Ageing Hipsters Travel

Adelaide my city

2012-01-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

I have lived here from birth and have never toured my own city. Well that is about to change.
Several friends and myself have decided that we will start visiting the popular and not so popular sites around Adelaide and also include areas around South Australia.
Population in South Australia is just under 2 million, so you can see we don't have a large population, so there is plenty of room for everyone.

The weather consists of warm dry summers (none of that humidity stuff) and cool winters (no snow), with an average annual rainfall of 585mm. We get most of the rain from May to August. Summer can be very hot and in fact we have just had our hottest New Years day for 100 years, where it got to 41C.

We have some beautiful beaches to compensate for that though. The photo is of Brighton Beach yesterday and the temp was 37C. My husband and I took his mother to Brighton for her birthday. We had lunch at the Espy and then wandered onto the jetty to people watch. The water was so clear and inviting, I did wish I had brought my bathers. Our beaches are beautiful but not crowded and we have a lot of safe beaches to swim in that are close to the city.

A bit about Brighton Beach

You can get to Brighton easily by train or bus if you do not have a car. Many visitors and locals catch the tram to Glenelg and then walk to Brighton for lunch and then back to Glenelg. The distance between beaches is approx. 4kms I think.
Brighton has a small shopping strip which makes it look more like a small seaside village than a suburb. There are some very trendy shops and lots of sidewalk cafes and yes they are dog friendly. They also supply water containers for your pooch.
There are some really good restaurants also but my favorite spot is the Esplanade Hotel(Espy) where you can get a really good view of the ocean.

Brighton also has a jetty and you often see the young people jumping off it(not allowed but!!who follows rules these days).

I am very attached to Brighton because when I was a kid I learnt to swim there. Mum took the 5 of us children by train to Brighton for swimming lessons every summer. She couldn't swim and wanted to make sure we all could.

Brighton is a nice alternative to go to if you want a quieter beach and shopping area.

Esplanade Hotel (Espy)

Brighton Beach Jan 2nd 2012

The next blog will be about somewhere in Adelaide and its suburbs.

Byron Bay and area

2011-10-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Macadamia Castle is a good place to take the grand kids. The macadamia nut is found in this area. You can treat yourself to complimentary tasting from a variety of flavours. You can also buy some gifts in their extensive gift shop.
There are baby animals such as rabbits, sheep, chickens, calves, ducks, kangaroos and emus. Your children or grandchildren, can feed the kangaroos and emus and also hold baby rabbits. Reptiles and native birds are also on show.
If you want to make it a full day there is mini - golf, playgrounds (two age levels), face painting, flying fox, picnic area and an adventure tree house.
They also have a train that takes the kids around the park for $2.

The castle cafe is an award winning cafe and make great pancakes. I suggest you share unless you are a big eater. I had to leave half of my mango and macadamia ice cream pancakes.

