Thailand.. Errr Uhh...New Zealand

I have seen the most beautiful place in the world. I spent this whole trip just stunned at what I was seeing. Every inch of land we covered in New Zealand was picturesque and lovely, ridiculously so. A post card around every corner. We have lots of fun tales to tell about our two-week adventure, but how we ended up in New Zealand is a somewhat interesting tale in itself...

So the original plan was to visit Thailand in December and New Zealand in late January/early February. We were committed to visiting these places at these times because it would be the peak season for both, and because, come May, traveling's taking a backseat to the little adventure that's now kicking me on a daily basis. Little did we know that the political unrest that had been building in Thailand, especially over the last few months, would climax with bombings of both Bangkok airports, gunfire, and breaking of police lines the very morning we were due to arrive in Bangkok. Let me be clear that I support the Thai people or any people in asserting themselves against a corrupt government entity. However, I'm not gonna lie...we were pretty miffed and disappointed that it meant we had to postpone a long-awaited venture to what's been described to us as an amazing, unforgettable place to visit.

Here's what happened in a nutshell: early on November 26, we arrived at the Tokyo airport and awaited our connecting flight to Bangkok. After having our flight delayed 1 hour, 3 hours, and then indefinitely (awesome!), we deemed it wise to embark on a little internet investigation to find out what the heck was going on. Once we learned how out of control the situation was in Bangkok and subsequently realized that it would probably not be our smartest move to put ourselves in the midst of such precarious circumstances, our first response was 'crap'. We practically had the word 'crap' written on our faces in bold type. We were so disappointed. Several desperate moments later, Matt says, "Ok, I say we either go to Malaysia and Singapore or New Zealand". Although going to New Zealand was the furthest thing from our minds this time of year, another brief internet search revealed the surprising fact that Dec. 1 is the beginning of summer for New Zealand, and therefore maybe not a bad time to visit. I was pretty sure this was our best bet, but Matt was a hard sell at first due to our Chile experience, in which case we visited during the off-season to 'avoid the crowds' and were rewarded with empty trails that were empty for a reason...they were snow-covered and impassable. After back and forth-ing for about an hour, we decided to take a chance and go for it. By 10 o'clock that night we were on a flight bound for Sydney, where we would then connect to Aukland. Did I mention that on our 10 hour flight from Tokyo to Sydney we were engulfed by upwards of 250 uniformed Japanese high school students? Avoid this experience if at all possible.

So we arrived at the Sydney airport early Nov. 27, bought a travel book on New Zealand, and four hours later we were in Aukland, near the top of the North Island. We spent a day exploring Aukland (and stressfully planning this last-minute voyage), then rented a campervan for the rest of our journey. Over the next 14 days, we traveled south, stopping in Rotorua, Taupo, Tongariro National Park, and Martinborough in the North Island, and continuing via ferry onto Picton, Motueka, Franz Josef, Wanaka, Te Anau, and Queenstown in the South Island. Somehow we totally lucked out and were blessed with gorgeous late spring-like weather and lots of great trails, lakes, streams, and beaches all to ourselves. With only a little over two weeks to take in this vast landscape, at times we felt we were viewing the breathtaking scenary in fast forward, but we also ended the trip feeling as if we had gotten an eyefull of this awesome country. Here is a map of the main stops along the way:

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Aukland was a great little city...lots of cafes and fancy eateries right on the water...your typical happenin port city. A lot like San Fransisco. A great aspect of it that we got only a little taste of is all the fantastic day trips that surround it. By car or by ferry, there's lots of little islands and hamlets to discover. We took a 15 minute ferry to Devonport one evening for dinner and were instantly jealous of everyone who lives there. Gently sloping streets, cottage style houses and gardens, sailboats gliding by...you get the picture. The Aukland museum is now my favorite museum in the world--an awesome display of native South Pacific cultures--just really, really cool stuff...100 ft. long intricately carved canoes, spears, jade jewelry and weapons, body ornamentation made of every imaginable material from elaborate, colorful feathers and beading to boar tusks and dogs teeth. We caught a performance there of a traditional Maori pre-war "dance" called the haka, which was probably the most intimidating display I've ever witnessed. It's performed by both men and women, and involves lots of rhythmic loud chanting and a variety of threatening stances, motions and facial expressions (widened eyeballs that look like they're about to pop out of the head, tongues extended down to the chin, baring of teeth)--5 seconds of this and you're quite convinced these people could tear you up. I mean, it was just a performance, but even still I felt like screaming for the exit more than once. Apparently if a haka was successful, there would never even be a war.

