KateOnTheBike

Entering The Famous Kakadu Flood Plains

2011-03-05T02:14:00.001-08:00

One of my favourite parts of the trip was entering the Kakadu Wetlands.

The reason Kakadu is named on the World Heritage List is for both its outstanding cultural and natural universal values. The flood plains of Kakadu illustrate the ecological effects of sea-level change in northern Australia. The park features great natural beauty and sweeping landscapes, as well as internationally important wetlands. The park is extremely important to Aboriginal people, and many communities still occupy the region. The Aboriginal art sites of Kakadu National Park are a unique artistic achievement that provides an outstanding record of human interaction with the environment over tens of thousands of years.

http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/kakadu/index.html

Kakadu is one beautiful national park.

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Kakadu - Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre

2011-02-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

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Entrance into Kakadu National Park

2011-02-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

We entered into the World Heritage Listed Kakadu National Park after lunch. Unfortunately, we were greeted by some rain but it didnt spoil our day, as the rain didn't last too long.

Next Stop - Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park

2011-02-01T17:48:00.001-08:00

Next stop was Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park. No swimming this time.

Here is the reason why!!!

This sign explains the way in which they monitor crocodiles in the area.

Given the inability to swim, we did some walking instead.
I did the walk to the viewing platform.

The first of the waterfalls at Wangi Falls.

There are actually two water falls in wet season. Both were pounding down due to the sheer amount of rainfall that had occurred over the previous 3 - 4 days. This is the second of the falls.

You could feel the force of the water spray just standing on the platform.

I took a look at the local flora as well - here in a Native Ginger Plant.

A clearer view of the smaller of the waterfalls.

Litchfield National Park - Florence Falls

2011-01-29T22:24:00.000-08:00

We were then back on the road, the next stop being Florence Falls, the second of the two swimming areas that were open to the public and that were safe to swim in.

Florence Falls from the viewing platform.

And then it was swim time!

And then it was lunchtime!

Litchfield National Park - Buley Rockhole

2011-01-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

Next stop in Litchfield National Park was Buley Rockhole, where we could swim. My of the waterholes in the area were closed due to wet season (and crocodile risk) but Buley Rockhole is one of only two in the area where swimming in risk free - but that said, the current was pretty strong!!!

Me sliding down the waterfall. I fell down all four levels of the waterfall on my backside and ended up with a nasty bruise on my bottom.

Me at the bottom, after hurting my bottom!

We enjoyed the swim in the amazingly fresh water. I'm on the right, trying to stay upright because the current was so strong.

I'm second on the right, in the rockpool which was about 4 metres deep.

The spectacular waterfalls from the bottom.

Another spectacular shot of the gushing water.

Litchfield National Park - The Termite Mounds

2011-01-29T20:59:00.000-08:00

First stop for the Adventure Tours Bus was Litchfield National Park, which lies adjacent to Kakadu National Park.

The Cathedral Termite Mounds - massive!

This gives you an idea of how high these termite mounds can grow!

These can be up to two metres wide, three to four metres high.
Scientists can determine the age of them by looking at the size and shape of them.

Here I am, standing beside these gigantic termite mounds.

A little local friend.

These are called "Magnetic Termite Mounds", which are different from Cathedral Mounds, because they have thin edges and they point north to south to minimise their exposure to the sun and keep the termites cool.

Here are literally hundreds of them in a field.

Next Stop - World Heritage Listed Kakadu National Park

2011-01-29T19:38:00.000-08:00

Stay Tuned....

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The Journey - Alice Springs to Darwin on the Famous Ghan

2011-01-29T19:15:00.001-08:00

After learning about its past, it was time to jump on board the "Legendary Ghan".

I wonder why a train has such legendary status? It was a good train journey, I admit, but I do question why its looked on in such "legendary" status. I have a feeling it is because its a train journey which has played a huge part in linking Australia's North to Australia's South.

Here I am, standing beside the Famous Ghan.

Here I am at Katherine, (my namesake, but different spelling). Tourists had the option to go off and spend 3 hours touring around Katherine, but I spent the time sleeping.

The Ghan, stationed at Katherine.

The lounge area inside the Ghan, one of the newer carriages.

The beautiful landscape across the Australian outback.

A Visit to the Ghan Museum

2011-01-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

On the day of actually getting on the Ghan, I thought that it would be a great idea to visit the Old Ghan Museum and Heritage Railway so that I could learn about the history of the journey I was about to take.

So it was off to the Ghan Museum - I skipped the National Road Transport Museum due to time constraints (and the fact that it didnt interest me).

The Museum showing a little bit of Christmas spirit.

Records from the Ghan Preservation Society.

I loved these old Ghan advertisement signs.

I loved the old artifacts kept after many years.

My ticket was purchased online - certainly not the way they used to do it!

The fine china of First Class, used many years ago.

The Australian Coat of Arms

The old Telephone System

Part of the old Telephone System.

The old Cash and Ticket Machine

A collection of all of the old train stations at which the Ghan would stop.

Another old ticketing machine.

An old typwriter used to send telegrams.

An old Singer sewing machine for the crew's uniforms.

An old Ghan ticket.

Rusty old train parts lying around.

The old Ghan, which retired back in the 1980's and replaced with the new carriages.

Inside the retired carriage.

Carriages were not air conditioned back in the 1950's.

Stained glass windows, this one is of the Sturt Desert Pea, a native Australian flower.

There she is. The Old Ghan.

And the one prior to that.

The Ghan was used not only to carry people, but also goods, cars and stock.

Inside the toilet - with a Fosters Advertisement that the fellas wouldnt miss!

Fosters Beer signs everywhere.

Another beautiful piece of stained glass in the dining cabin.

And then it was the end, and time to jump on the real thing!

No Alcohol

2011-01-29T18:31:00.000-08:00

The reality of the Northern Territory. Ironic though, that you get fined more for defacing the sign than actually getting caught with alcohol in the area....

The Royal Flying Doctors Museum - Alice Springs

2011-01-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS, informally known as The Flying Doctor) is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia. It is a not-for-profit organisation which provides health care to people who are unable to access a hospital or general practice due to the vast distances of the Outback.

The service began in 1928, originally as an experiment known as the Aerial Medical Service (AMS) which was to run for a single year. This experiment was based in Cloncurry, Queensland. It was formed by Reverend John Flynn, the first Superintendent of the Australian Inland Mission (AIM), a branch of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Flying_Doctor_Service_of_Australia

Its gone on to become a vital part, and a cultural icon, of Outback Australia. Rev. John Flynn is the face that adorns the Australian $20 note.

The Royal Flying Doctors Service is one of the greatest of Aussie inventions - the Museum in Alice Springs does a great job at explaining its history, its progress and where it is headed for the future.

There isnt much to see in Alice Springs, but if anyone travels through, this Museum is a must!

The photo below shows that the Northern Territory's arm of the RFDS covers an area the size of England.

The old Radio Room, prior to the operations being moved down to Port Augusta down in Adelaide. Now, all emergencies are radioed to Port Augusta and the RFDS is dispatched from there. But this shows how the operations room was set up back when the Alice Springs centre was in operation.

The type of planes used these days.

The original planes used to transport nurses and doctors out to the Outback areas.

A "mock up" of how the planes are fitted out.

An example of the old 1940's medicine kits.

Each Outback station has a medicine chest. Much of the time, medical help can be received over the telephone, with a doctor directing those in the Outback to the medicine chest. This picture is an example of the old chests used back in the 1960s.

This chart has been used for half a decade and is still used today. Those who are attending to the injured use this chart to assist the medical assistant on the phone in identifying the kind of injury that the person may be suffering.

This book was dispensed out to Outback Stations, along with the above chart, and a medicine chest.

A closer look at the radio control room's old equipment, dating back to the 1950's.

The old radio control room.

Before telephones were invented, morse code was used to communicate.

Fine words from a fine man.

Kings Canyon, Northern Territory

2011-01-15T17:35:00.001-08:00

As part of my link from Uluru to Alice Springs, I took a side tour off to Kings Canyon, another well known area around the lower Northern Territory. The day was hot and we were all given the option of either staying and walking the valley route, or do the "Rim Walk". If you chose the Rim Walk, you needed to sign a Waiver of Liability - basically, if you die of heat exhaustion then its not the Tour Company's fault. I chose to sign the Waiver!

First stop was Kings Creek Station at the entrance of the National Park area. It was the only station for hundreds of miles.

The tough climb up to the top of Kings Canyon - 500 stairs straight up to the top. After the first 250, I realised why they had people sign a Waiver. It was tough going, especially in the heat. Thankfully, we started the climb at around 8am, which limited the exposure for people climbing.

Catching our breath after 500 steps. Phew.

The amazing moonscape-like formations that sit up on the top of the canyon.

Walking around the dome type landscape. Amazing.

Me at the top of Kings Canyon.

It was so much fun, wandering around the amazing landscape. This was once, hundeds of thousands of years ago, a river. All of this canyon would have been submerged by the sea.

Taking the route down into the valley for a look.

The steep staircase down.

The group taking a rest and waiting for everyone to catch up.

Lunch by the river below, in the valley amongst the Canyon Walls.

