Visiting Friends

The hinge that popped through the screen. I nursed this from Morocco to Australia, but it kept working.

Maurene, Cory and Cassie.

Preparing beer bottom chicken.

Graham, Edward, Findley and Tess.

Water fun.

Chelsea beach.

The underwater rugby team after practice.

The New Year's party crowd.

A lit up bridge on the drive back on the freeway.

Dec 28 – 31st

On the 28^th Lucy had to work and I did some photo editing, and talked to a couple of people back home. I also spent some time researching computers and cameras before going to the Good Guys (like Best Buy) and where I bought a new Canon SX730, which is the latest model of pocket sized cameras. It replaces the previous model which I have with me. Mine unfortunately is having problems with dust and a scratch on the lens, the zoom is acting up because of dust in the mechanism and the lense covers are not closing properly anymore. Basically, after a year in Australia and four months this year I have worn it out taking thousands of photos. In the evening Lucy’s underwater rugby team had a three hour practice with a coach from Switzerland, after which I joined the whole team for dinner at an Indian restaurant.

On the 29^th Lucy and I were invited by Maurene to a dinner at an Indian restaurant in her neighbourhood, with two of her four children, Cassie and Cory. I had lived in Cassie’s Chelsea area house while I lived in Melbourne, so it was good to see her. Cory is her youngest child and is still in university.

It was great to see them and catch up. Cassie is leaving an IT career and going back to university to earn her master’s in education so that she can become a teacher. Maurene is delighted that she has outlasted Amanda (the principal that I worked for and who has since left the school). We had a good talk about the exchange, the cities, the houses, how she wouldn’t drive in the snow or go down into my ‘man cave’. She misses the school, staff, kids, my parents, my neighbours and the Canadian winter. We both had excellent experiences in the exchange and would happily do it again.

Before the dinner, when I left to pick Lucy up from her work, I saw the recycle bins at the end of the drive, put down my computer, wheeled them inside and then walked out and got in the car. Unfortunately, I left my computer at the end of the driveway. It was not until I got to her work that I remembered I left the computer behind. Of course, it was gone when we got back to her house. I can’t believe I was that stupid, careless and forgetful. Fortunately, I had backed up the photos and all the information about this trip onto an external drive. I wanted to buy a new computer anyway, because the hinge on the old one was broken and the screen was hanging on by a couple of cables. I was wondering what to do with it when I bought a new one. I had planned to remove the drive and send it home, but now I don’t have to worry about that. The person who stole it will probably not be able to use it as it needs a North American plug. What a stupid thing to do.

On the 30th we went to visit Graham and Tess at their new home. We had a great visit with them and their two boys, Edward and Findley. They have a beautiful home with a nice swimming pool in the yard. Edward who is five is already quite a fish; he loves the pool and it was hard to get him out. They made us a beer bottom chicken barbie for brunch. The chicken is balanced bottom down on top of a pot full of beer. The beer evaporates as it cooks and keep the chicken moist, and adds a bit of flavour. Great to catch up with good friends.

On the last day of 2017 Lucy and I went to the local Good Guys store and I bought a new laptop. I bought a 14” HP Pavillion, with lot of bells and whistles. Then as the weather had warmed up again to a very nice 25 we drove to Chelsea where I used to live, and hung out on the beach and in the ocean.

For new year’s we were invited to a small party at a couple of Lucy’s Colombian underwater rugby friends. There were nine Colombians, one Australian, one Peruvian and one Canadian. Almost all of them were young people who had left their home country to make a better life for themselves in Australia. Lee the Aussie, had worked for a couple of winter seasons in BC at a ski resort. It was interesting talking to all of them about their experiences.

Buchan Farmstay

 The farm house.

 Relics on the side of the barn.

A farmer overlooking his land.

 Going to feed the birds.. notice the three following me.. with Hoodini outside the fence.

Mother and duckling.

 More critters.

Kookaburra on the clothes line. They have an amazing call.

View from the farm.

Mary and Dennis's farm next door.

Steve, me, Trevor, Grace, Mary and Dennis.

Sheep crossing.

 The woods, or bush as they call it.

 Tree ferns.

Lucy and the Snowy River Gorge.

Lucy at the base of the 200 year old mountain grey gum tree.

The rebuilt Buchan Caves Hotel, Restaurant and Bar.

December 23-27^th.

