The Limestone Coast to Adelaide

Before I start to tell you what we have been up to I shall just let you know where I am while I write this blog. I am sat on the deck of my cousin's house, the deck runs the whole length of the back of the house with a protruding square bit in the middle which has a table and chairs. The aspect from this deck is superb, overlooking a small valley with trees, paths and picnic areas, there are loads of colourful birds and a kangaroo was even spotted here the other day. The weather is just perfect, the sun is shining and there is a cool breeze so it is comfortable. I am very content.

But back to what we have been doing. On leaving Port Campbell we continued along the road which follows the coastline. It was a lovely journey with frequent stops to take in the views and to have a walk along deserted, beautiful but rather windy beaches. This is excellent surfing country and seems to be the pastime which all young people undertake as every beach has their resident surfers, or so it seems.

Our plan was to aim for Mount Gambier which is exactly where we eventually arrived. The journey saw the end of the large trees and forest to which we had become accustomed and the emergence of open pasture and managed farm land. Everything was much more parched and it was clear that they had not experienced the heavy rain that Queensland, NSW and Victoria had been suffering.

On the way we saw a cheese factory which was advertising tours and tastings and, to top it off, a museum and display of engines ... something for everyone! It was too much to resist and I was convinced I would be able to get the slice of cheese on toast I'd been longing for. Our view of what a new country Australia is was reinforced by our stroll around the museum, as several of the things on display were recognised by both John and I as things we had at home as children and one or two things we still use.

Hmmm! On reflection does this say something about the newness of Australia or about us as a pair of oldies???

After the museum we went into the restaurant for a coffee and the cheese on toast. Well, can you imagine a cheese factory restaurant which served just about everything but not cheese on toast. The young woman who was serving smiled at my dismay, took pity on me and said she would make me a slice. When it came, the cheese was indeed delicious but she wouldn't take any money for it. In lots of ways that sums up the Oz attitude, really laid back but also very friendly and kind.

If Mount Gambier is famous for anything it is its blue lake. Once we had settled ourselves into our motel, we made our way to the lake to see if it is true. I am amazed to say it is. There is some chemical reaction which takes place in the summer which turns the water a brilliant cobalt blue. Not reflection from the sky, the water is actually a deep, deep blue. The picture is a true reproduction of the colour, it is incredible.

This part of Australia has had volcanic activity and two lakes have formed in the crater; the blue lake and the adjoining one - which is not blue at all but green in colour and not as dramatic. Both lakes are set in the most beautiful parkland in the large bowl and we spent the whole afternoon wandering around, returning from time to time to check out that the water was still blue.

The underlying rock is limestone and presumably riven with caves. One place we visited was a sink hole where the roof of a large cave had collapsed leaving a large hole in the ground. The unusual thing about this one was that about 100 years ago a worthy citizen had created a wonderful secret garden within it. Fortunately, although the house was demolished fifty years ago, the council has restored the garden to something like its original self.

The whole area of Mount Gambier was quite lovely, the town was quite large and well set out and there was a tranquil but positive air about the place. Both John and I said it was a place where you could quickly feel at home and one of the more attractive places we had been to.

The following day it was heads down and drive to Adelaide however we couldn't resist a quick stop at the Tantanoola caves. We had been told they were quite splendid and indeed they were. They were not enormous but the stalagmites and stalactites were incredible. The cave had been discovered in the 1930s by a local boy out catching rabbits with his ferret, he popped the it down a hole and the ferret didn't come back. The boy excavated the hole and opened up the cave. He must have been quite a canny young fellow as he told no-one, took out a lease on the land and then started charging people entry to the cave. A good story.

We had told Barry and Yvonne (cousin and wife) that we would be at their house in Adelaide at about 4pm, we eventually arrived at about 5pm which we didn't think was bad going after 7000 kilometres. We had a wonderful welcome as my Aunt Margaret, cousin Ann and her partner Tom and daughter Emma and Tom's brother Kevin were all there to greet us. The following day Tom and Kevin went off to New Zealand for a week and the others went off to Queensland for five days leaving John and I in charge of the house and Champs, the beautiful white retriever.

We've had a fantastic few days, we have toured the Barossa Valley tasting wine - well John has as I was duty driver (but made up for it when we got home!), had a guided tour round Jacobs Creek winery and bought some delicious wine which is not sold in the UK, sadly.

We have also toured round the Adelaide Hills which are just lovely and where there are sweet little villages with very picture post card gardens, all have agapanthus which I think should be the national flower.

