Australia and New Zealand

[Stoplight]

All,

Planning a "Bucket List" trip, from Florida to Australia and New Zealand !

Talked to a travel agent to handle it all, but didn't like her attitude, or her prices ! ...decided to go back to our early days, and plan it ourselves !!! We put together a Europe trip, on our own, back in 1995...best trip... EVER !!! :smile:

Sooo...got most booked !!! The internet is COOL !!! :smile: We're doing various land tours in Australia, and then a cruise to New Zealand...

Planning is pretty much going well...seeing sights in Sydney, Alice Springs, Uluru/Ayer's Rock, Darwin, Adeleine, and Coober Pedy.

The Uluru part is giving us fits, though...hotels are full...working out options...

The 12 day New Zealand cruise hits all the places we want to see there !

Drop us a note if you've "been there, done that"...OR if you rave about a "must see" !!! We don't want to book any stinkers !!!

SOOO looking forward to this trip !!! It's good to be retired, with a decent Fed balance !!! Y'all keep stashing that TSP money !!! :D


Stoplight...

[konakathy]

All your effort, time, research and planning will pay off! You're going to have a great time! AU/NZ are on my bucket list too and I can't wait to hear about your travels. Don't forget to send me a postcard!

Happy Trails !

[nnuut]

Enjoy SL sounds like a good time.:banana:

[NellyBelle]

Keep us posted. I would love to hear about your trip, favorites, busts, excursions, dining. I have a similar trip planned in the next 2-3 years, minus cruise cuz wife won't do boats. Last year we spent 2 weeks in Hawaii and the plane travel was brutal coming from Midwest. It was the trip of a life time, got us really excited about traveling. We just got back from Costa Rica for 9 days and loved it. Our thoughts on flying that far in the future would be to spend a night in Cali on the way there and on the way back. Some friends of ours spent 4 days in Oahu prior to flying to Sidney.

[nasa1974]

Stoplight,

The wife and I just did an Australia/New Zealand cruisetour with Princess Cruise Line last January/February (2016). We did 5 days in Australia and a 12 day cruise around New Zealand. In Australia we visited Sydney, Port Douglas (Great Barrier Reef) and Alice Springs. We flew to all our destinations because it would take to long to drive. Two hours on an airplane is better than hours and hours of driving. To cut down on the flying hours to Sydney we spent a day in LA then flew LA to Sydney about 15 hours in the air. We flew Virgin Australia and friends of ours flew Delta.
One thing for sure you will need a head net when you visit Uluru/Ayer's Rock. The little flying gnats were terrible.
I will be happy to answer any questions you have.

[Stoplight]

Keep us posted. I would love to hear about your trip, favorites, busts, excursions, dining. I have a similar trip planned in the next 2-3 years, minus cruise cuz wife won't do boats. Last year we spent 2 weeks in Hawaii and the plane travel was brutal coming from Midwest. It was the trip of a life time, got us really excited about traveling. We just got back from Costa Rica for 9 days and loved it. Our thoughts on flying that far in the future would be to spend a night in Cali on the way there and on the way back. Some friends of ours spent 4 days in Oahu prior to flying to Sidney.

NB,

Will do !!!

Too bad about the cruise, though...they can be a LOT of fun, but they can sometimes be nasty, too :eek: We did our first cruise, to Alaska, on our honeymoon...it was an "old" ship, even at that time...1985 !!! It didn't have all the fancy gadgets the ships have now, like stabilizers, azipods, etc... Got laid out a few days on the trip down to Vancouver...discovered that those pills they offered make you sleep !!! :smile:

The Wife recently did a short hobby cruise (she's in to beading...) and got a little queasy...but geez...there was a hurricane off to the west !!! :smile:


Stoplight,

The wife and I just did an Australia/New Zealand cruisetour with Princess Cruise Line last January/February (2016). We did 5 days in Australia and a 12 day cruise around New Zealand. In Australia we visited Sydney, Port Douglas (Great Barrier Reef) and Alice Springs. We flew to all our destinations because it would take to long to drive. Two hours on an airplane is better than hours and hours of driving. To cut down on the flying hours to Sydney we spent a day in LA then flew LA to Sydney about 15 hours in the air. We flew Virgin Australia and friends of ours flew Delta.
One thing for sure you will need a head net when you visit Uluru/Ayer's Rock. The little flying gnats were terrible.
I will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Thanks, Nasa !!! Pretty scary that our minds seem to think a lot alike !!! :smile:

We struggled with the whole timetable issue...thought about laying up in L.A. for a few days...Wife has relatives there... Also thought about laying up in Hawaii a few days...never been there !!! Ultimately decided to do exactly what YOU did ! Bite the bullet ; get it over with ; do the 15 hour direct flight from LAX to Sydney...EVEN flying on Delta/Virgin Australia !!! What class did you take ? We took a deep breath and booked in 1st class...Wife said "If I'm gonna be on a plane for 15 hours, I need a bed !!!" :D We start in Florida, and end up in Sydney, 27 hours and 2 days later ! :eek:

Land tours in Australia include 17 days ; stuff in Sydney, Alice Springs/Uluru, Darwin, Adelaide, and Coober Pedy. We WANTED to do the Cairns and the Reef, but just couldn't work that in...

Also flying pretty much between all internal destinations, for the reason you said !!!

Cruise is a 12 day cruise on Holland America's Noordam, from Sydney to Auckland...fly back to Sydney, crash 1 night, and then get on the plane for home...this time, a 28 hour travel time, yet gets in the same day !!! Go figure...

Thanks for the tip re: the bugs !!! Keep those thoughts/ideas coming !!! :smile:


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

WOO HOO !

Final piece of the puzzle fell in place today...hotel in Ayer's Rock/Uluru !!! It was touch and go...

Time to start booking the day tours in the area !!! :D


Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

Stoplight,

We stayed at the Sails in the Sand by Ayers Rock/Uluru. They offered an evening under the stars. We missed the opportunity because we found out about it too late.
We flew coach but drinks and food was offered during the whole flight.
Have you signed up for TSA Precheck? If not do it if you have time also sign up for the international portion its just a little more but helps get you through security quicker, here and in Australia. Also if you can get the Customs "Mobile App" Mobile Passport App - The App for U.S. customs and immigration (http://www.mobilepassport.us/) do it. We breezed through Customs after our last cruise in Ft. Lauderdale.

[nasa1974]

When we stayed in Sydney we were in walking distance of Sydney Harbour and the Rocks, about a 10 minute walk.
Toured the Opera House, a must do.
We signed up to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb but it got cancelled because of a thunderstorm. :( We had already started when the storm blew in. We waited it out in a safe area for an hour but still had to cancel. We got our money back but it took a little convincing that we wouldn't be coming back in the next month or two and our cruise was leaving the next day.
We toured the Royal Botanic Gardens.
We didn't have enough time to take a ferry over to the Zoo.

I'll try to post some pictures.

[nasa1974]

Stoplight,

If you are a fan of "Lord Of The Rings" you have to take a trip to Hobbiton while visiting New Zealand.

[Stoplight]

Nasa,

GREAT stuff....thanks !!!

Not sure how that TSA Pre-Check works, but the last few flights we’ve taken, we’ve had it !!! Never signed up for it, or paid a dime... Perhaps because I’ve had a DOD background check/security clearance as part of my career ? Who knows... :smile:

I believe airlines can “pay” the fee for you to use the faster lines...heck, our last cheapie 1 hour flight, on Southwest, had it on our boarding passes....didn’t even notice it until the TSA checker directed us into the Pre-check line !!! With the amount of $$$ we’re paying Delta/Virgin Australia, I’m gonna assume we’ll have it from them again, too ! :D They are already showing us as "Sky Priority Boarding", whatever that means !!!