Markets Took a trip to Bangalow market on the 25th September. It was really good but very crowded as it was the first week of the school holidays. All sorts of good quality goods for sale not like Nimbin which was terrible and not good quality. But you do have to go to Nimbin just to look at it and say you have been. We went to a good cafe there in the main street. You could eat inside or outside and they had a sandpit/play area for kids. They also had native lizard art made out of bottle tops attached on trees which looked effective.
Went to Byron Bay market today 2nd October. It seemed bigger than the Bangalow market and there was entertainment. I noticed a lot of the same stalls too. Very good quality stuff and I enjoyed wandering around having a look.
Eating out My favorite place to eat at is the RSL (Byron Bay Services Club). Not far from Woollies on the main road towards Suffolk Park. The meals are amazing in size and very reasonable. They also have raffles and some good prizes are won. There is a kids room for over 3's, so you can take the whole family. They have pokies of course for those who like to have a bit of a flutter. Another good value place to eat is the Suffolk Park Hotel. They have a playground within the hotel and tables close by so you can watch the kids. Menu is quite reasonable too.
Travelling with pets Coming from Adelaide, I have never had to worry about my dog getting ticks. I have added this section because my daughter has two dogs which she relocated from japan. It cost her about $7000 for both of them. Very expensive when you don't have a lot of money. But under the circumstances it wasn't an option not to bring them. (Long story)Two nights ago we were woken up by a frantic son in law (my daughter was in hospital after the birth of her baby)saying that one of the dogs was unwell. My nephew went out to the farm to check and due to not being able to speak Japanese and my son in laws English is limited they thought of taking her to the vet in the morning. My daughter rang me at Midnight to say she was worse and could I contact the vet of which I did. We made it in time, any longer and she wouldn't have made it. Bloody paralysis tick nearly got her. She had to stay at the Vet for two nights and I have had her with me for two days as she has to be kept quiet. Even though she seems ok, it weakens their heart and she could suffer from heart failure. The poor thing has no idea what is going on and the other dog is fretting. So please if you take a pet on holiday keep looking for ticks especially if you are like me and come from a place that doesnt have them. The vet said the dogs who are new to the area are more susceptible. They build up some immunity as the years go on. You can treat them with tick spray from the pet shop. Cats also get them. The syptoms were a cough, vomitting, legs giving out so unable to walk. It paralyses their throat and their organs, so if untreated they suffocate.

Short trips/ Byron Bay

2011-09-22T23:26:00.001-07:00

I haven't written anything for awhile but this will change. This blog will follow my short trip to Byron Bay, to be with my daughter and son in law for the birth of my second grandson. This is a special time for us all as they have had to evacuate from Japan. My son in law is Japanese and my daughter is South Australian. Their first son was born in Japan and I was lucky enough to be there for the birth which was an amazing experience. My grandson is now 2 and his brother is due within days, and will be born in Mullumbimby birthing clinic, which is a short distance from Byron Bay. She is hoping for a water birth and would like me to share the experience with her and her husband. So different from when I gave birth, but I am looking forward to the experience.

I arrived here on the 17th September and will leave on the 14th October. I flew from Adelaide to the Gold Coast, then it is a 40min ride on the freeway to Byron Bay.

I am staying in Suffolk Park which is a few k's from Byron, in my 2 nieces house. My daughter is staying at a friends farm and there is not enough room for anyone else but it is close by and and I see them everyday.

My nieces are the Director and Manager of Surfing Byron Bay and run lessons for schools, tourists, adults and anyone who wants to learn to surf. The director has owned and run the school for at least 10 years. She has two children and because her mum, my sister, died over a year ago I have become a surrogate nana which is ok by me.

Surfing is in our family as my father made surfboards in Adelaide and our family of 5 kids had no choice. My brother went on to be a surfboard manufacturer and my sister started the womens surfing. I don't get in the water and surf but I enjoy watching it. My daughter and her husband are both surfers, she is a freelance journalist specialising in surfing and he is a surfing photographer and travels the world following the best surfers and getting great shots. It is only natural that my 2 year old grandson should take up the sport. He can be seen at the Byron Bay beaches on the weekend surfing on his dads back. He has been a hit with some of the tourists. He has been on a board as early as 9 months old. It is a good healthy sport and he sleeps well after a day of surfing. Imagine how good he will be when he is older. It is also a favorite all age groups especially those who have always wanted to have a go and thought they were too old. In fact I met someone whose 80 year old mum learnt to surf and loves it.

Byron Bay is an interesting place because of its mixture of residents. On one hand there are the very very rich and then there are the hippy type residents. Of course then there are the tourists who come to see the beautiful beaches and lifestyle. No need to dress up here, it is so nice being in shorts, casual tops and thongs and just putting a brush through your hair and leaving off the makeup. But if that is what you want you can go to the upmarket restaurants and hotels and dress up too. Everywhere there is natural, organic, sustainable, recycling language whether it is on brochures, in shop windows, newspapers etc, it is the focus of the area.