On the way back, we called in to see the Barossa Reservoir. Built a hundred years ago, it is not in itself remarkable. What makes it interesting is that it is a 'whispering wall'. The curve of the dam wall conducts sound so efficiently that one person standing at one end can chat comfortably with a person 150 metres away at the other. The sound seems to come from an unseen person 6ft away.

Of course we had to visit Adelaide and found it a modern, spacious and clean city with the usual relaxed atmosphere we have come to expect here. There is a marvellous central market which sells just about everything and could rival London's Borough Market in the quality and range of the produce, it was irresistable.

In the evening we went to Glenelg which is on the coast. There is a pier going out into the water, not exactly Southend but good fun to take a turn upon over the waves. And there are the most fabulous beaches but, oh, the wind, constantly blowing quite strongly it added a chill edge to the evening. We found this beachside tapas bar and had supper while we watched the sun setting. Splendid and, I have to say, a trifle romantic!

All the family return this evening, we have a couple more days here then it is off down the Murray River for five days on a boat..... more excitement, can't wait.,

The Great Ocean Road is an experience not to be missed. We have just travelled the whole length from Torquay (yes there are quite few familiar names here) along the coast to Warnambool, about 250 kms in total if you do this in a straight line. Needless to say there are so many spectacular things along the way that we have probably done twice that number of kms.......... not all on the road but more about that later. Not only have we had a wonderful trip but also really wonderful weather, bright clear days and sunshine with a cool breeze, just perfect.

On day one, we drove down the coast to a place called Lorne where we stayed in a motel on the beach front. We had sea glimpses from our room (afraid we always go for the budget option so usually faced with restricted views) but we did have a small balcony on which to sit for G&Ts in the evening.

The drive along the coast to Lorne was just fabulous, the Great Ocean Road closely follows the coast along and the views across to the sea were just lovely, we kept turning off to view points and each one was breathtaking.

After finding our accommodation, we then explored the area. We went to Erskine Falls which were quite something, the excessive rain of recent months had swollen the water levels making the falls even better (or so I am told). Later in the day we also visited the Sheoak Falls but after a long walk uphill and down dale we were too tired to truly appreciate them but they were beautiful.

Prior going to the falls we had visited the Qdos Art Gallery in the woods and had a substantial cream tea which did nothing for our walking prowess. Foolishly we'd also asked for iced coffee instead of tea and this came with ice cream floating on top so we were stuffed out with calories! The Gallery itself was interesting, displaying paintings by Robert Juniper a well known Australian artist. These were for sale and many had been sold for astronomical sums, I am sure they are a good investment but not really my cup of - er - tea. There were some very interesting sculptures in the grounds, one of which I would very happily have given house room but it was a bit too big to bring back and would have broken the bank too!

Teddys Lookout was spectacular and gave a view of the Ocean and the road along which we travelled, I hope the picture gives you a taste of what this was like.

We had read about a tree top walk called the Otway Fly which is a bit inland from the Great Ocean Road. This is apparently the longest tree top walk in Australia and is in the most easterly Australian rainforest. It was indeed remarkable, we had a walk of about 20 minutes downhill to get to the start before getting on to the walk, which then ascends as the hill falls away. Once on the tree top walk you are level with the tops of many of the trees and must be 100 feet off the ground. They do have huge trees here and to be level with the tops and watch them swaying in the breeze is quite spooky. Equally spooky was that the walk is made of open metal grating so as you walk along you can see the ground if you look down. The walk is made of intersecting paths, one of which is a dead end and ends in an unsupported 30m overhang - hair raising. In the centre of the paths is a tower, ascended by spiral staircase, which adds another 100 feet or so to the height and from where the views were amazing. At the end of the walk the path drops to the brook in the bottom of the valley. We were feeling quite tired and the walk all the way back up the hill back to the visitors centre was quite a haul. That night the muscles on the back so my calves were complaining loudly!!

I am unsure if you have heard of the twelve apostles, not the religious ones but the series of sandstone stacks and islands off the coast. Here they are well known and a highlight of the Great Ocean Road trip, very much a 'not to be missed'. We arrived at the car park for the visitors centre and John had spotted that you could do helicopter rides over the coast to view the Apostles from the air. I am sure you can see where this is going. Next thing, I am there with a life vest on - an intrepid aviator. Not only were we going to fly out to view them but also do a low level pass over the sea. It was fabulous, fantastic, amazing. I had never been in a helicopter before so John let me sit in the front next to the pilot and he sat in the back, there were just the three of us. Seeing this spectacular landmark from the air is a memory I will treasure for ever.

