Kiribati

17th June 2012

Up at 4.30am, taxi 5pm, to catch a flight at 7am. Jasper (dog) not happy when he sees suitcases. "they're leaving me again". Good flight to Sydney, no dramas.Nice breakfast/snack on plane (qantas), greek yoghurt, juice and muesli bar. Bought a camera (Nikon coolpix) at the airport duty free for $349, now I just need to learn how to use it.

Flight from Sydney was delayed an hour (of course, nothing new there). The excuse was 'for cleaning' then changed their minds to mechanical problems (really making me feel safe). I said to Ron (hubby), "I don't need to know that".

The plane was a jumbo 747400 with an upstairs and downstairs. It was an Air Pacific flight. It was full to the brim. A lot of people under the sole care of a couple of pilots. Boy that is a lot of responsibility. They did a good job.I lived to tell the tale.

Left Sydney at 2.30pm. Had to wait on the tarmac for ages. Finally we were into the air and on our way to Fiji. We knew we would arrive in the night and leave in the dark so wasn't too excited about going to Fiji. Maybe we will get to see it another time.

I did a lot of preparation for work on the plane. It made the time go quickly. Also had a bit of a nap, but without my neck pillow (which I lost on my last trip) my head kept bobbing around.

We had a snack of chicken stir fry wrap, cold pasta and casava chips, coffee and soft drink. I think I had that last time I flew Air Pacific. Both Ron and I were still hungry but we couldn't do anything about it.

Met a nice guy sitting next to me. He and a colleague were going to Fiji for work. They are reps for a small wine importer in Australia based in Woollongong. Great job travelling around buying wine. He loved the job but enjoyed going home to his partner and 6 kids!!!!! Wow!!!!

Landed in Fiji, in the dark as expected. Ate dinner at 10pm and in bed by 11pm. Stayed at the Novotel, not too bad, about a 4 star. It was nice and close to the Airport, about 10 minutes drive. They have a shuttle bus that picks you up which is good. Very nice friendly staff. Slept well if only for 3 and half hours. Had to get up at 2.30am (yuk)to be at the airport by 3am for a 5am flight to Kiribati.

18th June 2012

Soooo tired!!!! Caught a taxi from the hotel (no cost). Met up with a couple of work colleagues and travelled to the airport with them. One of them was asked to put his toiletries into a plastic zip bag. He didn't have one so I lent him mine. I learnt last time even my lipstick had to go in a clear ziplock bag. He also had to take off his belt and shoes. They weighed and measured my cabin bag as it has to be a certain size and weight. They let me go when they realised it was the correct size.

Got through customs with about an hour to wait for the plane so we had a muffin and coffee. Ron bought some duty free wine for me to drink over there. Last time I was there I had trouble finding white wine to drink. Our colleagues were lucky to be able to wait in the Business class lounge because they are frequent flyers. One day????

The plane was on time and we were on our way to Tarawa Bonriki airport Kiribati. Air Pacific plane again. Flight takes approx 3 hours. We were served breakfast of yoghurt, fruit and coffee. Still hungry. God knows what my body thinks the time is. Arrived in Kiribati about 8am. We were picked up by Linda Uan (Volunteers manager). I met her last time. Her husband is a film maker and also looks after International film makers and journos etc. Linda also looks after the disability school as her daughter has Autism.

We stopped to get petrol along the way and they only put in about Aus$10-15 at a time. As the road is only about 50 kms long and you can only travel at 40 - 60kmh you don't use up too much petrol.

The currency is the Aussie Dollar which seems odd.

Stopped at Utererei motel to drop our colleagues off and visited the 3 pet tortoises and watched them being fed. At least they are pets and not food.

Onwards to Mary's motel. Only one road so can't get lost. It is about 9am when we arrive. The room is very basic, reminds me of the shacks we stayed in when I was a kid in the 60's. Not happy because the shower is cold, no hot water. Last time my room had hot water, not this time. Lucky the weather is very hot. Water also goes off at about 9pm then back on in the morning. Got caught out once, all lathered up and water goes off. Down to a trickle. Agh!!!

Ventured over to the restaurant at about 11am because we were hungry. We both had bacon and eggs on toast. They always give you 3 pieces of toast???? Cost was $6 each. Also had a coca cola. Nice.

