The final day of our holidays and another hot and steamy day in Hong Kong. We decided to spend the day away from the city and get a  bit of culture with a visit to the Po Lin Monastery & Big Buddha. This was a trip on the MTR (Hong Kong’s underground) followed by a bus journey up steep and windy roads.

I know that it is called the “Big Buddha” but I wasn’t prepared for just how big it actually is – it is huge. Just how they managed to get it to its position I have no idea. (A quick look at wikipedia shows that it was only built in 1993 so I can imagine plenty of heavy lifting gear being involved – also given that it cost $68M they had the money to put it there). It is reached up 260 steps and I made this trip (Helen sensibly elected to stay in the shade) at just about midday – talk about mad dogs and Englishmen. Around the base are a number of smaller statues. The setting is impressive set amongst the hills.

The monastery at the base of the Buddha was a beautiful and tranquil place with the shady areas providing some relief from the searing heat.

We had intended to get the cable car back down to the bottom and the train station but it was shut so it was back on the bus. Fortunately we didn’t have Michael Schumacher as our driver on the way back down.

Given our flight back to the UK wasn’t until midnight we had plenty of time to kill and so we took the ferry back to Kowloon to go to the Avenue of Stars. This had the handprints of a number of famous Asian stars. Not up on my Asian cinematography there were only a handful of people I actually recognised (Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee). There was a great statue of Lee in a pose from Enter the Dragon.

Then the trip to the airport and the long wait for the plane back home.

Click here for more pictures from Hong Kong Day Two

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We seem to have found ourselves a great hotel here in Hong Kong, well I say “we” but the credit should go to Trailfinders if I am honest. Not only is it well positioned with a great room overlooking the harbour, it also has free wifi, breakfast included and a HK$100 allowance for the mini bar. I can’t remember what we paid now but it wasn’t a kings random.

After breakfast of omelette and fried rice we hit the city or more accurately the heat of the city hit us. I have no idea what the temperature is here but but I am guessing that it is similar to Sydney and Cairns but the difference here is that it is some much more humid.

We caught a bus to Central and then wandered through the heart of the city to the Peak Tram station. Most of the walk was on a high level walkway traversing the city from one high- class shopping centre to another. The air conditioned centres were a welcome break from the sweaty heat outside. We then caught a tram to The Peak which was an interesting experience as it was pretty steep. The top was full of tacky shops but there was a tourist free walk around the top along Laugard and Harlech Roads which had some fantastic views over the city below. Stupidly we convinced ourselves that it wouldn’t be too bad to walk back to the hotel. We were wrong.

In the evening we caught the Star ferry to Kowloon and then a taxi to the night markets. This was a few streets of stalls selling all sorts of knockoff goods and cheap “traditional” Chinese items – it was great! We found a restaurant for some dinner and ordered what would have have had a home. We were delighted to find that special fried rice and sweet and sour pork tastes the same no matter where you are.

We got back to the ferry terminal just as the nightly light show was starting. As you look across the harbour the lights on the skyscrapers opposite flash in time to the music playing – it is a great sight.

Click here for more pictures from Hong Kong Day One

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So our final day in Melbourne and Australia was spent packing up all our stuff and making Grant and Sharon’s house look respectable before we left the country. We have had a great couple of weeks, seen some fantastic things and caught up with our best friends who we now won’t see again (other than on Skype) for a year. So it is with mixed feelings that we boarded the flight to Hong Kong this afternoon. Fortunately it is not straight back home as we have a couple of days to explore Hong Kong before making our way back to the UK.

I am composing this on the flight and the excitement of having a power point in my seat has now turned to disappointment as it does not seem to be delivering any power to my laptop adaptor. Therefore, with a battery life of only two and a half hours it looks like I won’t get anything significant done other than this post.

Arrived at HK late and crashed.

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Another day of travelling (the first of a few coming up) this time making the return journey from Cairns to Melbourne. We left Grant & Sharon and the girls, who we have been with for the last couple of weeks, in Cairns to continue their holiday while we make our way back (to their) home.

