Mon 7-Dec (9pm) grand final Somerton Thunder v Seaton Spartans, Sat 19-Dec (2pm) Christmas concert at Gateway Community Church Reynella, Sat 9-Jan (tba) Brad Smith's wedding, January pre-season training (details tba).
Welcome to the Somerton Thunder's overseas tour diaries. Each player is asked to write a tour diary and produce a photo album if travelling overseas. To date, Josh Gondolf has visited the USA, James Smith has visited Africa, Robbie Horskins has been halfway around the world, Nick Kyriazis has visited South East Asia and later also visited Thailand, and Cal McKinnon briefly toured Ireland. Their tour diaries are below.
Cal McKinnon is touring Ireland and much of Europe from January to June 2009 in search for "the mystery girl in the Irish tracksuit". Read on for the diary of his adventures.
26 DECEMBER 2008
Whilst not an official holiday post from Cal, our bothan spies tell us they saw him flying out to Ireland (via London) from Adelaide today, with fellow SABASA Jultopia tyro Joel Horskins joining him on a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong. And as strange as it sounds, we believe our bothan spies, particularly when they produce super photographic evidence like the picture above. We hope Cal remembers to go the distance.
UNDISCLOSED DATE IN JANUARY 2009
Again, this isn't an official holiday post from Cal. We're not sure what happened but in a strange series of happenings, he returned home early to Australia. Rumours are wide and varied. Some say he freaked out after finding Irish tracksuit girl and ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could. A similar rumour exists about Bando, with Cal fearing that Bando would take his point guard position in the team. Other rumours relate to contractual disputes with the Thunder, the Global Financial Crisis and something to do with the IRA but we thought the best rumour was that Coach James Smith demanded he return immediately to prepare for Jultopia Gosford - at least that rumour is believable. Anyway, Cal's Gaelic Adventure was cut drastically short so sadly folks, that's all we had. One photo of him at the airport. Still, it's a good picture.
Nick Kyriazis visited Thailand in October 2008 as part of a leaguelineup.com world-wide search for "Sapphron: the spider monkey from Guam". Read on for the diary of his adventures.
1 OCTOBER 2008
First stop on our daily tour was the POW cemetery where over 3000 Australian Diggers lost their lives as slaves to the Thailand Government in their effort to build a railway connecting the north and south of Thailand during WWII. The video we saw was very graphic and life sized models and pictures of those who were injured during this time was disturbing.
Next stop on the tour was to cross the River Kwai on the bridge built by the POWs. The interesting thing about this bridge from a tourist's perspective was that you could cross the bridge if you wanted but beware of the trains 'cause they ain't a stoppin and you have to get out of the way by taking shelter on a small but dodgy platform off the side. On the shore line was a small market selling things from t-shirts to nick nacks to full blown weaponry. There was also a lady taking photos of people and placing them on a cultural plate then about 20-30 minutes afterwards would find you and want you to buy it. Mmmmm. Interesting!#$%^&*() Next stop, elephant sanctuary.
While walking down from the bus to the elephant sanctuary, Rachel was attacked by an elephant trunk. Well, not really attacked but more snorted by one. We were offered a ride on the elephants which we did, and that was pretty cool. The elephant stopped a few times to eat which was amazing and all the noises they make were interesting too. I thought I was back at Perth in my first Jultopia basketball carnival and James was sleeping next to me again. Now don't think less of me but I was the only one in our group to not ride on the elephant's head and I have to say I didn't do it out of concern for Rachel, as she might have got scared back there on her own on the elephant's back. Next stop, tiger sanctuary.
Don't wear, pink, orange, red or yellow. That wiped the Thunder top out. Anyway, we arrived at the tiger sanctuary to be greeted by some baby cubs of which we were able to pat and have photos with. The played like pet dogs in your lounge room - well, mine anyway. We also had a chance to pat the large tigers who were fed and exercised in the morning before we got there, so we were pretty safe but that was pretty cool.
Last but not least, forget the spider monkeys from Guam, 'cause they're in Bangkok! I was lucky enough to snag a photo to prove it. Check it out. That will throw the Google Ads out. Spider monkeys from Bangkok, spider monkeys from Bangkok, spider monkeys from Bangkok, spider monkeys from Bangkok, spider monkeys from Bangkok, spider monkeys from Bangkok. Sadly though, she didn't answer to the name Sapphron. The search continues.
Next entry to come later. Bye for now!
2 OCTOBER 2008
Today we took a tour to the floating markets, about an hour's drive outside Bangkok. We rode there on some supercharged 'James Bond' style boats and upon arrival were greeted with, wouldn't you guess it, floating markets!!! See the video above for footage of the boat ride. (Editor's Note: Nick, that has to be some of the most thrilling video footage taken ever. Please send more!) Lots of stuff to see and buy but nothing had interested us apart from this suspicious-looking lady but when asked about Sapphron, she denied all knowledge. I don't know what her problem was - it's just a spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok, spider monkey from Bangkok. The search continues!
The next stop was at a wood carving place thingy that sold wooden stuff (go figure) - some amazing art work though. It is all hand carved out of one piece of wood, including this one. Now off to the Rose garden for some culturalness!
This place has been manicured from head to rose bud and covers some serious acreidge. Dims would be proud. It included a buffet lunch and a culturalness show packed with awesomeness and stuff and things including some Muay Thai boxing which is huge over here.
Last but not least, I want to mention the traffic over here. Our hotel is about a 2 minute equivalent driving distance in Adelaide. Too far to walk but easy enough to drive. Getting to the shops wasn't a chore as it's around 11 in the morning and not many people have started shopping yet, but try getting back to your hotel when everyone knocks off. It took about 50 minutes to get there and that included the taxi driver moving some barricades so that he could jump the median strip to make it a bit quicker for us. That is supercalafrickenridicuous!@#$%^&*() (this ain't a hyperlink - it's just because there is an '@' in it).
I do, though, have some sad news. The no. 7 thunder guernsey seems to have disappeared and I have put an SOS out on the interweb to try and locate it. I'm sure there is more to come.
Bye for now!
3 OCTOBER 2008
Nothing much to say about today but shopping can be tiring in this place. I've also go to say that I am sick and tired of food, it's over rated, we don't need it, it only makes us fatter, what good can become of this "Food"? Let's all make a stand and start looking for alternative food resources because at this rate, I estimate we will run out of it in the next 50 years or so anyway. Can't the Sun become an alternative renewable food resource? Come on people, put your heads together and come up with solutions to help solve sewerage problems that our children will face in the next generation.
Bye for now!
4 OCTOBER 2008
We were up early today to take advantage of the all you can eat breakfast for the last time as we are leaving today. I think I had about 5 eggs, 2 serves of peking duck (I don't know what the duck was looking at!), 10 or so little sushi roll thingies, 1 serve of cereal, 50 gazzilian cakes, etc, etc. Before you all start saying that I am eating too much, I'm on holidays and you're supposed to! Anyway, I need all my energy to track down the missing no.7. I even asked this guy but had no response. How rude! I also asked two other dudes but they were just downright obnoxious and pretended like I wasn't even there.
Our journeyness took us to the Grand Palace where the King and Queen used to live but rarely frequent these days. There are certain areas that are out of bounds but most of the grounds were open to the public. It consisted of 3 areas - an outer area, middle area and the inner sanctum (aka "Rise of the Ninja" from the C64). Virtually all of the buildings were encrusted with jewels and specific repetitious mosaic fashions that would take years to complete. How do these buildings become? Well, I'm glad you asked. Every time a royal member passes away, they would build a new tomb to the same detail as the one before and place the body of the member inside. The new tomb needs to be built and completed within 100 days (I think) for the burial ceremony to take place. They are currently constructing one for the king's sister who passed away weeks ago. Anyway, I have enclosed some photos for you to look and appreciate.
PS - No sign of the Thunder 7 yet, still looking. Bye for now!
5 OCTOBER 2008
First day in Phuket and who do I run into? The great bubble boy! (Editor's Note: Can't believe you didn't recognise Lisa Luxford too!) Today we just wondered around, seeing some of the sights. I have to say, there is a stupid number of he-shes around here. I guess there is a 3rd gender evolving from somewhere.
6 OCTOBER 2008
Off to do some canoeing. Today's adventureness was all about sun, sea, canoeing and search for singlet. What better way to start the day than to have some optimism? We boarded the bus with some other people and headed off to the pier to launch onto our vessel for the day. We visited 3 islands - the first was shaped like a donut and our guide canoed us thorugh a small canyon and into the centre of a hidden oasis. I turned around to ask him a few questions and lo and behold, I found my singlet - Ragheed had it all along. I took it straight back and gave him a what for and demanded he take a photo of me wearing it for our website.
Next island was called Bat Island. You had to canoe through a tiny hole in the side of the wall and into a huge cave where a zillion + 1 bats were asleep on the roof (pretty cool). On the other end of this cave, we entered into another lake area where monkeys would wait on the water's edge for you to feed them. A guide held out a banana and what looked to be the most dominant monkey dove into the water, took the banana from the guide's hand, swam back and ate it (freakishness). I do have to say that these were just regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph), regular monkeys from Phuket (with a Ph).
The third island is known as Diamond Island because when you canoed through the long thin cave to enter the waterway by canoe, you shone a torch at the wall and it appeared to glitter like diamonds do. When boarding back at the boat we were treated to an awesome lunch, all prepared downstairs by the cooks.
After about another 20 minute boat ride, we arrived at an island where we had the opportunity to get off the boat, canoe about 100m to shore and laze around for a while. When it was time to leave, I thought it would be good if I swam back to the boat from the shore. Man, it didn't look that far, but I was getting smashed by this supercalafrickenstupid waves-non stop. Thankfully, I'm a gun person at everything I do and made it with time to spare.
Anyway, bye for now!
7 OCTOBER 2008
Today was all about recovery. Let's see, what did we do? Breathed, ate, sat by the pool. Breathed, ate, sat by the pool. Breathed some more, sat by the pool some more, and then ate some more. It was strenuous stuff. By the way, this picture was taken outside the back door to our room. Can you believe it? We had steps going straight into a private pool area! Good times, good times.
