TravelStream™ news feed for member raymondc on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/raymondc en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:10:06 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/21/1206166260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/21/1206166260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/21/1206166260/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:10:06 -0400 Discovering Davao

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Davao, Philippines

We got very little sleep on our flight to Davao via Cebu. At least we arrived at a reasonable hour, about 6 a.m. unlike our trip to Cebu, where we arrived at about 3 a.m. Of course, we still arrived in Cebu at that ungodly hour, but then had to wait for our onward flight to Davao, which was actually a free add-on with the deal we got from this no-frills airline. We changed three hundred dollars at Cebu airport. Only one money-changer open so we knew it was a lousy rate, but, being Easter weekend, we didn't know if we would find anywhere open when we got there. It's just as well we changed, because we found we had to pay airport tax for the onward domestic flight.Once we arrived at Davao airport, the taxi drivers were not too pushy and it didn't take long to find a jeepney from the airport. Unfortunately it only went out to the main highway and charged us (and some local tourists who thought it was free) ten pesos each for a distance we could easily have walked. From there it was a reasonable P12 each all the way to St Pedro, the cathedral area where we had read there were plenty of hotels. When we arrived and checked them out we were not impressed. I really wanted to find Hotel Galleria, which was highly recommended in the internet information I had gathered up. Fortunately the map I photocopied (and enlarged) from Lonely Planet came in handy and we had little difficulty in finding our way there.Galleria turned out to be a bit expensive for the fairly ordinary rooms we were shown, but we thought it would do if we couldn't find something else suitable. One of the staff at Galleria recommended we try Tower Inn just around the corner. This was also on my information sheet, but I had somehow left out the address. It turned out to be ideal - clean with all the facilities we needed, central location, better rooms than the ones we saw at Galleria, and considerably cheaper at P800, supposedly a half-price promotion.Just as well it was a comfortable room as we spent most of the weekend catching up with our sleep. I was feeling quite unwell through lack of sleep. Yoong managed to get some sleep on the flights, but all I could do was rest my eyes.We walked out to Marco Polo Hotel in the afternoon and thought of going there for their Easter Sunday buffet lunch. We were able to get a proper map of Davao from their Business Centre, but it rurned out to be totally useless. The print was too small, and the main roads were highlighted&nbsp;with an&nbsp;orange colour so it was impossible to see the street names through them.&nbsp;It looks like&nbsp;we'll have to rely on the much simpler Lonely Planet map.We ate a mediocre meal at a popular little grill restaurant, then had an excellent <i>buko halo halo at Jo's Inato Chicken restaurant next door to Tower Inn. Lots of tasty bits and pieces with <i>taro ice-cream served in a large coconut shell, the best part being the last stage where you scrape off the young coconut from the sides.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188633060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188633060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188633060/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:06:03 -0400 Cebu City Sojourn

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hong Kong, China

We arrived back in Hong Kong too late to get the E22A bus to Tseung Kwan O. we should have waited and got the night bus N29, but took another when headed for Kwun Tong, hoping to connect with transport from there. We ended up picking up the N29 anyway for the last leg of the trip. Well, we will know better next time.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188546480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188546480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188546480/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:05:23 -0400 Cebu City Sojourn