Good tip re: the Customs app...will check it out !!!

The Uluru hotel was the sticking point...wanted “Sails”, too, but they were completely booked...web site said “Unavailable, but Call” for the Desert Gardens. I sent them a sob story email, and the nice lady at the resort said she’d see what she could do ! Got a confirmation into the Desert Gardens on the dates we HAD to have !!!

Now we’re worried about the ground transfer from Alice Springs to Uluru...web site sez only 1 bag allowed !!! We’ll probably leave a small bag with cruise-specific stuff in the Sydney hotel we’re staying at...it’s the Holiday Inn Darlington Harbor...looks pretty close to stuff, and we return there before the cruise. !!!

We worked around that limitation on the Coober Pedy leg, too...leaving bags at the hotel in Adelaide we’re also returning to ! , but don’t have any options figured out yet, for Uluru....

We’ve read about the “Sounds of Silence” dinner, and booked that through the resort....hope the weather is great ! Sorry you missed it !!!

Definitely will do the Opera House Tour...as a civil engineer, I want to see that weird roof that defies the structural engineers !!! NOT doing the bridge climb...learned that lesson in Peru, Machu Picchu...Wife’s knees can’t hack that workout ! Probably do a hop on/hop off tour the first day there, while we acclimate out of zombie mode... Do the harbor cruise/zoo tour the 2nd day, although we’re not gonna book that in advance ! The third day we’ve booked a day tour to the Blue Mountains ! Also booked another day tour when we get back to Sydney, before the cruise starts...”Aussie Farm Food and Wine”...sounds right up our alley !!! :D

We ARE big fans of “Lord of the Rings” ! Still trying to decide between 2 separate tours/shore excursions offered by Holland America... in 2 separate ports ! One seems to be in the mountains where the awesome scenery was filmed (South Island ???) ; one is the Shire set, etc...we want to see the first one !!! Hobbiton ? Meh... To be honest, we haven’t yet focused on the shore excursions we’re gonna take...so any recommendations ???


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Trying to nail down some of those annoying little trip tours and details...getting conflicting info on the baggage limit to Ulura...Wife spend almost an hour on a 3-way conference call to Australia...FINALLY hung up !!! She couldn't take the Musak any more :eek: Decided we'd just book the transfer, and play the "Ugly American"...I'm SURE many of you that have traveled overseas have seen those people... :smile: We'll just claim we didn't know there was a baggage limit !!!

So then, I try to book the transfers and tours, and the web site keeps dumping me out !!! GRRRRR....


One month to get this all straightened out !!! :D


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

WHEW !!! Things coming together !!! Alice Springs transfer, Uluru Base/Sunset tour, Uluru Sunrise/Kata Tjuta tour, and "Sounds of Silence" tours booked !!!! Cool !!!!

Got the New Zealand cruise docs this weekend...time to start booking the shore excursions !!! :smile:

Had another wrinkle with the pet/house sitter come up...think we have that worked out !!!

Still working on hooking up with the Wife's Niece in LAX, for a quick hit and run, and a knosh in the airport !!! Probably on the way back through LAX on the way home !!!

Expanded our trip insurance today to include the ENTIRE trip...UGH !!! Cost high, but a BIG load off my mind !!!


Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

WHEW !!! Things coming together !!! Alice Springs transfer, Uluru Base/Sunset tour, Uluru Sunrise/Kata Tjuta tour, and "Sounds of Silence" tours booked !!!! Cool !!!!

Got the New Zealand cruise docs this weekend...time to start booking the shore excursions !!! :smile:

Had another wrinkle with the pet/house sitter come up...think we have that worked out !!!

Still working on hooking up with the Wife's Niece in LAX, for a quick hit and run, and a knosh in the airport !!! Probably on the way back through LAX on the way home !!!

Expanded our trip insurance today to include the ENTIRE trip...UGH !!! Cost high, but a BIG load off my mind !!!


Stoplight...

Trip insurance very important. Better to have it and not need it then not have it. The last two cruises we had a passenger airlifted off the ship by helicopter.

I have tried to post some pictures from our trip but they are too large. I will try to get some posted later this week for you.

[Stoplight]

Trip insurance very important. Better to have it and not need it then not have it. The last two cruises we had a passenger airlifted off the ship by helicopter.

I have tried to post some pictures from our trip but they are too large. I will try to get some posted later this week for you.


AWESOME !!! We'd love to see any of your pix....

Yeah, the insurance just became pretty critical for us...the Niece with the aggressive brain tumor has been dropped from the experimental treatment program in Gainesville...back on Avistan... :worried: Brother didn't say much about her status ; just that he knew our trip was coming up, and he didn't want to "worry us" :eek: All y'all keep her and Family in your prayers...

On the cruise, doing a "Journey to Middle Earth"...goes to see the "New Zealand Alps", where the beautiful mountain scenes were filmed...also doing a Mohaka River Rafting trip out of Napier ! We LOVED the white water raft trips we took on the Youghiogheny River in PA !!!

Little over a week until we leave !!! WOO HOO !!!


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

GEEZ !!! Why am I having so much trouble posting lately ???

"Operator Error"...

Stoplight...

[evilanne]

Stoplight,

Sorry to hear about your niece. Hopefully there are other options available, there are some amazing treatment options out there (think I saw something with polio virus treatment for brain cancer & IBM's Watson helping to find alternative treatment for cancer). I will keep her and her family in my prayers.

[Stoplight]

Hey Tom ! If you send me a totally undeserved TSP Mug, I'll post some travel pix with it !!! :D

...already got my Florida Gator flag packed...can't share the pix from Manchu Picchu because I don't want the Peruvian Secret Police knocking on my door... :D


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Stoplight,

Sorry to hear about your niece. Hopefully there are other options available, there are some amazing treatment options out there (think I saw something with polio virus treatment for brain cancer & IBM's Watson helping to find alternative treatment for cancer). I will keep her and her family in my prayers.

Thank you SO MUCH, EA !!! Prayers much appreciated !!! Yeah, we were banking on this treatment in Gainesville...she was one of only a couple in the State that was accepted into this experimental program...started out very good...but like I said....don't know why she was dropped....but that CAN'T be good...

Honestly ? I'm afraid to call her or my Brother....I don't WANT to know !!! Struggling with the "issue" of if I should make a quick "hit-and-run" down to Clearwater, to see her....before we leave on our trip.... What to do ; what to do...


Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

Here are some pictures for you .

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Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge.

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[nasa1974]

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A picture of Uluru around sunset.

[nasa1974]

Pictures from Hobbiton.

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Sam's Door.

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I have a few more but they are larger files so I will try to make them a little smaller so I can post them. Will try tonight since you will be leaving soon.

[burrocrat]

if not for free, then i'll pay for it. ship it.

also i have a slightly used one i'll wash and ship asap, i quit coffee a few weeks ago on some stupid workplace wellness drink lots of water eat fruits and veggies run on my elliptical bullcrap completion and i'm losing the bet bigtime, let me know, you'll get a mug one way or the other. more pics!


