunch overlooking the water.  I spent the afternoon having a look around the town before packing to head out early the following day for the journey south the following day.
From Busselton, I drove down towards Margaret River famous for its vineyards.  I stopped breifly for a cold drink and noted that again, it was a little bigger than I rememberd but still small enough to look very similar.  From there, I took the road inland towards Manjimup before branching off to Pemberton.  I spent some time in Pemberton before visiting the enormous Gloucester tree and the railway museum.  Pemberton really hadn't changed that much, I was pleased to note that the Gloucester tree was still standing but there wasn't much esle to see so I pressed on towards Walpole and Denmark.  It was lovely to see these places but they were not so different and I didn't see anything that enticed me to stop and stay over so I continued on to Albany, the largst of the towns of the south west corner and somewhere I had spend many a weekend while working there.


I found a Best Western Motel close to the centre which was very basic but functional which served as my base for the next three nights.  That gave me two full days to explore the area, which is exactly what I did.  When I had been there before, I hadn't had access to a car so had explored mainly on foot but this time, I was able to cover the same ground and more in the time I had.  The main street was much the same although more supermarkets and large stores had moved into town in a new retail area and town itself seemed quieter.  The YHA Backpackers I had stayed in before was still there and looked like it hadn't had much work done in the last 12 years which was amusing.

I was able to venture out to Frenchman Bay and peninsula, a national park offering stunning coastline and beaches all unspoilt.  It was a treat tp find something new that I hadn't already discovered.  The highlight was the deserted Goode Beach, crystal clear turquise water, white white sand so fine it squeaked when I walked on it, and not another person in sight
 
Then it was time to head back to Perth for an evening with Sophie before she went off on a big bus trip, leaving me in the unit for my last few days in WA.  I set off from Albany with a full tank of petrol for the 460+ Km journey back to Perth, planning to stop off in Frankland, the town I lived in while working on the vineyard.   

Thirty minutes up the Albany Highway, I passed Mount Barker and knew that the turning to Franland wouild be coming up on the left hand side but none of the side roads appeared to be very well sign posted and 15 minutes later, I was starting to worry I might have missed it.  Resigning myself to the fact I may not be going back to Frankland this time round, I continued on but then a sign in the distance indicated a turn off to the Frankland River Wine Region.  Well that was new!   And not long afterwards, a roadsign indicating 59km to Frankland.  Something I hadn't remembered, that the road to Frankland was actually that far off the mainroad!  I continued on but a change in my planned route back to Perth started to form in my head, although I realised that in '97 the road on from Frankland back to Manjimup was a red dirt bush road.  

Frankland had not changed a bit, small still, and not a soul about.  I didn't stop in the General Store as the name on the outside was one I didn't recognise, so obvously not the same family running it and the post office.  And the Road House was closed so no need to pop in there either.  I drove around to Rhonda and Jason's and the house I used to stay at, but it was closed up for the weekend, along with the house belonging to Di, another vineyard worker, but that's what I had expected as they have a house in Albany somewhere too. 
Pressing on on the road towards Manjimup,  I passed many more fields of vines than I remembered and then took the side dirt road down towards the vineyard I worked on, and the little house I stayed in first on the corner of the vineyard, the one without furniture and with red backs in the corners outside.  This time it looked a little more lived in, there were cars outside so obviously someone is now making it more of a home.  

I was pleased to find though that the tarmac didn't run out as I made my way further across country towards Manjimup.  It was actually a really pleasant drive, red dirt to the sides of the roads, green bushland and fields with cows, sheep and views strethcing on for miiles and miles.  The road strethced out ahead of me, the mirages disappeared the closer I got with more and more appeared in the distance.  Except one mirage didn't disappear and the closer I got, there was still a line across the road, so I slammed on the breaks and missed squshing a massive lizard by only a couple of feet.  He moved out of the road but was kind enough to stop by the side of the road for me to take a photo.

It was 4.30pm by the time I arrived back in Perth after only a brief stop for lunch.  It had been a long day of driving, I had seen lots of wildlife, lizards and colourful birds.  What struck me as I approached the outskirts of the city was that when something startled the birds out a tree, what flew out were white cockatoos, grey and pink gallahs and red and green parrots.  Beautiful, makes a change from our usual selection of brown native birds as lovely as they may be. Dinner that evening had been arranged by Sophie and her boyfriend Wez for her last night before she went off for three weeks and she had invited her brother Lachlan, his fiancee Dana and their little girl Ayla to come along too.  Now I had last seen Sophie and Lachlan in 1998 when they were 5 and 8 respectively and neither of them really remember me, but that didn't mean they were any less pleased to see me and warmly welcomed me in their mother's absence.  It was great to catch up with them and for me, to tell them some of the funny stories from the three months I spent with them.  It was a pleasure to see them all grown up and responsible and was nice to be looked after by them, last time, it was me taking responsibility for looking after them!


