http://www.youtube.com/v/oxoVQ7BnoIc&hl
http://www.youtube.com/v/FLGPCqLOUSA&hl
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
epilogue
Well what can I say . It Was a experience of a lifetime . We went on our last snorkel trip Monday on the S.V. Malatia with Captain Ed . (Tommy Lee Jones look alike about 10 years ago ) Not necessarily a bad trip but the snorkeling could have been better . It wasn't really the captains fault as he sailed us to the low isles with what started as a calm day. It didn't last for long as the wind decided to blow like 25-30 knots and make the water visibility really poor . There was alot of debris floating in the water . We did get to see some different coral, a turtle, a small squid and alot of fish at this location . I did prefer the other trip location better though as when the tide went to low tide alot of the coral was protruding from the water and it did make it harder to snorkel around the rest of the coral without getting to close to it . They had a great lunch setup for us and and one person didn`t like there lunch on the way back from the boat . Ha Ha .
We also managed to rent bikes on Sunday after the open markets. We rode for about 4 hours . With the tide being at extremes we could ride all the way down 4 mile beach in the sand, and then back to town on the road bike path . Riding bikes on the wrong side of the road and turning into traffic is kind of crazy all by itself . We managed with out any incidents though .We stopped at Paddys for lunch and devoured the fish lunch special for 9.90 . You got salad 1 piece of fish and some beer battered chips (fries). It was actually quite good . It Sadly all had to come to the end though . We did really well considering we planned this trip on a whim and a little over 2 weeks before we left . Our Hosts Fred and Antonia at the Martinque are wonderful people I highly suggest to anyone traveling to Port Douglas stay in there Accomodations. They have a great pool, a superb location, and will help you with anything you need . Not to Mention that if I didn`t have a place with a kitchen I would have easily spent $2000 in food just trying to eat out everyday .
I learned alot on this trip and If I had it to do over I would do a few things differently . If you ever take a trip to port douglas this is how I would go about it the second time .
1. Arrive on a Saturday (why see tip #2)
2. Visit the Sunday markets and load up on fresh fruits and vegetables and potatoes for your stay .They are all very good and half the price of the grocery store.
3. Try and stay up all night the day you leave so you can sleep on the plane and get yourself acclimated to the time changes.We hardly slept any on the trip back and even though it is the next sunday we are still a little messed up .
4. Spend at least 2 weeks and explore another area in the second week
5. Eat at the Combined Club (Tin Shed) Local hangout at the harbor next to the boat ramp. hard to find unless you know its there .
6. Take another snorkel trip on the Wavelength instead of the Malaitia
7. Spend a little more time relaxing at the beach. It is never to crowded and always a nice breeze .
8. Not spend $3 on a coconut to drink the juice out of it . LOL
9. If it wasnt for the Barrons Falls I might pass on the Kuranda Railway . The Skyrail was worth it but I really didnt care for the train ride much. You can take the skyrail to the falls though and pass on the train ride .
10. Try some vegemite (I was scared )LOL
Here are a few useful links
http://www.martinique.com.au/
http://www.wavelength-reef.com.au/
http://www.deluxesafaris.com.au/
http://www.cairnstropicalzoo.com.au/
http://www.crocodileadventures.com/intro.htm
http://www.ajhackett.com.au/
http://www.kuranda.org/
http://www.tripadvisor.com
www.quantas.com
We also managed to rent bikes on Sunday after the open markets. We rode for about 4 hours . With the tide being at extremes we could ride all the way down 4 mile beach in the sand, and then back to town on the road bike path . Riding bikes on the wrong side of the road and turning into traffic is kind of crazy all by itself . We managed with out any incidents though .We stopped at Paddys for lunch and devoured the fish lunch special for 9.90 . You got salad 1 piece of fish and some beer battered chips (fries). It was actually quite good . It Sadly all had to come to the end though . We did really well considering we planned this trip on a whim and a little over 2 weeks before we left . Our Hosts Fred and Antonia at the Martinque are wonderful people I highly suggest to anyone traveling to Port Douglas stay in there Accomodations. They have a great pool, a superb location, and will help you with anything you need . Not to Mention that if I didn`t have a place with a kitchen I would have easily spent $2000 in food just trying to eat out everyday .
I learned alot on this trip and If I had it to do over I would do a few things differently . If you ever take a trip to port douglas this is how I would go about it the second time .
1. Arrive on a Saturday (why see tip #2)
2. Visit the Sunday markets and load up on fresh fruits and vegetables and potatoes for your stay .They are all very good and half the price of the grocery store.
