The Killalea-Walford Travel Blog

Fitzroy River Lodge

Before checking in we have to stock up on dinner and other supplies. We were told that Fitzroy is reasonably big and you can get most stuff there. Umm, no!

Walking into the “mall” (it contains IGA supermarket, post office, Corrections, Centrelink, Renal treatment) a lot of aboriginal locals were hanging around outside. They do not speak to you, or even acknowledge you, but it feels wrong. I cannot explain it, seeing them all sitting outside, on street corners, under trees. Nowhere to go, nothing to do.

Staff at the lodge and the supermarket are all white, and mostly foreign travellers, I don’t know what to think about that. So I will leave it there.

There is one supermarket, IGA, the bread is all pre frozen “for our convenience”. Most of you know I am a bread snob, bread can only be made into toast after it has been frozen. We needed lunch bread. I asked the lovely Spanish girl at the counter if there was a bakery in the area. She laughed, actually snorted and laughed. I took that as a no.

There was a selection of everything, so that was great. But no alcohol. This is a dry community, no alcohol sold anywhere – of course I was prepared and we were well stocked up, so it was not an issue for us.

Alcohol is such an issue for many communities that you cannot buy it at any outlets in the area, with the exception of tourist resorts etc.

We took our supplies and headed to Fitzroy River Lodge – our accommodation for the night J It is huge, there is a restaurant, bar (not so dry after all), and their own petrol pumps!

Our spot is very nice, shaded and close to the toilet. Because this lady is old and needs to go to the toilet in the middle of night, sad but true. We have a few neighbours around us and the camp ground is quite busy.

About 100 meters away is the cliff down to the mighty Fitzroy River, it is not very mighty at the moment. Even for this time of year the locals are telling us how dry the wet season was, so they are not off to a good start.

Despite the river being right at our doorstop, we did not see any crocodiles lazing about. We did see loads of wallabies though, not fussed about the people or the cars, just hanging out and eating. Very cute. This is what we expect from Australia. Cute wallabies, kangaroos, and koalas!

We set up in record time, and sit down for cheese, crackers, and a cold beverage (there is a trend forming here). Jason whips up a beautiful meal on the small cooker – damn pleased I locked that man into a contract when I had the chance. We continue to watch the world go by and enjoy the warm evening.

Occasionally the police drive past, doing regular patrols, we have been told not to leave anything out at night, so we pack up early and into bed. Probably too early. I was awake by 330am! Even after few toilet stops and midnight wallaby spotting J

Packing up the next day was super easy, we really have the hang of this now. Good thing really as we had it all packed up when we realised the key for the truck was still in the tent. SIGH.

That only delayed us by 20 minutes, but felt a little silly. Still time for a cooked breakfast though – priorities people!

Geikie Gorge

We had a river cruise booked first thing in the morning. Danggu Geikie Gorge has been carved by the Fitzroy River through part of an ancient limestone barrier reef which snakes across the west Kimberley. All linking back to the Devonian times that I mentioned before, all popped up around some 350 million years ago.

It’s my turn to drive, so now I am in charge, and get to take the reigns of Keem for the first time. Needless to say we got along famously.

So, the Geikie Gorge is part of the Fitzroy River, during the wet season the river can rise up to 13 metres and flow at 30.000 cubic metres per second. That is just nuts!

The Fitzroy in full flood is one of the largest rivers in the world. Hard to believe when you see it as dry as we did.

Thankfully today, it is quite calm and not a cloud in the sky.

The tour was very quiet too, with only 9 passengers, plenty of room and we all got an excellent view. We travelled up river whilst our guide talked about the history and the rock formations.

In 2011 the gorge flooded to its highest level and you can see where trees and other debris were stuck in places that trees would not normally be. At the meeting point they put signs on the walls and ceiling to give an indication of how far underwater we would have been. The ceiling was 4 meters above Jason and the water was four meters above the ceiling.

As we toured along the river we were all on the lookout for crocodiles, first sighting turned out to be a kangaroo, guess they can’t swim, oops…

The second sighting was the less commonly talked about but more frequently found logadile. That got everyone excited for a bit, it was quite convincing.

Third time’s the charm, we found our crocodile sun baking on a rock. Looking very relaxed and not very large. Success! Lots of photos were taken but he didn’t seem to give a damn.

We also saw quite a few agile wallabies. They have black stripes that go from their nose to their eyes, kind of like war paint J very cute, there was also a little bit of bird life, which always makes Jason’s day.

The tour lasted an hour, when we got back to the jetty we decided we would do the walk, it was only 5km return and an opportunity to see the same things from a different angle, and also work off some of the booze and cheese we have consumed over our journey so far.

The track was predominantly sand, did not count on that, bloody horrible stuff to walk on! That slowed us down a little, and the sun was baking us. When we got to the end of the trail I made the call to walk back along river edge, apparently you can see more crocodiles and other wildlife that way.

I know, what could go wrong!

We saw the Rainbow Bee Eater which was very cool and we got to see the logadile up close. Other than that, quiet, hot, sandy and we made it back to Keem in one piece. It was not even midday but this stage, we had loads of time before our next tour which was only 90kms away.

Back to Fitzroy River Lodge to have lunch and do our washing – no matter how far and how fast you drive, washing and dishes still catch up with ya. Bastards.

3^rd of June – We Join the Grey Nomads

It was a busy start to the day, quick shop, check out, pick up Keem (our new truck, Australian for Kim), drop off the Hyundai and hit the road.

Keem comes with a lot of instructions, what to do, what not to do, how to put the tent up. What I didn’t realise until after I had booked and paid for the vehicle, is that the company is under investigation by the ACCC (like the fair trading act in NZ), essentially for their behaviour around dealing with customers.

Costing some customers up to 7500. Using the GPS to identify where they had been and then using that against them. There were a few other accusations too. So I read all the documentation thoroughly and videoed the vehicle so that we could not be accused of any unrelated damage. Theoretically.

I personally are not passing judgement on the company, but I will be tracking everything – and you get to read all about it.

Keem is very impressive she is a Toyota Prado, shiny and white. When we took custody she only had half a tank of gas, so we topped her up. 70 litres later, WOW, this Aussie girl is thirsty, she has a lot of junk in the trunk too.

Phase One – Broome to Derby 222kms

The roads are long, very long, DAMN long. And the scenery is beautiful, in its own way, but not overly diverse. So we started to entertain ourselves.

Spot the (insert object here) was the most entertaining. We worked our way through kangaroos (alive and dead – noted we did not see any alive), cows (also alive and dead 50/50 split), termite nests (unfortunately alive and thriving), snakes (none spotted), boab trees (Jason was the only one playing that version).

The sheer size of the country means that the topography does not change much. There is bush, of varying sorts, on either side of the road and you’ve got to wonder what deadly critters are living in there! Best not to get out look for them – my lovely colleagues have provided me a list of things I should stay away from – bless, they think I will listen 😛

The other activity to pass the time is “the wave”. Acknowledging your fellow travellers. This is not as simple or easy as you may think. The true art to “the wave” is not to be too enthusiastic as to put them off or think you’re simple, but to be enthusiastic enough for it to be recognised as an actual wave.

I have started to document the different versions:

• The index finger raise
• The four fingered raise
• The thumbs up
• The Queen. Two slight crescent movements of the wrist only with the hand held slightly off the steering wheel. I may be the only person partaking in this particular version (which I made up).

This takes some practice, and luckily we have at least 1,900km to get it right.

It took two hours to drive to Derby, where we stopped at the Boab Prison Tree.

A bit of history that is worth knowing, gives a little insight into the cultural heritage of the area.

There was a group, called blackbirders, they were settlers connected to the pearl industry. They kidnapped young aboriginal men to work as divers etc, and local pastoralists assisted them. As they believed that if they shipped off all the young men, then the remainder would be better behaved.

It is thought that the kidnapped men would be chained to the Boab Prison Tree as they waited for a boat to take them to the coast.

Of course this plan was never going to work, DUH, the aboriginal people resisted, a white man was killed, and the police turned up (blue lights flashing) more aboriginals were taken away.

Eventually the goal was built about 5kms from the tree. So Boab Prison Tree it is.

This was also our first encounter with the Flies of Derby. The flies are so prolific and persistent you start looking for the dead bodies that must be the source of their nutrition. But no, it’s just the heat. This actually does not fill me with relief.

We leave the Boab and head into Derby proper to the Kimberly Entrance Holiday Park, a very nicely laid out and pretty camp ground. It had everything you needed and the caretaker/owner Ian, is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

It’s 200pm and we were HUNGRY. So we cooked up some of our catch from yesterday and devoured our fish sandwiches.

Time to get serious and set up our new home for the first time. We were a little nervous about it, but it was actually pretty straightforward.

Keem is now officially a turtle! In less than 30 minutes, and with only one call to the rental company for remote assistance, we were good! Legends!

Time to explore Derby! Ian had provided a list of things that we could do around Derby to keep us busy, we put on our walking shoes, packed a picnic and set out to watch the sunset.

Town was shut down and dead, due to a public holiday. We walked around 3km to the wharf – a must see according to the list. It was hot and the flies were miserable, you spent all your energy swatting them away from your face (and swearing profusely – mum, if you are reading this, it was Jason swearing, not me).

They had adopted Jason as their Lord and followed him relentlessly, resting on his arms, back, and backpack. Seriously, easily 100 at a time (ok, maybe 50, definitely more than 20).

We were looking for a specific sculpture that apparently, when the sun is setting, turned from a twisted bunch of metal into a face. Neither of us had paid much attention to the instructions, so after a hot and fly filled walk to the wharf, it was nowhere to be seen.

A picnic was out of the question, fly sandwich? No thank you. Cheese, flies, and crackers? Nope. Wine and flies? F*ck off. So we decided to walk back with the setting sun behind us.