Once Sophie had gone off on her trip, I had a couple of days to enjoy the last of the heatwave, more 35+ degrees of heat and sunshine.  I had to go in to Fremantle on the sunday as that was the only place in the area with a supermarket opening on a sunday, something which I found a little bizarre.  The many many bottleshops seem to be open at all times and all hours but buying a pint of milk a little more challenging.  So I had a little walk around Freo in the sunshine, had a look at the shops and got a coffee.

The the last day, I spend doing all my laundry so I would leave Australia en route to Hong Kong with plenty of clean clothes!

It was a little sad to leave Australia again, but I have a feeling it won't be 12 years before I go back this time and have plans to see Annamarie and the Alexander clan again soon and for more time to have a proper catch up and who knows when that may be.  We will have to see how the job market is in the New Year!!!
 

A fond farewell to Fiji.....and plans for a possible return.

After saying good byes to all my fellow passengers on the cruise, I was surprised to see Joanne and David in the car behind me following me all the way back to First Landing.  And when I got there, Fiona and John were there ahead of me as their taxi driver had brought them for lunch on their way back to the airport.  So I was shown to my new room then joined Fiona and John for lunch before they were then whisked off to make their flight back to Sydney.

That evening over dinner, I met Peg and Fred, a couple from Seattle who have a boat in the marina and then along came Ken a Kiwi who I had met last time when I had champagne with Peter on his boat.  So we all had lots to talk about, everyone was keen to hear about my cruise and how it went.  It is such a small place, I spoke to Colin a Pom come Aussie who runs a small airline who was keen to pass my good feedback on to Tim at Blue Lagoon and Alex, the resort manager also wanted to make sure that my comments got back to Tim.  I was grateful for this as I had missed the chance to thank Tim before leaving Lautoka.

The forecast for the following few days was rain, so not weather for sitting out on a hammock so I decided to head into Lautoka city the following day for a spot of window shopping.  Masi behind the bar kindly arranged with Jim the resident driver to take me and it was settled that I would leave at 10am the following morning.  With an invited from Peg and also from Ken to pop by their boats at the Marina for coffee, I said goodnight and agreed to have dinner with Joanne and David the following night, their last night before they went home.
In the morning, I waited at the entrance to the resort at 10am for Jim to arrive but he didn't appear.  Salome arrived and asked where I was going, she called Jim and it transpired that he had been double booked and was actually taking Joanne and David to Denerau for the day.  I was about to resort to taking the bus, a bit of a brave move since I didn't know really where I was going although perfectly safe, but Ken arrived, announced he was going into town and offered to give me a lift as long as I didn't mind a quick stop at the chemical factory on the way!  Well how could I refuse a free lift and chance to visit the chemical factory.

He dropped me into Lautoka and gave me a brief overview of the city so I wouldn't get lost, which would have been a challenge since there are effectivley only 2 street built in a block pattern and he said I could either way and easily find my way back to where I started.  So I went straight across the road, down one block and then right.  I had only just turned the corner and heard someone calling my name.  It was Apenisa, crew from my first cruise (who had made my hat for me) coming out of a shop and on his way to join the ship after a week off.  How random.  If I had gone the other way or if Jim had been available, I may not have met up with him and he was as surprised as the others had been to see me in Fiji again so soon!  So I walked with him back towards Blue Lagoon Offices to catch up on the last few weeks and so I could call in to see Tim the CEO to thank him in person for the extras I had received.

I only had a couple of minutes with Tim as I was aware that he was waiting on the new bunch of passengers to head out that day, but I was pleased to be able to thank him in person and discuss ways to get a good deal if I were to return...and the answer was to contact him direct.  Always good to have friends in useful places!  And I will definitely be back one day!

After that, I made my way back into town, it was interesting to be amongst Fijians going about their daily business, different from being in a resort.  I bumped into Carol and Denis, another Kiwi couple I had seen briefly at First Landing and ended up joining them for lunch.  They had come into town on the bus and as they seemed knowledgeable, I went back with them towards the market and bus station via a couple of souvenir shops.  At the bus station, I met Inoke, another crew member who was having his week off and heading back to his family home, then we hopped on the bus, fully airconditioned which in Fiji means it has no windows.  Luckily it has shades which come down if its raining but it was a pleasant trip back to First Landing with school children on their way home.
My last full day in Fiji was a relaxing one, I had no plans to go out and as it turned out, the sun came out in the afternoon so I did manage to have an hour on a hammock with my book.  But when I returned to my room, there had been a power cut, a power line up the street had come down and the whole area was without power.  So Manasa gave me a candle to have a shower, then I returned to the bar to be among people until the power came on, which it did after about 3 hours, much to the relief of Alex and the staff who where concerened about the beer getting warm and food going off in the kitchen.

