Home

Just a quick post today to say I made it home safely.  From the time I left my host's apartment in Auckland until I got home was about 33 hours, and I was tired!  We got held up in Minneapolis for about 2 1/2 hours past schedule by a thunderstorm, but we flew West and South to go around it and made it to Flint by about 2:00 am and I was home by about 2:30.  It always feels good to leave, but equally good to get back home.  Bye!

Devenport

Okay, so today was my last full day on this side of the planet.  I took it kind of easy compared to some of the other days I've had recently.  The health app on my phone counted around 21,000 steps and calculated over 8 1/2 miles.  I took the ferry across the harbor to Devenport.  You can drive around the harbor to get there, but it's quicker by water and considering I haven't driven or even had the inclination to drive since I left home, it just seemed like the thing to do.  Devenport is a quaint little town, with lots of cool old architecture on the houses, mature trees along the shoreline, a naval base and museum, and a couple of old volcanoes providing scenic overlooks.
I had a first happen today; I stopped in a store (thought it was an art gallery, but was more of an interior decorating establishment), and when the young lady working there realized I am American she asked about the election.  As usual, I apologized for the ballot that is being put out there and to my surprise she was in favor of Trump.  I couldn't believe it, especially as she is only 21, as I found out later.  We discussed the situation for quite awhile and she agreed to do some additional internet research into Mr. Trump's background.  She wasn't aware of his bankruptcies, the fact he inherited his money to get started.  She thought he was a self made man, and when I asked what she liked about him she responded that he is an outsider, not a politician, and "He says funny things."  Fern, if you're reading this, I hope you looked up some of the things we talked about.  I would be interested to know if any of this has changed your mind.
So the score on this now stands as follows: Trump? Really?-27 Trump-yes-1.  That's how they seem to feel about us on this side of the planet.
Anyway, it was a nice day although it is raining now, and probably will be in the morning when I have to walk a few block to catch a bus to the airport.  I'm mostly packed, so all I have to do in the morning is shower and pack my toiletries and head out the door.  I've met a lot of really nice people along the way, and I really like the Airbnb setup.  This has been very helpful in combating the loneliness that can set in when traveling solo.  It's really easy to just hole up in a hotel room and not talk to anyone all night, and living in someone else's home, that's just not polite.  So, to Belinda and Patrick, Juan and Dominique, Cate, and Heather, I say thank you for helping to make my trip more enjoyable.  Your kindness and hospitality has been very much appreciated.  G'day mates!

Waiheke Island

I purchased a package excursion this morning for Taste of Waiheke (pronounced wa-hee-key) that included a ferry ride, wine tasting at three vineyards, olive oil tasting, and bus transportation on the island.  This island is a beautiful place with green rolling hills, sandy beaches, and spectacular water views.  The tour was a bit rushed but enjoyable all the same, and I purposely missed the bus back to the ferry as did another half-dozen or so of my fellow travelers.  We stayed late at the last vineyard, sipping some delicious wines and talking and laughing.  We represented Australia, USA, Great Britain, Estonia, and India, and we all had a great time joking and swapping stories.  Too bad governments can't seem to get along as well as ordinary citizens.
Everywhere I go people are asking me what is going on in the U.S. with our elections.  They all express disbelief that Trump is one of the best we have to offer, and I can only apologize on behalf of my country and explain that I think people are so disgusted with the status quo in Washington and desperate for change that they see him as a viable alternative,  Of course I disagree vehemently with that view but I think that's what has happened.  Anyway, just so you know, the people on this side of the world think our country has gone F@#$%^^ nuts, and even though they don't get a vote they do have a stake in this.  What our country does affects everybody in the world in some way and they are all concerned.   This is not to say that Clinton is loved and adored, but they certainly view her as the better of the two options.
I'm going to sign off now, and hopefully my internet issues from last night won't prevent me from posting pics again tonight.  I have one more full day here before I start the long journey home and I intend to make it count!  G'day mates!