Above are some masks from the museum in Aukland where we learned a lot about the native Maori culture. They have lots of intricate carvings, it's common to use embedded paua (abalone) shells.

The next city we based ourselves in was Rotorua, an attractive little city filled with geothermal springs, set against rolling green hills (very eggy-smelling due to the sulfur...New Zealand sits over the meeting point of two tectonic plates--the Indo-Australian and the Pacific--hence all the geothermal springs, boiling mud pools, volcanoes, and mountains). Our campervan park even had its own springs that you could enjoy for free. Probably my favorite memory from visiting this area was riding the Zorb (see picture below). I'd seen this thing on the Today show and on the Amazing Race, and I knew one day I too would Zorb. Pretty fun splashin and slidin around in there with Matt. You always hear New Zealand described as a thrill-seekers paradise--pretty much everywhere you go you can find all kinds of opportunities to scare the piss out of yourself (canyoning, white water rafting, sky diving, bungee jumping, hang gliding, sledging--white water body boarding, base jumping, etc.).

Most of NZ looks like this, just add 40 million sheep and you'll get the picture.

NZ has a Redwood Forrest like Yosemite, just smaller. This is just outside Rotorua. Vicki is such a tree hugger.

Zorbing is one of those ridiculous things that you have to try when presented with the opportunity--you jump superman-style through a hole in the side and then they send you rolling down the hill. We had to lie about Vic being preggers, it was pretty harmless in the end and quite fun. We're pretty sure we now have a good idea of what baby Welton is experiencing.

The Lake Taupo region and Tongariro National Park in the middle of the North Island were our next destinations. Here are some pics (complete with commentary compliments of Matt):

What set out to be a little jaunt to a po dunk waterfall turned out to be a 7+ hr trek to the Tema Lakes, arguably the best hike of the trip.

Vicki with "Mt. Doom" looming over her shoulder. We felt bound together as we hiked closer and closer to its base. Exhaustion overcame us as we reached its shadow. Our vests and polar fleece were no cover for its ever watchful eye. We ate lunch while always feeling like we were being followed. Some how we were able to escape its grips with all our fingers intact.

The day after this hike we woke up to a downpour, even though the forecast had promised "clearing skies", so we nixed a hike we had planned for that day and instead headed down to the Wairarapa wine region an hour east of Wellington. We must have passed a hundred wineries throughout our trip, but this area is known for its Pinot Noirs and gourmet eateries, and you guys know me and food...I practically made love to a picnic lunch of sheep's milk gouda, assorted scrumptious olives, fresh-baked asiago rolls and half a glass of a fruity and luscious Pinot. Heaven. Sheer heaven.

The next day we caught a morning ferry across Cook Strait to the Southern Island. Although the North Island is beyond beautiful, the Southern Island is known to be the place to witness jaw-dropping scenery like the stuff out of dreams, and let me tell you, they aren't lyin. The further south we drove, the more unbelievable the views became. It's impossible to describe just how magnificent it is, but imagine: rays of yellow-white sunlight streaming down from imposing, jagged dark mountain peaks onto a huge deep turquoise lake covered in white-tip waves; green and lush mountain valley meadows of spiky alpine flowers in shades of blue, magenta, pink, white, yellow that extend as far as your eye can see; bright green rolling hills dotted with sheep, set against foothills covered in yellow-gold blooms with a backdrop of snowy peaks. As you drive along, you see these types of images over and over again. It's seriously ridiculous how gorgeous the place is.