I had dinner with Denis and Carol who had been out for the day on a sailing boat called the Whale's Tail to celbrate Denis' birthday, then we were joined by Peg.  Peg had been having a small drama with crew to sail with her down to Auckland and was pleased that she had eventually found someone to sail with them.  She told me she had been that desperate she almost asked me if I would crew for them.  I probably would have done it if I had more time, but as it was she had found an alternative solution, this time.  But she will need someone in May to sail back to Fiji and asked if I would be interested.  We exchanged contact details and will drop her an email.  I guess it all depends on what happens when I get home but its nice to have an opportunity like that offered.  We shall see. :-)


Manasa drmmed up a nice group of staff to farewell me for the last time and I managed not to blub too much this time.  Isa Lei does make my bottom lip tremble even when its not me leaving, such a lovely song but I held it together, just!

Tiu, Joka, Masi and Manasa, Bar Team Extraordinaire!

More hugs before I left First Landing this time, but the departure was made easier by the fact that I met Lyn and Jamie from the cruise at the airport.  They were getting ready for their flight to Sydney departing an hour before mine, so we sat and had a drink before they were called to board.  

From the plane as we departed Nadi, I had a good view of the Yasawas and somewhere down below was the MV Mystique Princess with her new passengers for the week.  Until next time.
 

The Yasawas from the plane

Bula Vinaka and a warm warm welcome back to Fiji!

 

It's not always a good idea to go back, things are not always the same, and it had crossed my mind that my intention to go back to Fiji to do it better than the first time, might actually back fire and it could end up a disaster.  But the minute I arrived back at First Landing, I knew that it was a good decision to come back.  Isimeli welcomed me 'home' as I stepped out of the transfer vehicle and before I had even made it down to the reception, I met Joe from the restaurant who immediately remembered me and welcomed me back, shaking my hand vigourously!

Everyone it seemed was glad to see me and I felt very welcome, most of them remembered my name, those who didn't at least remembered my face and that's pretty good going.  After a full on and exciting week in Brisbane, I was happy to have a couple of days of rest at the resort before my cruise and had no major plans but I met Tony who runs the diving school on my first evening and we discussed me doing an introductory dive the following day!


So I joined the dive boat at 7.30am which took me over to Beachcomber Island, a party resort which is the home of the dive school and I would be there for the day until the boat would bring the workers back to the mainland.

The dive itself was pretty spectacular!  After a training session with DVDs and then practice in the pool, they took us out to a nearby reef and put us in the water to firstly feed the fish then to explore the reef.  I had a little trouble with buoyancy to start with and at one point, started floating back up to the survace with no way to get anyone's attention, until someone grabbed my foot and dragged me back down again!  But the fish feeding was brilliant and it was great to get in amongst the coral.  People the day before had seen sharks but there were none when we were down there, which may actually have been a good thing!  They would have only been reef sharks, not great whites or anything truly scary, but I was happy with the experience.  There were a couple of guys on the dive who were staying at a nearby exclusive island resort called Navini so I hopped on the transfer boat which took them back to have sneek peek.  It was lovely although so exclusive there was nothing else on the island, I don't think it would be the place for me for 2 weeks straight but perhaps a good honeymoon destination!


In no time, it was Monday and time to check out and join the cruise.  Alex, the manager of First Landing had called ahead to Tim Stonhill, the CEO of Blue Lagoon to let him know to expect me so when I arrived at the Blue Lagoon check in, Tim was there waiting to welcome me and this time, had upgraded me to the Orchid Deck.  Hooray!

I was pleased to know that Bhim was again going to be our cruise director and got a huge hug from her when she spotted me.  She did tell me she thought she would never see me again after the hash they had made last time and was surprised that I had returned to soon, as was Sefa, our barman who was serving drinks in the check-in lounge.  



On board, my luggage was waiting and again, there was a bottle of champagne waiting for me in my cabin.  A nice touch!  To begin with on the first afternoon as we made our way from Lautoka to the Yasawa Islands, it seemed quite hard to speak to people but Sefa and Tom had me sitting at the bar with them and soon I was chatting to people as they came to get their drinks.  I did wonder at that point whether the group would gel as well as the first cruise, but in no time it became apparent that this group would be even better, if that was at all possible.  While enjoying cocktails on the sky deck that first night, I was approached by Cory one of the Stewards who informed me that I had been invited to join Captain Saula at his table for dinner.  What an honour.  He is a lovely man although really very shy, he did a welcome presentation to all the passengers then sat down at the table with us and told us that he dreads having to stand up in front of us all, no matter how many times he had done it before.  

The following day was actually the best day we had all week weather wise, the sun was shining in the morning and it was dry.  The rainy season had come early and although it was warm, we didn't have the blue skies I had enjoyed when I was there before.  It was still warm but the sun make such a difference to the colour of the water and the snorkelling.  There had been a drought in Fiji for some time before however so I was pleased for them that rain was on the cards. 

The snorkelling was still brilliant, and this time, I had invested in a point and shoot underwater digital camera to record some of the excellent corals and fish and the photos came out really well so it was a worthwhile investment.