Byron has some of the best beaches, where you can kayak, surf, snorkel, whale watch, dolphin watch and lots more. A short drive or bike ride away is the lush countryside where you will pass macadamia and coffee farms. Also there is the Open Cathedral at Bex Hill. My niece got married there many years ago and it has the most beautiful view. It is 10 years since I was there for the wedding and it is still beautiful. There is a small wooden church to shelter in if it rains.

2009-09-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Singapore in the 70's

Tales of travel in the 70's - Singapore

The following travel story comes from Rose (now howell) and Alan Davis's diary written by Alan (and edited by Rose for this web site 2009) on Singapore Island - October 4th 1976

The first part of our trip, covered our journey from Adelaide to Darwin across to Bali, through Java, then Sumatra onto Penang and Malaysia and finally Singapore. In 9 weeks we had many memorable experiences and as we journeyed on there were many more to be had and many interesting people to meet.

On entering this country, Alan and I stayed in the ‘Kian Nam’ Chinese Hotel in Klang Lane off Serangoon Road. I'm not sure if the Hotel is still there but it was a very popular place for travellers to stay. Very cheap, the reason for that could be because it was very noisy and a bit sus. This area of town was like a little India, with lots of curry and chips and the Indians who lived and worked there were very polite and respectful.

Our first morning there we arose early with the idea of getting our entire shopping done if that was possible. Our usual breakfast, was a cup of milk coffee for Alan, Milo for me with a couple of jam rolls and pieces of cake. The price was about $1.20S for the lot.

We ventured into the main area of the city ‘Raffles’ where the shops are very exclusive, with only the best in watches and jewellery and price tags in the thousands.

"Raffles was named after the founder of modern Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles whose intention was for it to become a great commercial emporium. The area is named Raffles Place and is located on the South Bank of the River. It is now the main area for finance (banks)."

As the banks were not due to open for an hour, we strolled through the backstreets to China town. It may seem strange having an area named as such in a predominately Chinese city.

It is all here just the same, narrow streets with swarms of people, rickshaw and bicycle traffic, old three storey shops with lattice windows, mildewed walls and the vertical signs in red Chinese writing. Washing strung out on poles and wobbly food stalls selling tasty delicacies, smelly fish, greens and medicines.

A tourist attraction in Chinatown is Sago Street.

"There is an old custom which foretells misfortune for a household where a person has died, the considerate oldies go to live in Sago Street, waiting out the last days of their lives." Often people refer to Sago Street as the street of the dead. There are also a lot of funeral homes there.

"Sago Street was once a home to brothels,it now houses food outlets, bars and retail shops.It got its name because during the 1840's there were many Sago factories.

In the 19th Century it became known for its prostitute dens. By 1901 there were 14 brothels in the Street.During the 1990's the brothels had vacated and the shop houses were restored."

We were too early for the usual hordes of people. There was only a lot of thin and bent old women with sallow and gaunt faces. They would have made good photos but it was impolite to take photos.

On our way back to ‘Raffles’ we bought an umbrella for $2.60S. We had to bargain and walked off after failing to reach a price with the shopkeeper. Ten minutes later we realized we had left a parcel behind. Returning, we found it still there, untouched, so figured to repay the guys honesty, we would buy the umbrella at his price.

At the ‘First National City Bank’ we changed $US50 - $123.50S, then into American Express to exchange some large denomination traveler’s cheques for some tens. Some bright spark in Darwin had recommended $50’s, he didn’t think we'd need small denominations for end of visit conversions and we were silly enough to believe him.

We then went to ‘Orchard Road’ the shopping bonanza. We knew what we had to get and the prices to pay. For me a it was a ladies watch, a ‘Seiko’ for $80S after a little haggling. We may have paid too much but we were getting tired of the haggling. I still have the watch and can't part with it.

The same with the slide film. Probably expensive at $12S a box (about $4Aus), but it was a bad time to be buying film, most places had little stock, so the demand was forcing prices up. Still it was a lot cheaper than in Australia. We bought 12 boxes of kodachrome and 2 ektachrome, which would last for awhile.

