Singapore Sling

We spent the day exploring Singapore on foot. Our hotel is right at the end of Orchard Road which is the main shopping street and goes right through the centre of the city. One of our main objectives (as with most British tourists) is to visit Raffles and a have Singapore Sling - it looked like this was just at the other end of Orchard Road, so we set off down Orchard Road.

It was very sunny, hot and very humid when we set off. All the Xmas decorations are up everywhere and the shops are all open and very crowded even on a Sunday. The road is very wide and lined with tall trees some of the way and arcades of shops most of the rest, so there is some shelter from the sun.

The 2.5 miles to Raffles felt like a lot further! We stopped for a couple of Singapore Slings, a beer and some lunch. The cocktails tasted great in the heat and the beer went down a treat. S$143 later (£50!) later we had a look around the hotel which is pretty impressive and still feels like part of a bygone age.

After Raffles we decided to find the Esplanade and see what the seafront looked like. We wandered through mall after mall, never seeming to get any closer - but in the end we made it and joined the hundreds of others, nearly all of them taking photos, on the Esplanade. Thunder clouds were gathering and the lightening started as we popped into a Starbucks for some refreshment. We were expecting to see a downpour but we were just treated to a very spectacular thunderstorm with no rain.

We made our own way back as the queues for taxis were huge, I worked out later that we had walked nearly 10 miles in the day. When we got back to the hotel we showered and just fell into bed exhausted - at 8pm!

Back in the northern hemisphere - just!

The time has come to leave Australia. Our flight wasn't leaving until 8pm though, and we didn't have to check out from our apartment until midday, so we had a fairly leisurely breakfast and re-packed all our bags.

The drive down to Brisbane at the usual snail's pace seemed as long as ever. Because we had all day, we had decided to go shopping in the city centre (well, to be more accurate, Sally had). We left the car at the airport and took the train to Brisbane Central from where we found the Queen's Street shopping Centre.

Shopping in Brisbane is the same miserable experience as shopping anywhere else just before Xmas - except it's warm and everybody's wearing summer clothes. Sally did manage to find lots more fragile and bulky things to buy and I did manage to get a cold beer (so it wasn't all bad).

We returned to the airport, repacked Sally's bags in a vain attempt to accommodate her new acquisitions, and checked in (hoping they wouldn't spot the huge extra bag we were taking on as hand baggage).

The Emirates Lounge had all the same fantastic food and drink as at Heathrow, so I consumed as much as I physically could before we again bypassed all the queues and took up our amazing hi-tech seats on the plane (the only problem being that there's so much entertainment I don't want to sleep). It was a 7 1/2 hour flight to Singapore, we arrived at 1:30am local time (temperature 26C) and were greeted by our driver who took us directly to the Traders Hotel at a refreshingly sensible speed.

It's now 9:30am and we're about to go and explore.

Mooloolaba

Today was our last full day in Australia - tomorrow evening we fly to Singapore.

We decided to explore further up the Sunshine Coast starting with Mooloolaba which is the next significant coastal town north from Coloundra. We had a coffee at Mooloolaba Wharf, visited the aquarium and had lunch on the beach.

As we've now come to expect the weather was beautiful, as was the town and the beach.

We then drove up the coast to Noosa Heads, stopping off occasionally on the way. We saw mile after mile of absolutely perfect white sandy beaches and clear blue seas - mostly completely empty of people.

We drove inland and returned to Caloundra avoiding the motorway where we could - going through some very pretty old towns and actually finding some roads with corners to make the drive more fun.

We picked up a bottle of Jacob's Creek Chardonnay at the local bottleshop to round off another almost perfect day.

Steve Irwin Day

Today was Steve Irwin Day. To see what all the fuss was about we decided to bite the bullet and visit Australia Zoo as it was so close to Coloundra.

Steve Irwin is a god-like figure around here and any stingray-related jokes would probably get you the death penalty. It seems that most of the money coming into Queensland is as a direct result of his work. Crikey!

We arrived 15 minutes after the zoo opened and the car parks were already rapidly filling up. We took our seats at the 'Crocoseum' and waited to see what would happen. An hour in the hot sun later we heard a tribute from John Howard (PM) and were treated to the first airing of Bindi Irwin's new single. We did get a snake and bird display and then a few songs from Olivia Newton-John (a good friend of the family) - and then Ms NJ gave a shameless plug for Terri Irwin's new book - 'My Steve'. That was enough for us - we left and went to find some animals.