Met an Irish Kiwi and a Welsh Kiwi. They work for MET (meteorology?) Really nice guys.

Antoine (Director of Kiribati Institute of Technology) picked us up at 1.15pm for a 1.30 start at KIT.

Finished so We packed up, Ron had arrived so Antoine took us to his house for a drink. He had gathered some coconuts because he wanted to make a cocktail. He added vodka and something else with crushed ice and coconut milk. Very nice but very potent so I only drank half.

Ron met Tiara and we sat on the decking as he showed and explained his trip to Marakwai where Tiaras family live. It really looked nice. Then at 6pm we said we have been awake since 2.30am and need to get back to the motel and have some tea and in to bed.

We went searching for Eric when we returned only to find he had been sent packing due to the motel being full. They do that, over book and then kick someone out. He ended up above the Japanese restaurant in a small room. He was cool about it though. Said the food was better there.

Our first real meal at Mary's was Teriyaki chicken and rice and steak and rice.

At dinner we met 3 more Kiwis who are working for a consultant at the Ministry of Labor. One was delivering a Diploma of Finance, another HR skills and the third something to do with the marine/navy??? Not sure.

About 9pm we were off to have a cold shower and bed. Must admit it was refreshing. Set alarm for 6.30am as I was being picked up at 7.30am. Ron bought weetbix and milk for breakfast because the restaurant doesn't open until 7am.

Nice comfy bed so should sleep well.

19th June Tuesday 2012

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain outside. Dogs barked all night and one howled as though it had been hurt and sure enough on my way to work there was a dead dog who had been hit by a car. The dogs are roaming free everywhere and are a real pest. They are not desexed so there are fights amongst them all the time. They are not aggressive to us though which is unusual. It seems they have learnt to live side by side with humans. Many of the locals have them as their pets but they are still free roaming. Evidently there was a Vet in Kiribati who wanted to desex the males and treat the dogs for parasites etc but she wasn't allowed for some reason.

The rain was very heavy, real tropical rain storms. My ride to work was late so that made us both late, but no one seems to care. Kiribati time after all.

It was great catching up with my students again and they all seemed happy to see me again and to meet Ron.

Was already to start work but as I said it is Kiribati time and I had to wait until they were ready.

Thank goodness for usb's as I was able to spend time saving work to leave with the staff when I left. Their intenet is unreliable so everything needs to be on usb or saved to their computers. But there can be a problem with virus's also.

At lunch time I went shopping for snacks. You have to rely on what has come in from other countries, so one week it can be all from Australia or another New Zealand etc etc. I bought 2 minute noodles for lunch as there wasn't much else to get. No pies, pasties, rolls or sandwhiches. Even though one of the days I did get a roll. I could see it had egg, so I bought it only to find it also had strawberry jam. Cold egg and jam. Nah not good. Roll was nice and fresh though. I did get some mixed nuts which was good.

At 4pm I was able to get a lift back to the motel with an Australian/Philipino consultant called Toni. She teaches English.

Arrived back at the motel only to find no Ron. I tried not to worry and decided to wait before panicking. I got the motel worker to open my door so I didn't have to wait outside in the rain. Ron arrived just after 5pm. He had decided to go adventuring when the rain had stopped and caught the local transport to the other side of the island and back. He did say it started to rain again and he got caught in it. The transport consists of small minivans and most are missing their windscreens, due mainly to falling coconuts, breadfruit and other things falling from trees. As there are no 'windscreen businesses', they tape up the windows with heavy duty plastic. If it is raining, someone has to wipe the windscreen with a tee shirt or rag.

For dinner that night we had the local fish, I think it is called Morokoi (emperor). I am not a seafood eater but it was delicious. Very white and meaty. I had mine crumbed and we had chips with it.

Early to bed again at 9pm. There is no TV or radio, so we read for awhile or watch a movie on the computer. As we get up at 6am we are usually too tired to do much.

20/6/12 Wednesday

Nicer day with the sun shining. Off to work by 7.30am for a full day of teaching. I was really impressed with the students memories. I tested them on topics they learnt in February and they were all up to date with their knowledge.

We had a special lunch to welcome me and farewell a fellow colleague from Australia.

There was a lot of singing and then a lovely feast. We were given a garland of flowers for our heads. They included Ron as well even though he was a visitor not a teacher. Everyone was so happy and welcoming.

