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30th Nov 2006
Oz luxury! And then onto Singapore!
Having left the “chill” of Sydney (18ºC which made the headlines!), we headed for the historic village of Leura in the Blue Mountains where the sense of Englishness pervades. Red double decker London buses can take you on tours and its a foodies paradise with wonderful restaurants, coffee shops and best of all – chocolatieres! Mum thought the food was amazing, but Dad and I could not agree with this when faced with a bowl of muesli that tasted just like saw dust! Here I had the most scary experience of my trip so far – we went down into the rainforest on a train that suddenly dropped vertically through the cliff! At the bottom of the valley we walked along the boardwalks successfully avoiding the big tourist groups by taking the longer routes! The highlight of the day was traversing the gorge on the skyrider – a cable car with a glass bottom! From here we had a fantastic view of the Three Sisters (three tors of granite), waterfall and the trees below us that looked like broccoli. Bush fires have been raging in the neighbouring valley for four days, so it was essential to take photos of this from the nearest vantage point, where we could see the helicopters flying over to drop water bombs on the fire. Mum was not as keen on this idea as me (see video evidence!).
We escaped to the Hunter Valley where my parents rushed to taste the wine before the shop shut for the day. We also lost no time in booking ourselves in for the wine tour the next morning. Hopes of a HOT spa bath was shattered upon entry to the pool, as it had been heated especially for us but only for an hour – not to worry as Mum and I clung to the hot water jets! However our main problem was being too hot, when the temperature during our wine tour reached the 40s.
Now we are in Port Douglas, North Tropical Queensland - one of my favourite places so far. For the first time since I left in July, I have my own bedroom! In fact I have two - thanks Mark! I took Mum and Dad to Cairns on the first evening, to listen to a very animated talk about the reef. Mum finished off the evening in style with a Chinese massage in the Night Markets – she looked very chic with her feet in a washing up bowl of tea and wouldn`t stop giggling when the man massaged her upper leg! As the winds were forecast to pick up later on in the week, we opted to go out to the Outer Greater Barrier Reef immediately. Unfortunately it was still quite choppy so Dad nearly lost his buddy – only the considerate and professional guides on the Poseidon boat looked after me so well that I jumped in! Up on top deck some girls were looking after Mum, so much so that she also took the plunge and went snorkelling! The reef was gorgeous, with lots of different kinds of coral, fish and some other weird animals (personally think we looked stunning underwater!) The best part of the diving was seeing a baby shark!
Everyone in “Port” is very excited as Hollywood has come to town – though when we went to see the filming only the extras were around and there was no sign of Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland or Matthew McConaughey.
We gained an understanding of the way the Aboriginals used the local environment by taking a guided walk around the rainforest near Mossman gorge, before heading into the water for some heat relief! Yesterday we made our way up to Cape Tribulation, stopping first at Daintree village for a crocodile tour on the Daintree river – it was a shame the crocodiles were hiding, but we had a peaceful and informative cruise on the Eco electric boat.
Today we have had a lovely time around the Sunday markets, then I took over Dad`s position as chief BBQ chef delivering a succulent BBQ lunch by the pool! Soon we`ll be making our way to the four mile beach!
Bit slow getting this on the net so I`ve added an update below!
Dropped Mum and Dad off at the airport on Tuesday then went to the Cable Ski place in Cairns where I attempted to learn to wakeboard! Unfortunately I couldnt turn right which meant I was thrown off the board at the furthest corner every time, with a long walk back! Being incompetent had its advantages, as the guys there were willing to offer me advice!
We`re now in Singapore, which is seriously over the top! The hotel is magnificent, I feel like I`m living in a palace! I arrived last night in quite a stupor, as I`d managed to get very dehydrated in Cairns due to water skiing so had little sleep, then half of my seat on the plane was taken up by the huge man sitting next to me - I ended up standing for most of the 8 hour flight. We went for a quick dinner by the harbour, where Mum and I made the mistake of believing the waiter that the curry was mild...so hot we had to order something else!
Today we visited Singapore zoo (it had been recommended by everyone we have met) and we will be going back to the night safari tonight as 90% of the animals are nocturnal. Mum and Dad are dying to show me the shops here, apparently they are all huge, department store size! To top it all off, everywhere is decorated for Christmas - Orchard Road has the most lights I have ever seen.
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Diary Photos
| 30th Nov 2006 |
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| Aboriginal forest walk |
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| 30th Nov 2006 |
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| Bush fire in the Blue Mountains |
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| 30th Nov 2006 |
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| Diving in the Great Barrier Reef |
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| 30th Nov 2006 |
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| Helicopter dropping water over bush fires in Blue Mountains |
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| 30th Nov 2006 |
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| Sydney At Night |
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| 30th Nov 2006 |
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| Sydney Bridge |
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Diary Movies
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