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I know every two weeks!! A mixture of weak internet connection, organising travel location for new destinations and just having a great time with so much to see have all contributed to the delay.
I hope you enjoy - perhaps get a cuppa or a glass of wine!
We were ready to leave Australia and take up the new challenge, but our last fews days in Western Australia were so memorable. We celebrated Jeff's birthday in Mandurah- it has a man- made canal system where beautiful houses of varying sizes are perfectly positioned with their own water frontage and mooring. It is a protected area where dolphins swim in the canals and pelicans and all types of birds can be seen. Having time to watch the pelicans glide on the wind and frequently see the dolphins swimming was for me quite magical. Our Airbnb accomodation was a Bali style house - we had freedom of the whole house - was just fabulous, with incredibly lovely hosts, Iain and Tania. On the Saturday, Jeff's birthday, we met up with friends,John and Susan, who since retirement seemed to have found the ideal lifestyle - six months in Mandurah and six months in the UK. During the afternoon, they took us for a trip in their boat around the canals, it was truly beautiful. In the evening as the temperature dropped, we met up with their Australian friends who took us to a lovely Vietnamese restaurant and under the light of the silvery moon, the dolphins swam in front of their boat, which was our transport for night. After a rather ' boozy evening' where Jeff met two other people celebrating their birthdays - one attractive french lady, who was 40 and a man who was exactly the same age as Jeff, I felt I had the better deal. Jeff seemed to hug them and then everyone in close proximity. A great evening and we felt very lucky to have had such a wonderful day planned for us.
The following morning, with blue sky and sun beating down, we took the kayaks and explored the canals; however Jeff's 'cool' entry into the kayak, left me crying with laughter, as he stepped in, he lost his balance and was left clinging to the pontoon, with the kayak going in a different direction. Eventually they re- connected and all was well. Our adventure took us passed the most enormous houses, some stunning and elegant, some just too big! Clearly, a fortune is made in window cleaning. As the dolphins swam by, pelicans were serenely fishing with the shags, the white cockateels squawking above - it was just incredible. It was as if we were in one of those travel adverts.
By coincidence it was the host, Iain's birthday, so in the evening we were invited to join the celebrations on their boat, with their friends, such an enjoyable experience. It was a rather magical weekend.
Next stop Margaret River (Margz), everyone had told us - 'you will love Margaret River, it's a must for all visitors to WA.'
Well, they were not wrong. It is unique and special place. There are wineries and wineries and more wineries, with a few breweries as well. Believe me, during this trip we have sampled quite alot of wine , naturally for wine tasting purposes. Here it was different, there were hundreds all together - set in perfectly manicured suroundings -the sight of the autumn leaves in the sunlight and the roses in bloom was stunning.
Each vineyard has it's own style and are run by families who clearly made the right decision quite a few years ago. Some are big concerns with restaurants, while others are small, but all are happy to share 'free tasting' in the hope that you will be tempted to buy a few bottle of 'Cab Sav, Chardonnay, SB and SSB or Shiraz - all are 'set up' to export to any where in the world. No, we were not tempted, only a bottle of Shiraz liqueur, simply divine. We just loved the place, in amongst the vineyards were places that sold olive oil, chuntney, jam and honey. Then there is the Art and the beer tasing sessions- paricularly recommend 'Cheeky Monkey Brewery.'
Margaret River has a rugged coastline where the surfers do their stuff on the most phenomenal waves we had ever seen. The folk of Margz are in tune with nature - they swim with the sharks and there is a mutual respect for each other. Surfers and anyone who enters the water know the risk - the attacks seem to happen in winter under the heavy cloudy skies. There are memory plaques that all denote that the surfer loved life and the waves. They resent the fact that sharks are killed.
Waking to the sound of the kookaburras 'laughing' and sounding like monkeys in the tall trees was quite something. The weather was glorious, although cold in the morning the temperature rose rapidly. One morning, the plan was to go for another walk- the coastal route, dressed in shorts and thongs (flip flops), we found the path.
It was quite overgrown, but we thought nothing of it, until we had walked a little way and something slithered across my feet. I thought it was possibly a shadow but moments later a thin brown snake crossed my path and out of the corner of my eye I saw a blue and green shape basting in the sun. Could it be a lizard? - its head was large and its body was possibly in the undergrown. I yelped , as I suddenly thought of a programme I watched about brown snakes. Instantaneously, Jeff and I agreed that we were not dressed appropriately for such a walk; within seconds Jeff exited the spot with the highest knee lifts you have ever seen. Feeling slightly abandoned, I quickly hopped, skipped and jumped out. Unsure of whether we were being whimps we retold the story to our then landlady, Claudia. She told us that they were most probably brown snakes, as they frequent the footpath and if bitten it would be quite serious and thought that we had done the right thing. When I described the other creature she thought it was either a legless lizard or another snake. We both breathed a sigh of relief at being rather wise.
