An Intrepid Engineer

Rotorua; Friday, Vov. 24. The Final Word.

2006-11-23T15:52:00.000-05:00

As we pack our bags and get ready to head for Auckland and our flight home this evening, I have to say that we have had a marvellous trip and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We hope all our readers enjoyed this chronicle of our adventures - send us an email and let us know.

Having spent almost 5 weeks in Australia and New Zealand, I have to point out that people see things differently here.

Au revoir, Sean & Eileen.

Rotorua; Thurs., Nov. 23. Afternoon

2006-11-23T15:26:00.000-05:00

We drove south from Rotorua to see the Buried Village of Te Wairoa. This is a result of a massive volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886 when 153 people were killed. Over the last 80 years it has been excavated and a very well thought out park created around it.

A view of Mount Tarawera as it is today.
Another photograph of the most photographed building in Rotorua. It was built as a bathhouse but is now a Museum. It is part of the municipal park called Government Park.

Rotorua; Thurs., Nov. 23. Morning.

2006-11-23T15:17:00.000-05:00

First the geysers (pronounced guysers) at a place dubbed "Hells Gate" by George Bernard Shaw.

This is one place where still photography does not cut it. I have taken some video clips but don't know how to put them in a blog or if it is possible at all.

Really something to see.

Waitomo-Rotorua; Wed., Nov 22

2006-11-23T15:02:00.000-05:00

We left Foxton and drove North to Waitomo which is famous for its glow worm caves. They don't allow photography, so there are no pictures. In any case it would require a very elaborate setup to get a realistic photo. The cave roof is the home of tens of thousands of glow worms who use an intense blue light emanating from their tails to attact their prey (other flying insects). For all the world it is like looking up at a canopy of intense blue LEDs. Since this particular glow worm is unique to NZ, it was a fascinating experience. We moved on to Rotorua and managed to book into a Maori evening of ritual, entertainment and dinner cooked in the Maori fashion.
This the entrance to the Maori Village.

The "stick game" used to improve dexterity and hand to eye co-ordination.

The entrance to the Maori Big (Community) House.

Christchurch to Foxton; Tuesday, Nov 21

2006-11-23T00:55:00.000-05:00

The saga of today really started yesterday in Greymouth. We had planned to go from Christchurch to Wellington by train, but we found out that the train leaves at 7:00 and did not think our energy level could cope with another early start. So I tried to book a car from AVIS from Christchurch to drop off at the airport in Auckland. They would not unless it was for three days on each Island. Thinking this was nuts I checked with one of the other rental companies to see if I could rent one from Christchurch to Picton (where the Ferry leaves for the N.I.). No Problem. However we had not reckoned with the road from Christchurch to Picton. Tortuous to the point of torture. The speed limit was 100KM/hr but opportunities to go that fast were rare. Having started at 8:30 and driving as fast as possible we made the 1:15 ferry by 10 minutes. To complete the story I was talking to a guy from Durham (UK) on the ferry: he had taken the train the day before and it had missed the ferry by an hour so he had to stay over until today.
On the crossing I noticed on the shore of the North Island that I could get a picture with two lighthouses in it, a most unusual opportunity, then on closer inspection I found that there is actually a third lighthouse on the headland in the distance.

We headed north from Wellington and stayed the night in Foxton near Palmerston North in the Celtic Motel.

Christchurch; Monday, Nov. 20.

2006-11-23T00:24:00.000-05:00

After the train journey and booking into our hotel we took a stroll down to downtown Christchurch through Hagley Park, a very large park right in the middle of the city with beautiful tree lined walks.
and a very picturesque weeping willow.

In Cathedral Square there was the Cathedral which gives the city its name

and a strange looking artifactr resembling a vase.
A most upscale Starbucks,
even the building of the local newspaper had class.

We had a very good dinner in the "Historic Wallace Hotel". Later a taxi driver told us that it had a very strong Irish tradition going way back. Then we read in the newspaper the next day that it was about to become a Novatel. Pity!

Across the Divide; Monday, November 20

2006-11-20T05:38:00.000-05:00

From Greymouth we took the "Tranzscenic" train through the Southern Alps and the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. On the west side the weather was much the same as Franz Joseph, raining.

But after we came through the Arthur's Pass at the top of the divide, it really improved and we got some great views.

There was an open platform at the end of our car where we could take pictures without the reflections from the windows, but it was sort of wild there when the train eas going fast.