We spent the last days of our trip hiking up a glacier (we got to wear crampons!) in Franz Josef, visiting Milford Sound (which is actually a fjord apparently, since it was carved by a glacier), and enjoying a few more breathtaking (literally) hikes. Matt and I agree--best trip of our lives so far. You guys have to go!!!

The northern beaches of the South Island reminded us of Oregon.

NZ's "major" highways are nothing more than two lane country roads. A large portion of our trip involved navigating the extremely curvy and narrow roads.

Sneaky Vicki snagged a shot of me while we waited for an accident to clear on the west coast of the south island. Even though we had overcast weather, the drive was still impressive.

One of Matt's favorite pictures of the trip. Climbing the Glacier was one of the definite highlights for both of us. Did you know that in NZ glacier is pronounced with 3 syllables? (glay see err) and color is spelled colour and that they use torches instead of flash lights. The Queens English still has a tight grip in NZ.

The Franz Joseph Glacier, the fastest moving glacier in the world.

Modern sheep herder. We didn't mind waiting.

A strenuous hike like this one, towering over Wanaka, deserves a good view. With no one around to share it with except your partner for life we really savored our time on top of this little mountain.

Just outside Wanaka lies the heaven of Vicki's dreams. We found this little river valley just driving out of town.

Milford Sound on a rare cloudless day, we were very lucky.

Another one of our favorite hikes. The scenery kept getting better as we traveled south.

Another valley full of lupines. Could Vicki have been more excited.

Wanaka and surrounding lakes on the short flight between Queenstown and Christchurch.

Pohnpei

We went to Pohnpei. It was relaxing. Peaceful too. Its a small island. The people are pretty nice and welcoming. Its very lush. And clean too. There are a number of hotels and tourists but in some of the rural areas white people are not seen too often as evidenced by some of the blank stares we received. We stayed at a bungalow style resort which exceeded our expectations. The food was fantastic and cheep and the hilltop location provided a great locale to just sit and read all day while having a nice breeze and overview of the island and its outer reefs. We mostly ate and hiked and snorkeled and lounged around, but also got to talk and listen to peoples views on everything from Obama to Betel Nut.

Highlights from this trip include but are not limited to:

Swimming with Manta Rays:
Their mouths are quite large, they could for sure swallow you whole, good thing they only eat brine and plankton. We were really lucky to snorkel with them, there were about 8 or 9 rays with about an 8-10 foot wingspan. They were pretty friendly and didn't seem to mind us being there. Along with the rays were a huge school of fish (thousands maybe) that have a symbiotic relationship with the manta rays by feeding on the little particles on their skin. Unfortunately the fish attract the sharks, but we were told time and again that the sharks on Pohnpei are all vegetarians. Ha. Yeah, well, they didn't eat us at least, but we were really close to them and it was a bit nerve racking since they were right up on the surface with us with their dorsal fins sticking out of the water all jaws like. We were there with this couple from Guam who are both in the Navy. He was a Seal and pretty aquatic and swimming all over the place so we were convinced that the sharks would go for him first since he was all free diving below them and acting like Steve Erwin. It was fun and worth it though because it was so memorable to be so close to such big creatures and to feel like we were just silent observers while nature does its thing.

Trying to take an Toyota Echo off roading:
We rented a car with the intention of finding a waterfall that was listed in our ten year old lonely planet. It wasn't there, but we did manage to get our car stuck in the mud and narrowly escaped being hacked to pieces by the kids in the jungle wielding machetes. Actually they were really shy and were just surprised to see two whiteys stroll upon them while they were collecting their fire wood. We never made it to the waterfall but it was a good hike if only to get lost in the woods for a bit.