Back up the top we go, to see the Canyon from another angle.

Much to our suprise, a lake existing up the top. This was due to the excessive rain that Kings Canyon area had had in the past weeks.

Once again, walking through the landscape up the top of Kings Canyon.

The reason why they call it the Rim Walk, you are walking right on the edge.

The sheer cliffs of Kings Canyon.

Everyone up the top, admiring the view.

The sheer cliff walls.

After the walk, it was then the long journey to Alice Springs.

The Red Centre - marking the middle of nowhere.

Ouch! Thats expensive petrol, by Australian standards.

...but its the only petrol for miles...

We finally reached Alice Springs, where I stayed for 5 days over Christmas. I cant say it was an overly joyous Christmas, being stuck in the middle of nowhere, in a town where I knew no one, during a time when families rejoice together, but I made it through and made some friends along the way.

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Change of Plans

2011-01-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Given the widespread flooding in the QLD state, I am now back in Sydney, having cancelled the "yellow" leg of my trip. I am, however, still off to Singapore on the 20th so there's still one travel route to go before coming back home.

Sorry for the delay with photos. They are on their way, I promise.

My thoughts go out to all of those people affected by the flooding in QLD.

Back on Dry Land - Darwin - Cant Seem to Post on Blog!!

2011-01-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

Leaving Alice Springs...next stop... Darwin!

2010-12-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

....but everyone knows that its not just that simple to go from Alice Springs to Darwin. Even though they are in the same territory, we aren't just talking a simple bus trip to get you there. As I said in an earlier post, we are talking 2,979 kilometres (11846 miles) and I am not just jumping on a bus or car. I'm taking the World Famous Ghan!

For all of my international readers, you are probably wondering what it is (which probably proves that its not "World Famous" at all). Wikipedia describes it as: see this link.

http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/ghan.jpg

Lets just say its one of the Great Australian Railways, which its website describes as a "transcontinental adventure offers an unsurpassed view of Australia - North to South over three unforgettable days." I am taking half of the journey, which takes a day and a half - leaving at 6pm and then arriving in Darwin at 5.30pm the following day. Its website says that if you travel on this train, you "are embarking on one of the great train journeys of the world". It was named after the Afghan cameleers who once traversed this route, taking many of its passengers from one edge of this continent to the other, through the very centre of Australia (where they'll pick me up!). I'll "be entering the Top End" where the landscape that I have become accustomed to (arid, dry Central Australia) will "mellow with subtropical flora staking its claim over the passing scenery."

I am so excited about this part of my trip. This is definitely one of the highlights of my Oz Overlander Experience and I hope to get as many photos as possible to show you all.

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Thank You Facebook Friends

2010-12-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has come to www.kateonthebike.blogspot.com because I spammed you all a reminder on Facebook. Traffic has dropped dramatically over the Christmas period and so I needed to advertise its existence once more so that traffic can increase.

You see, I blog because it makes me feel like I am not alone on my journey. If I have have people coming to my blog, it makes me feel as though I am traveling with people, showing them the sights, giving them my opinion on what I see, describing what I love, discussing what I dont. Its really important to know that people are following so that the days dont seem so long, and so that the click of a camera just doesnt isnt being done for the sake of it. Its so that I can show you all what I am seeing. That is the joy that I get out of traveling - sharing my experiences.

So, if you've come via facebook, thank you so much for coming along. Now, enjoy reading my journey so far (if you get to the bottom of the page, you need to press "older posts" or go to the left hand column to find the name of each post that I have written).

Thank you!

K

Kata-Tjuta - Valley of the Winds Hike

2010-12-25T23:49:00.001-08:00

So for all of you that are following on Facebook, you should be receiving these photos as they come through, but then it takes time for me to sit down and write a blog post about them. But for those dedicated blog readers who are still hanging on, here's a little bit about my hike which I took on the third day of being in the Kata-Tjuta National Park. This hike was called "the Valley of the Winds" and its the second of the hikes (and the longest) that you can take in the Kata-Tjuta area and they only recommend doing the hike if you are of moderate to high level of fitness - not because of the kind of hike, but the sheer heat stress that can occur. This is because, in some places during the hike, you are in between massive walls of sandstone which can raise the temperature to over 20 degrees celcius MORE than what the temperature already is.

Interestingly, on the way to the hike, I saw this sign! W.A border only 190km away! Amazing!

Welcome to Kata-Tjuta.

Kata Tjuta in the distance.

Having walked the first 700m, it was time to take the 7.4km loop option!

The terrain was quite easy at the start.

But got very steep to get up to the 2nd Lookout.

Karingana, the second lookout.

The amazing view from the second lookout - well worth the climb up through Kata-Tjuta.

The rest of the 8km walk was out in the open, sun burning, undulating hills with magnificent views.

The rock from which Kata-Tjuta is made. Sandstone stained with iron oxide.

The types of wildflowers seen along the way.

And the wildlife, including a BlackSilver Shrike and a Rock Wallaby, or "Euro".

More beautiful scenery.

The end of a long 3.5 hour hike! Well worth it!

Alice Springs - Not Your Holiday Destination of Choice

2010-12-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

Here I am, writing from Alice Springs, where I have spent almost five days as a "layover" before I jump on the Ghan, the amazing Railway Route which takes you up from Alice Springs to Darwin. I will be writing out of order from my pictures again (the rest of Uluru and then Kings Canyon are still to come), but I thought that I would take the time to write while I am in the writing mood, and leave the pictures until later.

I want to talk about what I have learnt about Australia - my home country, the Northern Territory and I want to share it with Alice Springs being the centrepiece - being where it all becomes just a collective bundle of all of the problems that exist out here in Central Australia. I want to talk about our Aboriginals.

Here is the Wikipedia explanation of Alice Springs:

Alice Springs is the second largest town (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a city) in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory.^[2] The site is known as Mparntwe to its traditional inhabitants, the Arrernte, who have lived in the Central Australian desert in and around what is now Alice Springs for more than 50,000 years. Alice Springs has a population of 27,481 people, which makes up 12 percent of the territory's population. Alice averages 576 metres (1,890 ft) above sea level; the town is nearly equidistant from Adelaide and Darwin.

The town of Alice Springs straddles the usually dry Todd River on the northern side of the MacDonnell Ranges. The region where Alice Springs is located is known as Central Australia, or the Red Centre, and is an arid environment consisting of several different deserts. In Alice Springs, temperatures can vary by up to 28 °C (50 °F) and rainfall can vary quite dramatically from year to year. In summer, the average maximum temperature is 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), whereas in winter the average minimum temperature can be 7.5 °C (45.5 °F).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Springs

That is the Wikipedia explanation of Alice Springs. Now, I am going to write this post about what I have learnt of "the real" Alice Springs, Central Northern Territory and the suffering of our Aboriginal people.

Before I write what I am going to write, its very important for all of my readers to know that -it has been tried and tested - there is not racist bone in my body. I believe in justice, fairness and equity for all. I have always been extremely interested and sympathetic to my country's causes, particularly the suffering of our Aboriginals at the hands of our earlier Federal Governments (including the suffering of the Stolen Generation). I have also paid particular attention, as a lawyer and as a believer of human rights for all, to such initiatives that the Federal Government has attempted to implement in the past, most recently being the Northern Territory Intervention, or the Northern Territory National Emergency Response (in 2007).