We found some koalas, kangarooes, wallabies, wombats, snakes and aboriginees etc. Sally patted a koala and I fed a kangaroo.

We went back to Caloundra and each had a doughnut - which was nice.

Glasshouse Mountains

I'm afraid it's probably going to be a bit boring now - we're still in Caloundra, it's still sunny and warm and we're still exploring. What can I say - we're on holiday.

Anyway, we had any early start this morning and walked into the centre of Caloundra along the coastal path. Fantastic views etc. - we stopped off for a coffee and watched the surfers.

After lunch we decided to take the Glasshouse Mountains Tourist Drive. This took us past the entrance of Australia Zoo and around all the volcanic peaks of the Glasshouse Mountains. We took a detour and visited the Glasshouse Mountains scenic lookout - I'm running out of superlatives to describe the views around here, but it's really like a green, tropical version of Monument Valley in Arizona.

We rounded off the day with a meal in the excellent on-site Thai restaurant at our resort. Lovely food - but I made my usual mistake of asking for my Beef Green Curry very hot!

So who's in control?

Last night I spoke to Paul, who I used to work with in the UK, and who now lives in Brisbane and works as an Air Traffic Controller at Brisbane airport. We arranged to meet up this afternoon for a drink as he was going to a leaving do in a pub in the city.

So this morning we had a very relaxed walk along the Esplanade from our apartment along the coastal walk, past Pelican Waters as right to the end of the path. The weather and the views were great.

This afternoon I drove Sally back down the M1 towards Brisbane and met Paul at his house in Boondal, we then picked up his mate Dave and he navigated us through the back roads to Brunswick, close to the city centre.

The plan was for Sally to go shopping while we went to the Elephant And Wheelbarrow for a drink or two. Loads of Paul's workmates, all Air Traffic Controllers, turned up and the drink or two turned into a few more. I had a picture in my head of a big sign at the airport saying 'Out for a beer - please land later' but apparently about 400 people work at ATC in Brisbane and there would be somebody in control.

Sally joined us a bit later (apparently Brunswick isn't really the place to go shopping in Brisbane) and after another Old Speckled Hen I was feeling slightly under par - so we decided to skip the curry and head back to Caloundra. It felt like a very long drive back.

Steve Irwin country

Today we explored the hinterland of Caloundra, or as it will probably shortly be renamed 'Steve Irwin Land'.

Sally drove us along the Steve Irwin Highway (really) and we passed numerous posters of a very shocked looking Steve Irwin clutching a pretty bemused crocodile (not a stingray in sight). This because we're very close to 'Australia Zoo' - we've not plans to visit (yet).

Instead we headed for the Glasshouse Mountains, which is a group of extinct volcanoes which have become eroded to leave just the lava plugs. They do look pretty amazing and form the basis of an aboriginal legend where each peak is a member of a very dysfunctional family. We then picked up the Blackall Range scenic tourist route.

First stop was the Mary Cairncross Park where we went on an hour long walk through the rainforest. The sounds of the rainforest were incredible and we saw many colourful birds and a bush wallaby - all the better because we were on our own.

The countryside on the drive was some of the most beautiful I've ever seen anywhere. This is definitely one of the prettiest parts of Australia I've seen up to now. We also stopped at a few other places of interest, a lake, some waterfalls and loads of lookout points. Altogether a brilliant day.

On the move again...

Today was another travelling day, we packed our bags in Cairns, got a taxi to the airport and 3 hours later arrived back at Brisbane.

While we were waiting at the car hire desk there was a sudden huge downpour outside - they must be really glad that we've come along to solve their drought problem!

We picked up the Mitsubishi Outlander (I'd forgotten that I'd booked a 4WD) and I drove the hour or so north to Caloundra where we're staying. By the time we got here the sun was shining and the temperature was 26C - not quite what we're used to, but it'll do.

We're staying in a self-catering apartment on the sea-front and we've just done shopping for the next few days (i.e. beer, wine and food). Right now the wind's picked up and it's clouded over again - but sadly it's a 1600km drive back to Cairns.

Tropical rainforest

Today we took a trip to Kuranda which is a very quaint, but very commercialised, town in the mountains north of Cairns.

It's was more about the trip that the destination. The journey there was on the SkyRail, which is a 15km cable car ride skimming the canopy of the tropical rainforest. It's an amazing ride, as much for the sounds of the forest as the sights.

We took a couple of stops on the way and had a walk through the rainforest, on specially prepared walkways as the forest is protected. At one of the stops a casewary had been spotted a few minutes earlier but sadly, we didn't see it.