A very exciting four hours.

Franz Joseph (Glacier); Monday, November 20

2006-11-20T04:53:00.000-05:00

Last night we stayed in the Rainforest Retreat.

Today's plan was to take a helicopter ride over Mount Cook (the tallest mountain in NZand the Franz Joseph & the Fox Glaciers. Mother Nature decided otherwise and the flights were cancelled due to low cloud and rain. We were really disapointed. So we took a little tour of Franz Joseph including the church. (Our Lady of the Alps)

and then set off set off for Greymouth passing through the rainforest and all its tree ferns.

Queenstown-Franz Joseph; Sunday, November 19.

2006-11-19T01:34:00.000-05:00

Today was a long drive, from Queenstown to the Franz Joseph Glacier.
We did get a great view back towards Queenstown from the mountains.
And took a couple of pictures of the Franz Joseph Glacier
It seems very odd to have a glacier down in the temperate rainforest, but it is because a vast icefield up at the top is feeding down a very narrow valley, it is deep and moves fast, so that it stays frozen.

Queenstown; Saturday, November 18.

2006-11-19T01:30:00.000-05:00

Queenstown is supposed to be the extreme sport capital of the world and works hard on its reputation. It has a marvellously scenic Harbour.

Even at night!

Milford Sound; Saturday, November 17.

2006-11-19T01:20:00.000-05:00

After spending the night in Te Anau we headed out early to Milford Sound.

We took the nature cruise boat out through Milford Sound, which is not a Sound at all but a Fiord, for an amazing 2 and a half hours.

The scenery is stunning.

We went all the way out to the Tasman Sea and saw a New Zealand fur seal sunning herself on the rocks.
Pictures don't do it justice.

Along the way back to Queenstown we stopped to take a picture of a tree fern

And a cascading mountain stream.

Dunedin to Te Anau; November 16.

2006-11-19T01:06:00.000-05:00

First I found an interesting bridge at Balclutha to add to my collection of bridge photos.
This south-east corner of the South Island is very scenic.

No trip to New Zealand would be complete without some sheep photos.

There are millions of them.

Dunedin; Thursday, November 16.

2006-11-19T00:55:00.000-05:00

On to the Dunedin Botanical Gardens and the Rhododendron Dell. Apparently one of the largest displays of Rhododendrons & Azeleas in the world. If Vincent, who considers rhododendrons "bloody weeds", which in Ireland they are, is reading this forgive me for drooling over the display.

We then drove the tortuous 20Km or so out to the end of the Otago penninsula to Penguin Place ,

to see a privately owned refuge for Yellow-Eyed penguins, the world's rarest penguin.

They have built an ingenious series of covered walkways & trenches so that people can come and watch without disturbing the penguins. I tried to get a good shot of the yellow eye but the camera's light gathering ability and my ability to hold it steady were at their limit in the failing light.

We finally got back into Dunedin after nine, looking for a place to stay, and got the last room at the Best Western (smoking but who cares).

Moeraki; Thursday, November 16.

2006-11-19T00:50:00.000-05:00

Our next stop was Moeraki, famous for the large round boulders on the beach. Some up to 4 metres in diameter.

Some are quite ornamental.

Other have been broken by the forces of wind and water. [0008]

Christchurch-Timaru; Thursday, November 16.

2006-11-19T00:41:00.000-05:00

We got going about 10 am. It was a beautiful day and we stopped for brunch in a nice little café just outside the city. Our first stop after that was Timaru, a beautiful town on Caroline Bay.

We visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral

and then took in the Botanical Gardens (which you can drive around, gates open, no admission charge). This was a rare treat as they had a garden of over 200 species roses, the original wild ones, from all over the world and they were in bloom!! Many of these are not hardy in Canada and most only bloom once, in Spring.

Melbourne-Christchurch; Wednesday, November 15.

2006-11-19T00:38:00.000-05:00

We set out from Colac this morning and drove back to Phil & Lisa's. Brought the blog up to date and sorted out emails, packed, and headed for the airport. On the way we encountered a massive storm with torrential rain and hailstones which brought the freeway almost to a standstill. The last thing we expected for weather in Southern Australia. Our three hour flight plus two hours time change got us into Christchurch at about 11:30. By the time we cleared customs & immigration, got the car and took the 5 minute drive to our hotel it was about 1am.
A long day but here we are in NZ.

