| Asia - Pacific Photos |
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| I have had to make a small structural change for this page. The link above in yellow will take you to our weblog for the most up to date This page will display a highlights summary. |
Our week in Newport Coast is over. The Southern California lifestyle is not all freeways and 90210. There are historic sites and quiet rustic locations
that seem remote. Life here has the appearance of order and conformity. A product of high population density.
that seem remote. Life here has the appearance of order and conformity. A product of high population density.
Hong Kong is awesome! The city is clean, modern and easy to get around. We visited the street markets in Kowloon. The "food" vendors were very interesting. We could not always identify what
from there. Overall a very enjoyable visit to one of Asia's crown jewels.
from there. Overall a very enjoyable visit to one of Asia's crown jewels.
Our ride to China. Our friend Capt Dave Gerardi
was the pilot. We had a personal welcome guide
for Hong Kong during his layover. Truly friends in
HIGH places.
was the pilot. We had a personal welcome guide
for Hong Kong during his layover. Truly friends in
HIGH places.
| CAMBODIA It may be a little off the beaten path, but a visit to Cambodia is well worth the effort. The people are friendly and industrious. The temples of the ancient Khmer empire around Angkor Wat are fantastic. I fear it is only a short time before this treasure and Siem Reap is commercialized beyond recognition. |
| THAILAND Bangkok is a large city (>6 million) and both vibrant and chaotic. The recent "news" seems lost on the tourists and locals alike. We are staying right off Khao San Road in the center of the action. A mass bazaar of tourists and markets. In the north we are in Chiang Mai and off near Pai to trek into the mountains to visit the Karen hill people. Then down to Koh Samed island for some sunshine before going back to Bangkok. |
| We spent two weeks in Australia (Oz). We had a house on Moreton Bay north of Brisbane in Redcliffe for a week to catch up on school work. Visited Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo and Moreton Island. Next we drove down to Cessnock in the Hunter valley wine region, and then on to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains before ending up in Sydney for a few days. The Aussie's no worries approach to life is infectious. |
| For the next bit of our journey we boarded the cruise ship Sapphire Princess in Sydney and cruised around the south end of New Zealand and up the east coast to Auckland. New Zealand is very picturesque from Fjords and forests to Maori and Kiwis. Visiting by ship was a good way to take in the highlights from south to north. |
| Hawaii looked in the 1930s. The Fijians are friendly to a fault. We did some scuba diving and enjoyed our tropical paradise. After Fiji we returned to California for a week and then back to Maine for 3 weeks and prepare for part II. |