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Cebu City, Philippines

We were up early - about 6 a.m. - so we decided to go and see the San Pedro Fort. We also had another look at Basilica del Santo Nino and Magellan's Cross on the way there. The fort has small museum with treasures that were brought up from the wreck of the Battleship San Diego which collided with the Dutch ship Mauritius in 1600. They include porcelain jars and pottery, silver coins, jewelry, and religious items. The fort itself is in the shape of a triangle, with 2 sides facing the sea and one side facing inland. It was built by the Spanish in 1565 to keep out hostile natives who would approach from the sea at night. It is named after Miguel Lopez de Legaspi's flagship San Pedro.We went back to rest for the remainder of the morning, at least until 11:15, when we checked out and went to the Kare Kare and Pata Restaurant, which was already open for lunch. We enjoyed the large array of local foods, in particular the pata, which is roast pork with lots of crunchy skin - not as good as the lechon though. As well as a great variety of food, there were unlimited fruit juices and shakes. Best of all was the avocado shake, which we had made specially - without sugar. There was also fresh pineapple, watermelon and papaya. The drinks alone were worth the cost of the meal, which was better value than the similarly priced pizza meal with its free flow of beer.After lunch we started the long journey to the airport. We had been warned that the traffic would be heavy as it was a Friday, so we were prepared for a slow trip. The first jeepney ride, to the highway was very long and, for the first time within the city cost us more than six pesos. This one was nine each. From there we got another jeepney to the O-Pon market in Lapu Lapu, which gave us a chance to have a look at another part of Cebu, and to do an hour's email. Internet cafes are all over the place here, and the one we used was the cheapest (at P15 - half the usual price) and the best - new equipment and fast connection.The next jeepney took us to some place that sounded like Skinner. From there we were assured that the only way to the airport was a taxi - for about 60 pesos. This sounded like a lot, considering we were not that far away. We started walking in the direction of the airport, and a local lady pointed out the yellow pick-up that would take us there for 6 pesos each. We still had plenty of time so we went to a nearby supermarket and bought some packets of dried mango to take back as presents for Yoong's tai-chi friends. (When we checked at the airport later we found they cost three times as much there.) We also bought a cold Red Horse beer which we shared sitting outside the supermarket.After a short trip on the yellow pick-up we reached the airport and went across to the Waterfront Casino where we won a small amount of money (P80) and had a café latte each from the free dispenser. At the airport we found there was a P550 airport tax, so we changed the last of our three A$50 notes, leaving us with a thousand pesos ready for our next trip. We didn't use any of the Hong Kong money we brought with us. Just as well as the rate is lousy, thanks to the low US dollar.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188546060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188546060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188546060/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:04:20 -0400 Cebu City Sojourn

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Sogod, Cebu, Philippines

Having covered the south yesterday, we decided we'd follow the road up north today. We skipped breakfast to get an early start and got a jeepney to SM mall and from there to the north bus terminal. The bus this time was an old dilapidated vehicle blaring out loud pop music, but we sat in front with the driver, which was more comfortable, less noisy and gave us a great view. For an absurdly low price, we had a two and a half hour ride along the east coast. As we drove along we saw thousands of school students lined up along the roadside at regular intervals, with flags ready to wave. Obviously they weren't there for us. Somebody important was about to pass by. We asked the friendly young driver about it, and gathered that they were waiting for somebody called Gwen. Eventually we saw a police escort with sirens blaring out and then an open car with a woman in the back. Gwen is presumably an important political figure, or perhaps a movie star, often the same thing in the Philippines, but she looked like a very ordinary person to us. We wondered about the wisdom of making school children miss a day's lessons to stand out in the sun waiting to wave flags at Gwen, no matter how important she is. For hours after this, we still saw children lining the road all along the way.When we reached Sogod, we asked the driver to drop us off at an eating place. We ate at a little roadside stall, trying the local food. It was nothing great, though the eggplant dish was good, and there was a reasonable pork chop. We thought it was a bit over-priced as it was almost as much as the wonderful lechon meal we had yesterday.We probably should have stayed on the bus all the way to the Allegre resort, as it was another four kilometers away, and, for the first time, we had rainy weather. We negotiated for a motor-tricycle to take us there. At the turnoff to the resort we were interrogated by the guards as to why we were going there, whether we had reservations, etc. We said we just wanted to have a look, so they took our names and phoned through to get permission. We then continued on our way to the entrance, where we had to write our names again. The driver could have taken us all the way to reception, but we decided to walk along the paths through the landscaped gardens. At reception we were given brochures about the resort written in the usual hyperbolic language. It was, admittedly, very attractive, but I could never bring myself to pay the exorbitant prices to stay in such a place. It was almost deserted, but there was a sprinkling of people at the beach, mainly young couples, probably honeymooners.We then took another bus back as far as Danae, where we hoped to have some lechon manok, chicken roasted on a rotisserie over charcoal, but there was nowhere to sit down and eat it. We went into a Jollibee restaurant, a very popular fast-food chain in the Philippines, to use their toilet, and Yoong asked the guard if we could bring some chicken with us to eat in the restaurant. The guard was a very friendly, jovial kind of person who welcomed us without hesitation. He told us the best place for lechon manok, but recommended we try the lechon pork from the nearby market. We explored the market, following people's directions to the one place that sold lechon, only to find it had sold out already. So we bought a chicken from the place the guard had recommended and took it back to Jollibee. The guard shook hands with us every time we went in and out. We assured him we would buy some coffee and fries from the restaurant. Unfortunately, despite "freshly brewed coffee" being on the menu, they didn't actually have any. The fries were just okay. We had some rice in pandan leaves that we got from the market, a bread roll from a bakery and Jollibee had unlimited hot and cold water, so we had a substantial afternoon tea.We walked around Argau, but did not take any photos of the lovely old church as there was a funeral taking place there. Our next transport was a jeepney that took a long time trying to get enough customers, and finally unloaded us onto another jeepney, which eventually got started. It dropped us at SM Mall so we spent some time looking around the vast array of shops and restaurants, then another jeepney back to the vicinity of our guest house. On the way we checked out two All-you-can-eat places, with a variety of local foods and drinks, at less than A$5 each, but we were not hungry enough tonight - maybe tomorrow. We just had some fruits that Yoong bought earlier (dukus) and a few buns from the bakery across the road.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188372900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188372900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188372900/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:03:37 -0400 Cebu City Sojourn

