All Aboard the Queen Scuba - Our Liveaboard Dive Trip to Bali and Komodo, Indonesia

The conditions on this trip were perfect with lots of sun and blue skies, calm water and a magical underwater world below.

The first day was at Moyo Island and was a nice easy introduction into the diving in this area. The dive sites are a couple of sea mounts that barely break the surface at low tide. A small area of bright white coral that has almost turned to powder has accumulated creating the perfect postcard picture. It’s easy to imagine yourself sitting there under an umbrella sipping a cocktail as time just slowly passes by. With clear turquoise water on the surface and sky, and blue water down below, we were excited to get in for the first dives of the trip. We saw Denise pygmies along with a brilliant blue ribbon eel and of course schools of jacks, rainbow runners loads of different kinds of anemone fish, angel fish, butterflies and some colorful nudies. Off to Sotanda for the third dive where we had the chance to see a collection of giant frog fish along with a couple black ribbon eels and little yellow bargabanti pygmy seahorse.

The next morning at Sangeang Island was full of our favorite small things and gave us the chance to really get into macro diving. With minute filefish, sawblade shrimp, ghost pipefish, a baby lionfish, snake eels, imperial partner shrimp and more nudies then we have seen in a long time. The second dive at “Hotrocks” showed why the current in Indonesia is famous. We had a chance to drift buy the bargabanti seahorses and get a quick look but mostly just flowed with the current and enjoyed the ride. The afternoon dive at “Rollercoaster” was another drift dive which provided the opportunity to get familiar with some of the up, down and all around currents in Indonesia. There were schools of surgeon fish, jacks and a couple tunas out in the blue while the bright colors of the anthias, the angel fish and butterfly fish, lit up the reef as we passed by. The night dive had the sighting of the hard to believe stargazer and loads of unusual decorator crabs, a mimic octopus, and a striped catfish.

Our third day at “Castle Rock and Crystal Rock” was filled with Pelagics, white tip reef sharks, giant trevallies, tuna, maori wrasse, and the best of all three spotted eagle rays swimming in formation above us and next to us for more than 45 minutes. The afternoon was filled with a trek on Komodo Island looking at the famous Komodo Dragons. That night we hit the cold water at “Pink Beach” with an amazing sighting of the poisonous blue ring octopus.

The next day was more water and lots of small stuff like cowfish, zebra crabs, ornate ghost pipefish, orangutang crabs, squat lobsters and pygmy seahorses. On the beach during the day we were able to see more dragons in their natural habitat strolling the beach.
The dives at “Manta Alley” were filled with humphead parrot fish and of course the elegant mantas. In the afternoon we headed back to Gili Banta for a stunning reef dive with beautiful coral and every imaginable reef species you could think of.

Our last two dive were filled with some incredible macro dives with seahorses, snake eels, robust ghost pipefish, thorny seahorses and the mimic octopus. Then we headed into the sunset on our journey back to Bali.

Halfway Around the World...My Trip to Houston via Beijing and Vancouver

After a 5 hour flight to Singapore, a 6 hour flight to Beijing, a 12 hour layover in Beijing, a 12 hour flight to Vancouver, a 12 hour layover in Vancouver, and a last 4 hour flight, I finally made it to Houston! Only 50 hours of travel time!!!

My journey began as I left Perth on Wednesday afternoon (Perth time) 30 June. I first flew to Singapore on a 5 hour flight, then had about 3 hours to spare before my flight to Beijing. What does one do when they have time to spare in the Singapore Airport??? You go to a Fish Spa!!!

The Fish Spa is a type of spa where a type of Turkish fish (with no teeth) suck the dead skin from your feet, legs and anything else you put in the bath to help with blood circulation and put you in a relaxed state. It was quite an odd sensation at first and I had to get over the mental anxiety of fish swarming my legs, but after the initial shock wore off, it was quite nice. After about an hour it was time to head to the gate, China bound!