This wasn’t all we did today. For dinner, we headed off to the Fantasea for a dinner and show. Dinner started off in the supercalafrickenhuge dining room (see above video) with yet another all-you-can-eat bonanza. After dinner, it was a show about the history of Thailand. The show was pretty impressive but due to an over zealous body search at the gate, no phones or cameras were allowed in so you're just gonna have to take my word for it.
8 OCTOBER 2008
We started the day in complete darkness at about 12:01 in the morning and we were all still asleep, so not much to report except that it's supercalafrickenhot and humid and the A/C isn’t earning its keep tonight. Any way, after yet another food fest for breaky, we hired a driver for the afternoon and headed off to the butterfly farm. It had all sorts of creepy crawlies and there was even a huge butterfly that nearly ate Rachel. This place was pretty impressive, but I think they gave the butterflies some go slow tablets as they sort of posed for the camera (see above video). Great times, great day!
9 OCTOBER 2008
Before you say anything, Phi Phi is the name of the islands we visited today, so no funny stuff! We started early though, on the bus for launch at 7:15, and arrived at the marina to launch a speed boat to get out to the islands. First stop was a lagoon that was nestled inside the first island. We had an opportunity to swim here which was amazing. The water was warm and there were fish sucking on Rachel’s belly. Heck, there was even a Power supporter there! We then headed off to our next stop but on the way we saw just how many fish there are in these waters (see above video). Wow. You'll notice it gets to a stage were you can’t even see through them. Solid stuff, solid stuff, just complete awesomeness! We stopped for lunch at another island for yet another food fight with my belly and mind (they're in our heads!). Now this place had mystical properties, properties of confusion, illusion and complete bemusion, as both Rachel and I went into the opposite toilets. Good times, bad times! Just plain old supercalafrickenembarassing! The next island was an important one for our guide, as this was the island he went to when the Tsunami hit and devastated the place. He was out on his boat at the time with some tourists and lost radio connection. He came back into shore and everything was gone, just gone, flattened by the wave of the century. Looking at the island today though, you wouldn’t know that a Tsunami had hit apart from the near completion of the new hospital. We were off snorkeling next. I was really looking forward to this as I had never done it before and I tell ya, if you ever get a chance to look at some tropical fish underwater, give it a go 'cause it will blow your mind. Oops, nearly forgot - singlet photo!
10 OCTOBER 2008
Last day in Phuket! Didn’t do much today apart from the supercalafrickenawesome dinner the hotel put on for the guests. I’ve never had all-you-can-eat lobster, prawn, caviar, octopus, squid, steak, lamb on the spit (apart from family Christmas) and ice cream. Man, did I break the hotel's bank that night. Felt sick for hours.
11 OCTOBER 2008
Airplane to Singapore for an overnight stop as it's too far to walk.
12 OCTOBER 2008
Singapore Zoo day! This place is really cool. All the so-called cages have been designed to integrate with all of the surrounding enclosures. That's right - no cages. There are even orangutans swinging over the top of you as walk down some of the paths (see above video).
Rachel even got to meet her life-long inspiration - Alex. We saw a lot today so I’ll try to give you the highlights. We saw a seal show starring, you guessed it, Alex the Seal.
..... and an elephant show .....
..... and the feeding of the polar bear .....
..... and the cheetahs feeding .....
BEFORE READING ON, PRESS PLAY FOR FULL DRAMATIC EFFECT
..... but I still haven’t found Sapphron. I reckon the little critter's hiding up in the trees somewhere. The search will go on though. It will never end but clearly I'm not the chosen one who will find Sapphron. I've exhausted all avenues and I'm physically, mentally, emotionally and spritually exhausted. I can't do this any more. I hereby formally pass the torch to the next person willing to take up the challenge. Indiana Jones managed to find the Ark of the Covenant, the Temple of Doom, the Holy Grail and the Crystal Skull, so maybe he can find Sapphron. Then again, he's retired now. Maybe Indiana Jones' son can find Sapphron in his next movie? If he's not available, I say put Tom Selleck in the role (he was going to be the original Indiana Jones but was too busy with Magnum PI to take up the role). "Indiana Jones and the search for Sapphron" - now that has a certain ring to it! And on that note, I officially end the search for Sapphron but Sapphron, if you're reading this, know that we're coming. Somewhere, someday soon, we're going to find you.
Nick Kyriazis visited Malaysia and Singapore as part of his honeymoon in October 2007. Click on the logo above for a photo album from the wedding, or read on for his Honeymoon Odyssey tour diary.
8 OCTOBER 2007
What a place. This town is crazy! You can throw the road rules out of the window - nobody cares, you don't even have to wear a seatbelt, it's ridiculous! Setting aside the pollution, it's an amazing country and being able to spend it with my amazing wife is awesome. Anyway, just thought I would add a Malaysian feel to the guestbook. Highlights so far: after an 8-hour overnight flight, finding out that your reservation at the hotel didn't exist; getting mistaken for Keanu Reeves; getting offered stolen goods (declined!); stealing toilet usage (have to pay apparently); getting woken up by fireworks through the night due to upcoming Ramadan; interrupting two guys using the same urinal; navigating through the maze-like malls; smuggling a camera into their one and only casino; travelling on a 4km cable car; spending 4 hours looking for a shoe shop for Rachel; being continually harassed to buy crappy goods in Chinatown; and last but not least getting married!
16 OCTOBER 2007
Singapore is DONE! Off to Langkawi Island to sip on some mahitas by the pool. Upon arrival in Singapore, a sense of Adelaide was all around us. We realised that we were in Adelaide 50 years from now!! A great place to visit. The only down side is the 50 container ships sitting off the coastline waiting to constantly dock into one of South East Asia's busiest shipping ports. The shopping malls here are unbelievable. There is a street named Orchard Road and to put it into perspective, if you bundle up Marion, West Lakes, Arndale and Colonnades shopping malls into one building and put that onto Orchard road, then you would be looking at 1 of about 30 to 40 shopping malls that line both sides of the street.
We went to Sentoza Island, at the bottom of the country, where we visited Underwater World, rode a luge, went up in the sky tower, saw a 4D movie, walked on Singapore's one and only beach (man made) and looked out of the Merlion through its head. Was a great day apart from the torrential rain that lasted about 2 hours. Have to mention the massive TV screen opposite the hotel on the side of a building - 3 stories high!!
Have to go now. Got a plane to catch at the home of the new A380 air plane (the walkway to get on the plane is at the second level - go figure!). Bye for now! Off to Langkawi to detox! Nick the g(r)eek!
Hall of Fame legend Robbie Horskins visited numerous countries in Europe and North America in late 2007. Read on for his World Tour diary.
18 SEPTEMBER 2007
Hi all. Just thought while we had 5 minutes spare time, that we would drop you a line to let you know what we have been up to. We arrived in LA last Tuesday week (4/9), where we spent 2 days in Hollywood, visiting all the usual touristy spots including Universal Studios, Hollywood Blvd, Beverley Hills etc etc. We even went and saw the taping of a show (The Big Bang Theory, which is a new sitcom). We then moved onto Anaheim, home of Disneyland!! Three full days were spent there and I still think we missed some things but we had a ball!!
From there we moved onto Tijuana in Mexico for a few hours. The boys all bought Rey Mysterio masks (he's a popular masked Wrestler!!). We even chanced having tacos from a street vendor, which was well worth the risk!!! It was just a pity that we couldn't spend a little more time there to really experience the culture!! We left there at about 10pm and stopped at an outlying suburb of San Diego (El Cajon - pronounced El Cahoon). In the morning, we wanted to get an early start as we were heading to the Grand Canyon which was about a 6 hour drive. After stopping for breakfast at Burger King, we had an unfortunate accident. We were stopped at a set of traffic lights, minding our own business when we were rammed from behind!!!! There goes our early start!! The guy who hit us was busy taking an "important business call" on his cell phone. He managed to smash the rear windscreen and rear door of the van we were driving. He was pretty quick to leave his details and get away from the scene before the cops arrived!! We had a total of 5 cops roll up, which was all very exciting!! Each cop had a different job to do, from writing the accident report, to taking statements, organising all the glass to be swept off the road. From there we had to go back to San Diego to change cars and get on our way again!! We lost about 3.5 hours or so!!! None of us were injured except Chris and Mandy do have sore necks. Although annoying and inconvenient, we have viewed this as part of the adventure!! We have taken plenty of photos!!
We spent the following day in the Grand Canyon, which is magnificent, almost unreal looking, no matter how many different views we had! We spent almost the entire day going from point to point!! We decided to make a detour from our plan and headed further east to Monument Valley in the heart of Navajo country, which was new for all of us. Not only did we get to view this magnificent country, we also learned alot about the Navajo Indians!!
We then moved onto Las Vegas, stopping at Lake Powell and Zion National Park along the way. Getting a view of Las Vegas in all her glory, coming from the mountains was also exciting. Vegas is not called Sin City for nothing!!! We spent the last two nights staying at the famous Circus Circus Casino! On the full day spent there we went to Hoover Dam and the rest of the night spent walking up the Las Vegas strip until 1.30am in the morning!! This is a city that does not sleep!!! On the last day in Vegas, Rob and the boys went on rides on the Stratosphere Casino roof top, which over hangs the top of the building. If you have seen the emails floating around, these rides are on top of a tower 108 floors high!!! The ride that they went on goes off the side and there is nothing between us and the ground except a seat belt!!! The ride itself was pretty lame but the fact that we were 108 floors up made it worth the money spent!!! The weather we encountered here has been 43C!!!
Today we left LV and drove through Death Valley which is another sight to behold!! There is no life (or so it seems) here!! We drove over one mountain down through the valley to the next mountain and so on and so on!!! We worked our way through Yosemite National Park, which was beautiful, on our way to San Francisco for two nights. Here it is a lot cooler, only about 18-20 degress but still great weather! Today we went to Fishermans Wharf and took one of the famous cable cars through the city. We are going to Alcatraz tomorrow and then back to LA, where Chris and Kane head home and the rest of us head to New York.
It has been a great trip so far, although with its ups and downs (the kids fight a lot, but hopefully that will settle down soon). We have been very busy and on the go so not a lot of time for rest and relaxation, but enjoying it!! Hope you are all well. Tell me all your news. Take care. Bye for now from the USA, from Rob and his supporting cast.