Museum Day

Waking this morning to a chilly, rainy, windy day, I decided that this would be a day best spent inside, so I started out only a few blocks from my accommodations at the New Zealand Maritime Museum.  It's a nice place, and really well done.  They have a big collection of boats on display, mostly inside the building, ranging from little wooden sailboats to a big America's Cup racing yacht.  There was also extensive displays set up relating to emigrants and how they were enticed here, their passage and conditions and what they encountered upon arrival.  The whaling industry was a huge influence here. primarily in the 1900s, and the displays about that were extensive and well done.
Moving on, I went to the Museum of Transportation and Technology.  What a place!  It actually has buildings in two locations with old electric trams (similar to San Francisco streetcars) running a shuttle back and forth between them.  The satellite location was huge and had dozens of aircraft on display, as well as military vehicles and a small steam railroad that ran and gave short rides around the place.  The main campus was just as cool, with a massive display of stationary steam engines, fire fighting equipment and a really extensive kids area set up to teach and stimulate them.  But the best part in my opinion was a display of Leonardo DaVinci's machines.  There were miniatures or replicas constructed of all these cool ideas DaVinci had.  That man was so far ahead of his time!  Anyway, it was a really cool day and I learned a lot, and got a lot of ideas for things to do at the Michigan Railroad History Museum, but right now I am tired and going to call it a day.  G'day mates!

Safely in New Zealand

I have made it to the last accommodations on my trip, and it has been exactly one month since we entered Australia.  I saw quite a bit of the country, and met a lot of people, most of them very nice.
I think today was also my payback for how fortunate I have been on my last two flights, getting exit row seating, etc.  Today I had a selfish old bitty behind me that threw a hissy fit when I tried to recline my seat that whole 3" the airlines give you.  On top of that the sound in the in-flight entertainment system wasn't working, so it made for a long 3 hour flight, but I channeled my inner Zen and kept the Ugly American from rearing his head.  Damn!  That took some doing!  But I just have to content myself with the belief that Karma will prevail and that selfish old bitch will get a good dose of her own medicine.  And hopefully my tolerance will put a bit of goodwill on my side of the ledger as well.
Anyway, my accommodations in Auckland are nice, if a bit small, and the host is a very nice lady.  I have an all-glass wall looking out over the harbor (although it is a block away, with a parking deck in between), and can see the water from my room.  All in all, a very nice arrangement.  I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do tomorrow, and the weather is rainy and cool...59 degrees with a brisk breeze blowing at the moment.  So I will sign off for tonight with the hope that tomorrow is a better day than today was.  G'day mates!

Last Full Day in Australia

Well, this has been fun.  I leave on a 10:00 am flight tomorrow so I need to leave my accommodations no later than 7:30.  I am taking it pretty easy today, as yesterday was another 10 mile day for me.  I am starting to get pretty tired,and even though I got back yesterday afternoon and didn't go back into the city again, I still feel whipped.  I did get to see The Rocks yesterday.   It's a collection of mostly restored and converted buildings filled with eateries and shops and galleries.  Very cool.  I wish we had preserved more of our old buildings in the U.S. and looked for alternate uses instead of tearing them down.  I know we are doing more of that now but we lost a lot of our heritage along the way.
I've got to say something here; I'm a bit disappointed in Sydney.  I know it's the biggest city I have been in, but it's also the dirtiest (litter) and has the most graffiti.  In my opinion that just makes a city look bad, and I think it sucks out some of the life of a community.  Some people would argue that graffiti is harmless, and I have seen some that is extremely artful, but I think if you feel then need to paint something and express your creative side you should own your canvas.  When it belongs to somebody else (or everybody else, as in the case of public property), then you are just a vandal.  Oh well, rant over.
I'm staying close today, just trying to conserve energy and get recharged a little bit.  I fly to Auckland tomorrow and stay there for 4 nights and then fly home.  I'm ready.  This has been a great trip, and as much fun as it is to go, it's always good to get back home too.  I got to spend time with Matt & Jo (and Rhonda and Karen), and I got to meet Adalyn in person.  She warmed up to me during the time we were there and stole my heart.  Such a cutie!
Anyway that's all for today. The pic I am posting today is a sunset over Bondi Beach.  The apartment where I am staying is in the photo.   It's a beautiful place and my host Cate has been most hospitable. What a nice lady.  G'day mates!