Lucy and I had decided to spend Christmas at Mary and Dennis's farm in Buchan, as neither of us had any family here and we're not much into the Christmas spirit. We had stayed there in the spring of 2016 and really loved the place and the location. So we drove the five hours from Melbourne to Buchan on the 23^rd. We arrived late in the afternoon and met up with Mary and Dennis. They had invited us for a pre-Christmas dinner with a couple of other people. We had a great evening chatting, eating and having a couple of drinks.

The next day was cool and hung out at the farm enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Late in the afternoon we drove into the town of Buchan to see if we could get some groceries and grab a bite to eat. The town had pretty much shut up for Christmas but the Buchan Caves Hotel was open. The original 100 year old hotel had burned down a few years back and the community had rallied to raise enough funds to open the new one, which opened in December 2016. It is brand new inside and out and is very nice. It has both a pub with a pool table and a restaurant that serves good food.

We asked at the bar about the restaurant and they said it was open, but a tall, well built man where shorts and a t-shirt and covered with tattoos said we needed to stay for a beer, as no visit would be complete without a drink in the bar. So I ordered a Carlton Draught and we sat at the bar. The man asked what we were doing in the area and then he saw Lucy's sweatshirt that said 'Underwater Ho..' He couldn't see the rest of the word because of a fold in the material. He thought it said hotel and asked what that was. He was amazed when she said underwater hockey. That prompted a conversation about the sport. He introduced himself as Ray. I asked him if he lived here and what he did. He said he was the village policeman. So, it turns out the police had ordered me to have a drink in the pub! We had a good talk with him about hockey, rugby and policing the town. The owner of the pub joined in too. His name was Bricky and he didn't believe there were such sports. As well as being the owner, he is the town plumber and he owns a farm up the road. We ordered our dinners while I had another beer. When it was ready we went into the restaurant to eat it. We returned to the pub for another beer, but sadly Ray had left for the evening.

On Christmas day we went for a long drive that Mary and Dennis had recommended. We drove about sixty kilometres north of Buchan on a sealed road to the hamlet of Gelantipy before turning right on Basin Road. This was a narrow dirt track that meandered through farms and into the north west corner of the Snowy River National Park. We had to stop at one point as a farmer on an ATV shepherded his flock of sheep across the road. Eventually we found the hiking trail that led to the Gorge Lookout. We walked for about three kilometres to the very beautiful overlook of the Snowy River Gorge. We saw no one on the road or the hike. I love the solitude of the Australian bush, the forests of eucalyptus trees and the songs of the birds.

On Boxing Day the temperatures went way up to 35 degrees. We were woken up on the last day by the herd of twenty black beef cattle who had wandered up from the paddocks lower in the valley to the side of the farm to seek shade, and were mooing repeatedly. We hung out in the shade and enjoyed the views from the farm, the smells of the farm and the songs of the kookaburra. Dennis and Mary had asked if I could feed their two chooks (chickens) and two ducks for a couple of days. The female duck was locked up in a cage with one very young duckling as if it where running around in the yard it would be snatched by a crow, a magpie or a kookaburra. It was fun feeding them because the one chicken was a Hoodini and wandered all around the farm, whereas the other two remained locked in one paddock and for some reason had not learned to escape. When Lucy and I started the walk towards the barn, Hoodini would follow and the other two would race along beside us as we walked. It was really cute to see and I have a video I will share eventually. The duckling was tiny and the mother was a bit stressed by me bringing in the food.

We headed into town late in the morning to see what we could buy for dinner and to explore the town a bit. I also hoped to meet up with policeman Ray, but no such luck. We didn't buy anything and decided to come back to the pub for dinner, which we did. We had another chat with Brick the owner of the pub and had dinner and played one game of pool.

We cleaned up and moved out on the 27^th and then spent most of the day driving back to Melbourne. We stopped about half way for a meal and then continued on.

Melbourne and Caulfield Revisited

 Barry, Jim, Lucy and I.

 Joel's farewell version of the Australian anthem.

 The grade 6 assembly outside.

 Don.

 Claire.

 Joel.

Exchangees.

December 21-22^nd.

It was great to be back in Australia visiting friends and seeing Lucy again. I spent the first two days back visiting the school I taught at in 2016, Caulfield Junior College, and catching up with the students and teachers. I forgot that many of the Australian students leave before the end of term to visit family in France for the Christmas holidays. As a result many of the students I taught were already on holiday, but I did get to visit and chat with the ones who were there. It was good to see them and see how much they had grown. Some were shy and distant but others were very mature and we had a good talk. Quentin in particular (who had left after the third of four terms when I taught him) was happy to tell me about the trip he took with his parents through South America. I also met the new principal who has replaced Amanda for the remainder of the year, and many of the teachers. I learned that Joel, the music teacher, has accepted a position in Tasmania and will be moving there with his wife of one year (to the day) this month. I met up with Don, Claire, Anne Cecille and many of the others. I also had a chance to talk with Tom the teacher who replaced me and found that he had excelled in his first year teaching.

