Greetings from Coffs Habour, Australia.
It's been awhile since people have heard from me so my apologies. The reason, in part, is because a damn taxi driver stole my laptop in Hanoi - ahhhh. I've therefore been without the proper kit to send off a blog with photos for some time. Thankfully, Nadia graciously bought me a new laptop when she arrived in Melbourne so all is well and I should be able to get back on track with a post every week.
Since I last wrote, which I believe was from Cambodia last month, we've explored a bit of Vietnam and are now bouncing around Australia. For most of this time, we've been fortunate enough to visit friend after friend along our route. After leaving Cambodia we all flew to Ho Chi Min City (formerly Saigon) and spent an interesting day visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels where the Vietcong worked, lived and fought first against the French and then against the Americans. We crawled through the tunnels and wow were they tight - not for the faint of heart. From Saigon, Nadia flew to Helsinki, Finland where she had a week-long work assignment with an organization she really likes and has worked for before called Inclusive Security. Maya, Mira and I flew north to Hanoi and continued on to Halong Bay - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and where iconic limestone cliffs rise directly out of the sea. We spent two days on a boat with a group of medical students from Australia and had a great time exploring caves, kayaking, biking, and enjoying the sights.
After Halong Bay the kids and I went to visit my good friend Reed (from our Jordan days) who now lives in Hanoi. It was in the taxi ride to his house that my computer was lost. We were only with Reed for a night but it was good to catch up.
The girls and I then flew to Sydney and directly onward to the center of Australia to Ayers Rock (known as Uluru by the Aborigine). We enjoyed a night in the desert and hiking around the giant rock before taking a bus 450km to Alice Springs where we spent a few days doing day trips exploring the outback. The kids were excited to see an incredible number of beautiful birds, large lizards called goanna, wallaby and kangaroo, snakes, etc. Alice Springs is a place that feels like it's at the end of the earth and where 80% of the population is Aborigine although, sadly they seem marginalized.
After days in the outback we re-united with Nadia in a small coastal town called Merimbula, where we spent a few days at the beach house of Nadia's Australian friend Mandy (from their Seattle days) in an even smaller coastal town called Pambula. It was a nice few days where we relaxed, went to the beach, watched kangaroos bounce around everywhere, surfed a bit, fished a bit (again no luck), and pretty much just 'chilled out'.
We then traveled to the beautiful city of Melbourne where we stayed with Nadia's former room mate and good friend Megan from her post-doc days in Toronto. We stayed at Megan's flat in a trendy area of the city called St. Kilda, which is only a couple of blocks from the bay. In addition to spending quality time with Megan and her partner Murray, our time in the city included a walking and tram tour of the city, a trip to the top of the tallest building in Melbourne for a great view of the city, watched several street performers, Nadia and the kids going to the Museum of Modern Art to view an Andy Warhol and I Wei Wei exhibit, me attending two nights of men's quarterfinal tennis at Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open, and the kids enjoying a 100 year old amusement park which is still in operation.
After Melbourne we traveled about 90 miles west along the coast to Torquay where our good friend Diane, from our Zimbabwe days, lives with her two kids Zakele and Lindiway. This is where the famous surf mecca of Bell's Beach is located, as well as the home of both Rip Curl and Quicksilver surf gear. The kids went surfing a couple of days (with wetsuits - the water is cold this far south), rode bikes, and slept with their new friends in a tent in the yard. It was great to catch up with Diane and see how the kids have grown.
We're now in Coffs Harbour, which is a 90 minute flight north of Sydney and along the coast. We're staying with Nadia's good friend Carol Ann (from their San Diego days together) and her family. Again, we're right at the beach and had a chance to do a bit of surfing today. The waves are big here so we just rode the white wash. Maybe we'll try for bigger waves in the coming days.
Rob
It's been awhile since people have heard from me so my apologies. The reason, in part, is because a damn taxi driver stole my laptop in Hanoi - ahhhh. I've therefore been without the proper kit to send off a blog with photos for some time. Thankfully, Nadia graciously bought me a new laptop when she arrived in Melbourne so all is well and I should be able to get back on track with a post every week.