A couple of interesting taxi rides (sorry, it’s a slow news day). The first to Cairns airport was in a Toyota Prius of great interest to car buffs and greens (when I say greens I mean those interested in the environment rather than cabbages). I wouldn’t have realised it was a Prius if it wasn’t for the large display set into the dashboard showing the energy recovery and battery usage.

We have made several “interesting” taxi journeys now between Melbourne airport and the house. Today, however, was different as we were making it alone. The service here is notable for two things – firstly they ask you which way you would like them to take you and secondly that unlike British cabbies they have little or no local knowledge and will ask you the way when close-ish to your destination!

The cabbie today duly asked me which way I wanted to go and I replied the “cheapest” (is there any other way?). He laughed and then proceeded to take us the most convoluted route to date which came to almost exactly the same cost as usual. Helen guided him in.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to Aus and make our way to Hong Kong.

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Just got time for a short post today having had a long day at the Barrier Reef and what an amazing day it was. The Reef is undoubtedly one of the natural wonders of the world and it was wonderful to experience it first hand. Unfortunately this meant having to get my feet wet. In fact I needed to get way more than my feet wet – I needed to snorkel which for someone who is not the worlds greatest swimmer was a real challenge.

After donning my flippers, goggles and snorkel Helen and I gingerly made our way to the edge of the platform and we were off. I could hear my deep, heavy breathing as I put my head down into the water for the first time and boy was it worth it. The waters were crystal clear and the view was just great. Fishes everywhere and coral just a few feet below the surface.

We spent maybe 30 – 45 minutes in our first session before taking a break. Our second date with the waters was less successful as I got a bit panicked as water came first into my goggles and consequently my nose and then my mouth. In reality there couldn’t have been more than a tea spoonful of water but it was enough to put me off. So after another 30 minute session I was ready to make my way back to the pontoon.

Although I had taken some disposable cameras with me I had also hired a digital, underwater, camera and this meant that I could get some really fantastic shots. Haven’t sorted them all yet but click through below for a sneak preview.

Despite my lack of liking for water today was one of the highlights of the holiday.

Click here for more pictures of the Great Barrier Reef

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Our first full day in Cairns was spent amongst the rainforest bordering the city. This involved a trip on Skyrail which is a cable car system that runs above the canopy of the forest. Once over the peak of the first hill you could no longer see Cairns and ahead was nothing but green forest and some spectacular views. You could hear the noise of the forest below you and see the Cockatoos flying from tree to tree. 

There were a couple of stops on the way up that allowed us to walk around the rainforest and get some views over a waterfall. The final stop was in a place called Kuranda, a pleasant town catering for those arriving on Skyrail or the Kuranda railway. We spent a couple of hours here having lunch and doing some present shopping. I bought a new hat and have convinced myself that I now look like Crocodile Dundee, although I am not sure that is a great look and certainly will be unique around Reading!

We then boarded the Kuranda Scenic Railway for the journey back to Cairns. This takes a winding route back down taking in many spectacular views of the Barren Falls, the rainforest and the gorge.

The weather was perfect and it was a great day out. Now I’m off to wrestle a croc in my new hat!

Click here to see more pictures from Skyrail and Kuranda Scenic Railway

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Today was a day spent travelling, so not much to report.

It is easy to forget just how big Australia is. To get from Melbourne to Cairns it took us 3 1/2 hours flying time - I could cover a good part of Europe in that time. The in-flight movie was “Angels and Demons” so I was glad that I had my laptop with me and could watch what I wanted – a few old episodes of Doctor Who.

On arrival in Cairns and after checking into our hotel, we took a walk along the front and into the shopping district. It seems that there are only three types of shops in Cairns – they are either a) a cafe/restaurant, b) a place selling trips to the Great Barrier Reef and other local attractions or c) somewhere to get cheap hats, tee shirts and flip flops. We made use of both the former and bought all three from the latter. It seems Cairns fulfils only purpose and that is to satisfy the needs of every tourist.

Tomorrow we are the tourist.

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After the rush of the last few days we had a quieter one today, closer to home. We had decided to go into Melbourne for one last time to take in the Dali exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, followed by some shopping and finally a trip to the aquarium. In the end we ran out of time and could only manage the first two.

