Month: October 2014

Cervantes

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Cervantes

Cervantes and the Pinnacles

I left for Cervantes from Geraldton around 2 in the afternoon.

The land between the two towns is pretty nondescript.

Chatty Teacher

I was told by a lady on the bus that the Hostel was not far from the Truckshop where the bus stopped.

I headed off down the road unto I came to an intersection. I saw ‘Tavern’ written of the roof of a building and assumed that would be the centre of town and headed towards it.

As I walked, a young girl came towards me on bicycle. I asked her if “the hostel was down this way” ? She said no. “you are heading the wrong way”. I thought how is it possible to get lost in such a small town?

She offered to take me to the Hostel. She told me that she was a Primary School teacher in the nearby town of Jurien Bay. I must be getting really old. She didn’t look long out of Primary School herself, let alone High School or University.  She told her name was Tara.

Tara asked me a ‘1,000 questions’ as we walked. I she told me that she wanted to travel the world too, and that working in this part of WA was good in that “there was nothing to spend your money on as long as you don’t go to Perth”.

Not Much Happens in Cervantes

Tara was right about Cervantes. The Tavern was closed permanently. There are three places that serve food at night – the Bowling Club, a restaurant in the Motel and the Truck Shop.

Let’s put it this way: it is in a place like this that you appreciate that there is distinction between being served food and eating food.

A long way from Holland

Next morning I had a chat with the wife of the husband and wife team that run the hostel. She is Dutch. I said “you are a long way from home”. She rolled her eyes and said “tell me about it”.

She went onto tell me that she came to WA over 20 years and worked in Port Headland before moving to Cervantes.  She said that she “never expected to stay, but here I am”.

The Pinnacles

I had expected that there would be some sort of transport from Cervantes to ‘The Pinnacles’ which is ‘the’ tourist attraction in the area.

My Dutch friend told me that here is company that is planning to start tours from Jurien Bay, however, they have not started yet. Like the towns further north, Cervantes has been hit by the down turn in the tourist industry. The high costs caused by the mining booming and the related high AUD have driven many tourists away.

She suggested that I ask if anyone was heading to The Pinnacles  could be give me a lift. The other option was to ride a bike. She offered to lend me a bike.  I took off the offer of a bike.

I rode to a café for breakfast. I chatted to one of the staff about getting to The Pinnacles. A women overheard the conversation and said she could help. She was travelling with her husband, daughter, grandson, mother and dogs. She said that they could not take the dogs to The Pinnacles. As a result they would be making two trips. She said they would be more than happy to take me on first trip.

I went to The Pinnacles with the husband, daughter and grandson. It is very interesting place.

Check out the Flickr Link and Wikipedia Link

Stromatolites

The other interesting thing in Cervantes is the Stromatoles in Lake Thetis. These are one of the earliest form of life.

The ones in Lake Tetis are not was extensive as the ones in Hamelin Pool in Shark Bay, but they are there.

I rode the borrowed bike there.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk55iAx8

The Pinnacles Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pinnacles_(Western_Australia)

Stromatolites Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromatolite

Geraldton

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Geraldton

Geraldton

I caught the TransWA bus from Kalbarri to Geraldton. I was probably the youngest person on the bus by about a decade. It is possible to age considerably waiting for this bus, they so infrequently.

First impressions of Geraldton were not good. The bus stopped at the railway station. It has ceased to operate as a railway station ages ago. The walk to the Foreshore Backpackers took me past the Law Courts and Police station. A number of people hanging about looked like customers of both, with the next stop being gaol.

I checked into the Backpackers. It turned out to be a surprisingly good place. I was an old hotel – a bit run down but clean and a bit quirky. My room was small, but with all the facilities you need.

I headed off for a walk around the town. The ‘city centre’ is a rather strange place with a mixture of closed shops, a very large vacant tower, a brand shopping centre not far from the main street, some interesting little shops and cafes.

Really Good Museum

I walked along the beach to the Museum. This is really good.

I got into a conversation with the staff. I know one of the Managers at the WA Museum. He has responsibility for the regional museums including this one. I mentioned his name. He is obviously a highly regarded and liked Manager.

The Museum has a really good exhibit on HMAS Sydney II. This warship was sunk by the German ship, the Kormoran in rather strange circumstances in WWII. The wrecks of the ships were discovered in 2008. Check out the link below.

