AUSTRALIA

Fall 2004

Hello everyone

After spending almost two week travelling to Vancouver and visiting with relatives we are now in Sydney. Japan Airlines via Tokyo was smooth without any problems. Sydney is a beautiful city with many historical and modern buildings. It is exceptionally clean and the people are very friendly. We are staying in the downtown area and we are walking everywhere. We have taken the Monorail around the harbour area. Yesterday we took in the Opera "The Marriage of Figaro" at the Sydney Opera House. The building is quite spectacular! Tuesday we pick up our van camper only a few blocks from our hotel (Philip Street Travelodge). Our camper rate is $49.95/day with insurance and is almost 1/3 the price of some of the quotes we received on the Internet and Travel agents. With our sightseeing I have seen 16 new birds. Some quite brilliant and very different from ours. We are fine and so far jet lag has not been much of a problem. Bye for now Irene and Chris

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Sept 28, 2004 Hi Everyone The story goes that a man went to his travel agent to inquire about a driving trip to beautiful Australia - land of sunshine beaches and Kangaroos. "Very good choice" said the agent, "but they drive on the left". "Let me think about it" said the man, "I will call you tomorrow" The next day he called and cancelled the trip. He said "I tried this driving on the left and did not like it".

We picked up our camper - a Toyoto the size of a VW about a week ago - travelling north from Sydney. Driving on the left is one thing but why do they have the turn signal lever on the right and the one for the windshield wipers on the left? Every time you turn a corner you turn the wipers on. Should have a word with Toyota. We drove about 3 hours per day and usually stayed in National Parks overnight. A little bit of rain but mostly sunshine. Great changes in scenery from hilly country along rivers, lakes to rock formations. Good hiking, 90 new lifers (birds) for Irene so far. Parks do not allow pets of any kind, no picking of firewood off the ground . Firewood provided in some locations. Fees from $3 per person plus $3 for making a fire in primitive campsites. Met many friendly and helpful Aussies, some birders, but very few foreigners.

The only shortwave signals in English that we have been able to receive so far are from the USA. "Voice of America" and a few American christian stations - the same type that we get in Mexico. We can get German and Dutch but no CBC. CBC broadcasts in a dozen languages all over the world but does not seem to be heard in Australia. We are halfway up to Brisbane inland above a gorge and waterfall in a wooded park with mostly eucalyptus type trees. Irene did some laundry today. We have a clothesline strund between two trees and over the campter. Have seen different species of Wallabys and Kangaroos, and one wild dog called a Dingo. I don't think they call female dogs Dinga. Here is a list of our overnight stops Myall River Camp Crowdy Bay National Park Dorrigo Cathedral Rocks National Park Oxley River National Park For all of you heading south - we wish you a safe trip.

G'day mates Chris and Irene

AUSTRALIA – DOWN UNDER BUT ALSO DIFFERENT!!

Observations:

1. There is virtually no graffiti – North American culture has not extended to this art form.

2. Toilets have full or half flush handle settings.

3. Sunrises in the east and at noon it goes north and sets in the west. Very disconcerting for orientation.

4. Wombats, Kangaroos, Wallabys, Koalas. Which of them make good sausages? You are correct it is Kangaroo. In the supermarkets meat department there is a section beside the other meats for Kanga meat. Very popular are the so called Kanga Bangers for frying or barbies.

5. Water swirls counter-clockwise.

6. No pennies exist – the smallest currency is 5 cents. We could learn from that.

7. Way south on Phillips Island there is this unbelievable phenomenon. At precisely 5 minutes after sunset on the storm swept really cold beach and very rough sea all of a sudden in groups of 15 or 20 or more of Little Penguins appear in front of you out of the water and slowly waddle past amazed spectators into the low brush to their burrows. Unafraid of humans they will come within less than a meter of the people. This scene takes place every day of the year. The penguins go to the sea in the morning, not one seems to be left behind (except when nesting) – they swim out up to 20 km to hunt and return when it becomes too dark.