On the evening of the 21^st we visited Barry and Jim, the two principals I had met through the International Teachers Association when I first arrived in Melbourne as part of my exchange. They are well and Barry is heading off on an eight week backpacking journey through India.

On the 22^nd I I took the train to school and hung around all day and watched the grade 6 graduation assembly. After school I attended the staff party at Leora's house. This year it was much better attended than last, as the atmosphere at the school has improved dramatically. Many of the new young teachers attended and had fun in the pool. Maurene was there too. She was the teacher who lived in my house and did my job in 2016 as part of the teacher exchange I participated in. It was great to have a chance to sit and talk with her, as I had only met her in late December 2015 when I picked her up at the airport and showed her around before I flew off to New Zealand and Australia.

Merry Christmas!

Tree in Cape Town at the V&A Harbour.

I'd like to wish all my family, friends and fellow travellers or anyone else who is following along, a very Merry Christmas. I am in the southern hemisphere where it is much warmer with no snow and definitely doesn't feel like the Christmas season. I have heard some carols but it just doesn't cut it.

I am going away for the Christmas weekend to a farm in Buchan Victoria to visit a couple of Australian friends that I made when I rented the farm last year. I will have no wi-fi for a couple of days. So have a great turkey feast and I'll be in touch when I get back.

Merry Christmas!

Out of Africa

Tuesday, December 19^th – Wednesday 20^th.

I spent the morning organizing my bags and packing up. I had arranged a pick up fro 11am to take me to the airport. It turned out it was the driver for Gadventures. We had a good talk about the company on the half hour drive to the airport.

At the airport I met an American couple who are travelling as support staff for a team of sailors who are racing around the world in the Team Akzononbel Volvo Ocean Race (it's amazing who you meet when you talk to people). They have invited me to visit the team and the boat in late December when they arrive at the Melbourne dockyard. That should be interesting. They were also ashamed or embarrassed Americans. They are actually looking for another country to live in because they don't like the way their country in going. Very interesting.

I had a 9 hour flight from Cape Town to Dubai on Emirates . I left Cape Town at 1:30 and arrived in Dubai at 1 am. Then a two hour lay over before taking another Emirates flight from Dubai to Melbourne where I arrived at midnight. Two long flights and six hours in time changes. I was exhausted as I am not able to sleep on planes. I managed to doze for a couple of hours, but that was about it.

Lucy picked me up at the airport and we got to her place by 2:00.

Cape Town and Cape Base

 The Green Point Market relocated.

 A couple of interesting sites.

 GP at work.

 Finally!

GP, Nancy and I again.

Monday, December 18^th.

This morning I spent a few hours catching up on all the days that I have been unable to post over the last week or so.

In the afternoon I decided to go for a walk to an area that GP and Nancy had recommended and to visit them at Base Camp. I got a map from the hostel and when I examined it I discovered where the Green Point Market had been relocated and it was en route. So I walked for about an hour on yet another very windy day into the heart of the city. At the market I was looking for a pair of sunglasses that Jay had been wearing on our tour. They are quite colourful as they have the South African flag on the frames. I looked at many stalls, but no luck. Then one guy asked what I was looking for. He told me to wait there and he took off. This is the same thing as in Ghana. If the guy doesn't have what you want he knows who does and he will go get it for you. Sure enough he came back with a pair but the price was way too much, partly because he wants to make money over whatever the other guy has charged him. I told him thanks but no thanks. Then of course he gets upset as he has done me a 'favour'. Thus begins the cat and mouse game of haggling. I got them for half of what he originally asked and still paid too much, but I had been looking for them for the last three weeks and this was my last day. It turns out they were originally made for the 2010 World Cup that took place here. So I have a pair, at last.

From there I made my way to Gadventures Base Camp where I met up with GP and Nancy again and they gave me a tour of the place. I also met the parents of the G guide I met a few days ago and said 'hi' from their son (as he asked me to). They were busy so we had a coffee and then I left. I offered to buy them dinner after work.

On the way back to the hostel I walked through the pathway called the Company's Garden. This is a green space walkway through the city centre where local office workers have their lunch breaks and many peddlers set up their stalls and sell all manner of things from toys for Christmas to fruit. I bought a bag of lechee and sat in the park enjoying them and the sun.