The wednesday night was 'Make a Hat' night and this time, Apenisa was not on the boat to make a hat for me so I decided to make one similar to the one he had made me before and collected some drinks cans before asking someone with a machete to cut me a coconut frond.  Alas, I left my things on the beach while snorkelling and those things were retrieved for me and taken back to the boat when the heavens opened.  My things were waiting in my cabin, the cans had been recycled.  So I resorted to a 'Melbourne Cup' inspired fascinator using fresh flowers I had collected from the island.  Although in the end I think it looked more like something that had come from Mardi Gras in Rio!

Spot the fish!

The following day was the visit to the school and from then on, it was all new ground as I passed the point when I had been disembarked last time.  All very exciting and new beaches to visit.  Much more snorkelling, more gorgeous fish and corals, an octopus in a hole in a rock and a flat fish which was so well camoflaged, I almost trod on it!

Sea Cucumber, very squishy!

Large clam

 Thursday night was cross dressing night where most couples opted to wear each others clothes which was quite entertaining and it has to be said many of the men made very convincing women!  I struggled a little until  I asked the first officer for some help and he handed me a shirt complete with epaulets and a very large pair of shoes.  My feet didn't even touch the sides so walking was a bit of a challenge.  Carol, a lady from New Zealand who was on her 20th cruise had borrowed a shirt from Captain Saula so we made a fitting pair....and we both won prizes.


Our last full day of the cruise was to be spent at the Blue Lagoon and a day on the private island of Nanuya Lailai where there would be more snorkelling, fish feeding, fishing and the crew would prepare a traditional lovo feast which is meat cooked underground using coconut husk embers.  The food was to be served to us on the beach and the final night celebrations would be a beach party and bonfire.   That was if the weather permitted and sadly, the last day was the worst day weather wise and it rained all day.  It was raining as those of us who were keen enough went out in the dark for our early morning swim and after breakfast as the MV Mystique Princess was backed up close to the beach and tethered to a coconut tree, it still hadn't abated.  It didn't dampen our enthusiasm however, it would be wet when we got in the water after all!

Me and the MV Mystique Princess tied to a coconut tree!

First activity of the morining was fish feeding.  The crew took all the left over bread from the week in a huge bin liner, some spectators watched from the tenders and the rest of us got in the water with sorkels and it was a real feeding frenzy!  We were suddenly surrounded by fish everywhere we looked, all different colours, shapes and sizes seemingly unafraid of us.  Mikia, one of the crew seemed to think it was amuzing to throw bread at me, I put my head out of the water to see what it was and when I looked back down into the water, there were fish right in my face.  Such a lovely experience.

Shortly after, we were treated to a demonstration of how to husk a coconut as this was the main activity for the crew who were preparing for the fire to start cooking the meat.  They made it look so easy but I think its actually a bit more difficult than it looks!  We were all invited to try some of the lovely fresh coconut whcih was delicious.  After that it was still raining as we had morning tea and after that more snorkelling.  

After lunch a group of us were taken out fishing, although that was an unsuccessful trip, noone caught anything but it wasn't really the right time, the best fishing is apparently first thing in the morning or last thing at night.  Disappointingly the rain got heavier and the wind got up so the ship was moved away from the beach and at 5pm we were all brought back on board for the last time to have our cocktails and dinner on board.



 

The meal was delicious.  The meat was so tender and just fell apart and I also tried something called Kokoda (pronounced Kokonda) for the first time.  Its chunks of fish which are soaked for 24 hours in lime juice then marinated in cocnut milk with small tomato and cucmber mixed in.  So the fish isn't cooked, just 'cooked' in the acid of the lime juice.  Delicious and if you ever get to Fiji, then try it, its out of this world.


I became honourary Fijian that evening for the singing competition.  Each country represented among the passengers had to form a group and sing a song from their country.  The Australians sang the 'Vegemite' Song, the Kiwis sang 'Po Keri Keri Ana', the Califonians sang 'California here we come' and I chickened out as I was the only English person so joined the Fijians for their national anthem.  Throughout the week we had established that the Fijians are enthusastic when it comes to singing and they can make some noise when they all get together so although I didn't know the words to their anthem, it was quite incredible to be standing in amongst the crew when they started singing.  Amazing.


Then there was dancing and we all tried to stay up as late as we could to make the most of the last night, all the while the rain was still coming down!  Captain Saula had planned to leave the blue lagoon before daybreak the following morning due to the weather so when I woke up cold at 4.30am the following morning, I could hear things going on outside.  Since it was warmer outside than in, I got dressed and went out to see what was going on and hopefully get some photos of the sunrise but as soon as I got outside, there was a lot of activity and the engines were being run independently of each other, then a tender was launched and I realised something was wrong.  


Overnight, the two anchor chains had become twisted and they were unable to get them untangled.  We were effectively stuck.  They sent a diver down to help resolve the issue, but in the end they had to get the blow torch out and cut one of the chains.  All very exciting in the dark and the rain.


