Travel Blog Posts
December 9th 2005
Let me tell you my impressions of Queensland...think of Myrtle Beach, Daytona, Panama City all on steroids...it is 16 to 24 year olds looking for a good time...schoolies (think high school senior week), gap year kids (between high school and university) and those recently graduated from uni...land of the golden tan, size 2s, wet t-shirt contest and the foam party...I have avoided it like the crocodiles...I just don't have the patience or the inclination to hang with the cool kids any more...I’ve done this scene and don't want or need it anymore...BUT there are three things on the East Coast of Australia that I can't image not doing while I am here...exploring Fraser Island, sailing the Whitsunday Islands and diving the Great Barrier Reef...so I suck it up and in and off I go with my ... read more
November 29th 2005
Well, since the last time I wrote I’ve been lucky enough to make it almost all over Australia. It has been a wonderful experience. I know I have mentioned it before but this place is massive and has so many different landscapes...from dense forests to desserts to tropical rainforests and wet seasons to amazingly beautiful beaches that you would expect to see in the islands to huge mountains...in many ways just like the states. I for one did not expect the variety it has to offer...I was a bit naive in that and it has been interesting to learn differently. That being said let me tell you about where I have been...the last time I wrote I had just finished camping in the outback and swore I was done with that nonsense...well not quite but more ... read more
October 30th 2005
I have to start this entry with a little discovery I’ve made in my travels (these and prior ones) so as not to appear a wee bit jaded in my adventures and ramblings along. So here it is...cities are great. They are wonderful places to live, to work, to eat, to do business, to party, to shop, to socialize, to raise children but they are not great places to visit (or at least they aren't for me). This is by no fault of the cities themselves...they try...with their museums of the southern railroad crossing through the southern alps of New South Wales and Victoria...they do really try. But they just don't hold your interest for long...now all cities aren't this way. Take London, New York, Rome, San Francisco...these are cities with personalities and a breath and ... read more
September 28th 2005
Well, I spent the last week on the beautiful island of Samoa in the South Pacific. On first arriving I was just taken with how beautiful the country was. It is surrounded by the most beautiful blue water and is made up of rugged volcanic mountains with incredibly lush rain forest and jungle everywhere. I made my way to the capital of Apia. As I was driving along you start to notice the different villages that make up the island. There are about 300 villages total on the islands and are made up of extended families. You start to notice the homes that make up each of the villages. They are open sided dwellings that are called fale. Each family lives in one large room with upwards of 10 people in one home. Some of the ... read more
September 13th 2005
Well week two has come and gone and I’m still loving New Zealand. I have just about finished with the South Island and it was even more beautiful than the North (although a bit tamer with the activities!) There has been a lot of time spent on the bus but the scenery has certainly been worth it. One third of New Zealand is National Park and the vast majority of those are in the South Island so the vistas have been beautiful. We crossed over to the South Island via a four-hour ferry ride through the Marlborough Sound, which was beautiful. That night we stayed in Abel Tasman National Park at a lovely little campground called Old McDonald’s Farm. Let’s just say I’m thinking the real Old McDonald Farm’s was just a wee bit nicer…but the ... read more
September 1st 2005
What a great trip it has been so far! I'm done with the North Island of New Zealand. I certainly haven't seen it all but what i have been able to see has been amazing. Right now i am sitting looking at this gorgeous mountain at the base of another of Mt. Ruaperio, an active volcano that last erupted in 1997. the mountain i am looking at is Mt. Ngauruhoe which was Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings. It is truly beautiful. New Zealand is a wondrous country filled with so many different landscapes. It is very mountainous and hilly (having been made from volcanoes and all). It is actually winter now and a bit chilly. We are moving into spring and the lambs have been born so it is warming up by the day. ... read more
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