Betel Nut and Sakau Root:

Pretty much everyone in the islands, man and woman alike, chew on betel nut, it's a cross between chewing tobacco and smoking. Its an addictive nut that turns your teeth red. Awesome. The guys on my soccer team even chew it while playing. Most islanders get hooked on betel nut as opposed to smoking because its cheaper(cigarettes don't grow on trees after all) and you can see people trading cigarettes in exchange for all sorts of things since they need the tobacco to chew the nut as well. The typical way of digesting betel nut is to crack the seed in two, pour half a cigarette of tobacco into the middle, add a little dry coral lime powder then wrap it all up in a pepper leaf and suck on it for a few hours. The entire process involves a lot of spitting and chewing. You know you've succeeded when your teeth turn red and are constantly spitting all over the place. Good times. Many of the islanders are open about how they are upset that they are addicted and wish they never started chewing it. Which prompted Vic and I to patent the betel nut patch to help ween would be islanders off their indigenous narcotic. It didn't take off. From what I gather its a love hate relationship for some but also quite popular to say that you wished you weren't addicted while not really ever wanting or intending to quit. Its almost a rite of passage and in chewing it you are saying to the world that you are local and grew up on the islands and it seems like those that chew it are proud of it and belong to some sort of self appointed social class that mainlanders can't belong to or understand. Just my perceptions, maybe I'm wrong, but I'm not. Smells like Iocaine powder, I'd bet my life on it.

Conversely, one of their more interesting and unique customs is the Sakau Root. It is grown by every boy on Pohnpei and nurtured for years until it matures. Like a fine wine, the longer it ages the better and more potent it becomes. All young boys grow this root if they ever want to get married. When a boy asks for a girls hand in marriage, he presents his best Sakau Root to the girls father, if he accepts it then the marriage is on. To drink Sakau, you grind the root into a pulp like state, then squeeze out any moisture with hibiscus bark and then mix it with either juice or water. Drink it and your body turns numb. It has the consistency of drinking mud and has the same effects as smoking pot, I'm told. Its similar to drinks found on Hawaii and Fiji. On the plus side, most people in the islands are pretty relaxed due to consuming Sakau and when they are out and about they are calm and quiet due to the roots effects as opposed to being loud and rowdy like they they might be if they went to bars that serve alcohol.

Nan Madol:

Once referred to as the Venice of the Pacific. Now its reduced to about a million basalt stones jumbled in every which way imaginable. Some structures are still visible, but its mostly all destroyed and in ruins. Nan Madol was once a city built on water and even today its pretty amazing to look at and wonder how they could possible construct it without modern tools and equipment. Many theories exist ranging from hundreds of boats and thousands of slave laborers to black magic and levitation techniques (see coral castle). No one is really sure how they made this city in the middle of the Pacific but its quite impressive to this day. Much like Stonehenge, Easter Island and the Pyramids, the structures at Nan Madol make it clear that a very intelligent and prosperous society once existed here possessing lots of spare time and energy so as to complete such a vast project. At first I had no interest in spending one minute looking at a bunch of jumbled stones on our trip to Pohnpei, but our guides were really informative and it turned out to be pretty cool to kayak through the ruins.

On top of Sokehs Mountain, in the background is Pohnpei airport. Notice the runway takes up every inch of land coast to coast. Don't land long here!!

Its always good to take time to stop and smell the flowers.

Nan Madol. How'd they build that?

Pohnpei and its reef from the gazebo where we liked to read.

View from The Village Hotel on Pohnpei, a nice place to stay. Sokehs Ridge in the background.

Kyoto

Had a few days off, took a little trip to Nagoya and Kyoto. One of the highlights was catching a baseball game where the Nagoya Dragons defeated the not so fierce Swallows of Tokyo. It was pretty much a blowout. Seeing a ballgame in Japan was a very different experience. They really like to cheer. All game. Its really loud and festive. Like a World Cup game but without the pageantry and quality of play.

Took the Bullet Train to Kyoto, it was fast. Kyoto was a bigger town than I expected, but it's pretty with lush forested hills on east and west sides. We saw lots of temples and shrines and also made several Geisha sightings. The food situation proved to be a little tricky at times. Vic and I realized that we really only like the American version of Japanese food, i.e. sushi rolls, tuna nigiri and chicken teriaki. They didn't have much of that so we tried lots of foods that we will probably never eat again. Kyoto was a bit crowded. It was unexpected. They paint Kyoto as a quaint town with lots of tradition and an old world feel. But I couldn't seem to avoid running into some little old lady every couple of steps. Japan seems to be half full of old people who can barely walk who insist on using public transportation with the other half being young girls who like to wear leggings under jean shorts with high heels to the supermarket. They are a pretty wacky people.