So first things first, I am writing this as an Aboriginal sympathiser, not as an Aboriginal criticiser. Secondly, I am writing this using (1) my own observations; (2) information that I have read online during the quiet times of my journey about the Intervention; and (3) third parties - "White, Anglo-Saxon or European" people who have shared their insight into living their daily lives side by side with our Aboriginal people (who I will call "locals" for the sake of ease and clarity). Please do not take this "locals" as a racist statement - "white locals" does not mean that the Aboriginal people are "black locals" - I refuse to call Aboriginal people in this post "black" because I believe that is a derogatory term).
You will notice that I will not speak of our Aboriginal people as our "indigenous people" because I have been told by locals that the word has been incorrectly used. They are not "indigenous people". The word "indigenous people" started being used by the Federal Government to incorporate Torres Strait Islanders (cultures that exist on the islands between Indonesia and Australia), because as one local said, the Torres Strait Islanders refuse to be called Aboriginals - and Aboriginals do not like to be referred to as "indigenous". I found that quite interesting, given that we so often call our Aboriginals as our "indigenous people".
I am of the generation in which we saw a Federal Government in 2008 agree to say "Sorry" for the Stolen Generation, and past abuses of Aboriginals. This was a significant act by the Federal Government to recognise these past wrongs. Prior to that, I was also a law student who had the benefit of learning about the decision of Mabo, which recognised pre-existing land rights of Aboriginals before Australia was "settled" by the Anglo Saxons in 1788. Therefore, if you add up these two significant recognitions by our Federal Government in the past two decades, you can understand why I was told by a local that (1) the Aboriginals are considerably hostile towards the Northern Territory locals and the Federal Government for past abuses; and (2) the Aboriginals are considerably hostile towards the Northern Territory locals and the Federal Government for "stealing their land" and hostile towards tourists for "being on their land" (nb: these statements were statements made by a third party who I spoke with about the issue - I have not received any verbal abuse from an Aboriginal whilst in Alice Springs).
Now, when speaking with a local when traveling around Uluru, he painted an incredibly dire picture of the Aboriginal communities surrounding Yulara (the town closest to Uluru) and Alice Springs. Rampant alcoholism, child abuse, third world conditions, piles of rubbish lying around, severe malnurishment of children, lack of education, violence....the list goes on.
I was given the example of the condition of the camps around Uluru, including Mutitjulu. In 26 October 1985, the Australian Government returned ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aborigines, with one of the conditions being that the Aṉangu would lease it back to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for 99 years and that it would be jointly managed. As part of the deal, the Aboriginal communities get a % of the total entrance fees to the National Park. One particular local, a tour guide in the area for over seven years, said "this percentage of money is handed back out to the community PER PERSON in the camp, no matter what age. This means that there is an incentive for the Aboriginal communities to have more children. So the camps are filling up with more and more children because it means more park fees per family."
There is an interesting article which I have found about the furore about the fees and charges that tourists have to pay and the controversy that exists with the money people have to pay to go and enter the National Park. It is questionable where the money goes, but it is a fact (signs say so) that a percentage of they money goes to the Mutitjulu people here (read the comments - very interesting).
The same local tour guide said "I used to drive the Aboriginal kids to the primary school. I used to drive into the camps and drive them out to the school. The conditions they live in are third world conditions. They live in federally built homes and often, within six months, that house will be destroyed so the family needs to be relocated again - for free and with no penalty for the damage caused - into a new federally funded house built."
He said "They can't work, because of the discrimination against them, so they all receive the Federal Government pension and they can send their kids to school for free because the Federal Government have built and are paying for the local school - which is open to both locals and Aboriginals. Once the children reach a certain age, they are allowed to attend the college, which is for Aboriginals only. The locals have to send their children away to boarding school if they want them further educated past the age of around 12. If the Aboriginal family can get their elder child to go to school, the family gets paid up to $65 for that child to stay over at the "boarding school" between Monday to Friday - clearly an incentive to shift the kids off the school and not be responsible for them". He says, "when I pick them up, they are full of lice, are wearing dirty underwear and ripped clothes and when they get to the Federal Government school, they clean them up and given them new clothes, only to return them back on Friday afternoons to the community. Once the children reach 18, they are left to their own devices." The local tour guide said that when he drove the buses to the school, he used to have knock on the doors of each home and coax the children out, but there were often many excuses as to why they were not going to school that day. He said that as a result, the standard of schooling at the college (for children aged 12 - 18) was the equivalent of that of children aged 6 - 12. Inconsistent schooling.
Here is when he gets quite hard - and I do remind everyone that it is entirely verbatim - its not fact, its not proven, its just one man's view of the situation. He says "with the children at school, and the mothers and fathers not needing to be responsible for the care of their children (except for those under 4), the adult Aboriginals have nothing else to do - so the pension money, park fees, education incentives and other hand outs get spent on alcohol and junk food". He speaks of the local IGA, and the stories he hears from the counter sellers, above some of the local women who have to remind the adult Aboriginals that they cannot feed their children properly by giving them Coca Cola, lollies, and chips. The local spoke of the patch of grass 1km out of the Aboriginal Camp, being the "greenest patch of grass in the entire Northern Territory". Confused, I was, given that Central Australia is arid land. He waited and then reminded me that our local beer, called "VB" is purchased in large green boxes. The babies that are not at school age, are often left to their own devices as mum and dad drink themselves into a stupor.
Part of the NT Intervention stated that they would "removal customary law and cultural practice considerations from bail applications and sentencing within criminal proceedings". In other words, they would revert to "local" laws when dealing with juveniles and adult Aboriginal offenders. However interestingly enough, the local stated that "no Aboriginal under 18 ever gets charged here in the Northern Territory". I, quite surprised, told him that there was no possible way that a law could be enacted to stop the charging and prosecution of Aboriginals under the age of 18. Sure, in 2000, the United Nations slammed Australia's mandatory detention of Aboriginals under 18 and that practice was abolished in 2001 by the Northern Territory Government but that did not mean NO child (whether local or Aboriginal) became free from prosecution. His response? "The police just don't do it." He speaks of stories of adults aged 18 - 20 years stealing cars, and "then handing the keys to a 14 year old in order to avoid prosecution."
Locals, both this tour guide, and a few other locals with which I have had discussions whilst up here, have said the same thing. The Aboriginals in the areas surrounding Alice Springs and in Alice Springs itself are in dire straits. To much extent, the Federal Government is doing its best to provide services to the Aboriginals to try and improve their living conditions, assist the Aboriginals to retain their culture and not succumb to "white local" temptations such as alcohol, and increase the mortality rate.

Sadly, from what I hear (above) from the locals and from what I am seeing with my very own eyes, the Northern Territory Government is failing badly at assisting the Aboriginal people of the Northern Territory. However, I then turn my mind to whether the Federal Government are in fact enabling them, through providing them so much in the way of financial assistance, so that they can go and spend so much money on alcohol?

They have tried to limit the financial assistance by providing their pension by making it in part vouchers but there is no education provided to the mothers and fathers about nutrition so that the younger generation to grow up healthy and strong. They have also allegedly tried "bush orders", that is, limiting their pensions and then bringing the food into the camps. However, there have been complaints by one website that states the food is often spoiled by then time it gets there because of the distance it travels.

This website (though it appears incredibly left wing) also states that the NT Intervention has failed because:

Ninety nine per cent of all Aboriginal communities in the NT still have no substance abuse service and 99 per cent have no dental service;
Only 54 per cent have state funded primary care services and 47 per cent have an Aboriginal primary health care service more than 50km away.
The Australian Medical Association has estimated that $700 million is needed to bring up to minimum standard the basic infrastructure needed to maintain health, such as water and sewage.

The government has funded only 20 child protection workers to cover the whole Territory, and currently only 1 is actually employed.

The locals say that the Northern Territory Intervention was supposed to turn outer Aboriginal communities into "dry communities" but that hasnt stop Aboriginals from coming INTO Alice Springs after each fortnight's Federal Government Pension Day to "binge" on masses of alcohol before returning back to their camps for a week or so. You can, sadly, see it when you are in Alice Springs.

My own observations show:

that there are countless groups of Aboriginals huddled in groups in the Todd River (the main river in town, which is dry) drinking from cases of VB. So, there's alcohol being served in large quantities in the town of Alice Springs.
that there are large groups of Aboriginals, both male and female, that linger around the liquor stores of Alice Springs, and there are numerous security guards that man the doors in case there is "trouble".
I had to hand over my drivers licence to be scanned into a register when I purchased 6 bottles of lite beer in order for the Liquor Store to see whether I had any court order against me. If I was registered as having a court order against me, it would be reported back to the court. I would then be refused alcohol. This is why they have security guards. It would it then not be easy to just ask a friend to buy on my behalf, given that the court order is registered only against me, right? And what would be my punishment? I expect, given the comments made by locals, that there would be little punishment for breach of order, as I expect the detention of any Aboriginal for summary offences are frowned upon.
I was warned when I went to Alice Springs that I was not to leave the hostel at night on my own or even in groups because of the danger that is presented.

The only real evidence of any action that I have seen in Alice Springs (and a few outer communities) to stop the masses of alcohol that is being drunk in this town are designated areas, through signage, that states alcohol cannot be consumed in a certain area.

How does that improve the conditions of our Aboriginal people in general? Do we really have control over the poor conditions that allegedly exist in the outer camps? My answer is no. And this is a sad, sad lesson to have learnt as I travel around my own country.

What is the answer to this? The Federal Government doesnt have the answer, clearly. I'd be interested to know what role the elders of the Aboriginal people have to say about this...

Images of Uluru at Sunset

2010-12-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

At the end of the first full day, I also went to see Uluru at Sunset, one of the most magical experiences a person can undertake in their lifetime. It really is awe-inspiring, as the sun goes down, the rock lights up.

There was a break in the clouds behind us and all of a sudden Uluru lit up like a Christmas tree.

It turned into a magnificent glowing orange.....

...creating a spectacular photo opportunity.

Walpa Gorge, Kata Tjuta

2010-12-22T22:46:00.001-08:00

Next stop was Kata Tjuta, to walk the Walpa Gorge, a short walk amongst the towering walks of the 36 large sandstone boulders that make Kata Tjuta.

Kata Tjuta from a distance.

Walpa Gorge.

Walking into Walpa Gorge, you get a perspective of just how big these boulders are.

The track in and out of Walpa Gorge.

The rocky track in the hot sun.

Like Uluru, the colours of the sandstone change with the direction of the sun.

Standing in front of Kata Tjuta, or its english translation, the Olgas.

Looking back at the Olgas, or Kata Tjuta.

Base Walk Around Uluru

2010-12-22T22:10:00.001-08:00

I decided not to climb Uluru and the National Parks and Wildlife Rangers make it pretty clear that for safety reasons, as well as cultural reasons, people just should not walk up Uluru. 35 people have died since the walk opened, and when you look at the kind of climb you need to undertake, it is little wonder why. Even as a moderately fit person, I don't think I would have climbed it in the heat of the day. It'd be stupidity.