Much as I was hoping that we would be stuck there indefinitely, we got under way while breakfast was being served.  Because of the time, the course the Captain took was more direct than he had planned, straight across the open water and it soon became quite choppy.  Lots of people were feeling a little queasy and there was a line of them sitting out on the back deck watching the horizon.  As we docked in Lautoka, the crew farewelled us with the song Isa Lei and Captain Saula thanked us for a great week and then it was time to disembark.  Hugs and kisses all round from the crew, then with all the new friends I'd made.  


No doubting, it was definitely a good decision to come back, it had been better than the first time for sure, despite the weather.  And given that it was better but not perfect, I have threatened to go back and do it right in the sunshine next time! 

And another Australian Reunion

So having found Annamarie, she directed me to her Facebook page where I found Janelle Victor!

Janelle's husband is also ex Australian Navy, friends of Annamarie and her exhusband and in 1998 while I was staying with Annamarie, she sent me to Darwin to for a visit to stay with Janelle and Bruce.

So I made contact with Janelle and an invitation to visit was issued which I couldn't decline, I had enjoyed my time in Darwin with Janelle and wanted the chance to catch up on the last 12 years. In 1998 they had one daughter who was one, now Grace is 13 and they have a son, Harrison who is 11.

Bruce collected me from the airport and we had a long journey back to their home in Bribie Island, a sand bank island off the coast north of Brisbane.

I am not one to expect people to drop everything to entertain me when I come to visit and it quickly emerged that the Victors live very busy lives, but it meant that I was immersed day one in their routine and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

On the saturday, Janelle had to work and Bruce took Grace out early to swimming training, Grace is in the State Championships and is a serious swimmer, training at least 6 days a week it would seem.  When Bruce and Grace returned, we sat down to breakfast together at the dining table which I really liked, then Bruce apologised for the fact he would need to take advantage of the first sunny weekend in a while and paint their newly built deck/balcony.  The kids were tasked with washing the car, I was tasked with reading the paper and having a dip in the pool.  I then prepared some sandwiches with help from the kids then they took me out in the car, with me driving of course, to show me the sights of the island.  Its a lovely place, a bit sleepy but nicely away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  I really liked it.  

When we got back, Bruce had just about finished painting, he then washed up and we started getting the motor boat ready to go in the water.  After a small issue with the trailer lights which required a joint effort to fix, we left Grace asleep and headed over to the mainland to put the boat in the water and motor back over to the island, with a little detour of a pleasure cruise as the sun was setting.

On the Sunday, it was our big day out on the boat, everything was prepared for us to just hop on the boat and motor over to Morton Island for a day on the beach.  It was a little overcast but still warm and excellent conditions for a good day out, no sunburn if you're careful on a day like that!  There were lots of boats already there when we arrived at the island but we were still able to find a quiet spot on the beach and have some prawns.  What amazed me though was the clarity of the water and the completely sandy bottom, the only things you could see were dozens and dozens of starfish on the bottom.

There were a few sandflies causing Harry a bit of bother so we motored away from the beach for a lunch of roasted chicken, salad and pasta, lovely, oh and a beer or two!  We managed a little swim off the boat to cool off before returning to Bribie with a spot of dolphin watching on the way back.  What a wonderful place to live.

On the Monday, I fell in with the routine and went with Janelle and Bruce to look at properties closer to Bruce's work, with a view to them cutting down on the commuting and to generate some more family time.  Very interesting to see the choices available, its not like the UK where you sell a house and you buy a new house.  In Australia, you sell a house and buy a house, or a plot and build, or you buy a new build, or you buy a house, knock it down and build a new one on the same plot, or you pay someone for a design and have them build it for you.  Complicated but interesting to be involved in.

Tuesday was Melbourne cup day.  I helped Janelle with the household chores then we had the neighbourhood girls, Angela, Leonie and Jules over for a champagne and chicken lunch to watch the race.  We hadn't placed bets, the girls had, but none of us had predicted the winner so in the end we'd lost nothing and had had a very good day.

Wednesday I went with Janelle to the mall where she works and had a day of shopping, the first shopping I'd done for a long while.  I looked around the mall, had a walk in eyelash tint then took a bus into the city where I had a good wander round, looked in some more shops, found the farmers market and wandered over to the South Bank too.  Not much has changed but it was nice to be back and check it out.

My final day with the Victors was a quiet day at home to do the washing and get packed, I walked over to Leonie's house for a quick trim of my hair then she took me out to the surf club for a spot of lunch and glass of wine which was really lovely of her.  Another example of the increidble Australian hospitality.  I was able to make dinner for the family on their last night, it was ready for them all when they arrived home which I was pleased about as they do have such a busy busy life.  And then in the morning, I was awake in time for Bruce and Grace's departure to join them in the trip to the pool so that Bruce could drop me then at the aiport for my return to Fiji.  