3. Try and stay up all night the day you leave so you can sleep on the plane and get yourself acclimated to the time changes.We hardly slept any on the trip back and even though it is the next sunday we are still a little messed up .
4. Spend at least 2 weeks and explore another area in the second week
5. Eat at the Combined Club (Tin Shed) Local hangout at the harbor next to the boat ramp. hard to find unless you know its there .
6. Take another snorkel trip on the Wavelength instead of the Malaitia
7. Spend a little more time relaxing at the beach. It is never to crowded and always a nice breeze .
8. Not spend $3 on a coconut to drink the juice out of it . LOL
9. If it wasnt for the Barrons Falls I might pass on the Kuranda Railway . The Skyrail was worth it but I really didnt care for the train ride much. You can take the skyrail to the falls though and pass on the train ride .
10. Try some vegemite (I was scared )LOL
Here are a few useful links
http://www.martinique.com.au/
http://www.wavelength-reef.com.au/
http://www.deluxesafaris.com.au/
http://www.cairnstropicalzoo.com.au/
http://www.crocodileadventures.com/intro.htm
http://www.ajhackett.com.au/
http://www.kuranda.org/
http://www.tripadvisor.com
www.quantas.com
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Day 8
G`day Mates
Had a good day at the zoo yesterday . Seen and learned some interesting things . They have a great bird show here . We also learned the Sun is dam hot . I got burned some sitting 15 minutes for the bird show . You can feel it baking your skin . It has been a little overcast all week but yesterday was full on sun . Wow I cannot imagine what it would be like in the summer . Simply unbearable . We did a little exploring and seen some termite mounds and the fringe of the outback . get pretty barren out there . Haven`t seen a wild roo yet . Seen alot of dead ones beside the road . Hung out down the beach for awhile and messed around some . This will probably be my last post as we are snorkeling tomorrow and leaving early tuesday morning for the airport . Today we are going to visit the open markets at the end of town. G`day All
Had a good day at the zoo yesterday . Seen and learned some interesting things . They have a great bird show here . We also learned the Sun is dam hot . I got burned some sitting 15 minutes for the bird show . You can feel it baking your skin . It has been a little overcast all week but yesterday was full on sun . Wow I cannot imagine what it would be like in the summer . Simply unbearable . We did a little exploring and seen some termite mounds and the fringe of the outback . get pretty barren out there . Haven`t seen a wild roo yet . Seen alot of dead ones beside the road . Hung out down the beach for awhile and messed around some . This will probably be my last post as we are snorkeling tomorrow and leaving early tuesday morning for the airport . Today we are going to visit the open markets at the end of town. G`day All
Friday, August 15, 2008
Day 7 Daintree
G`day Mates, How ya going?
Knock knock your bus is here! Oh crap I thought it was coming at 7:55 not 7:30, No Worries!
thats how the morning started.We had to wake up matt though and he is always grumpy when you wake him up unexpectedly. It turned out ok though we were out the door in 5 and on the bus . We headed up to mossman gorge and seen alot of sugar cane fields on the way . there sugar cane fields are like corn fields in the states . every where you look there is one . they grow it on the same field for 5 years and then they switch crops for 1 year before replanting . It takes a year to produce and then they cut it and send it to the mill on light rail systems that is narrow guage . the cane then grows back without replanting . we seen them harvest some cane while driving to mossman . Mossman gorge is basically a riverbed coming though the rainforest down from the reservoir . It is pretty but not a gorge by usa standards. The water is crystal clear though and it feeds the town of port douglas and they use no chlorine in there water , It is only filtered to 2 microns . we then headed to the daintree reserve and crossed into the region on a car ferry across the daintree river . The scenery changes once you cross the river , The only power is by generator and the only water supply is rainwater . I am not sure how it works but it is designated some kind of world heritage site and if you owned property there before it was classified then you were grandfathered in and could stay . But the aussie government has been trying to by back the land and the program ran out of money. There are still alot of people and businesses in the area . I think most survive on tourists and some on farming like the daintree tea company. The guide said this was the oldest surviving rainforest at 120 million years old meaning it was never wiped out yet unlike many other rainforests or areas have been . They have a bird here called a cassowary that is in the emu and ostrich family. It is only native to this region and you are very lucky if you see one . They hadn't seen one in 3-4 weeks . we got a glimpse of one while driving to the daintree a very short glimpse though . We arrived at the park area and were on the hike into the forest and we seen a adult cassowary and her 2 chicks the chicks stayed well hidden so it was impossible to get a picture of them . if you move to fast or talk they run off very quickly . we then seen another juvenile cassowary cross the path in front of us and we got some great pictures of it . the guides said the record for 1 day was 6 cassowaries, and they have almost never seen any chicks. I guess we were really lucky .Also seen a golden orb spider on her web . We went for a boat ride with outback bob on his deluxe mota cruiser {insert deliverance scene here} up the cooper river and seen 3 crocs a bird and alot of mangrove trees and were bitten by some sand flies sorta like a blackfly . We had a good day and learned alot from the guides .We also picked up a coconut off 4 mile beach and smashed it open with sticks . You should have seen the people looking at us like were were idiots . That outer shell is hard as hell !!!! We are going to hang out until monday when we have our final snorkel trip planned and then head for home . Going to spend some time at the zoo tomorrow and back to the croc farm to see the rest of what we missed. G`day No worries !!!!