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Boljoon, Cebu, Philippines

We were up early, so we decided to get going. We both had the regular breakfast with fried eggs. Yoong's were supposed to be half-boiled, but they were like mine, fried but a bit runnier. We then found our way to jeepney 17B which the girl at reception told us would go to City Central School. From there we walked to the South Bus Terminal. We had decided to take a bus to Boljoon, about two and a half hours away and take whatever transport back we could find, stopping at Argao and Carcar.The bus was comfortable and air-conditioned - and expensive by Philippine standards. It passed through lush green countryside and along beautiful coastal scenery, the most spectacular being the last leg into Boljoon. We stopped at the old stone church, supposedly the oldest in Cebu, though a man we talked to there told us the Carcar church is even older. The church was under restoration so there was scaffolding everywhere. We also had a look at an old wooden building used as a school house during Spanish colonial days.We then took a bus back to Argao, another air-conditioned vehicle from the rival company. We sat right at the front and had a great view through the large windscreen. At Argau we visited the Church of San Miguel Arcangel, with its original organ brought from Mexico. The whole area surrounding the church is like a Spanish plaza. We also visited the Argau Hall of Justice, a colonial building which has been used for many purposes over the years.We were hungry by now so decided to find some lunch. There was a place specializing in lechon, a whole roast pig which is sold by the kilo. We ordered a quarter kilo with some rice and pickles, a substantial meal for less than A$2. It was absolutely superb, far better than any Chinese roast pork we've had at high prices. The skin was crunchy and the meat melted in our mouths, not too fatty and not salty as with a lot of Chinese pork - a truly memorable meal. (Apologies to any Muslims or Jews reading this.)The next transport we got was the cheapest, but least comfortable, a jeepney running between Argao and Carcar. At Carcar we explored the town plaza, in the shape of a rotunda with statues, and spent far too long trying to locate the so-called "Heritage Street", which was not named as such, a street with many old wooden Spanish-style houses and, in particular, the "Bahay na Tisa" (House of Tiles). We also had a look at the local church, once again surrounded by European-style structures and statues.Finally, we picked up a non-airconditioned bus back to Cebu City, which was just as comfortable as an air-con bus except that the driver drove like a maniac, taking little notice of school-zone warnings, on-coming traffic or anything else that might impede his progress. He did have a framed picture of Jesus above him so he probably felt that was protection enough. On the walk back from the bus terminal we stopped in at a fast food restaurant for a halo-halo. This is a popular Philippine dessert, which we had not tried before. It is very like the Malaysian ice kacang - crushed ice with coconut milk, red beans, corn, colourful sweets and, in this case, a scoop of yam ice-cream on top. A bit sweet for our taste, but quite refreshing. I tried to buy a coffee for Yoong, but their way of serving coffee was to give a cup of hot water and a packet of three-in-one. No way of having it without sugar so I had to return it. But we kept the hot water, which was enough to satisfy Yoong. At least at breakfast, the coffee, milk powder and sugar are all served separately along with the cup of hot water.We took a final jeepney ride back to Kukuk's Nest and we walked down the road to find an Internet café. The first one was full, but they directed us to one across the road. It was cheap at 15 pesos an hour but it couldn't access YouTube, and it kept doing weird things like opening lots of windows all by itself. We gave up on it and decided to go back. On the way we saw another place - a posh-looking place doubling as a pizza restaurant. We had to wait until a terminal was available, but it was a pleasant enough place to relax in, and I had a chance to get this journal up to date. After an hour of checking the forty-something e-mails we decided to stay for dinner and ordered a spaghetti bolognaise and chilli chips. No pizzas after yesterday's marathon. I ordered a Red Horse beer, which was on the menu, but, for some reason, they couldn't put the bottle on the table so they gave it to us in one and a half glasses. Very refreshing, and quite a decent meal, though the servings were a bit small.When we got back we discovered some changes in the bathroom. We had pointed out yesterday that the water in the basin was not going down, and noticed later in the day that two staff members were in there for some time trying to fix the problem. Now, suddenly, there is a new tap and new pipes. Very impressive in a country where many things tend to happen slowly, if at all.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188545100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188545100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188545100/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:02:49 -0400 Cebu City Sojourn

