TravelStream™ news feed for member technotrekker on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/technotrekker en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:22:33 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1214003040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1214003040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1214003040/tpod.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:22:33 -0400 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

This is not an epic of exploration and adventure on faraway shores, or a chronicle of heroic sporting endeavour, nor vivid account of one great city's cultural tours. It's simply a tale of five men, battling obstacle and element in search of Dublin's drinking dens, and about 300 pints of what they call black gold in this part of the world - the one and only Guinness.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.01-wet.jpg" height="190"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.02-ua.jpg" height="190"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.03-town.jpg" height="190">The first twenty of those pints slipped down unobtrusively at a Baggott St folk music bar the Friday evening of our arrival in Dublin (a shame we were sitting right next to the unnecessarily amplified folk musician, but anyway). Lloyd had jetted in all the way from Melbourne for a conference on, of all things, the experience of first year university students, whilst Dave the birthday boy came from London, and Tom had picked me up in a groovy VW campervan in Edinburgh, before flying Clown Air to the Emerald Isle's capital. It was long time no see for some, and so two days of shenanigans had begun.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.04-pride1.jpg" height="118"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.05-prode2.jpg" height="118"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.06-bank1.jpg" height="118"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.07-vault.jpg" height="118">As I've done previously and completely accidentally elsewhere (Amsterdam, ten years ago), our visit coincided with the annual Gay Pride festival. It didn't have the leather-clad impact of it's Dutch cousin, but we didn't let that or the torrential rain falling that morning rain on our parade, because soon after a greasy brunch we picked the most salubrious pub on the main drag, the Bank Hotel, and set about some more serious Guinness consumption. As the name suggests it was a centre-of-town, high street bank branch, and a grand old place it remains now it's been converted to more liquid purposes. A towering and ornately finished arched roof ensures a steady stream of random passers-by nipping in for a quick photo and the giant safes guarding the loos are an interesting accompaniment in the basement. Pleasant surrounds to add to our tally. Fortunately the rain petered out some time after the floats had passed us by, so we left these secure confines with further beer-hunting in mind. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.08-temple1.jpg" height="125"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.09-temple2.jpg" height="125"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.10-temple3.jpg" height="125"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.11-liffe.jpg" height="125">Next stop was Temple Bar, the spiritual centre of a town where the tourists come primarily to get loaded. It's pretty cute down this way, but the prices are exorbitant when you're investing serious funds in black gold, so across the stinking Liffey (that's what the locals call it) we headed and into the northern half of the city.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.12-dank.jpg" height="155"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.14-g2.jpg" height="155"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.15-roy.jpg" height="155">Their southern brothers say this is most definitely the wrong side of the tracks, but due to more teeming rain and five rampant thirsts to slake, we ducked into an anonymous dive a block from the river and settled in for the afternoon. It took a while to get a beer here as management had to forcefully eject a noisy and disrespectful patron just after our 3pm arrival (no, it wasn't one of our band of merry men), but after that the beers flowed thick and fast until late that evening, whilst we sat and pondered the meaning of Irish life and the hideous but strangely compelling mosaic on the far wall. It might have been the beer goggles talking but that wall looked a helluva lot better just before we left. Fortunately (for us anyway, certainly not the restaurant staff) we managed to find an Italian restaurant to feed us after 11pm - or our finish in the wee hours would have been even more shambolic.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.16-baggot.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.17-scales.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.18-castle.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1214003040.13-g1.jpg" height="148"> Somehow others were up by 10 the next morning, so as the weather started to turn for the better we tried to be a little touristy and cultural. Not drinking anything other than Guinness for the past 48 hours got the better of us - such a persistent consumption of the viscous fermented beverage saw our ill-prepared stomachs churning and roiling in their attempts to digest litres of the toxic stuff. Roaming a little aimlessly in this state, some appreciated the Georgian terraces of Baggot St, the gardens of St Stephens Green and the strangely shaped castle precinct a little more that others, but finally we staggered into a fittingly ramshackle local pub and made ourselves comfortable for one final session before heading home.It took me many days to recover from this short trip, but recover I did with a couple more tall tales under my belt. Dublin is not a pretty city, but the people and heaving nightlife are certainly great craic. Many thanks to Dave, Lloyd, Tom and Alex for the many medicinal Guinness' we enjoyed and sometimes endured. I'll look forward to coming back one day to explore further afield in Ireland.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1209065700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1209065700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1209065700/tpod.html Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:49:30 -0400 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Sydney, Australia

As I mentioned in the previous post, rain made its presence felt for most of our visit to Australia - which we can't complain about as any rain is welcome in most parts down under. Fortunately for us the showers generally timed themselves pretty well for our outdoor activities, despite the heavy grey and scudding clouds that seemed constantly overhead. They put a little edge on the temperature but we managed to keep our days busy visiting friends and checking out some of the iconic sights in the further reaches of Sydney - places like Bondi, Manly, Palm Beach and the Blue Mountains - most of which I'll cover in this blog.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.66-bm1.jpg" height="185"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.67-whiteout.jpg" height="185"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.68-wo2.jpg" height="185">With limited time, we couldn't get to places like Queensland or Tasmania to see some of the really spectacular sights Australia has to offer, but the Blue Mountains 80km west of Sydney is a pretty good substitute. That is unless a thick mist has enveloped the whole mountain in an impenetrable fog making it impossible to view the various rock formations or walk the hiking trails Katoomba is famous for. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.69-pies.jpg" height="142"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.70-cuddle.jpg" height="142"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.71-rising.jpg" height="142">It was a couple of days and nights very well spent by this newly betrothed couple however. Lurline House was a great place to shack up against the elements and the food, local galleries, shops and chocolate museums kept us out of moisture's way, in between dashes down to Echo Point to see if the mist had lifted.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.72-expanse.jpg" height="190"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.73-aww.jpg" height="190">Most times it hadn't, but late on our last full day in Katoomba it seemed to get brighter as we sat on the B&B's verandah and finished eating some very tasty meat pies, with even some blue sky starting to peek through the cloudy murk. So I grabbed Karen by the hand and off we went to try the now-fabled scenery one last time.As she put it, "it's like the Grand Canyon but with trees". I haven't actually been to the Grand Canyon, but I guess it is, because the sheer sandstone faces fall away hundreds of metres into the richly carpeted valley floors below, which makes it a pretty spectacular view all told. At least it was for the 10 minutes or so that the rain and mist held off anyway, because not long after these photos were taken than it started to rapidly close in again. So at least 100 or so tourists got to see the Three Sisters and their surrounds that wet and woolly week, and fortunately that included us.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.50-bondi1.jpg" height="188"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.51-bondi2.jpg" height="188"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.53-manly2.jpg" height="188">Although Bondi is on the wrong side of the river for north shore types, sitting just outside the southern 'head' of Sydney Harbour it's a must see with British tourists in tow - and one of the best places to do this is the Bondi Icebergs (swimming) Club. The ultra-chic restaurant on the top floor confuses things a little and hence I hadn't eaten in the establishment before, but I thought meeting old school mate Si in the downstairs bistro for a tidy brunch would kill a couple of birds with one stone. The sun came out more than the photos suggest and Karen, Si and myself were impressed by the views, casual atmosphere and great nosh available to enjoy on the narrow balcony overlooking all those diehard icebergs (swimmers) in the arctically-hued pool and the dedicated surfers and bathers in the bracing waves beyond. We didn't quite make the sand of Bondi Beach after our meal due to one of those autumn showers, instead opting to keep the fleeces on and retreat to the car, but Karen seemed to get the picture - Bondi is pretty impressive on a good day. Next time we'll get on down when the sun is shining.