8. Wilson's Promontory is the most southern of mainland Australia. It protrudes out quite a distance out into the sea and at one time was the connection with what is Tasmania. High green mountains, beautiful scenery, yellow sand beaches and rugged coastline

Here are some of the posted signs that we saw:

Traffic signs:

1. If you drink and drive you're a bloody idiot!

2. Don't sleep and drive.

3. Long time dead – so what's the hurry!

4. Yawning? A micro sleep can kill!

5. Drowsy drivers die

Numerous designated rest stops are located along all highways.

Sheilas and Blokes do not pee crap or spew around the trees only in the compost Loo or your own tent.

Other important signs:

1. No pet allowed of any kind in National Parks – no exceptions. (Also applies to many private campgrounds.)

2. Sign in grocery stores – Under 18 drinking - $500, using someone else's ID - $500

We went on a few hikes and saw two large snakes over a meter long. One was the infamous Tiger Snake, which can be very aggressive. One lady, who experiences an attack, described it as like a bicycle tire rolling towards her at amazing speed.

Australia has some wonderful little towns with well under 5,000 people that were founded around 1900. All well kept with street made into pedestrian malls, sidewalk cafes, restaurants and stores etc. Very English with little North American influence. Australia is a wonderful place to live and visit and in our opinion will become more attractive in the world while we believe the Americas are going the other way. The people were very friendly and helpful. They were willing to give loads of information of where to travel and what to enjoy in their country.

Two months driving through Australia gives you only a small taste of that large country. One of the most spectacular roads in the world is the Great Ocean Road along the coast west of Melbourne. Unbelievable, colorful, rugged rock formations fighting against an onslaught of wild wave action of blue and green water. Blow holes, white ocean spray 10 to 20 meters high, the noise of wind, gulls, cormorants and other birds. It it a 2 day trip for most people and a must if you are near Melbourne. There is a ferry service that connects the highways that lets you bypass Melbourne about 50 km south you avoid the heavy traffic which to use out weighed the attraction of the large city.

Our last few days were again spent in Sydney where we stayed at the Philip Street Travelodge. Our room was equipped with a small kitchen and this made it very convenient. We again enjoyed to see the historical and grand buildings of the downtown area. The hotel was close to the Botanical Gardens, the Opera House, the Quay and Darling Harbour.

We enjoyed the use of a campervan as it allowed us the freedom to stay in town and as well the natural surroundings of State Parks. The weather varied from hot in the Brisbane area to cold and windy on the south coast. We had rain and storms for only a few days and the rest were sunny. The 2 months of travel went by very fast. If we visit again we would like to see Western Australia.

Irene and Chris

JAPAN

Nov. 15-22, 2004

Tokyo skyline from Tokyo Tower

Mt. Fuji

Our trip to Australia was on Japan Airlines and since we had a stop over in Tokyo we were excited to take advantage of this and plan for one week of sight-seeing in Japan.

After having a camping trip to Australia and seeing nature in the raw this would be the exact opposite. We arrived at the huge Tokyo airport in the evening and were met by Chris' friend, Tatjana, who lives there with her family. It was a long drive back to Tokyo and we did have some difficulty locating the Hotel in the Ginza district. Tatjana even had printed a map and a GPS, but with one-way streets and back lanes it was still difficult. Since she speaks Japanese a couple of taxi drivers were consulted.

At Temple in Kyoto

We checked into our comfortable room for our one night in Tokyo as we prepared for our tour to start the next morning at 8 am. A bus picked us up at our Hotel and took us to a central tourist bus station where we joined the tour for our 3 day trip to Mt. Fiji, Hakone, Kyoto and Nara. The land arrangements were handled by JTB (Japanese Travel Bureau) and every guide was there to meet and take us on every tour. It all worked like clockwork.

