Monday, November 17, 2008
Andrea surfing
This is the only surfing picture where I don't look like I'm about to fall off the board. I did catch a few waves, but Chris was WAY better. (Andrea)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Off to the Similans
We're liking Patong Beach in Phuket better than we did Pattaya so far, but we've still decided not to spend all that much time here. On Sunday we got back in the water, and enjoyed the diving so we have booked 3 days / 2 nights on live-aboard in the Similan Islands. So we'll be diving Tues-Thurs, which does change my plan to spend Wednesday (Tuesday night back home) watching the election coverage. This should be more fun.
Bluegrass in Bangkok
This guy was playing his banjo along with bluegrass CDs that he was selling at the weekend market in Bangkok.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Bruised but not broken
So I pushed a little to hard today, trying to go diving when my head wasn't clear. I've been having some sinus congestion issues for the past week, but I thought it was cleared up enough. And today was going to be my last chance to dive the great barrier reef. Had some pain when my ears wouldn't equalize, and a few moments of vertigo while down about 15 meters. Went to the doctor as soon as we got off the boat, I've bruised my left eardrum pretty bad but at least there are no perforations. No diving for at least 10 days, hopefully the ear will be healed then and my sinus will be clear.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
PNG
Our trip to PNG was amazing. I wasn't quite sure what we'd gotten ourselves into at first. The ride from the airport in Port Moresby to the pier where we got on a boat passed through the six mile settlements; a shanty town full of people who made their way down from the highland villages seeking a better life in the city, only to end up homeless and jobless without even enough money to turn around and head back home. I've never seen such poverty in person. Once we got to the island resort, the first thing they showed us was where the toilet was. During the 5 minute walk from the main buildings out to our room, I was dreading making the hike every time we wanted to shower or use the toilet. Nope, we had our own perfectly functioning modern bathroom.
Staying on Loloata was great. We got up and went out for two dives from about 8-12 every morning, then showered, got some lunch, and spent the afternoon relaxing until dinner. Lunch and dinner were buffet style, and the food was consistently good. We mostly took our meals with the other divers, and with trekers staying there before or after doing the Kokoda trail.
The dive master, Yoshi, talked us into doing our advanced certification since we were going to be doing 8 dives that week anyway. I'm really glad she did, but then Andrea and I are suckers for taking classes. The diving was great. Visibility wasn't quiet as good as Fiji, but all the "stuff" in the water is exactly why there is so much amazing sea life to see in Bootless Bay.
which was pretty On Thursday we had a driver from Loloata take us around Moresby a bit, trying to leave with a more positive view of the city. We had a lot of fun touring the botanical gardens, saw the house of Parliament which was quiet impressive, and then did some shopping for souvenirs.
Friday night we left the island and stayed at the Airways to have less problems making our early flight. It was one of the nicest hotels I've ever been in.
Staying on Loloata was great. We got up and went out for two dives from about 8-12 every morning, then showered, got some lunch, and spent the afternoon relaxing until dinner. Lunch and dinner were buffet style, and the food was consistently good. We mostly took our meals with the other divers, and with trekers staying there before or after doing the Kokoda trail.
The dive master, Yoshi, talked us into doing our advanced certification since we were going to be doing 8 dives that week anyway. I'm really glad she did, but then Andrea and I are suckers for taking classes. The diving was great. Visibility wasn't quiet as good as Fiji, but all the "stuff" in the water is exactly why there is so much amazing sea life to see in Bootless Bay.
which was pretty On Thursday we had a driver from Loloata take us around Moresby a bit, trying to leave with a more positive view of the city. We had a lot of fun touring the botanical gardens, saw the house of Parliament which was quiet impressive, and then did some shopping for souvenirs.
Friday night we left the island and stayed at the Airways to have less problems making our early flight. It was one of the nicest hotels I've ever been in.