Hey Tom ! If you send me a totally undeserved TSP Mug, I'll post some travel pix with it !!! :D

...already got my Florida Gator flag packed...can't share the pix from Manchu Picchu because I don't want the Peruvian Secret Police knocking on my door... :D


Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

More from Hobbiton.

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Bilbo's door.

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The hill where Bilbo overlooks the Shire.

[nasa1974]

Two more pictures from Sydney.

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40698

[weatherweenie]

I'm also sorry to hear about your niece. Is she the one who taught in Peru?

I would recommend going to see her, if at all possible.


Thank you SO MUCH, EA !!! Prayers much appreciated !!! Yeah, we were banking on this treatment in Gainesville...she was one of only a couple in the State that was accepted into this experimental program...started out very good...but like I said....don't know why she was dropped....but that CAN'T be good...

Honestly ? I'm afraid to call her or my Brother....I don't WANT to know !!! Struggling with the "issue" of if I should make a quick "hit-and-run" down to Clearwater, to see her....before we leave on our trip.... What to do ; what to do...


Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

AWESOME !!! We'd love to see any of your pix....

Yeah, the insurance just became pretty critical for us...the Niece with the aggressive brain tumor has been dropped from the experimental treatment program in Gainesville...back on Avistan... :worried: Brother didn't say much about her status ; just that he knew our trip was coming up, and he didn't want to "worry us" :eek: All y'all keep her and Family in your prayers...

On the cruise, doing a "Journey to Middle Earth"...goes to see the "New Zealand Alps", where the beautiful mountain scenes were filmed...also doing a Mohaka River Rafting trip out of Napier ! We LOVED the white water raft trips we took on the Youghiogheny River in PA !!!

Little over a week until we leave !!! WOO HOO !!!


Stoplight...

Sorry to hear about your niece. Added to our prayer list.

[nasa1974]

Leaving in little over a week, huh? Have you triple checked everything?



Here are some more pic's from our trip.

Sunrise over the Pacific between LAX and Sydney.

It looked like the clouds were on fire.

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[nasa1974]

On the cruise ship leaving Sydney harbor.

You can just see the Sydney Harbor Bridge center right of the picture.


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Sydney at sunset.

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[nasa1974]

Reflection of the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the Opera House glass.

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[nasa1974]

Last set of pictures. I promise.

Two more pictures of Sydney at night.

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Looking back at downtown Sydney.

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These two pictures and the other two evening pictures of the bridge and opera house where taken from the area called "The Rocks". Lots of shops and restaurants in this area. Great place during the day and at night.

Stoplight, You do have Australian and New Zealand dollars I hope. The exchange kiosks are expensive.
You probably have already notified your credit card companies that you will be in Australia and New Zealand. Did you mention that you will be on a cruise ship? I have watch people trying to pay their ship balance and attempting to get in touch with their credit card company to get the OK. Very embarrassing. Just a reminder. :D Have you talked to your cell phone carrier about international phone calls or texting so you can stay in touch with family? I have ATT and used the texting feature while we where gone.
Again if you have any questions ask. I'll try to answer them.

Enjoy!!

[Stoplight]

I'm also sorry to hear about your niece. Is she the one who taught in Peru?

I would recommend going to see her, if at all possible.


Weather,

Thanks so much for asking, and for even remembering !!! No doubt you and Wife have memories of YOUR Peru trip, too !!! :smile: Our "Peru Guide", with the steely eyes (per Burro !), was our Grand-Niece ! She's happily adapting to married life, and a real job in Nashville !!! :D

This crisis is my straight-up Niece...Brother's Daughter...texted her the other day, but no response... <sigh>


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

if not for free, then i'll pay for it. ship it.

also i have a slightly used one i'll wash and ship asap, i quit coffee a few weeks ago on some stupid workplace wellness drink lots of water eat fruits and veggies run on my elliptical bullcrap completion and i'm losing the bet bigtime, let me know, you'll get a mug one way or the other. more pics!


Burro ? You're a "piece of work" !!! :D Appreciate the offer...but I doubt a shipment from wherever the heck you live in the Northern Plains would even MAKE it to the "Sunshine State" in time !!! :D Too much snow on the ground up there !!!


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Nasa,

FANTASTIC pix !!! THANKS for sharing those with all of us !!! :D

In Sydney, we're taking a "play it by ear" approach, until we see how we survive the flights...booked one tour in advance...Blue Mountains, and a river cruise back to Sydney !

Our next leg is to Uluru/Ayer's Rock...I suspect Burro will be happy with your Uluru pix ! From there, we go to Darwin, and booked-in tours of Lichfield Falls, Kakadu, and Katherine Gorge...then down to Adelaide for a night, before hitting the opal mines in Coober Pedy...back to Adelaide, and Kangaroo Island !

Back to Sydney, and a tour of an Aussie sheep farm, and some wine tasting ! :smile:

New Zealand shore excursions we've booked sound awesome ! New Zealand scenery and wildlife ; wine and whiskey ; Lord of the Rings ; river rafting...what's NOT to love ??? :D


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Nasa,

Thanks for the "head's up" re: dollar exchange ! What WE do on international travel is just use an ATM that takes Visa or Mastercard...you can pull money out, in the local currency, and the exchange rate is pretty close to what the international rate is...unless your bank screws you !!! :D USAA has always been good to us...takes a small percentage, but not like the money changer kiosks !!!

When we went to Peru, it was hilarious !!! Those young US Women watched the exchange rate every day !!! The Grand-Niece said..."Okay, let's go get some soles today ! It's a good rate !!!" We'd pull money out of the ATM in US dollars (that was an option !), and then walk down to the street, where "unofficial" money traders would congregate...giving you a better rate for your US dollars !!! Thank God we had the Grand-Niece ! She would approach each one, and ask (in Spanish !) what they'd pay for US dollars ! If they bull-crapped her, she'd say "Psssshhhhh...." and walk away !!! Being dissed by a tall, blonde Viking woman usually made them reconsider !!! :D TOO funny !!!

RE: cell phones....I've done research there, too...we have a "pay as you go" plan (Net 10), so using a major carrier's international service is not an option ! In Peru, we used wi-fi, available almost everywhere, and "What's App" to stay in touch with folks back home...the catch was, the recipients also had to be "What's App" users...

For THIS trip, I'm seriously considering getting a local SIM card for my phone when we get there, with some data...just to allow us to hook up, by phone, with the hotels, transfers, and tour operators...it's pretty cheap !!!

We'll see what happens...


Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

Uluru: Tourists return stones to 'cursed' Ayers Rock - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/1948843/Uluru-Tourists-return-stones-to-cursed-Ayers-Rock.html)


Hundreds of visitors who casually pocketed chunks of the sacred landmark and took them home found they brought nothing but bad luck, including illness, marriage break-ups and even death.

