Travel and Photography
We took a walk around a big lake as the sun was setting. The birds were settling for the night. It was warm and surreal.
Sunset over a lake in South Africa
The Yorkshire Dales
Photography – the Dales
Posted on by Opher
We met up with friends for a few days walking, talking and drinking in the Dales! Great fun.
Day 1 – it rained! But what do expect? It wouldn’t be green if it wasn’t for the rain.
If you click on the pictures they blow up into much better shots.
We stayed in Austwick at the Game Cock – nice beer and food!
Journey – Pt. 8 – Oz and Cairns – the Great Barrier Reef – Photos.
The Journey
Cairns loomed and we awoke to a stormy day, humid with heavy clouds on the horizon. Second visits were often disappointing and the place had changed. Last time it had a frontiers feel. This time it felt more mainstream and touristy. We’d been to Green Island and loved it. This time I was prepared. I’d snorkelled in Pete’s pool and in the shallows at South West Rocks – I figured I was ready for the big time! We set off along the dock to check out the boats to get us to the outer reef, negotiated a fee and we struck out for the outer Barrier Reef to sashay with sharks, tickle turtles, fondle fish and carouse with coral!
For hours we bounced, rolled, whacked, rocked and belted our way out to the reef. The storm had upset the sea. Sick bags were provided but we did not succumb.
We made a brief stop at Fitzroy Island, a lush green tropical island stuck out there in the inner reef. But inner reefs weren’t for the likes of us. We craved the outer reef facing the huge rollers, the bastion of the great whites and hammerheads, stingrays and sea monsters that could swallow boats whole.
I’d mastered flippers, wetsuits, goggles and breathing apparatus (snorkel). I was a master, twenty Dan, black belt. I’d only started snorkelling two weeks before and on my third attempt I was on the fabled reef with the most glorious corals, fish, turtles, jellyfish, whales and sharks imaginable. I was up for it. As it happened I didn’t actually see any sharks or whales but I knew they were there! The corals made up for the lack of great whites – the colours were rather lysergenic – like a Pink Floyd light show! Wonderful!! And the water was warm!!
After hours powering around my feet ached from the flippers and I was thoroughly knackered but buoyed up by the thrill of chasing luminescent rainbow fish and looking at the amazing colours of the canyons of coral below. It was like floating in space over an alien planet. I’d hired an underwater camera to record it. – amazing.
While I was gamely tootling about over the reef a great storm ripped through and huge waves assaulted my snorkel which was a bit scary. Rain deluged! It was as wet out of the water as in! But I survived!
All too soon it was time to get back and repeat the raucous bouncing on waves which had the consistency of rock.
Still reeling from a combination of the mad dash across the ocean and the exhilaration of the incredible world of colour we sauntered into town as sun set in search of the tree of bats and Ibis that I remembered so well. We did not find it but found we had no need. In the evening, as the sun set and the sky turned orange, the place was alive with raucous huge flying foxes!! Surreal!! Outside the library the noise was enough to burst eardrums as they screeched and chattered, impossibly launching themselves into the air and zooming around. There were bats reeling about in the sky, hanging from branches and heading off for supper.
The next day was quieter as we settled back down from the highs of coral and bats. I swam in the lagoon, had a cool shake to cool me down, and strolled around while Liz shopped.
Next stop Darwin (probably renamed by the mad creationists!!)
Manilla – Away into the sunset! Photographs.
Manilla
I do enjoy sunsets.
Posted in UncategorizedTagged Manilla, Manilla – Away into the sunset! Photographs., photography, Sunset, Travel
Farewell from Manilla. Photos.
Manilla
We had a last scoot around Manilla before slipping away into the twilight of evening. The hazy city, bright busses and shanty towns.
Another place of massive inequality. The rich in their penthouses with their limos and yachts, the poor masses surviving on scraps, living in ramshackle huts.
Posted in UncategorizedTagged Farewell from Manilla. Photos., Manilla, photography, Travel
Manilla – Inside the Fortress
Manilla
Always makes me shake my head. Everywhere you go around the world it’s the same.