"Orchard Road got its name because in the 1840's it was lined with fruit orchards on both sides of the Road. Its commercial development only took off in the 1970's. It contains shopping malls, restaurants, coffee chains, cafes, nightclubs and hotels. It is also a one way street."

We went back into the central city, to the Post Office for a letter from friends back home, then met up with new travel friends for the umpteenth time, since Jakarta and had a chat, then into the Embassy (where they had a restaurant) for a meal. I had a westernized fish and chips for $1.40S. Alan had a mixture of prawns, fish patties, potatoes cucumber and lettuce served with a tangy sauce and a cup of coffee for only $1.20S.

That night we headed for 'Bugis Street'. More shopping to do, stocking up with supplies needed for the rest of our overland trip which began in Australia and will finish in the UK. Lots of sinister looking characters, so we take no chances and clutch our bags tightly as we pushed through the mob. Mainly Chinese stalls, the owners rude and impolite. If we hadn’t had to buy things out of necessity, they would have been told where to go.

‘Bugis’is one of the famous night spots here. The night bazaar is of course popular, lots of food stalls selling wok cooked goodies with the typical Asian open air atmosphere. Seems to be especially attractive to the tourists, everybody doing their oriental thing, prices of course were inflated out of all proportion to their value.

It is around 1 am when all the action starts. The transvestites come out to prowl the streets for action and ‘Bugis’is their haunt. So swarms of fat bellied Westerners, off load from their tour buses and taxis in the wee hours to watch the parade. It seems that it is well known, I wouldn’t be surprised if the government wasn’t paying them to put on a show every night.

"Bugis Street got its name from the seafaring people (Bugis) from South Sulawesi Indonesia. Originally there was a canal which ran through the area where the Bugis could sail up, moor their boats and trade with the local merchants. They were also known as 'Blood thirsty pirates.'From the 50's - 80's it was a famous tourist mecca due to the transvestites parading in flamboyant outfits and what went on in the street.Bugis Street is now a cobblestoned wide avenue with shopping malls etc."

A couple hundred meters up from ‘Bugis’ off Queen Street, we noticed a narrow and softly lit little alley, with red lanterns glowing in the doorways. Lots of men walking up and down peering in the houses. Thinly clad young women standing outside in rather provocative clothes.

'Must be domino games going on inside.'

So like a couple of daredevils, we joined the mob and strolled up the alley. We were fascinated, so we did a loop of the block and went through a second time. Certainly a good collection of girls, mainly Chinese but some Malays.

Plenty of shapes and sizes. No trouble to peek in and get big winks and come on smiles from a line of girls. Just a hallway with half dozen rooms, a curtain for privacy across the doorway. Plenty of customers, 'business is good tonight'. Some places you get a view of the action going on in upstairs rooms. Cavorting about by naked bodies. Hmmph! How disgusting.

All kinds here. Alan was getting winks from beautiful looking homosexuals and I was getting them from lesbians. As much as it was disgusting, it was interesting, no need to wait to the early hours for entertainment.

So with that experience under our belt we headed back to our hotel. Walking in the back streets probably is not a good habit to get into. But it did seem pretty safe in Singapore. There were groups of baton carrying policemen patrolling on foot.

5th October

It is easy to go through money like water, mainly on food and drinks, and a few knick knacks here and there.We went into town with a parcel to send off to Australia; wrapped it up, had it weighed, paid for the postage $9.30S surface mail to Australia. Saw it safely franked so it would make it home along with one roll of Agfa slide film.

We spent the day walking around the shops and markets just browsing.

The canal that runs through the inner city area provides an interesting contrast – tall modern skyscrapers towering over century old designed Chinese junks and barges.They are used to transport goods from the ships to the markets. Singapore has a monstrous harbor, reputedly the 4th busiest in the world (it is still classed as one of the busiest in the World). I believe it too. Just dozens and dozens of boats lying moored in the bay.

Lunch was in a busy little side street, eating with hundreds of other shoppers and office workers. Really mastering the art of using chopsticks. I can pick up small bits of meat and chilli, or large mouthfuls of noodles. (I can't say I am any better now. Still trying.)

