Hi everyone,
Thanks to Melvin for his guest blog entry and slideshow! I'm having a great time in New Zealand so far. I'm having fun this week at Arthur's Pass National Park on the South Island. Today's topic: tramping. That's what they call hiking in NZ, except it really feels like tramping (i.e. walking thru wilderness on what you could hardly call a trail). Tramping is a big deal in NZ -- although they like to call it a "water sport" because you're either walking thru rivers or in the rain a lot!
Other features:
* Huts: They have a wonderful hut system -- you could go for days going from one hut to the next without ever camping out. It's really nice. Each hut has its own personality. One hut I stayed in was brand new, another one had mice playing in the walls all thru the night!
* Scenery: Incredible. Lush green woods. Glaciers. Waterfalls. Makes me want to see Lord of the Rings again, just for the scenery.
* Trampers: Very friendly, from all over the world as well as NZ. Fun to visit with at huts & on trail. Amazingly it seems that everyone is here for longer than I am. A couple of girls from Europe I met going the opposite direction on the trail let me borrow their car they had left at one end of the trail -- I drove around to the other end and picked them up, then we drove back into town.
Have a great week everyone!
Ray
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Wrong slideshow address
Whoops! I put the wrong web address for the Aussie Adventure slideshow. It is at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjJOhDwyJpU
Melvin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjJOhDwyJpU
Melvin
Touring Aussie-Style, with Ray
Ray asked me to "guest blog" and report on our week-long adventures in Australia. We had a great time, with lots of interesting sites, sounds and experiences as we toured New South Wales. We did a little bit of everything as we covered almost 2500 kilometers in our rental car, from hiking remote bushtrails in the Budawand Mountains to walking across the Sydney Harbor Bridge with a thousand of our closest Aussie friends. We rode bikes through vineyards in Hunter Valley and spelunked through the amazing Jenolan Caves, camped with kangaroos and survived a downtown youth hostel with even wilder animals. We were amazed at the Snowy River's beauty, confused by Aussie slang, and befriended by nice people all around us. Some of the highlights:
-Wildlife! We were amazed to find animals and birds of every description, from the most colorful and exotic birds ever imagined, to kangaroos hopping across roads and past our tent early in the morning. We especially enjoyed a dolphin-watching cruise in Port Stephens and the amazing Sydney Aquarium, which showcased fish and wildlife from across Australia including sharks, giant turtles, penguins and exotic fish from the Great Barrier Reef.
-Driving on "the wrong side of the street." It took some courage and some constant vigilance, but we both figured out the whole driving thing. The trickiest part was remembering which side the turn signal and rear-view mirror was on (opposite than US cars) and mastering the ever-present Aussie roundabout.
-Hikes. We went on several walks and trails, but also tried our skill at two day hikes. We hiked to the summit of Mount Kosciusko, the tallest mountain in Australia and also Pigeon House Summit, and enjoyed many scenic views and vistas.
-Sydney. Wow! What an amazing city! We were excited to see the famed Sydney Harbor and iconic Opera House, but also enjoyed many other parts of the city, including Darling Harbor, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Government House, the Rocks, Bondi Beach, Botany Bay and so forth. We were lucky to be there as the Harbor Bridge celebrated its 75th birthday and joined in with a giant party across the city to celebrate. We also had great Thai and Japanese food and had a great time in Sydney.
-People. We met several very friendly Aussies through our travels, including a very kind couple, Selmar and Lisa Nebalung, who rescued us from near disaster when our rental car had two flat tires within a couple minutes time on a deserted dirt road. Very thankful!
We had a great trip Down Under in Australia!
Melvin
For a slideshow of our trip, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjJOhDwyJpU or check out:
-Wildlife! We were amazed to find animals and birds of every description, from the most colorful and exotic birds ever imagined, to kangaroos hopping across roads and past our tent early in the morning. We especially enjoyed a dolphin-watching cruise in Port Stephens and the amazing Sydney Aquarium, which showcased fish and wildlife from across Australia including sharks, giant turtles, penguins and exotic fish from the Great Barrier Reef.
