Saturday was an easy day. Gene and I had breakfast at a nice restaurant with a view of Perth across Swan River. From there we did some shopping and later I worked on this travelblog, which takes a lot more time to do than I had thought it would. Mostly it's the amount of time it takes to upload photos onto the site. But now that I know how to resize them (making them digitally smaller), I've cut uploading time considerably and my time on the computer as well. But you do meet some interesting blokes in internet cafes, mostly backpacker types, so I fit in really well... not. My hosteling days are over I think, except maybe elderhostels. On Sunday, we had a full plate of activities. We drove up north to Yanchep National ... read more

An Easy Day Around Perth Australasia » Australia » Western Australia » Perth By esolpkhJune 28th 2007Thursday Again they called for rain, but it turned out to be a mostly sunny day, all day. Since I didn't have any where in particular I wanted to go, I just walked around Perth. I hadn't seen the Swan River yet, so I decided to mosey on down thata way. The captions pretty much explain everything.... read more

Tuesday, June 26, 2007 Left the rain in Sydney, and arrived to a surprisingly beautiful afternoon in Perth (they've had some wintry weather here with lots of rain too), but it wasn't to last. Why Perth you say? I'm visiting an old friend I knew who, until 2 years ago, lived in New York City, USA. We've managed to stay in touch since he left, so this is a loooooong-distance visit. After picking me up at the airport, we drove immediately to the beach. The sun was setting so I quickly donned my swim trunks for a photo op. It was actually getting chilly. We got a spot of tea, love, at a nearby restaurant and enjoyed the sunset. There are a few shots of Gene's home and Hyde Park across the street. ... read more

Manly Beach Day Australasia » Australia » New South Wales » Sydney By esolpkhJune 24th 2007Sunday, June 24, 2007 Started off the day walking up the Pylon Lookout of Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was a chilly beginning (60's) of a beautiful day. Walking to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry to Manly Beach (a 35 minute ride from downtown), I snapped shots of the Sydney Opera House and an aborigine playing music and selling his CD on the streets. The trip to Manly Beach was well worth it. It was like a whole different day. The sun shone brightly and it was a bit warmer. People were strolling, su... read more

Goodbye Taiwan, Hello Australia Asia » Taiwan By esolpkhJune 22nd 2007 Friday, June 22, 2007 Last day in Taiwan. Jennifer and I went to a wood carving town on the way to the airport. At the top of the hill behind the town, Jennifer took my photo next to some tea fields. We walked through the village and looked at all the spectacular wood carvings. I only included one pic. We had lunch at Outback Steakhouse. It was expensive, but a nice reminder of home. I finally got a picture of Jennifer and Will's little, red car. I also added a few more photos that I didn't include before. My flight connected through Hong Kong airport which is beautiful, for an airport. No time to enjoy it because my next flight left in less than an hour from ... read more