Our final week was spent in Freemantle ( Freo), it's the port and since holding the America's Cup a number of years ago,it has been tranformed into a bussling, lively place known for breweries. Here 'Creatures Brewery' was our favourite - free beer tasting and it was delicious. It had an eclectic mix of shops, from hippy to chic boutiques. The food was delicious, the food shops, were all geared around fresh produces and amazing selection of herbs, spices and beans.(Kallis Sisters). We feel that we could write a really good guide on what to do and where to go.
While in Perth we met up with our neighbour, Dina's friends Prakash and Dhulani - they were fabulous company and took us on the sightseeing tour of the places to go and live on the Swann River. We had a wonderful dinner in a restaurant right on the waters edge. It was fabulous to watch the waves crash onto the beach while eating our meal, later still we went for dessert in Perth, a very fashionable district. The restaurants are chic and classic in style. It's strange how sometimes you can meet people that you have never met before and instantly get on. The hours just disappeared.
On the day we left Perth, Dhulani organised for us to go up the Rio Tinto tower, the view was spectacular eventhough I clung closely to the wall and the exit, Jeff went on a tour and saw the city from every perspective. It was the perfect end to our tour of Australia. Dhulani took us to the airport and we were off to our next destination.
An action packed week in Hong Kong.
After a night flight to Hong Kong we arrived tired but curious to be in a different culture and to see Nick Wilson, Andy's youngest. We took his tips and soon found ourselves on the HK express into Central. The first sight that struck me were the terracotta pink and pale green towers blocks that reached up into the sky as we sped to our destination. Arriving in a sea of moving people, we found Hollywood Rd; however it was not until later that there was an easier route that would have eliminated the steep steps - I know we could also have taken a taxi.
In the rising heat and under the heavy skies, we walked passed the markets and crowded narrow streets, the sights and sounds, colours and smells, which either delighted the senses or made the nostrils flare. Our hotel, Butterfly on Hollywood, is located in a perfect location Sheung Wan district. Soon refreshed we went off exploring our new 'patch.' The sights in the local market are definitely unusual - you just have to accept different and different it cetainly is. Hundreds of questions came into my head, but answers were not to be found. Fish of every shape, size and colour. FromToads to intestines. Vibrant coloured fruit and vegetables all available in vast quantities everywhere. Other shops, selling items dried goods for cooking - and yet not sure what to do with them. Tea shops. Reindeer antlers and other body parts. Shopping centres and malls. Everything so new.
Nick and his girlfriend Jo, organised a schedule, the perfect hosts. The first being a trip to a local Island, Lantau, there are so many all accessed by a network of ferry, we hiked to a beach, where we found a fashionable bar, we swam in the boundary of the shark net and had a bite to eat. It was a quick turnaround and within a short time to get back to the hotel and changed, we were off on a 'junk' not quite the image that will be in your mind,those junks have almost gone. There we were seeing the lights and skyline of Hong Kong from the water with a group of Nick friends from the football club. The majority of which had all taken up the challenge to work in Hong Kong, it was just so interesting to hear their stroies. It was a great night.
On Sunday we went to local restaurant, the good ones are busy and everything happens quickly, you select, you eat , you go. Having Nick and Jo to explain was amazing, I'm not sure we may have selected the 'right ' choice without them. The menu is written in both chinese and english, we found we didn't know what things actually were. The choices were good, and explosion of flavours in the mouth and the tastes were delicious.
As we walked through the central walk ways in the city, hundreds of maids gather for their weekly social event,. They set up their designated areas on cardboard boxes and bring their food with them. They live in houses and Sunday is their day off, I was just fascinated.
In the afternoon, we went on the 'Star ferry' and we went for a drink in the Ozone bar - 118 floors up in the Ritz Carlton Hotel, I surprised myself - the view was just unbelieveable.
Hong Kong is changing and so many new buildings and high class shoppping centres are everywhere. Shop until you drop is definitely the case here.
So many people all on the move, yet the transport system seem to get everyone to where ever they want to go. Buses, trains, trams all run regularly and efficiently - very few queues any where.
We went on a bus to Sky Tower - it was similar climb to see 'The Christ' in Brazil, the double decker just went up and up, negogiating the twists and turns until we reached the top above the sky scrapers, we looked down on the Ritz Carlton, At this height we found a shopping Mall, as you do in Hong Kong. There was the most stunning viewing platform accessed by three levels of escalators with sheer glass sides. Jeff enjoyed the experience, while I observed and explored the shops.
Meeting up with Nick and Jo in the evening to share more amazing food, this time a famous Din Tai Fung restaurant - the food was like being on a cookery show. Dim sum with soup inside!!
Tomorrow, we are off to Hong Kong Jockey Club to watch the races. The Hong Kong experience has been truly wonderful. So I'll finish for now and catch up with everyone soon. Thank you so much for your comments and your messages. Take care - love to you all. I'm so pleased that the weather has improved.