-Driving on "the wrong side of the street." It took some courage and some constant vigilance, but we both figured out the whole driving thing. The trickiest part was remembering which side the turn signal and rear-view mirror was on (opposite than US cars) and mastering the ever-present Aussie roundabout.
-Hikes. We went on several walks and trails, but also tried our skill at two day hikes. We hiked to the summit of Mount Kosciusko, the tallest mountain in Australia and also Pigeon House Summit, and enjoyed many scenic views and vistas.
-Sydney. Wow! What an amazing city! We were excited to see the famed Sydney Harbor and iconic Opera House, but also enjoyed many other parts of the city, including Darling Harbor, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Government House, the Rocks, Bondi Beach, Botany Bay and so forth. We were lucky to be there as the Harbor Bridge celebrated its 75th birthday and joined in with a giant party across the city to celebrate. We also had great Thai and Japanese food and had a great time in Sydney.
-People. We met several very friendly Aussies through our travels, including a very kind couple, Selmar and Lisa Nebalung, who rescued us from near disaster when our rental car had two flat tires within a couple minutes time on a deserted dirt road. Very thankful!
We had a great trip Down Under in Australia!
Melvin
For a slideshow of our trip, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjJOhDwyJpU or check out:
Sunday, March 18, 2007
On to New Zealand!
Hi everyone,
I'm late for my plane to Christchurch so I'll just leave a quick hi and say that Melvin and I had a GREAT time this last week driving around Sydney area. We'll provide more about our adventures later but all is well!
I'm late for my plane to Christchurch so I'll just leave a quick hi and say that Melvin and I had a GREAT time this last week driving around Sydney area. We'll provide more about our adventures later but all is well!
Love and miss y'all.
Ray
_________________________________________________________________
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Saturday, March 10, 2007
G'day mates!
Hello friends from Down Under!
I got here Wednesday night and am back at the Sydney airport awaiting Melvin's arrival. I spent three days up in the Blue Mountains exploring that tourist mecca (Katoomba) before heading back down to Sydney last night. With Melvin I'll explore Sydney & surrounding country more. To keep this interesting, I'm going to change my format this time and present to you the highlights of my stay here so far, discussing topics of interest.
Executive Summary:
*The people: VERY friendly. Everyone is interested in my trip and has plenty of advice about where to go and what to do here. The bus driver, the man at the train station, the man on the trail, the hostel roommate, etc.
* Losing things: I must be losing my mind or something because I seem to be losing something every single day. I've already lost two headlamp lights (that makes 4 in the last 4 months & 2 in the last week!) I'm starting to feel like they did in the book of Ether -- sleep on it or lose it!
* Pack-weight: A constant obsession. How can I lower my weight? I seem to be accumulating even more stuff. Books, brochures, food, etc. I've never felt so much like a homeless person! I'm looking forward to this next week driving a car with Melvin. Maybe I'll send some stuff home with him?
* Hostel life: I must be getting too old -- I'm just not up for the party atmosphere at the hostel. The rates are great though (except the nickel-and-diming laundry) -- and fortunately my room was clean and quiet, even sharing the room with 5 other guys. Americans are strangely rare here, but there are many from the UK.
* Church: I found the singles branch here in Sydney and attended it today. I always love going to church in different countries. There are so many interesting people to meet, and new insights to be gained. It was such a stark difference in the spirit between the hostel and the church. It was a bit embarrassing walking in with a backpack on (I hid it in the library) but I was proud of myself for having a white shirt and tie. I should make it back to the Hyde Park Branch 3 more times in my coming/going thru Sydney! I was amazed by how international the branch was -- really people from all over the world were there. And people here are joining the church in big numbers -- today a new member from Sri Lanka was confirmed.
* Shopping: I found a K-Mart (!) in Katoomba and got me some styling new clothes (watch out world!) then headed next door for groceries. It's interesting to shop a week's worth of food when you realize you have to carry it all with you!