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.52-manly1.jpg" height="195"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.54-manly3.jpg" height="195">Manly is directly opposite Bondi on the northern side of the Harbour opening, another beach icon with an art deco style that was a must stop on a magical mystery tour of the Northern Beaches another day. To my mind the northern beaches are one of the best kept secrets of Sydney, with few visitors making it anywhere along this 30km stretch of gilded sand surf beaches. Finding a park in Manly is difficult whatever the weather but once that was achieved we checked out a few of the aboriginal art galleries along the Corso (some of the new artistic styles were quite fetching), then topped the visit off with a $4 gourmet ice-cream. In times gone by a visit to this end of town would have entailed about 10 beers and little else of cultural merit, which may be one more little piece of evidence of my changed ways. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.56-beaches1.jpg" height="150"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.57-beaches2.jpg" height="150"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.58-beaches3.jpg" height="150">Anyhoo, heading further north along the beaches found us checking out the sights and sounds of my formative years (well, til 16 or so when I discovered women and the pub). Expansive and generally uncrowded beaches like Narrabeen and Long Reef were where parents took carefree young nippers like my sister and I, and it was good to see that each one had little changed in the more than 20 years that had passed since those early memories of Aussie beach culture. As you can see it was a little rugged out in the water that day, with most beaches closed to bathing.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.59-palm1.jpg" height="142"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.60-palm2.jpg" height="142"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.61-churchp.jpg" height="142">Our tour of the northern beaches ended at their furthest reaches with the deceptively named Palm Beach. There's plenty of high-spec housing and water views on each side of the Barrenjoey Peninsula but little in the way of palm trees, or evidence that the soap Home and Away is actually filmed here. Still, a nice stop for lunch amongst the super-rich holiday houses all the same. A little west from Palm Beach and you can find the more aptly named West Head. It's quite a drive around from the sea front, through hamlets like Church Point that, apart from some new and very modern architecture that Karen was cooing at, gives a better idea of Australian coastal living than the mansions you see precariously perched along cliff-lines overlooking the Northern Beaches. It looks pretty relaxing up here, pootling around in your tinny (small boat with outboard) to pick up the milk and paper in the morning, even though it probably isn't quite that serene for residents up here now with the ever-encroaching rush of Sydney life. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.62-whead1.jpg" height="195"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.63-whead2.jpg" height="195"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.64-whead3.jpg" height="195">West Head is part of the 154 square km Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Broken Bay, the lovely waterway on which Church Point sits and which is the other side of the Barrenjoey Peninsula from the ocean facing Palm Beach. It's quite elevated as evidenced by the sea plane cruising by at head height, and gives marvellous views of Lion Island in the Hawkesbury River estuary, some Central Coast beaches north up Brisbane Water, Barrenjoey Point (and lighthouse) and south down Pittwater. A lovely part of the world indeed - even the bandicoots think so - as long as a bushfire isn't blazing through it.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.15-koala1.jpg" height="191"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.16-koala2.jpg" height="191"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.17-koala3.jpg" height="191">One of the major objectives of Karen's visit to Australia was to meet some wildlife - in particular kangaroos and koalas - so the trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to Koala Park at Pennant Hills. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.18-wombat.jpg" height="132"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.19-spikey.jpg" height="132"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.20-kanga1.jpg" height="132">I was pretty surprised at this place, as you're allowed to pet the koalas at no extra charge (unlike Taronga Zoo on the harbour) and they don't mind you wandering amongst and patting the male kangaroos in their enclosure. As an Aussie you generally grow up thinking that koalas are stinky and unpleasant creatures, prone to crabbiness if disturbed from what seems like 23 hours of sleep per day, whereas kangaroos are certainly not the type of animals you go up to an cuddle as they are more likely to disembowel you with a swift kick of their hind legs, or maniacally jump in front of your car as both of you travel at speed. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.20-kanga2.jpg" height="146"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.21-wallaby.jpg" height="146"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.22--emu.jpg" height="146"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1209065700.23-cassowary.jpg" height="146">So being able to do both and see the fuzzier, furrier side of these wildlife icons - all the while meeting a large variety of other distinctly Australian critters including echidnas, wallabies, emus, wombats, fruit bats, parrots and cassowaries up close and personal - made it a great day. I think the inquisitive male wombat might have ended up the group favourite and Karen certainly enjoyed spending time with the cuddly and not too smelly koala. All that in two jet-lagged weeks made for some pretty high impact travelling. Two months to actually get the blogs done is less impressive but it really is a lot harder than expected to write compellingly about somewhere you've lived all your life (even if it is somewhere special like Sydney). I'll have to get back to new destinations, so join me next time in Dublin.Cheers!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1208961960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1208961960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1208961960/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:18:22 -0400 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Sydney, Australia

Greetings everyone - I hope you are well.It has been a while on the blog front, not helped by the fact that this particular entry has been extremely difficult to write. After all, it's not every day that you return to your homeland as a tourist after almost three years away, nor is it that you make life-changing decisions like the ones I've been making recently. More on those shortly, but rest assured I expect this to live up to the same questionable standards as the rest of the blog, without resorting to sensationalism and despite the belated nature of the entries.In hindsight it wasn't a particularly bright idea to organise a brief two week return home, on the other side of the planet and a solid 24 hours away by plane. Especially when the home country in question is so expansive and full of interesting places and people needing to be seen. Even since I hadn't done the kangaroo route home in nigh on five years, nor with my sweetie in tow, so when the jet lag kicked in it wiped out a significant portion of our stay. 'Mad' I think someone put it at the time, and between synchronised yawns we had to agree.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.01-bridge.jpg" height="128"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.02-ferry.jpg" height="128"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.03a-sign.jpg" height="128"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.03-opera1.jpg" height="128"> But Karen and I got out there anyway. The grandeur of the Bridge and Opera House was un-diminished in my absence and broke through the intermittent showers that greeted us harbourside that day. Despite the weather (which coincedentally turned sour as we entered the holding pattern and circled above Sydney on arrival and didn't dissipate again until the day before our departure), Karen was most impressed by the Harbour's aquatic vistas that lay before us in all directions. Every book you read about the city gushes praise for its splendour and so crossing the bridge on foot that morning it was great to introduce Karen to some of its many facets, whilst appreciating them in ways I'd partially forgotten due to a lifetime of familiarity myself. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.04-rocks.jpg" height="142"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.05-opera2.jpg" height="142"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.06-opera3.jpg" height="142"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.07-opera4.jpg" height="142">Down into The Rocks we descended for a quick glimpse at the further reaches of Sydney's brief history - now largely glossed over by a sophisticated and cosmopolitan city's coming of age. Once a cliff-line overlooking the Tank Stream (Sydney's first fresh water source) and the more pleasant lands of Sydney Cove where the scum and villainy of the first fleet were banished to labour, The Rocks is now an urban jungle of tourist pap, hotels and bars. Hadn't changed a bit it seemed and a quick stop at Ken Done's gallery summed up the brashness of the area. Judging by my sweetie's crinkled up (but very cute) nose, his work is obviously not to everyone's tastes.Back onto the shores of the Harbour and the Opera House, via Circular Quay, was the next goal. En-route we collected Karen's friend Nicki, residing here for the rest of the year, before having a boozy lunch in order to dodge another rain shower. What's that saying - when in Sydney, do as the locals do? I was feeling right at home by now.