Blogs from Geelong, Victoria, Australia, Oceania

On a mission! A destitute family in the outer suburbs of Nanjng is in desperate need of supplies. Without them, the children will fade away and vanish. My mission is to bring those supplies to this poor and needy family so they can survive in the face of all adversity. This is the fifth time I have been to Nanjing - always for work. Usually I visit for two weeks. This time just a week. I choose to extend my visits here by a week or so each time to havea peek at other places. First a walk on the Lantau Trail on Lantau Island near Hong Kong. This included a visit to the village on stilts and a bouncy small boat trip to see the pink dolphins. After the next visit I went to Anhui ... read more

Walking from work to the airport bus after dark, I noticed everything around me as if I hadn't seen it before. The line of trees through the park was more 'lined up' than ever. The cars passing by seemed cleaner and more shiny than usual. The neon signs outside the pub and the strip club were pinker and bluer than they had been.Down at Landy park under floodlights, the peep of the footy referee's whistle seemed fresher and more meaningful than I expected. And down there at the park, with each catch of the ball, with every tackle and pass, with every goal and cheer, the world was going on for the crowd and the players as if I never existed. Of course, to them, I don't but it made me wonder (once again) about the ... read more

Am I out of touch with the freedom of travel as it used to be back in the 70's and 80's? There used to be a time when mobile phones didn't exist and the only means of communication was through a phone box and a short call necessitating dozens of coins thrust madly into the slot. The alternative was a handwritten letter and the need to specify the next post office up the coast to collect the response. I know people bemoan the pace of life and the challenge of finding a space where incommunicado is possible and I have to say I am not averse to technology but it is only a tool. I have Evernote piling up with the plane tickets and hotel bookings I have made. I have Dropbox ever growing with files ... read more

It's 9 days out from the trip and I am surprised at how disorganised I am. I have, it seems, had too much time to plan and have neglected some components that are possibly quite important. For a start, I haven't booked the bus from Geelong to the airport - I may not even get to first base!; I haven't organised transport from Nanjing to Shanghai (to be at Pudong airport by 4.15 am) - Hmmm - do I do an all-nighter and catch a slow train to Shanghai and doss in teh airport?; do I leave Nanjing in the afternoon and catch a few hours shut-eye in a hotel in Shanghai before heading out to Pudong?; do I sleep in Nanjing and catch an early train (1am) straight to Shanghai? Not a nice collection of ... read more

Two weeks to 'D-day'. For my work (for my sins?) I get to go to China (Nanjing) for a week. I am the Program Manager for an international education program that has been running for nearly 7 years - a relationship between the Jiangsu Institute of Commerce and the Gordon Institute in Geelong - my employer. My job is to administer the programs, ensure smooth operation, compliance, communication and maintenance of standards between the two enterprises. I don't teach either Accounting or International Trade. The last day of my week in Nanjing will be at a Symposium on International educational collaboration. That night or early the next morning, I will make my way to Shanghai (PVD) airport for a 7.30am departure. Being there 3 hours ahead means a 4.30 arrival at the airport so I might ... read more

Alrighteo! My flights are booked in for next Tuesday, and I have just over a week to pack everything up, sort everything out and fly up up and away! After a bit of hassle at the Embassy (a miscommunication over what documents were required), I was able to book up my flight. I'm trying to work out today what things I have to do before I go, for example, what foods I want to eat for one last time. I just had lasagne, I'm going to have to have scalloped potatoes, f&c, roast lamb, steak, parmy, home-made pumpkin soup, shepherds pie, ... all the things that will be hard to come by in Japan. I've been craving Japanese food, but there'll be plenty of that in Japan! Also filling up a hard-drive of tv-shows and movies ... read more

Hello Viewers and welcome to my new log of activities. I thought I would start this blog early, to capture my travels this year from beginning to end, and also to publish the nitty-gritty details, from packing up my belongings pre-departure, to unpacking them post-return! So, I have just received notification that my visa is (finally!) on it's way, and it won't be long before I can book my flights and fly on out of here to start my new job as an English teacher in Shizuoka, Japan. Apart from visa-awaiting stresses, I have struggled with a far more important issue: what shoes to take! Japan, sadly, does not cater for my Western shoe size. This is made even more frustrating by the fantastic shoe fashions one can find in Japan, at reasonable prices! The quantity ... read more

It was an early start to the day as we had to pack up and clean out the van before driving into Melbourne. We stopped at the hotel to pick up the rest of our bags, then stopped by the office of our soon to be new flatmate to pick up the keys to the flat, before heading to Coles to pick up some food and then onto the flat to unload our bags. We then drove the Jucy wagon back to St Kilda and said our goodbyes to her before grabbing a bite to eat on the Esplanade and catching the tram back over to Richmond where our new flat is. The afternoon was spent unpacking and making the most of our new found internet access!... read more

Sunday 29th May. I can’t believe that we have been on the go for 2 months now and have loved every bit of it. We could do this for the rest of our lives, except we will probably run out of money. Diesel is our biggest expense and towing a big heavy van does not help. We have found that we cannot travel over 85 KPH or we get less than 5 Klm per litre and when it costs anywhere from $1, 60 to $2.09 per litre, you have to be careful. We save by free camping, which we love and cooking our own meals. I am not complaining, just letting you know some facts in case you are thinking about doing what we are doing. Today we spent the day touring all around the region ... read more

Hi to all, we have been on the move again. We did leave Adelaide on Friday morning and had a lovely drive over the Adelaide Hills. It is such a beautiful place. We did not call into Hahndorf this time as our van is too big to go down the narrow streets. Bugga, I would love to have picked up more of my favourite caramel fudge. For my International bloggers, Hahndorf is a quaint old town that was started by Germans years ago. It is now a tourist favourite when in South Australia. I love it and have been there a few times. We are now well and truly in Victoria. The scenery was wonderful all the way. Once again, the country areas are mainly sheep and wheat and of cause GRAPES. Not the eating type; ... read more