The Dali exhibition only served to prove to me that he was a mad genius. His earlier works showing a real skill for paint work before the surrealism worked its way through.

In Brunswick Street were a number of eclectic shops selling all manner of things from bespoke jewellery to second hand books. Helen and I wandered along the street before heading back to the centre and a browse around more traditional shops.

Tonight we will be packing for our trip to Cairns. Looking at the temperature there all we will be needing are shorts and “thongs”.

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Our penultimate day in Melbourne was spent in an area called the Dandenongs, a local national park. One of the best ways to see the Dandenongs is from the Puffing Billy steam train which runs from Belgrave up into the park. Once the only reliable means of getting around the area it is now a popular tourist attraction. Even today, which was pretty wet, the train was full. It was a great shame that the weather was as wet as it was because we couldn’t really make the most of the views. Nevertheless the train going over the wooden bridge, above, still made for a fantastic shot.

Click here to see more pictures from Puffing Billy and the Dandenongs

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A second day on the Great Ocean Road starting with breakfast overlooking Apollo Bay. The panoramic picture above was taken from our hotel balcony. We then drove on to the twelve apostles which are eight (previously nine) rock formations just offshore. Just a short drive on from the apostles was the Loch Ard Gorge which reminded me very much of the setting of the book The Beach. Both were, just like yesterday, fabulous.

Our final stop was to the Triple Falls which was back inland and a change from the ocean views of the rest of the trip. It’s amazing how small an amount of water can create such spectacular waterfalls.

Then the dull drive back to Melbourne.

Click here for yet more pictures from the Great Ocean Road

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Today we left Melbourne for a two day trip down the Great Ocean Road, a twisty costal route that runs for hundreds of miles to the west of the city. After a dull drive out of Melbourne, past Geelong, we picked up the road at Anglesea and from there to our overnight destination overlooking Apollo Bay were fantastic vistas overlooking the ocean around every corner. It would be all too easy to stop ever few miles and get out onto yet another sandy beach with miles of blue sea in front but there simply wasn’t time to do them all.

We stopped at the very first beach we came to, just south of Anglesea, and wandered down onto the sands. Despite the sun being out we pretty much had the place to ourselves and so it was for the rest of the day. Next stop was Split Point Lighthouse before going on to Lorne Pier for dinner. Here we shared our pasta lunch with an enormous rook of some description which first came and took our butter followed by eating out of the bowl once Helen had finished!

We then drove on through Apollo Bay to Maits Rest. This is a walkway through a temperate rain forest which was a real contrast to all the open beaches we had seen to that point. Finally we drove onto Cape Otway Lighthouse which once again had some dramatic views over the ocean.

We had been told by Grant and Sharon that there were Koalas in the trees by the road to Cape Otway. On the way down we hadn’t spotted any but on the way back the tell tale signs of tourists staring into the trees signalled the possibility. So we stopped and sure enough there they were sleeping in the branches and looking cute and cuddly! It was such a thrill to see them in the wild.

Finally, we drove back to Skenes Creek and our hotel which is situated high on a hill over looking the bay with fantastic views. As I type this I am sat on the balcony looking at the wide expense of the ocean below me.

Today has just been fantastic. The scenery has been absolutely stunning and some of the most beautiful I have seen anywhere in the world. To also see wildlife in it’s natural habitat rather than a zoo is the icing on the cake.

And we have another full day of it tomorrow!

Click here for more pictures from the Great Ocean Road

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We had a quiet day today after Sydney and took a stroll from the house down to the beach. As you will see from the pictures the beach is lined with brightly coloured beach huts of the kind that people pay silly money for on the South coast of England.

The walk down Dendy Street allowed us a closer look at the houses here. There is an amazing mix of styles and it is not unusual to find an ultra modern house next to a very traditional one. Clearly the Australians are not constrained by planning rules in the same way we seem to be in the UK.