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.08-opera5.jpg" height="158"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.08-opera6.jpg" height="158"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.11-bats.jpg" height="158">Architects come from across the globe to witness the Opera House and it's not difficult, even after forty years, to see why. Where other iconic buildings elsewhere rely on a level of theatrics, garnish and over-design to make their statement, the Opera House has a restrained simplicity that pervades all aspects of its existence - the flexibility of its various spaces, the easy way visitors interact with it both internally and externally, its seemingly effortless maintenance, the way it complements and enhances its environment, and obviously its breathtaking design - regardless of whether you're right next to it, or viewing from afar.After debating that eternal question (waves, sails, shells???) we managed took a peek in the little two-sailed structure that sits guard of the main halls and overlooks the forecourt, before busting into the tail end of a matinee to check out the internals of one of the main theatres. Karen was particularly impressed with the tiling (need to get her out more often methinks :-), so a production of hippy-type people on four enormous bendy poles nearby was about the only way Nicki and I could drag her away. Well, that and the promise of giant spiders and fruit bats in the Botanics...<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.10-bridge2.jpg" width="550"> Dusk is a magical time in Sydney and the best way to see it is on the ferries. Probably one of the best (and best value) tourist attractions is the Manly ferry on a warm sunny day to get to Manly, then a jet-cat ride returning to the Quay at dusk as the lights of the sky-scrapers light up. Beeautiful. Unfortunately we didn't get round to that this trip, but a quick ride across to Luna Park to catch up with my mates for a pub quiz at the Kirribilli Hotel was a great introduction to this mode of transport anyway. Next time...<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.12-lights.jpg" height="150"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.13-luna.jpg" height="150"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.14-summit.jpg" height="150">Now I'd better come clean on these momentous, life changing commitments I guess. Someone is going to pick it up from the next photo anyway (well spotted Kirky ;-). I'd brought my wonderful girlfriend Karen to Australia to introduce her both to my home and my friends (as the family had already met and fell for her). However in the lead up to departure it occurred to me that a simple question would make the whole journey all the more special, so in the lead up to departure I enlisted my sister's help in finding the necessary item (sparkly engagement ring) and gave thought to where I might pop the question. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.13a-climb.jpg" height="157"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.24-dh1.jpg" height="157"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.26-anz1.jpg" height="157">It was at the Summit restaurant, not atop the Bridge, that I asked for Karen's hand in marriage, and despite it not going quite according to plan (she was half-frozen from the air-con actually), she found her voice and the answer was a definitive yes. Something that I couldn't envisage ever happening a couple of years ago in my D&M entry days has now come so naturally, which goes to show what travel, a blog and a more worldly outlook can do for you. I shan't go into further details for fear of getting all mushy but suffice it to say that we're both looking forward to May 2009 and the big day!<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.25-dh2.jpg" height="125"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.27-anz2.jpg" height="125"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.28-anz3.jpg" height="125">With the big news announced to all and sundry that weekend, and celebrated with 30-40 close family friends toward the end of our stay, all that was left was to do was to enjoy the sunshine that finally broke through the cloud cover for ANZAC Day. ANZAC Day in Sydney is a far cry from the sombre events held on the Gallipolli Peninsula (as I related via blog around this time in 2006). Here it is a celebration of our service-people and a homage to the spirit embodied in our diggers since 1915.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.29-anz4.jpg" height="145"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.30-anz5.jpg" height="145"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.31-anz5.jpg" height="145"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.32-darkbbq.jpg" height="145">Despite the dolly birds tossing the coins it's not all pretty - to be honest from about 2pm it descends into loosely contained anarchy - but the beer drinking and 2 Up (a coin toss based game of chance only legal on ANZAC Day) is anticipated with relish each year as summer winds down. We celebrate with the Syndicate at Cargo Bar in Darling Harbour and it was great to be amongst old mates a final time on this trip, despite loosing a mint in the 2 Up pit and the predictably heavy head that results the morning after. Better luck next year guys and thanks to all for a great day. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.32-house1.jpg" height="145"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.33-kooka.jpg" height="145"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.34-pool1.jpg" height="145"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.36-shorts.jpg" height="145">One of the simple pleasures I was looking forward to introducing Karen to was a traditional Aussie barby (that's BBQ - not to be confused with the Australiana Barby doll with designer cork hat). Mum and Dad have a fantastic oasis in the bush on the city's North Shore, which is a pleasure to stay in by itself, so when the sun finally shone bright on the last day we took the opportunity and chowed down on some tasty (quite expensive) Australian moo steaks. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.37-spider.jpg" height="157"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.35-barby.jpg" height="157"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.38-bush.jpg" height="157">George and Marg from down the street came down (after hosting us brilliantly twice before during our stay) and that day, for me anyway, embodied much about our lifestyles and culture down under - the perfect expression of both which I'm very glad Karen was able to experience in the short time she was there.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.39-bush2.jpg" width="270"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.40-scrubbies.jpg" width="270">Next entry &gt; more stuff from Australia, out and around Sydney.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1120071300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1120071300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1120071300/tpod.html Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:26:57 -0400 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Sydney, Australia

My last full entry covers a couple of wet but wonderful weeks back home in Sydney. To chuck another shrimp on the barby, and check out the resulting wedding ring bling, click the bridge below: <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1208961960.10-bridge2.jpg" width="405">The rest details one serious overland odyssey - a journey of a lifetime covering 30 countries in 380 days. It's a long story so if you're looking for something in particular, skip to: - Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong, Mongolia, Russia, Estonia, Sweden and Denmark, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy/Sicily, Malta, Tunisia, France, Spain, Portugal, UK Click an image to visit or see below for personal favourite and summary entries. <img height="152" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.34-nl1.jpg"> <img height="152" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1178815800.05-sunset1.jpg"> <img height="152" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1130801640.17-toke.jpg"> <img height="124" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1149871920.21-ross.jpg"> <img height="124" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1148915100.07-etna.jpg"> <img height="124" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1148391780.15-ww3.jpg"> <img height="124" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1141901880.11-donkey.jpg"> <img height="153" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1146078900.38-rush.jpg"> <img height="153" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1144919100.42-domes.jpg"> <img height="153" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1135393200.15-mobile.jpg"> My personal favourite entries: It may have been the experience or the people, the photos or the way it was written. Whatever the reason, here are some of my favourite entries (listed in no particular order). - El Alamein: Fortunes of War - Koh Phi Phi: Temptation Island - Santorini: Life on the edge of a super volcano - Riung on Flores (Indonesia): O come all ye travellers - The Middle East: parting thoughts - Lake Baikal: Pearl of Siberia - Luang Prabang: Jewel of the Mekong - Chios: Destroy the church - with fireworks! - the White part of the Western (Libyan) Desert - Sagres: heaven on a stick - Ice Hotel: Nice 'n' Icey <img