The sunset was pretty with lots of vivid red hues. Just the right amount of clouds to make it interesting. It’s not Broome quality sunset, but it is pretty. I stopped to take some photos and every time got buzzed by the damn flies. ARGH!

About 10 minutes after sunset, and 500 metres from the camp ground where we started, we found the sculpture. Read the map Jo, read the map. I took photos (we had walked all this way!!!) and yes, it does look like a face.

Back to the tent. We had a nice cold beverage or three. If nothing else, we got some exercise.

Snacks for dinner, and into our tent for the night. We made a unanimous decision not to stay in Derby any longer.

4^th June – Farewell Derby

I decided to start my day with a bit of a walk around the town, we needed a few supplies and off I trekked. I would love to tell you that my hour of discovery changed my impression of Derby but between the desolate looking indigenous community, the barbwire fences, and a quick chat to a local lady – if anything am more determined that Derby is not on my list of recommendations.

Sorry Derby, but it’s a NO from me.

Phase 2 – Derby to Fitzroy Crossing via Tunnel Creek

295km plus an extra 160km for good measure

Turns out that packing up Keem the turtle is just as easy as unpacking her. So within 30 minutes were ready to go. Then we noticed that the fridge was no longer being powered by the DC charger (it has our wine and beer in it, so it is critical equipment).

After much investigation and using the good old ITIL problem management process, all other factors were eliminated and we realised it was the charging cable itself.

After calls to the rental company we went in search of an auto-electrician. Which was surprisingly easy in the little town of Derby, there was one just round the corner.

Derby Auto-Tech in Derby, after a bit of testing the nice man takes the cable apart to find that the fuse had blown but someone had wrapped tinfoil around it. For those of you naive to the ways of the electronic world (like me) that means that the fuse is over ridden and the cable will continue functioning, until the foil moves or the cable sh*ts itself all together.

The boys found this highly amusing. Luckily the tinfoil had simply ceased to serve its purpose. So, with a new fuse DONATED by the lovely man at Derby Auto-Tech (massive shout out) we had a functioning fridge. And we were ready to roll.

Should you find yourself in the unfortunately situation of being in Derby, with an even more unfortunate need for an auto sparky, that’s your place!!!!

Back on the road again, long flat, endless road. Jason got in the driver’s seat again so, oh well, I get to relax and watch the world go by.

There were a couple of very cool boab trees, I even made Jason pull over so I could take a photo of one, yes he has me addicted to boab trees. Ah well, could be worse. To break up the journey we continued our game of “spot the”. This time there were more live animals than dead ones – always a good thing.

Also, continuing to observe and refine “the wave”. I noted a new addition to the wave types.

• The Jedi – thus named as the waver looks like he/she is trying to do some sort of mind bending. Extend all digits, move in a circular motion as though turning a dial. Interesting, I may keep that one myself for special occasions.

Tangent! Another thing I have noticed in this vast and very dry land is the amount of floodwater signs. Its kind of hard to fathom at the moment when its so dry, but in the wet season this flat and wide land can be two metres deep in water. How the hell does that happen? Rhetorical, don’t respond with scientific answers, thank you.

The sheer amount of water that must pour into this space to fill it up is mind blowing. Like the largest bathtub you can possibly imagine. When you start measuring flood water in meters! You know its freaking serious.

And I am back on topic.

Tunnel Creek is on our hit list, so 42kms out from Fitzroy Crossing we take a left turn down an unsealed road. It is 83kms to Tunnel Creek and the road is looking very unpleasant.

Hands up those of you who have seen Outback Truckers???? You have my pity. It is one of Jason’s favourites and the primary reason that I know the word corrugation when it comes to roading. And this road was corrugated (equals very f*cking bumpy!!!).

Two kilometres in, we both look at each other, is it worth it? We decide yes and keep going. Luckily the road improves and Jason gets to have some real offroad fun. Its been a while since he got to drive like this.

The smile was undeniable.

As we bumped, rocked and rolled along the dirt road we came across some hills. Not so much hills as a collection of very sharp rocks that looked like something you see in the ocean. And that, in fact, is what they are. They care called Denovian reefs. This area was, approximately 350 million years ago (give or take a few million) all under the sea. The WA equivalent of the great barrier reef. Bloody interesting if you ask me.

As it was the first non flat thing we had seen in some time, we did what all normal people would do. We climbed it. The day was very warm, perfect for snake sunbathing, so I steadfastly avoided looking for them, and Jason intently searched for any indication they may be about. Both equally valid approaches.

Regardless of the approach no snakes were seen or stepped on.

The rocks are sharp, damn sharp, if you slip or fall you will get cut! It makes them much easier to climb though as they grip is excellent. The view from the top was beautiful, mostly flat with the Devonian reef extending in the distance. And that was where we were headed. So we scramble down from our vicious view point and back to Keem!

Keem, btw, is beginning to look a lot like the other vehicles on the road now. No longer white and shiny, she is dusty, rough, and ready. Good on ya Keem, quite the dirty girl.

40 minutes later we arrived at Tunnel Creek shaken, not stirred.

Tunnel Creek – More of a Cave

So when you decide to go to Tunnel Creek, you look it up. And this is one of the pieces of information all travellers need. When you are entering the Kimberley or Pilbara regions, you are entering crocodile country. Two species of crocodile occur in Western Australia: the estuarine (or saltwater) crocodile and the freshwater crocodile. The estuarine crocodile is the largest living reptile and is considered to be a dangerous predator. Freshwater crocodiles are smaller and not as aggressive. Freshwater crocodiles inhabit Tunnel Creek. Saltwater crocodiles have not been known to occur in the area but this may change. SERIOUSLY AUSTRALIA WTF.

Anyway, without thinking about crocodiles we headed for the cave. It’s a very beautiful walk in, and the round trip is only a 2km walk (I swear when they put time estimates on these things, they consider you must be crawling and drunk).

So, history has it that this is Western Australia’s oldest cave system, it was famous as a hideout used late last century by an Aboriginal leader known as Jandamarra. He was killed outside its entrance in 1897. In battle, not by a falling rock!

Tunnel Creek flows through a water worn tunnel beneath the limestone of the Napier Range, part of the 375 to 350 million-year-old Devonian Reef system.

We head off on the walk, it is quite good fun, a lot of climbing over and around large boulders and then into the cave itself. Despite the sign telling us it could be waist deep water, it was ankle deep, so that was a relief.

You have to take torches with you as there is no natural light from the entrance to one section where the roof has collapsed. So it was quite adventurous and a little scary.

You can walk through the tunnel to the other side of the Napier Range. The walk runs underground for 750 metres. Apparently there are bats in the cave but they were not coming out to say hi!

We caught up with a large tour group and got a little inside information. The cave is filled with different pools of water, stalagmites and stalactites, and TWO CROCODILES! Actually just hanging out in the water about three meters from us. Ummmmm

The guide had an excellent idea, let’s all turn our torches off and be in touch with nature. So we did, the only thing I was in touch with was my hearing, listening for the crocodiles swimming towards us, grabbing an unexpected old person and dragging them under. The screaming was relentless the way the terrified cries peeked until she was dead.

Actually, not. Nothing happened, we moved on and went back to the entrance.

It’s beautiful, and worth visiting. Even though the drive sounds like a lot, compared to some NZ roads, its really not that bad.

Back to the main road and on to Fitzroy Crossing. Our next sleepover.

Jason had always wanted to go to Broome, and go fishing, he had heard good things. So we decided. What the hell, lets go.

I booked us return flights and 14 days in Broome. And then I did the research. Yup, sometimes I am not very bright. Turns out, not a lot to do for 14 days. So we decided on a road trip. Broome to Darwin. Bring it on.

Leaving BrisVegas

The first day was busy we worked all day and then had to farewell our little terrors to the loving hands of Nana Pam and Grandad Phil. We are so lucky to have them in our lives. MASSIVE SHOUT OUT!! NANA PAM AND GRANDAD PHIL.

Off to the airport, it was actually remarkably easy and without issue. Our suitcases were heavy as we had to pack everything we would need for 10 days on the road.

The first flight took us from Brisbane to Perth.

Luckily this is not a very popular flight so we had two entire rows of seats. So we were able to lay flat, not comfortable, but flat and catch a few hours’ sleep. Yay.

We woke up as we were descending into Perth. We had a 10-hour stopover so I had booked us a room at the Country Comfort.

It was all very easy, I rang them, they came, picked us up and we headed off to bed. A proper bed. Yay.

As Perth was a fleeting visit I cannot really comment on it. So, yeah, we have been to Perth. That is all I have to say about that.

Day 2 Perth to Broome – 1st June

We had a 2.5 hour flight from Perth to Broome, my god what a circus. There were babies, all screaming, toddlers, all going nuts, large families, all yelling, shouting, and bouncing on seats. Madness I tell you. So Jason read his book i.e. went to sleep and I did some work.

It felt like the longest flight in history.

Finally, we landed and the views coming into Broome were spectacular. The colour of the water was truly turquoise, the sand golden, and the earth red. What a contrast. Excitement started.

The travelling circus that was our fellow passengers continued to entertain throughout the baggage collection process, nothing like a few entertaining face plants by sugar pumped naughty kids to make my day.

Rental car collected and off to our accommodation Oaks Cable Beach Sanctuary.

When I was booking all of this I was a worried about making sure we were on the right part of town, having no idea how big Broome was and how far we would need to travel to get to the beach and so on. Well, I needn’t of worried, the place is tiny. Which is awesome.

You can drive anywhere in less than 10 minutes and the walk to the beach and the local tavern was only 10 minutes. Perfect all the essentials within reach without having to drive.

There were a couple of must do’s in Broome, a fishing charter and camel ride! We had the charter locked and loaded for Sunday, so we decided to do the Sunset Camel Ride on day one.

There are three different options we could go with. And we chose with Red Sun Camels. The timing suited, the price was reasonable, and they had room for us. Lock it in Eddy!

