The Blue Mountains, Australia

I recently took a trip to Sydney for the holiday season, and I thought I'd start my series of blogs about the trip with the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains National Park is located about an hours drive inland from Sydney. It was given it's name due to the blue tinge the mountain range takes on when viewed from a distance. I actually believed it was due to light reflecting off vapors from the eucalyptus trees, but apparently that is only a myth. Instead, it is material emitted by coniferous trees whose particles cause the incoming ultraviolet radiation to be scattered creating a blue-greyish color. To be honest, I can't really say I noticed an overwhelming blue tint through the many ridges and valleys of the park, but it was stunning nonetheless.



We headed up to the Blue Mountains on New Years Day with our rented camper van. It was a warm and sunny day, and we noticed about 30 minutes into the drive on the highway that the temperature seemed to be getting increasingly unbearable. A hot blast was blowing in from the window and the three of us crammed into the front seat didn't help things. In reality, I'm pretty sure the heat was caused by the van's motor situated directly beneath our seat. In fact, the only way to access the engine was to lift the front seat! Regardless, it felt surprisingly nice when we finally parked the van at a recommended spot and got out. We decided to take in the views and a small walk to Wentworth Falls. The spot offered amazing views near the parking lot, and a 10 minute walk down to the top of the falls. From there, you could explore the creek which tumbled down many rocks and cliffs before it's 250 meter drop over the main falls. It was very refreshing and a great introduction to the Blue Mountains!



We noticed a large system of hiking trails that started from this spot, so we decided we'd come back the next day and check them out. Before we left, however, we were able to capture some views of the afternoon thunderstorms.



That night, we drove down the only road in the park that goes into one of the deep gorges to hunt for a camp ground I saw on a map at the visitors center. As we descended into Megalong Valley, the road slowly winded through the dense and cool forest until we finally got to a simple and sweet campground. We snatched one of the last good spots, prepared some dinner and even got to make a campfire. The campsite was located along a small creek, and it was even free! This might also be a good time to talk about our camper van a bit more. We rented the van from Wicked Camper Vans, who decorate all of their vans with graffitied images and phrases. We had an attractive serpent along the side, and the back of the van stated "Good girls need spanking too" in bright letters. The sleeping quarters were not comfortable to say the least, but it did the job. One of the beds actually hung from the roof with chains! The back opened up into a small kitchen area complete with a gas stove and a sink.



The next morning we were up and out early in an effort to beat the heat of the afternoon. We drove back to Wentworth falls to start our hike, and we decided on the toughest and longest trail we could find. It was called the Wentworth Pass, and it started at the falls and made it's way along a narrow path cut into the cliff-side. Eventually, many steps and stairs later, we reached the bottom of the first part of the falls. It offered incredible views looking up and also had some great areas for exploring. As we continued, the trail kept offering great views back at the falls and eventually we made it to the very bottom where there was a great swimming hole situated in a large pool where the water fell in to.



At this point, we realized that the trail was about as low as it was going to go, which meant we had to make our way up and out of the gorge we climbed in to. Luckily, the weather turned and was getting cloudy, and there were brief periods of showers to cool the air. If they became heavy, we were always able to find shelter under parts of the cliff-side. The trail eventually started to climb out of the gorge, but it was hard to notice due to the stunning scenery. The trail climbed along a different creek that fell into the valley with a whole new set of waterfalls and pools. It was hard work though, and we rewarded ourselves after our 4 hour hike with some ice cream at the top!



That night, we randomly drove toward another campsite that I remembered seeing on the map, but this one was a bit sketchier. The road decided to turn unpaved, unannounced, and gradually got worse. The state of the van only exaggerated every bump and dip with it's creaky frame and loud bed chains banging around. It had also started to rain regularly and the weather was pretty foggy. We eventually got to the campsite, which again was basic but free, and quickly got some food made under the shelter of the back door. I have a feeling the campsite would have provided incredible views across the nearby valleys and cliffs, but the fog was thick and didn't lift all night or the next morning. The good news is that it was a bit chilly outside which was a nice relief both from Singapore and the previous day's heat.



Without sounding picky, I generally find it hard to be impressed at scenic landscapes and mountains having spent most of my life in either Oregon or Colorado. However, the Blue Mountains (and many areas of New South Wales, Australia) really were incredible. Although we did drive through most of the main stretch, there are still many other areas to visit in the area...I guess more to explore next time! In such a short distance from the city, it was a great place to visit for a couple days and I'm glad we made the trip.

Happy Holidays

Well, another year has passed. 2010 brought extraordinary change and amazing experiences. Last year while ringing in the new year in Europe, I never would have thought I'd be spending the next holiday season in Asia. But here I am, shocked that it's already Christmas while stuck in a time warp of eternal July. Despite the constantly hot and humid weather, Singapore does do Christmas well. In true Singapore fashion, which is over and above anything you'd ever expect, the city's malls and public areas have been filled with holiday cheer for two months now. I wanted to give all of you a chance to see what it's like in a city across a few seas from wherever you are.

Singapore is crazy about their malls. And their malls are, well, crazy.



We did some shopping in Chinatown for some fun things to send back to our families. Chinatown is always fairly festive on it's own, so this is standard but still pretty!





The great thing about nice weather is that you can always count on being outside! One weekend we went to a "Carols by Candlelight" concert in Fort Canning Park. We brought some blankets (well, tablecloths) and plenty of food to keep us company.



Finally, we walked down the premier shopping strip in Singapore, Orchard Road. The road is literally about two constant miles of shopping malls. These are some of the highlights along the way!