Knock knock your bus is here! Oh crap I thought it was coming at 7:55 not 7:30, No Worries!
thats how the morning started.We had to wake up matt though and he is always grumpy when you wake him up unexpectedly. It turned out ok though we were out the door in 5 and on the bus . We headed up to mossman gorge and seen alot of sugar cane fields on the way . there sugar cane fields are like corn fields in the states . every where you look there is one . they grow it on the same field for 5 years and then they switch crops for 1 year before replanting . It takes a year to produce and then they cut it and send it to the mill on light rail systems that is narrow guage . the cane then grows back without replanting . we seen them harvest some cane while driving to mossman . Mossman gorge is basically a riverbed coming though the rainforest down from the reservoir . It is pretty but not a gorge by usa standards. The water is crystal clear though and it feeds the town of port douglas and they use no chlorine in there water , It is only filtered to 2 microns . we then headed to the daintree reserve and crossed into the region on a car ferry across the daintree river . The scenery changes once you cross the river , The only power is by generator and the only water supply is rainwater . I am not sure how it works but it is designated some kind of world heritage site and if you owned property there before it was classified then you were grandfathered in and could stay . But the aussie government has been trying to by back the land and the program ran out of money. There are still alot of people and businesses in the area . I think most survive on tourists and some on farming like the daintree tea company. The guide said this was the oldest surviving rainforest at 120 million years old meaning it was never wiped out yet unlike many other rainforests or areas have been . They have a bird here called a cassowary that is in the emu and ostrich family. It is only native to this region and you are very lucky if you see one . They hadn't seen one in 3-4 weeks . we got a glimpse of one while driving to the daintree a very short glimpse though . We arrived at the park area and were on the hike into the forest and we seen a adult cassowary and her 2 chicks the chicks stayed well hidden so it was impossible to get a picture of them . if you move to fast or talk they run off very quickly . we then seen another juvenile cassowary cross the path in front of us and we got some great pictures of it . the guides said the record for 1 day was 6 cassowaries, and they have almost never seen any chicks. I guess we were really lucky .Also seen a golden orb spider on her web . We went for a boat ride with outback bob on his deluxe mota cruiser {insert deliverance scene here} up the cooper river and seen 3 crocs a bird and alot of mangrove trees and were bitten by some sand flies sorta like a blackfly . We had a good day and learned alot from the guides .We also picked up a coconut off 4 mile beach and smashed it open with sticks . You should have seen the people looking at us like were were idiots . That outer shell is hard as hell !!!! We are going to hang out until monday when we have our final snorkel trip planned and then head for home . Going to spend some time at the zoo tomorrow and back to the croc farm to see the rest of what we missed. G`day No worries !!!!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Day 6 At the reef
G-day Mates
Well the bus was spot on this morning . Arrived at our boat for the day called the wavelength. It had a crew of 3 mates onboard , 2 marine biologists and one helper. Boat ride was rough on the way out and had 3 people chumming the water. (thank you dramamine) none of us . Got a quick reef orientation, our gear , saftey rulz and snorkeling we went . I rented there digital camera for the day and put 218 pictures on the stick . I uploaded a few so you could see them . Seen alot of fish , coral 2 turtles, a stingray, giant clams , and alot of stunning coral the day was somewhat overcast so the colors were not as good as they might have been . We visited 3 reefs had a gourmet lunch with prawns and pineapple, ham, roast beef , a few other things . A great trip the marine biolgists taught us quite a few things about the reef and its ecology . this one is going to be short today the bus is picking us up for a trip to the daintree forest at 7.55 . one more thing before I go .
The fruit over here is very good . we picked up some kiwis at the store and they are sooooooo good. Probablybecause they are ripe when picked not green like the ones shipped to the usa . Pineapples are great too . just like fresh ones in hawaii. Well we are off the daintree rainforest .