We have now reached the end of the great Ocean Road. We had set aside two days for this leg of our journey but could have spent twice as long without any trouble. I know I have said it before but we just loved that journey.

New South Wales to Victoria

So we are now into a more settled time on our road trip in Australia. We seem to have travelled miles and indeed that is the case. I imagine we have seen parts of Oz which loads of Australians have yet to see or may never see. Each part is different. We have travelled from Queensland into New South Wales and are now in Victoria and thankfully having better weather. The common threads wherever we have been along the coast have been magnificent scenery, huge huge trees and the most glorious beaches - but the further south you go the colder the water gets, I have to admire the hearty bathers and surfers who brave the water in the south. The climate in Queensland is tropical so it is rather humid all the time whereas in the south, where we are now, it is much fresher with a wonderful clear warmth. Clearly the flowering plant Agapanthus loves this southern climate as we see them everywhere and they grow like weeds, I'm quite jealous as I struggle at home to get mine to flower every year.

Anyway, a bit about our journey here. We have had a wonderful time and seen some tremendous things and places. Again a map of Oz may help for you to see where we have been. Picking up from the last episode of the blog we are still in New South Wales and after Wollongong made our way to Batemans Bay, a pretty lakeside town near the Murramang National park. We liked it there and decided that we deserved a bit of a rest, we had good accommodation, and wanted to explore the area.

We had a lovely couple of days just exploring around and being tourists. We came across this beach at the end of a winding road, it was almost deserted and as we walked along the beach we realised that our footsteps were making the strangest noise, the nearest we could get to describe it was like dogs whining, it was really peculiar as the sand was fine and white and looked no different to sand on any other beach except for this noise.

While in Batemans Bay we started to have really annoying computer problems. Clever John seems to have resolved most of the problem but there were times when I feared for the windows in the motel!
Moving on from Batemans Bay we decided to take a detour inland and visit Canberra, the capital of the country. We had been given mixed reviews of Canberra, it seems people either loved or hated the place. I think we liked it. We arrived on Saturday early afternoon and I must say I thought that the place had been evacuated. It was absolutely dead, there was nobody around. I had read about an exhibition of the costumes of the Ballet Russe which was at the Canberra Museum. On trying to find the exhibition we went to the wrong museum but had a pleasant hour wandering around a display of photos and artefacts about the history of Canberra. On the way out, there was a room with a display of someone's collection of Miss Piggy souvenirs, toys and pictures, it was all a bit surreal.

Eventually we found the National Museum and went to the the exhibition of the Ballet Russe costumes. Some of these had been designed by Matisse and some by Picasso as well as other well known costume designers. It was a huge collection, they even had the ballet shorts worn by Nijinski, it was truly fabulous. The incredible part was there were so few people there. It was a time limited exhibition and had it been in the UK it would have been crowded out. The quiet was a bonus for us but where are the people of Canberra I wonder?

As well as the exhibition we visited the Parliament building. An impressive place, it was completed in 1988 and demonstrates the best of the 80's architecture. Amazingly, visitors have access to all of the building and can wander at will.
The centre of the city is symmetrical and the buildings line up. The parliament building is high on a hill and the views are dramatic; in one direction to look over the old Parliament building and back in the other direction along the avenue to the War Memorial, where we went the following morning.
In the War Memorial there is the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and in the entrance is a mark on the floor which is in line with the tomb and the Parliament, about two miles distant. This is in line with the office of the premier, and was designed to remind the head of state of the sacrifice made by Australians in all the wars in which Australia has been a part. The War Memorial is also a museum and we thought a visit would take us about an hour at the most but we were there all morning and could have been there all day. We arrived at opening time and were fortunate to link up with a guided tour. The chap who conducted us was fantastic, showed us some of the major displays and took 90 minutes to show us the highlights and to explain quite a bit about Australia's role in the Boer war and the two world wars. There were some super dioramas, sympathetic displays, and interesting explanations of artefacts. In one display an actress re-enacted the role of a WRAF radio operator in the second world war, it was quite moving. If you go the Canberra this is a "must do".

From Canberra we travelled on down the coast to Mirimbula and stayed in Pambula. The highlights here were the wonderful National Park and beaches, there are fabulous beaches in this part of Australia.