We drove to the beach and then walked to the camels. My god they are big, but so cool, they look so ZEN with their noses pointed to the sky and eyes half closed.

When it came time to assign people to their camels, apparently it is done by personality match. I am not so sure that was accurate. We were put with the biggest camel on the beach. A stunning chap by the name of Smokey. Smokey is 17 years old and freaking massive. I’ve ridden horses and elephants but never camels. And when these suckers stand up, you take a deep breath. Nothing prepares you for it, other than riding a camel J

And when Smokey stood up he just kept going, and going. It was truly amazing. Uncomfortable but amazing.

It turns out that not only is Smokey huge, but he’s a wuss. Frightened of waving arms and sudden movements from his riders (yes, we were doomed – this is me right!). Remarkably, I kept myself somewhat calm and cool (it is possible you know) – but Smokey didn’t like people coming up to him to take our camera etc. So there were about 6 instances when Smokey seemed like he was about to make a run for it. We were ok with that, if he made a run for the pub.

Quick note here, he is thoroughly tethered and Steve has an amazing connection with and control over his team. Smokey, it seems, was all smoke and no fire. He just didn’t like surprises. But he loved a good chat. Jason and I were thoroughly enamoured with our large, beautiful camel, I wonder if the girls would mind if we bought him home.

By the time we said goodbye to our camel and got back to the resort there was enough time for a refreshing beverage, a change of clothes, and a walk to Divers Tavern.

Only 1.4km from where we were staying the menu looked good and the tavern itself looked welcoming. Little did we know it was the place to go once you’d drunk yourself silly at the local races. Not quite the relaxing evening we were looking for, but the entertainment was free.

Got my bum pinched by a chick standing behind me at the bar, she was toasted, but hell – I’ll take the compliment.

The ribs were delicious and just what we needed. Home to bed now. Big day fishing tomorrow. EXCITING.

Broome Sunday 2^nd June 

Due to windy conditions our fishing charter was postponed, by 2 hours. That meant we could sleep in!!! What a terrible shame.

We had enough time for a bit of lie in and a cooked breakfast. Our room is fully equipped, so Jason was back to work in the kitchen.

Pickup – 915. Like everything in Broome the launch location for our charter was 10 minutes away J

By the time everyone was on the bus there was 8 of us. We were chuffed as it meant the boat was not going to be crowded and they all seemed like a very friendly bunch.

When we arrived at the beach the skipper, Sam (is this guy old enough to vote!!!), informed us it was a little rough out there, and there was a possibility of sea sickness. So if you want to bail you have to bail now. BUT, if any person bails, the whole trip is called off as 8 is their breakeven point.

One lady was particularly anxious and was looking likely pull the pin when her husband said “you’ll be right” and the fishing trip was on! TBH he only said what everyone else was thinking.

To get out to our charter boat we had to get into a dinghy first. This dinghy was something pretty freaking awesome. It was called Sealegs, see photos below, and google it. Bloody awesome and clever! You can own one for as little as 57K AUD.

This boat has fold down wheels! So once you get to shallow waters you pop the wheels down, and vroom, no one gets wet feet. Takes some of the fun out of it, you know watching people fall into the surf and stuff, but it is super cool none the less.

Once on the charter it is a 45 minute ride out to the first fishing spot. The ride was a little rocky and rolly but nothing worse than your typical Wellington ferry experience. Throughout the day we hopped from spot to spot, catching fish, and bouncing around the ocean.

We were with Absolute Ocean Charters, and the guys were awesome. Super quick to help out, explain the fish, provide food and beverages, and generally providing excellent service. If you are out that way I highly recommend them!. https://www.absoluteoceancharters.com.au/

Jason and I caught around 15 fish between us, of those, 5 were keepers J the sharks were also giving us a far bit of grief – and a gentle reminder that the sea is pretty, but filled with predators!

By the time we were dropped off at our resort, it was 500pm, and we were wind blown, exhausted, a little sunburnt, and thrilled at the amazing day we had.

RECOMMEND!

We picked up our perfectly filleted fish at 600pm, thanks again boys, and decided for the easy option of eating at the resort. The menu looked good and Jason had mud crab on his mind!

Dinner!

The restaurant was quiet, not a great sign, but we knew a lot of the guests had checked out that day. I opted for the fish of the day (Baramundi) and Jason finally got his chili crab – he had been talking about it all day.

The Chili Crab arrived. Encased in its perfectly fitted home, ready to be torn apart and eaten. NOW, those of you that know Jason, realise that finger food is not his favourite thing. Chicken wings and nachos are eaten with a knife and fork.

So the sight of all that crustaceous glory, after a long day in the sun, well… it was not ideal. Not ideal for Jason, but highly amusing for me. BAD WIFE.

I know right, what did he expect? Well he expected the crab to be extracted and made into a nice curry. That’s what.

He fought, and ripped, and cursed, and bit. In the end he surrendered and I made him toast.

Yes, I laughed, yes I tried to explain that this is how crab was served, but at the end of the day. The crab was voted off the island.

We went to bed. Tired, anti crab, but happy. GREAT DAY Broome! Well played.

Tomorrow we pick up our 4×4 and go wild.

As mentioned previously I had decided to climb up Penang Hill to see the views, apparently the sun set is fabulous from the top.

I used Google Maps to look up the walking track, and hit the road. Really looking forward to doing some physical activity after a day in the car.

It all started well enough, nice little streets, friendly dogs, easy directions – optimism was high.

The walk went up, out of the urban streets and into farms, trees, views, and nature. Really, very cool.

Essentially the walk should have taken me 2-3 hours to complete. 5 hours later? Enough said.

Initially I saw people, mostly locals, and a few even stopped to check if I was ok and purposely walking this way. The most common question was “you are one????” this was also accompanied with a show of 1 finger and the look of bewilderment.

Translated to “you are alone?” or “you are mental in the head?”.

Amazed that I had decided to do this, and do this alone. At the time I thought it was funny, yes I was hot, sweaty, out of breath, but I was loving it. For now.

Another hour in, I was beginning to wonder about the intelligence of embarking on this walk, without telling anyone, late in the day when it was becoming dark, on my own, limited water, one cell phone with waning battery…

But as you know, I am not a quitter, even when it is quite clear that is what I should do. And, to be honest, I am not sure I would have found my way back.

So up and up I went. The paths were very narrow and seemed to wind their way through different farming plots. I caught sight of a few people working the land.

Often it sounded like someone was using a skill saw or a little mulcher or something, quite a disconcerting noise, but I kind of ignored it. I was more concerned with finding my way up.

Google Maps had ceased to be helpful, sending me up and down little pathways which lead to nothing or nothing useful. At one stage I came across the train tracks WAHOO. There is a little train that takes you up and down the hill (now why didn’t I think of that), sitting across the tracks was a lady, surely, she could help me.

SAVED! I can catch the train, or she can tell me where the path is! Or not. As it turned out.

The only way to board the train was from the other side of the tracks, and there was no way to cross them, not without certain death. Insult to injury, the train guard did not speak a word of English, she did smile and wave though. Sigh.

Back the way I came, again, with the buzzing sound of the skill saw intermittently ringing in my ears.

Back to the interchange of little pathways and I opted to follow one of the paths that I had not tried, and a path that Google Maps kept ignoring. It looked like it was going upwards, so why not!

As I traipsed up the path I found a sign! Miracle of all miracles, an actual sign. In Malay, with no indication of what it might mean. No arrows pointing a direction, no skull and cross bones offering a warning, just a sign. For all I knew, it may have said “turn back now”. But I couldn’t tell, so I kept walking.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, go the saws.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, go the mosquitos! I had been clever enough to bring my bug spray with me (well done Jo, collect 200 dollars and pass go!). However, when one is dripping with sweat the bug spray does not adhere well to one’s skin, and the local bugs seemed to think of it more as a bug on, than a bug off.

Still, it made me feel better, so on went the spray.

As I was standing on the path of my doom, spraying myself with bug attractor, I noticed the buzz, buzz, buzz of the skill saw seemed to be following me. In fact it only really happened when the I was passing by large trees or bushes.

OMG OMG OMG, it was not a skill saw, it was bugs, it was very large, very loud, very scary bugs. And they were going to eat me. I would be found EVENTUALLY, and my body would be home to millions of skill saw buzzing bugs. I would be one of the Darwinian stories used as an example of what NOT to do. Bugs living in my skull, camped out in my ribs, using my mummified flesh as a tent!

As you can imagine I did not overreact at all – this was all completely plausible, I have spent many hours studying the discovery channel.

Well, if I was not motivated to move prior to the bug discovery, I certainly was now.

I continued up the path of last resort! The light was beginning to fade and I was down to the last of my water.

The bugs continued to taunt my path and I steadfastly ignored any rustling noises coming from the undergrowth, I really didn’t need to know what was living there, they would soon become tenants in my half rotting corpse if I didn’t get a move on.

Another hour of walking and there were signs of civilisation, a road, a steep road, with no one on it, but a ROAD. A road I could follow, where there are roads there are other things right???

I followed it and sure enough I popped out on another track, where there were lots of tourists on golf carts zipping back and forth. Damn, one of those would have been handy three hours ago!

But I made it, to the top, in one piece, I made it. Perhaps I would not do that again though!

At the top of Penang Hill there are restaurants, souvenirs, lots of tourists, and a pub. I deftly found my way to the restaurant at the top of the hill, where I downed a jug of water, two Mojitos, and a large glass of wine in very quick succession all before my food arrived.

Dinner was average but the alcohol more than made up for it 😊

I decided I would take the train back down 😊 enough walking for today.

The sunset was beautiful and the views were lovely, I was very glad I had done the walk, and very, very glad it was over.

Time to head back to the apartment. Train back down, uber to the apartment, very, very hot shower, and into bed.