Monument

There is also a Memorial commemorating the loss of the HMAS Sydney II on the hill overlooking Geraldton. It has an interesting dome. It is however, an appropriately somber place.

Cathedral

There is also a major cathedral in the town – St Francis Xavier Cathedral. It is places like this that highlight the population decline in these country towns and the decline in religious observance.

Chat About LA

I had a look chat to the middle aged couple that owned the hostel. They were interested in my travels and had recently been to Los Angeles and elsewhere on the west coast of the USA.

I was interested to hear their views on LA. They were amazed “how dirty it was and the apparent absence of any decent public space”.   They thought Venice Beach was “third world”.  In short, the only place they “thought was any good was the Getty Center”.

Good Meals and Funny Banter between Musos

I had a couple of good meals in Geraldton. One was at a Wine Bar place opposite the hostel.

On the night I was there a Kiwi girl was singing a playing the guitar. She was quite good. At one point a young pommie bloke asked if he could join her.   He chatted with her for a bit and they started playing the the Stones – ‘You Can’t Always Get What Want’. He was really good.   After they had finished she told him the he was fantastic and would he like to join her on the road. He replied, “sorry no”. She replied that’s disappointing. He replied ‘You Can’t Always Get What Want’. Everyone in the crowd thought that was very funny.

Not a Bad Place

I left thinking Geraldton is not a bad place.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5BCbpd

About HMAS Sydney II

http://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/sydney

Kalbarri National Park

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Kilbarra

Kalbarri

It is only 180 klms from the Overlander Roadhouse to Ajana, which is where there is a turnoff the Kalbarri.

The owners of the Hostel in Kalbarri also run the transfer service. This is a tough gig in that it is an hour’s run each way and the buses, travelling North and South, pass through Ajana around 1 and 3 in the morning.

The bloke who picked us up was part of the husband, wife and daughter team that own and operate the hostel. His wife is also the Principal of the local school.

The daughter is planning to take her holidays in Iceland in January. A bit of a contrast to Kalbarri.

Not the Best Time to Buy a Hostel

He told me that they bought the hostel just a couple of months before the GFC.   As a result of that and the high AUD, there occupancy rates have never been back to the levels the former owners achieved.

Wallabies Piped in the Dying Minutes

I watched the Wallabies loose their last Bledisloe Cup match. I was the only person watching the match. These Sandgropers are only interested in Aussie Rules.

How stuffed is the ARU?????

Kalbarri National Park

I tried to book an Adventure Tour of Kalbarri National Park. I was cancelled because I was the only one that booked. It is a tough old business being a tour operator here.

In the end I hired a car and drove out to the National Park. It is well worth a visit. Check out the flickr pics. It recommended you walk down to the river.

The coastline either side of Kalbarri arriving is also pretty spectacular.

No Mood for Night Buses

I discovered that TransWA operates a day time bus from Kalbarri to Geraldton. That suits me. I booked it and headed into Geraldton on Tuesday.

 

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4VFHKe

Garmin Link

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/616535930

Monkey Mia

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Monkey Mia

Shark Bay and Monkey Mia

The bus leaves Coral Bay at about 8.00 p.m. The next stop was the Overlander Road House. You have to get a transfer from there to Denham which is the main town on Shark Bay.

Basil Faulty’s Nephew

I was the find out later that the transfer service to Shark Bay, and a similar arrangement from the main road into Kalbarri, is the subject of a completive Tender run by the WA Public Transport Authority. This is obviously part of their public service obligations.

To book a transfer, you have to ring a bloke called Mike on his mobile phone. I called the day before the bus was leaving Coral Bay. I was told:” I may be not be running, you have to give 24 hours’ notice”. I told him that I knew of two Irish girls that would also need a lift. He told me to ring back.

I found the Irish girls in a restaurant.   They had called and they “didn’t understand what he had said”.   I called Mike again and was told: “f##ck off, I am trying to sleep”.

As it turned out an employee of Integrity Buses was on the bus to The Overlander. She was made aware of our experiences with Mike. I wish him the best of luck with the next competitive tender.

Into Denham

As turned out, Mike’s driver was at the Overlander Roadhouse was there to pick up at around midnight. It is about an hour’s ride by a Landcruiser into Denham.

On the way he stopped on the pretext of showing the Irish girls the “amazing sky”, which is fully of vivid stars. This is due to the lack of pollution and the absence of any other light. The reality was he wanted to have a cigarette.