Fortresses, destruction and war.
How much wealth is spent on such negative things?
Why can’t we all get along without killing each other?
Build things up.
Knock things down.
There is no hope for us.
We are supposed to be intelligent!
Posted in UncategorizedTagged Manilla – Inside the Fortress, photography, stupidity, Travel, warLeave a commentEdit
Manilla – tacky costumes, dance and music.
Manilla
Manilla welcomed us with tacky costumes that were supposed to be ethnic, some dance and music delivered from a range of fascinating instruments. There were some guys in costumes on stilts. There was a guard with a big gun..
Posted in UncategorizedTagged dance and music., Guns, Instruments, Manilla – tacky costumes, travel,photography
Journey Pt. 13 – Kota Kinabula – the bounties of Borneo – photo
Posted on by Opher
Sorry – I can’t seem to get all the other photos to come out.
Our second stop in Borneo was Kota Kinabula. We sailed in from the South China Sea to check out what is a small new city. The original was almost completely flattened during the Second World war.
We were welcomed ashore by two girls in costume and two groups of musicians and dancers. They certainly wanted our custom. The first was a set of dancers in costume supported by a tradition band with gongs. The second were dancers representing the native Indian population. The guys were dressed in skimpy bare-chested costume with wooden swords, shields and tall feathered headdresses. The girls wore brightly embroidered tunics and dresses with a little fetching headband with a single feather. They did a fearsome dance that was meant to be menacing but I couldn’t help noticing one of the guys vacillating between embarrassment and finding it very amusing.
The irony was that most of the native Indians had been displaced by the incomers.
No buses this time. We walked straight in. We set up the path into the hills to get a view over the city. The path led up through thick jungle with insects, birds and animals trilling and rustling. The views were good.
We headed back along the promenade to the fishing quay. Across the water we could see an extensive stilted village with a backdrop of jungle. It looked more ramshackle and rough and ready compared with the similar village we had seen in Banda Sera Begawan although it was a lot more extensive.
We jumped a taxi to take us to the Mosques and other major new buildings. The architecture was unique.
Back on the boat we looked at the stilted village a bit more closely and sailed past the other beautiful looking mosque.
The frustration with visiting Borneo was that we were skimming the edges, visiting the cities and not getting into the interior. I wanted to be where the wildlife was – in the real Borneo.
After leaving Kota Kinabula we headed up the coast of Borneo with a strong warm breeze in our face and a glass in our hands. On one side of the boat the shore of Borneo slowed edged past with massive volcanoes peeking through the reefs of circling clouds while to the other side the sun was putting on a show as it sank between various islands.
The frustration with visiting Borneo was that we were skimming the edges, visiting the cities and not getting into the interior. I wanted to be where the wildlife was – in the real Borneo.
After leaving Kota Kinabula we headed up the coast of Borneo with a strong warm breeze in our face and a glass in our hands. On one side of the boat the shore of Borneo slowed edged past with massive volcanoes peeking through the reefs of circling clouds while to the other side the sun was putting on a show as it sank between various islands.
The frustration with visiting Borneo was that we were skimming the edges, visiting the cities and not getting into the interior. I wanted to be where the wildlife was – in the real Borneo.
After leaving Kota Kinabula we headed up the coast of Borneo with a strong warm breeze in our face and a glass in our hands. On one side of the boat the shore of Borneo slowed edged past with massive volcanoes peeking through the reefs of circling clouds while to the other side the sun was putting on a show as it sank between various islands.
The frustration with visiting Borneo was that we were skimming the edges, visiting the cities and not getting into the interior. I wanted to be where the wildlife was – in the real Borneo.
After leaving Kota Kinabula we headed up the coast of Borneo with a strong warm breeze in our face and a glass in our hands. On one side of the boat the shore of Borneo slowed edged past with massive volcanoes peeking through the reefs of circling clouds while to the other side the sun was putting on a show as it sank between various islands.
Out on the Yorkshire Dales
Incredible landscape. Breathtaking views. Spectacular.
A Blue Heron on the Foss
A beautiful sight! He was posing for me.
Opher's World 