No Worries
http://www.daintreerainforest.com/
Well the bus was spot on this morning . Arrived at our boat for the day called the wavelength. It had a crew of 3 mates onboard , 2 marine biologists and one helper. Boat ride was rough on the way out and had 3 people chumming the water. (thank you dramamine) none of us . Got a quick reef orientation, our gear , saftey rulz and snorkeling we went . I rented there digital camera for the day and put 218 pictures on the stick . I uploaded a few so you could see them . Seen alot of fish , coral 2 turtles, a stingray, giant clams , and alot of stunning coral the day was somewhat overcast so the colors were not as good as they might have been . We visited 3 reefs had a gourmet lunch with prawns and pineapple, ham, roast beef , a few other things . A great trip the marine biolgists taught us quite a few things about the reef and its ecology . this one is going to be short today the bus is picking us up for a trip to the daintree forest at 7.55 . one more thing before I go .
The fruit over here is very good . we picked up some kiwis at the store and they are sooooooo good. Probablybecause they are ripe when picked not green like the ones shipped to the usa . Pineapples are great too . just like fresh ones in hawaii. Well we are off the daintree rainforest .
No Worries
http://www.daintreerainforest.com/
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Day 5
G-day
No Worries, No worries ,No Worries , that seems to be the normal atitiude around here . We had a day trip planned on the kuranda railway and skyrail through a local tour guide . He was suppose to pick us up at 11am and our hotel owners told us he is always spot on . By 11:30 they were worried when he wasnt here and by 11:50 they told me he wasnt coming . They called and reserved the skyrail and the train rides for us and the last skyrail out was at 1 and the last train at 3.30 . needless to say we are 1 hour away from the station . Noooooooooooooo I hate those roundabouts . Not really they are starting to grow on me . http://www.kurandascenicrailway.com.au/ http://www.kuranda.org/?p=74
We made it there with time to spare and had a 10 minute ride to the first station , you can get off the gondola and take a guided boardwalk tour through the rainforest area about 10 minutes and then get back on another gondola for another 10 minute ride above the rainforest to the next station . Barrons falls is at this stop and although there is only a trickle leaving barrons falls because of the dam upstream they say it is a wonderous site during wet season when the water is roaring over the dropoff . Then you get into another gondola for about 5 more minutes and arrive at kuranda station and village. It is a nice little aboriginal village that has been turned into a touristy spot full of shops and the usual crap but it does have a very deep and rich history .
http://www.kuranda.org/
We bought a couple boomerangs and walked through the area . I wanted to visit the butterfly sanctuary but time didnt permit as we lost an hour due to our tour guide not arriving . Maybe if we have time we can revisit later in the week .
We took the historic train ride that last about 1 1/2 hours . I say historic they say scenic , I have only been on one scenic train ride ever and that was in switzerland on the glacier express . Unless you like looking at trees , rock mounds, dirt and a occasional scenic view, I would pass . Some of the historic information is interesting though . We hopped on a bus at the end of the train ride back to our car and More roundabouts only this time at rush hour traffic . No worries ,
LOL!!!! Sorry I haven`t posted many pictures but the internet speed is so slow (yes steve slower than mine )that I probably won`t bother much unless I have some great shots . Well ta ta for now . Its brekky time and our snorkel trip is picking us up in an hour . Hopefully !!! http://www.wavelength.com.au/
Time for a day on the reef !!!!!!!!!! No Worries
No Worries, No worries ,No Worries , that seems to be the normal atitiude around here . We had a day trip planned on the kuranda railway and skyrail through a local tour guide . He was suppose to pick us up at 11am and our hotel owners told us he is always spot on . By 11:30 they were worried when he wasnt here and by 11:50 they told me he wasnt coming . They called and reserved the skyrail and the train rides for us and the last skyrail out was at 1 and the last train at 3.30 . needless to say we are 1 hour away from the station . Noooooooooooooo I hate those roundabouts . Not really they are starting to grow on me . http://www.kurandascenicrailway.com.au/ http://www.kuranda.org/?p=74
We made it there with time to spare and had a 10 minute ride to the first station , you can get off the gondola and take a guided boardwalk tour through the rainforest area about 10 minutes and then get back on another gondola for another 10 minute ride above the rainforest to the next station . Barrons falls is at this stop and although there is only a trickle leaving barrons falls because of the dam upstream they say it is a wonderous site during wet season when the water is roaring over the dropoff . Then you get into another gondola for about 5 more minutes and arrive at kuranda station and village. It is a nice little aboriginal village that has been turned into a touristy spot full of shops and the usual crap but it does have a very deep and rich history .
http://www.kuranda.org/
We bought a couple boomerangs and walked through the area . I wanted to visit the butterfly sanctuary but time didnt permit as we lost an hour due to our tour guide not arriving . Maybe if we have time we can revisit later in the week .