Since I last wrote, which I believe was from Cambodia last month, we've explored a bit of Vietnam and are now bouncing around Australia. For most of this time, we've been fortunate enough to visit friend after friend along our route. After leaving Cambodia we all flew to Ho Chi Min City (formerly Saigon) and spent an interesting day visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels where the Vietcong worked, lived and fought first against the French and then against the Americans. We crawled through the tunnels and wow were they tight - not for the faint of heart. From Saigon, Nadia flew to Helsinki, Finland where she had a week-long work assignment with an organization she really likes and has worked for before called Inclusive Security. Maya, Mira and I flew north to Hanoi and continued on to Halong Bay - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and where iconic limestone cliffs rise directly out of the sea. We spent two days on a boat with a group of medical students from Australia and had a great time exploring caves, kayaking, biking, and enjoying the sights.
After Halong Bay the kids and I went to visit my good friend Reed (from our Jordan days) who now lives in Hanoi. It was in the taxi ride to his house that my computer was lost. We were only with Reed for a night but it was good to catch up.
The girls and I then flew to Sydney and directly onward to the center of Australia to Ayers Rock (known as Uluru by the Aborigine). We enjoyed a night in the desert and hiking around the giant rock before taking a bus 450km to Alice Springs where we spent a few days doing day trips exploring the outback. The kids were excited to see an incredible number of beautiful birds, large lizards called goanna, wallaby and kangaroo, snakes, etc. Alice Springs is a place that feels like it's at the end of the earth and where 80% of the population is Aborigine although, sadly they seem marginalized.
After days in the outback we re-united with Nadia in a small coastal town called Merimbula, where we spent a few days at the beach house of Nadia's Australian friend Mandy (from their Seattle days) in an even smaller coastal town called Pambula. It was a nice few days where we relaxed, went to the beach, watched kangaroos bounce around everywhere, surfed a bit, fished a bit (again no luck), and pretty much just 'chilled out'.
We then traveled to the beautiful city of Melbourne where we stayed with Nadia's former room mate and good friend Megan from her post-doc days in Toronto. We stayed at Megan's flat in a trendy area of the city called St. Kilda, which is only a couple of blocks from the bay. In addition to spending quality time with Megan and her partner Murray, our time in the city included a walking and tram tour of the city, a trip to the top of the tallest building in Melbourne for a great view of the city, watched several street performers, Nadia and the kids going to the Museum of Modern Art to view an Andy Warhol and I Wei Wei exhibit, me attending two nights of men's quarterfinal tennis at Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open, and the kids enjoying a 100 year old amusement park which is still in operation.
After Melbourne we traveled about 90 miles west along the coast to Torquay where our good friend Diane, from our Zimbabwe days, lives with her two kids Zakele and Lindiway. This is where the famous surf mecca of Bell's Beach is located, as well as the home of both Rip Curl and Quicksilver surf gear. The kids went surfing a couple of days (with wetsuits - the water is cold this far south), rode bikes, and slept with their new friends in a tent in the yard. It was great to catch up with Diane and see how the kids have grown.
We're now in Coffs Harbour, which is a 90 minute flight north of Sydney and along the coast. We're staying with Nadia's good friend Carol Ann (from their San Diego days together) and her family. Again, we're right at the beach and had a chance to do a bit of surfing today. The waves are big here so we just rode the white wash. Maybe we'll try for bigger waves in the coming days.
Rob
Tight fit to get into a Cu Chi tunnel
Maya 30ft underground in tunnel
Kayaking Halong Bay on a cold grey day
Woman rowing a wicker basket style boat
The girls at Halong Bay
Exploring massive and beautifully lit tunnel
A little guy hanging out in tree near the beach
Aluru - Ayers Rock
Girls hamming it up
One of many beautiful lizards in the outback
Kangaroo
Kids hiking with guide along dry riverbed outside Alice Springs
Surfing close to shore in Coffs Bay
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