Although it is a modern city, with an advanced standard of living and the people rapidly pursuing western ideals and culture, you can sense it is all only skin deep, that the old ways die hard. Go into a bank; a stylish design, new up to date equipment, flashily dressed modern women, serving behind the counters. And then you will see some good looking teller picking her nose.

Women laborers still using hoes to scrape dirt into baskets on million dollar building sites.Men working in smoke filled grotty little rooms, melting little blobs of gold in a little pot of hot coals, with a long pipe to keep the fire glowing. Wouldn’t Bob Hawke and his mates be in their glory in this place?

The public toilets that dot the city, now that is certainly a modern innovation, nicely tiled with gleaming white basins, and attendants charging 5c admittance fee. Only thing is you still have to use the left hand to wipe your backside, quickly trying to splash the water up from the ground level bowl whilst it is flushing. Paper in most households is something for the space age.

The stalls that line many streets are a vast improvement on Indonesia. No dirt floors, or pigs and dogs or chooks running around your feet here. Everyone with a stand must have a hawker’s license, freely displayed with their picture for public view. Kettles of water and big urns of porridge, soup, noodles and curries bubble away madly with charcoal fires burning underneath. Little Chinamen and dark Indians working like madmen, chopping up meats and vegetables, scooping up ladle full’s of gravy, adding a dash of chili or a squirt of soy sauce.

The clank of dirty dishes and busy chopsticks, someone jabbering away in Chinese the orders or hollering out for customers. Sizzling wok cooked food, being tossed and turned, seasoned and spiced before being scraped onto a plate and hurried off to a hungry tummy.Fascinating to watch. It is nice to think this could all happen in Australia too, but we are much too advanced as our society has become so hygiene and sterile in its attitude to food, a lot of places are banning smorgasbord dinners as unhealthy. Can’t see that happening in Asia before the end of the world.

Walking past tailor shops and sad looking Indians put out their arms, ‘come inside John’ or ‘what can I do for you Joe’. Busy girl shop assistants hurry behind you, ignoring your pleas that you are only looking. Want to buy a shirt mister? A new dress maam? A pair of pyjamas? No thanks, we sleep in the nude. You can have a lot of fun in these places without pots of money. You can get a suit made while you wait and it won't break the bank.

Had a taste of Indian food for tea tonight. Some chipolatas with several side dishes of curry. Nothing special, quite bland really, but the place was full of people wolfing down the stuff like it was a hot chicken dinner.We had better get used to it though, as it is about all we will get to eat for a couple of months in India.

So we are leaving tomorrow after a few days here. Once we got to know the place we came to like it. Lots to do, tons of things to buy. But the busy city atmosphere gets to you after a while. Dodging cars and buses whilst crossing streets, swallowing mouthfuls of exhaust fumes. Stern looking faces, hurrying unsmilingly by; no friendly waves or hellos!Shopkeepers uninterested in offering you any good service. We have seen it all before; after all that is why we came to Asia to see what alternate life styles the world offers. Thankfully cities are just small spots that dot the map of the countryside.

A few of the tourist places we visited were the Zoo which was opened in 1973. Singapore Zoo followed the modern trend of displaying animals in naturalistic, 'open' exhibits, i.e. with hidden barriers, behind moats and shrubbery etc. It was the start of a new kind of zoo and we loved it.

We also visited the Tiger Balm Gardens.

The park, originally called "Tiger Balm Gardens", was constructed in 1937 by the brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, the developers of Tiger Balm, as a venue for teaching traditional Chinese values. The Aw family eventually sold the Gardens to the Singapore Tourism Board in 1979 and renamed Haw Par Villa in 1985 and re-opened in 1990, when it was converted into an amusement park.

Note; I would like to aknowledge Alan Davis who religiously wrote the diary during our world trip. Without the diary, these stories would not have been shared with others.I have edited some areas of the diary for this article.

Today, the country attracts visitors from all over the world and many international business events are based here.

