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Published: April 17th 2006
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View from Hong Kong island
There was something unsettling about looking down on 60 storey buildings, but what a view...... First off, an apology for the lack of updates for the last couple of weeks. We've now been in Australia for a week and haven't stopped. We met up with my family (mum, dad, uncle Chris, auntie Sandie and cousins Richard & James) in Hong Kong which was fantastic, it was great to see them all. Hong Kong seems ages ago now. We went up the peak again and this time managed to see a good view of the city rather than mist. We also wandered around some markets and had some great food......mum was even getting the hang of chopsticks by the end!
We flew to Melbourne from Hong Kong and enjoyed a few days catching up with my brother, Mike, his fiancee Sara and her family before their big day (Thank you Margaret and Paul for looking after us in Melbourne and showing us some of the sites). We loved Melbourne and filled our free time with things like a visit to a wildlife sanctuary and also wine tasting in the Yarra valley.
Mike & Sara got married on the 8th April. It was a wonderful day.......Sara looked beautiful, the sun was shining and everyone
Waiting for the bride
Dont they brush up well
had a fantastic time. It was held at a lovely hotel right in the heart of Melbourne. We were really interested to see if there were many differences between an english and ozzie wedding, and there were a few. For instance, they got all the photos out of the way before the event, freeing up the bride and grooms time after their vows for the fun stuff. They also had the speeches after the starters and the first dance after the main course which flowed really well. They also included in their vows a brief but very traditional wine sharing ceremony. Anyone knowing the Whitburns might have guessed wine would figure in it somehow
We arrived in Sydney a couple of days ago and apart from today where we've had a bit of rain the weather has been really sunny and hot. Yesterday we spent a couple of hours on Manley island and Richard & James really enjoyed the beach. We've also visited the aquarium, harbour, and of course Sydney Opera House, where we had an interesting 'behind the scenes' tour
We leave Sydney tomorrow for Cairns, though not before a trip to Bondi beach. Dave seems to
The ceremony
Rings produced, on time and in the right order...good work John (aka Bag)! have some idea about missing his vocation as a surfer........well at least the photos of him trying should be good :-)
So, its goodbye to Asia after 3 months. We're basically a third of the way through the trip in a way, as it was Asia, then Oz/New Zealand, and finishing with west to east coast of the states. Am i gonna miss Asia? In a load of ways. I'll miss going out with the missus for a 3 course dinner and a beer and having change from a tenner. I'm already missing the friendly smiles and waves we got from kids everywhere as they said in words we couldnt understand "someone should tell that georgeous blonde women theres a really sweaty bloke behind her". I'll miss everything seeming really strange and different to back home, from the big things (elephants in the street, 2000 year old jungle temples and the like) to the small, subtle everyday things (hardly anyone wearing sunglasses, dirt roads everywhere, buses from the 1940s with 15 people balanced on the bonnet, no women smoking in public in China - means you are a woman of ill repute!).
There are obviously somethings
The wine ceremony
Mike certainly looks like he's enjoying the day I really, really wont miss. I wont look back fondly on seemingly every Asian mans passion for hawking up a kilo of phlegm as they pass you, then trying to project it into orbit. I cant say that my life will be worse if i never see another mother send her children up to me to beg for money. I even think I'll get on just fine if I never go another fortnight eating solely rice and noodle dishes - Im biologically not meant to go that long without a steak - my stomach has still not forgiven me for China.
Overall, stage 1 of 3 complete. Final verdict? Awesome. Despite the trains, rains, aches and pains we've absolutely loved Asia, and cant wait to go back again. Actually, scratch that. Been in Oz a week and a half and already ate more red meat and chips than in the previous three months...I'll maybe wait a little while to go back :-)
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Peter
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Great to hear from you both, we really miss you back over here. Asia sounded absolutely fab, I hope that you have an equally wonderful time down under. Watch out for the crocs, spiders and snakes (they have some of the most poisonous in the world you know, and I know that you do know Dave as you told me about the Bill Bryson book!). Love Peter and Christine xxxx