The sign that says that on this particular day, the climb was closed anyway, due to strong winds. You can see the climb in the background, and just how steep and exposed the climb is.

The rock of Uluru - a sedimentary rock called "arkose sandstone", which is a coarse-grained sandstone which mostly contains a mineral called feldspar. Interestingly, Uluru is actually not naturally orange. Rather, its been stained by the iron oxide in the surrounding desert sands.

My friend, Judith from Germany, and I took the 9.6km Base Walk of Uluru, which takes around 3.5 hours to do.

Here I am, touching Uluru. There are only a few places around Uluru where you can actually get to the rock and put your hands on it. Much of the area surrounding Uluru is roped off as it is "sacred land" of the Anangu people.

Uluru is full of surprises, including caves. The roof of this cave had an almost lattice effect created over the millions of years.

The walk around Uluru in the heat of day - approximately 35 degrees celcius.

Here I am, exhibiting the sheer size of Uluru.

The sandy paths around the base of the Uluru.

The sheer contrast between the blue sky and the orange stained Uluru.

Different perspectives....each angle creates a completely different perspective of Uluru. It never looks the same from the same view. Its quite amazing.

Aboriginal art work created by the Arangu people.

The rock in the blazing hot sun.

Another angle!

Jumping for joy after a long, almost 10km walk, around Uluru.

Day One - Arriving at Uluru

2010-12-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

Lets go right back to the beginning when I first arrived at Sydney Airport for my flight to Ayers Rock, directly into the heart of the Red Centre - the Northern Territory. I had never traveled to the Northern Territory, not even to Darwin, which is a regular "stepping stone" to Asia. So you can imagine that I was feeling a little nervous about heading out into the Outback, a place of many stories, of many miles of distance between towns....and overall, nervous about starting the two months of backpack travel on which I was about to embark - no hotels, no fancy restaurants, just the clothes and belongings in my backpack and a very tight budget.

The journey went without a hitch and soon enough we were flying over the Simpson Desert and into the Ayers Rock area. The awesome view from the place showed just how desolate and arid our country really is.

To give you some perspective when reading my blog entries over the next few weeks, here are a few statistics about Australia:

Australia's area is 769 million hectares, with about one quarter mostly desert and not used commercially.
The most extensive land use in Australia is livestock grazing in arid and semi-arid regions and covers 430 million hectares or 56 percent of Australia.
Covering 120.8 million hectares, 76 percent of this area is reserved, vacant or institutional crown land. For 13% of this crown land, the land is "protected area" for Aboriginal uses, that covers 102.6 million hectares. Most of this area (89 percent) is for traditional Aboriginal uses. Traditional Aboriginal uses are located predominantly in the Northern Territory (48.3 million hectares).

So here I was, landing in an area which has 48.3 million hectares of traditional Aboriginal land.

On 26 October 1985, the Federal Government returned ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aborigines, with one of the conditions being that the Aṉangu would lease it back to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for 99 years and that it would be jointly managed.

Ayers Rock Resort, or "Yulara", where the majority of all of the hotels and lodges for tourists, lies outside the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. You then travel 17 km (11 mi) by road to the entrance of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, where you pay $25 entrance fee (for three days access) and around 25% of the proceeds for entrance into the National Park goes to the Aboriginal community of Mutitjulu, population of approximately 300, which is located near the eastern end of Uluru (more on Mutitjulu later).

I stayed at the Outback Pioneer Lodge, which was also recognises YHA membership (backpacker discount membership) and I found the accommodation great for those who are looking to stay in the VERY expensive Yulara (the only real option for access to see Uluru and Kata-Tjuta).

Given that I arrived mid-afternoon, it was too late to join any tours out to see Uluru or Kata-Tjuta (the Olgas) so I took a walk around Yulara to learn a little more about the flora and fauna of the "Outback".

Little survives in the Outback and if it does, its pretty hardy stuff. Shrubs like this are called "puti".

The tracks from the Lodge to the shopping centre are just sandy trails, aligned with trees called "Desert Oak" and puti, with a few flowers in between.

These are called "Kalinypa Honey Grevillea "Sweetshops" because they are full of nectar, attracting a host of insects and honeyeater birds.

And here are a whole other set of wildflowers and flora seen along the way.

A Town Called Alice - Day Seven

2010-12-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

I am now writing to you from Alice Springs where I am able to access much cheaper internet. I stay here for five days, so it will be where I will be able to write to all of you about Uluru, my adventures around the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and a little more about the home of the Anangu People, the traditional owners of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, where the magnificent Uluru and Kata Tjuta rock formations lie.

Right now though, I am in Alice Springs and if you've read the "famous" novel called "A Town Like Alice" or seen the adapted movie...well... lets just say things have changed since the book was written in the 1950's, where an English woman finds love and life amongst the outback in the tiny town called Alice Springs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TownLikeAlice.jpg

Sadly, Alice Springs is now the bustling metropolis of the lower Northern Territory and while it is not exactly a city, it certainly is a town that is full of many people from all walks of life and particularly has a large contingency of Aboriginal people who have moved into the town from the outer, more remote communities. All of this combined makes for a town that is quite unruly, and a little bit dangerous at night. I will talk a little more about the impact that my traveling has had on my understanding of our native Aboriginal communities out here in the Outback, but it is with much sadness that I write that there are a significant number of displaced Aboriginals in Alice Springs who have succumbed to toxin that is alcohol.

So I will remain in the hostel for much of the time, with a few visits to the local historic sites, but I am treating the next 5 days as my "Christmas Holiday Relaxation Time", sitting by the pool, reading books, uploading photos and telling of my stories so far.

I really hope you enjoy my stories of the last 6 days, as I have thoroughly enjoyed traveling through the very heart of Australia, the Outback, the Red Centre......my homeland.

On The Road - Day Four

2010-12-20T04:33:00.000-08:00

Well, its been four days on the road now and I have seen Uluru more times that you can poke a stick at it... actually, its a massive rock, so you could probably poke a fair few sticks at it.

I've been offline because the internet is so expensive up here. I would whinge about the price of it, but then I think about the fact that we are literally in the middle of nowhere and its about 500km to the nearest city, being Alice Springs.

There are two things to talk about. Uluru itself, and once I get into Alice Springs in the next couple of days, I will be back online to post some spectacular photos of the Rock. And then there is the Ayers Rock area itself, the resort, and also some of the other activities you can do, including visiting the Olgas, camel rides, or just hanging out by the pool. But all of that will come in time, when I can afford to actually write a proper blog.

Overall, the trip has been fun so far but it is hard being alone as Christmas descends upon us. It will be a tough week or so as Christmas passes and I am traveling solo while families around Australia celebrate Santa and all of that jazz. When that gets me down though, the first thing I think about is the fact that I have not met ONE set of Australian backpackers traveling around here. Most seem to be English or German or from some other European country. There aren't even that many Americans (could be explained by the poor currency exchange). What lifts me up is the fact that I am seeing a part of the world that, for some strange reason, not many Australians (or New Zealanders for that matter) get to see. We travel the world extensively, but we cannot take the time to come on up and see our own spectacular and very famous landscape. I wonder how many Australians can actually say that they have experienced the real Outback?

Much of my days have been spent hiking around the area, around Uluru, through the gorges around the Olgas and of course seeing Uluru at both sunrise and sunset. It really is a sight to behold and I would encourage any Australian to get their act together and get over here to the Red Centre and see just how beautiful our country really is.

Time is now running out, so I must leave the writing for when I get to Alice Springs in a couple of days where the internet is cheaper. I am off to Alice Springs but I take the long bus trip via the famous Kings Canyon, which will prove to be another great opportunity for photographs.

I am thinking of you all, am taking a whole lot of pictures of the Rock (perhaps a little too many?) and also the Olgas and I am lucky to be meeting some really wonderful travelers and also local staff members up here at the Ayers Rock Resort.

Stay tuned for so many pictures of Uluru and its surrounds that you wont need to come and visit (really, the amount of photos I have is a bit ridiculous, but the landscape is so seductive to a photographer! The colours are amazing!).

Enjoy the leadup for Christmas, everyone!

KoTB

Packed, Booked. Timetabled. 2 More Sleeps To Go

2010-12-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

....two more sleeps, or perhaps three if I count a nap that I feel I need right now to calm the nerves of going away. The nerves are a bit unusual, as I said in my previous blog. I've done so much travel in my life, to London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Singapore, Hong Kong, and yet I sit here and tremble at the thought of spending 2 months backpacking around my own country, Australia. It seems just a little odd to me but its something I am trying not to focus too much on, otherwise it will get the better of me and I will find myself in all sorts of trouble. We don't want any last minute pull-outs like we had in June, when I was to backpack around Asia - but I guess I am a completely different person to who I was back then, with different things to deal with.

