In the Beginning....

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao-tzu

As I write this, it's early Sunday morning. The 6th of April.

I am on the relatively uncrowded and pleasant Virgin Australia flight 1413 on my way from Sydney to Cairns, the northernmost true "city" on Australia's east coast. It's the second leg of a three week journey started last Monday evening with an equally enjoyable flight from LAX to Sydney. (Actually, the LAX-SYDNEY may qualify as the single most relaxing and enjoyable flight in my rather lengthy travel life. But more about that in a future column.)

This trip, planned for more than a year as yet another aspect of my wife and my continuing No Opportunity Wasted lifestyle, is designed to give us our first taste of both Australia and, significantly, our first venture into the Southern Hemisphere. While we are both considered well-traveled, it has all been north of the Equator. And, as ventures go, we recognize this is a light toe into the water versus a complete plunge into the unknown.

But that doesn't prevent it from being a NOW event for us. Tomorrow morning we head out on a boat to spend the day snorkeling around three spots on The Great Barrier Reef. This has been something on our list for years, and nicely fits into the same glove as some of our previous ventures snorkling along Hawaii's Na Pali coast; whale watching in Hawaii, Alaska and among the San Juan Islands; a few days around polar bears in Canada; and swimming with dolphins in Mexico.

Since the vast majority of our travels find us, at one point or another, away from the Madding Crowd and usually off-road, the first visit down under also includes some day trips in rainforests (Queensland and New South Wales) and variations on small group tours for wine-tasting, sightseeing and other local and cultural events. We try to get a taste, unhurried and as untouristy as possible, of the area. In the case of Queensland we want to spend some time learning about the aboriginals and their culture, as well as getting out into areas not necessarily touched on or seen by the majority of tourists who happen to blow through.

Over the next few weeks I will be recounting some of our adventures along the way, from dinner out on a beautiful Saturday night in Sydney to day trips into the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley wine region, to adventures which are -- at this point in my voyage -- still to come over the next couple weeks. A visit to the Margaret River; putting our feet in the Indian Ocean; seeing Aussie wildlife up close and personal; a few days in Auckland. But when you, gentle reader, are seeing this I will be back at home and perusing the several thousand shots made during the trip.

From the vibrant city chaos of Sydney to the gentle downpour of the Piha Rain Forest in New Zealand, I'll be sharing it all: my thoughts, some memories and recommendations, and a passel of pictures to bring it a little closer to home.

Stay tuned, and thanks for joining us.

* All photos in this week's entry are from the trip and were added after the text was written.

THE ROMANCE OF TRAVEL

“I’ve been homesick for countries I’ve never been, and longed to be where I couldn’t be.”       - John Cheever



I was wandering through a very dangerous store a few weeks ago -- an antique and collectible shop in the middle of Sydney's The Rocks neighborhood. This sort of place, both the neighborhood as well as the shop -- full of memories and trivia and echoes of the past -- is always fascinating to me. I tend to see every object as having its own private and unique personal story. Each item tells a tale, and if it's the sort of thing that resonates with my psyche it immediately attracts my attention.

I am fascinated with, among many other things, art, travel, maritime subjects, the romantic images of the past, and Art Deco. In my mind's eye the true romance of airline travel can be summed up in the mid-thirties and -forties travel posters with their art deco-images and promise of adventure. It's a romance we are sorely lacking these days. Even thought travel still affords us the opportunity to go to these exotic places and explore.

(Admittedly, you're likely to find a McDonald's or Starbuck's almost anywhere, but by avoiding these reminders of American cultural impact and finding a local restaurant or coffee house you can still evoke those bygone days of adventure travel.)

The dream....

Sydney has always held a special spot in my imagination and romantic view of the world. My father, a career Navy man and icon of my Raman wandering spirit, put into port there on several occasions, and it always seemed to me that this was a far off and romantic city on the edge of the world.

As I was wandering the store, experiencing Sydney in person for the very first time, I happened across an old-style chrome metal Art Deco model of a Constellation airliner, with plastic discs to represent the turning propellers on her wings. The model is perched on a half-spherical base with a global map etched in it.

One more detail to make this pertinent: my own first travel in an airliner -- at least the one which has flashes of my own memory and is not strictly anecdotally relayed to me by my parents -- was on a SuperConstellation bound from San Francisco to Tokyo, via Anchorage. My mother had supplied my older sister and I with a handful of toys to keep us entertained for the some twenty hour journey. My younger sister was still a babe in arms.

The likely reality...

So I that moment of seeing the Art Deco Super Connie in a store in Sydney I knew I had to have it.

It's interesting to me how these things have resonance for us as travelers. Little icons and items which, for reasons almost unexplainable to others, carry a meaning or a memory and are a little fun to have around.

Looking back through your own past I'm certain you have something which would be equally evocative and important. To me, it's a way to keep some of that early romance, early idealism, in the modern age of 21st century high tech cabins and a shareholder-approved flying bus mentality.

Keep the romance alive. It's a lot more fun that way.

Stories to Tell

20 days; 22k miles; 6 cities; 3 airlines; 7 flight legs; 6 airports; 4 hotels; 12 wineries; 3 wine regions; 40+ restaurants; 5 day tours; 5 water tours/trips; 8 beaches; 3 islands; 3 reefs; 50+ kangaroos; 2 animal parks; 3 rain forests; two countries.

2500 photos and videos.

Good to be home.

In the next few weeks I'll be sharing a number if experiences, recommendations and observations from our three week adventure south if the Equator.

Stay tuned.

