Guidebooks don't prepare you for everything. Sometimes you wake up in a Vietnamese guesthouse, go to the bathroom and find yourself locked in the bathroom. Said scenario turned reality for me this morning. I have all of my pills and medications, my vaccinations are up to date, I know how to contact the embassy in case I am out and about and need assistance but I didn't bring a locksmith with me to the bathroom. Shameful prep work on my part. Having never been locked inside a bathroom, I found the whole scenario quite amusing yet a little troublesome. I was on thetop floor and had no clue how I was going to get anyone's attention. After playing with the lock, doing the old credit card movie trick, taking out the vent and trying to open ... read more

In a contradictory world, it is fitting that I went from an isolated island in the Great Barrier Reef to one of the most densely populated ones in the world - Hong Kong. Hong Kong shames Vegas in terms of neon volume. Not only does it outnumber Vegas it does so in two languages. As if they neon advertising wasn't enough they decided to make the skyline into a mini Pink Floyd the wall experience. Granted they weren't playing mother but they did have a soundtrack to their laser light show. The buildings shot laser beams into the sky as glittering lights in an array of colors ran up and down the buildings. No wonder Disneyworld built a theme park nearby. Half of the light show was already there. As Chinese New Year approaches, it was ... read more

Cities take on certain personalities. Paris is the city of love, Chicago is the second city, Gallup NM is the armpit of America. Sydney seems to be the city of New Year's (really it is the harbor city). Aided by the International Date Line, Sydney is the first major city to celebrate the New Year. Aussies relish the role and title of first New Year's. After witnessing the New Year down under, my hat is tipped to the Aussies. Thanks must be given to the prodigious efforts of my sister who planned the whole New Year's Eve. Knowing that I am not fond of the large crowd and a bit of a cheapskate, she booked us at the Royal Botanical Gardens for the festivities that evening. Dining aside fellow guests, the Opera House and the Harbour ... read more

Just some photos from Perth and Bunbury. No rambling on here!... read more

I have been wandering around Brisbane and Lamington National Park for the past few days checking out all of the strange and bizarre animals that make Australia such a unique place. I have witnessed people fawn over Koala's as they sit stoned out of their mind on eucalyptus leaves. We marveled at how the animals are able to sleep in such strange configurations. Then people started to realize that if your returned to your photographs from college, you could see humans doing the same thing. Instead of hanging around trees, we were hanging around toilet bowls. Then there are the kangaroos, an always entertaining and skittish animal. If it weren't for the free handouts I am not sure we would ever see one up close. Add the plethora of wombats, wallabies, lorikeets and tasmanian devils and ... read more