21 SEPTEMBER 2007
Well, we've managed to finish our tour on the West Coast and have now moved onto the East. We've arrived in the Big Apple this morning and will be here for the next four or five days. No time for relaxing though as this place is MASSIVE!! Off to see the Yankees play tomorrow night which will be a personal highlight for me. They are currently on a 12-2 streak so have hit some good form just in time for us. Of course, there are all the other sights that are a must here, including a visit to the World Trade Center site. We'll head out on Monday sometime to Niagra Falls and will briefly leave the US to venture into Canada before making our way down to Washington DC. We're all having a great time, especially now that our group has trimmed down from 7 to 5!! Yes, Chris and Kane are on their way home right now. Dare I say it ..... YIPPEE!!!! Go the Yankees!!
30 SEPTEMBER 2007
Hi all. Thought that it was time to check in again. We have now made it over to Germany for the beginning of the third leg of our journey. Just to wrap up the East Coast of the US, we made it to the Yankees to see an absolute rip snorter of a game. The long and the short of it was that the Yankees were 0-4 down going into the bottom of the 9th when they come steaming back with a massive home crowd going berserk!! It was one of the most electrifying, spine tingling experiences of my life. The unfortunate thing is that the Yankees ended up going down in the 14th innings, just after midnight!! Since then we have visited Niagra Falls and Washington DC and a number of other punk towns along the way. We now find ourselves in Europe for what will be a hectic four weeks or so travelling to all sorts of places. Still managed to check in on the Grand Final scores though. I think someone forgot to tell Port that they were due to play in the Grand Final. It sounds like they forgot to show up!! I guess we won't be hearing from Jimmy & Co for a little while!!
5 OCTOBER 2007
(This entry was written by Rob's wife Mandy, who is travelling around the world with him.)
Hi! We are now in Fuessen, South Germany. We went into the Alps and went on a Konigsee cruise as well as going to Hitler's Eagles Nest, which is where he had his retreat during the war on the top of a mountain. Joel and Zac enjoyed climbing over some rocks, as well as Joel touching some icy cold old snow!
Niagara Falls was lovely. We stayed on the Canadian side, where the life and best views of the falls are. We went on a Maid of the Mist tour which took us really close and in strong current so we could see and hear how thunderous the force of the water is. We watchecd the sun set and then saw them at night when they are lit up. The American side was a boring place. The good thing was we did this Cave of the Winds where we were able to go right along side of the falls and in one section, stand right under where the water hit the rock and then something like a hurricane would saturate us (and it was raining a bit already anyway). We got back to the car fully wet for our drive to Washington DC.
We only had a quick visit in Washington before we had to leave to get back to New York for our flight. We had a good flight over from NY to Zurich. We arrived at 11.45am, then got on a train for 4 hours to Nuerneberg in Germany to meet up with the others. We found a hotel from the railway station and walked only 5 min with our luggage. However, we then had to carry it up 3 floors!!
After a day in Nuerenberg, my family went on a short cruise on the Rhine (which of course was great and Joel even said he felt like he was in Germany now.) Then a quick visit to Köln to see the big cathedral. We enjoyed the Oktoberfest in Munich on Monday night. The boys went on 2 cool roller coasters, one a five looper and the other "Eursostar", a hanging one that does a few twister corkscrews - I didn't go on of course! The other one they went on (which they said was weak) was a roller coaster which the carriages spun around as it went along the track - freaky! I did go on one called "Playball", which is a super fast breakdance which the base tilts up almost sideways as it spins around also - it was pretty cool. I also went on a wave swinger/chair plane which goes way off the ground - not scary, just different with a great view. All ten of my family went on the gorgeous skywheel - the carts were in the shape of a swiss chalet. We only looked in several massive, packed with dancing on the tables and singing, all-happening Beer Halls - a great atmosphere (bar the smoke)!
It is normal for the guys and females to dress in traditional German clothing, and they looked fantastic! I wanted to dress in a beautiful German dress too! I did get a photo with two guys in their lederhosen - turned out they were gay, as are many men here! The Oktoberfest was wonderful, I loved it, it's the best atmosphere - the lovely smell of waffels, roasted nuts, Wursts etc and the gorgeous German shopstands etc. It's a pity it was only for 4 hours cos it went too quick! We left at the end of the night as did everyone else and the train platform was packed. There was crowd control and security to control everyone, Amy, Zac, Denise and myself managed to sneak around and get on and the doors were going to close and security werent letting anyone else on and Rob and Joel were still two rows back waiting so I said "hey my husband and my son" a few times so the men let them on! Thank goodness!
We went to Salzburg yesterday and had a tour today which included some Sound of Music sights which I and some others were happy about! Salzburg in Austria is a beautiful old city with a River running passed. We then drove to Innsbruck, stayed for an hour to look around (again old and charming). Then on to Fussen which is South Germany, through to the mountains which have a little bit of snow on them on the top. The weather has been about 20 degrees, a bit overcast sometimes sunny-mild. We will see Neuschwanstein Castle tomorrow then on to Switzerland for a few days in the Alps.
It has been good to catch up with my sisters Bin, Kerry, Denise and my Dad here and for the kids its been fun for them as well as them quickly making friends with students from Bin's school group. The pace is a lot slower here than the constant on the go America holiday. I got to bed at 11 pm last night which is the earliest for the whole trip! We do usually get up around 7 and out by 8.30 or 9.
Its quiet without Kane when the kids aren't arguing, but we do miss him. Well that's it for now. Write to me and tell me your news. Hope all is well. Hello to all.
8 OCTOBER 2007
(This entry was written by Rob's wife Mandy, who is travelling around the world with him.)
Hi there. So what's news at basketball and how's it all going? This keyboard is weird and I can't find the punctuation I need so apologies for that. (Editor's Note: don't worry, we'll take care of it for you!) We leave Switzerland today for Paris, then Amsterdam, then Bremen - where I lived - and then Berlin in the next week. Switzerland is very beautiful, especially at the top of a mountain. We are all fine. Catch ya soon.
11 OCTOBER 2007
Hello from the Red Light District in Amsterdam! We have spent the last three days in Paris checking out all the usual sights and have found ourselves in the middle of the Red Light District in the middle of Amsterdam! What an experience it has been for the two boys tonight! I don't think they knew which way to look! On the move again tomorrow, heading to Germany!
15 OCTOBER 2007
Just thought that we would say hi from Berlin! Next stop is Prague in the Czech Republic, before we make our way down to Italy.
26 OCTOBER 2007
Hi from London! Well, it's been a long time since we were here last but it almost feels like we are home! We have enjoyed our last few weeks in Europe, which had a highlight in Monte Carlo where Joel (Mr I know better than you Dad) disregarded Dad's advice and decided to walk along the edge of the harbour wall, where he stumbled and fell in! It left Amy in hysterics thinking that big brother was going to drown! The only thing that was left hurting was his pride! We also enjoyed our time in Italy visiting Venice, Pisa and Rome - and having the best pizza of our lives! We are now in London for a week, then head to Greece for three days and then Hong Kong for a few days and then home! See you in two weeks!
27 OCTOBER 2007
Hi! We are currently in Nice, on the coast of France for a night, then tomorrow heading to Zurich for 8 hours, ready to catch our flight to London in the morning. YAY! The last time we gave an update was in Fussen we believe, so you could be here a while!
At the time we were with Bin and her school group and Trev, Erin, Kerry, Dad/Opa, Denise. We moved on from Fussen, going through two big castles and palaces called Neuschwanstien and Linderhof, homes of King Ludwig. We then travelled to Gersau for 5 hours, following the group bus in our little Audi! We stayed in a non luxurious youth hostel, and the next day we branched off from the group for the day, heading into Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Luzern, looking around at the mountains and the waterfall and the Kappel Bridge respectively. The next day we went up the mountains and Joel played giant chess with Trev, and later on started a cricket game on the street as well with the students and Rob! This happened to be our final day with the group and the kids were disappointed to leave their new friends already. However, we moved on to a very exciting destination and one we had been looking forward to for a long time - Paris!
We got on a hop on hop off tour bus and saw all the sights - Eiffel Tower (which we went up at sunset and it began to rain), Trocadero, Lourve Museum (which Joel and Zac ran through quickly to see the Mona Lisa), Notre Dame, Sacre Coure, Opera, Grand Palais, down the Champs Elysees to the Arc De Triomph. We did all this in 2 and a bit days. Our next point of interest was Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. After arriving at around 7.30, the tourist office found us a hotel nearby. Immediately after checking in, we thought it necessary to go for a walk through the Red Light District. The men were happy to go down the back alleys, not sure which way to look! It was one of life's valuable lessons, but also an eye opener into the world! In the morning we did a free tour, going past many different sights, last of all the Anne Frank house, which at the end of the tour we went through the museum. We rushed back towards the train station and hopped on canal tour. We finally were able to move on to Bremen!
After a long anticipated wait, the kids finally got to meet Tanja! They were very excited as we all fitted into AnneKathrins room, who was on a school trip in Barcelona at the time. Whilst with Tanja, we ate many traditional German style foods, like the bread for breakfast, potatoes in the oven for dinner and a packed lunch. We (especially the boys) did a lot of bike riding. Amy was forced to sit on the back of Rob's bike, as she is not yet competent enough to ride on her own. On the Friday, we were provided with a tour of Kirchweyhe and Sudweyhe (local suburbs) by Tanja) also going to her Mums house for dinner, then on to the church to hear her choir sing at the musical concert. On the Saturday, we went into the city of Bremen, Joel and Zac riding the bikes with Tanja 14km, walking through the city, past the Rathaus, Roland, Town Musicians, etc before going by train into Stuhr to meet up with the Nost Family. From the train station, once again the boys by bike to the house we had a chance to sit down and catch up with Henner and Heller, and luckily enough Imke and her family. Back home, Joel going with Tanja 13km back to Kirchweyhe, another 2 or 3 back home. He flopped onto the bed when he got back! The next day, we went to a German church in the morning with Opa/Roger/Dad and Denise. The 7 of us basically doubled the congregation! The kids found it very boring as they had no idea what was happening, but were more than happy to enjoy 2 big slices of cake afterwards. Our next stop for Bremen was the Bremermanns house. Ate lunch and Mum was able to rekindle old memories of when she lived there. Went for a walk in the park, past the ponds, and lovely scenery. Into Hamburg, where they appparently have quite a big church OR NOT! Almost the same as the morning, very boring and quite small congregation. The next morning it was sad to say our farewells to Tanja, but we had to move on to Berlin. Planning to catch a 1.14pm train to Berlin from Bremen, Joel went to get some drinks for the train with about 5 minutes to go. 4 minutes later and Joel was no where to be seen. Mandy got off the train to look for him but as she came back up the doors closed and train choo-chooed its way out of the station with Amy in hysterics crying!! Mandy found Joel and informed him of the situation. With 3 of us on the way to Hanover for a connection, 2 of us were still in Bremen. Stay tuned for the next instalment.