I had been putting bottles of water into the freezer so I had cold drinks during the day and the evening.

There was also some vodka in a plastic bottle. Without thinking I grabbed the wrong bottle, climbed into bed and took a big swig. Straight vodka is not my thing! I quickly swapped it for water and went to sleep.

The end of an exciting day.

There were more adventures to be had tomorrow! I needed my rest.

Well I really did a poor job of publishing this one!

SELAMAT DATANG!

I am having to rely on my memory, not a good idea at the best of times, and my notes 😊

In July I had needed to travel to Malaysia for work, I had a management course in Kuala Lumpur for three days. It seemed a waste not to extend the trip and look around for a week bit. Keeping in mind that I had only been back in NZ for three weeks after our amazing round the world trip.

Oh well, its hard to keep a good woman (stretching the term a little) down, or in one place.

After asking around for good options I was told Penang is the place to go. Its not far from KL, the weather is nice, the food is amazing, the people lovely, the food amazing, close to great snorkelling, and the food is good too, apparently.

I wanted to maximise my time in Penang and KL whilst minimising the leave I would need to take. Not an easy task.

The best option was to take Air NZ from Wellington, Christchurch, Singapore, KL, Penang, if you can be bothered to look on a map, not the most direct route in the world, but that was my option.

Several reasons for this, I did not want to travel with Malaysian Airlines. I know, get over it, they just suffered bad luck, blah blah. But in the back of my mind I did not want to do it.

Any hoo! This was possibly the longest day of travel I have done in a long time, including our round the world trip. Nearly 20 hours.

My last flight from KL to Penang was with Air Asia (I know, with fresh information I may not have flown with them either ha, ha).

When I booked this particular flight I asked for all the extras including a meal, but by the time I was on the flight and seated I was aboslutley exhausted and slept. So the lovely staff put my meal in a takeaway bag, yeah really, and I took it with me.

Penang at midnight is much like any other place at midnight. Dark. But, unlike NZ when I left, it was warm and there were lots of palm trees.

I managed to figure out the taxi system, kind of, after a lot of confusion. You go to a counter inside the airport, tell them where you are going, pay them there, get a voucher, and then give it to the taxi driver who promptly takes you there. Well apparently I got the address slightly wrong, or the guy spotted a sucker, and the driver told me I had not paid enough and needed to pay more.

So tired, I just did it. In reality it was not a lot of money, and maybe he needed it more than me 😀

The ride to my accommodation was interesting. The lines on the road, which normally indicate some sort of lane system, apparently are strictly for decoration – a mere inconvenience if you like. The driver spent the majority of his time tail gating those drivers irresponsible enough to adhere to the speed limit (how dare they) and travel along the middle of the road.

Why pick a lane when you can use two.

I must admit I didn’t really care, I was tired so the sooner I got to bed the happier I would be!

I had booked an apartment close enough to town. It had a massive pool, several bedrooms, a kitchen, and laundry, everything I needed.

Anna, my accommodation contact, was waiting at the apartment building for me. To make sure I got in and paid the necessary deposit (in the event of a wild party or out of control curry cookoff).

She was lovely, all checked in, all sorted, so tired, quick shower (I will describe that particular experience later) and into bed. What a long, long, long day.

Very excited though.

Sleep time!

Day 1 – Penang – Curry Up and Have Fun

God bless the thoughtfulness of the Air Asia staff, my dinner from the night before was my breakfast. And what a freaking lovely breakfast it was. Nasi Lemak, and none of this mild nonsense. An awesome way to start the day.

For my first day I had booked a full day tour, this included visiting an orangutan sanctuary, forest walk, lunch, charcoal factory (yep). This was going to be an 8 hour tour. Turned out it was all for me. My own driver, see the world does revolve around me.

As I did not know where I was going the lovely Anna picked me up bright and early and drove me into town, it really was not that far, but she insisted. Based on my insturctions she dropped me off at the Q Hotel – well F me, who would have thought there was more than one!

After 20 minutes of waiting and hovering I finally asked the lovely doorman (Morpheus from the Matrix) he kindly pointed out I wanted the OTHER Q hotel, so off I run.

Made it, all sorted.

Orangutan Island and Mangrove Forest Day Trip from Penang – Private Tour with Lunch

My driver, we shall call him Jose, was very chatty and educated me in the way of Penang and Malaysian politics, marriage, life, and love. I was thoroughly entertained. I think he was a little disturbed by the fact that I was married and traveling without my husband.

At the end of our day together he did the maths, using my birthdate and Jason’s, apparently Jason is a very, very, very unlucky man ha, ha, ha. Don’t tell him.

Anyway, I did love Jose’s approach to speed limits! Similar to me, he did not seem to think they applied to him.

First stop! Orangutan Island – http://www.orangutanisland.org.my/Orangutan%20(home).html

We stopped at, what looked like, an abandoned theme park. It was so quiet. The set up was undoubtly theme park-ish. But obviously this was not their peak season. Very weird, eerie, and no queues! Wahoo.

Once you have walked through the Lost Boys theme park you are greeted by the most beautiful lake. It truly is stunning, see photos. Across the lake is the orangutan island. A quick 10 minute boat ride and you are there.

I must admit it was not as overwhelming as I had expected but they clearly do an amazing job here, rescuing and raising orangutans in order to save the species. And these guys are definitely saved and happy.

Some of the orangutans have been bred there and others were rescued and relocated. The staff are quiet and clearly devoted. The tour, which consisted of me and one family, took just over an hour but it was lovely. Only feet away from these strangely familiar animals as they ate, lazed, burped, and misbehaved like teenagers. Very, very cool.

The three juveniles, seriously just a bunch of teenagers doing what they wanted, came when they were called IF there was food involved and they put on a right show for us. Once the food was finished though, so were they.

We took the boat back to Lost Boys and then back in the car, more driving to be done. This time, on to Taiping.

We were booked into the Dragon Phoenix Chinese restaurant for lunch. I am not entirely sure how many they were expecting but the amount of food was ridiculous. Luckily, I was able to convince Jose to eat with me so at least we were able to finish about half of it.

One dish had shell fish, a no-no for me, so they went off and made me something else, despite my protests that we had enough. And, to top it off, I didn’t tip them! Didn’t realise that I needed to and had no cash, and FAIL.

I rolled myself into the car and off we went to the next part of the tour.

Mangrove Forest Walk!!

Only about 40 minutes down the road is the mangrove forest walk, it has been set up as a learning and tourist experience, Jose did not feel the need to accompany me, in fact no one did.

The walk was lovely and very peaceful, the weather was perfect with hot sun and a little breeze, so I started along the boardwalk. A boardwalk that leads through the mangroves, snakes, squirrels, snakes, trees, snakes, birds, snakes, and lizards. Funnily enough I did not even think about the snakes. I just thought it was pretty. So off I went.

The boardwalk itself is a Jo accident waiting to happen. Missing boards, nails sticking up, whole steps sunk into the water, hand rails missing or non-existent, fun all round. Luckily I am very conscientious about this stuff – nope, never, not ever.

It was quite a lovely walk actually and I spent a lot of time watching squirrels and birds. At one point I stopped and walked down to the river. Stooping as low as I could to get some great photos. There was noise of birds and nature, but the noise I heard down by the water was somewhat different.

I stopped, looked, started to move towards the noise, kneeling down, getting really close the bubbles in the water, then decided not to investigate and finish my walk instead.

Jose was waiting for me, in fact he had started to do the walk to look for me. Hmmm. Apparently he was a little concerned about how long I was taking. There are large snakes in this area and people are on the menu. Not looking for the source of the noise was probably quite wise! Well done me. OMFG!!!

We leave here, as I continue to quietly give thanks to my intuition, and head to the “charcoal factory” why?

Charcoal – What is it good for? Absolutely everything – as it turns out!

I am unsure how I thought charcoal was made, maybe I thought it just was. Just always there. Apparently no.

They have these massive ovens that they block off, start a fire, put the fire out, put the wood in and let the wood smoulder. You want it smouldering and not burning otherwise it is ruined .I learnt a great deal that I never wanted to know. But it did show me that when you complain about your job, think about the poor people, usually young ladies, whose job it is to stack, pack, move, and rate charcoal. A bloody awful, hot, stinky, dirty, and (no doubt) unhealthy job.

I opted out of purchasing any soap, honey, pencils, etc and sited boarder control, but seriously I just wanted to leave as the place had all these dogs – and they were miserable, unkempt creatures, not right!

That was the end of the tour options and it was time to head back to Penang.

About 1.5 hours away, that meant we should have gotten back at around 4pm. What else could I do with the day (so I did not waste it).

I decided that I wanted to walk up Penang Hill. I had read that it did not take long and the view, especially at sunset, was amazing! I convinced Jose to drop me at the bottom of the hill, he dropped me by the tram refusing to believe I did actually intend to walk, and waved me a fond farewell.

Now the fun begins!

Whoever originally came up with that pithy little statement is on my sh*t list, right above the person who said “good things take time”, and below the person who decided “everything happens for a reason”.

I can bake a chocolate cake in 1 hour, and it is a damn good cake – you don’t need to wait years. Happens for a reason, seriously, look around you, there is no reason for some of the bollocks that takes place.

Grumble.

As you can tell I am adjusting to the end of our holiday very well.

29^th June – Goodbye Hawaii Hello Winter

Our flight was at a respectable hour of 930am. So we were treated to a lovely breakfast on the deck.

It was so good, they even bring a toaster so you can either have your bread fresh or toasted, as you like. I wonder how I can sort this kind of service at home.

We had packed the night before so the morning was actually extremely relaxed.

Our Speedishuttle arrived on time, not early as the app had promised, but that’s ok.

We were at the airport with lots of time to spare.

As we were checking in we told the lovely Air NZ lady behind the counter how happy we were to be flying with them again. It’s the little things right.