The Great Ocean Road; Tuesday, November 14.

2006-11-14T21:29:00.000-05:00

The great ocean road runs from Geelong (G'long) west of Melbourne west along the southern coast of Victoria towards Adelaide. It is quite spectacular although some other ocean roads I have been on would rival it in that regard.
The section called the twelve Apostles really does live up to its reputation. The weather was absolutely wild with rain laden gusts of wind which we could hardly stand against. In fact the car felt as if it was going to roll over. We waited for a lull in the storm and managed to get some pictures.

We then visited Peterborough.

Finally we went inland and found a nice motel in Colac and had a lovely meal to celebrate our last dinner in Australia.

Melbourne; Monday, November 13.

2006-11-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

We went into Melbourne. It is a very nice city which although surrounded with sprawling suburbs like most has a very compct centre. They have free tram which follows a rectangular route around the centre and a free bus which traverses a more extended route. Both have commentaries. Sure beats the $30/head you have to pay for hop on/hop off in other cities. It has some very modernistic buildings.
and some quite quaint.
We then braved the rush hour traffic to the house of Frank and Nora Toohey where we had been invited for dinner. Frank, hale and hearty in his eighties, appears to be regarded as the "patriarch" of the Australian side of the Toohey family. We were joined by Frank's son John and Phil Toohey's aunt Pat. We were treated to a beautiful meal and had an excellent evening trading stories and anecdotes.
This time I remembered to get some photos. John has promised to send me some of other members of the family.
Me, Pat, Nora, Eileen, Frank.
Nora, Pat, John, Eileen, Frank.

Melbourne; Sunday, November 12. (Later)

2006-11-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

Later that afternoon I took a couple of pictures of Lisa's fabulous garden.

I am jealous.

Melbourne; Sunday, November 12.

2006-11-14T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today we went to a wildlife reserve with Phil & Lisa, Liam & Liam's friend Alec.We saw quite a collection Australian Fauna including some Kangaroos

Some feeding pelicans,

Wallabies (look like small kangaroos)
A Dingo
And a Spot tail Quoll

Eileen took time out to sit in the lap of the "Big Koala"
On the way back we visited a winery, Domain Chandon, which by sheer coincidence turned out to be where the rather expensive bottle of Greenpoint Chardonay, we had in Singapore, originated. Unfortunately they had had a late frost which damaged a great deal of their vines and so 2007 will not be a good year.

Melbourne; Saturday November 11.

2006-11-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

We started the day with a cricket game on which Liam was playing.

Then in the afternoon we took a walk with Lisa in a state park and saw Koalas sleeping in trees in their wild state.

They are nocturnal, sleeping 19-20 hours a day.
Nocturnal or not I think this one was posing.

In the evening a group came around including Lisa's twin sister Jane with Gemma, Kate & Sam. Also Phil's friend Kevin with wife, Lisa, and boys Mitch & Tom. Naturally it was a "Barbie".

Canberra-Melbourne; Friday, November 10

2006-11-14T20:43:00.000-05:00

This morning we set out for Melbourne from Canberra. Tim Colebatch, Annie and Tom were there to see us off.

I should have taken a picture of the whole group last night but I was too busy getting this blog up to date. We stopped in Seymore for a washroom break and found this log lockup.

As on the trip to Canberra the countryside was very dry.

We arrived in Melbourne at Phil and Lisa Toohey's (and their son Liam) to a great welcome.

Phil, Lisa & Liam.

Canberra; Thursday, Nov. 9

2006-11-09T08:08:00.000-05:00

Today we had a tour of the Australian Parliament Buildings, personally conducted by Tim Colebatch, our host. It was really interesting to travel through the corridors of power. It is a very elegant building and beautiful laid out.

We then went to the National Australian Rose Gardens, but as with Goulburn the roses were somewhat the worse for wear and I resisted photographing them in their misery.

We moved on to the Australian War Memorial.

It is the most comprehensive memorial I have ever seen and really carefully organized and laid. We latched on to a guided tour by a volunteer who was amazingly knowledgeable and gave us a 2 hour detailed disertation on the first and second world wars.

We ended with a drive to the top of Ainslie Hill to take a final look down over the Australian National Capital.

Sydney to Canberra ; Wednesday, Nov. 8.

2006-11-09T07:54:00.000-05:00

Today we drove through the NSW countryside.

and stopped at Sublime Point which overlooks Woolongong.