We saw Mt. Fuji in all its glory! Actually we saw it for 2 days and it was awesome. At the 5^th station (this is the end of the road and you must climb from there) the temperature was only 5'c with a wind. The trees reminded me of the northern Arctic. There are shops so it is commercialized. After a Japanese style lunch (delicious) and served in a covered lacquered box, we would experience the lake district and stay in a hotel in the hot springs area of Hakone. Almost all of the tourists at the Hotel were Japanese as foreigners make up only about 3% of the travelers. We were tired in the evening and decided to go to the local 24hour convenience store for some sandwiches and such. We also bought the makings for breakfast in our room as all hotels supply a hot pot to make tea and have a small fridge.

We now will experience our first bullet train to Kyoto – called the Shinkansen. We drove through rice paddies, one city after another, mountains, tunnels, bridges and another view of Mt. Fuji. One tunnel was 8km long which we went through in 3 minutes. The train was very quiet, smooth and very clean.

Kiyomizudera Temple, Kyoto

We had 2 nights in Kyoto with one day viewing the Shrines and historical buildings and the final day for a trip to Nara. Nara is a World Heritage
Site but our view was a little disappointing as we had a heavy downpour. There were dozens of buses there and one small group of uniformed school children approached us and spoke a few words of English. The teacher came and said they were studying English and they had never met a non-Japanese before. We were thrilled to talk to them and, of course, we took their picture.

On our own we did a walking tour of the Gion District where the Geisha girls and the Theatre of Japanese opera is performed daily.

We again boarded the Shinkansen for the return to Tokyo. It is 500 km with 3 stops and in 2hrs and 40 minutes. I could not focus on the birds that I saw passing by our window. We arrived at our original hotel again and left the next morning for Nikko. It was a full day of driving and touring the area. This again is another World Heritage Site. Very colorful Temples, Pagodas and carvings including the original “See no evil, Speak no evil and Hear no evil”. From there we proceeded up a very steep mountain with about 20 switchbacks each way. Tall
pines covered the mountains. At the top we again enjoyed the Japanese lunch by a large mountain lake. This is a recreational area. Many of the boats were colorfully made like ducks and swans. The lake flowed out at a high waterfall. We arrived back into Tokyo well after dark.

In our travels to the different Japan locations we passed through many areas of Tokyo – passed the river with shipping and tourist boats, dozens of baseball diamonds by the river banks, one skyscraper after another, beautiful shopping plazas, Emperors Palaces, Government offices and shoppers everywhere. Since we had a general view of the city, Tatjana took us to the world famous Fish Market, the Tokyo Tower and Art Gallery. The vista of 360' of Tokyo was breathtaking.

Our flight home was swift and took only 7 ½ hours instead of 9 hours due to tail winds. At one point we were cruising at

about 1250 kmh ground speed.

SOUTH AFRICA

Fall 2005

South Africa is a huge country and we spent weeks in the planning. We had to plan our best route for birds and animals, with time for sightseeing.

Our six weeks in Africa involved lots of travelling (driving on the left), birdwatching, sightseeing and mainly watching for animals that Africa is so famous for.

Starting at the beginning. Our flight originated in Toronto, changed to South African Airways in New York and stopped in Dakar, Senegal for refueling. Seventeen hours later we landed in Johannesburg where we were met by a representative of our van rental company and taken to a very nice Bed and Breakfast -Klip Els. The next day we outfitted our camper with supplies and headed out of town. Our next stops included Witbank (Dam Recreation Area) and Wakkerstroom (Weavers Rest B&B, and Die Oude Stasi).

On to Nature Reserves. Poponga and Mkuzi where we saw a variety of animals at the drying-up water hole. Birds were numerous and kept us busy identifying them. We had hoped to see elephants but because of lack of water they had moved out of the St. Lucia area to Charters Creek where we had just come from.