Kuranda is a very pretty, and very laid-back, old town. There's not a lot there except shops, restaurants, pubs and a butterfly sactuary. We visited the butterfly sanctuary where we surrounded by, and sometimes landed on, by some of the prettiest and largest butterflies in the world. We had a drink in Fanny O'Reilly's, a pub which was used as a medical post by the Americans in World War II, and ended our time in Kuranda with a walk along the river (trying to avoid the marsh flies).

The trip back to Cairns was on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. The railway was built in the late 1800's using mainly convict labour and gave some really spectacular views along the way. We took the train all the way into Cairns Central Station and walked the last few blocks back to the hotel.

We had our evening meal at Rattle and Hum, our favourite haunt on The Esplanade, when we raised a glass to Sally's dad who passed away exactly one year ago today.

Both of us were really pleased that we'd changed our plans in Sydney as Cairns was a place we wouldn't have wanted to miss.

Great Barrier Reef

Today we took a trip to Green Island - part of the Great Barrier Reef.

The plan was to take a ride in a semi-submersible to see the reef and marine life up close and take some photos - and then do some snorkelling. Unfortunately, the semi-submersible had managed to get it's propeller tangled in some mooring ropes and that part of the trip had to be cancelled - so no underwater photos I'm afraid.

We did manage to go snorkelling and see the fish for ourselves, but I'm pretty sure my camera wouldn't be happy if I tried underwater photography. I did take a few shots of fish from the jetty though - it'll just have to do.

The Tropical North

What a day! We got up at 5:30am this morning to get the taxi to Sydney Airport - arriving early to make sure that our flight to Brisbane was connected with the flight to Cairns, so the baggage was transferred OK.

Thanks to the efficiency of Qantas (really) it all went well. Our first flight to Brisbane took 1:30 and we had 30 minutes to transfer to the 2:10 flight to Cairns. We had some fantastic aerial views of the Great Barrier Reef on the journey and the cloud thinned and had nearly gone by the time we reached Cairns.

When we disembarked at the very quaint airport at Cairns it was just like walking into a sauna. The temperature was about 32C and the humidity was very very high. Luckily we found an air-conditioned taxi pretty quickly and had a short trip to the Pacific International Hotel which was perfectly located on The Esplanade. We were so glad we'd picked a superior room on the corner of the hotel which enjoyed panoramic views of both the sea and town.

We spent the afternoon exploring and booking a trip to the reef and Kuranda for the couple of days we're here.

Well - it didn't rain until late...

Let me just say I like Sydney - I really like Sydney. However, both times I've been to Sydney it's rained - not all the time, but being in Australia I expect better. So we woke up today and looking across Darling Harbour from our hotel room the sky was dark, and the forecast was cloudy and 20C, with rain later.

We had another 3 days in Sydney before moving on to Brisbane - so we decided to change our plans. I phoned Qantas and arranged to bring our flight to Brisbane forward to tomorrow and booked a return ticket from Brisbane to Cairns, where it's definitely hot! I then cancelled the hire car for our trip to the Blue Mountains and the hotels around Sydney and finally booked a hotel in Cairns. It meant an early start tomorrow and a tight transfer in Brisbane, but we still have today exploring Sydney and we'll escape the bad weather.

So - today I showed Sally the main sights of Sydney. Darling Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay, The Opera House and the Botanical Gardens.

We also, quite accidentally, found the New South Wales parliament building and were invited in to the public gallery to watch their equivalent of Prime Ministers Question Time. Very interesting and unexpected.

Finally, we booked a meal in the revolving restaurant at the top of Sydney Tower and enjoyed the most fantastic views from the highest point in the city as darkness fell. What a fantastic day - and it didn't rain until we were finishing our meal.

On to Sydney

After a day relaxing after the wedding it was time to move on. Sally and I waved goodbye to Age and Tracy at Perth Airport and boarded flight QF642 to Sydney. The flight took 3 hours and 45 minutes and despite the lack of legroom and the regular 'Another Bucks Fizz Mr Collis?' that I was used to on the trip to Australia, it was quite bearable.

The weather in Sydney came as a bit of a shock though - a bit of deja vu for June in the UK. Despite there being the worst drought in living memory here there seems to be more than enough rain to me - and the temperature of 16C wasn't what we're used to either.

However, we're here, and we have a brilliant room in the Four Points Sheraton with a panoramic view over Darling Harbour. It's also next door to a pub - where we spent the first downpour.