Monkey Mia

Next day we took another Landcruiser across to Monkey Mia. The Irish girls had been having difficulty coming to terms with the costs in WA. These added transfers only added to their misery.

We arrived in Monkey Mia in time to watch the feeding of the Dolphins. This is a major attraction. If you are into Dolphins I suggest taking a sea kayak out from the Main Beach at Byron Bay.

Glam Camping

There is not an enormous amount to do in Monkey Mia. I booked into a trip on catamaran. As I waited for the trip to start, I got into conversation with some fellow oldies.   They turned out to be on a very upmarket adventure tour. There were a couple from Mansfield in NW Victoria, a woman from Melbourne and another old bloke with a young Chinese wife.

It turned out that the bloke with the young wife was a photographer and the he was taking photos and videos for promotional material for the tour company. The others were ‘models’ and were being paid to go on the trip.

It was an interesting chat.

Photographer was one those ‘rusted on’ Coalition supporters who could find fault in all the Labor Party Governments have done including; “selling of the Commonwealth Bank and QANTAS and the floating of the AUD”.

Shotover Catamaran

The catamaran – the’ Shotover’ – is a former racer. It is seriously fast. Check out the Garmin link.

The trip is out into Shark Bay with the expectation of seeing Dugong and Dolphins. We saw two of the former (check out the pic of brown blob) and none of the latter.

Back to the Overlander Road House

The Irish girls and I headed back to Denham to get the 4WD back to the Overlander for another late night trip south the Ajana. Where were met by another Transit service to take us into Kalbarri.

 Garmin Link

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/614590884

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5t535j

Coral Bay

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Coral Bay

Coral Bay

Getting to Coral Bay from Exmouth turned out to be a bit of a circus. The Integrity Buses do not run very frequently. I ended up taking a transfer bus from Exmouth to the Learmonth Airport. From there I took another transfer bus to Coral Bay.

The bus driver was a bit of a character. He and his wife are originally from Newcastle. They have been travelling around Australia for about 10 years staying in out of the way places like Coral Way. She is working in the Eco Tours Office in the town.

After checking into the Hostel, I headed off to the ‘pub’. There I ran into the bus driver and his wife. As you would expect, I ended up booking a place on the Eco Tours trip out to this part of Ningaloo Reef. It turned out to be a good choice.

Manta Ray

In the morning I headed off to take the trip out to the reef.

We boarded the boat and sailed a short distance before diving into the water. The coral of the reef is not like the coral of the Great Barrier Reef. It isn’t very colourful. However the fish are. The GoPro photos I took do not do them justice.

We then headed into the area of the Bay where the water is quite deep. This is where the Manta Rays live. This type of Manta Ray are M. alfridi or ‘resident’ Mantra Ray. They say in the one location are a smaller than the ones that migrate and mainly in the deeper waters of the ocean.

The Eco Tours and their competitors hire a bloke with a small plane to fly over the bay to spot the Mantas. This makes the trip a bit expensive, but at least it makes it more likely that you will see one. They claim that they have a 90% success rate.

The plane flew overhead and circled over the area where he spotted a Ray.

One of the guides wearing metre long flippers swam out to see the Ray. When she spotted it she singled us and 10 of us swam out to where she was. The Ray was about 20 metres below us. It was amazing see the thing ‘flying’ through the water. We were told to stay behind it. After about 10 minutes we stopped and the boat came up and collected us, and another group of 10 dived in for a look.

My group had a second chance to see the same Manta. This time she was swimming at bit closer. I got some reasonable photos of her with the GoPro

Reef Shark, Whales, Turtles and Lots of Colourful Fish

After seeing the Manta Ray we headed back to the reef.

This was a better spot. There was lots of colourful fish including a Reef Shark. In the distance we could see some Whales in the ocean of the other side of the reef.

As we headed back to shore, we went over area of sea grass. We could see lots of turtles. They like the sea grass. You are not permitted to swim in this part of the reef.

It was a really good day.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5pXsjT

Exmouth

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Exmouth

Exmouth

I caught the bus south from Broome at 8.00 p.m.

It is when you drive or take a bus that you really appreciate how big Western Australia is. Next stop was to be Exmouth at 1.00 p.m. next day. There are only two ‘major’ intervening stops – Port Headland and Karratha

The bus has two drivers that make the whole trip from Broome to Perth – leaving Thursday night and arriving Saturday morning. As one is driving, the other one tries to sleep.