Eventually I made my way back and did some more blogging while I waited to hear from GP. They emailed me to say they would be there in an hour. When I went to my room I discovered the other two girls were gone and it looks like I have the room to myself.

When they got there they drove to the Sea Point area and a restaurant called Soltano. We had a couple of drinks and I treated myself to a rack of Karoo lamb. We had a great time talking about the travel industry, Cape Town and other parts of the world. They are a lovely couple who are very passionate about Gadventures and the business. It is great to be able to talk to them about the business from the other side. We will meet again, probably in Toronto.

When I got back to the hostel I found I had a new room mate. He is a 37 year old American from Kalamazoo, Michigan named Ross who works in health care. We talked for about two hours. He is the only American I have ever met who is deeply ashamed of his country, its politics and its role in world politics. Unlike most Americans I met or we read about he seems to like more like a Canadian and see many serious issues with his country: gun laws, obesity, education, health care, poverty, to name a few. I wish he had been here the first day I got here, it would have been nice to spend longer with him. As it was I was sorry to have to catch some sleep. Lights out by midnight.

Hop On Hop Off Bus

Sadly, not meant to happen, again.

City scenes.

The 'one of a kind' market.

A secretary bird.

A marmoset. 

A gannet.

A honey badger.

A hornbill.

Devil's Peak, the western edge of the Table Mountain formation.

The township of Imizamo Yethu which is built on the slope of Table Moutain.

Hout Bay.

Clifton Beach.

Clifton Beach.

Nancy and GP.

Sunday, December 17^th.

Didn't get a great sleep... The three young girls all came to the room separately and after I had gone to sleep... the last one at 4:00. Oh well, hostel life.

I had the provided breakfast at 7:30, blogged a bit and then decided to see if the Robben Island Ferry was running today. The wind is still blowing very strongly. When I got there I learned they had cancelled all the trips for the day and the next available time was Monday at 5:00, with no guarantee of course. I hope to see GP at that time, so I settled for a refund.

Robben Island was a no go, so was Table Mountain as the wind was too strong for the cable car and I didn't have time to hike it as I am meeting GP today late in the afternoon. The other available tours are full day and I don't have time or the interest really. Interestingly I learned that the Shark Diving I did here seven years ago has moved to another area about three hours away because the white sharks in Ganse Bay are being killed by Orcas.

So with limited options I decided to take the Hop On Hop Off Bus tour of the city. I sat on the top of the double decker and almost got blown off there. The wind was so strong that at times I couldn't hear the tour information coming through the provided headphones. Anyway, the tour was very scenic as the area is truly beautiful. Unfortunately Table Mountain was cloaked in clouds, or as they call it, a table cloth. I saw a large outdoor tent market and decided to get off there as I am searching for some tourist sunglasses that Jay had. It turned out to be a “One of a Kind' type Christmas market and I had no luck, so I got back on. I got off again at World of Birds. It was started in 1973 by a man named Walter Mangold, who got downsized and decided to take up his passion for bird. He had a couple of setbacks including dogs who broke into the property and ripped into most of the avaries and killed and maimed three quarters of the birds. Eventually it grew from a small operation to one that houses over 3000 birds, many of which are brought by caring people who find wounded birds or people who want to discard an unwanted pet. They have a no kill policy and care for all. Today they have a staff of 40 and the running costs are 600000 rand per month ($60000). He says he maintains the zoo as a heritage site for the people of Cape Town and that it is a spiritual creation. He relies on entrance fees ($12 per) and donations. This was a great place to see a large variety of birds and a few small mammals up close. They have over 400 species on display in big cages or aviaries that you can walk into. They birds are used to people and see pretty chilled. I was really happy to see a honey badger there as that is another of the African animals that I didn't see on safari.

Then I boarded the next bus (they come every ten minutes) and completed the rest of the circle tour, which took us all around Table Mountain and then along the coast past Camps Bay and Clifton Beach. Beautiful beaches with ice cold water that comes up from the Antarctic.

I arrived back at the V&A Waterfront by 4:00 and walked back to the hostel where there was a message from GP saying he would pick me up at 5:30. They took me to a restaurant/pub in their neighbourhood and we enjoyed a couple of good craft beers and a Philly steak sandwich. It was great to see them and catch up. Nancy is Peruvian and is a lovely lady and they are obviously very happy. She was a tour guide in South America before she married GP and moved to Cape Town. Now they both work at the company offices in Cape Town.

When I got to the room, I found that the German was gone and the other two were already in bed.