Singapore lies 137 km's North of the Equator at the South Eastern end of the Strait of Malacca, the seaway connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans.There are about 63 tropical Islands within Singapores territorial waters. The total land area including its offshore Islands is 697.1 square km's.Lush parks, nature themed attractions and tree-lined streets complement the modern city's landscape of shopping, entertainment, dining and nightlife options.

A cosmopolitan population of ethnically diverse Singaporean citizens, permanent residents and expatriates make up the 4.48 million people who live and work in the State.

Attractions for the tourist:

- Singaporean flyer -observation wheel

- Marina Bay Sands

- Las Vegas

- Resort World at Santosa houses Southeast Asias Universal Studios

- Orchard Road - shopping Malls

- Santosa 500 hectare island getaway

- Mandai - animal themed adventure at the Night Safari and S. Zoo

- Chinatown, little India and Kampong Glan

2009-01-22T21:29:00.000-08:00

Hawaii December 2009
Kauai - The Garden Isle

I have visited over 60 countries in my travels and I think that Kauai is the most scenic Island I have ever been to.
Why Kauai? It has a feel and lifestyle all its own, lush, rural and laid back. It is the first Island of the Hawaii group to have been born. It consists of tropical forests, cascading waterfalls, white sand beaches, mountains that take your breath away and a spectacular canyon.
It must have something going for it as there have been more than 60 movies and television shows recorded there over the years.

GOLF
You have a choice among 162 holes of golf. The golf courses,they say were crafted by nature. The highlty rated Prince course at the Princeville Resort is one of the most beautiful courses in the whole world, and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf has been played at the Poipu Bay Course for many years.
ACTIVITIES
You can hike or go horseback riding, snorkel(bright fish and turtles everywhere), dive, kayak, surf, cruise the Na Pali coast, watch the dolphins and whales, take a helicopter flight over the mountains cycle or picnic on a beach.
ROMANCE
For the romantics, you can get married or renew your vows either on the beach with a backdrop of mountains or in the moutains with a backdrop of waterfalls.
The wedding of my daughter was the reason we travelled to Kauai and it was the best place for it. We stayed in Condos at a place called Princeville on the North Shore, which overlooked the Na Pali Coast. The wedding was a small gathering of 30 guests. The ceremony was casual and conducted on the cliffs overlooking the sea.
There is something magical about Kauai, it is somewhere you can totally relax and unwind. The people are friendly but respect your privacy.
ACCOMMODATION
If you don't want to stay in condos, you can rent houses on the beach and there are a lot of them available. There are not many hotels on the North Shore mainly condos or rentals.
TRANSPORT
One downside with Kauai is the public transport. There are buses but they will not take your luggage. The taxis are a bit expensive if you are staying on the North Shore. Most visitors hire cars. If you intend to go during holiday season then you need to make sure you have booked a car to pick up from the airport. My daughter had a Mustang convertible and we had a soft top Jeep. If you are Australian just remember to drive on the right side of the road. You don't have to get an International license if you have a license in English.
CLIMATE
Climate wise it does rain in Kauai but it doesn't seem to bother anyone as the weather is warm and the rain is mistlike and comes and goes. Everyone carries ponchos or light raincoats. We went in December which is their winter and wet time. But on the upside if you are a surfer, winter is the best time for good waves.
WHEN TO TRAVEL
If you can go in the off season then the flights are cheaper and so is the accommodation.
I booked everything except the flights on the internet. As it was booked and paid for before we went we were able to relax and not worry about the costs.
We found that the trip was not anywhere near as expensive as we thought it would be.
DINING
Food wise, it was very reasonable. The Americans make the best fries and hamburgers. The burgers fill the whole plate. The best burger is the Bubba Burger from Hanalei Bay on the North Shore. You need to get there early as there is always a line up.
If you rent a house or condo then you will have a kitchen. There is a foodland & Safeway supermarket which sells everything even alcohol (beer & wine was quite cheap).
We were able to cater for the wedding by buying everything from the supermarkets.
SPAS
I would have liked to have visited a spa but did not have the time. Resorts have beauty treatments which include the Hawaiin lomi lomi massage, seaweed body masques, ti leaf wraps, botanical baths and mango manicures. Next time I will try them out.
GETTING THERE
You cannot fly direct to Kauai. You fly to Honolulu and then catch a domestic flight to Lihue airport Kauai. I booked the flights on the internet with Hawaiian Airlines. There are other airlines too such as Go. The only problem with all of the domestic airlines is they tend to overbook seats so you may find your flight delayed. So make sure if you have organised a hire car that you ring them if your flight is delayed. Hawaiins are quite laid back so where you are getting stressed they seem to remain very calm and at times you may think they don't care. Their attitude seems to be it will all turn out ok in the end. Guess what? It does.
WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION
I bought the lonely planet book but a lot of information I got from the Kauai tourist site on the internet. I even sent away for a brochure on the island and they posted it to my home.
If you are interested in going just email me with any questions and I will try to answer them. Just remember I am not a travel agent and am not affiliated with anyone. I am a traveller like all of you and want to just pass on my experiences and knowledge. It is all free. The question you may ask is will I go back there? Hey I didn't want to leave and neither did my husband and other family members, so yes I would definitely go back as there is so much to do there. My two sisters and brother-in-law spent 5 weeks on Oahu, Big Island, Mauai and Kauai. I asked them the other day would they go back, and without hesitation they said for sure. They are all in their sixties.
OTHER ISLANDS OF HAWAII
We also travelled to Big Island and Oahu. See separate section on these.
Good websites for info www.kauaidiscovery.com and www.gohawaii.com