Reflective Notes on 'Stralia from the Old Boy
After 7 weeks in 'Stralia we have now moved on and not through boredom or dissatisfaction I think that we were both excited about a new adventure and what was to come in Asia.
On refelection, I do not think that you can ever do Australia full justice even if you lived there, it is just too big and diverse in culture wherever you go. It is 31.5 times bigger than the UK and has a population of 22 million people and the majority of them are in six Cities namely Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and all of these are miles apart. Overall this gives an average population density of 2.7 people per sq. km. against a UK average of 250 per sq.km. and I have not had the chance to check what the London figure is!
There is a common theme throughout the Country that is more dominant in the rural areas which are vast but does also apply to many big City suburbs, and that is early nights. We talked to a Warden in the old City Jail in Fremantle which was a non convict area during settlement and he told us of a 10.00pm curfew bell which was rung and anybody found on the streets afterwards was put 'inside' for the night and presented to the Magistrate. To a certain extent we feel that this philosophy still sub-consciously prevails as many bars and restaurants close by 9.00 pm. Please don't take this too literally, it is an observation. We had the most wonderful time there, we were treated wonderfully by both old and new friends that we met up with there, and by everybody along the way. The diversity of foods, bars, restaurants and general cultures were a pleasure to experience but I think you just have to call us 'Townies'.
Architecturally the Cities are fabulous with a great link between the ultramodern and traditional and hopefully some of our photos have demonstrated this. Rurally the towns still retain what I remember from travel books that I read in the Fifties with verandas and in more limited locations boardwalks still in place. One feature dominates my mind and that relates to clever retention of old warehouse facades in Fremantle which up to the Americas Cup, which I think was 1980, was the main function of the area. To keep this ambience they have Planning philosophy whereby the old external walls are retained with residential development inside which provides the structural support around the outside. The roof is then removed creating an external Atrium within with gardens and car parking. This is a bit like the Battersea Power Station development but obviously smaller.
Getting back to my old favourite of drink, I think that I can safely say that the wine was fabulous throughout with plenty of chances to taste both in the numerous wineries and in Bottle Shops and Supermarkets, It's a shame about the brown paper bags that you collect in the Botle shops but that just seems to be the law! I think that I have been a bit derogatory about the Aussie beer previously but in WA I found decent stuff both in Margaret River and in Perth. I think my favourite was a Brewery called 'Little Creatures' in Fremantle which produced a great range of about six or eight different ales including a Stout which made Jackie happy! There are however querky laws in Australia about where alcohol can and can't be consumed. at one brewery there is a Tap room and a seperate bar/restaurant beside it with a public footway between about 1.5m wide. Jackie and I were having a drink in the Tap room one evening and chasing the sun but forgot the rules and crossed the path to the Bar garden with full glasses, only to get reprimanded!
A fabulous seven weeks with great friends, people, food and drink but there were two things that I missed. The first was my bike and the second was that I did not get to drive one of the 8 cylinder 6.0 litre UTEs!!
All the very best to you all and take care of yourselves.
Notes from the Old Boy
- comments
Fiona Hi Jackie & Jeff, Thanks for adding me to the blog - fascinating stuff, I look forward to reading the next installment and will catch up with the older blogs too. Fiona xx
Ann Whiteley So good to hear from you - I was beginning to think you had got lost in the out back!! Hong Kong sounds fascinating and a real culture change from your travels thus far. Very impressed that you are both writing the blog - maybe a new vocation awaits you on your return! Keep enjoying stay safe and look forward to the next instalment. Love to you both from both of us xx
Kare It sounds like a really great visit to Australia. How time is flying by, and you are moving toward home now. It is good having some sunshine here although it is not that warm for long. Martin is hoping to catch up with Andy and Nick tomorrow for the footie so he will be getting all the untold stories then. Keep having fun, miss you love Kate
Dianne Wonderful reports on your time in Oz and Hong Kong The way you write, Jackie makes me feel I am experiencing the events with you. Well done Enjoy the next phase both of you. Dianne xx
Dave &Jan Hi Jackie &Jeff We've been reading with great interest your blog & reliving some of our own experiences though yours. We are so pleased you're having such a great time and I think however you must be quite exhausted. Have you managed to go up to the peak on the Venicular yet? There is a great restaurant at the top. Jan & Dave Few From NewOrleans.
Karen Seaton Hi Jackie & Jeff - I took your advice and got a glass of wine (not that I needed an excuse!), then settled down to read your blog! What wonderful descriptions of your travels and experiences in Australia and Hong Kong. Keep on having a wonderful time!! Karen (Seaton) xx
Steve Hi to both of you and thanks for the update. You've already lots of experiences up your sleeves already and it's been great reading all of them. Would have liked to see you both doing the high stepping flip flop routine in the bush, not to mention Jeffs kayak launch! Looking forward to reading your oriental section. All good here, new kitchen going in hopefully done before the'twins' arrive. Continue having fun.