And, oh yes, before I forget, that evening we found a group of kangaroos grazing in the village and whilst we were snapping the scene a kookaburra let us know that he was in residence in the gum tree above us. This was Australia in a nutshell.

We then entered Victoria and drove along the coast to stay in a place called Foster, again wonderful scenery and trees the size of sky scrapers, just incredible. One of the most interesting parts for us here was driving down to a place called Wilsons Promontory (known as "Prom") which is the most southerly part of mainland Australia. Whilst there, we realised that by flying into Darwin we had been in the most northerly point, when we visited Byron Bay we were in the most Easterly part and now we were in the most southerly part. It reinforced for us the extent of our travels in Oz.

It had been our intention to stay in Melbourne but as we travelled through we decided that seeing Melbourne from the car was enough and wanted to stay outside the city. We looked at the map and were attracted to a place called Phillip Island, mainly because it had a town called Cowes and it reminded us of home!. What a good decision it was as we had a super time. We found a good place to stay which always helps, visited a chocolate factory and bought some chocolate which helps too. The highlight however was the Penguin Parade. Last year at home we had watched a couple of programmes about these little penguins who built their nests and then layed their eggs in burrows in the sand dunes and then walked for ages up hills and across difficult terrain, back and forth, to feed their young. By happy chance we had arrived at the very place where this happened. The penguins arrive on the beach at dusk, assembling of shore in great rafts of birds who come ashore together and make their way up the beach. Having made their way across the beach they then waddle up the sand dunes to their nests. The tiny penguins, only 12 inches tall at most, have to walk up to two kilometres to get to their nests. They are so intent on their task that they ignore the human audience on the boardwalk as they soldier on to find their chicks. It was an amazing sight, there were hundreds of them. We were fortunate that at this time of year there are a lot of chicks; some almost ready for independent living having lost most of their young plumage, others still like little balls of grey fluff. Apparently the parent is often at sea for about three days so some some of the chicks were very hungry and would mob each and every adult as they went past looking for their own chick, it was quite a sight to see. We stayed for hours just watching this display of nature, how lucky is that?
Our last stop before setting off on the Great Ocean Road was at Queenscliff, a little sea side town which reminded us of old England. The town was quaint, with lovely old buildings and the Guest House we stayed in was like going back in time. What was highlighted here was the difficult economic time this country is experiencing. I would not be exaggerating to say that over half the businesses in the town were for sale and boards were up on many of the properties. This was something evident all along the coast. I can only assume that many of the homes for sale are holiday homes which are too expensive to maintain today. The businesses for sale reflect the drop in tourist numbers and difficult times globally.
The next adventure for us is the Great Ocean Road, can't wait!!!!

On the road in Oz

Our road trip in Australia has been much more of and adventure than we ever imagined.

On leaving Cairns we were unsure what to expect on our drive down the coast and it came as a very pleasant surprise. The Bruce Highway, which is the road we are anticipating taking most of the way (floods permitting), is excellent, very light traffic, single carriageway with notified stretches of dual carriagway for overtaking, which appear at frequent intervals. We were anticipating driving about 350 kilometres to Townsville but the driving was so easy we decided to continue for a further 100kms and arrived in Ayr for the night. We stayed in a motel which had a very strange bathroom - it had a floor to ceiling frosted window which I am sure anyone outside could have seen through. John offered to go and look from the outside but I decided that ignorance was bliss and so continued without knowing.

At Ayr the scale of the flooding ahead of us became apparent and we were unsure how to proceed. One option was to lie low for a few days, wait for the water levels to subside and the roads to reopen. So, after a short journey, our next stop after Ayr was at Airlie Beach, the launching point for the Whitsunday Islands. We were quite surprised at Airlie Beach as there was very little beach! It was very much a tourist/holiday resort. To compensate for the lack of beach they had built a rather lovely swimming pool complex just by the ocean which was surrounded by a false beach and grassy area with palm trees, really nice. It seems to me that the reason for Airlie Beach to exist is to transport people to the Whitsundays. We stayed overnight in a motel which had clearly seen better days. The owner said that they had relied upon coach tours, and they were large enough to house and feed coach loads of tourists, but since the advent of cheap air fares the trade had vanished. We felt rather sorry for them as it was apparent that they would not last much longer, certainly without having a radical rethink about their customer base.