We were flying premium economy and that means, in Honolulu at least, we get to use the “gold” queue for security. Which actually means the gold non-queue. We got through superfast.

Air NZ does not have a lounge in Honolulu they share with United, so we found the united lounge and settled down for the wait. Actually, Jason settled down with the wifi and a whiskey, I went to duty free J

Our flight boarded on time, we had lovely comfortable seats, and nice staff.

The only down side of our flight was the fact it was a day time flight, its pretty tough to try and sleep during the day, but with a few liquid sleeping pills and a couple of movies I got in a few hours. Bit of a miracle for me.

Jason just slept, as he does (it is his super power), whilst the King Kong movie blasted in his ears. How does he do it!

The nine hours zipped by and we were treated to lovely champagne to finish our honeymoon trip. Jason has quite a taste for the blubbly stuff now.

Without a doubt there is no beating Air New Zealand customer service. The food and drink selection were also very good.

Our arrival in Auckland was hassle free, just like the beginning of our trip J we even managed to get on an earlier flight to Wellington where Shanthi, Toadie, and Poppy were waiting for us.

As we landed in Wellington, about 40 minutes late, it was a pretty sad feeling. Even though we had been gone for two months it did not feel that way. Yep, we had done a lot of stuff, and been to a lot of place, but it did not feel like 2 months prior we had stood in the airport ready to go.

Strange.

Jason went with Shanthi in my car – there was no room for all our luggage and us in my wee Suzuki.

Toad and Poppy were to drive me home. It was lovely to be welcomed back home by friendly faces.

The cold temperature we could have done without.

Trip Summary

From the 5^th May to the 30^th of June:

• 20 flights
• 11 airlines
• 71+ hours in the air
• 10 time zones
• 15 countries
• 2000kms driven
• 0 luggage lost
• Temperatures from 8 degrees to 35 degrees
• Millions of laughs
• Hundreds of experiences
• Loads of wonderful people
• Memories that will last a lifetime

I hope you have enjoyed following us around the world, we certainly have enjoyed doing it and sharing it with you all.

We are back into our normal routine now, work, dogs, housework, bills, shopping, cooking our own breakfast, making our own bed, and it feels pretty good. I would be happier if it was about 10 degrees warmer.

Thank you to everyone who looked after us, our house, our dogs, our travel. Without you it would not have been anywhere near as awesome.

Princess Poppy the Poppet

Everyone had been asking how Poppy was coping in my absence and what she would be like upon my return.

She was thoroughly spoilt I have to say. Massive thank you to Sarah, Shanthi, Toad and Richard, and Becky who all took time out of their busy lives to look after her. She is a spoilt wee poppet and it was a massive upset to her routine.

The last two weeks of my absence she had spent camping with Shanthi, B, and George and hanging out with Toadie, Richard, and Aya.

As Toad had Poppy we devised a plan. Toad would bring her to the airport. To avoid any crazy jumping out of the car to see me and running into traffic, Toad was to put my backpack on the front seat (diversion), I was to put the suitcase in the hatch (stealth like), and then climb into the back seat all before Poppy was aware.

Oh how we underestimate the Poppy.

The minute the hatch was open she smelt me, fair enough too – long flights with no shower, and it was game on.

I had to throw the suitcase in the hatch quickly and climb into the backseat where a barrage of licks and funny noises greeted me all the way to Upper Hutt. I am so glad she is not the type of dog that will sulk.

What’s Next?

We are planning a holiday next year, but nothing on this scale.

Work has kicked in and I will be travelling a fair bit.

I think we need to update the blog for all our new adventures to come.

For now goodbye, au revoir, ciao, adios, doviđenja, addiju, bless bless. slan.

After a sleep, that was not long enough, we headed to the airport for our flight back to Honolulu.

The car rental drop off, check in, and the flight were all fast and easy and we arrive on time. We have been amazingly lucky considering the number of flights we have taken.

We left a beautiful day on Kauai and landed to an equally beautiful day in Honolulu.

Rather than a personal shuttle I opted for the Speedishuttle service. It was about 1/5 of the price. If they turned out to be really bad I could book another company to go back to the airport.

Instead they were fabulous, we had our bags, and were on a shuttle within 30 minutes of landing.

With only one day of holiday left, there was no desire to waste any minutes waiting on pickups or standing in queues.

I definitely recommend this service, check them out when you are travelling. http://www.speedishuttle.com/

We were dropped off at our hotel, Halekulani, which, according to our driver, is one of the best hotels on the island.

Well it certainly did look impressive.

The nice men at the entrance took our bags and we went to reception.

A lovely lady called Joy scooped us to one side and started the check in process. At this time our room was not ready, but we could go to the pool or anything we like until it is ready.

Then, Jason drops the H bomb.

He tells Joy that this is the very last night of our Honeymoon and how we have been looking forward to this hotel, even though it means our two month adventure is over.

WELL! Joy, god bless her, kicks into over drive. She goes looking for an upgrade, and an upgrade that is ready now, within 20 minutes we have a beautiful large room, with pool and ocean view.

At this hotel they do not hand you the keys and give you directions to your room, no, no, no. They walk you through the hotel, pointing out all the things you can do, and where to go to get help, and where all the restaurants are.

You are then escorted up to your room where they point out all the facilities and ensure you do not have any questions before departing.

My god, it’s like being back on the cruise, but BETTER.

Joy departs and then the porter arrives with our bags.

The room is amazing, and the balcony is lovely. I wish we could have stayed here longer. Just don’t think about the price.

We take out what we need and store our suitcases in the massive wardrobe. Time to hit the streets and get a look around this place. It is getting close to lunchtime so it would be great to find a place to eat.

At the concierge desk we sort out an ocean view table for dinner, obviously the fact that it is our honeymoon is now on the computer, and everyone goes the extra mile to ensure we are happy. Why didn’t we drop the H bomb more often! Damn it.

The concierge recommends where to go to eat. Where to walk and what to see.

Outside the weather is heating up nicely. We walk around the main street, popping into the occasional shop. If for no other reason than a hit of air conditioning to breathe life back into Jason’s wilting body.

This place is busy, a lot busier than Kauai.

We find the lunch spot that was recommended and it smells fabulous. Jason has BBQ on his mind, and there is a BBQ place right there.

It’s a very cool set up actually. Like an upmarket food court. There are about 8 different food options, and two bars. You purchase what you want to eat, and what you want to drink, then park up.

So Jason got his BBQ and I got my tuna poke (there is no such thing as too much fish) and we sat at the bar.

As always Jason goes for a local beer, and I select a local wine. Which just happened to come in a can. Yep, wine in a can. It was actually really nice. And an awesome serving size! 333mls, that’s nearly half a bottle, for 10USD. Happy place. If you are in Honolulu check this place out, International Market Place – http://www.shopinternationalmarketplace.com/dining_entertainment

Fed and watered (well wined anyway) we ventured back outside.

The shopping centre was so very cool, with a massive tree in the centre atrium, water features, lounging areas. And not filled with masses of people.

We did a little shopping, ok I did and Jason watched, before heading back to the hotel for a swim and a bit of relaxation.

When we arrived back at the room a lovely fruit platter, courtesy of the hotel, was there to greet us. Why do we have to leave!!!

The pool and the beach were calling us.

The beach was lovely, golden sand, and warm water. Easily felt like you were climbing into a bath. There must have been some erosion of the beachside because the water crashes into the pathway, and parts of it are now closed. Not entirely clear how they will protect the hotel land from being eaten away – regardless of what they do, my money is on Mother Nature.

We finish with a dip in the salt water pool before getting changed and heading out for walk down to Diamond Head Park.

Even though it is late in the afternoon there are still a lot of people on the beach and around the town. What is very evident on this walk is the high number of homeless people that set up camp by the beach. I am not sure how that works as every second lamppost has a sign saying no camping.

I guess if you have to sleep outside and rough it, there are worst places to be than the Honolulu beach front. We did not see any trouble and there is a very high police presence.

Back at the hotel it was time for another swim and a drink on the deck before our dinner reservation.

It is our last night and all, we needed to make the most of this place. There was a knock at the door and a lovely man was there with a complimentary bottle of bubbles to help us celebrate our honeymoon! Farking love it!

We polish off the bottle as we get ready for dinner.

https://www.halekulani.com/

The food was delicious and the excellent service continued. A couple of raspberry mojitos helped the mood along too.

There was live Hawaiian music and Miss Hawaii 2016 performed hula dances – not the stereotypical grass skirt and shaking hips, but the rhythmic and subtle story telling hula. Very beautiful.

With our final day in Honolulu winding to an end we head off to bed.

Such an amazing end to a fabulous trip.

Tomorrow we head home. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

27^th – 28^th June

We woke to another beautiful day in paradise, it must sound like I am saying the same thing over and over again. But really, the sun was shining – again, the sky was blue – again, the weather was warm – again. I could get used to this.

We also see a lot of Kauai native birds, they are large, and quite noisy. They are called helicopters. It is very rare not to see the sky filled with these birds. The views must be spectacular from the air, but we did not have enough time to book in a tour.

Today we had a fishing trip planned.

We both really enjoy a good day of fishing and the hope that you will catch the big one.

I did some research online and found recommendations for a charter company. I contacted the charter company and immediately got a response. As we were always travelling I had to give Captain Jeff a rundown of all my numbers i.e. we are in Europe so this is my number, I will get a new number when we land in the States, or you can reach me on my New Zealand number.

We agreed I would ring him when I had a USA number.

Which I did! The initial conversation was hilarious. Comments suggesting I was perhaps a spy, with all my contact numbers etc. I simply said I could tell him, but would have to kill him.

Captain Jeff sounded pretty cool.

We had arranged to meet him at the pier by 830am for a 4 hour fishing charter.

Getting on the boat:

• Remove your shoes
• Do not sit there
• Do not stand there
• No mention of life jackets
• No comment on what to do in the event of an emergency
• Nothing

Captain Jeff was appearing to be not so cool.