* My foot problems: Unfortunately suffering from "coral toe" -- a couple of toes got pretty gouged in Hawaii on the reef and they're not getting better very quickly. I may need to take it easy for a week or so. Fortunately the doctor (my brother Melvin) is coming and he'll take care of it! In the meantime I've been wearing my reef shoes (thin & rubbery) because they are so much more comfortable on my feet.
*The Blue Mountains: A rain forest paradise. I dayhiked what they call the "Grand Canyon" -- which although very different than Arizona's Grand Canyon is incredible in its own right. Giant ferns, pools, waterfalls everywhere, a catwalk on the side of a narrow canyon. I also did a backpack trip to Mt. Solitary, very fitting name because I had the whole mountain to myself on a mystical, foggy day. I just about stayed in my tent all day but fortunately the rain let up around mid-day after raining all night. The mountain was quite rugged but the big views of valleys below and exotic foliage was all worth it. I spent another night sleeping under a huge overhang -- if only the ground had been flat it would have been perfect. I felt like I was almost rolling down the slope all night.
* The birds: I've seen a beautiful red/white/blue bird, a big flightless bird with a big tail feather, a tiny brown speckled bird, and a crow-like black/white bird. I've heard all kinds of neat bird calls. In the backcountry one type of bird makes a call that basically sounds like you're hitting the two highest keys on the piano over and over! I tried recording some of these sounds.
* The foliage: I love the giant fern trees, the beautiful eucalyptus trees (I love the tree trunks), moss covered boulders, and I wish I knew what else I saw.
Have a great week and we'll catch you all later!
Ray
I got here Wednesday night and am back at the Sydney airport awaiting Melvin's arrival. I spent three days up in the Blue Mountains exploring that tourist mecca (Katoomba) before heading back down to Sydney last night. With Melvin I'll explore Sydney & surrounding country more. To keep this interesting, I'm going to change my format this time and present to you the highlights of my stay here so far, discussing topics of interest.
Executive Summary:
*The people: VERY friendly. Everyone is interested in my trip and has plenty of advice about where to go and what to do here. The bus driver, the man at the train station, the man on the trail, the hostel roommate, etc.
* Losing things: I must be losing my mind or something because I seem to be losing something every single day. I've already lost two headlamp lights (that makes 4 in the last 4 months & 2 in the last week!) I'm starting to feel like they did in the book of Ether -- sleep on it or lose it!
* Pack-weight: A constant obsession. How can I lower my weight? I seem to be accumulating even more stuff. Books, brochures, food, etc. I've never felt so much like a homeless person! I'm looking forward to this next week driving a car with Melvin. Maybe I'll send some stuff home with him?
* Hostel life: I must be getting too old -- I'm just not up for the party atmosphere at the hostel. The rates are great though (except the nickel-and-diming laundry) -- and fortunately my room was clean and quiet, even sharing the room with 5 other guys. Americans are strangely rare here, but there are many from the UK.
* Church: I found the singles branch here in Sydney and attended it today. I always love going to church in different countries. There are so many interesting people to meet, and new insights to be gained. It was such a stark difference in the spirit between the hostel and the church. It was a bit embarrassing walking in with a backpack on (I hid it in the library) but I was proud of myself for having a white shirt and tie. I should make it back to the Hyde Park Branch 3 more times in my coming/going thru Sydney! I was amazed by how international the branch was -- really people from all over the world were there. And people here are joining the church in big numbers -- today a new member from Sri Lanka was confirmed.
* Shopping: I found a K-Mart (!) in Katoomba and got me some styling new clothes (watch out world!) then headed next door for groceries. It's interesting to shop a week's worth of food when you realize you have to carry it all with you!
* My foot problems: Unfortunately suffering from "coral toe" -- a couple of toes got pretty gouged in Hawaii on the reef and they're not getting better very quickly. I may need to take it easy for a week or so. Fortunately the doctor (my brother Melvin) is coming and he'll take care of it! In the meantime I've been wearing my reef shoes (thin & rubbery) because they are so much more comfortable on my feet.