Looking at the news in the evening, it seemed that things were not going to improve quickly enough for us. We decided that we were just going to have to go for it and set off on the Friday to drive inland to avoid the closed roads and floods. We headed off south, down the coast to Mackay which at the time seemed to be relatively clear and out of danger, this has since proven not to be the case and they have had dreadful flooding. From Mackay we knew the road south was blocked so we turned inland towards Emerald, (it may help if you have a map of Australia at your elbow) which is a 390 kms journey. We stopped there for the night, again a rather strange place as are many of the Australian Motels!

That day we had covered 513 kms in total.

Emerald had been cut off but reopened the previous day so leaving it we knew we were one step ahead of the floods and it became obvious that we were going to have to go even further inland to ensure we stayed safe. We headed off due west into the outback until we reached Barcaldine, then south to Morven and then east again until we reached Roma. That day we covered 892 kms, a bit of a haul and as you can imagine we were really tired but were reassured we had done the right thing when we watched the news that night. The tragedy which was unfolding was beyond everything. This was brought home to us by the people who were in the next room who had been evacuated from their own home due to the floods and had no idea when they would be able to return.

Most of the places where we have stayed have not had the internet so we have been using internet cafes. The Roma motel, too, had no internet but it was also Saturday night and the only internet cafe had closed for the weekend. We were not, therefore, able to check the current road situation, however the previous day the road reports had said that roads were now open at Miles and Dalby.

So off we went to Miles and found it a lovely place - it has a Library that is open on Sunday with internet facilities - just what we wanted. And then at Dalby the cashier at the fuel station said that the road through Towoomba to Brisbane was open. Great!

Our plan had been to make it to Bli Bli to see friends. Bli Bli is North of Brisbane and we were initially confident that this area was going to be OK. Unfortunately, from Dalby the rain was just tumbling down, very very heavy and at times it was difficult to see where we were going. It was only once on the road that we realised we could have been wrong and could be heading into trouble. So we made a quick decision to head south from Brisbane. Again, I think we made the right decision as I am sure you will have seen on the TV all the problems that Brisbane is experiencing, with more to come as I write this Blog. Since we travelled that road they have had the most awful floods again; Dalby submerged and Toowoomba devastated by a flash flood, we were so lucky to get through unscathed.

However, we did get through and made it to the bottom end of the Gold Coast, a place called Tweed Heads and a very nice motel called 'Las Vegas'. And then on to New South Wales, to a place called Coffs Harbour and a not so nice motel. The driving became so much easier and it was difficult to see that there had been such problems and also impossible to appreciate the devastation which was taking place behind us. But it was still raining, the floods have followed us south into NSW and a place called Grafton, near Coffs Harbour, which was fine when we passed through, has had the most enormous floods since then, it is all just so awful.

From Coffs Harbour we carried on down the coast, we are now taking our time, doing a more reasonable mileage each day and appreciating our surroundings. We have had much better weather and have gone off our main route from time to time to explore the surrounding country, much more as we had planned to do for this trip. What I can say about Australia is that they have a lot of trees and most of these are huge. We went through some very odd places, if you win a competition and the first prize is a house in Jericho, decline, I won't say more. We were looking everywhere to see if we could see Kangaroos, they must be very shy creatures as to date we have only seen a handful and John seems to see most of these although I did see three Emus. You can see we have turned to nature for our entertainment just recently.

From Coffs Harbour we went to Taree and from there on to Wollongong which is south of Sydney. The last couple of days have been great. We have driven through the most wonderful National Parks, stopped and enjoyed wonderful sandy beaches which stretch for miles in every direction and watched very fit young men surfing the waves (a bit of a treat for me). John has spent many a happy few minutes sizing up the girls who accompany the surfing chaps so that is fair... I think!

So far this trip in Oz has been eventful, at times too eventful. We have been very fortunate and I am very aware that a lot of people have lost everything, and some even their lives, so whingeing about the weather is inappropiate. We are just being very careful and making the very best of what is a less than perfect current time.

I hope the next section of the blog is written in happier times for many of the people here.

Can you believe it? We have had four New Years Eve celebrations! We boarded our plane to Cairns via Darwin and just as we took off it was New Year in Darwin, half an hour later it was New Year in Cairns and one hour later it was New Year in Singapore. Later that day we saw the New Year celebrations in London on the TV - we were all celebrated out!!