We passed through Port Headland at 2.40 a.m. It would have been interesting to see the port operations. I am not sure if they cater for tourists.

Safari

Exmouth seemed to be very quiet. There weren’t many people in the hostel apart from myself and two Irish girls with whom I travelled from Broome.

The only activity on offer was the Ningaloo Safari. We booked into the tour.

A rather strange vehicle turned up and out popped a bloke who introduced himself as Dave. The banter with the Irish girls started almost immediately. We picked up four more customers and headed off.

Hills

The first bit of the tour was a bit lame. It involved driving up a hill. There we looked at a gorge. That was about it.

Dave made it a little more interesting when he told us about the use of the Exmouth area during WWII. At one time it was a US Submarine base and the Learmonth airport was used a as a RAAF airbase from 1942 to the end of the war.

On the way back into town, we passed the Marina. This is a new development which seems a bit old. Apparently it has been going to a few years, however it is only now that some houses are being built.

US Base

Next stop was the old US base established in 1963 to support the US Navy Radio Base. In fact, it was the establishment of the base that was the reason that the town of Exmouth was established.

The old US base is derelict. It was typical of the an American base overseas – a little American town down to the Ten Pin Bowling Alley, Base Ball Park and swimming pool. Apparently the cars used on the base were left hand drive and drove on the right hand side of the road in the town of Exmouth.

The Radio base has been taken over by the ADF. The towers are pretty impressive. Check the Wikipedia link.

Lighthouse

There is an old light near the Radio Base. Typical of many for the coast lighthouses along the Australian Coast (e.g. Byron Bay and Otway) the building of the tower was a major achievement. It involved building a tram line to haul the building materials and equipment for the tower and light. After the lighthouse was complete, the tram line continued to be used to transport supplies.

National Park

The main part of the tour was in the Cape Range National Park. This includes the Yardie Creek gorge. Check out the Flickr Link. It is pretty spectacular.

A really interest part of the boat trip on the creek was seeing the Rock Wallabies. These Wallabies are really small and incredibly agile. They are able to climb and descend the cliffs in the gorge with apparent ease.

Dive on the reef

In the last hour of the tours we went for a quick dive on the Ningaloo Reef.

Check out the Flickr Link GOPRO 0039 photo of reef shark.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5k9hfu

Wikipedia Link about the US Naval Base

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Communication_Station_Harold_E._Holt

Horizontal Falls

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Horrizontal Falls

Horizontal Falls

A major attraction in the Kimberley region is the Horizontal Falls

I first heard about the falls from the parents of a school friend of my daughter. They had been on a cruise along the Kimberley coast from Darwin and called in to see the ‘falls’ which are in Talbot Bay which is North West from Broome.

My Canberra mate who is current driving around WA in his over the top Campervan has also seen the ‘falls’ and told me that they are a “must see”.

What Are They?

I have been lazy and have quoted from the web site copied below.

The Horizontal Falls are one of the most amazing natural features of the Kimberley region. The tidal waterfalls located deep within Talbot Bay in the Buccaneer Archipelago are unlike any other waterfall, the water passes horizontally.

Although they are called waterfalls, this natural phenomenon actually consists of intense tidal currents hurtling through two narrow coastal gorges. Massive tidal movements create a waterfall effect as water banks up against one side of the narrow cliff passage, to be repeated again on the turning tide.

The twin gaps are part of the McLarty Ranges, which have two ridges running parallel approximately 300 metres apart. The first and most seaward gap is about 20 metres wide and the second, most spectacular, gap is about 10 metres wide.

It is possible to drive boats through the two gaps to the bay behind. The tides in this area have a 10 metre variation which occurs over six and a half hours from low tide to high tide and vice versa. The effect of the waterfalls is created by the tide building up in front of the gaps faster than it can flow through them and there can be a four metre high waterfall between the bays.

Seaplane

My Canberra mate told me that the best way to see the ‘falls’ is on the tour that uses a seaplane. The company offers two versions of the tour. One is where you fly in and out by seaplane. The other is where you fly in and are driven back to Broome. I took the former.

The light out was due to take off at 6.00 a.m. Unfortunately the Broome airport was covered in a thick fog. This was surreal give the temperature was over 30c.

It took over an hour and a half for the fog to clear.