Another highlight was the bamboo forest on the west side of Kyoto. It's not too big, but it was pretty and had some trails that allowed us to get away from the city for a bit. We found all the temples and shrines to be pretty peaceful. Most of them are nestled up in the foothills and were very simple yet ornate at the same time. It was cool to see stuff thats been around for over 1500 years. The main times of year to be in Kyoto are during the fall when all the Japanese Maples are vibrant red or in spring when the cherry blossoms are blooming. We will have to head back in the spring, we could imagine how pretty the city would be when it was in bloom.

Here are some pictures, we didn't take too many on this trip.

Bamboo Forrest

One of the several Shrines we saw

Temple with Geisha posing at bottom. We had to be pretty stealth to get any Geisha shots. They are few and far between and don't really like you taking pictures of them.

Temple in Gion, the Geisha district

I found Pudsy has been reincarnated as a shopkeeper in Kyoto. All I wanted was a pack of gum but she told me to kindly leave.

Australia

G'day mates:

Where to start. So much. Here goes. I got back from an island hopper with vacation and some good time off in our immediate future. At last talk to Vicki before my trip we were all set to head out to Mongolia with a little stopover in Seoul. I was really amped to play soccer with a pigs bladder amongst the local kids, but alas it wasn't meant to be. Vicki got to thinking and reading and talking to friends and there was just no way we were going anywhere else but Australia. And not just any Australia, we were headed to the outback, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Alice Springs, Cairns, Port Douglas, The Great Barrier Reef and so much more. Being able to fly on Quantas for peanuts sealed the deal and we were off with no plans other then to dig deep into our bag of traveling tricks and pull off yet another wonderful adventure.

We got to Cairns pretty late and had to scramble a bit for a hotel room, it was less than desirable that evening but we made it through the night. The place was a bit shady, but I pushed the refrigerator against the door for a little bit of extra safety so Vic could sleep. The next day we were off to The Red Center in The Northern Territroy. The lovely voice from the Quantas staff travel hot line informed us that there were several seats open on our flight to Alice Springs and that there would be no problem flying standby. The Quantas experience was quite good. Aside from the obvious Rainman quotes constantly going through my head the service was excellent with a hot meal and a smile to boot. This had to be a foreign country. The Alice as its called, is a nice place. Very compact and open and clean. Every time I imagined being in the outback I thought about how hot it would be, but this time of year during their spring its is just delightful. Cool crisp mornings and warm evenings. We had for the most part excellent weather. A few spot rain showers but nothing lasting more than an hour or so. We were told that they hadn't had rain in the center since November. So when it did rain, the entire area became alive with vibrant desert smells that seemed to be waiting for months to fill the air. Also, the rain brought out the usually shy kangaroos who would drink from the water in the roads which was a nice bonus for us to see. Besides the incredible weather and scenary, just getting to spend time around the Aussies was a big treat. True to their reputation they were warm, laid back, witty, and so much fun to shoot the breeze with. The accent was a plus--Vic goes crazy for a good Aussie accent. Everywhere you go the greeting is "how ya going?"

The last night of our journey we sat by the pool of our motel enjoying some Australian Shiraz and concocting a list of our favorite times:

The Campervan Experience:
With little plans upon arrival in The Alice we evaluated what we wanted to do and it seemed that the places we were headed all had powered campsites and that renting a campervan might be a fun thing to do. Now, this thing was pretty stacked with amenities. We had a fridge, microwave, toilet/shower, running water and gas stove. Plus a pretty comfortable full size bed. We weren't really roughing it and it turned out to be pretty cost effective as well since hotels in and around The Rock are outrageous due to lack of competition.

