• Old Dutch Church

    25. heinäkuuta 2022, Malesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    This was the most impressive part of the trip to Melaka. It was an old Dutch Church that once held the grave of St Francis Xavier.
    I believe the building is dated around the 1600 and now is but a shell however the site is still very impressive especially the height of the building.
    Another significant feature is the burial stones which have been carved out of rock and are extremely heavy and line the inside of the church commemorating individuals who once lived in the area.
    The body of Xavier had to be exhumed and returned to another burial site in Goa so the empty grave site is now used as a place where people donate money and make a wish.
    Most of the building has been built with old sea bed rocks which are like honeycomb rocks that you find in Oz.
    It is genuinely an historical artefact which has been beautifully preserved which is less obvious in the other sectors of the tours we took.
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  • Old Dutch Sector (cont’d)

    25. heinäkuuta 2022, Malesia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    The first picture in the series is my Malay desert all mixed up which was the last dish we ate at a Malay Chinese restaurant. It certainly doesn’t look appetizing in the photo but when the dish arrived we were told to stir all the ingredients together and of course it had some red beans in it.
    One of the ways that you can tell the influence of the Dutch is in how they constructed the houses because every culture it seems has a preference for an architectural style that is a part of how they build.
    According to the guide the Dutch used skinnier bricks whilst the English built with shorter fatter bricks. The Dutch also had a certain style of louvered window shutter which set them apart from the English homes they also had a different style of roof structure.
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  • Old Dutch Sector

    25. heinäkuuta 2022, Malesia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    This section of Melaka was initially discovered by the Dutch who colonized this area first. Melaka it seems was a city of conflict between the Dutch, the Portuguese and then the English.
    As a result there are a variety of different architectural styles that characterize the area.
    This might also be why Melaka is on the World Heritage City list.
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  • Mosque on Stilts

    25. heinäkuuta 2022, Malesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    We had the opportunity to visit a mosque that has been built out from the beach.
    Before we could enter the mosque it was appropriate for all of us to take off our shoes before entering the mosque as a mark of respect.
    Mosques around the world seem to lack any sort of religious icons and apparently also welcome others to worship which I find refreshing. The idea of the loose fitting robes is to allow people to be comfortable when kneeling and praying as well as to maintain modesty and dignity especially for the women.
    The males were then given sarongs and the women…robes as well as head scarfs.
    We walked around the mosque 🕌 and were unable to enter the main prayer chamber.
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  • Melaka

    25. heinäkuuta 2022, Malesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We took a day trip to Melaka which is a traditional trading port in the early history of Malaysia.
    It has a rich history of conquest and colonisation by the English, Dutch and Portuguese.

  • Eco Park

    24. heinäkuuta 2022, Malesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    This eco park has been constructed within a pocket of original rainforest that still exists in the city of KL.
    Although we didn’t see them the space is home to about 5 monkey families. Walking into the rainforest made me realize just how amazing nature is because the sound of insects became really profound just as if you were walking in the jungle.
    There was also a peace gong nearby.
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  • KL Tower

    24. heinäkuuta 2022, Malesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The KL tower is one of the tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur and is situated in a preserved area of rain forest 🌳 right in the middle of the city.
    It rises some 356 metres into the air and at one stage dominated the skyline but today is dwarfed by other structures.
    KL is an interesting mix of old and modern architecture which is obvious as you walk around the city streets.
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  • Morning Walk

    24. heinäkuuta 2022, Malesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We walked from the hotel and Chris volunteered to be the map guide which was great.
    We decided to walk to the KL tower and also experience the local eco walk which is close by.
    Staying at five star hotels is great fun and probably the best bit is the buffet breakfasts which are so yummy and beautifully presented. The game plan is to eat as much as you can so that there is no need for lunch and you can do more sightseeing.
    I also asked the concierge to track down some kombucha which he initially thought was me wanting to know about Cambodia 🇰🇭.
    Very funny 😄.
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  • Home Base

    23. heinäkuuta 2022, Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Ready for another adventure with the Chasers!
    Bring on Malaysia 🇲🇾 and Borneo and the orangutans 🦧.
    Stop over at Singapore 🇸🇬 for brief respite and then onto Kuala Lumpur population of 7.1 million and capital city of Malaysia.Lue lisää

  • Campfire Magic

    29. kesäkuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Some campfire magic and sunset with our two intrepid leaders Emma and Jeff.
    This shot was at Raunsley station which was our accommodation for the tour. Formerly a sheep station that has embraced eco-tourism and received many awards for their efforts.
    On the last night we ate at the restaurant which in a former life was a shearing shed that has been tastefully renovated.
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  • Ilara Flinders Ranges National Park