I was lucky to be given the co-pilot’s seat for the flight. We flew along the coast passing over the Coulomb Point Nature Reserve. I was wearing the head phones and could listen in to what the pilot was saying and the other communications with the Broome Traffic Control. I was surprised how busy it was. Hardly a minute passed without some communications with a plane or helicopter.  There are all sorts of aircraft flying in the area – big passenger planes, tourist and mining operators and lots of private planes.

As we approached King Sound, the pilot dropped to only 500 metres. The scenery was amazing. We cross over the small islands that are dotted off the coast of the mainland. The various shades of blue and green in water are really something to see.

After about an hour we made our descent into Talbot Bay.

The plane landed much faster than I expected.

Sharks

The plane pulled up at a large pontoon. We hopped off and we greeted by our guides for the ‘fall’s trip.

In the middle of the pontoon there is a gap with a cage divided into two. One side is open to the water in the bay. The other side is enclosed and can be entered into from the pontoon. The operators put fish into the open side to attract Lemon Sharks. The idea is to climb into the other side at look at the sharks through the cage.

Check out the Flickr Link. It is not as exciting as it sounds.

Through the Falls

After something to eat, we climbed into a speed boat and headed off to the falls.

As described above, the falls are a result of an imbalance in the water levels on either side of two ridges in the sea. There are two gaps through which the water rushes.

The speed boat makes to passes through the gaps.

No Fellini Using Go Pro

I bought a Gro Pro in San Francisco; however, I have only just got around to using it.   How slack is that??

The boat was moving fast and I had difficulty see what mode (photo, multi shot, or video) the GoPro was on.

I later discovered that I have taken videos of myself looking very confused.

Great Flight Over the Falls

After the boat trip we returned to the seaplane and took off.

The pilot made two passes over the falls. The Flickr photos say it all.

Video of Landing

I managed to take a great video of the plane landing in Broome.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4H2uEX

Web Link

http://www.kimberley-australia.com/kimberley-attractions/horizontal-falls/

Broome

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Broome

To Broome

I stayed in Perth for about a week. I will post about that when I return there.

On the advice of my journalist mate who lived in Perth for some time , I decided to fly to Broome. I guess his advice was obvious: “if you are in West Australia with heaps of time, see as much as you can”.

Off to Broome

I took the transit bus out to the airport. Perth Airport has 4 terminals. That is one less than London Heathrow. I am not sure how many airlines fly out of Perth, but I am certain it is far less than the number that fly from LHR.

Machine tells me to Speak to a Human

I went to check into QANTAS flight to Broome. The whole process is designed to be fully automated. I put my QANTAS card into the machine. It told me to “seek the advice of a customer service officer”. I was confused.   The only humans in sight were bearded blokes with tattoos and dressed in Hi Viz work clothes.

Suddenly a woman in a QANTAS uniform appeared. She said (not asked) what is your problem !!! I replied: “are you a customer service officer”? She said yes. I told her the machine told me to “seek your advice”.

She took my card and banged it into the machine. She looked at me at said”you haven’t been ticketed”.

I told her, “I have been ticketed many times, but obviously not by you” .

She told me, “I will have to call the ticketing office”.

I said, “call whoever you want, I just want to check in and board the plane”.

She chatted away to someone and pressed button on the machine. After sometime she gave me a piece of paper and walked me to the automated baggage check in machine. There she pressed more buttons and put my bag on the conveyer belt.

Don’t love you automation.

Lots of Planes

As I said above, Perth is a big airport. There are 4 terminals and there seem to be lots of gates with ‘air bridges’.

However, most of the planes are out on the tarmac and you have to get to them by bus. The ‘fly in, fly out’ system of the mining industry and construction work has the place working at capacity and more.

The bus to the plane to the plane, took longer than most Sydney or London commuter rides ( a big of hyperbole there).

Short Flight to Broome

It only took 3 hours to fly to Broome. Thank god for the tail wind and the fact the flight was only travelling over 60% of the State.

Hot as All F#@&K

Broome is a seriously hot place.

I walked from the airport to the Hostel. I had the room to myself and put the fan on to the highest speed. I thought the roof would lift off.

Cable Beach

In the morning, took the local bus out to Cable Beach. This is one of the ‘iconic’ Australian beaches.

I ended up staying there until sunset. This involved the camel ride and ‘the sunset’. Check out the Flickr photos.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5m2qNc

Dubai and Abu Dhabi

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Dubai

Dubai and Abu Dhabi

My St Viet host kindly took me to the nearest post office where I packed my camping gear in a box and sent it to the Western Australian Museum. This was not because it is old and should be there, but because I have a weight problem and excess baggage is charged at EUR 59 per kilo. Nothing I own is worth EUR 59 per kilo.