Finished teaching and arrived back at the motel to catch up with a colleague who was leaving the next day. He had been kicked out of the motel earlier because they mixed up his booking.

Had a quick drink then he had to go to a farewell dinner. We weren't alone for long when James the meterologist came back from a game of soccer with the locals. He said some of them are quite good and most play in bare feet. That is a common occurence here. Most of my students who are the KIT teachers go barefeet except at the school. You see kids walking around on the hot tar road in bare feet and they don't seem to notice. Their feet must be so hard.

James invited us to have dinner and drinks with their group. There were the two meteorologists, 2 female pediatricains, 2 pediatric nurses, James and his mate John and Mal a cop from NZ. we had a great night and several stories were shared amongst everyone. We all have our own unique experiences in Kiribati. Didn't get to bed til 11pm and of course the water was off so had to get up earlier to fit in a shower. Cold shower that is.

Another noisey night, people, dogs etc.

21/6/12 thursday

Funny how we are waking up just before the alarm goes off. I must be scared I will sleep in or something.

Toni picked me up in a hire car. All dented and dirty but still costs $50 a day. Arrived at work early enough to get some internet before class. As we said it always seems to go right on the day.

Did some work in the afternoon then on my return to the motel, Ron and I decided to take a walk around the town.

Checked out the view over the sea from the Moromon church nearby then realised the prison was next door. Not many real criminals and this was the womens section. Just a cyclone fence with a bit of barb wire on top. That looked like the only difference between the local houses and the prison.

Also saw the one of the Presidents residents which was very nice, lovely gardens and very friendly police guards. They even let us take their photos and also the house. I don't think they have a lot of trouble from foreigners as it is not a place for regular tourists, mainly people working here.

Went back for an early tea and to watch some videos Ron had bought.

22/6/12 Friday

Off to work today in blue top as it is the Australian High Commissioner's visit and everyone is wearing their special blue top. They have a red one also but I am not sure when they wear that one. I didn't want to stand out so I dressed in the same color. The High Commissioner was coming to open the new classrooms and toilet block. He was due at 9 am but he put a spanner in the works by arriving 10 minutes early. I-Kiribati people expect you to arrive late not early so weren't ready for him. Luckily the Director was able to take him and his wife into his office for a chat and to cool down in the air conditioning whilst the school got itself ready and in place for their welcome.

All went well. Students sang a welcoming song and then they placed flower garlands on the guests heads. There were speeches made by the two Directors, High Commissioner and the Student Council President. All in English as all classes at the Institute are in English. Students must have a certain level of English to be able to attend. They attend advanced classes also.

Lunch time a few of us and Ron (he was the official photographer) went to Aboys restaurant, one of the better ones. Whilst we were there a cart with tuna on it was wheeled past into the kitchen. Wow they were very big and so fresh. No wonder the tuna steaks here are so nice. Even I like them.

One of the ladies from the college who came to lunch was born in Kiribati but married an Australian so comes back every year for a few months to see her mother and sister. She is an ex teacher and her husband is also a teacher. She has a temporary position as Business Development officer at KIT. She also wants to start up a small tour business. She has a lot of knowlege regarding the Battel of Tarrawa and the relics left after the war to rot on the beaches.

That night when we went over to the motels restaurant for dinner another couple we met arrived to join us. They are volunteering for 12 months and have their two children with them. Lachlan is in IT and his wife Amber is in marketing.

Unfortunately for them they have not been well and had just returned from Brisbane after coming down with Dengue fever (Amber and the kids) and Lachlan had shingles. On their return their daughter had suspected Typhoid and their son had a rash appear on his arms. Not the place to take kids as they have found out. They live near the High Commissioner in a small house.

We were also joined by the Kiwis. It is so nice here that you are never alone, there is always someone to talk to. Off to bed at 10.30pm.