2 more sleeps to go and I fly out to Ayers Rock, or Uluru. I've made the decision that I am NOT going to climb the rock, contrary to what so many people have advised me. I've decided that I won't have it on my conscience that I am not abiding by warnings (which are apparently everywhere around the area) to not climb it. So its not just a respect thing, its actually a public order thing. If I am told not to do something, then I won't do it. Its the lawyer in me I think.

K

A quote going around Facebook....

2010-12-13T16:33:00.001-08:00

"Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, if they be events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere."

Enough said - especially to those who are close to me who have been witnessing the miracle that has been my numerous medical diagnoses over the last 3 weeks!

Its tempting to want to look back and be frustrated and angry - or confused as to why things were happening the way they were without reason...but things WERE actually happening for a reason. Firstly, a medical reason, and secondly, to teach me some life lessons.

The Excitement Got The Better of Me

2010-12-10T15:58:00.001-08:00

Bah! Grrrr!

I thought I was leaving on Thursday.

But Thursday isnt the 17th December. The 17th December is a Friday. Which means my T-Minus countdowns have been a day out. HA HA HA

Its been a while since I travelled. Thats why I make silly mistakes like this. Thankfully I realised this a week earlier and not on the way to the airport!

For some silly reason, I am actually nervous about this trip which is completely and utterly absurd given that last year, I took over 42 flights and I have, collectively in my life time, travelled to nearly half of the world's continents.

I guess the last 9 months has knocked my confidence to be independent but I know that once I get back on the road, I will remember how much I love the freedom of travelling and it will all just be basic instinct again.

I hope everyone is as excited (just not as nervous) to be coming along for the ride with me via this blog.

Changing Things Up

2010-12-08T02:04:00.000-08:00

So K's Australian Solo Overlander Experience, which departs in T-minus 8 days has had to take a little bit of detour or change in direction for a short while. A complusory visit back to Singapore has meant that I need to, once I spend some time in Cairns (see yellow line) in mid January, I need to duck across up to Singapore (via Darwin - how annoying) to tie up some loose ends that remain in Singapore and then cross back down to Cairs (via Darwin - how annoying again) and then continue on with my Overland Experience from 1 February.

So that's 10 days out of my Overland Experience taken up with administrative duties to be done in Singapore.

How do I make the most of this?

Well, I head back down to Darwin from Singapore via Bali, of course!!!!!!

Yes, K's Australian Solo Overlander Experience is now an "Australiasian Experience". I will get to spend at least 5 or 6 days in Bali, which will be exciting because I loved Bali so very much and felt that the last time I went, I did not get to see enough of it. So the Australian Overlander Experience Map still stays in tact, but it requires a quick flick up to Singapore and Indonesia and double crossing back from Darwin to Cairns to resume the trip.

Its costing me a fortune but things need to be taken care of and they cannot be pushed back any longer. I may as well incur the ridiculous cost while I am half way up to Singapore, instead of coming back down to Australia in late February and then doing paying the same ridiculous cost from Sydney - Singapore - Sydney trip.

So its going to be baked beans all around whilst backpacking due to the massive chunk of savings its taking up but as I said, I have administrative duties which I'm bound to undertake and I don't shirk my responsibilities.

T-minus 10 Days til K's Around Australia Experience

2010-12-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

I've started packing. Which is a good sign. Because when I was preparing to go back to Asia in June, fear had taken over so badly that I simply couldnt pull out my bags out without wanting to vomit. So the fact that I've laid out all of my stuff and am airing out my backpack is a GOOD sign. A very promising sign that I will actually get on that flight next Thursday.

Eleven Days to Go!

2010-12-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

K's OZ EXPERIENCE - 11 DAYS TO GO!

Well there are only ELEVEN days to go before I put a backpack back on my back and go off to experience Australia on a budget.

First stop is (of course) Uluru, the famous Ayers Rock, the most famous of Australian landscapes and one of the most sacred sites for our indigenous citizens of Australia, the Aboriginals.

I still have yet to decide whether I am going to climb Uluru. Recently, the Australian Government considered banning tourists from climbing Uluru because its such a sacred Aboriginal site. They have delayed the decision, meaning that tourists can still climb it. Given that I am physically fit and I like a challenge, there is a good chance that I will do it, but I need to find some way to alleviate the guilt that I will feel that I am climbing across something that is sacred, something that our indigenous people do not want us to do. I have always been a very strong advocate for aboriginal rights and culture and so I really am of two minds whether I should do it or not.

Perhaps if I climb Ayers Rock, and then if I come across an aboriginal-specific charity, or if I try and visit as many aboriginal information centres to pay my respects, that may help... I am not sure.

Also in the area are the Olgas, or Kata Tjuta, are a set of rock formations and are close to Uluru (well, as close as can be when we are talking about just how sparse Australia is. I get to spend Christmas Day in Uluru so it will be a Christmas dinner of baked beans and soup, sadly!

And then I will go and see Kings Canyon, which is another couple of hundred kilometres away.

And then I will be jumping on the famous Ghan Railway, all the way up to Darwin.

Once I get up to Darwin, I go on a three day 4x4 Safari of the Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. I will celebrate New Years Eve camping out in the middle of Kakadu National Park.

Once I finish the Kakadu Safari, I take a flight EAST across Australia to Cairns (I could have driven or taken a bus but the distance by road between Darwn and Cairns is approximately 2737.2 kilometres, or 1700.6 miles. In driving time, that is 31 hours and 34 mins, and that is not including stops, overnight sleeps and so forth. So I figured that for the sake of safety and time, I could afford to miss seeing the Australian landscape between Darwin and Cairns (which is, what I hear, just desert).

Just to reinforce just how much distance we are talking about:

the trip I am taking from Alice Springs to Darwin actually is a train trip which goes from Adelaide (bottom of Australia) to Darwin (top of Australia). I am just jumping on the train half way UP, right in the middle of Australia, at Alice Springs. The entire trip the Ghan takes as a railway service from Adelaide to Darwin, travels 2,979 kilometres (1,852 miles).

2. The distance by road (as I said above) between Darwn and Cairns is approximately 2737.2 kilometres, or (1700.6 miles).

In other words, it takes nearly the same distance to get from Adelaide to Darwin in a straight line via rail, as it does to go from Darwin to Cairns, which takes the highway which needs to take you halfway back down towards Adelaide and then across east to the eastern seaboard.

You can see why I am taking the flight from Darwin to Cairns!!!

So then, once I get to Cairns, I then go on a "hop on, hop off" bus all the way back down to Sydney at my own pace, first going UP to Cape Tribulation and Port Douglas, where I will scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef (hopefully more than once, depending on the budget) and then I will go to Cairns, down to Townsville, then Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays (and maybe get out to one of the Whitsunday Islands for a day or two), then Rockhampton, Bundaberg and then to Brisbane where I will stop off and see some friends (including Jake from the Royal Childrens Hospital) and then its back down to Sydney.

I've drawn a map, using colours.

So "Red" means flying by plane. "Blue" means a shuttle bus or coach. "Green" means the Ghan Railways. "Yellow" means the Hop on Hop off Bus.

This should give you an idea of K's Solo Oz Experience from December - February!!

How very exciting!

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/pacific/australia/map_of_australia.jpg

No More Bali For A While

2010-12-05T02:41:00.001-08:00

Okay, I've gone through 300 out of 1000 photos from Bali and I am bored so no more Bali photos for the time being. I might look back at another holiday I haven't published photos for in a long while and go there. There's only so much Bali one can handle.

Maybe we will go back and reminisce about Vietnam or Malaysia for the next couple of days.

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Balinese Flowers....

2010-12-05T02:31:00.001-08:00

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Me in Bali

2010-12-05T02:19:00.001-08:00

Balinese Love Their Mopeds

2010-12-05T02:00:00.001-08:00

In Bali, there arent too many cars in Ubud so this was unusual to see - so I took a photo.

But Balinese loooove their mopeds. They cherish them. If they werent washing them, they were adorning them with offerings........

.....they were selling icecreams from them!

The Balinese women can ride on the back of mopeds, riding sideways, with baskets on their head. Now THAT is talent!

Time

2010-12-04T02:36:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna take this map

And tear it up
Because I've been up and down
These dead end streets getting nowhere
I'm a little bit older
A little wiser
I've got to find my own way out of here
And start over
I want to feel sun in the morning
And make these shadows
Leave me alone

[Chorus:]
Maybe time will be all that I need to grow
Maybe time is all I need
And a little hope
And I'll find my way back home

All I need is time
I'm gonna take this moment and breathe it in
I know it won't be long now
I feel a new day growing in
I'm gonna wake up
Warm in the sunlight
One of these mornings
I know I'll be there

[Chorus]

Just give me time
And I'll know I'll be right where I want to be
And in time
This will be just a memory
And I'll find my way back home
Gonna find my way back home
Cause you've given me time
Give me hope
Give me love [2x]
Give me time
Give me hope
Give me love
And I'll find my way back home
All I need is time
Whoo
Cause all I need is time
Then I'll find my way back home
And I'll be fine
All I need is time

Boyzone

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Statues...Everywhere...

2010-12-04T02:21:00.000-08:00

I guess Bali and Statues are synonymous with each other and there are literally THOUSANDS of statues around Ubud... so many statues get exported out of Bali (and they are mostly made in Ubud, the cultural and art centre of Bali)

Very typical type of Balinese statue...