Sydney

Today was my first full day in Sydney.  I arrived yesterday at my accommodations in Bondi Beach and met my host.  She's a yoga instructor and an entrepreneur as well and a very nice individual.  She had friends coming over for dinner and invited me to stay and eat with them.  I did and had a nice time.  The first picture is of the residential area near Bondi Beach.  Looking across the water at it, it reminds me of the Cinque Terre on the coast of Italy, the way they are stacked one on top of the other, and I think the similar colors play a part in that too.
The weather didn't look promising this morning, but I took off to go the the Art Gallery of New South Wales.  By the time I got out of there, the clouds were burning away and I took a walk through the Botanical Gardens on my way to the Opera House.  The Harbor Bridge just happened to be right there too and I really enjoyed seeing them.  By the way, the castle looking building is the Conservatory of Music and is located nest to the Gardens.  I thought it was interesting enough to post.
On the advice of a guy I met on my flight here yesterday, I took the ferry over to Manly Beach and spent the afternoon sightseeing, returning to Sydney right at dusk.  That allowed me to take a few great pictures of the Opera House by the last light of the day and from the water side.  Very cool.  I'm posting a shot below for your enjoyment.
This was another insane walking day for  me.  My phone tells me I took over 35,000 steps and covered about 14 miles.  My toes are blistered and I am tired, so I am going to cut this short.  G'day Mates!

Travel day

I woke up with an ear worm this morning, so I'll share..."I'm leaving on a jet plane, Don't know when I'll be back again".  There, that should do it!
I'm just making a quick post today because I have a few minutes before I have to leave to get to the airport.  Yesterday I visited the Queensland Rail Museum, housed in a facility that Queensland Rail used (and still does, but on a very limited basis), to build and repair locomotives and other rolling stock. Nowadays it is strictly for repairs and restoration, but the tour I took was very informative and interesting.  And the shop environment was of special interest to me; I saw some equipment similar to pieces I used in my career as a fabricator and die maker.  And I'll be coming home with all kinds of ideas for things we can do in our little museum, especially to help flesh out the Science and Technology portions and make it more educational for kids.  Watch out Mike Boudro!
Well I had better finish my packing, because it's on to Sydney today.  G'day mates!

More of Brisbne

Wow am I tired tonight!  According to the health app on my phone I walked 39,000 steps today, which the app says is a little over 16 miles.  The distance may be a little off, as I'm not as aggressive a walker as I used to be, but I believe I took all those steps.
I started out taking the walking/biking path along the river, then went through the botanical gardens, and crossed the Brisbane river at the Goodwill bridge.  The Maritime Museum is located there, and I spent a couple of hours exploring that really cool place.  Even though I'm no sailor, I've always been fascinated by large boats.  This place had a WWII frigate that was built to protect other ships from submarines.  It's in dry dock now and open to the public, and I spent quite a long time touring it.  There were also some pretty cool displays in the building  where the gift shop was housed.  I got a couple of ideas that might translate to our railroad museum when I get back home.
I also visited the Art Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art (2 separate museums), and there were all kinds of places where the citizens were hanging out along the way, too.  The biking/walking paths go all over the city too, and it was very cool to see how much use they were getting.  This city takes its' exercise seriously.
It's also impressive how clean this city is.  There is hardly ever any litter to be seen, and the lack of any graffiti is refreshing.  I can appreciate graffiti, but I think the artists should paint it on their own property instead of that of others.  And the architecture is awesome too.  Everywhere you look, there's a unique building with fancy detailing, and it may be right next to a one that is newer and completely modern.  Such a cool town!  Well. I can barely hold my eyes open , so I'm going to get off of here now,  G'day mates!

Brisbane!

It took two flights over two days to get here, but I  made it.  I got into Cairns about 7:00 pm last night and had to fly out again this morning at 5:30.  I had just enough time to get a meal and just a few hours of sleep before the alarm went off at 3:15 to start getting ready.  I got really lucky by getting an exit row seat today, making this flight the most comfortable one of the trip so far.  The extra legroom was extremely welcomed!
Once in the city I had a few hours to kill before my hosts would be home to let me in at the B&B.  They are a nice young couple, originally from Chile, and their apartment is nice and in a great location.  I look forward to exploring the city from here and from what I've seen so far, there is a lot of very cool old architecture.  I didn't get a lot of exploring done today, due to needing to get a nap this afternoon, followed by rain later in the afternoon and evening, but I had to go out for dinner and stumbled across the Museum of Brisbane (housed in City Hall).  It was still open for a little over an hour so I went in and looked around.  It's not a real big space, but was very informative.
Everybody knows that Australia was a penal colony when the Europeans first came, but I found out that Brisbane was founded as another penal outpost for the worst offenders, the ones that committed more crimes once they were already in Australia.  From 1824 to 1842 it's European population was only prisoners and guards.  In 1842, free settlers were allowed to come here to homestead.  It was a very rugged and harsh place where prisoners were in shackles, often for the entirety of their sentences, and beatings and floggings were commonplace.
I didn't take  my camera with me due to the weather this evening, but I did snap a few shots with my phone, so those are what I'll be posting tonight.  I have a plan to do some serious walking tomorrow to see some museums, etc., and I'm sure I will be shooting a lot more shots of the cool buildings I happen across.   Stay tuned.  G'day Mates!