Having said that we decided to push the boat out a bit and went for a meal in a local up-market sea food restaurant (Barnacle Bill's) for the most delicious prawns and a fish call Baramundi, really something. We are very impressed with Cairns, the town is lovely, really wide boulevards, very little traffic, extremely friendly people and some incredible things to do. We decided to stay an extra day so approached the car hire company to see if we could collect the car a day later and drop it off a day later. We were expecting either an 'no' or 'it will cost you a rearrangement fee' and paper work in triplicate. The response was very different, 'no worries' said the chap, 'that is done'. We must have been embarrassingly profuse in our thanks as we backed out of the shop tugging our forelocks. It feels like that here.



You would think we had enough of train journeys but there is a short journey here through the jungle up into the hills to Kuranda. The train has old fashioned carriages where the air-conditioning is an open window. The journey is amazing, the track runs through undisturbed rain forest, across gorges and past an enormous waterfall called the Baron Falls where it stops to give a view. Much of the water is siphoned off for hydro-electric generation but what remains is massive and really impressive. Because the journey is uphill all the way the train trundles along at a speed which allows you to appreciate the scenery which is spectacular. I think of all the journeys we have done this has to be the most awe-inspiring both in its construction and in the scenery (and it was only a 90 minute trip).



The town of Karunda must be reliant on tourism as that is all there seems to be there. It is full of eateries and souvenir shops. We decided to go to a bird world which was super with loads of brightly coloured parrots flying free. One parrot took a real liking to this chaps ear and it wouldn't let go, I was delighted it wasn't me - I like birds at a distance but not sat on my shoulder.



There were several identified walks back to the station through the forest so we decided to take one of these across Jumrum Creek. It was just magical, the sound of the cicadas were like an electic buzz the whole time, the plants and trees were just as you would imagine, green, damp, tangled and all fighting for their share of the light. It was hot, steamy and very atmospheric.



The best was yet to come though. Our ticket was the train going up to Karunda and the Skyrail return. The Skyrail defies description. We had seen pictures but they do not do it justice. It takes 45 minutes from Karunda to finish down on the coastal plain and the carriages (pods? cars?) fly you across the rain forest above the canopy of the trees. At times we must have been at least 200 feet from the ground and the experience was breathtaking. There are two stops on the way, the first at Barron Falls where we took some amazing photos of the cascade and the second in the heart of the rain forest where there are some of the biggest trees, all seemed to have other plants growing along their trunks and branches as there is stiff competition for the available light. If you go to Cairns this is a 'must do' trip.



Today dawned for another wonderful day and a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef for snorkling. As I write this blog I can't believe it is me saying that we have done all these things - it seems unreal. Anyway, the trip today was fantastic. We took this huge passenger catamaran out to a floating platform, alongside which the ship moors and from there you board the floating platform but still have use of the boat facilities, it is clever how they do it. Our trip could have taken 200 people but there were only about 100 of us which I know sounds a lot but everything is so big it felt spacious. They provided all the necessary equipment including lycra suits which cover you from head to foot - believe me this is not a good look - there was an unspoken agreement between John and I that I wouldn't take a picture of him if he didn't take a picture of me. So, if you must you are going to have to rely on your imagination for a picture of this! The snorkling, however, was incredible, the colours of the corals just fantastic and the fish were so brightly coloured. There was one huge Wrasse which was incredibly friendly, at one point they threw some small fish into the water and this Wrasse mounted the snorkling platform to make sure he got his full share. We had a wonderful day and will be sorry to leave Cairns tomorrow.



We have had very strange weather whilst being away and this continues. You may have seen on the news that Queensland has been having dreadful floods south of here. Apparently an area of land the size of France and Germany together is flooded. Well, our next plan is to drive down the coast round to Adelaide. We have three weeks to do this, we will be sensible but it will be an interesting journey.



The blog will be continued as and when I have the chance - watch this space!

Singapore

I was looking at Singapore as only a staging post on the way to Australia and felt that it would be difficult to find things to do for three days - how wrong I was. I am trying to think of adjectives to describe my impressions of the country; dramatic, organised, busy, amazing, designed, surprising but, more than anything else, it is bold. I suppose in many ways they started with a blank canvas and if it wasn't blank they made it so, perhaps some would say at the expense of some old buildings and history. That having been said, where they have retained old shophouses and buildings the renovation has been done to a very high standard and it shows how some of the shophouses in Georgetown could be renovated; retaining their character and showing them off to their best.