Many of the statues around Ubud get "dressed" in traditional clothing... so cute.

But there were a couple of odd ones...

My guess is that this one was just very very very old and kinda creepy.

One of My Faves....

2010-12-04T02:20:00.001-08:00

Temples

2010-12-04T02:09:00.000-08:00

As I wrote in my earlier post, offerings are made to the Gods each morning. Offerings are also placed in the many many temples that surround Ubud. I love these two photos, with the young kids struggling up the big stairs to the temple, following their mother who is carrying the offerings.

"Wait for us!"

"Nearly there!"

(I remember those stairs being SO steep)

Like Anywhere, There's Mess and Beauty

2010-12-04T02:04:00.000-08:00

Like anywhere in Asia, there are parts of Bali (in particular around Kuta - where I avoided like a plague) which are not so pretty, and in Ubud, where we were based, there was an essence of "concrete jungle" about certain parts. This is what happens when such a large population squeezes into a small area.....

But in Ubud, particularly, the concrete jungle is only a minor problem, as most parts are green, lush and beautiful.

Balinese People Are So Photogenic!

2010-12-04T01:50:00.000-08:00

The one thing I loved most about Ubud was the willingness of the Balinese people to be photographed. And having their photo taken didn't make me feel as though I was exploitating them in anyway for my own gain. They often asked to be photographed. They are just such smiling, happy people and they were always so happy to have their photo taken.

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Bali - Spiritual Givings

2010-12-03T02:27:00.000-08:00

One of the things that you will notice when you are in Bali (especially around Ubud, where we stayed) are the sheer amount of tiny little baskets made out of something that reminds me of paperbark. These baskets, or boxes lie on large leaves. On the leaves, there's cooked rice, and the inside the baskets are an assortment of other dried leaves and petals from flowers.

These are offered to the Gods first thing EVERY morning. They are placed generally out the front of each abode, or place of business.

The women of Bali spend much of their day, every day, preparing these offerings, ready for the following day. By the end of the day, the offerings have been run over by scooters, kicked by locals and tourists, and they get swept up at the end of each day.

Then fresh offerings get placed once again, the following day. Every day. Every day of the year.

I noticed while I was there that the offerings took various forms.

This one was the most common type we saw.

These offerings were generally larger, and withstood being trodden on and rolled over by scooters a lot more than the ones above.

This shot below shows how delicate each of the offerings are. They are prepared so precisely, day in, day out.

Some Balinese also adorned statues with offerings as well.

Below is a picture of the mother of all offerings. This is usually placed in a significant place of worship or a particularly spiritual area.

The Balinese dont just place them down on the ground and walk away. Each morning, the women place the offerings down on the ground and perform a spiritual ceremony. They are usually dressed in traditional Balinese outfits, incense burns and they have a well prepared prayer that they give the offerings. It was an amazing thing to watch.

Hundreds of Photos from Bali

2010-12-02T22:14:00.000-08:00

I went to Bali in October 2009. I took over 1000 photos. I have not, to this day, managed to go through all of them. I've pulled out the FABULOUS ones which were able to go onto my photography website (remember, I have it! - www.kathrynadamsphotography.com) but I've never actually gone through them as holiday snaps and shown some of the interesting sides to Bali.

So over the next few days, I am going to commit to uploading some of the good photos I took while I was in Bali back in October. I feel I didn't do Bali justice when I came back - so what better time than to blog it, nearly a year later!

So watch while this blog turns a little Balinese over the next week and then, of course, in 14 days, I will then turn this blog into AUSTRALIANA, as I leave for my backpacking journey through the Northern Territory and Queensland (oh, yeah, during Cyclone season as well, as it turns out).

Enjoy!

Hashimotos Thyrioditis

2010-12-02T00:41:00.000-08:00

Well I'm under suspicion of having Hashimotos Thyroiditis. Its a fancy name, but some interesting facts some up about Hashimotos Thyroiditis.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis very often results in hypothyroidism with bouts of hyperthyroidism.

Physiologically, antibodies against thyroid peroxidase and/or thyroglobulin cause gradual destruction of follicles in the thyroid gland. Accordingly, the disease can be detected clinically by looking for these antibodies in the blood. It is also characterized by invasion of the thyroid tissue by leukocytes, mainly T-lymphocytes. It is associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroiditis include depression, sensitivity to heat and cold , paresthesia, fatigue, panic attacks, bradycardia, tachycardia, high cholesterol, reactive hypoglycemia, migraines, muscle weakness, cramps, memory loss, infertility and hair loss.

Now, does anyone see anything in that little piece of information that may actually start to make a bit of sense? Hello? Depression? Bouts of fatigue and then days of large amounts of energy? Panic Attacks? Weight gain despite working my arse off doing endurance events?

This is indeed an interesting turn of events.

Its not going to ruin my holiday though. It takes about 3 months to get an appointment with an endocronologist locally anyway. I'll be back in time for my appointment.

Truth

2010-11-30T23:38:00.000-08:00

"The best among us are not more gifted than the rest. They just take little steps each day as they march towards their biggest life. And the days slip into weeks, the weeks into months and before they know it, they arrive at a place called Extraordinary."
- Robin Sharma, The Greatness Guide.

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Remember When...

2010-11-30T23:36:00.001-08:00

I was at Bondi in June 2006 for some MASSIVE surf. I havent seen it like that since this day.

Remember When....

2010-11-30T23:32:00.001-08:00

...I was in the Cinque Terre, Italy in October 2006.

Remember When....

2010-11-30T15:11:00.001-08:00

Hearing that its snowing like heck in London reminds me of the London part of our holiday last year.

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Firework - Katy Perry

2010-11-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.lacrosseplayground.com/post/laxtrack-firework-djhemi-remix-katy-perry/15812

This song seems to be my anthem at the moment and it has a great video clip (see it here). It reminds me of my time in Prague, with the Boy, back in January 2010.

http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2010/katy-perry-firework/

Firework

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

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More Craft

2010-11-29T21:28:00.000-08:00

Some more great Christmas present ideas include these fantastic wooden objects that you build from scratch. You can find them in your local $2 bargain store or for better quality ones, to your craft store. They are in decently sized pieces, you following the numbered instructions and then you can paint them however you wish.

I did the windmill...

But some friends did this Lion and coloured it by using coffee and tea stain (which I thought was a pretty awesome idea!)

Great fun to be had!

Christmas Craft - Prick and Stitch

2010-11-29T21:21:00.000-08:00

This year my christmas cards are going to be all hand made, so here are some examples of what I am going to make them extra exciting!

These ideas come from http://prickandstictch.ismycraft.com and also from http://www.stitchingcards.com.

All you need is some nice card paper, some glittery thread and a needle...and bingo! A lovely Christmas Card for your loved ones to enjoy.

You can do an angel....

You can do candles and holly....

I chose to do one Candle...

And then you stick extra Merry Christmas stickers on it to make it the perfect Christmas Card!

Its not difficult at all and it doesnt take long.

Remember When...

2010-11-28T23:38:00.001-08:00

....we've already had this Remember When, but it was such a good memory (and I found another funny photos from it) that it counts as another Remember When...

...when we went on an awesome photography trip to Abungun, Bali in Indonesia. It still remains one of my most memorable trips in Asia for so many reasons.

Remember When....

2010-11-28T23:24:00.001-08:00

.... I picked out the colour scheme for my room in Singapore... (thanks to Carli for still looking after my stuff... I'm coming your way, I promise!!!)

....and I was eating Beef Noodle Soup (SGD3..bargain) just down the street and sipping my 100 Plus drink and gross Asian coffee....

Vast Land

2010-11-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

So this was pretty much the landscape that I looked at for six days, going 25 km per hour behind 24 bicycles. Its very Australian, but it got very boring. I expect to see a lot more of this scenery when I travel in the next couple of weeks....but also... the Australian Desert!

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The Outrigger Twin Town Resort, Coolangatta

2010-11-28T23:07:00.000-08:00

Well, you all know that I have a love of nice hotels, and so of course I took the time to quickly photograph the Outrigger Twin Towns Resort in Coolangatta while I was in Coolangatta for the Charity Bike Ride. Its a 4* (I'm such a snob) so there were a few things that were missing that I love about the 5* hotels I've stayed in over the last 2 years (reminder: can't afford to now! ha ha), but nonetheless, it was a lovely hotel and it was worth photographing.

Decor which was quite lovely. I loved the dark wood, apple red and lime green combination. I didnt take a photo of it but opposite to the bed was a sitting area where there was a nice dark brown lounge suite, dark wooded table and bit flat screen TV (why didnt I take photos of that?).

Again, liked the dark wood/red/green combo.

The annoying part about it all was that I had the view of the back end and not of the beach :(

My only complaint (not that i was going to complain because the Outrigger gave us a massive discount because of the Charity Ride - thanks Outrigger!).

The Outrigger from the Beach (I think its the Outrigger on the left).

My Journey...