Port Douglas, Australia
So we're settled into Port Douglas now. It's a nice vacation spot in northern Australia, and the feel of the place reminds me a bit of our family trips to Daytona Beach as a kid. It's also a little more comfortable and familiar after PNG, and we can be a touch more relaxed before we head off to Thailand. We've booked a sailing trip for tomorrow, a rain forest tour for Tuesday, and most likely will do some diving on the outer barrier reef Wednesday or Thursday. Today we're just wandering around the town. There's a Sunday market we went to this morning, a lot like the Saturday market in Portland but with lot of fresh tropical fruit.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Fiji
Bula! We're finishing up a week in Fiji, mostly spent at the Musket Cove resort on Malolo Lailai in the Mamanuca islands. After a long trip we got into our room on Saturday about 30 hours after leaving home. Sunday we took an island hopping tour and did some snorkeling, which was a nice way to see the area. That's actually all the snorkeling we did, because the cove at our resort was very shallow and didn't have much in it to see. Monday and Tuesday we went diving. No dive pictures, because the seal on the underwater camera failed right off the bat on Monday and it's dead. We bought a new camera and underwater housing today in Nadi, so hopefully we'll get some good pictures in PNG. We planned to do more diving in Fiji, but Andrea got an ear infection so we stopped to try and get that cleared up. Of the four dives we did three were fantastic, and one had us swimming against such a strong current that I never got anywhere. All of the dives had much stronger currents than anything we did last year in Morrea. Saw some great reef walls, a few turtles, and a lobster. The rest of the week we stayed above water, rented a Hobie Cat and sailed around one afternoon and kayaked across to the bigger Malolo island on another.
We've met some really nice people here. A family from Auckland that we saw at dinner several times, a couple from the Netherlands that have been sailing around the world for the last 4 ½ years (Musket Cove looks to at one time been primarily a yacht club and marina) and had just celebrated their 42 anniversary, a young couple from England who spent most of their days sitting on the beach. It's kind of strange to be surrounded by tourists but to be the only Americans, Fiji is just full of Australians and New Zealanders. It was kind of a mix with the Fijian staff at the resort. Some were fantastic, but I was surprised at how often we'd run into a situation where someone just didn't care enough to be helpful, I'd think customer service would be a bigger deal in a tourist economy.
Today we moved to a hotel in Nadi, because we've got an early flight to PNG tomorrow. That means that yesterday we started on the anti-malarial drugs :) We caught the earliest ferry, then got a taxi to drive us around Nadi for the morning. Visited the largest Hindu temple in Fiji (not all the large) and a lovely public garden. Then spent the afternoon in our room, which is the first air-conditioned place we've been in almost a week.
We've met some really nice people here. A family from Auckland that we saw at dinner several times, a couple from the Netherlands that have been sailing around the world for the last 4 ½ years (Musket Cove looks to at one time been primarily a yacht club and marina) and had just celebrated their 42 anniversary, a young couple from England who spent most of their days sitting on the beach. It's kind of strange to be surrounded by tourists but to be the only Americans, Fiji is just full of Australians and New Zealanders. It was kind of a mix with the Fijian staff at the resort. Some were fantastic, but I was surprised at how often we'd run into a situation where someone just didn't care enough to be helpful, I'd think customer service would be a bigger deal in a tourist economy.
Today we moved to a hotel in Nadi, because we've got an early flight to PNG tomorrow. That means that yesterday we started on the anti-malarial drugs :) We caught the earliest ferry, then got a taxi to drive us around Nadi for the morning. Visited the largest Hindu temple in Fiji (not all the large) and a lovely public garden. Then spent the afternoon in our room, which is the first air-conditioned place we've been in almost a week.
Fiji
Today is Fiji day. We left Musket cover resort and came back to the mainland. The resort was nice, but I think if I was to come back to Fiji, I would stay on the mainland. The people are nice everywhere and there are many things to see and do. We went to the Hindu temple. I was surprised just how bright everything was painted. They let us take pictures from the outside and we have posted some. Our driver explained some of the paintings to us. It is a shame we didn't come a day earlier. They just finished a celebration.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fiji
I got an ear infection and had to put the diving on hold. We are hoping it clears up before PNG (Papua New Guinea) since there will be little else to do but dive there. Instead we sailed the Hobe Cat yesterday and took a sea kayak out today. I think the sea kayak may be one of the more enjoyable things we have done. Instead of staying withing the little cove by the resort, we ventured out and paddled to a nearby island (the water was calm and rarely more than a couple feet deep).