“What a load of crap! I've had my little piece of Ayers Rock for 14 years and I'm the most contented bugger on Earth,” one reader wrote on the newspaper’s website.


there seems to be varying opinions about "souvenirs".

well, i have great respect for native culture, having lived on reservations, having a navajo foster brother for a while, having married a (part) nez perce gal - boy could she fight - my son carries the blood, having spent time twice at the bottom of the grand canyon with the havasupai, witnessing hopi kachina dances, and other events i won't mention. i am convinced there are mystical things in this world we don't really understand but are not necessarily contradictory to christianity.

so i have over time in my life collected some 'markers'. not really actual pieces of something sacred, rather something from the vicinity, it is not the origin of the piece but the location, the coordinates which it came from. that uluru is a giant cosmic vortex and i'm building a series of waypoints, to help find the ways in case i get lost in that in-between gauzy world again.

i am not so worried about the first things mentioned in that article: i am familiar with bad luck - and good, i've know sickness - and health, been through a marriage breakup and child custody that made hell seem like a vacation - although it was heaven sometimes, and been close enough to death more than a few times that i'm pretty sure some of them i was on the other side or at least in the transition zone. so that is why it helps to keep markers, to orient yourself, to find your way back, to call in your guide (guardian angels of a sort).

so if you find yourself in a location near uluru where it doesn't violate your moral code to acquire a chip of red sandstone, i would sure enjoy having it. we can work out a deal later.

as to the coffee cup to take tsptalk mugshots... i can get you a used one in three days by monday afternoon if you let me know tomorrow morning... when do you leave? i'll get it to you for free, pm me with address if interested, free will offering.

[Stoplight]

Uluru: Tourists return stones to 'cursed' Ayers Rock - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/1948843/Uluru-Tourists-return-stones-to-cursed-Ayers-Rock.html)

there seems to be varying opinions about "souvenirs".

well, i have great respect for native culture, having lived on reservations, having a navajo foster brother for a while, having married a (part) nez perce gal - boy could she fight - my son carries the blood, having spent time twice at the bottom of the grand canyon with the havasupai, witnessing hopi kachina dances, and other events i won't mention. i am convinced there are mystical things in this world we don't really understand but are not necessarily contradictory to christianity.

so i have over time in my life collected some 'markers'. not really actual pieces of something sacred, rather something from the vicinity, it is not the origin of the piece but the location, the coordinates which it came from. that uluru is a giant cosmic vortex and i'm building a series of waypoints, to help find the ways in case i get lost in that in-between gauzy world again.

i am not so worried about the first things mentioned in that article: i am familiar with bad luck - and good, i've know sickness - and health, been through a marriage breakup and child custody that made hell seem like a vacation - although it was heaven sometimes, and been close enough to death more than a few times that i'm pretty sure some of them i was on the other side or at least in the transition zone. so that is why it helps to keep markers, to orient yourself, to find your way back, to call in your guide (guardian angels of a sort).

so if you find yourself in a location near uluru where it doesn't violate your moral code to acquire a chip of red sandstone, i would sure enjoy having it. we can work out a deal later.

as to the coffee cup to take tsptalk mugshots... i can get you a used one in three days by monday afternoon if you let me know tomorrow morning... when do you leave? i'll get it to you for free, pm me with address if interested, free will offering.

Burro,

Hmmmm....you assume I have a "moral code" ! :D Well, I do...I'm not comfortable with climbing the rock, like many do, in violation of the "request" by the Native Peoples...

IF I can pick a sliver of rock, from somewhere around the base area for you, we'll do it...my Brother, the Rock Hound, already has his request in for raw opals and other rocks on our tour to Coober Pedy...if we can put rocks in our bags for HIM, I guess we can do it for you, too !!! :smile:

Too late to get your nasty used TSP Talk mug....we leave Thursday morning ! No worries...glad to help you find your path !!!! :smile:

IF we make it happen, will be in touch when we get back...


Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

Stoplight,

Did I mention that you need a head net at Uluru? We purchased one each at the Alice Springs airport for $10 AUD apiece. They came in handy.

Good luck and enjoy Australia and New Zealand.

[Stoplight]

Australia is AWESOME !!! On the 3rd leg now, in Darwin...

Nasa...no joke about the flies...head net a worthy purchase !!! Thanks for the tip !

Burro...if it makes it back to the States, got something you'll like, too !

Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

Nice to here from you Stoplight.

Glad you're having an Awesome time. :D

Drop a line once in awhile if you can.

[Stoplight]

Nice to here from you Stoplight.

Glad you're having an Awesome time. :D

Drop a line once in awhile if you can.


Thanks, Nasa ! Just for you.....the Blue Mountains !!!



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[Stoplight]

The "Three Sisters" in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney...


Stoplight...



40808

[RazorCat]

Love seeing those photos. Apppreciate you sharing them Stoplight. Australia and New Zealand is on our bucket list.
Enjoy.

[Stoplight]

A few free minutes to post...having a blast !!! :D

Uluru at sunrise...


Stoplight...



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[Stoplight]

Florence Falls, Litchfield National Park, Northwest Territory (south of Darwin)....beautiful park !!!


Stoplight...


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[nasa1974]

Stoplight,

Great pictures.

[Stoplight]

Katherine Gorge, in Nitmiluk National Park...(way !) south of Darwin...

Funny story : We live, and grew up, in Florida, with hurricanes...so we travel half way around the world to end up in what ??? A cyclone warning in Darwin !!! :eek:
It was a CAT 2, but passed west of us... Geez...


Stoplight...



40867

[Scout333]

Thanks for sharing Stop!

[burrocrat]

does the water in the toilet bowl really circle counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere? is it the same for hurricanes?

[Stoplight]

Burro,

I can verify that their cyclones (hurricanes) do indeed rotate the "wrong" way ! Weather Weenie can probably confirm that...

The toilets have been more difficult...they use this weird 2-button flush method ("light" and "heavy duty" ("doody" ???) , so water comes in from all directions, regardless of which button you push ! My research continues... :D


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

"Salt and Pepper" ; the Breakaways ; Coober Pedy


Stoplight....




40875

[Stoplight]

Two opal "souvenirs" coming back with us, from Coober Pedy, "The Opal Mining Capital of the World" ! :eek:

Actually quite beautiful....like everything else, a picture doesn't do them justice :smile:


Stoplight...




40876

[Stoplight]

WOO HOO !!! (or maybe BOO HOO !)

After ~ 30 hours of convoluted flights, from Sydney to LAX to Atlanta to Pensacola, we're home safely ! Managed to squeeze in a visit with the Wife's Niece, in LAX, during our 6 hour layover there...she fought LA traffic, and came to the airport, to meet us for breakfast...another neat (50-something ! :eek: ) "Kid" !!!

What a FAN-DAM-TASTIC trip ! :smile:

...will cull through our 10,000 photos and post some more, over the coming days. Right now, I'm SOOO messed up...the time/date change sure messes with the body, and the mind !!! :eek:

Burro...the samples I collected for you...the "waypoints" you wanted...made it safely back with us ! I got ya some good samples...don't look like much, but they're from 2 neat places...the "center of creation", per the indigenous Peoples ! I took geo-tagged pix of the places where I collected them, so you can verify, and know I'm not BS'ing you ! :D PM me, with how you want them delivered to the "Frozen Tundra".... :smile:

The WORST part of this whole trip is going to be going back through a month's worth of market changes, and updating my Quicken files !!! :eek:


Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

stoplight,

Welcome back. Yeah the flight from LAX to Sydney was tough but the flight home was brutal; Sydney-LAX-Chicago O'Hare-Cleveland.

Looking forward to seeing some of your pictures. Did you get to Hobbiton?

[burrocrat]

hey there stoplight, i will trade you one ounce of silver for those magic vortex center of creation rocks.

[Stoplight]

stoplight,

Welcome back. Yeah the flight from LAX to Sydney was tough but the flight home was brutal; Sydney-LAX-Chicago O'Hare-Cleveland.

Looking forward to seeing some of your pictures. Did you get to Hobbiton?

Thanks Nasa !