Anyway, off we went. It was a calm day, thank god, because if this was calm we would hate to see what the sea was like in the rough.

There was a fair about of rocking and rolling going on, waves splashing up onto the deck.

It was a fiberglass boat, and she seemed to cut through the water pretty well.

We had 6 lines in the water and we went in search of fish. Jason did his usual win people over routine, chatting to Captain Jeff, but the responses were few and far between, so he gave up. We sat in the sun and watched the birds.

2.5 hours in, nothing.

Captain Jeff suggested we go closer to land and see if we hit anything. Cool with us.

As we were zipping along I notice one of the lures is bouncing along the top of the water. That’s a big lure I think to myself, and continue to day dream.

Turned out it was a yellow fin tuna bouncing along behind the boat, not a lure. Pay attention Jo. I reeled it in, it was a pretty decent size.

No time for a photo, Captain Jeff grabs the tuna, sticks it in the fish box, and off we go.

Another hour goes by and we start to head back to the pier. Still watching for signs of birds and any other indicators that there were fish about, nothing.

Then BOOM, we got a hit! I jump up from my sun platform aka the engine, and tell Jason it’s his.

Jason says to Captain Jeff, do you want us to reel in the other lines – important to note that when we have fished in other charters they always want you reel in the other lines to avoid tangles, mess, and general chaos.

Apparently not on Captain Jeff’s boat.

Then as quickly as it was on, the fish was gone. Man, did we get a telling off.

“I don’t understand why you guys didn’t start reeling”.

“Waste of a fish”.

“Would have been better on the deck”.

Jason asked don’t you want us to reel in the other lines? Nope.

The rest of the trip back to the pier was a quiet one.

Of all the don’ts we were informed of when boarding the boat, there was no “do’s” regarding catching a fish. Ah well, it’s all an experience.

We get back to the pier and Captain Jeff is on the phone to someone, so we go around in circles for a while as he has his little chit chat.

Eventually we are docked, he cuts up the single, very expensive (if you do price per person divided into number of fish) tuna, and we depart.

Once we are in the car we just look at each other and laugh. Captain Jeff was a grumpy bastard wasn’t he.

It is now around 100pm, and what is better than fresh tuna for lunch? Nothing that we could think of.

As we are heading back towards the apartment we search for a radio station. And found the golden oldies. PLAYING THE BANGLES! Seriously, since when did The Bangles qualify as golden oldies, I feel somewhat insulted by this and change the station.

Tsk, old indeed!

We grab a few salad items from the supermarket and head back to the apartment. The tuna was amazing and beautifully cooked. I may have married Jason for his cooking 😛

Snorkel Time

I had read that there was some lovely snorkelling areas further around the island, only 40 minutes’ drive from where we were staying, so we decided to go and rent some equipment and hit the beach.

Initially the drive was horrendous. Who would have thought that such a little island would have so much traffic! Being the very patient person that I am, AH HEM – not even a little bit patient, I was ready to turn around and go back, when the traffic just disappears.

There were a few police cars around, but nothing that indicated any issues to cause delays.

Tangent Alert: we had noticed a massive discrepancy in the police cars compared to those seen on the main land i.e. New York and New Jersey.

The police cars on Kauai look like those left over from the Blues Brothers movie, you know the one or two cars that did not get crashed, smashed, or blown up. Very quaint.

We continue to head north to Hanalei where we could rent some snorkelling gear. The further north you went the surroundings took on more of a jungle look and feel. It really is quite lovely. Massive trees, swamp lands, creeks, and rivers.

We arrive in Hanalei rent some equipment, get instructions on where to go and where to park, and continue on our way.

The lady behind the counter is quite interesting. Her name is Bobo. She has long grey/white hair in two plaits.

We start talking about where we are from and she said she was in New Zealand last April and went swimming in the beach every day. Swimming out as far as the lighthouse and back. Holy crap, this women is easily in her 60s. She then mentioned that when she went down to Doubtful Sound she got in the water there too, went for a swim. She thought it was amusing that all the locals came out and watched her!

Anyway, she was lovely! But clearly bonkers.

We were told to go to Tunnels Beach, it was only another 5.5 miles along the main road.

When you reach Tunnels Beach parking is at a premium, and there are do not park signs all along the side of the road. Apparently this is an easy fishing area for the Police, they will get you.

We kept going until the main carpark, it meant a bit of a walk back to the snorkelling area, but also meant no parking tickets.

Also, as it was late afternoon we were lucky because most people were already leaving.

We parked up, got our gear and hit the beach and MY GOD it was stunning. The water is perfectly blue, to match the sky, there are Jurassic Park cliffs on one side, and palm tree surrounded beach houses on the other.

The beach itself is a perfect crescent shape, excellent for photos and postcards, the sand is golden, and the water is warm. What is not to love! There are a lot of signs regarding the under tow so we go where it is deemed safe – between the flags people.

The local name for Tunnels Beach is Makua. Lava tubes have formed many underwater caverns and that is why it has been called Tunnels. After the lava tubes there are very, very, very steep drop offs where you can see nothing but water.

Very reminiscent of Finding Nemo, and whilst we were floating on our own, all we could think about when we saw the drop off was “shark bait”! Bloody scary I can tell you. Needless to say we kept to the lava flows and away from the shark pit (there were sharks, I didn’t see any, BUT I have seen Jaws so I know the sharks are there, waiting for the sacrificial girl in a bikini to do something dumb).

The water is not as clear as Rarotonga, but the fish are very cool all the same. We spend an hour bobbing around and enjoying the warm water, before pulling the plug (not literally, cause where would the fish go) and exit the water.

Just opposite the beach and the parking lot is Maniniholo Dry Cave. It looks like a gaping hole in the side of the mountain. Kind of scary and you hope there are no bats, we didn’t see any, but you can explore the cave easily and is fun to explore with children (and husbands). Not sure if there are any bats, but if you look at the ceiling, keep your mouth shut, just in case.

After a long morning fishing, then driving, and then snorkelling, we are getting a little weary.

Plus, Jason had tuna to cook for me – good man 😀

Time to head back to Hanalei, return our gear and head for home.

As we had hoped the traffic was gone, everyone else had already returned to their respective homes, so Jason had a smooth ride back. He is getting the hang of driving on the dark side.

Back at the apartment we have a lovely fresh tuna dinner, drinks on the deck, and a swim in the pool. This life is quite idyllic.

Tomorrow we head to Honolulu, the last stop before we go home.

Time is going way too fast.

25^th – 28^th June

Our flight with United was good. The service was good, the people were nice, and the seats were decent. We had paid for an upgrade thank goodness because the seats at the back of the plane were quite squishy, kind of like being hog tied.

No one was dragged from the plane and there were no fights between passengers. Excellent.

To top it off we arrived in Hawaii early, how often does that happen?

Then it all went a little pear shaped.

The captain informed us that the customs documents we were all required to fill out had not been given to them and would have to be handed out and completed on the plane before we could disembark the aircraft.

Some passengers were getting a little fidgety about that.

But we were promised that someone would be at the gate the second we landed so there would be no delays.

We land and are still early. Another aircraft is still at our gate, so we have to wait for them to depart. The early margin is decreasing.

After a small wait we pull into the gate and the captain, who does not seem to be having a good day, announces that we have pulled into the wrong gate and needed to be pushed out and then onto the right gate.

More grumbles from those around us. Our connecting flight had loads of time so we were not stressed and if anything we were quite amused.

Eventually we were pushed back from the wrong gate and made it onto the correct one. Only for the captain to make another announcement that the paperwork had not arrived at the gate as promised so there would be another delay.

I am sure the captain was thinking “you have got to be f*cking kidding” but he sounded very relaxed.

We all filled out the paperwork and made it off the plane without anyone losing their temper and we had lots of time to get to our next flight.

We walked across the terminal, it is really long and drawn out, but it was nice to walk around after sitting on the plane for so long.

We arrived in Lihue, Kauai, and the weather was amazing. The views as we landed were stunning, like Rarotonga but on a bigger scale.

We landed on time, got our bags, and headed to the car rental.

The lady who was serving us, Dollar Rentals, was lovely and very efficient, then boom. All the power goes out, just for a minute, but computers don’t like that. Not at all. Halfway through our check in all the computers needed to be rebooted, the reconnection to their system didn’t work, and we (with a bunch of others) were left waiting.

Their computer tech came along, took one look and was like “its fine” and leaves again. Ha, ha, brilliant. I’m sure he was a mechanic that was hauled in to fix them because he has a computer.

The cause, evidently, was someone had driven into a pole outside. I wonder if they were driving one of the rental cars.

Not long after the systems were up and working, we had our car and were on our way. The lovely lady must have upgraded us for free after seeing our luggage. Great service.

Our accommodation was only 12kms from the airport so we made it there in good time.

The place is perfect, overlooking the beach, a pool outside, air conditioning, everything you need to relax and enjoy yourself.

We popped across the road, got supplies including FRESH FISH, from the supermarket and settled in for an early night. The time difference was really messing with us. That and we knew, that Hawaii meant we were nearing the end of our holiday.

So sad 😦

A few details about Kauai, it is expensive. To buy food at the supermarket you really are left marvelling at the cost. We are guessing this is probably due to the majority of the food being imported. However, a bit of research shows that the median price of a single-family home was $528,000, a 40% increase over 2003. That’s quite a growth spurt.

However, even though food can be expensive there are massive discounts for locals and, on average, it is cheaper than Hawaii main island.

Jason can confirm the beer, Longboard, is awesome and well worth drinking. Far superior to anything he found in the UK, other than Guinness in Dublin of course.

Kauai – 26^th June – Wahoo Island Fun

The island is home to thousands and thousands of wild chickens, think Rarotonga chickens times 1000. They are everywhere, but, unlike the Rarogtongan chickens, they do not crow all day and all night.