We left the Indian Ocean area and our camp that was infested with Ververt Monkeys and Mongooses. These were actually pests and broke into any camp that had food around wasn't locked up and stored properly. It actually was funny watching the attendant trying to chase them off and they only made a circle around him and went back to the camp. We have this circus captured on video tape.

Eschowe. This town has a beautifully built aerial skyway, great museum basket gallery and restaurant. We stayed a couple of nights in the Municipal Campground and walked along the river, which had a biking/walking trail. We needed some car repairs and this was promptly done while we went for lunch and did our Internet.

Leaving Eschowe for Lake Eland Game Ranch, Port Shepstone we gassed-up at Ultra City ( a full service mall along the freeway). This particular one had a number of handicraft shops with great items and very good prices. We bought a carved African chair, which now is in use in our Living room. We drove to Shepstone via the Oribi Gorge as we thought we could camp there, but the camp was closed and with inquiries we found the Game Ranch. We had rain in Eschowe and here we had a high wind, which was fine the second day. We found a spectacular coffee shop overlooking a deep river gorge. The Leopard Rock Coffee House – excellent food and coffee.

On to Underberg the popular starting point for trips up the steep and treacherous road to Lesotho. We had rented a used camper (the price was right), but after fixing the carburetor we now had work on the muffler as we could smell exhaust in the camper. The shop took it in right away and we were soon on our way again. The local Nature Reserve was closed for camping and ended up parking at Sani Tours B & B. This was very handy as we were travelling with them the next day. The road to Sani Pass can only be done in 4x4 as it is steep, extremely rough and spectacular. We had a gorgeous day for the trip with lots of picture opportunities. At the top 2900m (9500') it was quite barren with very little vegetation. The restaurant was operated by the local people and did a great job of serving everyone and the food was also very good. The setting was awesome overlooking the valley below. We had a tour and informative talk about the local people and their customs. We had some special bird sightings on this high elevation including small ice rats.

Leaving Underberg we stopped at Howick Falls (very touristy) and found the KZN Nature Conservation Park at Midmar. It was a dam and recreational center, but was quiet when we were there. We only stayed one night and the next day we drove through Ladysmith. It was market day and very busy and not inviting to stop. Just north of there is the location where Nelson Mandela was captured. It was rolling hills, green with lots of trees. Before arriving at Memel we drove a high pass area. Memel has a large wetlands – Seekoeivlei. We obtained the key to the gate at the Tourist Information Centre and spent the day driving the wetlands. We enjoyed 2 meals and beer at the local hotel. The food was excellent and the ambiance of the old hotel was most pleasant.

We left the scenic clean air of the Memel area and Dumel Caravan Park and on to Village Lodge & Campground, Laskop Dam. We drove through the coal mining area with huge double trucks transporting coal to the electric plants. Not pleasant! Loskop Dam was not too productive for animals except for monkeys and one giraffe. It was very dry and the gravel road was dusty. We camped beside a stream and it was good for birding. The large new bathroom only had bathtubs for the women and 1 shower and bathtubs for the men. We found every camp had one or more bathtubs and a shower and they were very clean and spacious.

Dinonyane Lodge, Nylvlei was our next stop. Again we saw the effects of the drought. The marshland was dry and there was only a little water left in the low area. We decided to treat ourselves to a stay in a lodge near the Reserve. The area was disappointing for birds and animals – due to the dryness.

We stayed 2 nights and on to the mountainous area in the Magoebaskloof area. This is a wooded mountain area with winding road. The road was excellent but curvy. We stayed at the lovely Ruskamp Lodge and Campground. Our drive took us through a dusty very poor area near Petersburg and by the huge razor wired area of Zion City (a religious group). There was a campground advertised in Tzaneen at the main hotel, but it was closed and we were directed out of town (had trouble finding the right road) to Camp David (through a farmers field) at Olcalaco. Birding was good in the campground.