Love From Rob, Mandy, Joel, Zac and Amy.
30 OCTOBER 2007
Hello. Now that you've had time to finish reading the first one, here's the next one! I hope you all enjoyed my new novel. I hope to get it out in bookstores in the coming months (narrated by Joel Horskins).
Now, we pick up our story after Mandy and Joel had missed the train to Hanover, to go to Berlin. They spent the time waiting for the next train walking through the preparations of the FrieMarkt, and sitting on the grass. After arriving in Hanover an hour later, Amy came running up to Mum and jumped into her, as if she hadn't seen her in years! (She ran right past Joel, who also had his arms out for a hug). All was fine on the train to Berlin, amd after getting off at the main train station, we changed to the s-bahn taking us to the required local stop. A 2 min walk down the road and around the corner we had arrived at the City Blick Hotel Pension. Chucked our bags upstairs, before immediately heading out to the Reichstag. However, after coming out of the closest underground station, we were confronted by the Brandenburg gate, which stood tall and wide. After many photos, we walked through the big pillars, and read some info boards, providing us with info on how the gate came to be, what happened to it and the part it played in the Berlin wall. Walking past a memorial for people who died trying to escape the wall, we could already see the side and back of the parliament building. Thankfully, people with small children (Amy, to some degree Zac) were able to go up around a side way without waiting in the large queues. Unfortunately, they no longer have a museum, there and the big dome on the top was closed for the week, due to cleaning reasons. But, we still walked around the top looking at all the different views of Berlin by night. We had an excellent view of the TV Tower, and also a few other things. After walking back past the Brandenburg gate, with the Victoria statue atop, we walked past, what we didn't know at the time, the Holocaust memorial. All it seemed to be was just big and small, long and short, wide and thin blocks of cement. Past the teddy bears, or the Art of Tolerance, to another train station. Here was 6 pieces of the Berlin, wall, which Joel, Zac and Amy signed their name. Along with this was about 15 info boards covered from top to bottom! 20 minutes later we were on the train home. On the corner near our hotel, we stopped at a kebap shop and got schnitzel and chips for 3 Euro! A delicous deal!
The next day, we took a free tour, beginning at the Brandenburg gate. We learnt that the street we were standing on was named Pariser platz, after the Germans defeat of the French, with the Victoria statue looking over it. Thus, Victory over Pariser platz. We saw the Hotel Adlon, where Michael Jackson dangled his baby from a window, and where the King of Norway was currently staying! We got further info about the gate, the Reichstag and introduced to the unusual Holocaust memorial. Walking through it, then to the location of Hitler's Bunker, which we literally stood on top of. Moved past the ministry of ministries building, where we were fortunate enough to recieve a phone call from one young Kane Horskins. Past the Berlin wall, and Checkpoint Charlie, with another ton of info boards!
We moved past some very elegant platz's (squares) to the location of where 20,000 books were burnt by Hitler, then Museum island, where all the fat statues of Botero lay. Here the tour concluded with the tour guides 10 minutes story on how the Berlin wall came to come falling down. After this we decided to go to Alexander platz, then move on to the East Side Gallery, where we saw the famous paintings of people flooding through the checkpoints, etc. Walked about 2 km before hopping on a train back to Checkpoint Charlie, where we got photos of the American Sector sign and US Checkpoint thing, before entering the museum. My (Joel) personal favourites were hearing about people's escapes, successful or not. We learnt all sorts of things in here, and saw various tools that were used to attempt an escape, or as weapons. Went back to the Brandenburg gate for a night shot of it, with light displays lit onto it, after heading back to Alexander platz for the beginning of the Festival of Lights. After a 1/2 hour delay, the show got underway, with a magnificent laser lights and fireworks display.
Our agenda for the next day began with going to the Olympia stadion, entering the arena, and geting great views of the field and the track. It was amazing you can still see where the location of many events are. The outdoor swimming pool out the back looked a bit dodgy, but we moved on to the original olympic flame, and where all the gold medal winners names were chiseled onto the wall. After exiting, we headed to the Kurfursten damm to look at the remains of the church which was bombed in the war, and the very new and updated church beside it. Walked down the street through many shops, before we went back to the Reichstag for a day photo. We then rushed back to the hotel to pick up our luggage, the time around 4.20pm, attempting to catch a 4.55pm train, we arrived at the station at 4.53, but we got to the correct platform at 4.56pm! We had missed the train and it seemed we were not supposed to leave Germany, as we were about to head to Prague in the Czech Republic. However, we decided to catch a train to Dresden 5 minutes later, Amy completely panicking about someone not getting on!
After arriving in Dresden, we just got a hotel closest to the train station, before going out for a walk into the altstadt, seeing some very cool churches and buildings and going onto the bridge, getting a very good view of the city. The next day we caught a train to Prague, going through passport control and customs on the train! Here we spent around about 4-5 hours. Joel devised a route for us to walk along which took us to the Astronomical clock, old town hall, powder tower, and the charles bridge (plus a few others), before getting on another train to Vienna for 5-6 hours. That night we decided to go to a restuarant and have a nice tea as a family, where majority of us enjoyed a Cordon Bleu. The next day we walked trough the Schloss belvedere gardens, then into the Altstadt in 4 degree weather with blistering winds. We actually walked past the Prime Minister and the President's houses, and a few other famous buildings. We then had a "taxi tour" to the Prater, the Donau river, tower and little island between the river before getting on a train heading for Venice, taking another 7-8 hours.
Arriving in Venice. Joel, Zac and Mandy waited in the train station for an hour while Rob and Amy went searching for a hotel. In the morning we went for a walk over the big bridge, along many canals, to San Marco square. Whilst there, the amount of pigeons there was overwhelming. For 1 Euro we got a big bag of bird seed and the kids fed the pigeons, Joel and Zac ending with many temporary scratches - Great fun! Unfortunately gondola rides started at a hundred Euro! Walked through many stalls and shops before getting our luggage and getting some of the best pasta and lasagne we have tasted in years! This train was a 4 hour ride to Florence, where we changed to go to a train to Pisa for an hour. We spent an hour walking around finding a hotel and eventually finding the only available rooms in the town, right across the road from the leaning tower of Pisa! We had a lovely night view before watching the last 30 seconds of the Rugby World Cup final. The next day we spent about 45 minutes walking past all the stalls and taking novelty photos with the tower and reading much information about it. It was quite fascinating before we took a taxi to the train station and hopping on a train to go to Rome - Another 4 hour train ride. Once again, finding a hotel became difficult, and although there were sometimes 5 hotels in the one building, they were quite small and full. We worked out where we were, and decided that our first destination would be the colosseum, going via the Santa Maria Maggiore. We got a late day view, sunset and night view. Here we saw the place of Julius Caesar's death and the Arco Di Constantino. We walked up the road to the "Wedding Cake" officially called the Vittorio Emmanulle 2 building, or something like that. We headed up to the Fontana Di Trevi, seeing it all lit up and throwing a coin into the water over our heads. We were bombarded by people trying to sell little toys, and they actually seemed pretty interesting. We walked to the Spanish steps and up them, before going home, via a little snack bar, where because we got our food in a take out container we were not allowed to sit on any of their chairs! The next day we caught a bus to the Vatican, going into the church and also the dome up on top. The views were spectacular. We walked to Piazza Navona, into the Pantheon, and to the Trevi Fountain for a day view. Our next point of destination was the colosseum to try and enter it and get a really good view in the daytime. We also walked up to and around Roman ruins, which looked really cool. We finally ended the day by taking an overnight train to Nice, in France, which the kids were quite excited about, only to fall asleep within 1/2 an hour to an hour.
Stay tuned for the 3rd instalment, coming soon. From the Horskins clan.
8 NOVEMBER 2007
We left you on the train in Nice, and we pick up our story in the morning, where upon waking up, Rob informed us of 2 people trying to get into our compartment to steal things (one person twice). Once arriving in the lovely town of Nice, we found a hotel right next to the station and the main road. Back in France, we had to get used to the language once again. After a few hours of booking tickets and info on other things, we headed down the main street to the beach. With the warm weather, we thought it necessary (well the kids did) to go for a swim on the pebble beach, which turned out to be very painful on your feet! Enjoyed a bit of relaxation, before going up a hill to get a great view of the coast around us? Back to the station, via the hotel to go to Monaco, which we ended up sitting on a retard (late, in French ..... seriously) train for 45 minutes, before changing and changing back. Many trains were retard on that day!
Our first stop in Monte Carlo, Monaco, was the palace belonging to the prince, who at the present time was in residence. More great views of the coast, and expensive boats, wharf and the surroundings. Walked through the streets and small shops, before walking along the Grand Prix track towards the Casino. However, disaster struck when Joel and Zac, who were walking along the edge of the wood planks and rocks and told not to ..... but, a valuable lesson ..... Joel tripped on a rock or cord, and fell into the expensive yacht wharf! Unfortunately his camera was in his pocket and ruined but luckily memory card OK! Walking up to the casino, Joel sopping wet, everybody turning and staring, we walked around the beautiful gardens, before finally heading home to Nice. After getting some dry clothes, went for a walk for night view of the coast, and some food!
In the morning we had another 8hr train to Zurich, knowing that we were soon to be in London. The train ride was full of great scenery, the hills , some covered in snow, villages, all enjoyable. Upon arrival, we ventured along trains out to the correct area and to our hotel for an early night, but also watching the soccer. Eventually getting to the airport and having a short look around before boarding our plane to London. Everyone was very excited!