Fish Spa in Singapore

Note: NEVER fly Air China! Old planes, no TV’s, and bad food. Luckily I was exhausted and slept the majority of the flight and when I woke up, it was time to land. I have to say I am a bit spoiled as well flying Singapore Airlines most of the time. The service and staff are so nice, you forget how nice you have it until you end up on another airline that doesn’t take hospitality as serious as Sing Air.

Beijing
Best of: Seeing the Forbidden City, visiting a silk factory and experiencing a traditional Chinese tea tasting

Worst of: The cloudy and rainy weather

My first trip to China was welcomed by hot, humid weather. Oh how I don’t miss those balmy Singapore days or the August summers in Houston. Luckily, it was overcast so the heat wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I met up with my English speaking tour guide Anly and we headed off to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in downtown Beijing. Tiananmen Square was massive having two large LED screens in the center of the square to show the World Cup. The square is between the Parliament building and the Forbidden City.

In front of Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.The Forbidden City is one of Beijing’s largest landmarks and in 1987 was declared a UNESCO Heritage sites.

Next we visited a traditional Chinese tea house to understand the proper way to drink tea and the different types of tea that are found in China. China is known to have the longest history of tea dating back more than 3,000 years ago. I tried Jasmine, Lychee with Rose, Black tea, and Oolong Tea. Some tea has been “aging” for over 100 years. There is fruit tea and handmade tea with Jasmine leaves rolled into a tight ball that after sit in hot water, open to a beautiful flower that can be used as decoration for 7 days or longer after you enjoy the flavor of the tea.

The last main site was of the Temple of Heaven (above) The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations.

You quickly forget how long 12 hour flights are when you haven’t flown them in several months...this is also where I vouch to not get on a plane anytime soon; only to realize I have to get back home...

Vancouver

Best of: Seeing some of the country's celebrations for Canada Day (Independence Day)

Worst of: Being exhausted!

I landed in Vancouver on Thursday, 1 July 2010 which happened to be Canada Day; which is our version of the 4th of July. Parades and celebrations were under way with Canadians enjoying the beautiful weather. During the summer months in Vancouver, the sun doesn’t set until around 9:30 at night, giving them 16 hours of sunlight. It was perfect for me to be able to not only enjoy the nice weather, but to have plenty of sunshine to make up for the bad weather in Beijing!

My first stop was to Granville Island. The Island is actually a peninsula on the northern tip of Vancouver, not far from the city. The island is known for the famous market with heaps of restaurants, bars, and shopping or great places just to sit out on a bench to enjoy the scenery.

View of Granville Island Markets from an overhead bridge

After grabbing lunch at The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant and spending a few hours walking around, I decided to head off to Stanley Park, just a few more miles northwest.

Stanley Park is a huge park with ponds, lakes and outdoor activities to see and do.

A lake at Stanley Park

Below is a picture of handmade totem poles in Stanley Park.

Just as I was about to leave, I caught this beautiful picture of the sun setting over one of the lakes at the entrance of Stanley Park.

Last stop, Houston!!!

Paris - Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Matching Scarves

Kaes and I in front of the Eiffel Tower

Best of: The great accompaniment from Kathy and Evon. Although our husbands were busy at work, it was great to have the sweet ladies to see the sights of Paris. Chocolate, wine, and desserts were also a highlight of our trip :)

Worst of: Trying to be proactive and buy the group tickets to the Eiffel Tower in advance to avoid the extreme long lines, BUT buying the tickets only allows you "access" to the summit, not the actual ticket to the summit. In lamens terms, you get to the second story, then have to stand in another (extremely long) line to buy tickets to the top. This is a way for them to monitor how many are going up at a time and therefore can shut down the ticket booth when they have sold too many then only reopen when people are filtered out...

Tips: The metro/RER is very easy to get on and off as a mode of transportation. Taxi drivers do not accept credit cards anywhere in Paris. Taxi rides are not cheap either so be prepared with plenty of Euro. Also, the Parisians were very friendly if you made even the slightest attempt to speak their language. Most of them say they don't speak English well, but they can speak enough to get you where you are going.