*The Blue Mountains: A rain forest paradise. I dayhiked what they call the "Grand Canyon" -- which although very different than Arizona's Grand Canyon is incredible in its own right. Giant ferns, pools, waterfalls everywhere, a catwalk on the side of a narrow canyon. I also did a backpack trip to Mt. Solitary, very fitting name because I had the whole mountain to myself on a mystical, foggy day. I just about stayed in my tent all day but fortunately the rain let up around mid-day after raining all night. The mountain was quite rugged but the big views of valleys below and exotic foliage was all worth it. I spent another night sleeping under a huge overhang -- if only the ground had been flat it would have been perfect. I felt like I was almost rolling down the slope all night.
* The birds: I've seen a beautiful red/white/blue bird, a big flightless bird with a big tail feather, a tiny brown speckled bird, and a crow-like black/white bird. I've heard all kinds of neat bird calls. In the backcountry one type of bird makes a call that basically sounds like you're hitting the two highest keys on the piano over and over! I tried recording some of these sounds.
* The foliage: I love the giant fern trees, the beautiful eucalyptus trees (I love the tree trunks), moss covered boulders, and I wish I knew what else I saw.
Have a great week and we'll catch you all later!
Ray
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Incredible Hawaii!
Hi everyone,
I've had a wonderful time here in Hawaii the last few days. It's every bit as wonderful as they say. I'm most impressed by all the colors, textures, exotic plants, animals, and friendly people. I especially loved Kauai and hope to return for more adventures some time. Why have I waited so long to come to Hawaii?! Here's a quick run-down of my trip so far:
Wednesday, Feb. 28: Arrived in Kauai and met up with Renee and Val. Drove to a beach on the North Shore and set up camp.
Thursday, Mar. 1: Took a beautiful walk along the beach at sunrise. Drove all the way to the end of the North Shore road and took a hike on the famous Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast to Hanakapiai Falls and back. Incredible hike! You earned the views because the trail was really up and down and muddy but what views!! Highlights were seeing the incredible green color ocean, rock-rock-hopping up the Hanakapiai Canyon, turning a corner and seeing the huge falls tucked away all to ourselves, then swimming in a pool in the creek on the way back. Renee and Val were brave enough to jump into the cold water at the natural pool too! Back at the trailhead, we enjoyed a quick swim at the beach and then drove all the way back around the island (clockwise) up to Koke'e State Park (next to Waimea Canyon) where we camped for the night at a YWCA camp.
Friday, Mar. 2: Gluttons for punishment, we hiked an 11-mile loop along three trails with more incredible views from above the Na Pali Coast. We enjoyed meeting a group from France as we hiked along. We had lunch at a dry waterfall. At the second viewpoint I thought I was stepping on firm ground on the edge, but what a surprise when my foot fell through and I just about fell off the cliff and became part of the scenery! Everyone laughed about it -- it wasn't too dangerous. We actually ran into a family of wild pigs on the hike back out! We drove by Waimea Canyon on the way back to the beach and gawked at this beautiful work of nature labelled the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" by Mark Twain. No time to hike around it so we'll have to go back again soon! We had a fun time at a Thai restaurant then headed to the beach and camped. At least we tried to sleep while the natives' beach party continued late into the night!
Saturday, Mar. 3: We enjoyed a morning at the South Shore beach. Snorkelling, swimming, watching the rare Hawaiian monk seals playing with each other (biting) right next to us in the bay and on shore. I was amazed by all the different types of fishes we saw under water -- long & thin, striped, rainbow colored, yellow neon, etc. After lunch in Lihue, we made our way to a lush river valley (reminded me a lot of Fossil Canyon) with a 25-foot waterfall or so. You wade across the creek just above the roaring falls by holding onto a rope, then you grab onto another rope and swing high above a pool Tarzan-style and then fall into the water, then climb a ladder out of the pool. I was brave enough to do the swing rope 4 times! There were lots of people watching from the lip of the falls. What a blast! We then drove up into the mountains of Kauai and took one last nice 3-mile hike along a ridge with incredible views of the island. We checked out a couple of beaches to camp at but decided to stay at a hostel that night instead -- after a timely visit to Walmart to make up for all the things I've lost on the way or left at home!