We also stopped at Goulburn to view their Rose Garden.

Unfortunately they are experiencing a Class 5 drought so the roses were looking very ragged. I did find one nice bloom of "City of Goulburn" hiding under a big leaf.

We got in to Canberra and went down towards the city centre. We circled the Parliament Buildings three times before we could decide where we wanted to go. I don't think I mentioned it but Australia really has wall to wall roundabouts.

After numerous pergrinations we found "King O'Malley's" Irish pub for supper.
Then found our way to the house of Tim & Mary Colebatch. Mary being Eileen's second cousin. We were warmly welcomed and had some great conversation over a couple drinks before retiring to our first non-hotel bed since Canada.

Sydney; Tuesday, Nov. 7

2006-11-09T07:36:00.000-05:00

We started off the day on the hop on - hop off bus which took in Bondi Beach as well as many other Sydney landmarks.
If you look carefully at the next picture which I took yesterday you will see two small groups of people on the top of the bridge.

That is what I did next.

What a thrilling experience.

We then repaired to a Bavarian bar where they serve beer in litres.

And had a marvellous German band for entertainment.
I know it is a bit fuzzy but the beer was in litres and I had just survived being on stage to participate in a hat switching game with the band. And that was enough for one day!!

Sydney; Monday, Nov. 6

2006-11-09T07:19:00.000-05:00

The morning was gloomy and raining at first.

So we took a tour of the Famous Sydney Opera House. It is absolutely magnificent, inside and out.

We then took a boat cruise out around the harbour. It is the second largest natural harbour in the world and as is usual it is surrounded by the homes of the rich if not famous.

Also great scenery.
We took a final look at the opera house before finishing the day with a great dinner.

Cairns to Sydney; Sunday, Nov. 5

2006-11-09T06:54:00.000-05:00

Today was a travel day but since our plane did not leave Cairns until 13:15, we took a morning drive up the coast north of Cairns "where the raniforest meets the sea".

On the flight to Sydney we had a magnificent view of the Queensland coast, mountains, rainforest and farmland on the plateau behind.

It was raining in Sydney, so we had a nice dinner at the hotel and called it a day.

Cairns; Saturday, November 04.

2006-11-05T05:05:00.000-05:00

An early start again. Australians seem to be stuck on early starts. Our trip to Green Island & the Great Barrier reef was scheduled to depart at 8:30 am. Yet everyone was on board and the Catamaran disembarked at 8:20.

The weather was sunny (very warm) but with a nice breeze once we got going. We stopped at Green Island, itself a coral island, for two hours and walked around the entire island. Tropical rain forest surrounded by white sand beaches. We both had an extended paddle in the warm waters of the Coral Sea. This had special significance for Eileen as now Canadian author, Jeanette Turner Hospital, used to take a trip to the quiet of Green Island when all the cowboys from the outback came to town on the annual stock drive to the coast.

The catamaran then took us to a "Pontoon", (a small artificial island), moored on the outside of the Great Barrier Reef.

First I went snorkeling (Yes, my first time) which after a few moments of sheer panic went really well and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was really cool to drift along and observe the marine life underwater. We then took the semi-submersible (a glass bottomed boat) out around the reef for another view of the underwater flora & fauna.

Finally we went to the under water observatory which is part of the Pontoon for yet another view.

Ended up with a couple of cold ones to chill out after the days adventures while we waited for the catamaran to head back on the hour and 40 minutes trip to Cairns. Truly a memorable day.

Cairns; Friday, November 03

2006-11-03T09:50:00.000-05:00

Today we took a train ride from Cairns west and mostly up to the Atherton Table land. It is a precipitous route through 15 tunnels and I have forgotten how many bridges up the mountain and on to the plain beyond.

It was built to serve the gold mines and tin mines over a century ago. It is very scenic with great views looking back towards Cairns. We stopped along the way to see the Barron Waterfall.

We reached the village of Kuranda at the eastern edge of the tableland which looks like it was custom designed for tourists. We took in the little zoo and a sleeping Koala.

Also saw a cassowary bird and a black swan.

As always the Irish had been here before.

We returned to Cairns by cable car over the rain forest canopy.

A really great Day!

Boy, doing this blog is a lot of work!!