Paris, however, was overall an amazing city. From the savory crepes and delictable chocolates, to the pungent cheese and crisp champagne, Paris has a wide variety of tantilizing treats. The city boasts incredible views of the Seine River, beautiful parks, and amazing architecture.

The first day my Paris buddies, Kathy and Evon and myself visited the Louvre museum. The Louvre has 8 million visitors a year, being the most visited museum in the world. The day we went to visit happened to be during school holidays and I believe 2 of the 8 million were there at the same time...

In front of the Louvre Museum

Art. One of many things that Paris is well known to have in abundance. Art is one thing, but there were many "paintings" that I would not classify as true art, but an absurd attempt to display very "exposed" pictures that were a little over the top and quite distasteful... The French are far more liberal and open-minded than Americans. That being said, I still cannot come to terms with the obsession of so much nakedness. After the Louvre museum, we were "arted" out; at least for another day or two.

The Louvre Museum gardens

Our day of sightseeing was brought to an end by a very romantic dinner cruise with the whole meeting group on the Seine River. The cruise began at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, followed the rive gauche (left bank) past: Eiffel Tower, Hotel des Invalides, Musees d'Orsay, Institut de France, Notre Dame de Paris, La Grand Bibliotheque, up to the Finance Minestry in Bercy, Hotel de Ville, Musee du Louvre, Concorde, Grand Palais, Trocadero, Tour Eiffel.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is known in France as La plus belle avenue du monde, The most beautiful avenue in the world. It runs for 2 km and ends at the west end at the Arc de Triomph. We did quite a bit of shopping and I was happy to find a Gap there to find some reasonably priced clothes that I was used to from back home. Kathy also bought us our matching scarves as seen below. It was a fun-filled day of shopping, eating, and people-watching.

Me, Kathy, and Evon with our matching scarves

The last day in Paris before we all went our separate was was spent in Versailles visiting the Palace of Versailles, musical gardens and fountains, and the Grand and Petite Trianon of Marie Antoinette.

Kaes with the Versailles Palace gardens behind

Overall, our trip to France was romantic and beautiful. Springtime in Paris was wonderful!!!

Gili T Island, Lombok, Indonesia "Happy Oz-tray-ya Day-e"

Destination: Bali and Gili T, Indonesia

Days Spent: 4
Where we stayed: Harris Hotel in Bali and Manta Dive in Gili T

Best of: Relaxing on the beautiful beach of Gili T, cheap food, and even better, cheap beer!

Most memorable: Candlelight dinner on the top of the Beach House balcony watching the sunset

Kaes and I went had a long weekend for the Australia Day holiday, which is basically the same as our July 4th. For those of you who would like a correct pronunciation, the holiday is "Oz-tray-ya Day-e"

The celebration is quite big here in Perth, but we took the opportunity to get away to someplace new for the weekend, so we headed to Bali, Indonesia and to the Gili Islands off of Lombok. The 3 Gili islands are Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. Gili T is the most popular with more hotels and restaurants and but still quiet enough away from the hustle and bustle of Bali. Here is a map below to show exactly where we were. Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands, so it is no doubt a huge country spread out over a very large region.

Kaes was in Singapore for work during the week, so I flew from Perth and we met up in Bali Friday night. We flew in late, so stayed close to the airport and boat port at the Harris hotel in Kuta. You can spot Kuta and Bali (Denpasar) on the above map at the southern tip of the island. Ironically enough, across the street was a Dutch bar that we decided to go check out and taste some authentic Dutch treats while listening to the band.

The next morning we woke up early to catch a high-speed boat on the Ocean Star express to the island of Gili Trawangan (Gili T for short) which is about 2 hours east of Bali (Denpasar) and on the northwest corner off the main island of Lombok, located in the West Nusa Tenggara region. Lombok map shown below.

We arrived to Gili T around 10:30 Saturday morning and checked into our bungalow at Manta Dive. It was conveniently located right by the boat dock and was a traditional Balinese style bungalow complete with an outdoor shower :)

As soon as we were unpacked and settled, we headed to grab a bite of lunch and then went out for our first dive that afternoon to the dive site "Halik." Here we were quite surprised at how many different species of fish and underwater life we saw and in such abundance!