Still Disappointed

Ugly American here again.  Although I'm not as angry as I was, I still don't have much that is good to say about this place.  It's 4:00 pm and my room still hasn't been serviced.  I just don't get it.  Apparently they just don't give a shit.  and I have to believe that it starts at the top, with management, or else they're just so inept that the inmates are running the asylum.  I guess that would explain the pricing structure as being the only way to stay in business, even in a monopoly situation like exists here.
To be fair, I did see something today I thought was pretty cool.  There is an aboriginal theater production twice a day (free, believe it or not!), and the technology they employ is really pretty cool.  There is a projection screen that is used for background with a small stage in front of it.  Evidently there is a clear screen at the front of the stage, although you don't see it, and they project images onto that as well, creating the appearance of a hologram.  So the actor playing the eagle hits his mark on stage while the hologram flies in, then the hologram is shut off and the actor does his moves and lines.  When they are ready to segue to the next scene, they project more holographic images on the front screen to allow the actors to move about in relative darkness as they prepare for their next scene.  It was pretty ingenious.
The breakfast buffet that is included in my room cost has a pretty decent selection of foods on it, but that service issue shows up there big time.  You almosrt have to trip somebody to get them to bring you a cup of coffee, even though there's about the same number of staff you would see in a similar sized room in the US, where they actually are bringing you your order.  One girl in particular looks so bored and apathetic it's pitiful (almost).
I did get up this morning and went out to shoot some pics of the big rocks.  They're cool, but as I said yesterday, for my money we have plenty of more spectacular sights in the US.  So unless you're in love with aboriginal culture or just have a whole lot of money to piss away, I suggest bypassing this place.   Anyway, one more night here and I will be on my way to Brisbane.  All the flights go through Cairns, and me , like a dummy, selected the wrong one.  Consequently I have a 12 hour layover, so I have a hotel room in Cairns for the night and a very early flight to Brisbane the next morning.
UPDATE: Housekeeping came at 4:15 while I was typing this.  Happy, happy, joy, joy!!!

Uluru aka Ayers Rock

Okay, this post is just going to be a rant, so if you don't want negativity (and a little profanity), don't read any further.  It is my opinion that this place is called Uluru because if it was called Screw U (which is what they do to all the tourists), nobody would come.  I have been here about 24 hours and don't have much good to say about this place, the Desert Gardens Hotel.  There are 3 hotels and a campground that all seem to operate under the umbrella of Ayers Rock Resort.  If it's not all owned by the same people, then the owners are colluding to overprice everything; there doesn't appear to be any competition that would contain prices.

Let me start by saying that I was ambivalent about coming here.  Truthfully I didn’t have a lot of interest, but thought that Ayers Rock is so iconic to Australia that if I skipped it I would be missing out on a big part of the experience and would regret it later.  The hotel prices are exorbitant, but I knew that going in.

I waited about 2 1/2 hours yesterday for a room to be ready.  In fairness, I had an early arrival, but I was feeling poorly and just wanted to lie down, so the wait put me in a bad mood.  Feeling a bit better today, I decided to go to a couple of the lookout points nearby and get a few pics of the big rock.  Okay, so far so good.  Then I decided to take a walk to the campground and look around, to see what the Aussies do differently than we do when camping.  Check, done.  Since it was a fairly long walk already, I decided to sit down and wait for the shuttle bus that's supposed to run every 20 minutes.  I went to the bus stop on my map and waited patiently for about 15 minutes for the bus.  Finally, I see it coming and the son-of-a-bitch drives right past me!  What?  Am I f**king invisible?!?  So I had about a 15 minute walk to cool down on the way back to my hotel where I go to the desk to complain and the asshole at the desk tells me that the bus only stops at the stop IN the campground, not in front of it.  In other words they gave me a bogus map, and in essence said, "Tough shit, tourist.  We've got your money and what are you going to do about it?"  So my reply is that I plan to flood the internet with as much negative info about this place as I can.

