Bondi Beach

Hype or no hype we couldn't leave Sydney without having a look at Bondi Beach. Very nice it was too!

The black specks on the waves are surfers, I promise you.

We took a bus from the Youth Hostel (you're sniggering again) to Coogee Beach and walked all the way to Bondi, observing all the other beaches and bays along the way. The day was sunny and very hot, so we had every excuse to pause frequently and admire the lovely views from the cliff top.

There are lots of tales about killer sharks, lethal jellyfish, and dangerous octopus on these gorgeous beaches, so you have to wonder if it's actually worth risking a swim in the sea. That's why we liked this lap pool at Bondi - the ultimate in infinity pools really.

As this was a Friday, and Friday night at Glebe Youth Hostel is barbecue night, we decided to join our fellow backpackers on the rooftop terrace for our evening meal (at £3.50 for steak, salad and a beer it had to be a deal).

All went well at first, then I became uncomfortable when Brian asked our fellow diners, several of them locals, "so how do Australians feel about England winning the Ashes this year?"

Brian is disturbingly prone to posing this question every time he is in a bar, at a bus queue, or any form of gathering, and it can only be a matter of time before someone smacks him in the mouth. Luckily for him, on this occasion, as on all previous occasions when he has made this remark, everyone pretended not to hear, except a guy from Tasmania who said he wasn't interested in cricket. Astounding!

The Blue Mountains

Enjoying the scenery can be literally breathtaking - maybe I'm getting a bit old for all this!



After spending a couple of days exploring the sights and temptations of Sydney, we took a very early train one morning to the Blue Mountains. We spent the day walking through the millions of eucalyptus trees that emit a vapour-forming blue mist which hangs above range upon range of mountains, cliffs, ravines and gorges.

We clambered up the steep sandstone paths to gaze at the spectacular scenery of waterfalls, sheer precipices and walled canyons. The light around us was clear despite the blue haze above, and the only sound came from running water (soothing); massive cockatoos, kookaburras and parrots (deafening); and gaggles of oriental tourists (bloody annoying).

We emerged briefly from the forest at lunchtime and at the Visitor Centre ate hoisin kangaroo with Singapore noodles for lunch (because we could).

More Sydney Images

This is the spectacular Anzac Bridge, taken from the district of Glebe, where our youth hostel was located. Enlarge the image and you will see the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.

("Youth hostel?!!" I hear you cry. Yes, dear reader, we are proud members of the YHA, and we were not even the oldest backpackers in residence.)

This shot and the next are scenes from the sensational Chinese Garden of Friendship at Darling Harbour, another smart and sexy area of the city which is home to the Maritime Museum. We admired Captain Cook's ship, the Endeavour, which was docked there, and later regretted that we couldn't be arsed to take the full tour aboard.

We walked across from the Chinese Garden to Chinatown, and to be honest we were a little disappointed with this slightly seedy run down area.

See if you can spot the special guest jammin' with the guys on the trendy Circular Quay.

Springtime in Sydney

Sydney is much more than a Harbour Bridge and an Opera House.

Sparkling blue water is everywhere; splashing in bays and coves, pounding on beaches, and lapping serenely in the beautiful harbours. Quite a setting for a city that buzzes on an international scale, with guaranteed sunshine thrown in!

Arriving in Sydney from the tropical heat of Fiji, we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a classic Spring, so instead of making a bee-line for the iconic harbour sights on our first morning we set off for the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Bright warm sunshine set off the wonderful array of flowers and trees to perfection; familiar favourites like cherry blossom, mimosa and azaleas, exotic beauties such as bottle brush and bird of paradise flowers, and best of all a fabulous cactus and succulent garden.

Huge fig trees and palms provided a roost for thousands of giant fruit bats (I swear they were as big as chickens), and all kinds of water birds dilly-dallied round the duckponds.

Everywhere we strolled in this green and pleasant park we caught stunning glimpses of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and the smart skyline of the Business Centre, and our camera was clicking away non-stop.

Eventually, we reluctantly left this little bit of heaven to walk across for a closer look at the famous Bridge and the Opera House.

LA Shots

Brian on Muscle Beach needs no explanation, look out for Batman passing Michael Jackson's star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and how about The Carmichael Ultimatum?

Alaska in Pictures

OK, the next thing I need to learn is how to put captions by the pictures. Till then, you'll have to match the photos to the titles below:

RV - our home for a week

Rocking at Talkeetna

Campfire by the creek

Glacier view twice (I don't know how to delete either)

Spot the baby iceberg

Catch of the day Alaska style (halibut)

Approaching the Hubbard glacier

River and mountains Skagway

Creek at Ketchikan

Snapshots from Vancouver Island

Brian with new friend

Taking a moment by the harbour

Street scene in Victoria

A small sample of the lovely Butchart Gardens in Victoria

Logging in the north of the island

The tiny village of Zeballos way down the road to nowhere

Brian and me with our guide dog Roger (joking, it's Dan's pup with his training harness on)

A few photos from our drive through British Columbia

Backtracking with photos - Rockies

We expected mountains, trees, lakes, rivers and waterfalls.

Even so, we weren't prepared for just how fab the Rockies would be.

Lazing on Bounty Island

It was a hard life on Bounty Island, nothing but sand, sea, sun and happy hour.

Luckily we're made of stern stuff and we managed to come through it.