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Cebu City, Philippines

We carried a small bag each - cabin baggage only - so checking in was very quick. I got very little sleep on the flight, but Yoong slept soundly most of the way, after yelling at me for waking her up to fill in the immigration documents we were given soon after take-off. She complained that now she would not be able to get back to sleep, but she was out like a light in no time, while I made a vain attempt to sleep in an upright position in seats that, as usual, are just a bit small for me. Otherwise, the no-frills flight was easy enough.We arrived early, closer to 3 a.m. than 3:30. As we were in no hurry to go into town at this hour we delayed leaving the airport by looking for maps and other information. Two of the three brochures we were given turned out to be in Japanese though we were assured it was Japanese and English. Okay, there were a few odd words in English - but these brochures were totally useless. The other one has a basic map, which should give us some help in getting the layout of the city. We have brought an old Lonely Planet guide with us. Accommodation and restaurants will be out of date, but it will still be useful for the tourist sites. I also have a few pages of information from the internet.It didn't take us long to complete the immigration formalities. The only hitch was that the officer demanded to know what hotel we were staying in, and would not accept my explanation that we would find one when we got into town. So I wrote down Kukuk's Nest, a backpacker place that we intended to check out. He didn't even look at what I wrote. I suppose he'd already made his point. Yoong had already gone through with just "Hotel" written in the address section.As soon as we left the airport we were mobbed by taxi drivers clamouring for the honour of chauffeuring us into the city at prices that reduced rapidly but were still much higher than we wanted to pay. I had been advised by my more experienced colleague that it is best to cross over to the domestic terminal to get a taxi and to make sure they used the metre. Although we were assured that there was no alternative transport, we thought we would hang around for a while and see what turned up, so we retreated to the Waterfront Hotel and Casino opposite the airport to while away the early hours, wandering around looking at poker machines and drinking the water provided. This was handy because we had had to finish off our water in Hong Kong before going to the plane as no liquid is allowed these days. We talked to a guard outside the casino who told us quietly, when no taxi-drivers were in earshot, that we could take a yellow pickup out to the highway, where we could get a jeepney into town. It wasn't quite that simple, but we had a lot of time to kill, so it didn't bother us that it took four separate rides to get us to our destination, the vicinity of Ayala shopping mall, where we expected to find reasonable accommodation.Jeepneys are the main form of transport here, as in the rest of the Philippines. The standard fare anywhere in town is 6 pesos. They don't like to turn people away so they tend to get very crowded. There is always room to move up and squeeze another passenger in. Also I sometimes have a problem with my head being too close to the roof. However, they are very convenient and you never have to wait more than a few minutes for one to turn up. Their destinations are clearly marked and there are always English-speakers who can advise you where to get off if you are not sure. The method of payment takes a bit of getting used to. Sometimes you pay directly to the driver, otherwise there is a man hanging off the back trying to recruit customers, who also collects money. Sometimes there is a certain stage of the trip where everybody starts paying. Other times people pay shortly before they bang on the roof to signal they want to alight. The money is passed from one hand to another and the change, if any, is passed back again in reverse. It must be hard to know who has paid and who hasn't, but it all seems to work without any cheating going on.When we finally got to the Ayala area it was still very early, so we walked around trying to orient ourselves. We found our way to the Marriott Hotel and went in to freshen up and see whether there were any meals worth coming back for. Their breakfast buffet was about 500 pesos, which seemed a bit excessive. Security was tight and they checked our bags at the door and ran metal detectors over us. We eventually found some cheap hotels, none of which really appealed to us. We asked our way to Kukuk's Nest and checked out Myra's Pension just around the corner. The room there was the nicest we'd seen so far, with TV and air-con, but it had only a cold shower. At this stage we didn't realize that none of the cheaper hotels had hot water, and that in this climate it really wasn't necessary.As soon as we walked into Kukuk's Nest, with its reception in their garden restaurant, we liked it very much. They had an air-con room available and a fan-room for one night