Map of the dive sites around the Gili Islands

Sunday and Monday were both dive days to the sites Manta Point, Shark Point, Sting Ray and back to Halik. All of the dive sites had colorful fish and exotic sea life. Many cuttlefish, large octopus, stone fish, bat fish, dog-face pufferfish, and even rare frog fish that were enormous for their size!

Kaes and I with our awesome dive guide Dan. He did an incredible job and was quick to point out any creature great or small

Kaes toggling with his new underwater gear

Peek-a-boo! A very shy octopus hiding beneath a rock

A cuttlefish that has changed its color to clear so as to glide through the water unnoticed

Kaes supporting A&M all the way in Indonesia!

The last evening, we decided to go to the Beach House and have a romantic dinner on top of their balcony and watch the sun set. It was a perfect way to end our relaxing and wonderful getaway.

The next morning we heading out by boat from Gili T to Lombok. We had about a 30 minute drive to the airport and enjoyed the lushness of Lombok island complete with monkeys running around the street. Then it was back on a flight from Lombok to Bali to spend a few hours before our flight home to Perth.

On top of the Acropolis and Cruising the Mediterranean

Destination: Greece - Athens & Santorini

Number of days spent: 6

Where we stayed: Hotel Rio (close, but not quite like the one in Vegas) in Athens and Neoklassiko and Porto Fira (after we were "stranded") in Santorini

Best restaurant: A small restaurant, Cafe Classico, looking out to the Caldera in Santorini

Best of: Breathtaking views from the Acropolis, wonderful Greek food and Baklava

Worst of: Although the weather was beautiful in Santorini, the high winds caused us not to be able to visit Crete, which we were a little disappointed

Most memorable: The outlook of the caldera volcano at sunset in Santorini and the lighthouse lookout in the southern tip of Santorini as well as the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens

After a wonderful time in the US with friends and family, we set off to Europe. First we flew into Frankfurt, Germany and had time to walk around the city before our flight to Athens. It started to snow and was pretty cold walking around, but nice to get out after such a long flight. After about 5 hours, we headed to Athens. We didn't get in until the evening, so we settled into our hotel and then found some traditional Greek food for dinner.

The next day we hired a driver, Demetrius, to take us around to all of the major sites in Athens. We started the morning off to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheum, and the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus. We also saw the Olympic stadium where the first "modern" olympics were held in 1896 and again 108 years later in 2004 for the summer Olympics.

Interesting Fact: The word Acropolis means the highest point of a city, but in Athens it is not. The Acropolis in Athens was a very flat rock 150 meters above sea level where it was easier to build temples and other buildings.

After a full day in the city of Athens, we headed back to our hotel, cleaned up and then went to dinner at a traditional Greek restaurant for crepes and salad.

The next day we flew out to Santorini. We got to our hotel, the Neoklassiko and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the sunset over the Caldera right from our own patio. The view of traditional white houses along the cliffside against the beautiful sunset was a memory never to be forgotten. Santorini is one of the most beautiful places we have been to yet. We rang in the New Year with a romantic dinner in the town of Fira.

The next morning we woke up and started to explore the town. Most things were closed since it was New Year's, but it gave us a chance to enjoy the clear perfect weather and enjoy all the views Santorini has to offer on both the east and west coasts of the island.

The last day we were not able to make it to Crete due to high winds, so we extended our time in Santorini and rented a car to drive all over the island. It was great because we were able to drive to the north to the town of Oia, see all the different beaches (white, red, and the volcanic black beach) as well as drive to the most picturesque part of the island at the south in the town of Faros.

The trip to Greece was unforgettable to say the least. It was a perfect and relaxing way to end our trip around the world and to ring in the New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I know this is a little late, but just wanted to post a few pictures from our trip home to Houston. Before we got to Houston, we stopped in Denver, Colorado to see Kaes' brother Richard and the family. I had not met Ashley, Matt and the boys, so it was really great to finally put a face with the name. The weather in Denver was chilly, but we missed the snow storm that happened a week before. The few days were nice to catch up and see everyone.