Alice Springs to Cairns; Thursday, November 2

2006-11-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

We had to travel to Cairns via Sydney as we had not been able to book a direct flight. This took a total of 9+ hours. If you look at a map you will see that it is an awful long way round.

Ayers Rock & Alice Springs; Wednesday, November 1

2006-11-03T09:33:00.000-05:00

An early start (5:20 am) but the helicopter ride was awesome all the more since it was my first ever. The pictures speak for themselves.

Later we flew to Alice Springs (45 minute flight)and drove west ito the McDonnell Rangetook in another Nissan Explorer. We went to the Simpson Gap

which is cut through the mountains made by the river shown here dry which it is most of the time with trees growing in the river bed.

We then went on to Ellery Bog Hole, a water hole in the desert which has water all year round. The water is unusually cold (by Australian standards.) I went for a ceremonial paddle.

Other people were swimming there. On the way back into Alice Springs we stopped at Flynn's Grave, a memorial tothe man who founded the Flying Doctor Servive and to his wife.

Ayers Rock; Tuesday, October 31.

2006-11-03T04:20:00.000-05:00

We drove around the rock, no matter how big you have been told it is and even if you have seen it in pictures, you still don't realize how absolutely massive it is until you see it for yourself.

It rises 348 metres above the flat desert floor. It also extends about 5 Km below the ground. We then went for a daylight and close up view of the Olgas which are about 55 Km by road to the west of Ayers Rock.

There are 36 separate rounded rocks the highest of which is 546 metres above ground level. In many ways they are more spectacular than Uluru. I had booked a helicopter flight but got the times mixed up and missed it. They were kind enough to book me on the dawn flight tomorrow instead.

Perth to Ayer's Rock; Monday, October 30

2006-11-03T04:02:00.000-05:00

Today was our first Australian domestic flight, everything went smoothly, just thousands of Km of red sandy desert and salt flats and what I figure was an open pit mine.

Our car is a Nissan Expolrer AWD and is very comfortable. We booked on the "Sounds of Silence" Group tour which took us to the top of a dune in the desert to watch the sunset over Ayers Rock (also called Uluru). Unfortunately it was mostly cloudy so the rock was not that spectacular.

But the "Olgas" (also called Kata Tjuta) a group of massive rocks rising abot 500 metres above the desert floor were, as the setting sun caught a rain storm behind them.

We had music played on a digirido to accompany us.

We then had dinner under the sky and after that observed the stars despite a partially cloudy sky and a moon directly overhead. An absolutely fabulous evening.

The Southwest; October 29.

2006-11-03T03:57:00.000-05:00

Had thought of going to see the Wave Rock but yesterday's driving was a bit to much to do even more today. Instead went to Busselton a beautiful beach resort south of Bunbury. They a pier wich is 1.84 Km long with an underwater viewing area 9 metres down at the end.
It was worth the walk. Later we headed in to Perth, had a really nice supper at the Criterion Hotel, found an internet café to check email and retired to our Formule 1 motel (actually very nice) out by the airport in readiness for our trip to Ayers Rock tomorrow.

The Southwest, October 28.

2006-10-30T08:56:00.000-05:00

We saw the climbing tree near Manjimup. The steps are so far apart that you culd easily fall through if you slipped. I decided to give it a miss. We went on to Walpole and did the treetop walk through the giant Red & Yellow Tingle trees. These trees are unique to SW Australia. On our way back we drove through the forest for several hundred Km to Cape Leuwin, the point where you have the South Atlantic Ocean on the south side of the headland and the Indian Ocean on the West side. We had hoped for a spectacular sunset but the clouds rolled in. We had supper in Margaret River which right in the middle of the SW Australian wine district. It turned out to a BYO (bring your own bottle) and we did not have any but the food was good.

Cape Leuwin Lighthouse

Eileen in Tingle Tree &

Eileen on skytop walk

Perth; October 27

2006-10-29T08:57:00.000-05:00

We were both up around 6:30 but it was still a bit of a rush to make the 8:45 tour boat to Freemantle and thence by seagong catamaran to Rottnest Island. Rottnest Island is about 12 Km off the coast slightly north of Freemantle. It is a great distination for day tripping. It has beautiful beaches and there are no cars. We took the glass bottom boat ride out to the reefs to see the fish and two shipwrecks which are over 100 years old. Then we took a the train to the highest point of the Islan which contain a World war II 9.2 inch gun emplacement and great views including the Perth skyline. We then had supper in Freemantle and observed the night life before heading south to Bunbury for the night.