height="153" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1134740580.02-dadnme.jpg"> <img height="153" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1137057900.21-apteek.jpg"> <img height="153" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1131318540.06-jadebud.jpg"> <img height="120" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1128388800.09-monkeys.jpg"> <img height="120" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1133560140.13-contrast.jpg"> <img height="120" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1132824000.03-skulls2.jpg"> <img height="198" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1121050020.0004-15-me-n-rock.jpg"> <img height="198" alt="Ross about to be dinner" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1124243400.12-dinner.jpg"> <img height="138" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1135483320.25-frosty.jpg"> <img height="138" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1131608100.22-snakes.jpg"> <img height="138" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1130984520.04-fish1.jpg"> Summary entries include: - Answers to that question - my favourite place(s) - Travel philosophies - Parting thoughts on the Middle East - Parting thoughts on Egypt - Realities of long-term travel in winter - Parting thoughts on Russia - Riding the rails on the Trans Mongolian/Siberian - 24 hours of hell - Crossing from Laos to Cambodia overland - Parting thoughts on Myanmar - Parting thoughts on Indonesia - A yacht life - cruising the high seas <img height="143" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1165780620.02-trump1.jpg"> <img height="143" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1150824240.09-casa9.jpg"> <img height="143" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1168709220.12-donan.jpg"> <img height="143" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1151333820.17-fixed.jpg"> <img height="152" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1139732820.12-happy.jpg"> <img height="152" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1137691920.19-pbox.jpg"> <img height="152" src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1130301960.09-surrounds.jpg"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1130801640.08-budross.jpg" width="265"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1138284000.06-roll.jpg" width="265"> If you are interested in the technologies I used to produce this blog, please see these entries: - Technotrekker Travel Technologies - Hardware - Technotrekker Travel Technologies - Software
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1212427740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1212427740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1212427740/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:37:55 -0400 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

Marp
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1202492100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1202492100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1202492100/tpod.html Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:30:28 -0500 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Zürich, Switzerland

Greetings all - hope you are well.It's been 'long time, no blog' for me as the last few months have been a bit of a renovation and travel whirlwind - all in between and around Christmas and New Year festivities. Yikes. In many cases Karen and I have been working seven days a week to get the new flat renovated (plus finishing the current flat so it is ready to let), leaving us physically and mentally shattered for the last wee while. Throw in two trips to New York and this most recent jaunt to Zürich and I'm pretty much at the end of my wick. Fortunately it will all be over soon, but it means this entry will be a little shorter than usual. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.01-lake.jpg" width="270"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.02-chess.jpg" width="270">This was my first visit to Zürich and what looks to be a very lovely Switzerland in general. Unfortunately it was on business, and since our Swiss hosts seemed to work the ungodly hours of 8am to 6pm on each of the three days we were there, Drake (my boss) and I didn't get to see too much of it save the view of the alps buzzing by on approach to land. Still, there was the opportunity to cruise this small city of 380,000 souls by night, so hence the title of this little piece. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.03-trams.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.04-central.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.05-waterline.jpg" height="148">Being based in Oerlikon, a business and residential district 15 minutes from the city centre, the first thing we did busting out of work each night would be to hit the trams and cruise into town. These trams are great, mellowing out arterial traffic whilst still getting its passengers around a compact street plan quickly and efficiently. Seeing as though Edinburgh is in the process of installing trams, I was particularly interested to see how they operate in a similarly-sized city, and was definitely pleased with the results. Now I've got to help convince the other 99.9% of Edinburgh residents they're not such a bad thing. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.06-church1.jpg" height="178"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.07-church2.jpg" height="178"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.08--skyline2.jpg" height="178"> Zürich is built along the River Limmat and around the Lake Zürich, into which the river flows. Apparently in several recent surveys Zürich has been named the city with the best quality of life in the world, and frankly it's not hard to see why. Around town the alpine farming environment seems pristine, whilst in the city all is very clean and ordered, with an amazing amount of well preserved medieval architecture (it paid to be neutral in WWII) and with a level of wealth that you rarely come by even within Europe - especially from a country's main city. We marvelled at the crystal clear waters of the nicely lit river one night - you don't see the bottom of a metropolitan river very often!<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.09-tiles.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.10-cute.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.11-moo.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.12-cigar.jpg" height="148"> Although churches dominate the skyline and religion is important here, it becomes obvious from walking the streets that certain other liberties are allowed to be practiced relatively freely - even within the Old Town, which caters for well-heeled tourists and seemingly conservative locals alike. Many of the shop facades are highly ornate and showcase everything from the finest in Cuban cigars to the predictably vast array of Swiss timepieces. More surprising was the openly advertised porn shops, clubs and cinema on most streets. I myself was looking for a private bank or two to stash my loot, however they were few and far between after hours. They must take their sandwich boards off the pavement over night.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.13-stusshof.jpg" height="130"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.14-clock.jpg" height="130"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.15-flower.jpg" height="130"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.16-winter.jpg" height="130">After all that futile searching for banking havens, the metre long Kanonputzer sausages available at the local Zeughauskeller (old Armoury converted into a restaurant and beerhall) should have been more appetizing. We certainly ate well each evening, from a fine selection of weiners the first evening to the obligatory fondue on our last. I was most impressed by the steak restaurant that second night however - as soon as we walked in they said, 'we only serve steak' and when we said that was fine, they re-warned us with 'we only serve one type of steak'. Maybe it was a language barrier thing, but whaddawe look like - nancy boys? 'We came to eat steak and we'll eat steak!' Unless you're vego, you've gotta love the concept of a one dish restaurant - especially when it is steak!<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.17-weiner.jpg" height="157"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.18-fondue.jpg" height="157"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.19-statue.jpg" height="157">It was on the tram home with a belly full of moo that we noticed a final strange thing about this place - the high proportion of be-crutched people around Zürich (I am sure 'be-crutched' is not a word, but you have to admit it is pretty descriptive). Anyway, I could have sworn at least one in ten of the population is hobbling around on some sort of frame, crutch or walking contraption. But since it is well and truly winter and the population is generally fit, vigorous and not particularly goofy-looking, most of these must be ski-related injuries. Obviously even the healthy and vital Swiss have their clumsy moments...<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1202492100.20-skyline3.jpg" width="550"> From the tourist brochures I picked up Zürich looks like a gorgeous place in the sunshine, but we were pretty happy with the look of it even by night. Maybe next time then.cheers,tt
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1194552720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1194552720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1194552720/tpod.html Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:43:52 -0500 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Reykjavík, Iceland