2010-11-28T22:05:00.000-08:00

So in under three weeks, I am leaving and I dont know when I'll be back. I love saying that. I love saying that I don't know where my travels are going to take me, who they are going to take me to, howI will find my way but there is something so wonderfully exciting waiting around the corner for me and I cannot wait to share it all with you via this journey.

I fly to Alice Springs and then I travel around the area of a couple of weeks before taking the famous Ghan railway up to Darwin, where the world will meet me. Will I decide to take a flight up to Indonesia and further up, or will I stay in Darwin and travel across to Cairns? Who knows. I don't know. I don't know where I am going to head and this is the exciting part about what I am going to do. This was what I had planned to do eleven months ago but couldn't because I was unwell. Now, I have the opportunity to do what i had planned - to put the backpack on and let the world take me away.... far away....

Banalasta - A Visit One Afternoon

2010-11-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

One of the other stops we had while on the ride was at the Banalasta Visitor Centre, which provided some nice warmth, tea and coffee for the riders. The Banalasta, Blickling Estate and World Forest 2000 Visitor Centre is located on the 3000ha Banalasta plantation in Bendemeer, on the New England Tablelands of NSW.

While everyone was rugging up, however, I was outdoors, looking around the lavender and eucalyptus plantations and my favourite part - the rusty old farm machinery.

Inside, there was the opportunity to try or buy their extensive range of home grown certified organic eucalyptus and lavender oil based health and skin care products. I mananged to nab a few different types of creams for some presents and some for myself.

A few of the riders took the opportunity to buy some wines.

Pots and Pots of Body Butter!

My favourite blend, Rosemary and Lemon.

All of the different eucalyptus and lavender blends, all to be enjoyed!

The good old Lavendar Bags...

Strange Wrought Iron Animals

An array of farmyard machinery!

The trusty rusty old Bedford.

The different types of lavender (I didnt know there were different types!)

If you are out, on your way to Armidale, New South Wales, a stop off at the Banalasta Visitor Centre is a must.

http://www.banalasta.com.au/Visitor-Centre-sp-5.html

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Murrurundi - A Tidy Town...and A Cute Cottage

2010-11-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

While we were on our way up to Brisbane in the recent 1200kms ride, we were forced to stop off at a tiny little town called Murrurundi because of a severe weather front. The town folk were kind enough to put on some sandwiches (and they would have put on coffee and tea but the power was out due to the massive storm) and they also opened up "Pioneer Cottage", their pride and joy, their oldest building in the town.

By English and European standards, our history anywhere in Australia really isn't that "historic". We are only a relatively newly founded country, dating only back to 1788. This cottage was "born" in 1889.

The front door, reminding everyone of its age!

In 1998, the community rallied together to raise funds to "rebuild" Pioneer Cottage because it was heading towards ruin. So, they agreed to it being pulled down from its original location, transported and then rearranged in the main street of town near the town's Local Information Centre. They were able to rebuild the cottage with almost all of its original parts, except for the odd floorboard or structural beam. They also added a few structural parts to ensure it lasts another couple of hundred years.

Photos of it being transported and rebuilt. What a fantastic community initiative, given Murrurundi only has about 1200 people in its community. It looks like everyone was invoved and when speaking with the locals, you could tell everyone was so proud of their efforts.

The town is as equally proud of its award as Overall Tidy Town Award 2009 Winner of the Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Town Awards. A well deserved win, I say.

Inside the village, they have kept as many remnants as possible.

Back in the day, lanterns and candles were all they had. Now, of course, they replaced the candle with a light bulb.

Old books from the children's schooling (the town was so remote, children were home schooled, I expect).

The bedroom, with its original lace work and crocheted work. You can imagine how hard it would have been, doing that kind of intricate work by candlelight!

Old Rocking Chair and Doll...

Reminders of the Past.

Another picture of the bedroom....

We featured in the local news:

http://upperhunter.local-e.nsw.gov.au/news/pages/6152.html

Adam Lambert in Brisbane

2010-11-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

I was going through my blog and realised that I had not yet put up photos of Adam Lambert, who I saw in concert when I was up in Brisbane. A fantastic performer, an incredibly good looking young man, and has a vocal range that in unbelievable. If he can get rid of the American Idol tag and go his own way, this guy is going to be a big big star.

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Aftermath

Have you lost your way?
Livin' in the shadow of the message that you made
And so it goes
Everything inside your circle starts to overflow
Take a step before you leap
Into the colours that you seek
You give back what you give away
So don't look back on yesterday

Wanna scream out
No more hiding
Don't be afraid of what's inside
Gonna tell ya you'll be alright
In the Aftermath
Anytime anybody pulls you down
Anytime anybody says you're not allowed
Just remember you are not alone
In the Aftermath

You feel the weight
Of lies and contradictions that you live with every day
It's not too late
Think of what could be if you rewrite the role you play
Take a step before you leap
Into the colours that you seek
You give back what you give away
So don't look back on yesterday

Wanna scream out
No more hiding
Don't be afraid of what's inside
Gonna tell ya you'll be alright
In the Aftermath
Anytime anybody pulls you down
Anytime anybody says you're not allowed
Just remember you are not alone
In the Aftermath
In the Aftermath

Before you break you have to change your own mind
Take a trip and fall into the pit
Tell a stranger that their view is full
So all you feel is love, love
All you feel is love, love

Wanna scream out
No more hiding
Don't be afraid of what's inside
Wanna tell you you'll be alright
In the Aftermath

Wanna scream out
No more hiding
Don't be afraid of what's inside
Gonna tell ya you'll be alright
In the Aftermath

Anytime anybody pulls you down
Anytime anybody says you're not allowed
Just remember you are not alone
In the Aftermath
In the Aftermath
Gonna tell ya you'll be alright
In the Aftermath
In the Aftermath
Just remember you are not alone
In the Aftermath

Remember When....

2010-11-26T00:25:00.000-08:00

I visited the volcanoes of Bali, Indonesia in October 2009.

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Remember When....

2010-11-26T00:20:00.000-08:00

I was on Ultra Cool Venice Beach, Los Angeles in July 2009.

Remember When...

2010-11-26T00:11:00.000-08:00

I watched the full weekend of the 2009 Singtel Singapore Formula One Grand Prix...a very memorable weekend!

Remember When....

2010-11-26T00:10:00.000-08:00

I visited the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in 2009....

And then absolutely loved visiting the Mekong Delta - all by myself!!!

Remember When.....

2010-11-26T00:06:00.000-08:00

I went scuba diving in the Grand Turk, the Carribean. An unbelievable experience.

Some of the best diving I've done, even having dived Asia.

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Kate's On The Go Again

2010-11-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

Well, today I finally made up my mind that I am going to be spending the next 8 weeks or so backpacking up around the northern part of Australia - first, starting up by taking a flight to Ayers Rock, and then its up into Darwin to Arhnem Land and Kakadu National Park, and then across to Cape Tribulation, the Daintree Rainforest, Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island and then back down the east coast of Australia back to Sydney, ready for a new semester at university. So, keep an eye out on KateOnTheBike in the next couple of weeks, when I "set sail".

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Remember When..

2010-11-22T22:38:00.000-08:00

The first time I travelled to Asia was in March 2006, when I travelled to Krabi, Thailand. Little did I know, four years later, I'd be living in Singapore, Asia, just an hour away from this paradise.

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Remember When....

2010-11-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

...I arrived in Vancouver, Canada, to do a stint at Whister, British Columbia. It was minus GOODNESS KNOWS WHAT... and I was freezing. Sadly, I only was able to stay in Canada for a couple of weeks, as I fell ill with a severe infection, depression and possible glandular fever (it ended up being just the infection and depression in the end). It was one of the saddest moments of my travels, leaving Whistler, Canada...

Remember When.....

2010-11-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

...I've countlessly stayed, or passed through, good old London town. I hated it at first, but after a while, it grew on me....

Remember When....

2010-11-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

When I was up in Newcastle, Australia when the infamous Pasha Bulker ran aground up there in a huge storm.

Remember When....

2010-11-22T22:27:00.001-08:00

While we are on the topic of Scotland, when Owen took me to the famous Edinburgh Tattoo.

Remember When....

2010-11-22T22:25:00.001-08:00

When Kel and Rob came and visited Owen and I in Edinburgh, Scotland and we travelled up to the home to golf, St Andrews!

Remember When....

2010-11-22T22:20:00.001-08:00

When I first ate snails in Biarritz, in the Aquitaine région of France. Biarritz is still probably remains one of my most memorable destinations of my extensive travels to date.

Remember When....

2010-11-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

When my teenage dream came true and I went and saw Westlife at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland....when I was 27 (ok, it was a little more than just a teenage dream...its still going...)

Remember When....

2010-11-19T00:23:00.001-08:00

Joy W and I entered the 2009 Katmandu Challenge - so much fun!

Remember When....

2010-11-19T00:18:00.000-08:00

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.... I went to the Bahamas in July 2009, six weeks after fracturing my spine in a horse riding accident....

Remember When....

2010-11-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

Baby Ellie was born in December 2007.

Baby Charlotte was born in November 2005.

Remember When....