    29. kesäkuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    After walking the 8km circuit we walked back to the bus for lunch. On the way back we came across a mob of emus that were behaving quite differently to my expectations based on previous encounters.
    It seemed that the mob had decided to take issue with another emu and they chased him/her out of the immediate vicinity. I had never seen this before and it was quite interesting how the birds were plumping their feathers an corralling this ému to move out of the area.
    We then got an opportunity to see the native and endangered rock wallabies to this area.
    Sometimes it is difficult to see them as their camouflage is extraordinary however one of our intrepid guides was able to spot one. Overall there is a big conservation effort to restore the native vegetation and animals that thrived in this area pre settlement by the colonialists. It is aptly called ‘operation fight back’ and the rock wallabies is just one of the projects they have within this conservation effort.
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  • Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park

    29. kesäkuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Another walk through the Flinders Ranges area…the micro habitat of this area was different to the first walk although the soil and arid conditions even in winter were similar.
    This walk started and finished in a camping ground and was approximately 8.5 kms in total. Lots of cypress trees in this area which surprisingly are native to this area.
    We stopped for lunch in a picturesque gorge and ate the meals we had prepared in the morning. My ‘scroggin’ mix was especially delicious and Jen had supplemented mine with some dark chocolate almonds which really took it to the next level.
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  • Heysen Trail (Cont’d)

    28. kesäkuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    This a continuation of the Heysen trail and also includes some photos from the lookout which begins to show some aspects of the Wilpena pound which is like a large holding pen with ranges that encircle it.
    It was a favourite grazing area in the early days as it provided a natural ‘pen’ for cattle and sheep to roam.
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  • Heysen Trail

    28. kesäkuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    Today we walked the Heysen Trail named after the famous landscape painter who would journey out to the Flinder’s Ranges to spend days capturing the beauty of the area on canvas.
    The colours and rock formations in this area are particularly beautiful and we were blessed with such a spectacular day of weather which highlighted the colors and contrasts.
    Within the National Park they are mounting a conservation program called Operation Bounceback which is designed to remove as many of the feral species as possible and repopulate with native species common to the area.
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  • Driving In

    27. kesäkuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ 🌙 4 °C

    Some of the cool sites on the way to Wilpena Sound.
    Stopped at Mt Remarkable National Park and did a short circular walk before lunch.
    We are on a small tour with a group of people all of whom are good company which will make for an enjoyable trip.
    We are also very lucky as the weather is predicted to be very sunny and mild for the duration of the trip.
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  • Other Stuff

    21. huhtikuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We culminated the short trip with a lovely dinner with Leisa and Deano who are marrying later this year.
    We were taken to a lovey restaurant called Rik Shores which was located right on the beach at Burleigh Head.
    The amazing thing about this restaurant is that on high tides or king tides the lower floor is flooded and the design of the restaurant has embraced this phenomenon so it has a very modern industrial feel to it and is mostly crafted of concrete and other building materials that have a high resistance to damage from salt, sand and surf.
    Great food…especially the house speciality of Moreton Bay Bug Sliders…yum!
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  • Bike Ride

    18. huhtikuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Jen and I went on a bike ride up the coast from Coolangatta to Tugun.
    There were lots of people out walking and surfing because the swell was big.
    The big track was great because it was flat and the day was perfect for bike riding.
    We saw a spectacular bike crash where the young cyclist gripped his front hand brake too strongly and consequently went straight over his handlebars.
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  • Easter fun

    17. huhtikuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    It is a real bonus to be able to celebrate Easter with a young child who is beginning to understand what presents are all about as well as the gift of sharing.
    It was also fun to spend time with Ally and Ty over this period and share some quality time with them as well.Lue lisää

  • Lighthouse Part 2

    24. maaliskuuta 2022, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The final walk up to the lighthouse is very steep…so much so that we walked backwards just to take the pressure off our legs 😂
    The lighthouse is no longer manned and has been tastefully restored to accommodate visitors who can stay overnight.
    You get an insight into early life in such a remote location and the difficulty of getting supplies to the area before roads and 4wd tracks had been established. All supplies in the early years of the operation of the lighthouse were delivered by sea which made the experience even more interesting as the seas in the area were often rough for small dinghy’s ferrying stores from the main ship.
    There are amazing rock formations on the way up to the lighthouse one of which is called ‘skull rock’ that show just how powerful the elements are in eroding the granite stone over millions of years.
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