How time flies when you're having fun. Karen and I were both surprised that a year has gone by since we started seeing each other, and because of work and house commitments the recent few months have passed by particularly quickly. To mark the special occasion I thought a nice long weekend away would do the trick, and even though it would be a late-autumn adventure, Iceland might be the place to go. Once it was all booked I tried to keep it secret, but a new blog entry published to the internet in a moment of inebriated weakness spoiled that. Oh well, at least Karen knew to bring some winter woollies along - she would have been quite blue and goosebumpy in a bikini otherwise. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.01-hostile.jpg" height="150"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.02-barren.jpg" height="150"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.03-mossy.jpg" height="150">Karen had stopped over at Keflavik airport numerous times before, en-route to Boston when she was completing architectural studies there. That meant she was somewhat prepared for the scale and feel of the place. I was amazed looking out the window of the plane on approach, because it took a long time to cross the island (I guess it's about 500km across) and also because of its generally barren, tundra-like appearance. Apparently 80% of Iceland's landmass is glacial waterways cutting through mountainous lava deserts, so despite being a relatively small island, it has a vastness to it that you rarely get in Europe. Taking the road into Reykjavik from the remote airport compounds the feeling - miles and miles of lava fields slowly disintegrating under a blanket of beautifully green and verdant moss. Very strange indeed.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.04-bjorn.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.05-sculpt.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.06-rent.jpg" height="148">We quickly decided to hire a car and ended up with 'Bjorn' the banged up Toyota Yaris, a left-hand(ed drive) nordic cousin to Karen's 'Yogi' the Yaris we drive around in at home. The poor thing had 'Reported Damage' stickers all over him, but all that really did was encourage us to charge straight into the rugged countryside to take a closer look at the remarkable scenery in this corner of the island. Massive rents in the lava crust, caused by millennia of severe temperature changes, pock the wilds out here, as do countless stone piles very reminiscent of the cairns that dot the Scottish highlands. These had been taken a step further along the airport road, with giant but simply primitive stone figures rising up on high-points along the road, constructed in modular form much like you would building a snowman. These were eerily striking rising out of the flat plains along the roadside to say the least. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.07-bleak.jpg" height="141"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.08-cairn.jpg" height="141"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.09-wastes.jpg" height="141"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.10-hehe.jpg" height="141"> No more than 20 kilometres outside the capital, heading due east, and the road seemed to get snowy and icy very quickly. We were heading toward an inaccessible interior, and more of the same lay up ahead, including snow covered mountains cloaked in a dull wintry haze. This made us more than a little nervous as Bjorn edged down the road and few vehicles, mainly large 4WDs, passed us in either direction. Even after seeing another small call being towed from its snowy resting place on the side of the road we soldiered on, and after a few hours travelling at slow speed over some hair-raising terrain we reached our initial destination - the aptly name Geyser!(Quick travelling tip here - if it is winter and you're not driving in a 4x4, avoid the equivalent of 'B' roads which have route numbers comprising of 3 digits (e.g. route 365). Even if it looks a lot further 'as the crow flies', stick to the two digit route (35, 37 etc) and you will have a flatter and less stressful drive, with less likelihood of having to camp in your frozen car once you skid off the road. Well done sweetie for navigating us safely along my B road route.) <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.11-steamin.jpg" height="188"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.12-biggeyser.jpg" height="188"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.13-plume.jpg" height="188">Back to good old Geyser, which happens to be the source of the word that has been adopted into the English language with a definition something like "a strange geologic phenomena where the Earth belches steaming water out of cracks in its surface with uncanny regularity". Well, this is exactly what happens here anyway, an area containing a number of geysers and superheated pools within a few acres of land on the side of a random low hill. Strokkur geyser is the most regular, blasting a tower of water and steam dozens of metres into the air every 4-7 minutes or so. Woohoo - thar she blows again! The photos don't really do it justice so watch an almost complete video of it blowing its stack here. Apparently 'Lil geyser' and the big kahuna 'Geyser' also let loose every hour or two, but since it was so cold standing around watching pools of tantalisingly hot water, we didn't catch either doing their thing. Not to worry, Strokkur was great value and well worth the danger getting to it. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.14-frozen.jpg" height="265"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.15-gulfross.jpg" height="265">A few clicks further inland and we found Gulfross waterfall, at the end of the passable road before it heads into the glacial fields of the island's interior. We weren't prepared for the scale of this either, as it seems (to an Australian at least) like half of Iceland's water must be tipping down this monster river plain and over one enormous waterfall, in all its raging glory. Although probably not as big as Niagara or the like, the volume and noise of the cascading water is truly immense, and the snap frozen spray that covers everyone and everything is a novel sight too. Despite leaden clouds overhead we had three words for Gulfross - "that was awesome" - so get there if you can. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.16-prong.jpg" height="126"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.17-th.jpg" height="126"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.18-kirk.jpg" height="126"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.19-peacelight.jpg" height="126">We took a much safer route back to Reykjavik that evening and by 6pm it was well and truly dark (I would have expected it to get dark earlier, but the compromise is it gets light later in the morning, say 9.30am in early November) but we still had a chance to check out some of the cute traditional architecture that is now being overtaken by the cutting-edge Scandinavian design that Karen was quite impressed by. The Viking longboat sculpture on the harbour foreshore summed this design aspect up for me - simple, edgy, progressive and magnificent in its conception and execution.One more note on Rekkers after dark - the Imagine Peace Tower beaming from nearby Videy island. It was erected by Yoko Ono as 'a beacon for peace' and is only lit between October 9 (John Lennon's birthday) and December 8th (the date of his death) each year. Multiple shafts of (geothermally powered) light emerge from a wishing well to form one tower of light that pierces the heavens (or clouds, whichever prevails on the night) and at the base the words 'Imagine Peace' are inscribed in 24 languages. I'm not sure why Yoko chose Reykjavik to host it, but it is a nice crown to the capital and worth looking out for if you're in town at the right time of year.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.20-prong2.jpg" height="111"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.21-day1.jpg" height="111"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.23-graf1.jpg" height="111"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.22-day2.jpg" height="111"> Reykjavik looks smaller and more stark during the daylight hours, which is I guess a result of winter fast approaching. Still, there's plenty of shopping to do if you can afford the prices and some cool design to see around town - there's many artistic and culinary delights to taste along with the architectural. You also get a better appreciation of the landscape around town - it's like the populace is clinging to the edge of this harsh land, with snow covered mountains off in the distance trying to push mankind into the sea... <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.24-cath1.jpg" height="137"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.25-cath2.jpg" height="137"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.26-lean.jpg" height="137"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.27-graf2.jpg" height="137"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.28-mod.jpg" height="137">One bizarre structure that is a must see is the Hallgrimskirkja Church, an austere and imposing Catholic cathedral situated on a prominent hill overlooking the city centre and Tjornin lake. First conceived in the late 1930s, it seems to have been built over a long period of time and was only completed in its current form in the late 1980s. Always the architecture nerd, Karen studied some of the internal columns and deduced that it may be largely of steel construction, rendered with some sort of material which gives it a concrete appearance, certainly on the inside but also possibly outside as well. Now that you know that you'll be less likely to get your tongue stuck to it in the depths of winter I hope...From an Arctic climate outside one comes into what is mistaken at first to be an equally cold and austere interior, however the natural light that bathes the cavernous space and the elaborate under-floor and wall heating system makes it a surprisingly pleasant place of worship. Still, we had left the best until last so after a final traipse around the design district we were off into the wilds again (via a few space-age housing complexes).