All in all driving a stick from the right seat while trying to stay in the left lane took a few days to get use to. And there are lots of turn abouts which can be tricky when you're accustomed to looking for cars coming in the opposite direction, but the lack of traffic helped us not need our insurance when all was said and done. We had fun in our little house on wheels. Everybody waves to each other on the road. I actually saw one guy who bought a waving hand sticker and put it just above his steering wheel on his windshield. I guess he got tired of waving all the time. We thought a bobble hand for the dashboard would sell like hotcakes. We cooked lots of meals in the van and spent some pretty comfortable nights there. It was awesome to see all the stars and to have the freedom to just relax outside and to be out in the middle of nowhere with such great weather. I would definitely do it again.

One of many pasta meals on wheels that week

Uluru - Ayers rock/Kata Tjutas-The Oglas:
What can we say. Its a rock. But learning about all the Aboriginal significance and their view of life was pretty cool. From far away it looks like one big solid mass, so we were surprised to find a number of small caves and overhangs around the bottom. In several of these spots there are still ochre drawings (brightly hued clay) layered over one another that our guide described as "chalkboards" where adults would teach the young Aboriginees about their history, beliefs, lessons in character, and survival tactics. They have lots of lore and myths and what not and they have an explanation for everything from creation to the afterlife. We spent an evening watching the sun set on the rock and the next day walking around it just trying to soak it in. It was really big and there were lots of sacred sites that we weren't supposed to take pictures of. You can climb it, and some people do, but we opted not to since the Aboriginal people ask that you don't.

I always thought Ayres Rock was out there in the middle of nowhere all alone, but actually there are many other plateaus and mountain ranges nearby. For instance The Oglas are some really cool rock formations just a few miles from Ayers Rock. I think they are actually more pleasing to the eye and more interesting and fun to walk around. We didn't spend much time there but thought they were cool.

The Olgas at dusk

Kings Canyon:
This place was beautiful. It rained in the morning and cleared up very nicely for our hike. It's not anywhere near the Grand Canyon in stature, but every bit as awe inspiring. We had a blast running around and climbing on the unusual rock formations. I wish the pictures could better convey the splendor and vast geological beauty but we think they speak for themselves.

After our hike at Kings Canyon we retired to the local campground for the evening. We were granted one of the better sites with a really open view of the mountains. That night we experienced a huge storm that lasted over an hour with many jolts of lightning that lit up the entire valley like daylight. Vic and I just peered out the back of our van and waited for the next lightning to strike. It was cool, you could see the red of the cliffs with each bolt. The next morning it was all crisp and clear for our drive back up to The Alice.

An Evening with The John Baker Duo:

After one of the most favorite hikes of our lifetime (see Ormiston Gorge below) we were rewarded with a little happy hour and concert from this guy named John Baker. His girlfriend who made up the duo was back in Alelaide so it was only him. The campsite and lodge making up the venue was pretty remote even for this part of Australia and only had about 15 people staying in it. I don't know how he makes a living but he played mostly cover songs and had some of his CDs for sale too. He had an amazing range and variety with his set list and entertained young and old alike. It wa basically us, a famly of four and 8 very lively older ladies who liked to sing and dance along. Under normal circumstances I would find them annoying but they were actually pretty funny. He performed stellar covers of some Dylan, Neil Young, and Paul Simon, but the highlight of the evening was when a request for "Aussie music" was met with an outstanding acoustic rendition of "Down Under" by Men at Work. We looked at each other and cracked up. It was just really relaxing and his stage presence rivaled that of Touch (Jon you know what I mean) which made for a fun evening.

The Henley on Todd:
This was just one of those things where we just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Or in the wrong place depending on your point of view and ability to laugh at ridiculous gatherings. Every year in Alice Springs on the last Saturday of August they have a multitude of wacky events in the dried up river bed of the Todd River. Its pretty much totally ridiculous and actually something I could find myself getting really into and competitive about if I lived there. This festival proves that the Aussies are kooks. They put on a crazy show that we were glad to see and experience if only for a little bit. Events include but were not limited to Sand Shoveling, Bath Tub Racing, and the Sand Luge. From the pictures below I think you get the gist. It was pretty funny and Vic and I found ourselves looking at each other with mouths wide open not less than once.
Koala Cuddling/Kangaroo Petting:

