Side Trips
The Outback – Part II
I recently had a conversation with a woman in Winton, Australia. She and her husband had only just decided to make Winton their permanent home after several years of exploring the vast expanse of the country. Out of all the towns they visited, this was the one that resonated with them most deeply. When I […]
The Outback – Part I
We went to the outback. And, I’m not talking about The Outback Steakhouse. On the subject of the restaurant chain, after being in Australia now for a couple of months, I can honestly tell you there is nothing Australian about that chain. There are no “Bloomin’ Onions” or “Aussie Fries”. And, certainly no Foster’s beer. […]
Airlie Beach and Some Really Fun Stuff
After a fabulous couple of days watching Kangaroos on the beach, we continued our journey northward. Our next stop is Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach is a tourist trap. Not that there is anything wrong with that. What is there to do there? Tourism stuff. Reasons for a tourist to go there: First, it has access […]
The Hunt For Kangaroos – Part II
Link to Part I I can begin this post by saying we’ve seen kangaroos. Sadly, they were dead ones. A good portion of vehicles here sport what they call Roo Guards. Judging by the number of vehicles we see fitted with these, it might be a safe assumption that when driving country roads, hitting a […]
The Hunt For Kangaroos – Part I
As I mentioned here previously, it’s nice to be back in a place where we can get stuff done or buy what we need with choices. We’ve spent the past couple of weeks lining up some contractors to do work on the Puffster. We are finding our way about the Brisbane area nicely and really […]
Redcliffe and Bundaberg
After our first week in Australia, we have learned a thing, or two. For those that really know me, you know I love music. I listen to just about anything and when my iPod (yes, I still have one) is on shuffle, there is no telling what will play. In my library, I have almost […]
Frustrated in Fiji
I’m really starting to have a love/hate attitude toward Fiji. Ok, it really is tilting more toward the hate side. Our experience in Savusavu so far is definitely not up to snuff as we compare our experiences in Fiji last year at Denarau and the surrounding islands there. At this point, I can’t wait to […]
Now What?
After our trip to the South Island, we hauled Cream Puff at a local boatyard for routine maintenance. Well, it was a little bit more than routine stuff. We decided to have all the old antifoul paint removed and start over with a fresh coat. In addition, we had a long list of other items […]
New Zealand – South Island – Part II
When we left off from the last post, we’d taken the train from Christchurch to Greymouth and began exploring the really cool little beach town of Hokitika. We needed to head south as our plan is to go walkabout on top of a mountain. More specifically, a walk on a glacier. Heading southward, we drove […]
New Zealand – South Island – Part I
Going to New Zealand’s South Island for 4 weeks put our planning skills to the test. We had to line up or figure out airplanes, Ubers, multiple trains, a helicopter, rental cars, a ferry, buses, places and places to stay. During this trip we saw 84 towns, used one taxi and five Ubers. We rode […]
Suva – Part 2
I’ve been really looking forward to writing part 2 of this because some funny stuff happened in Suva. Here we go. In part 1, you learned our hotel didn’t have bedbugs. The real downside was it was up a hill (pun intended). At the end of the day spent walking up and down the […]
Suva – Part 1
We decided to go to Suva, the capital city of Fiji. Over the weekend, we talked to a couple of local people and mentioned we are heading to Suva. Our hope was they’d share some insight about what to see and do there. We both were a little surprised when we announced our intentions […]
Fumbling Around Fiji – Part 1
The past few weeks we’ve been doing something we love to do. We’ve been exploring the island we’re on. We are currently on Viti Levu. This is Fiji’s main island and includes the capital city of Suva. I almost called this post Farting Around Fiji but decided to keep it G-rated instead. About 87% of […]
Back to Normal
Wow! What a difference a couple of weeks makes. Since our last post, things are significantly better here now. Covid cases are again minimal and manageable. The hospital staff is able to breathe again. Most restrictions have been lifted and there is chatter about more being eased very soon or totally abandoned. Swimming was allowed […]
Cream Puff Goes to the Spa
This has been our view for the past ten days. It’s awesome, isn’t it? We rented a house high in the mountains because Cream Puff went to the spa and we became homeless. It is that time again when we open our wallets and shell over thousands of francs for the Puffster to have her […]