We did manage to have a walk around Darling Harbour and have a really good meal sitting outside a restaurant with a stunning view over the harbour to the city. It was also entertaining to see loads of locals, dressed up to the nines and drunk as skunks, at the end of Melbourne Cup day ('the race that stops the nation' as they call it here).

The wedding

The long wait for the wedding day is over at last. We had a slap up english breakfast at the Y2K cafe on the street under our apartment and a brief walk along the beach before getting suited up.

I drove the Toyota Prado and we went in convoy on the 45 minute journey into Perth to the Harold Boas Gardens where the wedding was to be held.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the ceremony was held in the shade by a waterfall surrounded by family and friends. We hardly noticed the sound of the planes in the Red Bull Air Race almost directly overhead.

I did my duty as a witness and signed the registry and the Wedding Certificate along with Tracey's brother Mark. We then waited, fully suited up, in the 34C sunshine while the photographs were taken.

After the photographs I drove back to Rockingham and Sally and I went to the bottleshop to buy some beers to replenish Age's fridge (and then sneaked a quick ice cream) before going back up to their apartment.

We all walked along the sea front to the reception at the Yacht Club - feeling rather overdressed as everyone around us was dressed for the beach. The reception was upstairs and the tables were decorated beautifully. We all watched from the balcony as the photographer took further shots of Adrian and Tracey on the jetty and in front of the beach.

The bride and groom eventually joined us and we all sat down to enjoy a fine spread and drink a lot of wine. Sally even managed to get me to dance - and I think she now believes me when I say I can't do it.

Birthday to remember

Saturday was Sally's 50th birthday and the day before the wedding. We were all booked into seaside apartments in Rockingham on Saturday and Sunday nights, as the wedding reception was being held in Rockingham Yacht Club. I towed the Jet Ski down to the coast with the Monaro and, after checking into the apartments, we had a couple of hours playing before we had to get ready to go out in the evening (Did I mention that I love jet-skiing?).

We had a meal booked for 7pm at Winston's on the Rockingham seafront for all of our party and Tracy's family. All 17 of us had a drink and sat down for our meal - and a few minutes later the lights went out! I suspect the Australian power distribution system is built using recycled didgeridoos and kangaroo teath as the last time I was over in Sydney we had a major power cut.

Anyway, apparently it was too dangerous for the chef to cook in the dark so we told that we couldn't have our meal - we'd all had a drink or two which we couldn't pay for because the till wouldn't work. After a brief discussion we went up to Age's 6 floor $1.2 million luxury apartment (by the stairs because the lifts were out) and ordered take-out pizza in the dark. We emptied his fridge and luckily the lights had come back on before the pizza arrived. It turned out to be a really good evening in the end and everybody got to know each other really well.

Later, on the way back to our apartment I took Sally down to the beach and asked her to marry me. Much to my relief she said 'yes' and I slipped the ring I had bought her in Dubai onto her finger.

Another day at the seaside

Today Sally and I borrowed Age's 5.7L Monaro and went exploring for ourselves. It's a bit of a shame to have the use of a real muscle car and have to drive it like a granny to Tescos because of the really strict speed limits. Still, there's no law against acceleration and I did put my foot down pulling away from the lights a couple of times. It sounds a bit like a grizzly bear choking on a badger.

We went to Fremantle (or Freo as it's known here) first. It's a old port town and very different from the modern city of Perth. We went through the market, had walk around the harbour and then went to see the old Roundhouse where we saw the firng of the 1 o'clock signal cannon.

We grabbed a quick lunch and drove down the Kwinana Freeway towards Mandurah, then turned off towards Safety Bay where we stopped and had a walk along an absolutely stunning beach. The only problem was the sign that said 'Beware of Snakes' - Sally's not very keen on snakes (I don't like them much myself either) - but we didn't see any.

Finally, we set the satnav for Home and drove back to Age's house.

In the evening we Age's sons Anthony and Ashley, and Anthony's wife Charlotte and son Ashton, came round for a barbie. We had some beer as well.

About time..

We also went out for a meal together in the evening - and I thought it's about time I posted a picture of Tracey, the lovely bride to be.

Fitted up

Today we had the final fitting for the suits for the wedding - so here's a picture of a frog in the garden.

A day at the seaside

Today we went down to the coast at Rockingham, which about 30 minutes from where Age and Tracey live, and where they're looking to buy a house.