Also, they seem to be quite road smart as we did not see very many splattered on the road.

We wake up to a beautiful day. We can get used to this sunny shite! Me especially, Jason is not overly thrilled with the humidity. The air conditioning unit is getting a work out. We went out during the day and he left it pumping. The floor was too cold to stand on.

Anyway, I had booked us a half day tour that included a trip around Na Pali, snorkelling, speed boating, lunch, and general fun.

I had actually forgotten what it was and for some reason I thought we were actually river rafting. Rather than sitting on a little raft speeding through the sea.

Two warning items accompanied the safety briefing.

1. This is not suitable for anyone with a bad back.
2. This is not suitable for anyone who has recently had surgery.

We just looked at each other, shrugged and hoped for the best. I mean it’s been months since his surgery and his back has been really good.

We were on this inflatable boat, not big, and there were 12 of us. We were taken through the safety briefing, always hold on, keep your feet tucked under the raft, let them know if you want a life jacket.

And we were off, damn fast, two 115 horse power outboards doing their thing. It was amazing how much speed you get up to. There were a couple of kids on the boat, both under 10 and brother and sister. Brother was nearly beside himself, tears, eyes squeezed shut, holding on for dear life, his sister was grinning and squealing with delight. Funny how diverse one family can be.

I am definitely in the latter category. I could only really hold on with one hand anyway so may as well throw caution to the wind and lean back to touch the water as you zip on by.

Our captain, Captain, was great, he knew his stuff and knew his boat. We rode the wake of bigger boats skimming back and forth, leaning front and back (well I was anyway). All the time marvelling at the beautiful scenery zipping past.

Kauai has been used as a backdrop in many Hollywood films, and it is easy to see why.

It looks like something out of Jurassic Park with steep cliffs, wild terrain, and no way to reach these tiny, stunning beaches other than via boat.

There is a hiking track through Na Pali State Park, it is 22 miles round trip, but you can hike to the beautiful little beach and have someone pick you up. Even so, 11 miles was more than we had time and were prepared for. Apparently it can be challenging in parts.

Back to our boat ride.

On our way out to our snorkelling location we stopped and watched green turtles as they cruised past the boat, the youngest around 5 years (you can tell this because it is the size of a dinner plate), and dolphins, so many dolphins its amazing. They were surrounding us.

The time of day, mid-morning, indicated that it was “romance time”. So Neno, our guide, was telling us that this is their time to be “intimate” whenever we could see the white belly of a dolphin (they were so close you could touch them) they were having some fun!

What do you say to that?

We left the dolphins to their “business” and carried on our merry, wind-swept, fear inducing ride!

Another 10 minutes or so we stopped to have a quick dip. The water is like a bath. Beautiful, warm, crystal clear, and refreshing. As we climb on the boat Captain is warning “watch your fingers, you don’t want to break them on the ladder”.

“Yeah a broken finger would really suck when you are on holiday bro”, I say as I waggle my neatly bound fingers (insert ironic face here).

Back on the boat and we continued along and see more dolphins, they are everywhere, so cool, they come within inches of the boat as we sit and watch. You are so tempted to slide into the water with them, but they are clearly getting jiggy, so we move on.

It is good to mention that our local guide Neno is fabulous, he tells us all the local stories and myths, the history and the progress that has happened around the island. What a great accompaniment to the thrill seeking tour.

We eventually reach our snorkelling spot. I don’t need to be told twice, boom. Into the water, time to explore.

Jason and I head out as far as we are supposed to go, and on the way see a lot of fish that are familiar due to the snorkelling we have done in Raro and Fiji. Then we spot a shark, not big, but definitely a shark (thanks Jaws, snorkelling will never be the same ha, ha).

Then another shark, they are studiously ignoring us, so we continue on our way.

As we progress Jason is furiously waving at me, whilst trying to stay completely still (not easy), and points in front of us. To where a rather large seal is swimming across our path.

Ummmm, it is important to note that seals in NZ mean “get the f*ck out of there” they are notoriously grumpy and are known to attack if approached.

So, being the sensible people that we are, we promptly retreat and head back to our tour guides.

Apparently the Hawaiian seals are very few, about 1300, so we were very lucky to see one. AND, they are very friendly. I wish we had known that beforehand because it was so amazing to see one, only 6 feet from us, and would have been better to see it closer.

All in all a very successful snorkelling trip. Time to get back on board and head for home.

On our way out the surf was relatively flat, not a lot of wind so the sailing/speeding was very smooth.

Not the case on the way back. The wind had picked up and the waves were bigger and the ride was fabulous. I was really enjoying myself. Holding on with one hand, it was like a mechanical bull. There were a few others with gritted teeth but most of us were just loving it.

Not a dry face on the boat, sea spray everywhere!

It felt like a really long ride back. The wind, waves, bumps, and craziness. I must admit, I really loved it. But I think it broke Jason a little.

We arrived back safe and sound and it was only 1pm. The whole day was ahead of us.

Neno had told us about a drive up the Waimea Canyon, as we were down this side of the island, we thought “well, whilst we are here, it would be wrong not to”.

We jump in our stunning little rental car, which is not stunning but is practical, and head towards the canyon. BTW, there are so many convertibles on this island its incredible. The majority of them are rental cars.

It is only 25 minutes to the top of the canyon, but you need to stop and take photos along the way because the views are amazing. It is like someone has taken the Grand Canyon, shrunk it, painted it a darker shade of red, and put it on Kauai.

Really beautiful! And well worth the drive up to the top. We did a couple of little nature walks, but the temperature was soaring! We were not prepared for any decent sort of walk so we kept them all pretty short.

The sky is beautiful, the view beautiful, the drive… frustrating in a shitty automatic and a 25 mile speed limit. All the same, glad we did it.

PLUS!!! Jason decided he would like to try driving on the “dark side” of the road. So I got a break!

He did really well, see, he could have driven through Italy, France, and Switzerland.

As mentioned earlier there is a part of the island you cannot drive to, so what would be considered a ring road on other islands, is a crescent road on Kauai. And we thought we would take the time to drive to the end of that crescent road – whilst we were here.

And what an exciting drive it was. No, it wasn’t, it really wasn’t, not at all.

It turns out that Kauai is home to the U.S. Navy’s “Barking Sands” Pacific Missile Range Facility, on this side of the island. So as we are driving as far as we can go we end up at the gates. Hmm, time to turn around quickly and head back.

No doubt we are on record somewhere haha.

As we had continued to head to the south west we had gone a long way from our apartment and it was an hour to get back. On the way we decided tonight, we would find a restaurant and eat out. But right now, we needed a snack. The Fish Shack – we are coming for you.

A quick visit to the Fish Shack, they were closing, we are loaded up with three types of poke (raw fish dish) and a complimentary tray of sushi, we head home.

All this time on the water, driving about, and sightseeing, we were shattered. Luckily our restaurant of choice was only 500 meters away.

So we sat on the balcony ate poke, had a cold drink, and just chilled.

I had booked us into the Wahoo Seafood and Grill. Unfortunately, as I had done a couple of times before, I got the date wrong and booked us for the next night. Luckily the concierge of the restaurant was very understanding and they set us up a table on the deck.

The food was nice, but I was just full and tired, so doggy bag was ordered and we were back to the apartment and in bed before 1000pm! With the 6 hour different from New York, our brains and bodies were taking a hammering – it was actually around 400am YAWN.

Our sleep was glorious. Tomorrow. Fishing.

22^nd June – 25th June – New York Continued

We woke up to another stunning day in New York – thank you weather gods, you have done a fabulous job. I am even getting my tan back after Iceland.

Today was a day for walking around the city, some shopping, and catching up with friends.

We walked from our hotel up towards the shopping district. On our way we stumbled across Grand Central Station. It really amuses me to find these places still standing after all the action movies show them blown to pieces.

Inside the station is beautiful, high ceilings, paintings, archways, and fabulous acoustics. This particular day, and probably most days now, there was a strong military presence inside the station.  But it did not stop the normal hustle and bustle going on around them.

From Grand Central we walked around to Times Square, you can’t go all the way to New York without seeing Times Square! And it is even bigger, brighter, and madder than I remember! More billboards, more people, and a lot more police than I ever remember. Jason was just blown away. Its hard to explain until you have stood in the middle of it.

The square was covered with NYPD armed and tactical officers. As had become the thing to do, Jason approached them and we got a photo – introducing himself as a Kiwi police officer and showing them his ID (slowly and carefully so as to not create a “situation”).

They were standing behind some concrete blocks and were very happy to have a photo, as long as Jason stayed on the other side of the blocks. “Just there is fine sir”.

All this walking sure chews through the time, and it was getting close to midday.

We were meeting Mark, Mari, and April for lunch. Wahoo.

I was so excited, I had not seen April for over 12 years, the last time I saw Mark was 2011, and I had yet to meet Mari. So seemed like an excellent idea to bring all these people together and flood jason with new names and faces.

April had recommended a Korean restaurant and we all met there at 12.

How absolutely wonderful it was to see my old friends. April is just as fabulous and fun as she ever was, I wish we had more time to spend together catch up over old times and to meet Mr April (no he is not out of a calendar, his real name is Will and he was clever enough to marry our April).

Mark and Mari had rocked up with a new travel companion for Lulu. Jake, Jake is from New York and now travels with us everywhere. He and Lulu have become best friends and he will be moving to New Zealand permanently.

The food was amazing. The restaurant is called Barn Joo 35. Jason, Mark, and I ordered a selection of small plates, more than enough to fill us all up, Mari and April had noodly things that were equally tasty. And, just when we thought we could not fit in anymore food, they gave us dessert on the house.

April had to head back to work, boo hiss, so missed out on dessert! Thanks for taking the time to hang with us April.

We waddled out of the restaurant and into the heat of the day.