We took the historic train ride that last about 1 1/2 hours . I say historic they say scenic , I have only been on one scenic train ride ever and that was in switzerland on the glacier express . Unless you like looking at trees , rock mounds, dirt and a occasional scenic view, I would pass . Some of the historic information is interesting though . We hopped on a bus at the end of the train ride back to our car and More roundabouts only this time at rush hour traffic . No worries ,
LOL!!!! Sorry I haven`t posted many pictures but the internet speed is so slow (yes steve slower than mine )that I probably won`t bother much unless I have some great shots . Well ta ta for now . Its brekky time and our snorkel trip is picking us up in an hour . Hopefully !!! http://www.wavelength.com.au/
Time for a day on the reef !!!!!!!!!! No Worries
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Day 4
G-day All
Well Day 4 has come and gone . I dont have a lot to report, the reef has been rough since we arrived with winds at 20-30 knots . The forecast isn`t much better . We have a snorkeling trip planned for tomorrow thursday . It doesn`t look like the seas are going to calm down for it . We visited Hartleys Crocodile Farm yesterday they really have a nice place and are very informative about Crocs and there habitats they have a nice boat ride and a few great shows they put on . The Croc atack show was good . We also went to the koala feeding.
We also visited the AJ Hackett Jump Site . Ok you ask what is this ? Bungy jumping you blokes .
Ha Ha ,Now why would you want to jump from a perfectly good platform 164 feet in the air with only a rubberband tied to your feet ? Not because it sounds like A good idea ! You arrive there and enter the observation area . It has a bar tables and a deck overlooking small waterfall and a pond sort of , I am guessing this is a safety pool in case your bungy breaks . You can see the platform above the pool with the bungy`s hanging off the edge of the platform and you think to yourself (hmmm that doesnt look very high in the air ) Stand there and watch a few crazy blokes jumping and screaming . Ok I am going to do this . I have always wanted to do this and while watching the amazing race I learned one of the tallest bungy jumps in the world is in new zealand over some gorge off a bridge . So why not do it in Oz . My wife and son wanted nothing to do with this as I fully expected . I paid my money and took everything out of my pockets and took my shoes off , walked barefoot to the steps. About halfway up I loooked over the edge and thought to myself Holy Crap, I am only halfway up and that pool is getting really small looking . I get to the top and there are 2 mates running the show and about 4 people waiting to jump . These 2 mates are busy every minute, they have to safety tie everyone up by the feet they have to adjust the bungy ropes for every jumpers weight in KG . they have to drop the jumper to the boat , they have to talk a few jumpers into jumping , pull the bungy back up into the platform and do a little dance for the video tape running after every jump . These 2 mates were great people . They had good old american rock n roll blasting over the speakers and were generally having a good time .
I learned while up there on the platform that even though the Aussies speak english there is a more than formidable language barrier here . I really had to listen and think about what they were saying to try and understand them . There use of the english language is so reliant on slang and different uses for the same words we hear every day that it is really hard to understand and comprehend what it is exactly they are saying . they also talk so bloody fast it is unbelievable . Any way I get hooked up and my instructions . I move over to the edge of the platform look down over the edge with nothing holding me but the bungy and think to myself WOW this is nuts .He counts down from 5 to 1 and I am suppose to jump . I didnt and he starts telling me look the longer you stay here the harder it is to do . I said oh . Well I watched 1 or 2 people jump before me and he held them out over the edge by the belt and when he counted down to 1 he let there belt go and off they went . Well he was just going to let me jump and didnt have ahold of my belt .