Dispatch from the Road: Queensland

Interim DISPATCH FROM THE ROAD: Queensland

It's startling to me that we're essentially half way through our Australian Adventure. After a year of planning it's seeming to whiz by at an alarming pace. Already we have accomplished several life goals -- including knocking "snorkling the Great Barrier Reef" and "visit the Sydney Opera House" from our No Opportunity Wasted Life List.

Initial reactions are what would be expected. With half of our destinations concluded I am looking back and jotting down notes for a future post in which I will include specific adventures as well as high resolution photographs of the things we've seen and done.

Sydney was a lot of fun, and we certainly enjoyed the time there. Our day trips to the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley were time well spent. While we loved our adventure, I will admit that the city is now "been there, done that" for me. I am certain there are still adventures to be had, but for the moment we are sated.

Queenland was a revelation. Unexpectedly so. Groping for a comparison I would have to say Port Douglas and the surrounding North Queensland area are very similar in look and feel to the more remote areas of the Hawaiian Islands. Port Douglas itself reminded my wife and I of Lahaina, which is in our experience a compliment. It features a variety of nice eateries and a huge selection of activities ranging from water-born tours of the reefs, islands and rivers dotting this part of the continent, to land-based adventures from the Daintree Rain Forest to the North with Cairns and it's environs to the South.

Our own sea voyages involved a stunning visit to the Great Barrier Reef (detailed later with suitable photographs) via Calypso tours as well as an evening river tour to discover crocodiles and eagles in their natural predatory environments. On our own we drove up through the Daintree to the remote beaches of the northern end of Queensland, often finding ourselves on vast stretches of tan-colored sand with a total of perhaps three other people. The surf and possibility of sharks limited any desire to go swimming, and the generally brown nature of the waves also limited our enthusiasm. Still, it's a powerful experience to be so far from civilization.

On the more sophisticated side we did venture south in an attempt to ride the Kuranda Rail Train through the mountains north of Cairns. Our choice of day was poor, as the train had elected just that morning to strike a car on the tracks, effectively putting it out of commission for long enough to impact the plans of a thousand or so visitors who converged on the aerial tramway as a group, causing chaos and frustration in the Skyrail building along highway 44. The trip over the canopy is stunning, though my acrophobia kicked in on the way back (the part that became necessary after the train plan was, ahem, derailed). The longer we were in the air over the rainforest canopy -- with increasing winds and a slowing down of the tram to accommodate the loading of a larger than expected crowd -- became more of a marathon of tolerance on my part. By the time we began the final descent back to sea level my shoulders and back knotted themselves into an uncomfortable tension that a double dose of Advil did nothing to even dent.

Other than that one small disappointment -- wanting to ride the rail line -- each if the adventures was well worth the effort. In a week or so I will be posting more specifics, and noting those companies who did an outstanding job. Keep your eye here towards the end of April when I will have had the opportunity to review the thousands of pictures and videos in order to post the best.

See you again shortly as I post my thoughts about Perth and the Margaret River in a few days. Though we've already exhausted half the trip, we're eagerly looking forward to the remainder. A lot of adventures yet to go.

Cheers.


(As noted the iPad is refusing to upload any recent shots. Rest assured, I will be loading dozens of high-res shots Ina couple of weeks)

Dispatches from the Road: SYDNEY

“Alone of all the races on earth, they seem to be free from the 'Grass is Greener on the other side of the fence' syndrome, and roundly proclaim that Australia is, in fact, the other side of that fence.”
― Douglas Adams




I seem to be the most productive writing on flights, or had you not noticed?


It's early Sunday morning. The 6th of April.

I am on the relatively uncrowded and pleasant Virgin Australia flight 1413 on my way from Sydney to Cairns, the northernmost true "city" on Australia's east coast. It's the second leg of e three week journey started last Monday evening with an equally enjoyable flight from LAX to Sydney. (Actually, the LAX-SYDNEY may qualify as the single most relaxing and enjoyable flight in my rather lengthy travel life. But more about that in a future column.

This trip, planned for more than a year as yet another aspect of my wife and my continuing No Opportunity Wasted lifestyle, is designed to give us our first taste of both Australia and, significantly, our first venture into the Southern Hemisphere. While we are both considered well-traveled, it has all been north of the Equator. And, as ventures go, we recognize this is a light toe into the water versus a complete plunge into the unknown.

But that doesn't prevent it from being a NOW event for us. Tomorrow morning we head out on a boat to spend the day snorkeling around three spots on The Great Barrier Reef. This has been something on our list for years, and nicely fits into the same glove as some of our previous ventures snorkling along Hawaii's Na Pali coast; whale watching in Hawaii, Alaska and among the San Juan Islands; a few days around polar bears in Canada; and swimming with dolphins in Mexico (more about this last category momentarily).

Since the vast majority of our travels find us, at one point or another, away from the Madding Crowd and usually off-road, the first visit down under also includes some day trips in rainforests (Queensland and New South Wales) and variations on small group tours for wine-tasting, sightseeing and other local and cultural events. We try to get a taste, unhurried and as untouristy as possible, of the area. In the case of Queensland we want to spend some time learning about the aboriginals and their culture, as well as getting out into areas not necessarily touched on or seen by the majority of tourists who happen to blow through.

Over the next few weeks I will be recounting some of our adventures along the way, from dinner out on a beautiful Saturday night in Sydney to days trip into the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley wine region, to adventures which are -- at this point in my voyage -- still to come over the next couple weeks. But when you, gentle reader, are seeing this I will be back at home and perusing the several thousand shots made during the trip.

From the vibrant city chaos of Sydney to the gentle lapping of waves in Paihia, New Zealand, I'll be sharing it all: my thoughts, some memories and recommendations, and a passel of pictures to bring it a little closer to home.

Stay tuned, and thanks for joining us.