Jason and I had plans to walk around and explore Central Park, something that we are told must still be done during the daytime hours.

So off we set to explore. Another long walk to reach the park, and another long walk around the park. We sure are clocking up the miles in New York. You don’t appreciate the distance until you have already made the decision to walk somewhere.

Easily walking 26kms a day.

We made it to Central Park and it is massive. We followed the pathways through the park and walked to the large reservoir. It is so beautiful and feels far removed from the beeping and craziness of Times Square. The only reality check is the sky scrapers in the background.

The park is filled with squirrels and French Bulldogs. Jason was in his happy place, squirrel, squirrel, SQUIRREL!

After an hour exploring the park we were in desperate need of a wash and a sit down, back onto the subway and back to the hotel. God bless hot running water and deodorant.

We had tickets to see The Book of Mormon, Christina Barr had bought them as a wedding gift. Mark and Mari and bought tickets too so we were all going together.

I had heard nothing about the play and did not really know what to expect. But by the time the first song had been sung I was hooked! All I can say is Hasa diga eebowai! Google it. General Butt F*cking Naked! I have not laughed so hard in a long time. So inappropriate and so wonderfully fun. It’s a sound track worth purchasing!

It turned out we were surrounded by antipodeans, that meant Mark and Mari were squeezed between us, New Zealanders in front and to the side. Too funny. And of course the ever enchanting Jason made friends with them all. I think he misses home.

In the intermission I dashed off to go to the bathroom. A lot of people and not a lot of toilets. But wow, do they know how to run an operation. There was a female user in the toilet and it went something like this:

“Right ladies, you only have 15 minutes, 15 minutes till the show starts”

“Cubicle 5 is free, in you go ladies, show starts at 815, on the dot, so keep moving ladies”

Like a finally tuned military operation. That is how you get things moving ladies!

After the show we found a place for dinner, quite a late one at around 1000pm. Chicken wings. YUSS.

Subway back to the hotel and another great sleep. Thank god for double glazing so we don’t hear the beeps. Jason is getting citied out! Poor man. Another couple of days to go!

23^rd June – Sight Seeing and BBQ

After a few late nights and lots of walking and shopping it was time for a sleep in and more laundry. I left Jason catching some extra zzzzzs, no point in waking him up just to get some washing done. I am now a regular at the local Chinese laundry.

Washing done, showered and ready to face the world, we started to walk up town. We were meeting Mark and Mari to do some sightseeing together.

It’s a pretty decent walk of over an hour but we were not in any rush, just a casual stroll stopping off anywhere that took our fancy. That included a pet store.

They had cats and kittens but no dogs L so we chatted to the crazy cat people for a while and then carried on with our walk.

By the time we made it Mark and Mari it was lunch time, yes our world revolves around eating and walking! It just seems to work out that way.

Mark knew of a nice noodle place so we had a very good lunch and then went to find the sightseeing bus.

I know, I said never do one, never, ever, were my words, but I had been watching the ones in New York and they seemed to actually move. So we bought tickets and, after a bit of a wait, all climbed aboard (including Lulu and Jake).

And sure enough the New York hop on hop off bus does move a lot faster than the ones in Paris. I guess it helps that red lights are a decoration, not really something you have to pay attention to. The commentary was also fabulous, the guy was knowledgeable and entertaining.

For example, were you aware that there are no more graves on Manhattan Island, anyone that dies is shipped off to New Jersey. Real Estate is too expensive to fill it up with dead people. The living are cramped enough as it is.

Also, there are over 3000 taxi cabs in Manhattan, but only two gas stations. Again, it comes down to cost of real estate, imagine the queues!

We had bought tickets for two routes but by the time we had completed the first route, it had taken about 2 hours. So no time to do the second tour. We were meeting Zeke, Nicky, Abbie, and AJ at the world’s best BBQ place. Jason was in desperate need of some meat!

Getting there was not as we had hoped. We thought, we are masters at the public transport now, we will take the subway and the bus.

FAIL, our transit to the bus was in a slightly dodgy part of town, domestics in the middle of the street. Rather unsavoury characters everywhere. After waiting for the bus that did not come I got fed up and grumpy, time to uber.

The driver was there in no time and we made it to dinner only 10 minutes late.

Hometown Bar-B_-Que was fabulous, all the meat is slow cooked and you order by the pound or half pound. There is a massive BBQ outside the restaurant and you can smell the flavours before you even enter the room.

I lined up to order, starting with 3 chicken wings please. Then ½ pound of brisket, ½ pound of ribs, beans and burnt ends, cornbread, and slaw. “That’s more like it” says the guy behind the counter. I guess he had me picked as a small eater. WRONG!

Jason was truly in his happy place. The meat was divine and so well cooked it just melted in your mouth.

There was a live band next door so Abbie insisted we needed to dance. Nicky, Abbie, AJ, and I danced about for a while, but damn it was hot and I needed to sit down. So great to hand with such awesome kids though.

After we could not fit in any more food we packaged up the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow and went for a stroll around the pier. The rain had washed the air clean, the sky had cleared, the views to Miss Liberty were awesome.

We hugged goodbye and all ubered in our own directions.

I think our uber driver got lost, but we had a really scenic drive back to the hotel and it only cost 13 dollars. Got to love it.

It was so great to hang with the gang and meet their families. Such a shame we live so far away, I miss them lots. Thanks Zeke, Mark, Nicky, Mari, AJ, and Abbie for spending time with us xxx

A great day and a wonderful night.

Sleepy time. Another day in New York tomorrow. Our last full day.

Damn I love this city.

24^th June – Last Bite of the Big Apple

We woke to the worst weather we have had in a long time, it was pouring with rain, there were thunderstorm and lightning strike warnings, streets flooded etc.

The TV said it would all be clear by 1000am, and wow they must have a direct line to the weather gods because it did!

We set out to do the last of the exploring. Squeeze as much into the last day as possible.

As we walked through the city all these little market places had popped up. With local produce, bread, cheese, meats, dog treats (ha, ha), honey, jams, everything you could think of. I wish we had more time to buy and sample, but probably not a good idea to fill the suitcase up with food.

We were headed to the High Line.

I had read about the High Line walk. It is an old railway line that runs above the streets and has been turned into a scenic walk. So damned cool! The train tracks are still visible but with plants and trees growing in between and water features you can jump and play in (which I did, of course).

The entire walk is only 3kms and you get some great views of the city streets.

It was a really good walk and you end up on 34^th Street where Macys is located. Funnily enough, as coincidence (or good planning) would have it, a store I wanted to visit.

I was a little sceptical about Macys, I mean this place takes up an entire block. With stores that big I usually find them overwhelming, get frustrated or bored and leave. But I really liked Macys and managed to find some stuff I liked and spent 2 hours in the store. But enough was enough, time to leave.

We went to a couple more stores but needed to head downtown to the Freedom Tower, I had booked us to go up to the observatory.

It was quite a walk, and a fast walk, as it took longer than expected to get there.

Because I am now sick of queues I paid the extra to get priority entrance, skip the queues, go ahead of everyone, and not stand in line. I tell you, it was worth every cent. There were people standing out in the blistering sun, and we happily walked straight past. It only took 15 minutes and we were at the top of the world.

The whole experience is done so very well. Videos play on the walls of the lift on the way up, showing how the city has changed over the decades.

You exit the lifts and are shown a video of how the building was put together. Then the screens, which you don’t realise are screens, get raised and you have this amazing view.

The day was stunning and you could see to the edge of the city.

We spent the next while walking around all the windows, taking photos, trying to figure out where things were, and looking down at the 9/11 monument.

If you go to New York, go up to the observatory. It is worth it. But go on a sunny day 😀

We left the Freedom Tower and went back to the chaos of the city streets, the crowds, the beeping (THE BEEPING says Jason) and the heat. We were both getting a bit grumpy by this stage and were in need of food.

At one stage we were crossing the street, the wee walking man quite clearly indicated we were good to go, but some asshole cuts in front of us, so I swung my shopping bag at his car. I hope he got a hell of a fright, no damage but it would have sounded like he hit something. I just kept walking, and felt a little better. Naughty Jo!

By the time we finally found a place to eat it was nearly 330, no wonder we were so growly.

We stopped at a place in Little Italy, Zeke was 100% right, the food is not Italian, it is what a 3^rd generation American of Italian descent thinks Italian food should taste like ha, ha.

But, it tasted good to us. The mojito was ok too 😀

With our extra strength it was time to visit our last shop. It was a camping and outdoors shop, I was looking for new hiking sandals as I have worn out my Hush Puppies. The tread is nearly gone, they have done stunning service.

We found the place and I was trying on some sandals, but the service was terrible. No help, no one to answer questions, so we just gave up and left. Grump, grump. Poor Hush Puppies you will need to hang in there for a wee bit longer.

We got back to the hotel, after taking a few wrong turns, sometime around 600pm.

Our dinner plans with Mark and Mari were screwed and we were shattered. Another day with over 20kms walked. Thank goodness they were close by and came to the hotel for a drink on the rooftop bar. I am getting old, it was so loud we couldn’t hear each other.

Thanks Mark and Mari for trekking up to our hotel xxx

And thanks for bringing the delicious cookies from Zeke’s bakery. For dinner we had left over dim sum from Mark and Mari’s dinner, washed down with cookies.

Perfect!

Another late night, with an early morning start. Tomorrow we head to Hawaii. Another step closer to home.

25^th June Goodbye New York – Its Been Fun

Our transfer arrived early, we were at the airport in 20 minutes and with only minimal beeping.

Our check in was easy. I had been worried about flying with United, after hearing all the horror stories, but so far so good.

We found a nice place to have breakfast BUT, did you know that they do not serve alcohol before midday. Nowhere in the state! So, there went my liquid sleeping pill for the 11 hours to Hawaii.

Our flight departed early, our seats were comfortable with lots of leg room, see you next time New York.