only. We looked at the fan-room first. No TV and no bathroom of our own. But the bathroom was just outside the room, and the room appealed to us. There were windows on both sides, well-protected by netting, and lots of tables and racks to put things on. The air-con room had one big bed and decent windows - also with the bathroom outside - but it just wasn't as nice as the other room. This room was in the other building. (There are two old wooden houses, with a total of eleven rooms.) We decided we would take the first room for a night and then move if we had to, but the lady did some juggling of bookings and managed to give us the room for the three nights. One thing we found when we were checking out accommodation is that nobody was prepared to lower the price. In China, the first price quoted - always lower than the written price - is just an opening gambit. It takes some time and skill to get them down to the real price, i.e. the lowest price that is still acceptable to them. Here the quoted price is as written and they will not budge on it even for extended stays. They would rather leave the room empty. It must be the European influence as there are very few countries in Asia where bargaining is not the normal way of operating.Breakfast was not included, but was half price for guests. It was just about time for breakfast so I had scrambled eggs on wheat-bread toast with bacon and coffee, while Yoong tried a Philippino breakfast with rice and beef - a bit too meaty for so early in the day. We also had a freshly-squeezed mango juice which cost as much as a whole breakfast - a little over an Australian dollar.I had read that Kukuk's Nest was a very old place with thin walls so I wasn't sure if Yoong would like it, but she agreed it was one of the best backpacker places we've ever stayed in. It is full of character, with high ceilings, creaking wooden staircases and surrealistic works of art in the rooms and corridors. It is so much better than any of the other places we saw, at half the cost. Of course the showers here are cold too, but now we've realized that doesn't matter.After breakfast we went out for a walk to explore the local area. We stopped in at the nearby Park Lane Hotel. We had a look at their lunch buffet which was already being prepared. The man we spoke to told us their specialty for lunch was lechon (roast whole pig) and he recommended we come early (by 11:30) to get the best of it. However we weren't impressed at his answer when we asked about salmon. They used to serve it, but now it was too expensive. We also didn't like the fact that the drinks we saw that went with their breakfast buffet were not included in the lunch - just tea or coffee. We missed the turnoff to Ayalah Mall, but this gave us the chance to walk past a lot of local restaurants, which we think we'd like to try some time. As we walked along this street suddenly there was a big splash, mainly on Yoong's umbrella, but it also got onto her arms. It must have been a very big bird above us. We went into one of the friendly street-side restaurants to clean up, and got rid of the worst of it. Fortunately being hit by bird-droppings is considered good luck for the Chinese.We eventually found our way to Ayalah Shopping Mall, where we did an hour's e-mail and looked around the modern shops and restaurants, quite a contrast to the streets outside. We ended up having an all-you-can-eat pizza and beer deal that didn't start until 2 p.m. We weren't hungry any earlier because of our substantial breakfast. The pizzas were rather plain - either sausage, tuna or mushroom, but with as much San Miguel draft beer as we wanted. Yoong wasn't impressed, but I thought it was a good deal for 150 pesos (about A$4).We then took a jeepney to Colon St downtown to have a look at some of the tourist sites. First was the Basilica del Santo Nino (Church of the Holy Infant), a lovely old buildings with carvings of the saints and a long queue (which we didn't join) to get up close to the statue of the infant Jesus. Nearby was Cebu's most famous landmark, Magellan's Cross, planted in 1521 at the spot where Christianity first came to the Philippines, through the baptism of 400 people, including Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana. The cross is displayed in a dome-like building, but it is not the actual cross, which was chipped away bit by bit as it was supposed to have magical powers. We had planned to go from there to the fort, but decided to call it a day as we were quite exhausted after an almost sleepless night. The fort can wait for another day. We took a jeepney back to our lovely guest house. We are getting better at finding the best place to get off.Maybe it was all the beer, but when I lay down at about 6:30 p.m. I went straight to sleep and didn't get up until twelve hours later.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188199320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188199320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/cebu2007/1188199320/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:02:10 -0400 Cebu City Sojourn

