WorldTrip05

Not knowing whether I was driving a beast or a bomb, I said goodbye to Hazel and Dave and set out for Portland, Oregon. I bought a camera there because everything is tax free in Oregon and ended meeting up/travelling with Andrea, the English girl I first caught up with in Hawaii. We took in the tourist sights of Washington state, Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens and Olympic National Park. The Americans absolutely lovvvee their national parks, treat with them utmost respect and monitor them nearly as well as their borders. Along the road to Mt St Helens, an active volcano that last popped its top in the 80s, there were 3 huge visitor centers, shops and lots of campsites/accommodation. Mt Rainier on the other hand is a national park and therefore less commercialized. Believe it ... read more

09/06/05 - 12/06/05: There is no more striking way to see the difference between the north and south of the US than to fly straight from Texas to Seattle, Washington (Northwest US). If you want a city where trends are created not just observed then Seattle is the place to be. I spent just over a week with my brother-in-laws aunt and uncle who treated me with open hospitality. Hazel and Dave met on the mission field in Ethiopia and came to Seattle where they raised two girls. I admire their love towards one another and the way that they both put in 100% for the benefit of the other. Every workday Hazel drives Dave to the train-station where Dave waves goodbye from the train on his way to the corporate battlefield in Seattle. Hazel and ... read more

31/05/05: Picture downhill skiing and then 1 hour later basking in the tropical Hawaiian sun. Many people don’t know this but Hawaii gives you the opportunity to do this. Coming from someone that hasn’t even seen snow before, let alone been skiing, I thought that it was best not to indulge in this escapade. Besides, I think snowfall in summer is minimal on the mountain summits. You can, however, experience natures power on the opposite temperature spectrum and stand next to a river of 1150 deg C molten lava. This can be done all year round but the unusual, although very obvious (if you think about it) characteristic of active volcanoes is that the landscape is always changing. New land is added/destroyed each day which makes it very difficult for tour guides to predict the daily ... read more

Aloha everyone! I hope that things are going well for you all. I am thinking of you all.....well...sometimes anyway. Just going to share a few things that I have been doing - I am not going to put every little detail or day down because that wont make you want to come and visit the places, it will just bore you! 24/05/05: On the day that I left for Hawaii someone asked me in the afternoon at what time I would arrive in Hawaii. I thought for a moment and found it very unusual saying "This morning". The 9 hr flight on a newish 747 was very pleasant and arriving in Honolulu in the morning of the night that I left Sydney was a little confusing. Now here is a question, if I stayed in the ... read more