Sunday, Mar. 4: Renee and Val drove me over to the airport and we parted ways. I flew over to Honolulu and drove to Laie. I found a church ward to visit and had a great time making new friends there -- it felt like a very small world when I ran into a couple Japanese guys who knew people I knew in Japan. After church I walked the beautiful grounds of the Laie Mormon temple, then took a drive along the famous North Shore of Oahu (where all the Hollywood surfing movies are made). The aqua blue color of the water has to be seen to be believed. I drove back to Honolulu and made my way to my mission president's home (I served with President Kiyabu in Tokyo Japan about 17 years ago!) We had a fun visit talking about all the missionaries we were with and where they are now. We haven't had a reunion in years because it's hard for my mission president to come to them -- I told him if he did a reunion in Hawaii that a lot of us would come!
Monday, Mar. 5: Pres. Kiyabu was kind enough to take the day off work and show me around the island! We went to Hanauma Bay and went snorkelling there. It was amazing! Huge schools of fish, big fish, beautiful blue water, extensive coral reefs to try swimming thru (it was challenging at low tide). I did cut my toes on the reef -- hopefully that will heal up quickly. I highly recommend Hanauma Bay to everyone! We drove on to the tip of the windward coast then drove back to Honolulu. We hiked up Diamond Head and got great views of the city from the top. It's a really neat hike with tunnels thru portions that were created by the military to protect the island during the war. At the top we ran into a Japanese girl who overheard me speaking Japanese to a couple of tourists and asked me if I had been a Mormon missionary. It turned out that she's also a return missionary and was visiting the island herself for a week. She was just taking the bus so Pres. Kiyabu and I took her with us as we finished our tour of Honolulu (Waikiki Beach, Punchbowl overlook, Pali Lookout). After dinner at the Kiyabu's, we drove her back to Laie where she was staying with friends. She has friends in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania so maybe she'll hook me up with them! I love international networking!
Tuesday, Mar. 6: Today I'm headed to Australia -- with the international dateline I'll arrive there on Wednesday. I really don't have many details planned for the next part of the trip so I'll be winging it! Actually I might just take a down day somewhere because Hawaii wore me out! I'll spend a couple of days up in the Blue Mountains then meet up with Melvin on Sunday before driving out to Snowy River country and Melbourne!
Sorry this post is so long! Hope you enjoyed it! Hawaii was a blast!! I'm having a hard time posting pictures but hopefully I'll be able to post pictures later. Feel free to leave comments on the web page alloverdownunder.blogspot.com or email me directly at rayhiker@hotmail.com.
Best wishes!
Ray
I've had a wonderful time here in Hawaii the last few days. It's every bit as wonderful as they say. I'm most impressed by all the colors, textures, exotic plants, animals, and friendly people. I especially loved Kauai and hope to return for more adventures some time. Why have I waited so long to come to Hawaii?! Here's a quick run-down of my trip so far:
Wednesday, Feb. 28: Arrived in Kauai and met up with Renee and Val. Drove to a beach on the North Shore and set up camp.
Thursday, Mar. 1: Took a beautiful walk along the beach at sunrise. Drove all the way to the end of the North Shore road and took a hike on the famous Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast to Hanakapiai Falls and back. Incredible hike! You earned the views because the trail was really up and down and muddy but what views!! Highlights were seeing the incredible green color ocean, rock-rock-hopping up the Hanakapiai Canyon, turning a corner and seeing the huge falls tucked away all to ourselves, then swimming in a pool in the creek on the way back. Renee and Val were brave enough to jump into the cold water at the natural pool too! Back at the trailhead, we enjoyed a quick swim at the beach and then drove all the way back around the island (clockwise) up to Koke'e State Park (next to Waimea Canyon) where we camped for the night at a YWCA camp.