Some of the architecture in Singapore is stunning and tests your imagination of probability and possibility. Our guest house was in Little India, a courtyard hotel which we really liked. Our local bus stop was opposite the Art School, the building was just amazing a beautiful. The bus hub was surrounded by five buildings, clearly designed to complement each other and rose to the sky reflecting light and shadows all around. The most spectacular of all was the Marina Bay Sands, a series of three tower blocks joined at the top by a platform structure made to look like a liner. The whole complex is a holiday resort and the liner on top holds the swimming pool, park and other holiday attractions. We went up there of course. As non residents we had access to just one end, the end which projects 65m out from the building, rather scarey when you think about it. I think the picture gives you an idea but it as to be seen to be believed.

The view from the top of the Marina Bay Sands was spectacular. Not content with this view we also rode the Singapore Flyer which was modeled on the London Eye but bigger (as they kept telling us!). Again the views were fabulous and looking immediately down one could see the building taking place for the City park which looks as if it is going to have large glazed dome structures, something along the lines of the Eden Projet. One thing is for sure and that is that it is going to be sensational.

A friend had said we should have afternoon tea in Raffles, we just couldn't fit this in but did compromise with lunch (delicious) and a Singapore Sling (bit too sweet for my taste). Raffles Hotel is the epitome of luxury and excellence and expense! Just a taste of this did make me wish that we'd won the lottery just so we could have the experience as it just oozed timless beauty and elegance. There is a touchingly personal Raffles museum which holds letters, mementos and memorabilia which have been given or loaned for display, so we can all have a peek into life in Singapore Raffles in its hey day. We loved it.

Across the road from Raffles is a place called 'Chijmes' which was once the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and a school. The land being owned by the Government, the nuns were apparently moved out to the suburbs. The wonderful old buildings were then renovated and turned into boutiques and food outlets. Apparently it's very lively at night but when we went it was deserted and we were left wondering how much the nuns really wished to move.
One of the thinga we'd heard about before we arrived in Singapore was the Night Safari at the Zoo - so were keen to go. It is a definite 'not to be missed' if you go to Singapore. Lots of animals usually rest during the day and it is an opportunity to see them awake and active by night. Beautifully done, it caters for huge numbers of visitors and one can go round on foot or by little land-trains. The queues for the trains were horrendous and as they went along they were noisy and full of chatter. Whereas, when walking along the jungle paths you are very often on your own , it's quiet and really atmospheric. We opted to walk round - the right decision I think. Again the Zoo has been designed with both animals and visitors in mind and it just works.
Most of our travels around around Singapore were by bus. They have these hop on / hop off city buses which do various routes and they have recorded voices describing some of the locations. It was a super way to see the place and to learn some of the history of the country, we felt like true tourists and loved it. A must in Singapore is Orchard Road which we were told was particularly spectacular for Christmas and they were quite right. The road is six kilometers long and is lined with huge trees, hanging from which were lovely baubles which lit up the night, there was a mass of tiny fairy lights in the trees and lights were draped across the road and hanging everywhere. This was all in a purple theme and just stunning. As if this wasn't enough there were huge Christmas trees everywhere and also all the decorations in individual shops, it was all so much but funnily enough not too much as,like everything else, it was tasteful.
On our final afternoon, we had the opportunity to step back in time by visiting the Chinese Heritage Museum. Small and in the middle of the Chinese quarter, it was very cleverly done. There are videos and recorded stories from residents of Chinatown who experienced untold hardships on their journeys from China and in their working and living conditions after arrival. From poor villages in mainland China, they had come to Singapore to improve their economic status and whilst I am sure many succeeded many also died on the journey or from hunger and deprivation once there. It was interesting and very moving and put the Country of today into some perspective - another 'not to be missed'.
As it turns out Singapore was an excellent staging post between Asia and Australia as it introduced us gradually back into a more 'English' way of life. The whole place was clean but not clinical, it felt organised without feeling restrictive (for us as tourists though I think some locals would disagree).
There is so much to do in Singapore and just walking around is in itself an experience. The architecture and design is mind-boggling, the plants and trees everywhere are just lovely, the people are friendly and helpful - I shall never forget one 'teksi' driver of chinese decent, who indeed had all the attributes of a Chinese person: spikey hair, high cheekbones, spare frame, etc; who with a loud voice regaled us with stories accompanied by the most incredible laugh which could shake buildings. He gave us ten minutes of unforgettable pleasure, he will never know.
As you can imagine I am going to say it again, but we loved Singapore!!