Next stop was a local chat, where we had another excellent chat on the state of the world and the benefits of living in such a village so close to one of the world’s great cities.

Another Scott Morrison Relative?

It was then off to the Vienna International Airport to board my Emirates flight to Dubai. I presented my British Passport to the woman on the check in. She told me that I would not be able to board the flight unless I was able to provide a document that showed that I had a right to enter Australia. For some reason I seem to meet airline staff that hold the same views as Scott Morrison. We had a rather long conversation which got nowhere. In the end I gave up and handed over my Australian passport. She looked so disappointed.

Mayfair Hotel

The flight to Dubai was uneventful. I left by bike in the ‘Left Luggage’ and caught a transfer bus to my hotel which was about 15 minutes away. The place is a bit tacky but clean.

Appalled by the Malls

In the morning I caught the Metro system into the main part of Dubai. The metro is very impressive. I was particularly impressed by the fact that the trains are driverless and there is no station staff. Doubtless there is some central monitoring system. However , it does show that such a system is possible. Sydney Train take note.

I stopped at the Dubai Marina and went for a walk. I only saw two other people of the street. I was incredibly hot.

I took the train back to the Mall of the Emirates . This is the one with the indoor skiing slope. This would have to be the silliest thing on the planet.

I rejoined the train. I passed the ‘Internet Centre’ and the ‘Financial Centre’. Dubai is trying to establish a diverse range of industries.

Tall Towers

Next stop was the Dubai Mall which is located near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. I have seen a few of these: the CN Tower in Toronto, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the World Trade Center and Empire State buildings in New York and the Petronis Towers in KL. Who is going to the silly enough to build the next one? The Grollo Brother in Melbourne.

Abu Dhabi

I decide to take a trip to the next Emirate along the coast, Abu Dhabi. I booked a tour from the hotel. There were six others on the tour – an American couple from Tennessee, two mid-twenties girls from New Jersey and Russian father and son who lived in New York and San Francisco. It turnout to be an interesting combination.  The girls had the combined QI of the average moron.

We headed off in a seven seat 4WD on the main 6 lane highway to Abu Dhabi. We passed the sports centre where cricket and soccer are played. I thought of the Australia and other cricketer that were due to play ODI’s in the next couple of weeks in Sharjah, just up the road. This is no place for outdoor sports. And of course there is the lunacy of staging the next World Cup for soccer in Qatar just further along the coast.

Impressive Mosque

As we entered Abu Dhabi we caught sight of the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque. This was the main attraction of the tour.

We stopped and entered the Mosque. It is seriously impressive. Check out the Flickr link.

Apparently I took only 4 years to build. It is amazing what you can do with western engineering skills and labour from the sub-continent.

Over the top Accommodation

After the Mosque we drove passed the Emirates Palace Hotel which as rooms for USD 25K per night. Yes USD 25k!!!!!!! That is absurd.

Nearby is the construction site for the Sheiks new palace. It is close to his old one which is apparently too small. It is a joke.

Fake Traditional Village

We had lunch in a tourist museum place that had a fake traditional village with clay huts and Bedouin tents. One cannot help thinking that when the oil has gone, it will all return to that.

Ferrari Center

Heading back to Dubai, we dropped into the Ferrari Center. The bloke from Tennessee expected to see a car Museum. It is really a children’s theme park. He was seriously disappointed.

Traffic Jam

As we entered Dubai the road got even bigger. However notwithstanding it was the weekend and the traffic was ‘light’, we hit a traffic jam which brought us to a complete standstill. Surprise, surprise – lots of large 4WD vehicles on big highways is not the future.

Remembering Bahrain

I was remembering the other times I have been in this region. When I worked for Foreign Affairs the plane to London stopped in Singapore and Bahrain. It used to land in Bahrain around mid-night. As wondered around the airport I used to wonder what it was like outside.

In 1990 when I was working for Caltex Corporation, I sent to Bahrain and Cairo. It was late July and my first stop was Bahrain. I was met at the airport at midnight. As I exited the terminal I was hit by 37C (100F)heat and 100% humidity. I was taken to Awali (now known as Sitra) which is a town that was built in 1948 to house the mainly British employees and their families that were moved there to construct and manage the refinery that was built nearby. Many of the ‘Awali Children’ ended up working for Caltex, and many of them ended up in Australia.