We had 2 more stops before we get to Kruger National Park. First do Adventura Blyde Canyon. What a canyon area!. Huge sculptured rocks, deep canyons, rivers and waterfalls. As we travelled we stopped at all the viewpoints and rest stops. One stop was particularly interesting as a local fellow was watching and being the protector of a small Taita Falcon family. He was being sponsored by a birding group but was there to show us where it was nesting high on the cliff. The Falcon is endangered as it si in high demand by the Arab Princes for falconry. Each viewpoint was beautiful, and each had vendors selling tablecloths, animal carvings and all tourist souvenirs. We did buy a few small things especially the tablecloths. Had difficulty finding a campground in Hazyview. Here we encountered our first security problem. After grocery shopping in Hazyview we were putting things away inside the vehicle when a long arm reached in and had ahold of Irene's purse. She screamed and he let go of it. The security women were right there dealing with the young men. The women carry long hardwood sticks which they use to enforce the law.

Our last week is spent driving the length of Kruger National Park, which afforded many animal sightings. The weather started out very hot in the south 40'C every day but became more pleasant as we drove north. It was extremely dry and the water holes were starting to dry up. One large campground (Shingwedze) was on the verge of closing as the wells had run dry. We stayed at a different site every night, and in one case took a cabin. We had reserved and paid for all the campsites before leaving home via the Internet. We had heard of people not being able to get into Kruger as they were completely booked and we did not wish that to happen as this is a very special place. The camps we went to were Crocodile Bridge, Lower Sabie, Satara, Letaba, Shingwidzi and Punda Maria. All the campsites here were without any grass, dusty and poorly maintained. The bathrooms were very clean and well kept. We saw “the big 5” elephant, rhino, giraffe, hippo and lion. Our view of the lions was not great, but we did see them. The main road was excellent, but some of the side gravel roads were very rough.

From Punda Maria camp in the north we left for Ben Lavin Nature Reserve. The route took us by a “Homeland” settlement that went on for miles and miles. Our next day was a long drive to Mar-Leo Camp, Roodeplaat Dam. A pretty spot beside a lake, but the camp buildings were mediocre. We were just north of Johannesburg so our final days drive was not long. After dealing with all the traffic on the outskirts of the city and returning the vehicle we settled into the Klip-Els B & B for our last night in South Africa.

It had been a good trip, we saw lots of everything. We saw 340 species of birds and almost all of these were first time sightings. This was all quite exciting – the first was just as beautiful as the last one we saw. The roads and infrastructure of South Africa is excellent, and this includes the condition of the roads and the sign-age. We did buy bottled water for drinking but the water systems were good where ever we went. We are glad we made this trip before there are drastic changes in this country. There still is unrest and the insecurity about the future for the Afrikaners.

Our return flight was about 17 hours with a stop in Cape Verde for refuelling and then a plane change in Atlanta. Our advise is never do this – being in transit and having to land in the USA you are required to clear Customs as if you were staying and then go through security again to board your flight to Canada. You are asked what is the reason for your visit and it is only to catch the flight to Toronto. It is a long gruelling process and we have vowed NEVER to transit through the USA again.

CHINA

July 20, 2006

Hello to all! We recently returned from a memorable trip to China. Without a doubt this was an experience beyond expectations. Our 15 day trip was remarkably reasonable. An incredible value for the money.

We visited Beijing, The Great Wall, the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian, in Guilin we enjoyed a day cruise on the beautiful Li River, a 3 day cruise down the Yangtze River, to Wuhan and a flight to Shanghai. Pacific Rim Travel did an outstanding job on this well planned itinerary. Our reliable guide, Peter, accompanied our group of 7 people from arrival in Beijing until our departure. A job well done.

To see the detailed itinerary go to www.pacificrimtravel.com and check tour called Guilin and Yangtze River Explorer. Take the trip! You would be amazed by this remarkable country.

Some of our co-travellers considered this the best trip they had taken. Have a great summer! Chris and Irene