Travel for work (Photos courtesy of Eric Williams)

I have been slack with my entries in the past due to work and other commitments. Last year my daughter and her husband had to evacuate from Japan because they lived 100 or so K’s from the nuclear plant that exploded. There was evidence of radiation in their water and soil. As she was 7 months pregnant and also had a 2 year old boy it was a no brainer that they should return to Australia. Her husband who is Japanese was torn between looking after his wife and children and his Mother who was in the hospital dying from cancer. It was decided that he would stay and my daughter would come home. His mother died before the need to leave so it all worked out in the end. They are happily living in Northern NSW where they have an opportunity to advance their work. He is a professional surfing/fashion photographer and she is a freelance journalist specialising in surfing. It has been a huge relief for me to have them safe here in Australia, and it is easier to travel to see my two grandsons. I was able to be there for the birth of her second son and help with the care of her eldest boy who is now nearly 3. I am planning on visiting once a year so that I get to see them. Once they are settled they too will visit us in Adelaide regularly.

This post is about my opportunity to travel to Kiribati (Island in the Pacific) for work. What an amazing experience. I travelled with a colleague who was also working there.



“Kiribati is for travellers - those who have a passion for exploring and discovering, people who like an adventure off the tourist trail to places where few have been before, and people who want to understand a country - not just see it. Kiribati will challenge your view of how life should be and show you a less complicated way of living where family and community come first.” www.kiribatitourism.gov.ki
Mauri – the word for hello and welcome

Where is it?
Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) is an independent republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, located in the central Pacific Ocean, about 4,000 km (about 2,500 mi) southwest of Hawaii. It is part of the division of the Pacific islands that is known as Micronesia. Kiribati consists of 33 coral islands divided among three island groups: the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and the Line Islands.

All of the islands are atolls (ring-shaped islands with central lagoons) except for the island of Banaba in the Gilbert Islands which is a raised limestone Island. Of the 33 islands of Kiribati, 21 are inhabited. Most of the population is concentrated in the Gilbert Islands and only one of the islands in Phoenix Group (Kanton Island) is inhabited and three of the Line Islands are permanently inhabited. The capital of Kiribati is Tarawa, an atoll in the Gilbert Islands. Bairiki, an islet of Tarawa, serves as an administrative center.

The majority of the atolls are barely more than six metres above sea level and surrounded by barrier reefs creating picturesque lagoons for fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming and other water sports. Professional scuba diving guides are available on Christmas Island, Fanning Island and Tarawa.

Surfing is also popular on Kiritimati (Christmas) Island, Fanning (Tabuaeran) Island and Gilbert Islands.
Kiribati became the first nation to see in the Third Millennium during the year 2000.

Kiribati is 12 hours ahead of GMT - 2 hours ahead of Tokyo and 22 hours ahead of Honolulu, on the other side of the international dateline.



Population
Approx. 100,000

People
The main language is I-Kiribati - however English has been taught over many years and is widely understood, in particular the older generation. English is taught in schools.

The happiest and friendliest people I have met in a very long time. They know how to relax and not get too stressed.
The essence of community is common – people form community through sharing of objects, environments and spaces, and this is a lot in Kiribati. With many people in a small place, people share the natural resources that they live off. The I-Kiribati people often live in close quarters with their extended family, and living and working in harmony with neighbours and family is of high importance. Much of the traditions and beliefs of the people have remained the same.

At the centre of community life is the Maneaba – a rectangular structure used as a meeting place for the village community. This is where traditional meetings are held.
Celebration is something the Kiribati people certainly love. Any visitors to Kiribati in the Christian events of Easter or Christmas will see many celebrations, and as much traditional dancing and singing as one could ever wish for.
Traditional daily life in Kiribati revolves around living off the resources of the island – this might be taking the sailing canoe out to catch fish for the daily meal, cutting toddy to drink, harvesting coconuts or breadfruit, or weaving craft from the leave of the coconut tree. The island and surrounding sea provide everything, from food, shelter, clothing, furniture, or medicine.
Climate
Temperature varies between 25° and 33°C and they have 4135 hours of sunshine annually. The wet season extends from December to May and rainfall variation is high in most of the islands. A gentle breeze from the easterly quarter is predominant, and a sea breeze cools everyone down all year round.
They don’t seem to be affected by tsunamis or typhoons.

Money
Australian Dollar is used and there are a couple of ATM's which work very well.
Shopping
There are no supermarkets but I did find a large store called Moels Trading Store. They stock tim tams, weetbix, vegemite and of course all the other stuff. One thing that is hard to get is fresh fruit and vegetables as they have to get it in from Fiji.
Phone cards are sold here too but there are several other places, like the security office in the business area. Take your phone and buy a card and you can then ring home even though it is expensive. No texting available.