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hong Kong, China

Having come back to Hong Kong in time for the Form 1 Students and Parents Orientation Assembly a week before school starts, I found out that no meetings were allowed this week and that teachers were encouraged to have a break. After all, most of them have been coming in during the holidays to run various summer courses and other activities. We decided to take advantage of Cebu Pacific's cheap tickets and spend a few days in Cebu. One of my colleagues has been their several times with his family and is going back this week on his own to do diving. He will be returning on the same flight as us. One of his trips cost the grand sum of HK$1 each way (plus taxes of course). Our tickets were rather more at $300 there and $400 back each, still very cheap for an international flight. The only disadvantage is that this flight leaves tonight at 12:50 a.m. (so it's dated August 28) and arrives at about 3:30 a.m. Coming back is not so bad - late Friday night.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202910540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202910540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202910540/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:01:09 -0400 Perusing Perth

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Melbourne, Australia

We had the Miss Maud breakfast again, then did a bit more riding around on the free buses, and Yoong did an hour of email while I made use of the wonderful music collection at the library to find the words of some songs I have not been able to find on the internet. We waited outside the nearby Aaron Hotel for the airport shuttle, which came on time but was very smelly inside. We went to the ticket counter to see if we could change from the 3:15 flight to the 1:40 one. We were told that it was impossible to change at the airport, especially as we were on frequent flyer tickets. They were definitely not as friendly as the staff at Melbourne Airport. Then, as soon as we got to the check-in counter, there was an announcement for all Melbourne passengers to please go to counter 14. It turned out that our flight was over-booked and they urgently needed to change peoplr onto the earlier flight. Of course this flight was delayed due to the need to check in extra bags, but at least we should get to Melbourne in time to get public transport to somewhere near Wheeler's Hill. When we reached Melbourne we called our friend Vivian, who we had arranged to stay with, and took the Sky Bus to the city, then a train to Glen Waverley station, where Vivian picked us up. We will see a doctor tomorrow in the hope that we will be cleared to see our pregnant daughter-in-law, Rachael, and that Yoong will be able to go to Canberra to see our grandson.* * *The doctor advised us there could still be some small risk involved, so Yoong did not see Felix. We did not stay with Dylan and Rachael, but they came and picked us up to go out for dinner for the next two nights, and Yoong did move to their place at the end of her extra week in Melbourne. We enjoyed our trip to Perth, but would like to go back some time for a longer exploration of Western Australia, with adequate time to prepare properly. I have been back in Hong Kong for a week, looking forward to Yoong's return tomorrow night.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202823720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202823720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202823720/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:00:28 -0400 Perusing Perth

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Perth, Australia

Breakfast at Miss Maud's was a good as we had expected. Our tourist destination for today was the Perth Mint, where we saw a gold-pouring demonstration, different types of gold bars and replicas of various nuggets found in WA and other parts of Australia. We decided against having any lunch in between a smorgasbord breakfast and a smorgasbord dinner, which we had booked quite early at 6:30.The dinner was pretty similar to the lunch we had had there with the addition of some rather dubious oysters and some delicious yabbies. overall, a good meal. We watched Lateline on TV, which was mainly about tomorrow's apology from the government to the aboriginal population for what is known as "the stolen generation", when children, especially half-caste, were taken from their mothers to be "assimilated" into the white community, where many of them were abused and exploited.Raymond's Travel Page
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202734620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202734620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/raymondc/20/1202734620/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:59:43 -0400 Perusing Perth

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Perth, Australia

We moved into Miss Maud's Swedish Hotel this morning. We were too early to check into the room so we left our bags in storage and went out to find some lunch. We ate at Durty Nelly's Irish Pub which had a special lunch with a glass of wine thrown in. Yoong's fettucini was particularly good.We moved into our room just in time to have a visitor, Madeleine, who we had known in Brunei. She is now settled in Perth with a new husband, Ross, who is a jazz musician. We had tea in our room, as it was too hot downstairs, and ended up being invited to her place for dinner. We offered to bring cakes, so we went down to Miss Maud's famous pastry shop and let her choose. We bought a mud-cake and an apple strudel. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the pleasant room watching TV and having a sleep. It was just too hot to go out. Of course this is the danger I've always said comes with getting a nice hotel. It gets harder to go out and actually see things.We had booked an hour of internet at the library, so we went there early and swapped our sesion with a young Asian boy for five minutes of his time, just to check if there were any important mails, then took a train to the suburb of Claremont, where Madeleine had arranged to pick us up from the station at 7 pm. It was a very pleasant evening at a rather luxurious Perth suburban home. The meal was a delicious chicken curry with accompaniments of yoghurt and home-made chutney, with a smoked salmon entree, washed down with a couple of bottles of good Margaret River white wine. It was a rare treat for us to have a home-cooked meal. We had the strudel for dessert with home-made organic ice-cream. Back at the hotel we watched a movie on the plasma screen in the most comfortable bed we've had yet on this trip.Raymond's Travel Page
]]>