It was such a good and very normal family week, I thoroughly enjoyed it and was very sad to be saying goodbye, but it was a little easier because the family will be in the UK next year in September as part of a European tour and will come and stay with me and dad in Gosport.  Can't wait. :)

Australian Reunions

22 October 2010 (and yes, I am very behind again!)

My week in Sydney was not about doing the sights, more about catching up with friends and I was so pleased to be seeing more friendly faces.

I spent the first day reacquainting myself with the city and called up Diana and Gary, a couple I met on my Fiji cruise to see if we could meet up.  Diana had recently had an operation to remodel her foot and wasn't very mobile so the invite was to take a ferry to Manly on the Sunday where Gary would pick me up and bring me to their home in Collaroy on the Nothern Beaches for lunch.  It was a shocking day, tipping down with rain so when Gary took me up to the North Heads to look at the view of the harbour and city, I could just about make out the highrises in the distance through the rain.  Lunch on the veranda with the blinds down and the heater on was a delicious seafood feast of oysters with lemon, oysters mornay, prawns, salmon and breaded prawns, salad and potatos.  Lovely.  I was so pleased to see them, I heard all about what happened on the cruise after I had left that day in Fiji and was reassured that it was a good decision that I had decided to go back and do it properly next time!  At the end of the afternoon, I said my goodbyes to Diana and Gary dropped me to the ferry terminal at Mossman for the shorter ride back to Circular Quay and the city.  It was so lovely to catch up with them again, I felt very priviledged to have been so well looked after.

On the Monday I had a quiet day doing laundry and having a haircut and in the evening met up with Michelle and Stephen, neighbours from my home in Fleet who now live in Manly.  They met me at my hotel but took me back on the ferry to Manly where we had drinks first overlooking the ocean then a lovely Thai meal at one of their favourite places.  I'm not that good at knowing what to order in a thai restaurant so I was very glad they ordered for us and it was all very delicious.  It was lovely to see how their life is now and it would seem there is no comparison with a commuting life in London.  Makes me slightly envious but also pleased that such lovely people are making the most of what the world has to offer.

Tuesday was the biggest reunion of all.  My friend Annamarie was coming to visit for an overnight stay from Canberra and we had a lot to catch up on.  I have known Annamarie for 20 years, we first met when I was a teenager and she and her husband came on exchange to the Royal Navy where her husband was a colleague of my dad's.  We met on several occasions in the UK and when they went back to Oz, they welcomed me while I was on my gap year, putting me up for probably about 3 months in Sydney while I got a job temping and helped out around the house and with the kids.  Those were good times.  Annamarie and her husband moved then separated and the christmas cards stopped coming.  Over the years I looked for her by various menthods and then earlier this year, I had success when I located her son on Facebook and asked him to pass on my email address.  The rest is history, we had just over 24 hours to catch up on 10 years of our lives and it was a very special time, we had a lovely lunch at Darling Harbour, walked for miles around the city, did a spot of shopping, had champers on the balcony overlooking the Harbour Bridge and then had a lovely dinner.  There was talk of me changing my flights to spend time with Annamarie in Canberra but in the end, it was quite expensive so for this trip 24 hours will have to suffice, but there is always next time and I won't leave it 12 years again!


The following day I had dinner with Helene and Rob, Helene was my neighbour at my Dad's house for about 11 years and she now lives in Southampton.  Would you beleive that it has been a few years since I have seen her but we were both in Sydney at the same time and what better way to catch up than with a backdrop of the iconic Harbour Bridge and ferries.  It was also great to meet Rob, Helene's boyfriend who I hadn't met before, they seem to be having a great trip and I was pleased to hear how they'd got on up until that point.


And then it was time to move on to Brisbane.  It went very quickly but it was so nice to see such lovely people!

Vines, wines and electric blankets on the South Island!

Saturday, 9th October 2010

My friend Duncan was wating to pick me up at Picton after the 3 hour ferry trip from Wellington.  I was to stay with him and his family at their home in Blenheim.


Duncan was a house officer at Haslar when I worked  there as a temp in 1997, he introduced me at that time to his girlfriend Jan, who, as I had predicted, soon became his wife, and we have kept in touch loosely ever since.  Now with two delightful children, Rosie and Angus, they are both living and working as GPs in Blenheim.  I was lucky to catch up with them all last year in the UK and heard more about their life in New Zealand so it was great to have the chance to see for myself how they were doing.

The house wasn't actually in Blenheim but outside the town and as we approached, I noted we had already passed some of the winerys with names which had become familiar in the time I had been in NZ, Wither Hills and Villa Maria.  The house itself was surrounded by fields of vines for miles and miles until the valley bottom became hills then mountains with snow still dusting the tops, in fact it's located slap bang in the middle of the Marlborough Wine region.  And Duncan was quick to tell me that I could borrow a bike and do a tour of the cellar doors.  Something to add to the plan!