AGREE !!! The flight home seemed MUCH longer than the flight out, even though it was the same class, etc etc. We really liked the Virgin Australian folks on the flight...Delta folks were good, too, but more aloof... We're STILL trying to adapt to the time zone change, which also included the Daylight Savings Time shift...Geez !!! :eek:

We didn't do the Hobbiton tour in Wellington, but we did one on South Island, called "Journey to Middle Earth - Lord of the Rings High Country". It went through the Southern Alps...beautiful country !

The main stop was a place called Mt Sunday, where the scenes in the "City of Edoras" were filmed..."Riders of Rohan" , "Worm Tongue", etc As you know, all the sets were removed, and the land restored to it's original condition.

Here's what it looked like, in the movie :


41005



...and here is what it looks like today !!!


41006


Beautiful country !!! :D


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Soooo....elsewhere on the Board, I made a deal with Burro....a TSP Talk silver coin that he won, in the TSP Poker Club, for some rock samples from the sacred sites in the Southern Hemisphere...."waypoints" for him !

I received my coin today, and it's really cool !!! OTOH, I feel bad that I haven't mailed him the rock samples I collected... :embarrest: So I'll post a few images here, and the commentary, to hopefully keep him happy, while I put together his mailing... :eek:

Now that I'm home, I can tweak the pix a little...mostly just down-sizing, so they don't take up too much bandwidth !

So here's another pic I took of the Uluru sunrise. It was quite a dynamic place....the colors of this "Rock" changed continuously, both during the sunset and sunrise we saw...a beautiful, mysterious place !!! ...As long as you move away from all the dang tourists ! :smile:


41051


This is the location of the first sample we brought back for Burro, from Uluru...it's from the parking lot for the Mutitjulu Water Hole...a fascinating place !!!


41052


Along the walk to the Water Hole, we saw cliff paintings, and heard the "creation stories" of how this place came to be...



Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

After we saw the Uluru sunrise, our tour took us out to Kata Tjuta, or "The Olgas".. Our Guide explained : "We know a lot more about the Aboriginal Peoples, their "dreamtime" stories, and Uluru...they tell us "white fellas" their children's stories about Uluru, :smile: but they tell us nothing about Kata Tjuta. However, they want us to SEE this place, so they allow tourists to visit !!! :eek: Europeans think this is the place that the "creation spirits" came out of a hole in the earth, and created all geology, and life forms, on earth. Here's the Wikipedia entry, under "Legends" :

"There are many Pitjantjatjara Dreamtime legends associated with this place and indeed everything in the vicinity including Uluru / Ayers Rock. A number of legends surround the great snake king Wanambi, who is said to live on the summit of Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga and only comes down during the dry season. The majority of mythology surrounding the site is not disclosed to outsiders, and in particular, women. As is the custom, should women become known to the "men's business" they are susceptible to violent attacks, even death. The Anangu Aborigines believe the great rocks of Kata Tjuta are homes to spirit energy from the 'Dreaming', and since 1995 the site is being used once again for religious ceremonies.[7] "


Kata Tjuta


41053


Polite warning sign !


41054


...and the view from the side of the trail, leading up to Walpa Gorge :


41055


Fascinating !!!


Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

i grew up in a red rock desert, oh i miss those shadows cross the face of the rock from morning to night. it is never the same on any day. beautiful place. and the dream stories, they matter. the specific location of the waypoints don't matter, it is not an exact science, but if you are falling through the ether then all you need is a regional marker to orient, once close the giant origin vortex will pull you in, you can't hardly miss it. in fact, i hope the rocks came from a parking lot of processed gravel, and that some magic man or woman peed on them before. or anybody, we all have magic inside. life is good.

take your time, i grew up on reservations at some points and have a foster brother and a native ex wife. i operate on rez time. when it gets here it gets here, when it needs done it gets done. all good hollywood.

[Stoplight]

...

...in fact, i hope the rocks came from a parking lot of processed gravel, and that some magic man or woman peed on them before. or anybody, we all have magic inside. life is good.

...



The sample did indeed come from the parking lot ! I almost peed on it myself...I HAD to go !!! I CAN do that, before I mail it to you, if you want !!! :D

Not processed gravel, brought in from someplace else, though...no need !!! It was "local material"...

The thing that made me pick it up here ? The Guide gathered us all around him (a bus-load of Aussies, Kiwis, Chinese, and a few US tourists, and used a stick to scratch lines in the dirt, to "explain" the stories, and what we were seeing on the rock faces above us...traces of the snake, etc etc ! It occurred to me : "This is EXACTLY how the stories are passed, from one generation to the next !!!" :eek: OMG....


Stoplight...

[konakathy]

LOL !! Stoplight, you are too funny. Good thing you didn't take those rocks from sacred ground or poor burro might have a shitload of bad luck heading his way.
Maybe you'd better pee on them and do a little cleansing dance around the rocks just to make sure there is no bad spirits attached to them. Spit some of that Angel's Whiskey on them just for extra measure.:nuts:
Your pictures are FABULOUS !!!



https://plus.google.com/103365073773971721199/posts/STZHtLRMxSf (https://plus.google.com/103365073773971721199/posts/STZHtLRMxSf)

[burrocrat]

LOL !! Stoplight, you are too funny. Good thing you didn't take those rocks from sacred ground or poor burro might have a shitload of bad luck heading his way.
Maybe you'd better pee on them and do a little cleansing dance around the rocks just to make sure there is no bad spirits attached to them. Spit some of that Angel's Whiskey on them just for extra measure.:nuts:
Your pictures are FABULOUS !!!



https://plus.google.com/103365073773971721199/posts/STZHtLRMxSf (https://plus.google.com/103365073773971721199/posts/STZHtLRMxSf)

please send those rocks via hawaii, i want kk to christen them first.

[FogSailing]

Thanks for sharing the photos StopLight. Such a beautiful country. Did you happen to come across any special sipping liqueurs during the visit?

FS

[nasa1974]

Thanks Stoplight for sharing the pictures. Takes me back to last year when we were there. Did you get out to see the stars?

[Stoplight]

...Spit some of that Angel's Whiskey on them just for extra measure.:nuts:
Your pictures are FABULOUS !!!


https://plus.google.com/103365073773971721199/posts/STZHtLRMxSf (https://plus.google.com/103365073773971721199/posts/STZHtLRMxSf)


Heck no, Kona !!! I'm not wasting ANY of my Angel's Envy whisky on Burro's rocks !!! Hmmmm....maybe I better re-phrase that, before I get banned !!! :laugh: Besides, my "stash" is getting low...I hit it pretty hard the other night, along with a CAO "Gold Corona" cigar ! :eek:

Thanks for the photo compliment ! The pix were all taken with just my (or the Wife's !) Samsung Galaxy S5 phone camera...I dump them to my PC, and then process a little...downsize the image, crop, maybe auto-adjust colors, and sharpen, as needed, using IrfanView free software. The earlier shots I uploaded were just raw, straight from my phone, when I had access to wi-fi. I'm MUCH happier with being able to gently tweak my pix now !!! :smile:


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Thanks for sharing the photos StopLight. Such a beautiful country. Did you happen to come across any special sipping liqueurs during the visit?

FS

Thanks, Fog !

I must admit, I'm more of a "beer guy", so I drank a lot of beer....a LOT of beer !!! :D I've captured many pix of the beers I tried, because my buddy and I share stories about the beers we try, and try to one-up each other... :eek: I have him beat, for now...