We finally got to Houston on December 15th. It was a dreary day, but felt great to be home. Dirk picked up Kaes and I took the rental car to go see my parents. Kaes and I try to "divide and conquer" while we are home to see as many friends and family as possible since we are always on a time crunch. We were both pretty successful with seeing everyone except for a few, but overall, had a great time visiting friends and family.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!!

Adventures in Fiji on the Tui Tai

Destination: Nadi, Savu savu, and Taveuni, Fiji

Days Spent: 7

Best of: The humanitarianism involved with the Tui Tai visiting different islands around Fiji to provide help and support to those in need

Worst of: Not enough sunshine (of course I still managed to get burned!)

Most Memorable: The welcoming dance from the polynesian tribe from the island of Kioa

Our trip around the world started from Perth and headed first to Auckland, New Zealand for a 7 hour layover, and then on to Nadi, Fiji. Auckland was breathtaking and we climbed the Harbour Bridge Climb in the lapse between our next flight. It was amazing to see the Harbour and have a 360 degree view of the city.

Next, we countinued our journey to Nadi to spend the night before our early 7 am flight to Savu Savu, Fiji where the group from Tui Tai would pick us up to begin our adventure cruise.

 

Day 1: Fly into Savu Savu airport and picked up by Tui Tai host Liga to take us to the boat. We had a welcome drink and met the others on board and then a delicious lunch before we headed out for our first dive at Natewa Bay at Vanua Levu.

Day 2: We set out to ride mountain bikes from the village settlement of Tabiang to a beautiful view of the Tunuloa Peninsula at the mouth of Natewa Bay. We also saw one of the most beautiful waterfalls where some of the local children were jumping off into the pool below. The afternoon was a snorkeling trip right off of the beach.

Day 3: Time for more diving! We dove the beautiful Rainbow Reef and saw colorful fish, blue-spotted rays and swam thru tunnels to see more creatures hiding between the rocks. Below is a picture of a blue eel, which we have never seen on any other dive before. In the afternoon, we visited the Polynesian inhabited island of Kioa to the Somosomo Village. Hugo, the Dutch doctor on board, provided services and medicine to some of the ill in the village and the Kioans performed a traditional song and dance for us.

Day 4: We woke up and spent most of the day near the stunning island of Cobia, a sunken volcanic crater, the inside of which has filled with sea water, forming a mystic lagoon. In the morning we hiked to the summit of the crater. The trail had an interesting terrain of natural steps formed by large tree roots. The island was home to a handful of wild goats and a dense population of fruit bats. Along the way, we came across Fijian children gathering fruit and plants to bring back to the family for dinner.

Day 5: After breakfast, we set off to the waterfalls a short 10-minute walk along a nice trail. There was a huge pool for swimming, which made it an ideal place to relax right in front of the pounding waterfalls! In the afternoon, we sailed to the island of Qamea. We visited a tiny and remote Togo Village for a tour and Melanesian cultural performance. Dinner was made the traditional Fijian method by an underground oven created by the chefs.

The last morning we woke up and had breakfast then got ready to fly out of Taveuni. The crew of Tui Tai sang the farewell Fijian song "Isa Lei" and wished us safe and happy travels as we left.

Our trip was wonderful overall and definitely relaxing. The islands of Fiji are beautiful and the people so welcoming and friendly. Now on to our next destination, the USA!!!

Trip to Lancelin

Kaes and I decided to take the dogs in the jeep and drive up the Coral Coast 1.5 hours to Lancelin. Lancelin is a small fishing village, but known to have some good beaches, beautiful water, and good places for off roading. The dogs love going to the beach and Jaek especially loves to chase the birds, whether in the water or in the air. It was a really scenic drive and a great way to spend our Saturday. Here are a few pictures below of our trip.