So I told him I thought you were going to let go of my belt thats why I didn`t jump . He counted backward from 5 to 1 and off I went . I have never had a adrenaline rush before in my life like that ! bobsledding in St. Moritz was close but it wasnt the same . I hit the water and went in up to my shoulders and bounced back up at least 3/4 of the way to the platform and bounced at least 2 more times after that . Insane stuff . And of course they have a special if you want to do the second jump it is only $35 . Might as well while I am here . Of course you never do the same thing twice . Jump #2 is backwards facing and I think i enjoyed it even more !!! Oh ya and by the way after I jumped Matt decided he wanted to do it. He was scared climbing the steps but he got right out on the edge and didn`t hesitate to jump right off. Needless to say the wife didnt want anything to do with it !!! No Worries
Well Day 4 has come and gone . I dont have a lot to report, the reef has been rough since we arrived with winds at 20-30 knots . The forecast isn`t much better . We have a snorkeling trip planned for tomorrow thursday . It doesn`t look like the seas are going to calm down for it . We visited Hartleys Crocodile Farm yesterday they really have a nice place and are very informative about Crocs and there habitats they have a nice boat ride and a few great shows they put on . The Croc atack show was good . We also went to the koala feeding.
We also visited the AJ Hackett Jump Site . Ok you ask what is this ? Bungy jumping you blokes .
Ha Ha ,Now why would you want to jump from a perfectly good platform 164 feet in the air with only a rubberband tied to your feet ? Not because it sounds like A good idea ! You arrive there and enter the observation area . It has a bar tables and a deck overlooking small waterfall and a pond sort of , I am guessing this is a safety pool in case your bungy breaks . You can see the platform above the pool with the bungy`s hanging off the edge of the platform and you think to yourself (hmmm that doesnt look very high in the air ) Stand there and watch a few crazy blokes jumping and screaming . Ok I am going to do this . I have always wanted to do this and while watching the amazing race I learned one of the tallest bungy jumps in the world is in new zealand over some gorge off a bridge . So why not do it in Oz . My wife and son wanted nothing to do with this as I fully expected . I paid my money and took everything out of my pockets and took my shoes off , walked barefoot to the steps. About halfway up I loooked over the edge and thought to myself Holy Crap, I am only halfway up and that pool is getting really small looking . I get to the top and there are 2 mates running the show and about 4 people waiting to jump . These 2 mates are busy every minute, they have to safety tie everyone up by the feet they have to adjust the bungy ropes for every jumpers weight in KG . they have to drop the jumper to the boat , they have to talk a few jumpers into jumping , pull the bungy back up into the platform and do a little dance for the video tape running after every jump . These 2 mates were great people . They had good old american rock n roll blasting over the speakers and were generally having a good time .
I learned while up there on the platform that even though the Aussies speak english there is a more than formidable language barrier here . I really had to listen and think about what they were saying to try and understand them . There use of the english language is so reliant on slang and different uses for the same words we hear every day that it is really hard to understand and comprehend what it is exactly they are saying . they also talk so bloody fast it is unbelievable . Any way I get hooked up and my instructions . I move over to the edge of the platform look down over the edge with nothing holding me but the bungy and think to myself WOW this is nuts .He counts down from 5 to 1 and I am suppose to jump . I didnt and he starts telling me look the longer you stay here the harder it is to do . I said oh . Well I watched 1 or 2 people jump before me and he held them out over the edge by the belt and when he counted down to 1 he let there belt go and off they went . Well he was just going to let me jump and didnt have ahold of my belt .
So I told him I thought you were going to let go of my belt thats why I didn`t jump . He counted backward from 5 to 1 and off I went . I have never had a adrenaline rush before in my life like that ! bobsledding in St. Moritz was close but it wasnt the same . I hit the water and went in up to my shoulders and bounced back up at least 3/4 of the way to the platform and bounced at least 2 more times after that . Insane stuff . And of course they have a special if you want to do the second jump it is only $35 . Might as well while I am here . Of course you never do the same thing twice . Jump #2 is backwards facing and I think i enjoyed it even more !!! Oh ya and by the way after I jumped Matt decided he wanted to do it. He was scared climbing the steps but he got right out on the edge and didn`t hesitate to jump right off. Needless to say the wife didnt want anything to do with it !!! No Worries
Monday, August 11, 2008
Oz Trip Day 1,2,3
G`day Mates , How Ya Goin ? No Worries here
I decided this would bethe easiest way to keep everyone informed About our trip. we left Dayton at 11am est saturday morning and arrived in st. louis at 12.07 est . we then flew from STL to LAX and Arrived at LAX around 3 PST .
I have A cousin near LAX that I Have not seen for nearly 25 years . I tried to contact her numerous times over the past week and did get ahold of her . I finally reached my aunt and got her number . We took a cab over to her restaurant in west hollywood called the The Boulevard Lounge at the corner of Crescent Hills And Santa Monica Blvd .