All Vicki could talk about was holding a Koala Bear. I was pretty sure it was going to scratch her eyes out, or at least make a go for her jugular, but she somehow escaped unscathed. We also got to spend some time feeding kangaroos. They were pretty tame and acted like it was a total waste of their time to eat out of our hands. I think they get fed too much. I kept reminding them that they had it easy in there not having to hunt for their food but I don't think they understood. Like all animal enclosures it was a bit sad, with the koalas in such a small place instead of a forest and to see the roos unable to hop very far, but it was nice for us to be able to experience such different animal life and it served its purpose to inform and educate the humans. Since Koalas spend 21 hours a day either sleeping or high on Eucalyptus leaves it wasn't all that bad of an environment for them since they appeared to be taken care of quite well by the staff. Kangaroos are funny, wallabies too. Fun fact: wombat poop comes out in the shape of a square. How they do this is probably the biggest mystery of the trip since they have what I could see as round bundinas. Throughout our time we saw lots of different wildlife actually in the wild. Kangaroos, lizards, wallabies and dingos (one even tried to hitch a ride in our camper). But surprisingly no deadly snakes or spiders. I guess that was a good thing.

Stanley Chasm:

This place was close to The Alice so it was pretty popular among day trippers. It's basically just a cut in the mountain range and it lights up pretty nicely at midday. We spent some time hiking around and exploring on the rocks. Vic got pretty adventurous and hiked all over the place like a little kid scrambling up and down the rocks. It was a change from what we were used to since on most of our other hikes we were all alone, but it was a great day and we had a good time despite being around other hikers.

Aboriginal Art:

We both really fell in love with all the Aboriginal art--it seemed like there was a gallery on every block. It's a pretty up and coming movement, with a fairly contemporary style. They have been painting like this for generations and the world is starting to notice. Our favorite style is from the region just south east of Alice Springs and it's somewhat like pointillism but with bigger dots of color. Traditionally their art was mostly used as a learning tool or to be descriptive or to mark the way to a watering hole or hunting ground, but recently it has become more colorful and grand. I'm not sure why its become so popular these days, maybe the Aborigines have more time on their hands now and are creating more paintings, but the art has become very first class and vibrant and we really enjoyed it. Vicki especially found the paintings to be very soulful and moving--she really connected with it for some reason. Each of the many galleries displayed several of the local artists. They were all sure to tell us that the artists set all the prices and that they get all the money from their paintings minus a small commission. Sorry, no pictures.

Port Douglas:

This place really reminded me of southern California. Lots of Eucalyptus trees with a Mediteranean-like climate right on the coast. Its a small town, somewhat touristy, but good food and a really relaxed atmosphere. We found a great little motel with an awesome couple running it. They really made us feel welcome. The atmosphere in Port Douglas was very lazy and comfortable and it was great to hang out there for a few days before heading home. But before we did we were able to take a day to dive the Great Barrier Reef. Maybe we've been spoiled by Palau and the rest of the islands up here, but I have to say that it didn't live up to the hype and was a little disappointing. We were glad to do it and we did see a really cool cuttle fish that changed colors before our eyes as it swam away, but the visibility wasn't too good and I'm asshamed to say that the overall diving experience left us desiring to be back in Micronesia.

Newell beach north of Port Douglas

Ormiston Gorge/Ormiston Pound Walk:
Definately the highlight of our trip was the Pound Hike through Ormiston Gorge. It was spectacular. The first part of the hike went for about an hour through the gorge over huge boulders and rocks in the dried up river bed. With the red glowing 150+ foot walls on each side of us it was quite the sight. Part of the splendor of this hike was that we didn't see another soul the entire time. We did manage to scare a few kangaroos out from hiding along the way though. The gorge opened up into this vast valley of tundra where the sun was begining to set for the evening. With a few hours to go on the hike we were a little worried about getting stuck out there after dark, but we made it back to camp just as the sun had set and managed to get some amazingly beautiful views of the valley in the process.

Other quality pics:

Sunset over Uluru

Sunrise just outside Kings Canyon

Sunset over the Olgas

Vic climbing on the rocks at The Olgas

The back side of Ayers Rock

The rocks past Stanly Chasm

The Olgas at sunset