Singapore-Perth; October 26.

2006-10-29T08:53:00.000-05:00

An early start for the 5 hour flight from Singapore to Perth, but everything went well, and we got into Perth around 2:30pm. Got the car and headed for the hotel. Had a bit of time finding it but did. Took a drive over to Freemantle along the north shore of the Swan River and back along the south. We got to see a really great sunset over the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately there was no place to stop, so no pictures. Later we went downtown Perth and had supper in a genuine Australian Pub at the corner of Hay & Barrack Streets.

Singapore; Wednesday, Oct 25.

2006-10-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

Feeling so much better after an horizontal nights sleep, we took the Hop on, Hop off bus and got a tour of the north central area. Little India was all decorated up. We then switched buses and headed out to the Botanical Gardens which are on the highest point in the city, still not very high but slightly cooler, temperatures in the low 30°,s. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours walking through the park and communing with the hundreds of Orchids in the Orchid Gardens. Singapore claims to be the Orchid capital of the world. Many hybrids are developed here. There is a special garden called the VIP garden which displays new orchids named after many famous visitors to Singapore, including Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher. The intensity of the display is sometimes almost overwhelming and the layout of the gardens is really carefully thought out to maximize the effect.

As out bus left the gardens it started to rain heavily, that put paid to our plan to go for a ride on a bum boat, as the local boats are called in the harbour. Instead we went back to the hotel for a nap. Later we took a bus trip to the Night Safari. This is a Zoo of nocturnal animals. It includes elephants, Lions, Tigers, the worlds largest rodents, several varieties of deer and many others. The illumination is faint approximating moonlight under a full moon. You go on a forty minute tram ride, actually it is more like the people mover at Niagra Falls than a tram, around through the rainforest to see all the animals in their night time activities. The fact that it was raining in the rain forest - did I really say that - put a bit of a damper on things, but it was still a unique experience. The evening at the zoo ended with a performance by a group from Borneo who apparently have given up head hunting for flame throwing. We ended the evening at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel for a couple of Singapore Slings (a concoction of Gin, Cointreau, & Cherry Brandy shaken with Lime & Pineappe juices, with a dash of Angostura Bitters & Grenadine. A great way to end the night. We got a taxi back to our hotel. Sorry no pictures. Had trouble getting them to load. Will try again tomoorow or Sat.

Singapore; Tuesday; Oct 24. (4)

2006-10-26T10:29:00.000-04:00

We stoppped for Supper at the Fullerton Hotel (outside along the water). I had rack of lamb and Eileen had roasted cod. They were really excellent and the price at CAD$ $30 not bad but the bottle of Yarra Valley White came in at CAD$80!!!. I guess there are no local wines in Singapore. We crashed about Midnight in our first beds since Saturday night.

Singapore; Tuesday; Oct 24. (3).

2006-10-26T10:25:00.000-04:00

Looking back across Marina Bay towards our Hotel, the one with the blue sign to the left of the Oriental, is a really brilliant view.

Singapore; Tuesday; Oct 24. (2)

2006-10-26T10:10:00.000-04:00

After freshening up we took a walk down to Marina Bay and walked along the shore to the Esplanade Bridge where the "Lion" is.(next picture).

Singapore; Tuesday; Oct 24. (1)

2006-10-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

We finally got into Singapore at about 7:30 pm. Our Hotel, The Pan Pacific, is really great. Picture is view from our balcony on the 19th. Floor.

Singapore: October 24

2006-10-25T06:14:00.000-04:00

We made it Singapore at about 7:30 or so. Our Hotel - the Pan Pacific is beautiful and is close to Marina Bay and the waterfront.

Kuala Luimpur: October 24, 14:34

2006-10-24T02:32:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know that Kuala Lumpur was not on the itinerary but guess what: Our flight from LA to Singapore was cancelled due to engine trouble and so all 160 people were rerouted on Air Malaysia via Taipei to Kuala Lumpur. So we will arrive in Singapore at about 6pm today just 4 hours behind our original schedule. Having been to Singapore and Hong Kong before and seen how efficient things operate in this part of the world I had very high expectations. But Singapore Airlines did way better than I expected, in fact apart from the original problem which can happen at any time their planning and performance were superb. Tired but on track. More when I get some sleep.

Photo

2006-10-21T09:41:00.000-04:00