She was so excited to see us as she had never met my wife and son before . We had some great laughs about the old times and caught up on some new ones . We had a wonderful visit even though it was short . We had dinner there a sampling of her husbands Superb Cooking Skills . All I can say is WOW. The little sampler Gourmet burgers are unbelievably a taste sensation . The small appetizers called cajun crostini are in a league all of there own. The blackened salmon over saffron rice and seared spinach Was quite possibly the best tasting salmon I have ever eaten !!!!!Sorry my alaska friends but it is true . We also sampled the sheperds pie and my son had the hot wings and loved them . If you are ever in the area I highly recommend stopping by and having a bite you will not be dissapointed . http://www.theboulevardlounge.com/ and yes that is her on the cover.
We left LAXo on quantas at 12am pst time and arrived in brisbane at 6am OZ time 14 hours ahead difference in OZ and EST .We did manage to sleep at least 6 hours a piece on the 13 1/2 hour flight. Something I wasn`t so sure I could do at all. Proceeded through customs and flew from brisbane to cairns another 2 1/2 hr flight .
Ok, we are now in Cairns ,pronounced (Cannes) Now for the scary part . Have you ever driven on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car ? Well let me tell you it is quite a experience . First off you try and get in the wrong side of the car every time you get in and out . Second the blinker the gear shft the wiper switch the radio controls are all on the wrong side also , every time you try ans use your blinker you end up actuating your wipers, then you panic, and turn the blinker on the wrong way. Ever try making a making a right hand turn from the wrong side of the road to the wrong side of the road ? Everything about it is just wrong ! LOL. If thats not bad enough they have these things called traffic circles over here and they replace traffic lights most of the time, and traffic always goes in the same general direction . While it is a good idea, and it works ok, there are a few flaws in the system . sometimes you have 2 entrance lanes to these circles , you then add a set of cars coming in from the other road to these same 2 lanes, on the inside lane, and you also have a exit to another road on the outside lane , so if the car comin in from the other lane needs to exit on the next road, on the outside lane he will need to fight the two lanes originally coming in, cross to the outside lane, and exit from there, not to mention there are just yield way signs posted here, giving the traffic entering on the inside lane right of way at all times . Thats some crazy shit right there .
We then visited a grocery store to pick up some stuff . The trolleys or carts in the usa are exactly the same only all 4 wheels turn . unlike the usa where only the front 2 wheels turn . Try pushing one of these gems straight . Not to mention on the wrong side of the aisle . LOL! Everthing is measued in Kg and lunchmeat is 12 to 19$ a kg , potatoes are $3 kg
milk is 3 litres for under $4 , bread is $2 loaf . Chicken is $9 a kg for the most part and beef is pretty expensive around $14 or more a kg . I guess when you break it down to pounds it isn`t really all that bad. Exchanged some money at the bank at 1.06 rate and headed for the apartment . didn`t have any trouble getting here or finding the place . The owners are really wonderful and they have a really great location and a really great place . It is called Martinique on Macrossan and it is in Port Douglas . They put us on the ground floor and our patio is poolside . We are a block from 4 mile beach and we took a walk on it last night around dark so I didn`t get to see to much, the sand is very fine though unlike most beaches I have been to . I will report more later .
We walked through town last night and it kind of reminds me a gatlinburg a touristy , specialty shops area .
We read about a bar called the Iron Horse that has Cane Toad Races every night, We had dinner there and the races started at 8:15 . Dinner was nothing spectacular spent $40 on a burger fries ,kids meal ,and a chicken salad . the wait staff is horrible as I had read before about most places in OZ . there is no tipping because it is included in the meal because the minimum wage is so high and there "No Worries" atitude. I only had to wait for 1/2 an hour to get my bill paid and almost missed the start of the toad races .
The Mate running the races makes the show . He has six cane toads that he puts in a bucket and gets 6 people from the crowd and assigns each one a toad . first one off the table wins . The third and final race he holds a auction for the toads, bid starts at $10 and is never less than $20 and the prizes for the last race were a snorkeling trip, a trip the the croc farm and 1 other thing I didnt remember . The bar area holding the race was full and everyone invovled had a great time . It is alot of fun watching people try to get these Toads to move using a paper party favor that unrolls when you blow in it .
off for now going to due some opal mining, a little croc farming, and maybe a bike ride today . will post more later when I get time . No Worries
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23502476-7583,00.html
I decided this would bethe easiest way to keep everyone informed About our trip. we left Dayton at 11am est saturday morning and arrived in st. louis at 12.07 est . we then flew from STL to LAX and Arrived at LAX around 3 PST .
I have A cousin near LAX that I Have not seen for nearly 25 years . I tried to contact her numerous times over the past week and did get ahold of her . I finally reached my aunt and got her number . We took a cab over to her restaurant in west hollywood called the The Boulevard Lounge at the corner of Crescent Hills And Santa Monica Blvd .