We found a couple of bakeries and the buns were delicious. Also ice cream, but beware evidently you can get sick from the ice cream. We bought ours from a large trading store that looked new.
Chatterbox cafe is the only place we found good souvenirs, make sure you have cash though as they don't take cards. They make great coffee there too and you can check in here for your flight instead of the airport.

My experience (February 2012)
Firstly we had to travel to Fiji and stay overnight before flying to Tarawa Kiribati. What did I expect to see on arrival? Having travelled extensively since the 70's to countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Africa, Burma, South America (just to name a few), I was surprised that it was as primitive as those countries back in the 70's. We flew in on an Asia Pacific plane, and on landing we could see that houses lined the strip and locals were on the edge of the tarmac waving. It is a novelty for the locals as there are two arrivals a week.





Who doesn't like to watch planes landing and especially when you can get so close to them?
The airport was a tin shed with handwritten signs. Luggage was carried off the plane and put on a bench and you had to find your own.

You are able to hire a car to get around. It is easy driving as there is only one road and you won't get lost. The widest part of the island is approx. 500metres so you would end up in the sea either side if you took a wrong turn. The maximum speed on the road is 60kph. You need to keep to it as there are a lot of speed humps and no warning of them. As the road is shaded by trees it is hard to see the humps until you are on them. There is also a toll to pay when crossing the main causeway. It will cost you 40cents one way. That poor man sits in his little hut collecting the toll 24 hours a day. No air-conditioning for him.

We were picked up from the airport and driven to our motel.
First impression of the island as we drove to our motel was it is not the most beautiful I have seen but it has a beauty of its own. As the locals describe it, “It is an island for travellers not tourists" and that is so true. If you are looking for modernity, then this is not the place to visit. If you are looking at experiencing the island life and its people then this is where you come.
"Mary's Motel" is run by George. Mary died in 2003 so George took over and his sisters and brothers help him. It is very clean but also very basic. The room did have an air conditioner and hot shower. They also had Wi-Fi internet access that wasn't very reliable. There is a restaurant which has a large choice of food which is very good. If you are into seafood (I am not) then lobster and very delicious fish is what you should try. The menu is a mixture of Asian and western food. They even had pancakes which were very nice. Prices were very good too and the serves were large. Drinks consisted of soft drink, water, beer and wine (not easy to get wine, white in particular, I found a Hardy’s though)

Why was I here? I am a lecturer at TAFESA and Kiribati and TAFE have an agreement with us training. I teach Certificate IV Training and Assessment. KIT (Kiribati Institute of Technology) needed their lecturing staff to gain their training qualifications. I spent 5 days training and will return to do 7 days training in June. The students’ quality of work was outstanding and they have had a lot of Professional Development to support them. At the Institute they deliver IT, Business Admin, Automotive, Construction, electro technology, TESOL, Accounting and others. Most are at a Cert. I - II level, but they are working on higher levels for the future. There are other TAFE lecturers there supporting the staff.
The reason they are doing all of this training is because of climate change. The ice is melting and as the highest point on the island is no more than 6 metres above sea level then they may only have 50 years or so left. They want to get the young ones qualified so that they can gain work if they need to leave. Many who have gained skills live and work abroad, sending money back to their families.
This is an exciting time for KIT as they work to becoming the best Training organisation in the Pacific. I think they may get there too.

We managed to get some sightseeing in on Sunday. We followed the road as far as it went and found the most beautiful island, which is a resort. Unfortunately we couldn't get to it because you have to get a boat across. Evidently there a many islands like this and you can only access them by boat. I met a volunteer who was going to one of these islands to teach boat building for 6 months. How exciting. They do have generators for power but everything is pretty basic.
My highlight was getting the opportunity to drive on the tarmac and also direct planes (not really). How many of you can say you have done that?????

One thing that is evident in Kiribati is they are religious. As we found out on our Sunday trip. There is pretty much every denomination there. Sunday service is very musical and we were able to hear some of the singing which was lovely. They all get dressed up in white and look so nice. Don't know how they get their stuff so white though. We saw schools and churches of the Mormons, 7th Day Adventist, Uniting, Catholic just to name a few.

Adelaide my city

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

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

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.

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

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