I had my first play with Age's jet ski and found out that this was the most fun ever to be had sitting down, after an initial reluctance to have anything to do with water. I thought I'd better put at least one picture of me on the blog to prove I'm actually here (yes, that is me).

We then had some lunch and went out for a short ride along the coast on Age and Tracey's boat. We had a good view of the place where their wedding reception will be held on Sunday and the apartments where we'll be staying Saturday and Sunday night.

Perth City

As dad and Age's friend Derek were flying in to Perth today from Singapore and Bangkok respectively, Sally and I decided to spend the day exploring the city of Perth by ourselves.

We took the train from Armadale for the short ride into Perth. The weather was really good - not too hot or cold - and we took the bus to King's Park which overlooks the city and gives cracking panoramic views. After the really rubbish summer in the UK it was great to take a stroll in the sun through the Botanic Gardens.

We walked back down to the waterfront on the Swan River and had a cold beer before doing a bit of shopping. Prices seem a bit steep compared to the UK so we didn't buy too much - but did enjoy sitting in the sun with a coffee watching the world go by.

We shared the train with local commuters for the return journey so it wasn't quite so relaxed, but we had seats by the time we got back to Armadale.

Shortly after getting back to Age's house the new guests arrived and we spent the evening sitting on the patio drinking (just for a change!).

And the dog eats apples..

Am I the only one to find this strange?

Dressing for the occasion

Age still had to work today (and tomorrow) and I had to choose a suit for the wedding. The suit hire shop was near to the engineering company that Age manages so we combined a trip to the shopping mall, a pub lunch and a visit to his place of work with choosing the suit.

Sally seems to have an overwhelming need to buy things that are either extremely heavy, fragile or impossible to pack - so by the time we've been to all our destinations we may have to charter a special aircraft to get everything back to the UK. I can imagine shopping will become increasingly stressful as the trip progresses!

When I was measured for the suit I realised that I should have stuck to the diet for just a little bit longer - I just hope the suit I was measured for today still fits me by Sunday.

After hearing a lot about Age's work it was really interesting to go and see where it all happens. The company makes things out of steel (I'm sure he could give you a better description) for the thriving WA mining industry.

As you can see from the photos, the modern Australian businessman knows how to look good - whether working hard or playing hard!

The patio heater worked well

The 10 hour flight from Dubai to Perth wasn't up to the same standard as the first leg of our trip - but we managed to get quite a bit of sleep.

We were about 30 minutes early arriving in Perth. We declared the Branston pickle to customs that I'd brought over for on request and our passage through was uneventful. The drive from the airport to my brother Adrian's house seemed to past very quickly and when we arrived he, and his bride-to-be Tracey, were there to greet us. It was good to meet Tracey after chatting on the internet and to introduce them to Sally.

We spent a very pleasant evening drinking beer and watching Age (as we him) assemble a new patio heater. I drank rather more beer than I'm used to these days and Age and Tracey had a bit of practice doing the bridal waltz.

Goodbye Dubai

We decided to have an easy day on our second day in Dubai - we did go to another mall but didn't take the camera - I wish I had as it was spectacular. I've been so impressed with the friendliness of the people and the standards of service everywhere here.

We came back and had a walk along the white sandy beach by the hotel and a cold beer by the pool - what a tough day!

Our chauffeur picked us up on dead on time to take us to the airport for our flight to Perth at 2:35am.

Dubai - Wow!

My hearing did return and we got up on a beautiful morning to look out from our balcony over the Arabian Gulf.

After breakfast we decided to take a taxi into the city and do some site-seeing on the way. Dubai is a truly amazing place, and it's still being built. We stopped at a number of places to take photos, including the 7 Star Burj el Arab Hotel (the Sail), The Palms, and a 170 storey building, still under construction, that's intended to be the tallest in the world (they won't release the final height in case somebody beats it).

We were dropped off in the centre of the City but, being on a Friday, most shops were closed, so we had a walk up to Dubai Creek and along the waterfront. This was a very different Dubai from the high tech wonderland we'd seen up to now - the creek was busy with boats of all shapes and sizes and we took a ride on a water taxi to see the souks on the other side of the Creek. The Gold Souk was very busy and just what you'd expect of an arab market - every trader trying to drag us into his shop.

Our last stop for the day was at The Mall of the Emirates. This is a huge air-conditioned shopping mall with all the well-known high street names, Virgin, Debenhams, Harvey Nichols, Next etc but at tax free prices - plus loads of coffee shops, restaurants and, of course, skiing.