We DID visit a craft distillery in Tasmania, on one of our cruise's shore excursions, but his rare, expensive whisky was "sold out", so our sampling was mostly of his gins... Now, I'm NOT a gin drinker, but some of his stuff was darn tasty !!! :smile: I'll post more about that stop, and the others, when I get down to those photos !!! :D

On our own time, we also wandered in to a small craft distillery and whisky bar in Hobart, Tasmania...they had a HUGE menu of whiskies, so we kinda created our own "tasting session" ! We concentrated on locals, but I don't remember if we liked any of them or not !!! :eek: :D We DID make it back to the ship, however...

We did an organized "whisky tasting" on the ship, with our favorite bartender, one night. It was mostly stuff you can buy here in the States, but it was a lot of fun ! The Brits, Aussies and Kiwis DO love their scotch whisky !!!

The Wife also took a 3-session class on the ship's cocktails...she staggered back, from one of them, asking if I'd ever heard of "Jim Beam Red Stag" bourbon...I had not !!! After some research, I guess it's been around a while, but it's more like a liqueur mixer than a sippin' whisky...black cherry flavored, and mighty tasty, mixed with ginger ale ! Our local liquor store carried it in big bottles, with a handle (NEVER a good sign... :eek: ), but they were sold out the other day...probably a good thing...

We also hit assorted wineries on the trip...not my thing, but the Wife enjoyed it, and brought back a bottle... :smile:


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Thanks Stoplight for sharing the pictures. Takes me back to last year when we were there. Did you get out to see the stars?

Glad to bring back some memories, Nasa !!!

Oh Lordy, YES !!!

That "Sounds of Silence" dinner out at Uluru was fantastic !!! WAY overpriced, but we'd never seen the Milky Way so bright and dense...and the astronomer pointed out the Southern Cross, etc etc...well done !!! No pix of the stars or nighttime sky, though...I didn't have a camera (phone ???) stand ! I DID get a pic of the sunrise and finger-nail moonrise over Napier, NZ later !!!



41064




At the Uluru dinner, we shared a table with 5 20-something Aussie women, who were high school "buds" who got back together for a "reunion weekend"...they were a RIOT !!! Also had a Aussie Daughter, taking her "Mum" to Uluru, for her 60th birthday, and a young Japanese couple, who spoke very little English...we felt sorry for them, and tried to include them in the banter, but it was difficult... It was a memorable night !!! :D


Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

well kk turned me down for the washing ceremony, even with an offer of silver for an extra magic volcano rock. so just send them directly to me, unless there are other volunteers.


please send those rocks via hawaii, i want kk to christen them first.

[konakathy]

Don't worry Stoplight, I let him down gently. I told him, "Shut up, you freak! I'm not peeing on your rocks!" :laugh: He was appreciative of the candor and understanding with my reasons for not wanting to send him volcano rocks from the Island. I don't want the curse of Madame Pele unleashed upon us. No amount of "washing" would satisfy that fire goddess.


well kk turned me down for the washing ceremony

[TSP-roulette]

well kk turned me down for the washing ceremony, even with an offer of silver for an extra magic volcano rock. so just send them directly to me, unless there are other volunteers.

Want volunteers? Here, let me help you.....aaaaaaaahhhh; what a relief, your welcome.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-vqpL2VgsY

[Stoplight]

...

The Wife also took a 3-session class on the ship's cocktails...she staggered back, from one of them, asking if I'd ever heard of "Jim Beam Red Stag" bourbon...I had not !!! After some research, I guess it's been around a while, but it's more like a liqueur mixer than a sippin' whisky...black cherry flavored, and mighty tasty, mixed with ginger ale ! Our local liquor store carried it in big bottles, with a handle (NEVER a good sign... :eek: ), but they were sold out the other day...probably a good thing...

...



Fog,

Uh oh....

The BAD news ? The Wife found some "Red Stag" today...at least the bottle doesn't have a handle...


41086



The GOOD news ? She also found a bottle of Angel's Envy Rye, hiding in the back, so my "stash" is replenished !!! :D


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

...

I let him down gently.

...




Ummmmm.....


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Bondi Beach - Sydney

It was funny...the young Aussie woman giggled when I said we wanted 2 tix for the hop-on hop-off tour bus to Bondi Beach. When I asked why she giggled, she said : "I LOVE the way you Americans pronounce it !! It's Bond-EE, not Bond-II !!!"

Go figure !!! :D You've been notified...



41095

[nasa1974]

Bondi Beach was a pretty area. We only had about 30 minutes there while on our tour and we spent half of that on Face Time with the grandkids.

[Stoplight]

Nasa.

You did better than us !!! We just drove by the beach !!! :smile:


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Going to post pix here, from our trip, as I tweak them !!!

View at your own risk !!! :D


Stoplight...

[nasa1974]

Going to post pix here, from our trip, as I tweak them !!!

View at your own risk !!! :D


Stoplight...

Looking forward to it.

[Stoplight]

Sydney Skyline...Minus the Usual Landmarks !

It's a beautiful, clean city...



41128




Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Wombats and Dingos


So the Wife has a new favorite mammal...the wombat !!! Wombats ??? WAAA ??? They ARE really cute-looking critters !!!



41129



Being a "Dog Person", I was intrigued by the Australian Dingo...what a BEAUTIFUL colored Dog !!! Sad to say...they are considered a pest, and are hunted and killed, much like the wolf in the Western US was...These dogs are nasty...they hunt and kill stuff, not always for food, but just for the heck of it...

Sad...my German Shepherd Dog (GSD) would do the same thing...if we let him ! We have a long way to go, adapting our Dogs to living with us...


41130



Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Trying to post chronologically, from now on !!! :smile:

En route, by tour bus, from Alice Springs to Uluru - Mt Conner (NOT Uluru !!!)


41149


Mutitjulu Water Hole - Uluru


41150



Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Sunrise at Uluru


41151


Walpa Gorge - Kata Tjuta


41152



Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

did they tell you the stories about the women's and men's places? the sacred spots? all cultures have them, it is actually pretty easy to tell the difference if you know what to look for.

i never yield, but sometimes i kneel. well done stoplight, well done.

[nnuut]

Great Pictures, would love to go Down Under.

[Stoplight]

did they tell you the stories about the women's and men's places? the sacred spots? all cultures have them, it is actually pretty easy to tell the difference if you know what to look for.

i never yield, but sometimes i kneel. well done stoplight, well done.

Burro,

Oh most definitely !!! There are sacred places that concern "men's business", and other sacred places that concern "women's business"...and they take them VERY seriously !!! It seemed SO odd to this person of Norwegian ancestors, and my Scottish ancestry Wife...fascinating, and eye-opening !!!

As we drove around the base of Uluru, the tour guide would ask us NOT to photograph certain places, because they were sacred places to the men or the women...

A story that initially blew my mind, until I thought of it, in context : Someone asked the guide how they determined if a "newly discovered" berry or bug was poisonous to eat or not...for their "tucker"... The answer ? They'd feed it to the oldest woman in the tribe, and see if she died or not !!! :eek: The logic was...she was beyond child-bearing age, so her perceived "value" to the Tribe was diminished, except for the value of her teachings of "women's business" to the young girls...YIKES !!!

OTOH...the woman was happy to contribute more knowledge to the Tribe ! It was her "role" !!! YIKES again !!!

SOOOO different that what we accept and believe today, as WASPs....

Do Native American cultures have similar beliefs ?


Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

all natives dance. it is a calling, not choice, when the drums beat you roll. if you find yourself in a circle like that you best dance, as hard and true as you can. there is nothing more embarrassing than a grandma knockin your dick in the dirt. she won't even be shocked by it, seen plenty. trust me on this one.

[Stoplight]

Great Pictures, would love to go Down Under.


So why don't you ???!!!


Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

i have a folding camp stool made out of slats of wood given to me by a grandma. she said she squatted on it around the fire at uluru. she married a wwII soldier and that is how she became citizen. this woman did me a huge favor when i was on the run in a tough spot. i'm pretty sure she ate more than her fair share of berries. tough gal, you could see it in her eyes. it was not happiness nor sadness, it just was, it was her job? so that woman is one of my heroes. she seen some things, i am sure about that. we had an agreement.

[Stoplight]

i have a folding camp stool made out of slats of wood given to me by a grandma. she said she squatted on it around the fire at uluru. she married a wwII soldier...

I never knew that Darwin was bombed by the Japanese in WWII ! It was the only place in Australia that experienced that !!! Several funny stories about the Aussies and few Americans who defended the place !!! The Americans who died there have been re-buried back in the States...


...and that is how she became citizen. this woman did me a huge favor when i was on the run in a tough spot. i'm pretty sure she ate more than her fair share of berries. tough gal, you could see it in her eyes. it was not happiness nor sadness, it just was, it was her job? so that woman is one of my heroes. she seen some things, i am sure about that. we had an agreement.

LOL !!! "...ate her fair share of berries..."

"It was her job..." So you KNOW what I'm talking about !!!


Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

she said 'you run'. so i run. pretty simple. not someone to mess with. it was not a statement, it was an order.

i was in a fight for custody of my child with almost no resources, she rented me a two bedroom duplex for stability at way way less than market price, my path got cleared? we shook hands, that was a strong woman. she could probably kung fu me, and i ain't bad at kung fu.

yes ma'am.

[Stoplight]

she said 'you run'. so i run. pretty simple. not someone to mess with. it was not a statement, it was an order.

i was in a fight for custody of my child with almost no resources, she rented me a two bedroom duplex for stability at way way less than market price, my path got cleared? we shook hands, that was a strong woman. she could probably kung fu me, and i ain't bad at kung fu.

yes ma'am.



...but the Nez Pierce Wife and Mother ??? CAN'T be good ??? Just asking....



Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

unfortunately, i destroyed that one. it did not have to be that way, but i do not yield. i came correct. some folks are never happy. i know that dance.

[burrocrat]

boy is 14 now, and we are well. some struggles, but nothing like before. he is so strong it scares me sometimes. but only sometimes, because i do not yield.

[Stoplight]

Didgeridoo Player at the "Sounds of Silence" Dinner - Uluru

I have a video captured on my phone, but can't figure out how to edit and post it !!! Darn....

So I was admiring his showmanship, the "sounds" he created, and his "circular breathing"...common among professional musicians, like trombone players !!! ...how do they DO that ???

The Wife was admiring his biceps, and studly tight jeans... :eek:


41185


On to Darwin !


We flew from Uluru, back through Alice Springs, and on to Darwin...had a "meat pie" and beer en route..pretty darn tasty !!!


41186



41187



Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Darwin


We got "upgraded" on our hotel room, to a harbor view...BEAUTIFUL view, of Darwin Harbor, from our balcony !!!


41188



...had to get some beer(s) and dinner....pretty unique bar, but couldn't resist the name !!! The barmaid, although not our "type" (too many piercings and tats !!!) was OUTSTANDING...the people are SOOOO friendly !!! :D


41189




Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Darwin ; Day Trip 1


...to Litchfield National Park, south of Darwin

First stop was to view "termite mounds"...yeah, I know...we thought the same thing ! "Termite mounds" are a tourist attraction ???? WAAA ??? But OMG !!! These are amazing !!!

"Cathedral Termites" build these HUGE structures ! Can you see the "Cathedral" ??? We can !!! Reminds us of Europe !!! :smile:


41190



41191


Magnetic Termites



As opposed to the "cathedral" termites, the "Magnetic Termites" build their home aligned with the magnetic poles...CRAZY !!!

The fields with the magnetic termites look like a cemetery, with tombstones...WAY creepy !!!


41192



Stoplight...

[konakathy]

Oops! Duplicate post.

[konakathy]

What great pictures and what a great adventure. The landscape is beautiful and the territory is so interesting. I can't wait to visit myself.

:D I can appreciate Susan's choice of attractions to admire. I hope she was able to go to a special attraction of the boys down under to admire their many talents. :laugh::eek:

https://www.thunderfromdownunder.com/









The Wife was admiring his biceps, and studly tight jeans... :eek:

[Scout333]

Stop, Thanks for the tour! Almost like being there!

[Stoplight]

Oops! Duplicate post.


Hmmmm....I'm SURE it was the post with the link for the Wife !!! :eek:

You Women are all alike...only 1 thing on your minds !!! :rolleyes:


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Stop, Thanks for the tour! Almost like being there!


Thanks, Scout !!!

....but NOW you've done it...between you, Kona, and others, I'll just have to keep posting my pix and stories from the trip !!! :eek:

Pretty soon the old curmudgeons on the Board will jump on me for not talking about money ! :D


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

"Mad Max - 2017"

So here's a car we saw, parked in a handicapped spot (it DID have a tag) ! :eek: They have a lot of "El Camino"-looking cars in Australia, but to my surprise, not a lot of U.S. style pick-ups !!! ...a "blast from the past" !

Now doesn't this look like something that would be used in a "Mad Max" movie (except for the shiny paint job, and the rims !!!) ??? :smile:



41198



Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Darwin ; Day Trip 1

...to Litchfield National Park, south of Darwin

Second stop : Florence Falls...what another beautiful place !!! Too many stairs for our old knees to walk to the bottom, and the Swimming Hole (and back up !!!) , but beautiful sights from along the walkway...


41199



So we wandered down another path...The "Shady Creek Walk"...


41200



OMG !!! What a peaceful, serene walk...and a little footbridge that crossed one of the tributaries to the Falls...


41201


We had to stop, take off the shoes, and dip our toes ! :D


41202


Stoplight...

[Scout333]

Thanks, Scout !!!

....but NOW you've done it...between you, Kona, and others, I'll just have to keep posting my pix and stories from the trip !!! :eek:

Pretty soon the old curmudgeons on the Board will jump on me for not talking about money ! :D


Stoplight...

Don't worry I are one of the old curmudgeons!

[Stoplight]

Going back a bit, in time...sorry !!!

The aboriginal show in the Blue Mountains...the performers mentioned that they WEREN'T from this area, but they explained what part of Australia they were each from, and their "tribes" honored the songs and dances of the "local" tribe !!!

We got "marked"...it was explained as a tribute/remembrance of "The Mother, The Father, and The Ancestors" ! (the 3 stripes...)

The hair on the back of my neck stood up...AWESOME !!!


41203



Stoplight...

[burrocrat]

good stories stoplight. the pictures are great and you tell them well. that is hard to do if you can't dance them in person.

[Stoplight]

good stories stoplight. the pictures are great and you tell them well. that is hard to do if you can't dance them in person.

Burro,

Thanks !!!

I'm just a Norwegian white Guy...no ability to dance anything...just ask the Wife !!!

...but I try to keep an open mind !!! These experiences have been awesome !!! :D


Stoplight...

[konakathy]

I'm just a Norwegian white Guy...no ability to dance anything...just ask the Wife !!!

