TravelStream™ news feed for member kenthoi on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/kenthoi en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Sun, 18 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1220295600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1220295600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1220295600/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400 Kimberley and Top End 2007

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Mary River, Australia

We stopped by a billabong with one of the highest density of Saltwater Crocodiles in the region. We spotted a few large crocodiles and saw a few birds. Then we headed to a Didgeridoo shop before returning to Darwin.

It was been an amazing holiday. The Kimberley and Top End have truely been breathtaking. The scenery was stunning and the weather was superb. I got to see the lunar eclipse and experimented with astrophotography. I had used over 80 AA batteries for the entire trip. Apart from a brief stop in Darwin there is absolutely no place to charge my camera battery. The GPS geotagging device drained lots of power but nevertheless it was a success. It is amazing to be able to click on a photo and Google Map will be able to pin point where the photo was taken.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188651600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188651600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188651600/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 02:48:05 -0400 Kimberley and Top End 2007

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Jabiru, Northern Territory, Australia

I have waited a decade to compare Kakadu Nation Park in the dry season. Last time I visited I remember seeing wifelife everywhere. I was expecting to see more widelife in the dry season as more animal will be concentrated in the few remaining waterholes where as in the wet season they have all the space to roam around. I was a little disappointed with the lack of wildlife during this visit. May be the Cane Toad have already devastated the region since their arrival in 2001. One positive note was the relative lack of mosquitoes. Last time the mosquitoes were everywhere and they have the ability to bite through jeans. I was able to visit Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls but because it was the end of the dry season, Twin Falls was just a trickle and Jim Jim was completely dry. We watched another great sunset over Yellow Water and I experimented further with astrophotography and got some stunning results. We visited Ubirr and admire the richness of the rock arts before climbing to the lookout for a panoramic view of the wetland.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188410400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188410400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188410400/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 02:08:43 -0400 Kimberley and Top End 2007

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Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia

The first time I visited Katherine, I narrowly escape a major flooding. I am still amazed how quickly did the river level rose during the flood of 1998. I only visited the first gorge due to the weather condition. This time whilst the rest of the group canoed through the first 3 gorges, I took a cruise down the gorges. I couldn't paddle and take photo at the same time. I initially had hope to catch a helicopter ride but they had minimum passenger requirement. We stopped by Edith Falls on the way to Kakadu National Park.
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Litchfield National Park, Australia

Day 1 of the 5 days Top End Tour. I really enjoy the company of my last group. For this tour we had an Austrian family, a couple from Switzerland, a French and 2 girls from the UK. Greg has set a very high standard and unfortunately for Bec our new guide she was no where near what Greg has provided.

We started the trip with Litchfield National Park. The last time I visited Litchfield it was in the middle of the wet season and the waterfalls were roaring everywhere. We visited the Magnetic Termite Mounts before visiting Wongi Falls. The area was flooded last time and I visited. Then we visited Tolmer Falls which is only a trickle of water compare to the spectacular fall it was in the wet season. We took a hike to the top of Tolmer Falls where we saw a large Water Monitor.

Tonight we were lucky to have a cloudless night. There was a total eclipse of the moon. We witnessed the blood red full moon and I also used this unique opportunity to experiment with some Astrophotography. Pointing my camera straight up in the sky I manged to capture part of the Milky Way.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219888800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219888800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219888800/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 23:25:44 -0400 Kimberley and Top End 2007

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Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

It was 10 year ago I visited Darwin during the wet season. It is amazing how this city has transformed. There are lots more resturants and bars. Shopping mall seems to be more lively. This is a brief stop over to do my laundary, a long hot shower and be prepared for the next camping trip to the Top End. I spoiled myself with a massage as my entire body was aching from sleeping in swag, sitting hours in the back of a 4WD and hiking through the Kimberley. I had the opportunity to check hundreds of work related emails and be in touch with civilization once again.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219701600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219701600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219701600/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 23:25:18 -0400 Kimberley and Top End 2007

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Timber Creek, Northern Territory, Australia

After the Bungle Bungle it was a long journey to Darwin to finish this part of the tour. Most of the sightseeing is done. We crossed the border into Northern Territory and camped overnight at Timber Creek. Every sunsets have been a colourful display and tonight sunset did not disappoint again.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188050400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188050400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1188050400/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 22:04:26 -0400 Kimberley and Top End 2007

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Bungle Bungle, Australia

Almost everyone took the option of a scenic flight to Bungle Bungle. I think everyone was a bit surprised on day 1 when we were told we will not be visiting the Bungle Bungle on land and the flight will be the only way to see the Bungles. On the way we flew passed Lake Argyle which is the second largest man made lake in Australia. Near by is the Argyle open diamond mine the only source of the pink diamonds. The Bungle Bungle from the air is a spectacular sight. The area is so vast and rock formation so interesting. I will wonder what it will be like on the ground with a different prespective.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219600800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219600800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219600800/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 21:29:03 -0400 Kimberley and Top End 2007

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El Questro, Australia

On the way back to the Gibb River Rd our 4WD had a rupture tyre. It was quite spectacular the way the tyre exploded. It was fortunate that Greg was skillful enough to control the car to prevent any accident. We stopped by at Drysdale Station again before heading to our overnight campsite along side the bank of Pentecost River at the end of Gibb River Wyndham Road. We were greeted by another spectacular sunset. The next morning we went to El Questro Station. This is a large cattle station transformed into a large reosrt park. The El Questro Homestay provide one of the most exclusive getaway that celebrities enjoy. I believe Nicole Kidman once stayed here. The Homestay cost up to 4000 for a couple for the minimum of 2 nights! El questro station also have campsite for the average person who want to enjoy this beautiful region. We visited the Zebedee Hot Spring and drove to a lookout point overseeing a beautiful part of the Pentecost River before walking along one of the gorge in the region.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219507200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219507200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kenthoi/2/1219507200/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 21:27:05 -0400 Kimberley and Top End 2007

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Mitchell Plateau, Australia

I started the day with a 30 minutes helicopter ride to admire the beautiful coastline. We spotted a large saltwater croc before heading back inland following the Michell River. We finally arrived at the Mitchell falls where we met up with the half of the group who did not take the helicopter option. Mitchell Falls are spectacular. Not many tour company make the effort to see this. In exchange we only will have time to do a scenic flight to the Bungle Bungle. We camped overnight at King Edward River Campsite again and visited the near by Aboriginal Art works before returning to the Gibb River Road.
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Mitchell Plateau, Australia

We left The Gibb River Rd and headed a bumpy ride north along the Gibb River Kalumburu Rd No 66. We stopped at Drysdale River Station where a few of us had a paid hot shower. We arrived at King Edward River Campsite Site in the evening. We saw some Jabiru and Black Cockatoo. James and Marion had a mud bath.
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