I stayed in Bahrain for a couple of days before traveling on to Cairo and Alexandria where Caltex had operations. On the weekends I got away to Sharm El Sheik and up the Nile River to   Luxor.

When I returned to Bahrain, in late October, the humidity had gone and the weather was relatively pleasant. Nothing else was.

Flickr Links

Dubai

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk3AUcTX

Abu Dhabi

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4ktYnT

Prague and Pilsner

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Prague

Prague

I took the train to Prague from Wiener Neustadt. The train passed through Vienna, including the main station which is under reconstruction.

The route across Austria into the Czech Republic passes through some very picturesque countryside.   As you cross the border, there is a noticeably difference in the quality and state of repair of the buildings.

Town Square

I arrived in Prague in the late afternoon. The route from the railway station to my hostel took me down Wenceslas Square into the Town Square area.

After checking into my hostel, I took a quick walk around the nearby area. Starving, I decided to eat in restaurant in front of the Astronomical Clock. I was amazed at the crowded that formed to watch what it does, which is not much. I had a rather amusing FB conversation with an old Canberra mate on that very subject.

Great City

In the morning I headed off to do the tourist stuff. Like all old European cities, Prague is compact and very walkable. It is probably more compact than most cities.

I suspect that one of the benefits of communist rule was that the fabric of the old city was virtually untouched in the period following WWII through to the fall of the Iron Curtain.

The benefits of being a major tourist attraction are clearly well known to the city’s administration. They are in the process of restoring the cobbled streets and other aspects of the old town. It runs the risk of becoming a bit like Disney Land, but it seems to be able to preserve or establish some ‘old charm’. There are any number of pubs and restaurants to choose from and they are mostly full.

The views from the Castle on the other side of the river has to be one of the world’s great city scapes.

There is one modern building of note. It is the ‘Dancing House’ co-designed by Gehy. It has his usual odd shapes.

Pommie Invasion

On Friday night the place was seemingly invaded by English people in their mid 20’s to early 30’s. Most seemed to be on ’ bucks’ or ‘hens’ night. They are serious drinkers, covered in tattoos with poor dental health. The blokes are worse!!!!!

Trip to Pilsner

I decided to take a trip to Pilsner which is about 100 klms from Prague. As the name would suggest, it is famous for its beer. In particular, it is the home of Pilsner Urquell, probably the best know of that type of beer.

I was introduced to Pilsner Urquell by a neighbour in the street in which I lived in Mosman. He was drinking it long before it became well known in Australia.

The bus trip out of the Prague was quiet interesting. Prague is divided into some 19 districts. Some of these are in the old of the city. The other are removed from the centre and many were built in the communist era. These were effectively dormitory towns. They are typical ‘soviet’ style with stark concrete blocks of flats. We passed a couple these places. I am not sure they would be the greates places in which to live.

Pilsner

The road to Pilsner seemed to be relatively new.

As we approached the town the guide pointed out the three breweries that operate there including the main one, which we were going to visit.

The company Pilsner Urquell is yet another brewer, along with Carlton and United (Fosters) and Miller that has been taken over by South African Brewing.   As I post this, SA Brewing is attempting to takeover Heineken. At least in Urquell’s case they have retained the main operations in the original location.

We had a quick walk around the town. One interesting thing was a very large Mosque. Apparently it is one of the largest in the world.

Tour of the Brewery

We walked from the town to Brewery for lunch. After lunch we were introduced to our very attractive guide. The Flickr photos do not do her justice. She is OTT.

The tour took in all the parts of the operations. The most interesting part was the underground tunnels where the beer is stored during the fermentation stage. The fully automated bottling plant was very impressive.

The best bit however, was tasting the unfiltered and unpasteurized version of the beer. This is not sold and can only be tasted at the brewery.

Back to Vienna on a New Czech Train

I travelled back to Vienna on a new Czech Railways train. I was very impressed.

I had the misfortunate of sitting next to a couple of Americans who were so anti- Abama is wasn’t funny.   They were wondering if it would also be as safe in “communist Austria” as it was in the Czech Republic.  I should have followed the example of a Canadian who was sitting with us. He refused to speak to them apart from ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Flickr Links

Prague

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk3cFBC7

Pilsner

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk3VqteU