Despite the amount of land here each plot is relatively small with little garden to speak of. By and large each house is well tended and those that have gardens are keen to point out that they are using rain water rather than precious tap water. Many of the older properties have attractive looking verandas at the front with inviting looking benches or chairs. However, I have yet to see anyone sat out there!

Click here to see more pictures of Brighton Beach

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Today was our last day in Sydney and it was a scorcher with the temperature nudging 30 degrees. We started the day with a trip to the markets of The Rocks. The stalls were packed with the sort of items that you see at a craft fair in the UK only with an Aussie twist and without the drizzle. We were able to stock up on gifts for people back home so if you are reading this and receive something you’ll know where it came from.

After lunch and an ice cream we spent the rest of the afternoon on the opposite bank to The Rocks in the Botanical Gardens. It was nice to spend some time amongst the shade of the trees. The gardens were also full of wildlife including Royal Ibis, parrots and fruit bats. I had always thought bats were nocturnal but these were very active in the late afternoon sun flying from tree to tree and making a great racket.

Then it was time to head for the airport and the flight back to Melbourne. We flew with Virgin Blue who seemed to the Australia’s equivalent of EasyJet which super fast turnarounds and a charge for pretty much anything and everything.

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Today we took the ferry over to Manly which is a seaside resort for Sydney. The weather at 30 degrees was perfect for a trip to the beach and much of Sydney agreed.Manly has a long, straight, pedestrianised street with shops either side leading to the beach which is long, sandy, touristy and packed (well it was today).As ever you just had to walk a little bit away from the main drag for things to be very different. Just a half an hour stroll away from the beach were some fantastic views over the ocean with clear blue waters and skies. Also it was completely clear of people too making it a really relaxing place to be. As you can see from the pictures below it was just stunning.

See more pictures of Manly

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I am typing the first part of this post on the plane to Sydney. With my elbows tucked in as far as possible it is not the most natural position to be typing.

We had pre-booked a taxi to take us to the airport. At five past eight we received a call telling us that they weren’t going to be able to provide us with the seven seater we had booked and what would they like us to do! Given that we needed to get to the airport we elected to go in two cars. Some ten minutes later we were still waiting and beginning to fret as to whether we were going to get to the airport on time. Finally two cars arrived and we set off. We had the Greek Michael Schumacher driving ours and he was keen to make up for lost time. As he rushed to get through a set of yellow lights at the entrance to the Napean Highway he hadn’t noticed that the cars in front had stopped at the next set of lights which were red. He had to take avoiding action by slamming on the brakes and swerving into the nearside lane. Being a taxi driver he also swore at the driver in front for having the audacity to be stationary at red lights! Anyway we eventually arrived at the airport in one piece.

We checked into our hotel and then made our way to the waterfront and the iconic view of Sydney – the Opera House. I was amazed at how close the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge were to each other. Looking from the ferry terminal they looked like models sat where they were. We wandered round to the “house” and had a look round. Didn’t go inside, which was a mistake we will have to rectify over the next couple of days as it is difficult to work out how it al slots together to make anything useful. From pictures I had assumed that the outside was pure white but actually the surface is made up of tiles, some of which are off white, which form a pattern.

We then wandered back and got a ferry to Darling Harbour. Now you can get dedicated ferries that will take you round the harbour but we elected to take the normal commuter ride and save ourselves $30 and it was fantastic getting us to see all sorts of new views, such as the underside of the bridge.

In the evening we were joined by Grant and went off to a great Thai restaurant called Thai Riffic in Newtown. Tomorrow – Manly.

Click here for more pictures of Sydney

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This morning caught the train to Williamstown, a small town on the coast to the south of Melbourne. The guide books had suggested that it was a picturesque place for tourists to visit . Clearly the person that wrote the guide hadn’t been out of season as in September Williamstown resembled the Isle of Wight in March – cold and closed!

Nevertheless Helen and I battled on with a chilly walk around a coastal path past the local sights and back into town where we had some lunch before beating a hasty retreat back to Melbourne.

Spent the afternoon wandering around areas of Melbourne that we hadn’t previously visited, including a trip to the Shrine of Remembrance, and then a warming hot chocolate at Max Brenners.