I'm going to have to skip London, where we spent a week, also the lovely Greek island of Santorini (2 days) and Athens (also 2 days), as we are now in Hong Kong and the keyboard is complicated and full of Chinese, and out of whack ( but will continue the updates ASAP (earliest convenience!) (likely to be in Oz!). This is our last full day away, as tomorrow night we board our plane back to Adelaide. Our Hong Kong experience has been smelly, but very interesting. We have walked down the main road (Nathan road) looking in many shops, taking ferry to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon, the business area, gone along the world's longest escalator (around 800m). Tonight we are going through the markets and watching a light show on the harbour. Tomorrow we go to the temple and more shops and back across on the ferry to go to Victoria Peak, although the weather has been a bit misty.
Well, we all can't wait to see you back in Australia, however we are sad that our holiday is coming to an end! We have all enjoyed our travels very much and could keep doing it if we were not apart from Kane! See ya real soon, Rob, Mandy, Joel (author), Zac and Amy.
Coach James Smith visited South Africa and Botswana in July 2007. Click on the logo above for a photo album from the trip, or read on for his South Africa Safari tour diary.
PRE-SAFARI
James' flight itinerary reads as follows:
Saturday July 14: Adelaide to Perth
Sunday July 15: Perth to Johannesburg
Sunday July 22: Johannesburg to Cape Town
Friday July 27: Cape Town to Johannesburg, Johannesburg to Sydney
Saturday July 28: Sydney to Adelaide
James will visit Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria, Botswana, Cape Town, Table Mountain and Robben Island during his travels, and will spend a night in a wild game park. There is also a meeting with AFL officials, so we're holding our collective breaths that he'll make his AFL debut in the ruck position in an AFL-sanctioned Australia v South Africa blockbuster in Cape Town. Hey, stranger things have happened!
James' trip is part of his participation in Course 13 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, and is the 6th of 7 sessions that form the entire program. He began the course in the Kimberley in May 2006, and graduates in Canberra in November 2007.
29 JUNE 2007
Only two weeks to go. Visited the Travel Doctor in Gilbert Place, Adelaide today to update my vaccinations etc. Oh, how I love needles. Was vaccinated for Hepatitis A (ouch!) but fortunately, it isn't malaria season and we're not visiting high-risk places so the only likely risk is a bad case of gastro after visiting Botswana. They've given me a medical kit with a variety of pills to kill the gastro almost immediately, noting that it's expected that 30% of visitors end up with the bug after going there. Wahoo - can't wait for that one!
14 JULY 2007
Am about ready to take off from Perth's International Airport. It's a five-minute drive or so around their entire airport from the domestic terminal - a rather strange set-up. Met up with Mark Pagano from our group, as Mark isn't travelling due to his partner giving birth to their first child only days ago. Strewth - he cooks a mean meatlovers pizza! Feeling very tired after the carnival win earlier today, wish I was still in Adelaide so I could've seen the mighty Power belt the stuffing out of the West Coast Eagles but alas, we're off to South Africa at 11.55pm.
15 JULY 2007
Typical glorious warm day here in Johannesburg though it started below zero! The nights are frigidly cold as we're about 6000 feet or so above sea level. The sun is shining and yours truly went for a walk this morning from our beautiful accommodation, just to get a feel for the place. You quickly feel isolated in terms of language and colour. The majority of people out this morning were blacks (please don't take offence to the use of this word - it's how they are described in South Africa) and whilst they were all very friendly, it's still a little strange to get used to. Then again, maybe we all need to experience that so we can understand how our Indigenous Australians often feel back home in Oz.
Had McDonald's for breakfast (don't laugh - I had to do it), and had a chat with some Afrikaan-speaking girls. It was a tough conversation but we got there in the end. We're off to the Apartheid Museum this afternoon, have a bit of shopping time, and then a fairly quiet night which should end after dinner at about 10pm. Given the time difference, that's about 6am in Adelaide so I'll be surprised if I go the distance.
I should also talk about the flight over. Be thankful for exit rows. My bum got numb (!), and has only really recovered now after having landed for 3 hours or so. Food was pretty good and I slept most of the way on and off, but I really need to look into this whole Business Class thing.
Did you know Johannesburg has 6 million people? That doesn't include Pretoria (30 minutes down the road), the nation's capital. It's a big place. Anyway, best be gone as I need to iron a few shirts (Pauline will laugh at that), and rest for a looooong day ahead. Uru.
17 JULY 2007
Typical clear but frigid night here in Pretoria at the Irene Country Lodge. We've just finished two frenetic days of study, travel and sheer bewilderment but before that, I need someone to find out what's happening with our Tarago. The day it's built in Japan, they have an earthquake! What gives? Not sure if it effects the building of the car, but it can't be a good thing.
Continuing on from Sunday's post, we went to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. I'm not sure that you can really grasp the atrocities of apartheid until you see it first hand but it was a real eye-opener. That said, we Australians (and most nations around the world) live in glass houses so we should be very careful not to throw stones. We saw the reasons behind apartheid from the Afrikaan point of view, how the system worked, and then how it was undone by "people power", beginning with the student uprising of 16 June 1976 when the students said "enough is enough" as the Afrikaan language was forced upon them in schools. Without going through the full history of apartheid - look it up on the web if you want more info or even better, come along to James' South Africa Safari Slideshow when he returns to Australia - here's a few quotes that I've written down over the past few days.
- "Apartheid"; a sibling rivalry that got out of hand.
- Without forgiveness, all would be lost. (Paraphrased message of Nelson Mandela.)
- Yes, we had apartheid, but it's only the word "apartheid" that made us different to you. How are your aborigines going? (From a local white South African when questioned about his perception of apartheid.)
- If I wanted to change the world, I would start by loving you, and if loving was all we'd do, oh baby we could change the world. (The Imperials).
Needless to say, the Apartheid Museum was an amazing experience. To see how it come into being and was then ultimately undone, was amazing. We finished the night with a meal at the Butcher Bar n Grill, adjacent to the Nelson Mandela Square shopping precinct. I wish Pauline could see the foods I'm eating away here. My guts are burning with various curries and extravagant sauces and I swear right here, right now that I'm never grabbing an anonymous bottle of chilli sauce and heaping it on my potatoes ever again. What a great idea ..... not!
On Monday, we spent the day with a tour of Soweto and Jo'burg. Yours truly really burned up the ol' Cybershot with a combined total of almost 300 pictures and movies. We visited the markets early on and saw how madly insane yet organised their taxi ranks are. I ate a worm of some description (yum yum), but didn't eat the something-or-other tongue (eeek), and you should ignore any pictures of me drinking Jo'burg beer because I promise I was only posing! We were told not to feel sorry for the poorest of locals as they burn brightly with a passion inside them - and boy oh boy, was that right. We saw how the black community that had been moved outside of Jo'burg under the apartheid regime has built itself to be strong, and how the poorest of neighbourhoods is being rebuilt through government programs etc. We visited the poorest of places that I've ever seen at Kliptown, yet were amazed by the brightness of a child's smile there. We visited children in schools and creches who sang the most beautiful of songs - "We are marching in the light of God, we are marching in the light of God" (and yes, I videod that one and couldn't stop crying while listening to them sing this in a cargo container). We visited a school and had one of the classes sing the South African national anthem to us, so we recriprocated with a rousing rendition of Waltzing Matilda (aka "the Wallabies' song" to the locals here). We then visited the Hector Peterson memorial where the student uprising of 16 June 1976 took place and wow, was that moving. We saw the street where the shootings took place, where Mandela and Tutu both lived (the only street in the world to have housed two Nobel Prize winners), and saw some more of the urban renewal projects (forgive me leaving out more detail - there's so much more we did but it's late and I can't recall it all).
Speaking of late, jetlag really isn't nice. I'm getting better now, but it's been a nasty few days. The "8 hours behind Adelaide time" thing really is a shocker. Anyway, we kicked on to Jo'burg and went into the CBD for the afternoon. Jo'burg is a real contradiction as it's a beautiful town in spots, but a real nasty place in others. Big business has left in droves in some spots because of crime etc, yet there is huge investment in other places. Anyway, we walked through some areas and drove through some others and other than the mad taxi drivers, it isn't much different to a big Australian city. That said, there were some differences, the most notable being that their gaols that were used heavily during the apartheid regime are right in the midst of the city and almost cast a shadow over it. I took some super pics (if I don't say so myself!) of their constitutional court which is adjacent to their gaol, and stands as an amazing sign of "moving on whilst acknowledging the past". Just beautiful, beautiful to see (you need to see the pics). I should also add that they have a gold-plated rhino in the middle of the city but try as I might, I couldn't unbolt it and bring it home for Josh Gondolf.
We then caught one of those mad taxis back to Soweto for tea. I was a bit tired by now and didn't really get into proceedings, but were entertained (there's no other word for it) by the locals at a small backyard restaurant and whilst I did play the bongo drums for a while, any rumours of me dancing are sadly exaggerated because I didn't do it - but plenty of others did!
Today was a tour of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and then on to a look at the 2003 Grain Grower of the Year's operations near Delmas. Both were fascinating - especially to see the online nature of the JSE and that they don't have a "pit" ala the NYSE - but they didn't impact like the previous day. The Grain Grower's place was amazing - such a huge operation with 150 permanent employees and 500 casuals at peak season, so I grabbed a few snapshots for Andrew Dickie and Stephen Dickie just to make them jealous (I've never seen so much machinery on a farm). We were again blown away by the hospitality - they are such a friendly people here - and then drove onto the outskirts of Pretoria where we are now. We also had lunch with some young leaders from around Jo'burg and I've probably left off some other detail, but fatigue is kicking in and the memory is leaking like a sieve (and yes, I know it was only today!).
Tomorrow is "High Commissioner Day", so it's out with the slightly-crinkled suit and time for another long day. Am missing home a lot but enjoying the trip and am amazed that we've seen and learnt so much in just 3 days of the 14-day sojourn. They tell us we'll be eyeballing lions and tigers in a few days - can't wait for that one. Best go, James Fitzpatrick wants the computer and who am I to argue with him!
PS. Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife Pauline Smith for tomorrow. 35 years' young and yes Pauline, mathematicians round it up to 40!
18 JULY 2007
Happy Birthday Madiba and Pauline! It's Nelson Mandela's 89th birthday today and while my beautiful wife Pauline isn't quite that old yet, she's well on her way so it's a big Happy Birthday to Pauline too. Today was a fairly quiet(er) day, with the morning in a classroom environment as we heard from various speakers about AusAid, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. The HIV/AIDS speaker was tremendous and delivered what is a tragic story. From memory, 15% of South Africans have HIV/AIDS and in some nearby countries, the figure is 50%. That's a walking death sentence and hearing some of the individual stories really brought it all home. It's times like this that I'm glad I live in Australia!