The white sandy beaches and beautiful water of Lancelin


Jaek about to head out for a swim


Jaek trotting along - I think he is almost "starting" to get tired

Chloe testing out the water - mmm, not so much...

Litte Chloe chasing after a bird...she has been taking lessons from her big brother, and is now quite the little hunter :)

PowerStation Triathlon and Duathlon

Last Wednesday Kim decided to sign us up for 2 upcoming triathlons/duathlons before we take our home leave in early December. The first one was last weekend (Saturday Nov 14th, 2009) and the next one is Sunday, Nov 29th. Kim did the duathlon which was 2 km run / 15 km bike / 2 km run which she finished in 1 hr 1 min. I did the triathlon which was 400 m swim / 20 km bike / 4 km run which I finished in 1 hr 22 mins. Weather was great and we both did well considering we really didnt train for the races.

Kim and I before our races

Finishing the bike

Starting the run

Starting lap 2 of the run

Finally, I'm finished. 1 hour 22 mins later.

Turquoise Coast - Road trip to The Pinnacles and Geraldton, WA

Hotel: Ocean Centre Hotel - $ 130 AUD/night A boutique hotel in Geraldton city centre and Oceans West $125 AUD/night, an apartment style weekend stay 100 meters from the beach. We are definitely not in Asia anymore! The days of $55 USD/night hotels are OVER!

Drive: 340 miles total to Geraldton; 170 to The Pinnacles, then another 170 miles to Geraldton

Weather: 70 degrees with not a cloud in the sky- It was incredible!

Well we had our first holiday here in Perth - the Queen of England's Birthday. Now this may seem odd to most since we are in Australia; why the Aussie's would celebrate the Queen's birthday. Well, it is weird, especially because of the fact that even the Brits don't celebrate the Queen's birthday, and rumor has it, her birthday wasn't or isn't even this weekend....hmmmm...Oh well, it is a good enough excuse for me because we got a long weekend out of it ;) We realized very quickly that you cannot wait around long to book a vacation here in Australia. It was the end of the 3rd term for students, so many families take the opportunity to book vacations. I called about 15 kennels to board the dogs and FINALLY found a place to take them. We also booked one room, but were scrambling to find another room for the second night. Luckily it all worked out and we were able to take our first road trip up the Turquoise Coast of Western Australia since moving here 2 1/2 months ago.

Our first stop was north up the coast 270 kilometers (about 170 miles) to Nambung National Park, also known as The Pinnacles. The Pinnacles are limestone formations in the middle of the desert. It is quite odd to see them in the middle of nowhere. It was a nice attraction for us to see as well as stop along the beaches in Cervantes to see the crystal clear and pristine waters. The weather was amazing with not a cloud in the sky.

Me in front of The Pinnacles sign

The Pinnacles

Kaes in the crystal waters of Hangover Bay, down the road from The Pinnacles

Our final destination was further up the coast another 270 kilometers (another 170 miles) to the town of Geraldton. We brought our bikes along with us and our main goal for the weekend was to relax by the beach and see the town and coast while getting some exercise. Riding along the coast was a really great way to see what all Geraldton had to offer, and offset some of the goodies we consumed during the weekend. We got up early Sunday morning for a ride north of the town and rode about 1.5 hours. Afterwards, we met our friend's, the Kirkham's, for lunch before they headed back to Perth. Since we had to move hotels, we gathered our stuff and headed to our new location. We were very fortunate because the beach was just a short 100 meter walk. The beach was beautiful and quite peaceful. A nice getaway for all the hard work (Kaes) has been doing lately ;) We passed out early Sunday night and woke up early Monday morning to head south for a nice bike ride/calorie burn. The clouds had moved in from the previous two days, but we were able to get a great ride in to end our last day in Geraldton. After our ride, we headed back to get ready and head home to get the dogs.

Our hotel the first night - Ocean Centre Hotel

The town of Geraldton

Overall, our first road trip up the coast was everything we wanted it to be - quiet, relaxing, and peaceful. Now back to reality...

Click here to view the rest of the pictures from the weekend.