Duncan and I had picked up a leg of lamb from the butchers on the way home and as Jan, Rosie and Angus were not back from swimming by the time we got to the house, we got started with a Jamie Oliver recipe they had tasted with friends and which I had cooked before....but this time we didn't have a recipe so we improvised with a whole bottle of white wine and some rosemary from the garden and had it in the oven to cook for 5 hours before Jan made it home.  And I have to say it turned out quite well considering!!  Well it was New Zealand Lamb! 

It was a bit of a shock to the system when I got ready for bed on the first evening with Dunc and Jan, there was an electric blanket on the bed and I really needed it.  Although it had been sunny, there was still a definite chill in the air and by bed time, a fire had been lit in the wood burner and the electric blanket went on before I got into bed so the bed would be nice and warm. 


Sunday morning with the family was a trip to the farmers market which was a good opportunity to sample local produce, olive oil, strawberries, fresh cheeses, preserves, pine nuts and baked goods; and what was really great was that there was entertainment for the children in the form of story telling, while musicians entertained the adults and we spent time over coffee watching a band from Vanuatu.


In the afternoon I was taken to my first ever live rugby match, the Tasman Makos playing the Bay of Plenty Steamers at home in Blenheim.  It was great, the stadium was really compact considering this was the premier league but it meant we were really close to the action, a great game and the home team won!  Solme of the home team (Tasman Makos) players were All Blacks too so I managed to get some really great photos, the action shots came out quite well.


In the week I did manage a trip around the cellar doors one long afternoon when Jan and Dunc had to work.  I took the bike and for once, it was actually quite warm although throughout the afternoon the wind did pick up which made it that much harder to peddal but after several wineries including Cloudy Bay, Oyster Bay, Montana, Wither Hills, Villa Maria, Huia and Wairau I did make it home unscathed and without having fallen off at all.


On the Wednesday, I took myself off on the bus to Nelson for a few days in the middle of my visit, having booked a B&B and a day trip to the Abel Tasman National Park.  Nelson is a pretty place, the second oldest town in New Zealand after Christchurch and apparently very close to the geographic centre of New Zealand located on a hill just outside the town.  Its a pretty steep walk up but once you reach the top, there is a viewing point which has the most stunning views over the bay, the Abel Tasman National Park to the mountains which still had snow on them.  Definitely worth the walk.


The trip to the Abel Tasman park was also well worth the early start, I was picked up outside my B&B and taken to Motueka where I was transferred by separate bus to Kaiteriteri which seems to be the gateway to the national parklands, or in other words, the last town and amenities for quite some miles.  I boarded a boat which took me all the way up the  beautiful coastline of the park, past Split Apple Rock, colonies of fur seals, rock formations, caves and glorious bushland.   On the way back south we were dropped at Bark Bay for a two hour 'tramp' through the bush to Torrent Bay which was absolutely beautiful, lush and green, to then spend a couple of hours on the beach before being picked up to return to Kaiteriteri.  Fortunately it was a lovely warm day so it was really pleasant to sit on the beach, although in the short time I was there I think I would have won the prize for being the person who could get the most sand on and in her clothing in a short space of time!!!!


On the Saturday, Duncan and Jan brought the children to Nelson for a day out so were able to pick me up to take me back to their house with them.  We had a great day perusing the crafts at the Nelson Market, for lunch we had gourmet falafel at a well recommended cafe in the town and in the afternoon, we went to the beach and to the play parks.  On the way home, we picked up fish and chips and had an early tea to end an exhautingly fun day.


Once back in Blenheim, there were only a couple of days left before it would be time to hop on the train to head south, but we did make another damp visit to the farmers market in the rain and to take a hike up the hill to the Witches Hat for panoramic views over the town of Blenheim, Cloudy Bay and the valley.

On Tuesday 19th October, I said my goodbyes to the family as they set off for school and work and at lunchtime, Jan came home to take me to the station to put me on the train south towards Christchurch.  The funny thing was that when booking my trip to Nelson, I was using a website called Naked Bus which was very reasonable in price and when I  noticed I could make multiple bookings, I went ahead and booked my transport south.  When the confirmation came through, I noticed that the Naked Bus had actually booked me onto the train.  This was not a problem at all as I had been very impressed with the train, the quality of travel and overall the low cost compared to Network Southeast or whatever its called these days.


Anyway, it was only 2 hours to my first stop, Kaikoura which is a seaside town surrounded by snow capped mountains which on a good day can be seen from as far away as Wellington.  It is famous for sea canyons which transport cold water from the south and which attract Sperm Whales and Dusky dolphins in their hundreds.  I had been told that Kaikoura was a place for whale watching but a couple of people had also mentioned the chance to swim with the dolphins.   The last time I had been in Kaikoura in 1998 it was a greay miserable and damp place with low cloud and any trips I had hoped to enjoy were called off due to the weather, so when I arrived in glorious sunshine, I had a better view than I might have expected based on past experience.  But sadly that wasn't to last.  I did get a couple of good photos, but the following morning when I got up at 6am to head out on the 7am whale watching trip, there was fresh snow on the mountains and the sea conditions were far from ideal.  The trip was cancelled.  