We went to the Department of Trade and Industry in Pretoria this afternoon to hear about BEE - Black Economic Empowerment - and how the government is trying to advantage blacks to rectify years of disadvantagement, but at the same time to not harm the economy. We then went to a shopping centre for a while, and now back here before we head off to the Australian High Commissioner's residence. We met her earlier today and it will be a tremendous honour to have tea there tonight. Every Australian leader in South Africa has been told they must attend, so it should be a wonderful experience.
I best sign off as Dr James Fitzpatrick wants the computer again and like yesterday, who am I to say no. If you haven't heard of Jimmy, he's the 2001 Young Australian of the Year and he is the Director of True Blue Dreaming, a youth mentoring project for regional communities. Visit his organisation's website at www.truebluedreaming.org.au and if you're interested, contact him. An amazing guy with an amazing passion.
PS. Missing the footy news over here. We heard the Power thumped West Coast but I'm dying to hear more. If anyone has any this or any other local news to share, feel free to post on the Guestbook for me to read! Thanks - and again, Happy Birthday Madiba and Pauline!
19 JULY 2007
Thought I'd add a picture or two in today's update to convince you all that I'm still alive. Isn't technology wonderful?!
Last night was spent at the High Commissioner's Residence in Pretoria. For those that didn't know (which includes me until last night!), the High Commissioner is the Ambassador in a Commonwealth country. There were also several Australians there who either work or live here permanently, and it was wonderful to be in a room of Aussie accents again, sharing stories. You wouldn't believe how out of touch some of them were. One woman from Lockleys (in Adelaide) was a Crows supporter who's been here for 13 years, and she knew of Port Adelaide but didn't know we were in the AFL too, or that we ruled the roost in 2004! Boy oh boy, was it fun telling her all about that (and Showdown I). Click here for a group picture taken during the night with all of Course 13 of the ARLP featuring, but also several other Aussies too.
Today was another classroom day early on, followed by a tour of the Irene Farm Dairy (wow - I must share the story of this with some farming friends when I get home to Australia). Beautiful people, beautiful farm, just beautiful all around. We then went to the Union Building in Pretoria, which isn't about a trade union but is rather the equivalent of their Parliament House. Click here for a larger version of the above picture, which is taken from there with the city of Pretoria in the background. Again, a beautiful place with beautiful people. Everything's just beautiful today.
Excuse the short update because I have to go off to tea and believe it or not, Dr James Fitzpatrick wants the computer again. We're off to Botswana tomorrow at 6am (after a 5am breakfast!), and it's going to be "out with the long pants and in with the shorts" as we hit the 25-30 degrees celsius barrier. Will try and send another update ASAP after getting there because I'm sure it's going to be a great experience. We're drawing ever closer to the big Game Reserve experience in Madikwe but before we do, let me leave you on this note. The average lifespan of a woman in Zimbabwe is now 34 years old. The AVERAGE lifespan. The lowest in the world, this is largely influenced by HIV/AIDS but also the living standards of some of these places. Hopefully I can catch up with you all when I get back and if you can get through by 5-hour slideshow, maybe you too can appreciate the enormity of things here in Africa. Some of it just breaks your heart but wow, the people are beautiful. Uru again, and I'll write again soon. Love to Pauline, Hope, Daniel and Jonty.
21 JULY 2007
Typical frigid cold night here at the Tau Game Lodge in Madikwe. Just returned from a 3-hour safari tour and wow, in my best Bruce McAvaney voice, that was special. But more on that later.
Yesterday, we travelled to Botswana and I got more stamps on my passport. We visited the Botswana Meat Commission and yours truly saw the truth about how they make meat and trust me, I'm now a sworn vegetarian. Super pictures and videos, though I doubt they'll be for the kids (sorry Hope, but you'll have to trust Dad on this one). We then drove to a feedlot to see where cows are more bovine than hamburger, and then on to Gaborone (the capital) and had a meeting this morning with several of the country's senior officials, which was very worthwhile.
We then travelled back to South Africa this afternoon for more passport stamps, and into the Madikwe Game Reserve. I won't babble on about Madikwe as you can google it if you want more info, but it's the fourth biggest park in South Africa and has all of the Big Five in it (lion, leopard, buffalo, cheetah and elephant). We had a tour from 3.30pm to about 7.00pm today, and have another tour tomorrow morning from 6.30pm to about 10.00pm. The lodge here is pretty special in that it's just like a real-life Jurassic Park, with an electric fence (albeit high voltage) separating us from the wildlife. The above picture (click here for a full-size version) is of me on a balcony, with an elephant in the background - and that's pretty normal for around here. Click here for a picture of lions which were only a few metres away from us, and here for a picture of zebras which again, were very close. I have lots of other pictures and we saw a few elephants as it got darker, but we missed giraffes and leopards (other groups saw them)- but all was not lost, as we did get to see half a rhino (a very long story but Josh Gondolf will understand what I mean when I say it was a fitting tribute to his 2007 Superboot Football League season).
Can't wait for tomorrow's morning tour after which, we travel back to Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport, and then to Cape Town for the second half of the program. It's been an amazing trip so far and I feel incredibly privileged to have seen the things we've seen. On to all things Australian, and I caught news from new father Paul Mitchell that Ben Cousins had 36 possessions for West Coast tonight. Wow, he quickly returned to being a poor man's Danyle Pearce after all that time off! Looking forward to Port Adelaide's big belting of Richmond tomorrow, and catching the highlights on SABC3 tomorrow night (AFL highlights are on South Africa TV over here as part of the AFL's push into South Africa).
Must go. Dr James Fitzpatrick doesn't want the PC tonight, but I only have limited time on this machine and tea is just about ready. The people here at Tau Game Lodge have been tremendous and I can only recommend it to any would-be-travellers. Uru for now.
22 JULY 2007
Typical not-so-frigid-but-still-cold night here at the Devon Valley Hotel at Stellenbosch, about 40 minutes from Cape Town. Not a lot happened today but what did happen ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous.
We started out with a freezing 6.30am Safari Tour of the Madikwe Game Park, where yours truly came across a giraffe on the side of the road (wow!), a leopard climbing rocks on a hill, another dazzle of zebras (now, there's an answer to a quiz night question about collective nouns), wilderbeasts, an owl and various other birds. The giraffe was absosmurfly spectacular, whilst the leopard didn't mean much until I saw it through some binoculars. Did you know the leopard was named after "leopard print", because its skin/fur looks like leopard print? That's what one of our environmental professors on the ARLP course was telling me anyway and I believe him.
We then drove by bus to Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport, where we were scheduled to fly direct to Cape Town. Unfortunately, we were running seriously late so there were a series of mad phone calls to the airport to have things waiting for us. We arrived with about 25 minutes until flight departure time and it was a mad dash to have the bags and bodies of 34 travellers all loaded on in time. Well, they started the name count in rough reverse alpha order. Zoology, X-Man ..... and so on and with 10 people left, the attendant said the plane was full and he couldn't fit any more people on. So with the Aardvarks and Abernethys remaining, there I was, the only Smith! 10 of us missed the flight, so were placed on first reserve and waited an hour until we were squeezed onto a British Airways flight but fortunately, I spent half the flight in Business Class because they were concerned about my giraffe-like legs. ALL of our bags also didn't make the flight, so they were added to a separate South African Airways flight and once we arrived in Cape Town to meet up with our other group, we found that some bags didn't make the next flight and were added to a further flight, and one was added to a further further flight, and one bag is still whereabouts unknown! Fortunately, my bag made it to Cape Town or I'd be wearing shorts for the rest of the week!!
So, it was a mad day of travel today and I can only recommend to any virgin overseas travellers (like myself!) that you get to the airport at least an hour early, or run the risk of a day like we had today. Tomorrow we look at the wine industry around Stellenbosch, so I can't wait to update you on that one. I've got some great pics of the giraffe and leopard, and of a chaffeur waiting at the airport for a person named "Doh" (and trust me, I'm not making that one up - I nearly fell over laughing whilst taking his picture and spinning a yarn about Australia not having chauffeur drivers waiting at the airport!). Catch ya then.
PS. If anyone sees my wife and kids, say hi for me and tell them I'm still alive. My wife Pauline is due to give birth to our fourth child any day now, and it'd be nice if she knew that her husband was still alive and kicking. Thanks, stay safe, and look after yourself and each other. ;-)
23 JULY 2007
Typical cold-change weather here at the Devon Valley Hotel tonight, with the wet weather blowing in and apparently here to stay for most of the rest of the week. Gotta love that, when you arrive in one of the most beautiful cities of the world, and it's rain, rain, rain.
Anyway, today was a quieter day with minimal travel. Yours truly was the official seminar leader, so I was responsible for timing and keeping things ticking over during the day. We were 30 minutes behind schedule by 10.30am (after starting at 9.00am) but we recovered to only end up 15 minutes behind the official match-day program. We heard from many of the wine afficionados of South Africa, a few entrepeneurs, and visited the famed Stellenbosch University later in the day for a lecture or two. Given the chaos of yesterday's travel and the wild exciting days that preceded it, it really was a quieter day today and we look forward to the coming days with great anticipation. Tomorrow we're still around Stellenbosch, but then we move on to Cape Town for a few meetings - including one with the AFL which is where the Port Adelaide guernsey will finally be unveiled on this trip - and then half a day on Robben Island where most of the apartheid prisoners were held. We have two half days free for shopping and touristy stuff (our choice), and then it's on to home on Friday with a good 18 hours or so in three planes before we touchdown safely in Australia's capital, Adelaide.
I won't bore you any more but needless to say, it's been an unbelievable trip and an unbelievable opportunity to see and experience the things we've seen - and that goes for the entire Australian Rural Leadership Program course. Take care, and I'll write again soon.
24 JULY 2007
Typical rainy day here at the Devon Valley Hotel, with the wet weather well and truly settled now as we await more and more rain for the coming week. Just great stuff when you're here to experience South Africa. Can't wait for the ferry trip to Robben Island on Thursday!