She was so excited to see us as she had never met my wife and son before . We had some great laughs about the old times and caught up on some new ones . We had a wonderful visit even though it was short . We had dinner there a sampling of her husbands Superb Cooking Skills . All I can say is WOW. The little sampler Gourmet burgers are unbelievably a taste sensation . The small appetizers called cajun crostini are in a league all of there own. The blackened salmon over saffron rice and seared spinach Was quite possibly the best tasting salmon I have ever eaten !!!!!Sorry my alaska friends but it is true . We also sampled the sheperds pie and my son had the hot wings and loved them . If you are ever in the area I highly recommend stopping by and having a bite you will not be dissapointed . http://www.theboulevardlounge.com/ and yes that is her on the cover.
We left LAXo on quantas at 12am pst time and arrived in brisbane at 6am OZ time 14 hours ahead difference in OZ and EST .We did manage to sleep at least 6 hours a piece on the 13 1/2 hour flight. Something I wasn`t so sure I could do at all. Proceeded through customs and flew from brisbane to cairns another 2 1/2 hr flight .
Ok, we are now in Cairns ,pronounced (Cannes) Now for the scary part . Have you ever driven on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car ? Well let me tell you it is quite a experience . First off you try and get in the wrong side of the car every time you get in and out . Second the blinker the gear shft the wiper switch the radio controls are all on the wrong side also , every time you try ans use your blinker you end up actuating your wipers, then you panic, and turn the blinker on the wrong way. Ever try making a making a right hand turn from the wrong side of the road to the wrong side of the road ? Everything about it is just wrong ! LOL. If thats not bad enough they have these things called traffic circles over here and they replace traffic lights most of the time, and traffic always goes in the same general direction . While it is a good idea, and it works ok, there are a few flaws in the system . sometimes you have 2 entrance lanes to these circles , you then add a set of cars coming in from the other road to these same 2 lanes, on the inside lane, and you also have a exit to another road on the outside lane , so if the car comin in from the other lane needs to exit on the next road, on the outside lane he will need to fight the two lanes originally coming in, cross to the outside lane, and exit from there, not to mention there are just yield way signs posted here, giving the traffic entering on the inside lane right of way at all times . Thats some crazy shit right there .
We then visited a grocery store to pick up some stuff . The trolleys or carts in the usa are exactly the same only all 4 wheels turn . unlike the usa where only the front 2 wheels turn . Try pushing one of these gems straight . Not to mention on the wrong side of the aisle . LOL! Everthing is measued in Kg and lunchmeat is 12 to 19$ a kg , potatoes are $3 kg
milk is 3 litres for under $4 , bread is $2 loaf . Chicken is $9 a kg for the most part and beef is pretty expensive around $14 or more a kg . I guess when you break it down to pounds it isn`t really all that bad. Exchanged some money at the bank at 1.06 rate and headed for the apartment . didn`t have any trouble getting here or finding the place . The owners are really wonderful and they have a really great location and a really great place . It is called Martinique on Macrossan and it is in Port Douglas . They put us on the ground floor and our patio is poolside . We are a block from 4 mile beach and we took a walk on it last night around dark so I didn`t get to see to much, the sand is very fine though unlike most beaches I have been to . I will report more later .
We walked through town last night and it kind of reminds me a gatlinburg a touristy , specialty shops area .
We read about a bar called the Iron Horse that has Cane Toad Races every night, We had dinner there and the races started at 8:15 . Dinner was nothing spectacular spent $40 on a burger fries ,kids meal ,and a chicken salad . the wait staff is horrible as I had read before about most places in OZ . there is no tipping because it is included in the meal because the minimum wage is so high and there "No Worries" atitude. I only had to wait for 1/2 an hour to get my bill paid and almost missed the start of the toad races .
The Mate running the races makes the show . He has six cane toads that he puts in a bucket and gets 6 people from the crowd and assigns each one a toad . first one off the table wins . The third and final race he holds a auction for the toads, bid starts at $10 and is never less than $20 and the prizes for the last race were a snorkeling trip, a trip the the croc farm and 1 other thing I didnt remember . The bar area holding the race was full and everyone invovled had a great time . It is alot of fun watching people try to get these Toads to move using a paper party favor that unrolls when you blow in it .
off for now going to due some opal mining, a little croc farming, and maybe a bike ride today . will post more later when I get time . No Worries
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23502476-7583,00.html
Monday, March 31, 2008
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