2008-06-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

I have created this blog to share the many stories I have from my travels from the 70's to now and the future. In 1976 my ex and I left Australia to follow the famous hippie trail which began in Bali and finished in the UK.
It took us a year to complete traveling through countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Turkey then Greece to London.
Whilst over that side of the world we also did the European travel then spent 15 months in Africa and then finished with 6 months in South America and USA. Overall we were away for 41/2 years.
It was the trip of my life and once my two girls were old enough to travel my second husband and I started again. Overall I have been to approx 60 countries in my lifetime.
As I love to travel I decided to share my tips and experiences with others. So recently I put together a website www.ageing-hipsters-travel.com and that has information about everything the over 50's traveler (or any age) needs to know such as passports, visas, accommodation, cruises and much more.

I will be putting up photos soon from the hippie trail.

BALI 1976

I will begin with our first Asian destination, Bali. I have to admit I suffered badly from culture shock in Bali. For those who went there in the 70's, there were no flash accommodation, most travelers stayed in losmens. These were rooms most often attached to private homes. They were quite comfortable but spartan. The sewers in the main streets stank and I had trouble with the food.
I remember our first morning, we had black rice pudding, bananas and coconut washed down with hot sweet tea. Firstly, I am allergic to bananas and I was a meat and 3 veg girl. We never had rice in our house especially purple rice. (I love it all now)
We were staying in Kuta so went for a stroll down the main drag. Even back then it was very touristy and had similar sellers as you see there now. And yes they hassled you on the beach as they do these days.
It was quite hot (it was August) and the drinks they made from fresh fruit were very refreshing and back then quite a good price of 60rp.
We noted too that the place was floating on grass!!! and we were continually asked to buy heroin, opium or anything. (it wasn't our thing but there were a lot that just hung around Bali for that reason). We found the Balinese girls very beautiful and seemed to be untouched by the western culture creeping into their country. We loved Kuta but even back then it was touristy so we were looking forward to going to the mountains.
Now, when you travel in Bali you take your life into your own hands specifically on the buses or bemos. I think I counted 12 crammed onto a bemo once.
They drove like maniacs and once we were going around a mountain in a bus and a motorcyclist decided to overtake (on a bend) and a bus came around the corner. The motorcyclist was almost squashed between two buses. He emerged from this with a big smile on his face.
I think I have many bus horror stories to share with you on my travels in later posts.
The next posting I will share our travels into the mountains of Bali.