Today was a half-classroom day about HIV/AIDS, the wine industry and Black Economic Empowerment, followed by an afternoon of wine-tasting (super stuff), and an evening at the Spier Hotel. I'll skip the wine-tasting as those who know me would be aware of how much I enjoyed it (the trips were great, but the wine just wasn't my style), but you just need to visit the Spier Hotel if you're ever in town. Wow. Great food, great company and to top it all off, I got frisked by a South African police officer as I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as a South African government delegation arrived at the same complex. Fortunately, I'd hidden my Smith and Wesson in my socks today ..... ;-)
The trip is now slowly coming to an end, with only three full days of action remaining before we do the 36-hour journey home (no, the flights don't take 36 hours but the entire journey will). Can't wait to get home and catch up with everyone again. Will write soon. Uru for now.
25 JULY 2007
Typical fine-weather one minute, rain/sleet/hail the next, type of day here in Cape Town. We've booked into our accommodation here at the Southern Sun Hotel, with terrific views of both Table Mountain and the main harbour. Hopefully the weather fines up soon.
After a long wait for check-in to the hotel, we travelled to the Qingqwa Mntwana Primary School to hear their strategies for educating children in the Crossroads township just outside Cape Town. It would be fair to say that I wasn't expecting much and was thinking "just another school visit", but shame on me because I was horribly wrong. The kids were just amazing and blew us away with some of the most beautiful singing I've ever heard. We did a tour of individual classrooms, and were then guests of honour for the entire school as they entertained us with their singing and dance, while we reciprocated the only way we knew how - with yet another rousing rendition of Waltzing Matilda, followed by a reading of "The Breeze" by Dr James Fitzpatrick. It was a privilege to visit there and in the end, one of the highlights of the trip.
Over an hour late by now, we returned to the hotel to talk with Dr Allison Simons of AFL South Africa. It was interesting to hear how Collingwood, amongst others, is trying to get the jump on the competition by accessing the South African market and bringing players to Australia as 13-year olds (!) on scholarships and then potentially signing them to their list "outside of the national draft". Watch this space closely because the number of potential AFL players in South Africa dwarfs that of Australia, and there is genuine optimism amongst the locals that this could be the game for them. Rugby - and cricket to a lesser extent - are seen as having racial overtones and being white sports, so there is room for the AFL to move. Parents also see rugby as being too physical, while soccer's huge potential (ie hosting World Cup 2010) is reduced by there not being much investment at grassroots level. If anyone's interested in partnering up with AFL South Africa (eg with footballs, jumpers, anything), contact the AFL and they'll refer you on to Allison.
We then had a free evening, so I headed off to the Victoria Waterfront Shopping precinct, and had a great time. We made it back to the hotel at around 10pm but a word of advice for anyone travelling to South Africa - do not go out alone at night, and when they say to avoid certain areas for security reasons, they're not kidding. Security was huge around the shopping precinct but you didn't exactly feel safe elsewhere.
Off to Robben Island tomorrow but it sounds 50/50 at this stage because of the weather. They're talking about swells around 10 metres - which is the height from the top to the bottom of the wave and our resident tuna fisherman tells us it's not looking promising. Fingers crossed!
26 JULY 2007
Weather report for the big Robben Island trip this morning: 8 metre swells. The boats are grounded for the day and whilst I was keen to still give the boat trip a go, I'm told that my chances of survival would be better jumping from my 12th-floor hotel room and I think I'll give that a miss. Add to this that the Table Mountain Cable Car is out of action (it goes down for repairs for one week a year - and it's this week!), and we've missed out on two of the big attractions in Cape Town. C'est la vie, it's still raining, so I went shopping.
We visited the city markets and bartered our way to a few ripper purchases. One of our group got fleeced at an ATM (another tip for would-be travellers: they want your VISA card so do not let it out of your sight, cover your hand when entering any PIN numbers, and only use ATMs that you would consider "secure"), so he rushed back to the hotel to cancel the card. A group of us also visited "The Castle of Good Hope", which is the oldest building in Cape Town and where the original settlement was. Interestingly enough, it was also where the original shoreline was - with over 500m of coastline now filled in to where the harbour now stands (think Darling Harbour in Sydney), including where our hotel is located which has me slightly nervous! ;-)
I then rushed back to the hotel to join Carl Richardson for a Fakawi Tour of Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. Carl had these grand visions of driving down there and back in an afternoon but wow, we hadn't counted on tornado-like conditions, mountain slides and assorted wildlife.
After an hour's drive and finding that Chapman's Peak Drive was closed due to high winds (on the Atlantic Ocean side of Africa), we dodged a few townships that appeared to be washing down hills and their remains running down the main streets, and had drive-thru KFC "because it was too wet to get out of the car". We then headed off down the western side of False Bay (on the Indian Ocean side), with the weather noticeably calmer though still a little wild. The scenery was without doubt, the most spectacular scenery I've ever seen (think Great Ocean Road but another few hundred metres higher, often in the clouds), and I'm thankful that Carl managed to keep our Volkswagen Golf on the road. By now, the car was idling about 1000rpm too low, so any coasting or stopping meant the car would automatically stall. Nothing like a sick car in wild weather!
We made it to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope and wow, was it worth it. The wild weather made way for sunshine for at least half an hour, allowing us to see the sights. Carl nearly pooped himself when a baboon jumped out of the bushes as we arrived (unfortunately, no pictures!), but he got his own back on me with the heights of some of the coastal lookouts (eeek!). The two Capes are almost adjacent to each other, with Good Hope like a three-fingered paw at almost-sea level on the Atlantic Ocean side, and Cape Point a single rocky outcrop about 300m up on the Indian Ocean side. We went inside the Cape Point souvenir shop whilst another front blew in, just in time for the power to go out (apparently a regular occurence). We then drove around to Good Hope and saw a flock of ostriches cross the road in front of us as they ran to the beach (?), and then encountered more ostriches and antelopes on the return leg (and yes, we have pictures). We eventually made it back through peak-hour traffic as Carl skilfully manipulated the hazard lights, gears and pedals in the car, and returned the car in one piece.
I ordered room service and had the last night of our tour inside my motel room. By now, a fortnight of headaches and a sore throat had caught up, so I stayed in and spent several hours packing a swollen suitcase that had mysteriously increased itself by several kilograms.
Tomorrow is return flight(s) to Joburg, Sydney and then Adelaide. Looking forward to getting home, hopefully in time for the baby!
28 JULY 2007
Well, we made all the connecting flights, but only just. We took off from Cape Town an hour late and never really caught up that time. I ran between terminals at Joburg to miraculously secure an exit-row seat for the Joburg-Sydney leg (despite the flight being ready to take off already and in the end, I was fortunate enough to be seated next to professional surfer Luke Stedman - a great surfer by all accounts and a gentleman to boot), and landed in Sydney with little-to-no chance of making the Adelaide connection after going through customs. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I received numerous text messages from wife Pauline saying her waters had broken and she was having contractions, so this was sufficient for me and my South Australian colleagues to jump queues of several hundred people in an effort to make the Adelaide plane. We did, but it wasn't without a few anxious moments but credit to the Qantas staff who did everything they could to help out. I landed back in Adelaide safely, albeit without my baggage which was apparently still in Joburg and didn't make the Cape Town-Joburg connection (understandable given how late we were), and it was then off to hospital for the birth of a baby!
Writing this after the event, I can now say it wasn't labour, but the early onset of a few complications which have now resulted in Pauline being stuck in hospital until the birth. Fortunately, she and the baby are OK, and we are now playing the waiting game. What a great trick! I thoroughly recommend faking labour via SMS for anyone stuck in international airports or waiting in customs. ;-)
So what were the highlights? I'll never forget Soweto. The hope and pride of the people amidst poverty and desperation is something we can all learn from. The South African people were great. The trip to Cape Point was as much fun as it was hair-raising (quite an achievement if you know Carl!). The magnitude of HIV/AIDS is frightening and for me, the fact abstinence and monogamy are not a realistic option in the African culture. The school visits were fantastic, the children beautiful, the Game Park safari a memory for a lifetime, the visit to the abbatoir enlightening, and the opportunity to see and understand apartheid from all points of view was cessna-ational. Then there was the chance to learn about overseas and free trade, to see the principles and workings of Black Economic Empowerment, to visit the Australia High Commission in Pretoria, and to meet some of the most amazing people - especially Austrade's Jay Meek, who went out of his way to help us.
To the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, to my family, and to my employer, I say a big thank you. I have countless notes and even more pictures and videos to remember the trip by, and am extremely grateful for the opportunity. In closing, it's amazing what can be achieved with strong leadership, a focus on acceptance & love of all, and forgiveness for all. Nelson Mandela sure set a strong example for his country and thankfully, all South Africans seem to be following in his footsteps. May we learn from his example too. Sala Kahle from South Africa!
Coach Josh Gondolf visited the United States of America in May/June 2007. Read on for his US Tour diary.
PRE-TOUR
Josh's flight itinerary reads as follows:
Thursday May 24: Adelaide to Los Angeles
Thursday May 24: Los Angeles to Washington
Monday May 28: Washington to New York
Saturday June 2: New York to Dallas
Friday June 22: Los Angeles to Adelaide (arriving back on June 24)
25 MAY 2007
Just a quick one to let you know I have arrived safely. I am logging into the net via a pretty dodgy wireless connection from the National Music Centre which has a fairly insecure wireless connection. They must be nearby! Was going to pay to get net here in the room but I don't have the right cable (damn!). I am extremely tired - was a REALLY long day. Am sitting in the hotel watching the Pistons v Cavs. Trying to stay up as late as I can to fight the jetlag. Doing OK with it.
For those that have my email address, feel free to write. I can check my emails pretty easily but hard to send anything more than text (stupid, cheap stolen wireless!).
26 MAY 2007
Just a quick email to let everyone know that I have arrived safely (Editor's Note: didn't you say that yesterday? Are you in Punxsutawney by any chance?) Got to the hotel at about 6ish after the trip from the airport. Went for a bit of a walk. This is the view from my hotel room. Pretty cool really. I am logging into the internet in my hotel room through the National Music Centre which must be nearby. Aaah, free internet thanks to the US Government.