Back at Fed Square, while waiting for Sharon and the Girls, we visited a fantastic art installation. You went into what was essentially an oversized, tapered, cloche but instead of the walls being transparent they were black and into the walls the artist had poked a number of hold to make scenes and shapes. With the late afternoon sun pouring onto the walls there were some striking effects such as you can see here and here.

Wandered along the Southbank for a meal and a look at the nightlife before returning back to the house shattered. Tomorrow we fly to Sydney where the temperature is due to be 30 degrees.

Click here for more pictures of Williamstown and Melbourne

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Just to the north of Melbourne is the Yarra Valley wine growing region. Given that Helen and Sharon are partial to a drop or two we decided to have a tour round the region visiting a number of vineyards for some tasting. We set off to the start of a circular tour and quickly discovered that as it was early spring the vines were bare and, consequently, there were very few people about and no wineries open. Dreams of getting sloshed on free wine were quickly dampened.

Instead we found ourselves on the road to Kinglake, scene of the forest fires earlier this year. The level of devastation was truly shocking with huge swathes of forest reduced to blackened stumps. It resembled a nuclear fall out zone.

Having not been able to find any open wineries we decided to try and get some lunch. The only thing that we could find that was open was a garden centre and it was with some trepidation that we pulled into the car park. Actually, the food was very good and the girls got some wine, although it was paid for.

All of this trip was carried out in our hire-car – a Nissan Tiida. It really must be the world’s worst car. Underpowered, difficult to drive, ugly, with poor visibility out the front it really is a soulless vehicle.

More pictures from the Yarra Valley

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I know that the title sounds like some unsigned band we might have gone to see - “Melbourne and the Doctors” but, regrettably, it is a literal description of the places we have been today.

I have been feeling pretty rough now for the last 10 days and haven’t been able to shake off a bad throat. It had finally got bad enough for me to make a visit to the doctors. In all the years I have been going abroad this is the first time that I have had to seek out local medical help. So I made an appointment with the local surgery.

The appointment was for lunchtime so first we headed off to town to take a look. A short train ride in and then into a shopping centre on the site of an old lead shot factory. Rather than knock it down the shops had been built around the building and it glass roof put over it. It was incredibly impressive. We then walked down to Federation Square taking in the sights before hopping back on the train to get back to see the Doctor.

I arrived  for my appointment in plenty of time. A full hour later and 45 minutes after I was due to be seen this little old lady appears calling my name – this was my doctor and, it appeared, the only doctor on duty to keep the four admin staff company. The Doctor sounded as if she had come direct from Transylvania and I her best Boris Karloff impression first enquired about my problem and then asked:

“Any fever?”

“No”, I replied.

“Any cough?”

“Yes, but that has cleared up now.”

“and any fever?”

“No”, I replied.

“Has anyone else in the family been ill?”

“Yes”, I replied

“and any fever?”

I was beginning to detect a pattern here but I wasn’t going to be caught out that easily. I can imagine what would have happened should I carelessly have answered yes to that question. She would have been pressing the big red “Swine Flu” button on her desk and I would have been carried away to be quarantined.

As it was I was sent away with a bill for $65 (about £32) and a prescription for some anti-biotics. I am looking forward to them kicking in and me being able to get on with the holiday.

Finally, this evening, we went to one of the top restaurants in Melbourne, Donovans. It must have been one of the most family friendly places on earth as the kids were provided Jenga to play with. Jenga! At a posh restaurant!

More views of Melbourne (but not the doctors)

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Say what you like about Australia but it is a very long way from home. Helen and I left home Saturday night and didn’t get into Melbourne until early on Monday morning. To be fair it wasn’t as horrendous as we had been expecting it to be particularly as we both managed to get some sleep in on the plane. Also the layover a HK was good including all you can eat noodles – looking forward to coming back in a couple of weeks time.

It was great to see our friends again after six months. Their eldest girl has already picked up the local twang which was a bit weird. So we are now holed up in their house waiting for our bodies to work out just which time zone they are in. Woke up this morning to some very exotic sounding birds, although they are probably not. It’s all bit bit strange…

Today the holiday begins.

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