Our guide La, picked us up from the Ancient hotel in a minibus with driver Pra (?). We drove for perhaps an hour over narrow paved roads heading northward and eventually alongside the Nam Ou River which we would travel down a week or so later. Initially parallel to the Mekong River, then the Nam Ou and then at Huai Kan, we headed north west towards Udom Xai. The roads were now dirt, getting quite rough and steadily steeper. In some places we were surprised that the little Hyundai minibus which was not 4x4 was able to do the job. At least the air-conditioning worked. On the road to Boun Tai the villages got progressively poorer, the jungle thicker and the number of pigs and chickens, greater. This was a long trip, probably 10 hours. By ... read more

Friends Roscoe and Fiona arrived. Quick catch up over Loa coffees and headed out into the kerfuffle of the festival. Not really anything of value to purchase, but excellent people watching. BeerLao down on the waterfront in a little makeshift café with Moroccan style cushions. Saw the first of the dragon boat teams training on the Mekong. People pissing directly onto the sand banks at the side of the Mekong which would be used the next day for boat watching. Excellent! Doof Doof music was overwhelming but luckily the Lao curfew sees this stopped at 2330. Next day took a "Tuk-tuk jumbo" to the central stupa. Also to the "morning" market, but in the afternoon. Saw hundreds of gold merchants competing side-by-side. Cath commissioned a tailored top and blouse from fabrics she had bought in Shanghai ... read more

Hello there Over Easter 2010 we finally accepted David and Isabel's invitation to join them at the property Combabula, north of Yuleba, Queensland. Of course this property has great significance to our family, which is a whole different story, but this year it was spectacular on account of the water! Good rains over the last six months have the property looking spectacular: tall green grass; filled water holes; water birds; and wildflowers. Here are some photos from the trip. Thanks again Iris and Vince for letting us visit their property on the top of the Great Dividing Range in South Western Queensland.... read more

We visited two Indian national parks in Rajasthan as part of the Intrepid trips, and Catherine had the excitement of seeing a tiger! The photo doesn't have much detail but it certainly captures Catherine's excitement! The first visit was to Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur Rajasthan. We entered the sanctuary in rickshaws and luckily for the rickshaw-guy, the terrain was flat, and the weather surprisingly cool. Almost immediately after leaving the main road, the cacophony that is Indian highways fades, and one starts to appreciate this little oasis. Our rickshaw-guy had sharp eyes and good ornithological knowledge, so we were right into the experience within the first 100 metres. The first and frequent sighting was a Common Hoopoee which put on a fine display as he left us. We also saw several Rufus Treepie which were ... read more

As we travelled through the Med, Egypt and India we couldn't resist snapping more shots of the working machines. However, the "Balkan Beasts of Burden" just seemed too limited. So here are a few more photos we collected, recognising hard working humans and animals as well.... read more