Flight was LOOOOOONGGG. Was OK though. Was pretty freaky. Got sat next to a girl from Ireland who was "very pleasant" (sadly she has a boyfriend - oh well). As it turns out, she was catching the same connecting flight as me through to Washington so we helped each other brave customs and the LA airport, which was kind of crazy. Not really feeling jetlag too much. Managed to sleep OK on the plane. Not sure when I will email next.
If anyone sees my mother, please tell her I'm still alive. I'm sure she'd like to know. ;-)
27 MAY 2007
Sorry about all the pics (click here and here). Hope they don't take too long to download. The last few days have been pretty nuts. It was the hottest day in Washington since last summer - it was 92 or something but kind of humid too. I got a bit burnt, walking around from monument to monument to gallery to museum - they just love monuments here. So many of them!
I was walking back from the Franklin Monument and walked past the final of the Washington Area Rugby Sevens tournament. Got talking to the lads down there. I can't say the rugby was of an extremely high standard. A team that calls themselves the African Exiles ran in 4 tries in a 10 minute match over the Washington team. After that, I went to the Vietnam War memorial where they were having a candlelight vigil (it's the Memorial Day Weekend here). The main parade is tomorrow but I will be in New York when it starts. Today I was back at the memorials to have a look at "Rolling Thunder". It's an annuual motorbike rally for veterans. It was basically a procession of 100,000 vets on motorcyles - yes, ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND! It was absolutely astounding. The jetlag has been pretty good. I keep waking up at some stupid hour of the morning which isn't too bad because I'm having a big breakfast and going and getting some decent pics before the the crowds get too big. My goodness, the crowds! So many people here this weekend, SO many motorbikes!
There's a huge thunderstorm coming through at the moment and I'm dog tired from all the walking I've been doing. New York tomorrow, so I'm resting up. Hope all is well with everyone back home. I have a "cell" number. Don't go in to a store asking for a Sim Card for a mobile because they just look at you funny. If you need to call me for an emergency, it's (Editor's Note: email us at somertonthunder@optusnet.com.au if you need to reach Josh and we'll give you the number). My Australian number doesn't work over here so if you have been calling it, you're wasting your time. So many more stories to bore you all with, but I know what it's like reading these sorts of messages - and for that reason, there's going to be more! I could go on and on - and I will.
If anyone sees my mother, please tell her about my mobile phone situation. I'm sure she's tried to call me. ;-)
4 JUNE 2007
Hi peoples! Sitting here in the departure lounge of LaGuardia Airport. What a crazy couple of days!! I haven't stopped for what feels like a month and still don't even feel like I have scratched the surface of New York. I have SO many stories to tell. I feel sorry for you all when I get back because I can already hear myself starting every sentence with, "This one time in New York....." I will keep it brief and give you my top ten memories of New York in no particular order.
1. Rucker Park. Catching the Subway deep into the heart of Harlem. Awesome stuff.
2. Helicopter flight over the Hudson River, past the Statue of Liberty.
3. Top of the Empire State Building. Quite a long way off the ground really.
4. Staying out later than my room mate every night of the tour. What is going on there?
5. Being on Entertainment Tonight (long story).
6. Knowing that no matter what you wanted, no matter what the time, it's only a few blocks away.
7. My late night taxi ride after leaving the club and turning left instead of right, ending up in the projects (oops!).
8. Bright Eyes on Broadway. One of the craziest finishes to a concert I have ever seen.
9. The amazing friendliness of New Yorkers. I felt safer walking around Manhattan at 3am than Rundle Mall at lunch time.
10. Not wanting to leave. It's true what the t-shirts say.
But I do have to leave. Off to the next part of my journey. Who knows what it will bring? Will write again soon. Click here for an action photo of Josh Gondolf in downtown New York. In my best Bee Gees voice, "You should be dancing, yeah!"
7 JUNE 2007
A very quick update. I'm still in the US, still travelling, still alive ..... and thought you might recognise someone in the background of this Entertainment Tonight report. Gee, if I'm not mistaken, it looks like that all-too familiar brown Goodies t-shirt!
8 JUNE 2007
Another quick update. I'm outside the visitor centre at the Grand Canyon. Been having some MAJOR computer problems. Tell Mum I'm still alive and kicking.
10 JUNE 2007
Hey folks, been a while since my last update. Well, now you'll know why. My hard drive crashed in Texas, so I spent half a day in Roswell, New Mexico, getting it fixed. Well, I had a new one installed, which means I lost some of my pictures which I am not happy about.
At the moment, I'm in Vegas. It's like 40 degrees outside and I have a headcold. Not pretty. Despite all this, I'm still having a pretty good time.
Austin (Editor's Note: Josh is referring to the city, not Nick's dog) was really cool, although a little bit too much country music for mine. San Antonio was very nice. Saw the Alamo and all that stuff. The town is going nuts at the moment because of the NBA Finals. When I was there, they were erecting a giant championship trophy out the front of the AT&T Center.
After that I stayed in a little town called Sonora, Texas, which had a great steakhouse, although they were slightly disturbed and my lack of passion for country music was seen as a bit weird.
From there it was Roswell then on to Albuquerque, then on to the Grand Canyon. Roswell was interesting. For those of you not in the know, it's the site of the alleged alien crash in 1947. Spent a lot of the day in John's Oasis Computers trying to get my photos off my dead laptop. No luck yet, but we'll see what happens when I get home. Anyway, Roswell has taken the whole alien thing on. The light poles in the main street have little alien eyes, the local Walmart has a massive alien mural, and every business has an alien or picture of one on it somewhere - crazy!
The Grand Canyon is AMAZING. Took a helicopter ride over it - it's kind of big. I have seen pics of it and thought "oh yeah", but nothing can quite prepare you for the bigness of it. When I stood on the edge I, may have said a rude word, but this hasn't been confirmed yet.
From there it was on to Vegas and the headcold. Have had a fair look around but it doesn't really do it for me, but it could be that I'm not 100%. Heading out in a minute to see if I can get a ticket to a show tonight. Haven't taken many pics here though - might do that later tonight or tomorrow. The water display at the Bellagio is nuts. Next stop will be San Francisco. Am looking forward to that.
Driving across the country has been really interesting, watching the scenery change along the way. Driving thru New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada reminds me so much of playing GTA San Andreas (Jim and Greg will know what I mean).
Anyway, time to go get a ticket for a show tonight. Catch you all later.
13 JUNE 2007
So, the last few days, what have I been up to? A LOOOOOONG drive from Vegas to Carson City. About 7 hours in the car and almost as far between towns on the way. The drive starts out with the cacti of the desert and ends at about 7000ft above sea level in the ski fields of the Sierra Nevada. Gorgeous scenery. Well worth taking the road less travelled. Next morning was the drive from Carson City over to San Francisco where I am now. On the way, a quick stop at Lake Tahoe. Wow.
Today I walked around San Francisco. They have to do something about these hills - they're lethal! I think I might stay here a few more days as there is way too much to see. Took the boat over to Alcatraz today as well.
Being in San Francisco is a little strange. There was a game a little while back called "Driver" on the PlayStation, where you drove around in a computer-generated San Francisco. I played that game a lot. (Editor's Note: Now there's an understatement. That's like saying Michael Jordan was a handy basketballer, or that www.leaguelineup.com/somertonthunder is a great website.) Everywhere I go, it feels like I've been here before. Is very weird to be somewhere that you know you haven't been to before, but you know what's around the corner. It's a little prettier in real life though. The PlayStation can only show so much.
Until next time, stay cool and if you see my mother, tell her I'm still alive and kicking.
18 JUNE 2007
Hello folks! So, what have I been doing? Oh yes, I MISS MY CAR. I have missed my car twice on this trip - OK, more than twice - but especially the other day driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles. What a drive! 300 miles, more than 7 hours, suuuch a demanding drive meandering along the coast. Unfortunately there was a whole heap of fog so the views were pretty average, which is a shame because from what I saw it would have been AMAZING.
Los Angeles. It's OK. Pretty big. OK, it's very big. I have done Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Haven't taken a heap of photos in LA. Today I drove down to San Diego and had a look at the Zoo. Really cool. I got some pretty good pics even if I do say so myself.
San Francisco is SUCH a beautiful town. So is San Diego. Los Angeles, not so much. Mind you I haven't been down to Santa Monica or Venice and apparently they'e pretty nice.
I haven't caught up with Henry (Editor's Note: Who's Henry?) yet, but have spoken to him on the phone a few times. We're going to catch up for a game of pool soon.
I'm going to have a bit of a look around San Diego tomorrow before heading back up to LA. Less than a week and I'll be home. Look forward to seeing you all then.
Click here for a picture of a primate. I was going to include a picture of a bridge or a building, but didn't. ;-)
19 JUNE 2007
Hello again. I saw the note about "Who's Henry?" Henry is a guy I used to work with when I worked in Adelaide. He lives in Los Angeles now.
On to things more important, and did you know there's a school here in San Diego where you to go to become Paul Mitchell? What a scary thought! Ironically for Paul, it's actually a school where you can learn to become a hairdresser, but I like my version better.
HOW IS THAT COMEBACK? Can't wait to hear more about that. So fired up about it. Well done guys. Bring on the grand final. So exciting!
20 JUNE 2007
Hey folks, probably the last update before it's home time. Yesterday I went to Universal Studios and did the studio tour and rode the rides. I believe that's what they're for. I caught up with Henry afterwards - he lives just near there. I'm catching up with him again in an hour or so, heading out there to Hollywood again. It's about 8:30pm here. I just got back from a little Sushi place in Little Tokyo which is about a block from the hotel where I'm staying.
Today I had a bit of a sleep in and then went down to Santa Monica and Venice Beach. It was a good day, down at the basketball courts at Venice. I talked my way into one of the games down there - a pretty cool experience. There was this guy, Roy, 6'3" African-American guy taking some shots and I walk up and ask if he minds if I take some shots. He straight faced says, "Yes, I do mind," and I was thinking, "What have I got myself into here?" He then cracks this big smile and asks me where I'm from. An Aussie accent opens so many doors over here. A few "g'day mates" and a couple of "no worries" and you're set. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Roy and "Ossie" won 15-13 in a game of 2-on-2. Good times, good times. Pretty freaky stuff. It was White Men Can't Jump Part 2, same court and all.
Anyway, I think I might go to Disneyland tomorrow or maybe six flags. Not sure. See how I feel in the morning. See ya.