Instead I wandered back towards my accommodation as nothing was open yet in town and found a cafe open to grab a coffee.  What I didn't realise until the doors opened was that the cafe was attached to the company which ran the dolphin trips.  The price was extremely reasonable for being kitted out head to foot in neoprene, shipped out on a boat and being dropped in the water in among a pod of wild dolphins who will come and check you out if you make interesting noises through your snorkel.  And you don't always get the opportunity to do these things so I decided to go for it.


So by 1pm, I was decked out in black rubber, snorkel in hand and waiting to get on the boat.  It was an amazing experience,the dolphins come and see you, you don't touch them, they just swim around you at speed with the occasional leap out of the water and a big splash, it was fabulous.  They seemed to be quite interested which I thought to be bizarre since they must get used to humans.  I did get some video with a digital underwater camera I hired and when they made up my DVD, they added some extra photos for me so I can't take credit for all of them, but just being there was enough for me.


Sadly the following day's weather was worse still so it rained and rained, more fresh snow on the mountains and even on the lowlands.  My second chance at whale watching also fell through as a result but I didn't feel too bad about it as it didn't cost me anything, the dolphin experience had been magical and I had after all seen Orca in the bay of islands......and you have to have something to go back for, don't you?


The train journey took 3 hours to Christchurch where I only had one overnight stop before my flight to Sydney on the friday.  The city was still being affected by aftershocks following Septembers earthquake and on the Tuesday had had a magnitude 5 quake so I was pleased not to have to hang around.,  I didn't experience even a small aftershock in the time I was there but in a way, I'm thinking that may not be a bad thing!

Auckland to Welly, 12 hours on a train!

After my trip to the Bay of Islands, I had an overnight back in Auckland before catching the train at 7.30am the following morning to Wellington.  The Overlander had been recommended to me by a couple of people and since I had enjoyed the train journey in Canada, I decided it would be a nice way to go.  I was the first one on the train and was allocated a seat in the rear carriage by the window which was lovely, spacious and comfortable.  That was until a family with 4 small excited small boys joined the carriage and were seated directly behind me. On the third occasion that they leant forward against the window and shouted loudly in my ear without the parents doing anything about it, I  decided that it would be a bit much to put up with for a 12 hour journey and asked the train manager for another seat.  He moved me without hassle to another lovely seat with grown ups around me instead!!

The journey took us through suburbs, wetlands, hilly regions and mountains, the scenery all interesting and we did have commentary from the train crew so we knew where we were and what we were looking at.  Before we made a 30 minute lunch stop at National Park, we  travelled the famous Raurimu Spiral,  a single track spiral with 2 loops and 2 tunnels climbing 132 meters across terrain too steep for a direct train track.


The 12 hours passed quite quickly actually, I had books to read and other things to do but it was hard not to just look out of the window there was so much to look at and I didn't want to miss anything!


Once in Wellington, I was met by my friend Theresa who would be my host for the next 3 nights and tour guide around the city.  Theresa and her husband Ian are former Nokia colleagues of mine and in addition, Theresa's brother John was a colleague of mine at the company I worked at before Nokia.  Theresa had already left Nokia when I departed but Ian left the same day having accepted the same voluntary package as me.  When I told Theresa I was coming to Wellington and asked if she would like to meet up, the response was an invitation to stay and I'm really glad I accepted.  It is great to see the new life that they have embarked on in New Zealand but it was also nice to be back in a 'home' for the first time in ages.

It was almost 8pm by the time we reached their house and dinner was almost ready, home made 'spag bol' with garlic bread and a glass of red.  Just what I needed, something home made, delicious and normal, and I mean that with the greatest respect, Theresa chose that dish for exactly that reason.  And after a comfy nights sleep, I was woken with a cup of proper english tea brought to me in bed.  Such lovely hospitality.


The next two days, Ian was working but Theresa had mostly free time so she played tour guide showing me the best bits of the city, the view from Mount Victoria, Lyal Bay where Ian surfs and where he was lucky enough not to have been eaten by a great white shark which had been caught in the next bay only days before.  She took me up in the cable car and we walked back down to the city through the botanical gardens, we went along the coast and we drove along the beach, a proper off road track which led us to a fur seal colony for a look at the blubbery creatures!  The morning that Theresa had to meet with some fellow students to work on an assignment, she dropped me to the Te Papa museum for a couple of hours of education which was brilliant, the museum is very interactive, great for kids and big kids like me!

It was great to be with such lovely people and to spend a bit of time with them and the time there whizzed past and before I knew it, it was saturday morning and Theresa took me to the ferry terminal for the 3 hour ride across the water to the South Island.