To any other tourists, especially Americans, go to Utah and see much more spectacular rock formations!    Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big rock, but other than that I am not impressed.  This room, although nice, is not worth over $250 a night (in US dollars)!  And the service people don’t seem particularly interested in making me a happy tourist.  And every excursion is ridiculously overpriced.

When I travel, I really really really try to not be the ugly American.  I try to go with the flow and not be thinking or saying, “That’s not how we do it at home.” That said, I think I am justified in my complaints about this place and I would not recommend it to anyone.  There, got that off my chest.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef!

This one has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager, before the term had even been coined.  Technically I should check it off, but the reality is that it only whetted my appetite for more!  Taking a break on the beach yesterday I was giving thought to getting a scuba certification when I get back home.  Whether I do it or not remains to be seen, but I had a great time seeing all the varieties of hard and soft coral, fish, and other assorted marine life.  I am discovering sore muscles this morning that I haven't been using in a very long time, and I have some sunburn on the backs of my legs, neck, and ears.  A small price to pay for an experience of a lifetime!
The boat ride out to Michaelmas Cay was about 90 minutes, and one poor lady was seasick almost from the moment we left the dock.  I felt a bit queasy myself, but stayed out on the deck watching the horizon.  The wind was not my friend, though, and I was getting diesel fumes almost the entire way.  I think that contributed quite a lot to my queasiness.  The boat ride back was even rougher, and the same lady was sick again, but I coped better by standing most of the way, holding on to a support post and letting my legs act as shock absorbers, effectively keeping my inner ear and equilibrium much more stable than the boat.  The wind was also working in my favor, blowing the fumes away behind us instead of back at us.
Anyway, back to the snorkeling.  That was one time I thought contact lenses would be a wonderful thing, because I would have been able to see everything in more detail, but I still had a terrific experience.  There were so many varieties of coral, from huge brain shaped mounds, to flat ones that looked like scales, hard spiky ones, and the soft versions that  swayed in the current like grass in the wind.  It would be impossible to pick a favorite type, but the spiky ones with blue tips were very cool.  I saw the giant clams too, some live and eating by moving water in and out of their orifices, and some that were just the shell of long dead mollusks.  Just like something on TV!
There was a huge variety of fish, as you can imagine.  The longest I saw was probably 16-18 inches long, and the smallest looked like something you would buy to put in a small aquarium.  The colors ranged from pitch black to the whitest white, with just about every conceivable combination in between, and the markings were spectacular.  I noticed a few small starfish here and there, and none of them were bigger than the palm of my hand.
I saw one sea turtle and hung out with him for a few minutes.  That was cool!  We were both just kind of checking each other out.  I positioned myself so the current was pushing me away from him, and I just kicked lazily and intermittently to hold myself in position to just watch without approaching any closer.  After awhile he had enough and swam away.  I didn't follow so he wouldn't feel harassed, but I would have liked to hang out with him longer.
On this excursion I left my camera and phone at my accommodations.  I didn't want to take a chance on either one of them getting lost, stolen, or damaged, but I was wishing I had at least brought the phone when I went on the semi-submersible boat.  It's an enclosed boat with glass windows in the hull to allow people to get a good look without getting wet.  The crew member that was doing the narrative was very good, pointing out the different varieties of marine life we would see when snorkeling or diving.
When I got back, my hair was so windblown (and full of salt; it felt like straw), that my host insisted that I let her take a couple of pictures of me before I showered all the salt residue off, so those are the only photos I have to post today.  G'day mates!

Cairns...