...but I try to keep an open mind !!! ...

See!! If you had taken the Wife to see the boys in the Thunder Down Under dance revue you may have learned a few moves !!! :nuts:
:banana:

[Stoplight]

Kona..

You're sick...That's in Vegas, not Australia !!!

Next time we do Vegas, we might catch them...but I'll demand "equal time" !!! :D

A funny story : The Wife has a Nephew who lived in Vegas...married a dancer from one of the shows...she is awesome !!! We went to the wedding...as a 5' 6" Guy, I was surrounded by tall Amazon Women in the bridal party !!!

It was SOOO FUNNY !!!! The criteria for dancers was to be tall, and have long legs...a boob job didn't hurt, either !!! The Girls were all AWESOME !!! I wasn't so hot about the groomsmen...but oh my !!! :smile:


Stoplight...

[konakathy]

Lol ! Those boys tour all over the US. They perform every year in Hawaii even over here on the Big Island.......from what I've been told. :D

I'm really enjoying viewing your photos....don't worry about posting financial talk....there's room and interest for travel stories. I should really get my photos edited to fit this forum. I'm backed up with a few trips of photos. Ugh!

[Stoplight]

Darwin ; Day Trip 1 (Final)


So we ended the day at Wangi Falls and the Buley Rockholes...the Falls were another awesome sight !!! ANOTHER salt water croc warning, and "no swimming" signs !!!


41218





41220




The Buley Rockholes ? Not so much...lot's of people there, on this hot day, enjoying the cool waters and drinking a cool one !!! None of them even offered ME one !!! :eek: Guess the crocs couldn't make it into these "holes"... :D

That's okay...we had ours on the return back to Darwin !!! :D


41219



Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Backing up....again !

So I finally found a video editing software package, so I can rotate and merge the pix I took of the studly "Sounds of Silence" didgeridoo player !

Nope...not uploaded...poop !!!


Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Yes ???


Nope....Crap !!!

[Stoplight]

So until I figure out how to link a big *.WMV file from my local drive, I'll post this studly pic, just for Kona !!! :D


41223


GEEZ !!!! Wish I had his abs ...The Wife sez this Guy is "good-looking" !!! :D



Stoplight...

[Stoplight]

Okay....WMV from test of Google web storage...




https://goo.gl/photos/TeTKGWaoToVUpavd6



Yes ???


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[Stoplight]

Hmmm...yes...finally got it to play on TSP Talk, via a link !!!

OTOH...clip keeps looping...probably "operator error", so no criticism on the web page !!!! Don't bust me !!!

Just hope you get the "idea"...


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Like I said before, the finger moves are just for show....a didgeridoo has no holes ! The Guy told me he just used them to keep time...the various sounds are made strictly from the breathing... :eek:


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[Stoplight]

Darwin ; Day Trip 2 (Kakadu) - East of Darwin


Leaving Darwin, under a cyclone warning !!! Geez !!! We leave Florida, travel half way around the world, and have a cyclone (hurricane) warning !!! Go figure...it went west, and we had no real impact, except for some rain...

AAT King bus...took several day tours with them, and we were VERY impressed with these people ! Good tours, and great guides !!!


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Yellow River


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Yellow River 2


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Yellow River Croc !!! I spotted her first....GO GATORS !!! :D


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[Stoplight]

Darwin ; Day Trip 2 (Kakadu) - East of Darwin


Anbangbang


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In case you didn't notice it :


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Cool ! The Aborigines are closely tied to the land, and they take that responsibility seriously !!!


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[Stoplight]

Darwin ; Day Trip 2 (Kakadu) - East of Darwin


More Kakadu !


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Rock paintings...the red ones are older...


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[Stoplight]

Darwin ; Day Trip 2 (Kakadu) - East of Darwin


Last ones tonight !!! :D


So here's a cave spirit whose name is unpronounceable...thank God they posted a phonetic version !!! :D
Never knew a yam could be a deadly weapon !!!

"Eats females" ??? YIKES !!!



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[Stoplight]

He DOES have a big...ummm..."swantz", though !!!


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[konakathy]

Wham bam thank you yam! I suppose no buttering up would prevent that evil spirit from giving a female a mashing! :eek:

[Stoplight]

Wham bam thank you yam!...


<groan>

Bad, BAD pun !!! :laugh:


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[Stoplight]

Actually, I find it interesting that various ancient (and current !) cultures endow their deities, and even normal people, with exaggerated genitals ! Many of the Australian cave painting females had the same issue, and were also depicted as lactating, or not ! Might have something to do with eating the newly-discovered berries, or "tucker"...

Anyone who has been to Greece, or Italy, has seen the same thing...I believe the Far East cultures do the same thing, but we've never been to that part of the world !

Maybe that explains our culture's fascination with the Kardasians...

...or my personal fascination with Raquel Welch, Pamela Anderson, and Paula Abdul !!! Naw...that's probably an adolescent boy thing... :D


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[burrocrat]

what i don't get is if the front thing is a yam, then what is the extra cucumber doing?

[Stoplight]

what i don't get is if the front thing is a yam, then what is the extra cucumber doing?

Geez, Burro !!! Try not to be so literal !!! These cave paintings are "art", or "depictions" !!! :D


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[5MYRS]

I took this picture of "art" when visiting the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, Italy. They're less inhibited about sexuality in Italy.
La dolce vita !





Marino Marini’s The Angel of the City 1948 (cast 1950?)Marini, an Italian sculptor, often used the horse and its rider within his work. As he continued his exploration of this union and equestrian themes the lines became harsher and much of his lines in the 40s were harsher consisting of the horse’s neck jutting out from its body and the rider mimicking the motions or vice versa. Both man and horse and dependent upon each other, although the man is looking up as if to connect his spirit to a higher power with arms stretched out as a cross. But his erection brings him back to a state of flesh, humanism and dependency. The body of the man and horse are solid and flexed resulting in the inevitable denouement of sexual strength.
I guarantee you, when you visit the Peggy Guggenheim, you’ll hear laughter when visitors first see this work.

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[Stoplight]

I took this picture of "art" when visiting the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, Italy. They're less inhibited about sexuality in Italy.
La dolce vita !



5MY,

LOL !!! THAT'S what I'm talking about !!! :D

Thanks for stopping by, and posting !!!


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[Stoplight]

Darwin ; Day Trip 3 (Katherine Gorge) - South of Darwin


I gotta admit....this was the LONGEST day trip, and least satisfying ! The Wife and I agreed...once you've seen the Grand Canyon, the Katherine Gorge is pretty lame !!! :smile:

Some pics, anyway...

Here was our AAT King ride for the day...a pretty neat 4WD "beast" !!!


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First stop was the War Cemetery...beautiful place ! Found a "Gordon" buried there...maybe a distant relative of the Wife's "Clan Gordon" ??? May he rest in peace...


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So a stop at a roadside place for lunch...in the U.S., we'd call it a "truck stop" !!! :D A GREAT "toasty" sandwich !

OTOH, we couldn't believe the "road train" that parked outside !!! Bus driver said : "We don't see one that big very often !!!" OMG !!! Can you imagine passing one of these on a U.S. highway ??? They have triples out west, but we don't see anything this big, here on the East Coast... :eek:


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Darwin ; Day Trip 3 (Katherine Gorge) - South of Darwin

Leliyn (Edith Falls)


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More crocs...and Dang ! We wore our bathing suits today !!! :eek:


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