<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.29-blue1.jpg" width="270"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.30-blue2.jpg" width="270">The Blue Lagoon is a seriously steaming collection of geothermal pools south of the capital and within touring distance of the airport, making it one of the more novel and refreshing short stopover destinations you will find on a long haul flight anywhere in the world (Icelandair do offer perfectly timed 2-3 hour tours on their trans-Atlantic flights). <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.31-blue3.jpg" height="192"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.32-blue4.jpg" height="192"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.33-blue5.jpg" height="192">It's actually a seawater spring located many miles inland - a bizarre force of nature resulting in a startling water colour and texture that is deliciously warming and silky to the senses. It makes for the perfect bathing pool and a very happy ending to a long day of sightseeing or travelling. We lolled about in it for at least two hours, along with dozens of other visitors, and at no time was the pool even close to being full. The facilities are first class and the environment (excepting the geothermal power plant next door) is pristine. We were so pleased we even stayed for a first class meal in the restaurant overlooking the pools. It is a little touristy, but if you only go to one place in Iceland, this really should be it. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.34-nl1.jpg" width="270"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.35-nl2.jpg" width="270">No trip to Iceland in winter would be complete without an adventure to see the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the 'Northern Lights'. To be honest, after not seeing them in the far north of Sweden in perfect conditions when I was there last, I wasn't holding out too much hope of seeing them by simply driving a few kilometres out of Reykjavik and looking upwards. However the hotel manager pointed to the dodgy B-road that we'd taken the first day to Geysir and said that if you head up there towards midnight we had a very good chance of seeing them, and in the end he wasn't wrong.Pretty spooky, certainly amazing and definitely visible even if we weren't beyond the halo of the of the city lights. The luminescent green rainbow arching above was a final, lasting vision of Iceland that typifies the haunting beauty of this gem of a place. We only saw a fraction of Iceland in reality - you would have to spend weeks travelling around the island and into its centre to see everything it has to offer - so if I do make it back one day I'll be pretty happy about that.Great Brands of the WorldCouldn't resist this one. A very tasty amber ale as well... <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1194552720.35-viking.jpg" height="200">A main meal is likely to cost you £25 in Iceland but the food is great. Halibut is a new favourite fish dish and the Arctic Char fish also tasted was pretty good too. Good Skyr (milky yogurt) is delicious and Icelandic hotdogs and lamb shanks are A+ as well. Just avoid the chicken dishes, as it seems to be as expensive as beef fillets or lobster most places!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1189005360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1189005360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1189005360/tpod.html Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:32:12 -0400 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Llangollen, United Kingdom

Well I've finally recovered from all the boozing this trip seemed to entail, as well as an onslaught of work that was waiting for me on my return, to find some time to write up the recent narrow-boating challenge. Apologies to my distinguished co-pilots for the wait, and also thank you guys for inviting me on such an enjoyable sojourn pootling along the canals of England and Wales, travelling through magnificent Welsh countryside to see some true marvels of Industrial Revolution-era civil engineering.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.01-cview1.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.02-cview2.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.03-cview3.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.04-cview4.jpg" height="148"> I must admit I was a little anxious at the thought of a week in confined spaces with my retired parents and some equally retired friends of the family, Pam and Graeme (an avid long-term reader and supporter of this blog by the way). Narrow-boating probably surpasses caravanning in the UK as the premier pursuit the 'grey nomads' - independent travelling retirees roaming for long periods of time in very compact mobile accommodations - so I figured it was an even money bet whether I'd thoroughly enjoy my week in confinement, or go mad and jump ship part way through. Call me a hippy but I went the distance and it was definitely a case of the former, not the mad latter!<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.05-sucanal.jpg" height="203"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.06-crew.jpg" height="203"> The basic plan was to meet at a little place called Wrenbury Mill (just south of Chester) and take a 65 foot/22 metre long x 7 foot/2 metre wide canal boat up the Llangollen (approximate pronunciation: "Clanclocklen") arm of the Shropshire Union Canal. The goal was approximately sixty kilometres yonder, to the source of the canal at a beautiful little town in Wales that gives the arm its name. This would be achieved in three to four days, after which we'd u-turn and head back down the canal to return the boat from whence it came - all within a seven day hire window. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.07-lock1.jpg" height="108"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.08-lock2.jpg" height="108"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.09-lb1.jpg" height="108"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.10-lock3.jpg" height="108"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.11-lock4.jpg" height="108">Sixty kilometres doesn't sound like much, even if the tub you're riding on can only manage six kilometres an hour. But soon after getting underway the first of the obstacles started getting in the way. Locks are the means canal engineers dealt with larger undulations in the path of the water flow when there was no alternative (flat) course to steer it through instead. We'd hit three in the few hours sailing on that first day, with more the day after - including a 'staircase' of three locks joined together that elevated the boat about 15 metres up a particularly steep hill. Locks take a while to get through, especially if you're queued behind other boats, which brings the miles per hour way down. Pam is engrossed in steering us up and through this staircase behemoth in the photo above (far right). <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.12-field.jpg" height="147"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.13-moo.jpg" height="147">The locks eventually gave way after the first day and a half, to flatter land at the western edge of England that is bordered by the hills of Wales beyond. It's striking how green and productive the land is in this region when you see hundreds of head of cattle or sheep grazing contentedly in a single field here, or dozens of hay bales waiting patiently for collection in the field over there. It may rain a lot in the UK but that is one of the main reasons why the country has been so successful in the past - it can feed itself any year. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.14-queues.jpg" height="112"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.15-mini.jpg" height="112"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.16-bridge.jpg" height="112"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.17-wreck.jpg" height="112">Even though the canal had leveled out there was plenty of traffic and various forms of canal spanning bridges to keep as alert and occupied at the helm. Late summer/early autumn is obviously prime cruising time for the grey nomads, so the Shroppie, because of its fine scenery and relative lack of locks (only nine in total on the stretch to Llangollen) is a very busy waterway at this time of year. So when ordered to take the wheel at various times, Graeme, Pam and I had a hard time steering our tub around moored and oncoming traffic, as well as negotiating scores of extremely narrow bridges we kept encountering the further we went upstream. I for one was surprised we hadn't shortened the boat a couple of feet after a number of teeth-rattlingly solid hits the hull withstood on the base of various stone bridges. But despite a disconcerting wreck or two passed along the way it seems narrow-boats are made for nudge parking/driving and it all ends up a bit of a hoot once the bone-jarring subsides!<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.18-ducts.jpg" height="130"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.19-cool.jpg" height="130"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.20-owl.jpg" height="130"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.21-eagle.jpg" height="130">Speaking of hoots, before long the familiar rolling fields gave way to densely wooded hills and we were approaching the border with Wales. On a foraging pit-stop (well, a search of a supermarket at least) some strange locals and wildlife made an appearance, when a couple of guys appeared who were out walking their birds of prey. Absolutely magnificent creatures they were - one an African Eagle owl (no hooting unfortunately) and the other a beautiful Saker falcon. Anyway, they immediately ranked as some of the more fascinating folks we met along this particular waterway. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.22-aqua1.jpg" height="107"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.23-arch.jpg" height="107"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.24-wales.jpg" height="107"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.25-tunnel.jpg" height="107"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.26-bigone.jpg" height="107">This is when the first of the aqueducts came into view as well - big news because these massive yet graceful structures are the main attraction along the Shroppie. You really have to see to believe these, but along the upper reaches of this canal system a number of expansive arched viaducts (for trains) and aqueducts (carrying a canal-full of water) combine with seriously long tunnels (one is almost 500 metres in length) to keep both forms of transportation running smoothly through this mountainous landscape. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.28-cruise.jpg" height="117"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.29-shadow.jpg" height="117"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.30-marches.jpg" height="117"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.31-wlevel.jpg" height="117"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.32-below.jpg" height="117"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.33-below2.jpg" height="117">Legendary civil engineer Thomas Telford was responsible for both the vision and execution of these grand constuctions, and when you realise it was his first major project it drives home what a genius he was. The largest aqueduct - Pontcysyllte - was built over a 10 year period from 1795 and comprises of no less than 18 stone arches towering at its highest approximately 50 metres above the River Dee in the valley floor below. Also consider that it is around 350 metres long and holds both the canal water and the potential for maybe a dozen 40 tonne narrow boats at any one time, it's would have been the type of construction that hadn't been seen since Roman times when it was built. Telford was a hero of the time, but the thousands of Irish 'Navvies' (navigational engineers) who constructed the aqueducts and hand dug the entire length of the canal also deserve a special mention too I reckon. Beats starving in a potato famine any day.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.27-vista.jpg" width="550">Amazing. Even so we were just glad the sun had come out by then so we could enjoy the expansive vistas laid out before us as we stood atop this mighty structure. If you've been asking what the Industrial Revolution has done for you lately, this is certainly a worthy answer.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.34-narrow.jpg" height="157"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.35-llan.jpg" height="157"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.36-paint.jpg" height="157">Just beyond Pontcysyllte (pronounced something like "Vroncasalthte" by the way... what the?) and as we neared Llangollen that third day, the canal became much narrower and shallower, making for some interesting navigational hazards. For long stretches at a time there was only room for one boat travelling in either direction, and few places to park in order to let oncoming boats through. This meant that the troops had to walk well ahead and advise boats about to enter one of these narrow passages to wait, or they'd soon have to attempt the impossible in these narrow-boats - reversing one in a straight line for long distance to get out of the way. Fortunately traffic was light up here, meaning that we were the only boat travelling for long periods of time through some lovely wooded areas in the hills around Llangollen. Like the rest of this waterway at this time of year, beyond the odd bunny or two there wasn't any of the wildlife mum was hoping to see, however the landscape made up for it in them there hills and the run into this pretty town was very peaceful indeed.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.37-horse.jpg" height="175"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.38-mirror.jpg" height="175"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.39-oak.jpg" height="175"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.40-horseshoe.jpg" height="175">The source of the Llangollen arm of the Shropshire Union Canal is the Horseshoe Falls on the River Dee, situated a coupe of miles further west of Llangollen. On the way up to see it we saw how the canals used to work, before the boats were fitted with engines, as a horse pulled a large boat in front of us without great effort and at well faster than our walking speed. Gives old meaning to the term 'horsepower' I suppose. Up here it is very tranquil and once again you get a sense of the lushness of the forest surrounds and the sheer volumes of water that flow through the area. Coming from a dry and generally barren Australia, it could well be argued that this is the real lucky country.It was fitting to see the end (start) of the line before retracing our steps and heading back downstream. Each night it was a pub dinner with local ales on tap, before hitting the hay early which would ensure an early rise the next day. Pam, Grady and I even snuck a round of golf in on the way back, just before leaving Wales, at Chirk (pron. Chirk) which was great. All performed admirably around the Chirk GC short course and I learned that it is wiser to leave golf balls in the nettle patch than attempt to find them whilst only wearing a pair of shorts. There's a potential quote in there somewhere I guess...<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.41-cottage.jpg" height="128"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.42-flower.jpg" height="128"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.43-cricket.jpg" height="128"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.44-craft.jpg" height="128"> Travelling with these grey nomads was hilarious and a real pleasure because I hadn't seen Dad for 18 months or Mum, Pam or Graeme for more than 2 years. It was great to see you again guys. And because of the canal's remoteness, the people and sights seen along the canal are often quintessentially old-world British - something you don't see much in modern cities like London or Edinburgh today and which added to the experience too. I was happy to get off the boat in the end, but I'd do it again without hesitation. So all I can say guys is thanks for having me along and bring on the next canal-boating action - I'll be there with bells on!Additional photos compliments of Mum and Graeme respectively - when will I learn eh?<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.47-rosslock.jpg" width="270"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1189005360.45-overedge.jpg" width="270">cheers,Ross(tt)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1186995060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1186995060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1186995060/tpod.html Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:16:06 -0400 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Another fringe benefit for new arrivals like me who now live in Edinburgh is the ability to participate in the acclaimed Festival that happens each August. Unlike the hundreds of thousands of visitors that converge at this time you have no requirement to book accommodation months ahead or worry about whether you will be able to secure gig tickets and the like. Just roll out of bed each morning, scratch your nuts and head out to sample some of the thousands of acts scheduled each day. After waiting months in growing anticipation you do expect more fanfare from such a huge production, but it pulls it all off in a very low key and typically Scottish manner. Pretty much the first thing I saw at the very first event we turned up to, the Festival Cavalcade held on the opening Sunday of festivities, was a bloody big barricade. It's the only parade I've ever been to that the organisers block hundreds of metres of prime spectating land at the side of the route just after the noise, colour and actual marching starts. Something to do with maintaining taxi access to the central train station and flash flood drainage management (it was teeming down that day), with some terror alert safety precautions chucked in for good measure no doubt. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.01-barracade.jpg" height="109"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.02-cav1.jpg" height="109"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.03-cav2.jpg" height="109"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.04-cav3.jpg" height="109"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.05-cav4.jpg" height="109"> Karen and I only caught glimpses of most of the marching bands through the 10 foot high barriers, but we were pleased to catch the Trinidad and Tobago steel drummers amongst the motley crew of pipe bands, baton twirlers and motorcycle gangs (no Dykes on Bikes here though) passing noisily by. The Cavalcade is also showcases some of the main acts that perform at the festival each year, so after moving to a more suitable vantage point, the second wave of commercial participants such as Cirque Surreal and The Ladyboys of Bangkok (perennial favourites around here apparently) added some much needed colour to the waterlogged entertainment. It's a big day indeed on the festival calendar, one in which runs for hours and that a lot of locals actually turn up for as well, but the rain kept pouring. Soaked through we decided to cut losses and save strength for the rest of the month, hoping that the weather would improve in the weeks ahead. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.06-rm1.jpg" height="133"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.07-rm2.jpg" height="133"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.08-rm3.jpg" height="133"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.09-rm4.jpg" height="133">Which, fortunately, it did manage to do. The Royal Mile is the focal point of activities and is the pick up point for tickets with short-term pre-bookings, meaning you can't escape a trip or two along it to check the freaks that converge there to busk and generally entertain. The masked crew above right are some of the more moderate you find along here any day during the three weeks of the festival and I quite enjoyed negotiating the milling crowds, bill posters, flier distributors and zany buskers toward the top of the Mile. It's a great buzz that typifies the vibe you hear about from people who have been to the Festival before. Well worth a loiter if you can cope with the hundreds of gig flyers that you will be given in any fifteen minute period! <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.10-pc1.jpg" height="109"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.11-pc2.jpg" height="109"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.12-pc3.jpg" height="109"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.13-ub1.jpg" height="109"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.14-ub2.jpg" height="109">From local recommendation, I spent a lot of time with various friends and work colleagues up at the Pleasance Courtyard - an old University building complex to the south of the city centre which has at least a dozen auditoriums of all shapes and sizes and which hosts many of the best stand-up comedians throughout the festival. Again it has a great vibe - all day and well into the wee hours of the morning, with plenty of courtyard seating and freely flowing beer. Come here if you only have a day or two to spend wisely at the Fringe.For me, Mark Watson was the best of the ten or so stand-ups I caught here. Jason Byrne, a big-name Irish comic with the same manic style as Watson and who performed at the prestigious Assembly Rooms on The Mound, was a favourite at venues elsewhere. On a slightly different note, 'Jihad: the Musical' at the C rooms was a hilarious production that came recommended from Dad from Fringe reports in Australia. I'd be surprised if the whole theatre team makes it back next year, as some of the religious commentary in it has to be in the same league as the Satanic Verses I'd bet. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.15-sun1.jpg" height="129"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.16-sun2.jpg" height="129"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.17-sun3.jpg" height="129"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.19-sun4.jpg" height="129">Another highlight was a visit over the second weekend of the festival from Dutch mate Baastian, who I'd travelled with in the Northern Territory at the start of my journey so long ago. We caught comedians at some of the more grungy venues around the Udderbelly, some beers at more conventional evening venues that have extra-late licences at this time of year, and also Fringe Sunday - a free day event with hundreds of performers (of all varieties) held at the expansive Meadows parklands a few miles south of town. It's a huge family event really, despite colourful language emanating from the comedy tents, that is great value and well worth a look indeed. We spent a couple of hours along with 200,000 others checking things out before heading back to the ranch for a farewell BBQ in Baastian's honour, in between teasing rain showers. The neighbourhood I'm living in hadn't seen anything like the steak storm we cooked up, and I found myself thinking that it's funny what you end up doing when festival mania takes hold...<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.20-bbq.jpg" height="152"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.21-rg1.jpg" height="152"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1186995060.22-pp.jpg" height="152">For a big event on the world calendar it's a lot less brash and ego-driven than I would have expected. You can live a mile or two from the centre of town and not participate in, or be impacted at all, by the festivities beyond a little extra traffic. Still, it's this relaxed approach that makes the Fringe the laugh that it is. After all these years hearing about it, it was great to make a solid dent in the festivities of 2007.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1184469900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1184469900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/technotrekker/overland05/1184469900/tpod.html Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:56:56 -0400 Global roaming: overland from Sydney to Scotland, via a wintry Siberia. Looks like I've found a new home!

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Tangier, Morocco

As mentioned in passing last entry, the large Moroccan city of Tangiers is just a short (35 min) ferry ride from Tarifa and the southern tip Spain. Which makes it very handy to access quickly and cheaply from Europe, for a short visit or longer stays either backpacking or car touring. Very handy indeed. So, feeling rather more up for it than the day before in Gibraltar, Alex and I decided a day-long adventure across the Straits was in order.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.01-mosque.jpg" height="175"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.02-port.jpg" height="175"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.03-english.jpg" height="175">For a while it looked like it was going to be a pretty short trip. Alex had forgot to renew his British passport before going on holiday and for some reason the clowns at Heathrow immigration had to forgot to stamp his Aussie passport with an EU entry stamp on arrival. Which meant the Spanish authorities considered him technically illegal and were most reluctant to let him leave the EU without it. They eventually gave in but also promised that it wouldn't be easy to return in future. Still, we were now aboard the jet-cat and on our way - we'd worry about immigration discrepancies and possible detention later on. Not long after we were disembarking and making our way into the city centre, which comprises numerous European 'quarters' dating from when Tangiers was an open, international city. All the major powers of the time had their own sector up until independence in 1955, and from the French deco architecture it looked like it would have been one cosmopolitan, swingin' town in the first half of the 20th century. Now they're trying to regain some of their former glory by hosting an Internation Expo in 2012 - every billboard and building is advertising it - but it was the (English) St George's flag atop a quite Christian looking church that summed it up recent history around here for me. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.04-indep.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.05-square.jpg" height="148"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.06-beach.jpg" height="148">The town square is a pretty groovy jumble of Moorish architecture and giant palms, and the gateway where King Mohammad V announced independence sits off to one side, near the entry to the maze-like Casbah at the square's lower end. There is also what seems like kilometres of wide, sandy and very popular beach very close to the centre of Tangier which would make light work of the sweltering summer heat. Nice town planning guys!<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.07-meat.jpg" height="143"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.08-fruits.jpg" height="143"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.09-olives.jpg" height="143"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.10-turtles.jpg" height="143"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.11-flowers.jpg" height="143">Plunging into the souk brought back familiar memories of markets in far-off places like Egypt and Syria. Thinking back, it's surprising how similar these geographically dispersed places are. Olives seem to be big business here, as are strange melons and a variety of meats and poultry that hang around in the breeze waiting for trade. The poor turtles were less popular but we resisted the urge to justify the rustler's existence selling them. Bad tourist, bad!<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.12-meat.jpg" height="192"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.13-lamp.jpg" height="192"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.14-rest.jpg" height="192">After witnessing the source of 'fresh' meat, to enter a restaurant for lunch was more than a little disconcerting. Still, the chow was grand and served in multiple courses under some of the most elaborate lanterns imaginable. The beer went down well and my love of cous cous was rekindled during one of the heartier meals I've had in the region, which was a result for all involved.<img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.15-pattern.jpg" height="230"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.16-dark.jpg" height="230"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.17-narrow.jpg" height="230"> A visit to a couple of spice and rug shops is pretty much obligatory on these tours but it was amusing to watch the gay couple in the group test their negotiating skills against seasoned professionals in the carpet store. Trippy tiles on the store wall were great too. More compelling however was a final wander through the narrow, shadowy lane-ways of the casbah with its steep stairways, overhanging buildings and huge, iron-banded doorways hiding all sorts of arcanum and mystery. <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.18-terr1.jpg" height="230"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.19-terr2.jpg" height="230"> <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.20-arch.jpg" height="230">We couldn't get a beer or a G&T at our last stop, the grand hilltop Continental Hotel, but resting on the large shaded patio overlooking the port and city was a nice way to finish off the day. There's not a lot to do in Tangier really, but it would be quite a nice place to live, and it's a good port of entry to go exploring other, more captivating parts of the country like the Atlas mountains or Fez and Marrakesh. A return visit for those one day I reckon - even Karen is talking about a holiday to Morocco sometime soon! <img src="http://www.travelpod.com/users/technotrekker/overland05.1184469900.21-ross.jpg" width="270">Epilogue: apart from a long queue as hundreds of non-EU visitors surged the immigration counter, Alex experienced no problems returning to Spain. The officer stamping passports forgot to stamp his again, so for the rest of his time in Spain and the UK, he was an illegal immigrant as well. Eventually he made it back to Australia, so it's as though he never visited at all...
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