Yesterday was supposed to be a "down" day for me after excursions the previous two days, but I found myself doing an awful lot of walking just staying here in town.  The Botanical Gardens here is spectacular, with a huge variety and very well kept, and I wandered around there for a couple of hours.  There is also an art museum I visited here in the CBD (Central Business District).  It was small, but well done, and I found myself looking at how things were \displayed as much as the artifacts and objects of art themselves.  Just goes to show what influence working in the museum at Durand Union Station has had on me.  I am now thinking along the lines of how to tell the story as much as the story itself.
There is a farmer's market that operates here on Fridays through Sundays, and an arts and crafts market that is only set up on Saturdays.  I spent some time wandering through both of them.  The farmers market was a real education, just looking at all the different varieties of produce I've never seen before.  Many of the signs were written in two languages as well.  The Asian population here is huge and you frequently hear them conversing in their native languages, as is to be expected.  Even with the Aussies, speaking English, I have to listen closely to decipher the accent and the phrasing takes some getting used to as well, but I'm coping rather well I think.
The public pool here is really something too!  It's as big a pool as I think I've ever seen, triangular in shape\, with sand next to one of the long sides, making it seem like it's a beach.  It was packed yesterday, as is to be expected on a warm sunny Saturday afternoon.  Young and old, it seemed to be a favorite spot to hang out, whether to swim or sunbathe or sit in the shade reading a book.
Well, I'm going to sign off now so I can get ready for today's excursion...snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef!  Unfortunately I won't have pics to post tomorrow because I'm leaving my camera, phone, and other valuables here at my B&B.  I don't want to have anything get lost or damaged, so I'll just have to count on my memory to preserve this experience.  G'day mates!

Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest

Wow! Another busy day yesterday.  My bus picked me up in front of my building at 7:30 am and by about 8:15 we were headed North out of town to our adventure for the day.  About an hour's ride took us to an Aborigine welcome center where a local gave us a smoke ceremony to welcome us to their country.  This was followed up by a chance to swim in the river (too damn cold for me!), lots of photo ops and a walk through the rainforest with our Kiwi driver/guide pointing out lots of flora and fauna.
We then went to another part of the river where there was a 30 minute boat tour to view salt water crocodiles.  The big dominant male (about 16 ft. long and 1,000 lbs.) of the area was swimming so my shots of him aren't that great, but I spotted a young female sunning herself on the bank and got numerous shots of her.
We saw many points of interest, great sights, and outstanding views throughout the day.  There was a lunch on the beach, a stop at an ice cream shop where the proprietor makes her products from raw materials gathered in the forest.  It was good.
The other culinary stop of the day was back in the forest where there was a competition (guys vs. girls) about knowledge of the rainforest and an edible challenge.  As one of the 2 "volunteers" for the men's team, I ate a live green ant, as did several others.  The flavor was supposed to be that of either lime, lemon, or sour.  Mine was lime, but when I finished my repast I exclaimed, "Tastes like chicken!"  I think that encouraged the others to step up. LOL.
Today I am staying in Cairns and plan to check out the local markets, the botanical gardens, and maybe an art museum.  Tomorrow I am booked on a boat out to the Great Barrier Reef to go snorkeling.  G'day mates!

Kuranda & the Scenic Railway

I went yesterday on an excursion to the village of Kuranda, which seems to be more of a tourist destination than a residential village.  There were some homes there, but I think that the tourism industry is the lifeblood that drives everything there.  Anyway, it was a nice day, starting with a skyrail ride (gondolas running on a cable overhead) over the rainforest.  There were a couple of stops along the way to see the rainforest up close and I went on a guided tour on one of them.  Very informative!  It was interesting to learn how the various plants and animals have evolved to thrive in an environment where they are all competing for sunlight and nutrients.

After a couple of hours to look around the village of Kuranda, browsing the shops, markets, and getting a delicious lunch (a crepe with bacon, egg, cheese, and baby spinach), it was time top board the train for the return trip to Cairns.  Although the locomotives were diesel/electric (modern), the wooden coaches were all about 100 years old.  They had nice stamped tin ceilings inside and comfortable bench seating.  Best of all, there was some empty space so everyone had plenty of room.  The rail line itself was started in about 1880 and is considered one of the biggest engineering feats in Australia.  The terrain is mountainous and wild.  They had to hand dig for 15 tunnels and many workers lost their lives to accidents and disease.  I think the figure quoted was 240,000 cubic meters of rock and dirt was moved by hand...a staggering amount!

Today I am going on another excursion, this time into the rainforest, but more at sea level, and there will be the kinds of critters that can eat you, you know, like crocodiles!  Looking forward to it,but am going to keep my distance.  G'day mates!