Blogs from Oceania - page 7826

Today is, umm, hmmm, i think it's wednesday 30th, or it could still be tuesday, then again it could be thursday, pheweee, that 20+ hour flight really buggered up our body clocks. We arrived in Auckland at 11am on Tuesday and we had had about 5 hours sleep over the 2 days of travel as neither of us can sleep on a plane, so we were a bit messed up to say the least! We arrived at our temporary hostel called The Fat Camel in downtown Auckland, it's in a great location, pretty much easy access to everything Auckland has to offer, the staff are really friendly and helpful and the place is pretty much empty as it is winter here, so we have all the puta's for internet access and the big screen tv to ... read more

Yes its true. My days in this giant landmass are finally ending. We had a few extra days in the city of darwin...which for the joe's should maybe ring a bell....as it was an important city in WW2. It was bombed several times trying to fend off the asian menace.... But anyway...we have made the best of this time. For the first time in my tender life...I have partaken in a Free Beach....which you may know as a nude beach. Lara had done this in Brazil and I needed to even the scales, so we went. The name free beach is actually a nicer name for it...because thats how it feels to be galavanting around in the buff.....Free. The beach was pretty empty...so it wasnt too weird either. The best part is that I didnt burn ... read more

This is the first of a select number of past travels I plan to write about. Details may be a little fuzzy because I made this trip almost ten years ago. Background In July 2003, a client of mine - a highly-respected not-for-profit organization serving communities in the Compact of Free Association- asked if I would travel to Pohnpei, capital of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), to make a presentation to their board. Micronesia? All expenses paid trip to a remote Pacific Island most people have never heard of? Hell yes! To top that, I get to tick off one more item on my bucket list: flying on Continental Micronesia's (now part of United) legendary Island Hopper service. This flight is legendary among airline geeks. It operates between Honolulu and Guam with five (yes, you ... read more

20 July 2003 It was eleven-thirty in the morning and time to leave for my trip to Wodonga. I have been to this town, which lies just south of the border between New South Wales and Victoria. I usually stay at a Best Western motel. This time the company had booked accommodation in a Budget motel. I have stayed in many establishments since I started with this company, way back in March 1999 and must say I don't usually get upset if the rooms are pretty basic but that often occurs when there is no choice of a better motel in town. Not so in Wodonga! To save the company money I also have to share the room with the photographer I will be working with the next day. 21-23 July 2003 My co-worker and I ... read more

g'day blokes and sheila's So the journey continues. We have left the cosmopoli-life of sydney and arrived in the Red Centre, otherwise known as the Outback. This is a truely a vast and desolate area. Almost no water or life for thousands of kilometers in all directions from the center. I don't know how much ya'll know about australia...but the super short history lesson is australia was a prison for england...but aboriginals(dark skinned people who have been around for 65,000 years and havent changed their lifestyle) were in the way....so they just massacred everyone they saw and stole all their land. As of the last 30 years, a bit of justice has creeped back...some lands were given back, and killing natives is not a good deed anymore. SO, center and northern australia is the main area ... read more