There is something different that happens when you paddle a boat than when you ride by aid of a motor. Animals seem to ignore you somewhat and come out to play. We saw some fish jump out of the water next to our boat and skim along the top of the surface for 15 feet. At one point we stopped paddling over some coral and saw fish darting in and out of the colored patches below us. Before us 25 small minnows jumped out of the water an inch and dived back in. I felt part of things in a different way than we we dive, but it was still special.
I just wish we didn't have to work for an hour and a half to get to that point. I was hoping that we would manage to skirt the island next to us, but we got tired too fast and had to turn back. The end result was that I was hungry for dinner that night and roast pig had never tasted so good.
There is something different that happens when you paddle a boat than when you ride by aid of a motor. Animals seem to ignore you somewhat and come out to play. We saw some fish jump out of the water next to our boat and skim along the top of the surface for 15 feet. At one point we stopped paddling over some coral and saw fish darting in and out of the colored patches below us. Before us 25 small minnows jumped out of the water an inch and dived back in. I felt part of things in a different way than we we dive, but it was still special.
I just wish we didn't have to work for an hour and a half to get to that point. I was hoping that we would manage to skirt the island next to us, but we got tired too fast and had to turn back. The end result was that I was hungry for dinner that night and roast pig had never tasted so good.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fiji
I have been sick so it took a few days before we were able to go diving. I had forgotten both the beauty and terror of the endeavor. In that first few seconds beneath the water, my brain forgot that I was connected to a tank of air. All I knew was panic that I was drowning. It took an extra weight and a few minutes time to calm my panic before I could sink beneath the waves and remember what I liked about the sport.
There is a quiet tranquility beneath the water. When things work out well (ears pop and air is flowing) the clear expanse opens up before me into a wonderland of fish that pass inches from my fingertips. I had forgotten how much more vivid the colors were and how snug the clown fish looked snuggled in in their anemone. We saw the usual suspects: bright yellow butterfly fish, and pastel fish that eat coral. We also noted a few new things: purple starfish. Once I relaxed, it was great.
There is a quiet tranquility beneath the water. When things work out well (ears pop and air is flowing) the clear expanse opens up before me into a wonderland of fish that pass inches from my fingertips. I had forgotten how much more vivid the colors were and how snug the clown fish looked snuggled in in their anemone. We saw the usual suspects: bright yellow butterfly fish, and pastel fish that eat coral. We also noted a few new things: purple starfish. Once I relaxed, it was great.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Fiji
When I looked at pictures of Fiji, it seemed impossible that the sky was that clear and the water that blue. As we flew across the wafer in out flat bottomed boat, I could see it was reality. The water was like some rare gem that I had no good description for. I spent 20 minutes trying to discern what I would call the color. In the end I wound up with azure, which was unfortunately too boring for me. Hadn't the water been described by thousands before as that color? I wanted a new exciting color to match the beauty that I was seeing, but there was nothing new. Only tired words to match a matchless landscape that faded out in every direction into tiny points of mountains that pointed up impossibly from the ocean.
I wondered how it was that these islands were ever found out in the middle of no where. Did some unfortunate person get lost in a storm, was he or she cast out from their home, or was it something I could not have imagined out here in the ocean? No matter, the answer is lost to me for I have no ability to speak the native language. I only know English, the official language, but clearly not people's first language.
I wondered how it was that these islands were ever found out in the middle of no where. Did some unfortunate person get lost in a storm, was he or she cast out from their home, or was it something I could not have imagined out here in the ocean? No matter, the answer is lost to me for I have no ability to speak the native language. I only know English, the official language, but clearly not people's first language.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Day 1
We're off to a pretty good start right here in Portland. Yesterday we visited the annual Polish festival at St. Stanislaus Church for lunch; pierogi, kielbasa, potato pancakes and some Okocim piwo (beer).
Then in the evening we attended the wedding of our good friends Jen and Chris. Actually I attended, while Andrea was the officiant! It was a beautiful and very fun wedding.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Last day at work
We're not getting on a plane for almost a week still, but today was my (and Andrea as well) last day at work for two months. Feels very strange to be about to walk out of here for that long.
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