And this is a picture of our condo decorated for Christmas. I know I haven't posted many pictures of our place, mostly because I'm holding out until I feel it's a bit more complete. Don't worry though, we've been stocking up on furniture and I'll showcase our place sometime soon.



As for me, I'll spending Christmas and New years in Sydney Australia with Nat and some friends that are in the area. It will surely be different than most of you who will enjoy the holidays indoors, eating a lot roasted food while watching football and thinking about braving the cold to hit the slopes or stay put sipping a warm drink. For us, we'll be bbq'ing on the beach, giving the surf board a try, seeing the sights of Sydney, and taking a camper van into the Blue Mountains for some camping.

I hope wherever you are and whatever you do, it will be a memorable and amazing holiday spent with people you love. Happy Holidays and best wishes for an even better 2011!

Oh, and Go Ducks!

Penang, The Food Capital of Malaysia

"Penang?" you all say, rolling your eyes. "Didn't you go there like 5 months ago?"

Well yes, it was back in October. Over Halloween, actually. But come on, you all know I get pretty behind at this stuff; and in true fashion I will come back and attempt to catch up with a number of frequent posts in a short period of time. Although, since this one was so long ago, I would generally just skip it! This time I thought I would at least give you a slideshow of the trip so you can see the best parts.

Penang is an island off of mainland Malaysia known as the "food capital" of the country. It is true that we spent a lot of our time either thinking, looking for, or eating food. But this island has a lot more to offer as well, including a nice National Park, Malaysia's largest temple, and a number of fun markets and streets to explore.

Meal #1, Fried Kway Teow	Typical convenience shop	Fishing jetties/village
Fishing jetties/village	A street in Georgetown	Tandoori Chicken Leg
Penang National Park	Penang National Park	Penang National Park
Famous Ice Kachang	Lottery ticket man	On the way to the Market
Largest temple in Malaysia	Year of the Monkey	Chinese Temple

A bit of relaxing and jellyfish in Bintan

We recently took a weekend trip to Bintan, an Indonesian island only a 2 hour ferry ride from Singapore. Although it is the largest island in a group of 3200 nearby islands known as the Riau Archipelago, it is only 65 miles around. The nice thing is that we literally went for a weekend; left early Saturday morning on a ferry and got back late Sunday night. Most people go for a resort getaway as there are many close by to the main town and ferry terminal. However, we had heard about some shacks built on the beach on the opposite side of the island so we thought we'd give those a try. After arriving, getting our passports stamped with a full page tourist visa, and catching our ride waiting for us, we made the one hour van journey across the island to the Shady Shacks. For only $25 a night, we had a lovely shack to ourselves on the sand, literally 10 feet from the water.





As with anything in Indonesia, the place was pretty chill. Very chill. We arrived to find some locals hanging out at the outdoor seating area and we were told that when we were hungry to just let them know and they would get us some food. After dropping off our stuff, we went over and asked for some lunch, and sure enough a short time later we had a huge homemade feast of nasi goreng (fried rice) with egg in front of us. The meals are cooked by Lobo's (the owner) wife. After lunch we headed down to the beach to do some swimming. Luckily I brought some goggles and there were some areas of reef out a ways so we were able to see some fish and find lots of cool shells!




Eventually we noticed it getting pretty stormy and it decided to rain, pretty hard. After watching it for a while we headed in to take a nap...because what else do you do when you're hanging at the beach with nothing else nearby for miles? It was a pretty nice Saturday.



After the rain, I decided to go for a quick evening swim. While Nat was still waking up I enjoyed a dip when suddenly a sharp stinging sensation covered my right arm. At first I didn't realize what was happening, but after a few seconds I realized how severe the pain was. I quickly ran out of the water to find jellyfish tentacles covering my arm. I quickly wiped them off and stomped around in the sand for a while not quite knowing what to do. While I rinsed my arm off in the freshwater shower in our shack, Nat ran over to the locals who told her to bring me there. By the time I got there, they had whipped up a local jellyfish remedy, a paste of salt and mashed bean things.




One week later my entire right arm broke out in an itchy rash and three weeks later I still have two very distinct marks that will likely leave permanent scars. Good times!

Saturday happened to be Lobo's birthday and we were told that a great celebration would be taking place that night! We went down to get some dinner and were surprised with 6 huge plates of food just for the two of us! Just after we finished dinner, Lobo and all of his friends and other guests started singing Happy Birthday and dozens more plates of food came out for everyone to enjoy. We enjoyed the evening visiting with the other guests and Lobo and his friends while eating lots of yummy food and having a few beers...including a local rice alcohol that is apparently 90-proof. Of course the night finished in the late hours of the night singing karaoke, including some John Denver!




The next morning I decided to go for a quick run along the main road. If you ever want to know what it's like being a celebrity athlete, just go for a run in the countryside of a SE Asian country. The color of my skin and the fact that I was running in the sunny heat definitely attracted a lot of attention and I don't think one child or adult missed a "hello" or a wave as I passed. It was pretty motivating!

After the run and some breakfast, I didn't really feel like jumping in the water after yesterday's traumatic experience so we walked around the countryside and the beach a bit taking some nice pictures.




Eventually it started raining again so we took cover, got some lunch and played some cards in the pleasantly cool afternoon before a van took us back to the ferry terminal and our departure. Overall, I was really impressed with Bintan, especially since it's so affordable and easy to get to. The beach was incredible and the locals, as always, were delightful. I would definitely go back and would recommend the Shady Shacks to anyone looking for something a little bit different and out of the way.