Friday, Mar. 2: Gluttons for punishment, we hiked an 11-mile loop along three trails with more incredible views from above the Na Pali Coast. We enjoyed meeting a group from France as we hiked along. We had lunch at a dry waterfall. At the second viewpoint I thought I was stepping on firm ground on the edge, but what a surprise when my foot fell through and I just about fell off the cliff and became part of the scenery! Everyone laughed about it -- it wasn't too dangerous. We actually ran into a family of wild pigs on the hike back out! We drove by Waimea Canyon on the way back to the beach and gawked at this beautiful work of nature labelled the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" by Mark Twain. No time to hike around it so we'll have to go back again soon! We had a fun time at a Thai restaurant then headed to the beach and camped. At least we tried to sleep while the natives' beach party continued late into the night!
Saturday, Mar. 3: We enjoyed a morning at the South Shore beach. Snorkelling, swimming, watching the rare Hawaiian monk seals playing with each other (biting) right next to us in the bay and on shore. I was amazed by all the different types of fishes we saw under water -- long & thin, striped, rainbow colored, yellow neon, etc. After lunch in Lihue, we made our way to a lush river valley (reminded me a lot of Fossil Canyon) with a 25-foot waterfall or so. You wade across the creek just above the roaring falls by holding onto a rope, then you grab onto another rope and swing high above a pool Tarzan-style and then fall into the water, then climb a ladder out of the pool. I was brave enough to do the swing rope 4 times! There were lots of people watching from the lip of the falls. What a blast! We then drove up into the mountains of Kauai and took one last nice 3-mile hike along a ridge with incredible views of the island. We checked out a couple of beaches to camp at but decided to stay at a hostel that night instead -- after a timely visit to Walmart to make up for all the things I've lost on the way or left at home!
Sunday, Mar. 4: Renee and Val drove me over to the airport and we parted ways. I flew over to Honolulu and drove to Laie. I found a church ward to visit and had a great time making new friends there -- it felt like a very small world when I ran into a couple Japanese guys who knew people I knew in Japan. After church I walked the beautiful grounds of the Laie Mormon temple, then took a drive along the famous North Shore of Oahu (where all the Hollywood surfing movies are made). The aqua blue color of the water has to be seen to be believed. I drove back to Honolulu and made my way to my mission president's home (I served with President Kiyabu in Tokyo Japan about 17 years ago!) We had a fun visit talking about all the missionaries we were with and where they are now. We haven't had a reunion in years because it's hard for my mission president to come to them -- I told him if he did a reunion in Hawaii that a lot of us would come!
Monday, Mar. 5: Pres. Kiyabu was kind enough to take the day off work and show me around the island! We went to Hanauma Bay and went snorkelling there. It was amazing! Huge schools of fish, big fish, beautiful blue water, extensive coral reefs to try swimming thru (it was challenging at low tide). I did cut my toes on the reef -- hopefully that will heal up quickly. I highly recommend Hanauma Bay to everyone! We drove on to the tip of the windward coast then drove back to Honolulu. We hiked up Diamond Head and got great views of the city from the top. It's a really neat hike with tunnels thru portions that were created by the military to protect the island during the war. At the top we ran into a Japanese girl who overheard me speaking Japanese to a couple of tourists and asked me if I had been a Mormon missionary. It turned out that she's also a return missionary and was visiting the island herself for a week. She was just taking the bus so Pres. Kiyabu and I took her with us as we finished our tour of Honolulu (Waikiki Beach, Punchbowl overlook, Pali Lookout). After dinner at the Kiyabu's, we drove her back to Laie where she was staying with friends. She has friends in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania so maybe she'll hook me up with them! I love international networking!
Tuesday, Mar. 6: Today I'm headed to Australia -- with the international dateline I'll arrive there on Wednesday. I really don't have many details planned for the next part of the trip so I'll be winging it! Actually I might just take a down day somewhere because Hawaii wore me out! I'll spend a couple of days up in the Blue Mountains then meet up with Melvin on Sunday before driving out to Snowy River country and Melbourne!
Sorry this post is so long! Hope you enjoyed it! Hawaii was a blast!! I'm having a hard time posting pictures but hopefully I'll be able to post pictures later. Feel free to leave comments on the web page alloverdownunder.blogspot.com or email me directly at rayhiker@hotmail.com.
Best wishes!
Ray
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