Gnomadic

The next stop on our road trip was the scenic Oak Creek Canyon. We actually drove through the canyon from Sedona to reach this overlook, and you can see the road in the canyon below.

Hmm. Looks like there are some active birds of prey in this area. I’d better keep an eye on them.

I continue to be amazed at the variety and beauty of desert plants. Just look at this colorful cactus flower!

What’s that noise…?  HELP!

Goodness! That was a close call! I’d better get out of here before I end up as somebody’s dinner.

Greetings! I was feeling a bit homesick, so I have returned to the states for the next leg of my journey. I decided to visit the beautiful state of Arizona, after seeing many photos and descriptions in my travel magazines.

Here I am in the picturesque city of Sedona, overlooking a formation known as Cathedral Rock.

I ventured off on a little hike through Red Rock State Park, which provided me with excellent views of local scenery.

After my hike, I met up with a gentleman who was embarking on a cross-country road trip. What an excellent opportunity! I asked if I could tag along, and he graciously accepted. So look for many more interesting sights in the near future.

Off we go!

Greetings from the Dominican Republic! I stayed a nice resort with a pool and a pool-side bar.

From the balcony of the hotel room, I could see beautiful mansion just outside of the resort.

I got to meet a big colorful fish and tropical parrots. I’ve heard parrots repeat everything you say, but these parrots were rather quiet.

After a long day of chatting with a parrot of few words, I went back to the hotel room to enjoy some strange looking bottles of 7Up and Pepsi.

I walked with a young lady through a local neighbohood and we stopped for a photo on the path to the beach.

Apologies for the delay folks, but it appears it took me a while to recover from that last Pina Colada at my farewell party…was a goodin.

So where to start. Have no idea how I ended up out here. Came out of my box one morning to discover that I had been sent to a marine research station on Lizard Island in the northern regions of the Great Barrier Reef…..random!! Anyway, saw this as a good opportunity to work on my tan and expand that beer belly of mine. My minder seemed like an amiable kind of lad as well, despite the fact that he stood at over 2 metres tall and sported the kind of dodgy mexican moustache that only a person who has spent too much time in a remote location could get away with.

Turned out to be quite a lovely spot I’ve got to say. The locals were kind enough to take me on my very first scuba dive. Unfortunately, while I was enjoying the sights of the Great Barrier Reef, a particularly horny octopus took a like to my red hat and tried to drag me away. Thankfully my minder got to me just in time….we had words over that incident! Was also lucky enough to get out for a bit of a fish with the boys. We weren’t hving too much luck, so I thought I’d have a bit of a shot and show them how its done. Aparently the local fauna found me somewhat irresistible and I somehow ended up within the jaws of a large mackeral (am a little suspicious of my imnder about this one).

Christmas and New Years was full of fun and frivolities. I’m glad to say that I was lucky enough to meet another likeminded gnome individual on Christmas Day…her name was Bertha. We shared a very pleasant day together and a rather rambunxious night as well if you don’t mind me saying (wink wink). Unfortunately, she wasn’t the commitment type, and the next day she was off chasing the new guy on the block….some young upstart with a blue hat…the nerve of him!! So, I decided to drown my sorrows on New Years Eve. We ended up at some form of Super Hero gathering and I was finally able to revel my alternate identity as “The Dark Gnome”!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, after 2 glorious months, my feet got itchy again and I started dreaming of new destinations unseen. What lay beyond the horizon? So, with that in mind I bid you adue. Until next time….

Willard

Next I took a short jaunt over to Marion Bay to do some fishing.

Maybe I'll stay here awhile

Emu eat Thomas!

My catch.

Well what can I say but I landed myself in some small country town surrounded by sheep and roos. How does Gregg find these people? Anyways, I got here October 29th, and Heather and I hit it off immediately. Not sure if its her wit and charm, or just her lusty looks, but she just makes me cheeks blush. Needless to say, I’ve really let my hair down since I got here. Been on the road about a year now, and gotta say, I ain’t looking back.
Heather works for Fenix Hydromet, a small metals reclaimation company that specializes in ion exchange. Mate, let me just say, ion exchange is pretty wicked stuff. When shes not out chasing roos in the fork lift and helping solve the problems of acid mine drainage, she enjoys kicking back some cold stubbies with the local shearers. Boy, would they would all love to get onto those hairy legs of hers. They brew a mighty fine grog in these parts called Coopers Ale.
Maybe its the grog that keeps them going, but they sure are a busy bunch for such a small company, and they work some mighty long hours. (Well that’s what they like the boss to think, but I’ve seen all the wine they swill while playing pool
, she spends her days in Burrashe lives in this gorgeous old stone house overlooking the rolling green hills of Burra. just in time for a Halloween party. Not normally celebrated in Oz–who doesn’t celebrate Halloween?–we gathered in the Claymore Cellar

Burra Welcome Sign

kangaroo

The good publican shouted me the only decent beer in Australia--Coopers, proudly brewed in South Australia

They've either had a bit too much to drink or its Halloween

This entry has taken a little while as I’ve been exploring the beautiful (and sometimes heavily polluted) city of Hong Kong. I’ve been here 38 days and think I have experienced lots of what this city has to offer.

Some things I wasn’t able to do due to the prohibitive cost, for example Hong Kong Disneyland. It might have been interesting, but I was told it wasn’t that popular and ticket prices were quite high.

What I did do while I was here though was sample the views and the sights. The best place to see Hong Kong from was Victoria Peak. It was a particularly windy day when I went with Sam and his sister, and it had been raining the previous day, which helped clear the pollution and make the view really good. Unfortunately, due to the strong winds, I couldn’t get a photo alone as I might of blown away, however I was quite happy to pose with friends. As you can see in these photos, the wind made Sze Sze’s hair a little messy, I was lucky my hair was tucked safely under my hat.

I also did a walk along the Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail, who is the founder of modern day China. I’ll admit I got carried much of the way, but it was fun, and I learned a lot about him and his history here. I also got my photo taken at an old temple, nestled between high rise buildings in town, that same day.

In my last few days here, I got some photos outside Sam’s parents house, located in the green district of Pokfulam. They have a lovely house, surrounded by lush nature and a great view directly out to the South China Sea. You couldn’t ask for a better place to stop off in Hong Kong.

Finally, some of the other photos I had taken in Hong Kong. From Sze Sze posing with me in McDonalds to old banyan trees hanging over the road, and importantly, trying out the public transport system.

There’s still loads to do here, and Sam, who has lived here all his life, hasn’t seen or done everything either, so perhaps I’ll have to visit again, on my next world trip.

For now though, I’m getting ready for my next trip, tomorrow, down-under!

My host was visiting family in Chesterfield so he insisted on taking me to Curber Edge, in the Peak’s District National Park, where he used to come a lot when he was younger. There was a good view from the edge, though I was a little unsure standing so close to it.

Our train journey to Prague was the longest so far, taking us North through Slovakia, and in towards the Czech Republic. I passed through Slovakia and even had my passport checked, so I guess I’ve been there too.

There were so many sights to see in Prague and we luckily had two days to see them all, instead of the single day we’ve had in other places.

We visited an Eiffel Tower look-a-like to get a better view out over the city, to help see where we needed to go. Seen in the distance in one photo is the St Vitus Cathedral inside the Presidential Palace.

We eventually travelled to St Vitus’ Cathedral to see the stained glass windows inside. We also visited St Nicholas’ church were I never thought I’d see as much gold ever again in one place. The view from the Presidential Palace at the top of a hill, out over the old and new city was impressive.