2010-11-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

.....Just before leaving for Singapore, I was fit, healthy and I had biceps that were bigger than the average male!
ha ha

Remember When....

2010-11-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

Remember when...I was in Edinburgh and my hair was really long, with blonde streaks in it..maybe I'll do that again....

The "Remember When" Series

2010-11-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

I've been so lucky in life, having been able to have the means to travel the world, see things that many people won't see in their lifetime. I thought that I would do a short series of "Remember Then" so that I can remind myself that there were plenty of good times in the past 10 years, rather than think of how tired I am after cramming a lifetime of experience into a decade.

My first "Remember When" is when I found myself, in 2005, travelling around Europe on my own (as usual) and I had incurred a terrible trip coming from La Spezia, Italy into Milan, Italy. On the train trip to Milan, I found two girls who were going a different way. So I decided that I would travel with them. I ended up in Gryon, France (on the Swiss Border).

When I left Cinque Terre, I was covered in approximately 45 mosquito bites. The night before I had paid an excessive 80 euros for a tiny room in Vernazza, Cinque Terre and one mosquito came included in the tariff. During the night, the mosquito had a field day all over the top half of my body, munching its way from my right arm, up to my right shoulder, across my back and down my left arm. I wasnt feeling very well when it came time to leave the Cinque Terre and the train ride up to Switzerland via Milan was miserable. Given that I was less than well, and tired after a bad nights sleep, i wearily climbed onto the train and closed my eyes, desperately wanting to be back in Australia with a big bottle of calamine lotion - and forgot to fill out my eurail pass for the day. As a result, I had the pleasure of dealing with a train guard who fined me 30 euros for not filling the pass out properly. I wasnt a happy camper.

However, there is something special about backpacking. Even on your worst days, when you want to be home with family, life can take a turn for the better, with just a simple conversation with strangers. I was grumpy and annoyed when I climbed onto my second train for the day, in Milan, when I sat across from two American girls from Wisconsin. After talking to Ashley and Angie for a couple of hours, they convinced me to not go to Interlaken straight away, but to come along with them to a place on the Swiss/France border, called Gryon. Gryon ended up being the most beautiful mountain village, and with Angie and Ashley, I stayed up in amongst the Swiss Alps in the friendliest hostel (ie. Mountain Chalet) for two nights. My Mosquito Blues disappeared as I spent my days wandering around the Alpine villages and my nights sitting around a bonfire with twenty other backpackers, toasting marshmellows. In between that, we even visited thermal baths, where we all swam relaxed in heated pools and spas in the open air (3 degree temperatures outside the water) looking across the Swiss Alps. The fact that I was at my lowest, missing home, missing my family, and then meeting two strangers on a train, my journey took an extraordinary turn for the better. It was a fun three days all up, three days that may not have occured had I not met Ashley and Angie.

(above: looking out across the Swiss Alps)

Kathryn Adams Photography

2010-11-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

My official photography collection is now up and running and can be found at the following address:

http://www.kathrynadamsphotography.com/

Thanks for everyone's patience - building a website that is designed to showcase your work is not easy! But with the help of Craig Stanford, this website would not have been possible!

Lollies!

2010-11-07T21:43:00.001-08:00

One of the highlights of my Day Date was of course the trip to the lollyshop, a shopped tucked away from the main street which contains all of the different types of lollies - giving you wonderful memories of the years that you were a child, excitedly going off to the lollyshop to get your 50 cents worth of lollies. L and I loved looking at each of the lollies and pointing out which lollies we loved the most as children. We think the shop is far more appealing to adults that reminisce about the old times than the kids that come on in.

Rows and Rows of Lollies!!!!

Double Dips and Pop Rocks - two lollies which brought back wonderful memories as a child.

Delicious!

The Blue Mountains - Echo Point

2010-11-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

On our Day Date, L and I went to Echo Point, which is probably one of the more touristy sides to the Blue Mountains, where the "famous" Three Sisters live.

(below: the Three Sisters, because of the three rocks sticking out from the cliff - I personally think there is a fourth small sister but UNESCO doesnt agree).

In short, the Blue Mountains are named as such because of the bluey haze that is seen around the moutains, created by the amount of eucalyptus oil that is in the air (the primary tree that is found in the Blue Mountains area is the Blue Gum Eucalyptus tree)).

There - a little bit of trivia for you and a bit of sight seeing around Sydney for my overseas readers.

MS Sydney to Gong

2010-11-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well, event season is definitely under way for me and after the Trishave Womens Festival, next up was the MS Sydney to Wollongong, a 90km (or 56 miles) ride, all in the name of raising funds for Multiple Sclerosis last weekend.

I throughly enjoyed it and was overwhelmingly faster than I imagined I would be, coming past the finish banner at about 4 hours 20 mins (or a little more). Either way, it was a not only a great physical achievement for me but a mental achievement. While riding 9okms isn't SUCH a great feat, some of the hill climbs were tough and I couldn't believe how easy it was for me mentally to push through the pain and the burn of the legs. I am starting to realise that I am much stronger mentally, because I know in the run leg of the triathlon the other week, there were (just like on the hill climbs this weekend) plenty of opportunity for me to stop and take a rest. I chose not to, instead, powering on through using the training that I've been doing over the course of the last couple of months.

Next up for me is this weekend's "Fun Run" which is a 5km run around the University. It will be interesting because I've never done just a "run" as an activity so it sure will be interesting to see whether I can mentally push through some of the evil thoughts about running (its not my favourite leg of the triathlon).

All of this is to get me ready for the Big Event, being the 2010 Huskison Triathlon Festival, which happens on 20th - 21st November.

Oh, and then i've just signed up for another triathlon for the weekend of the 5th December... I couldnt help myself!

KotB

A Beautiful Surprise

2010-11-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

If I could write a book on how men can best impress their girlfriends, I'd take a page out of L's book, who has started to make a habit of doing little things to surprise me when I least expect them (flowers, balloons, little cards, all the cute things us women absolutely love).

We went on a "day date" late last week and we had a wonderful day walking around Leura, a tourist town up in the Blue Moutains. It had been many many years since I'd been to Leura so it really felt as though I was having a wonderful holiday break. It was a perfect day out.

On the way back to the car, I noticed a gorgeous bag sitting on the console of the car. I raced to the car, knowing that it was a little surprise but little did I know that it would be two things that I had spotted in a gorgeous stationary shop that is up in Leura, called 'Elizabeth Rosa Fine Stationary". If you are ever up in Leura, visit this shop - it is simply beautiful. You can also visit them online at www.elizabethrosa.com and are located also in the city of Sydney for all you Sydneyites that read my blog.

He picked out a beautiful journal with my first letter embossed on it and on each page within.

And then he picked out this gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, (how many other words can I use) French Crystal Paperweight with "K" embossed at the bottom of it.

Ladies, if your man isnt out there treating you to beautiful wonderful surprises, then trade them in for one that cares for you, looks after you, wants to make you happy because they love the look on your face when you open the wrapping.

Thank you, L, if you are reading this. I want the world to know that you are amazing and my world has changed because you have come into it.

Back Into Triathlons

2010-11-01T16:24:00.001-07:00

I was in my first triathlon since the accident back in June 2009.

I came 9th out of 62 people, which is such a great personal achievement, because I was going in with expectations to better my initial time of last year.

I managed to do that, coming 9th this time as opposed to 18th. I swam slower than last year by a minute (which is obvious given I have been unable to swim long distances for the past 12 months because of my back injury) but I improved my bike leg by 9 seconds, and improved by run leg by a MASSIVE 1 min 20 secs. I am happy about improving the run leg, because I was so terrible at running before the injury. It shows that I am a far better runner now after the accident, despite carrying extra weight and an injury.

So the last time I did the race in February 2009, which was prior to the accident, I was at my fittest physically. I wouldnt say I am even close to being as fit as I was back then and I am carrying extra weight, but I think I did better this time around bceause I am far fitter mentally. I was able to push through the run leg even though I felt at times that I wanted to stop. While I was frustrated by not coming in strong on the swim leg, I know that I can improve on this with practice and patience.

So, not bad for the first triathlon!

(below: waiting at the start pontoon - i'm hidden in the crowd with a red cap, being the 30-40 age group)

(below: I am the person on the right, looking really focused! The "yellow caps" (the Under 30s) had started their race 5 mins earlier so their pack was already on their way up. In the end, we compete against everyone's times, in other words, I was racing against people as young as 13 and as old as 50).

(below: I am in the purple goggles. You can see I was quite late off the start, but that s because I don't like battling it out at the front, and I have confidence knowing that I can finish strong compared to others because I am more of a long distance swimmer than a sprinter. 10 metres into the swim and I was about 15th in the pack)

(below: here I am, second from the right. By now, I'd settled into a rhythm and was slowly carving up the rest of the red caps, who had sprinted and burnt out early).

(below: By the end of the 150 metres, I and three others had caught up with the back of the Yellow Cap pack.)

(below: me on the right, lumbering out of the water, catching my breath)

(below: 3rd out of the water in the red caps, heading into the transition area. I held back and let 2 red caps go ahead of me, because I knew that it didnt matter who was in front at this early stage in the race, so I am recorded as having come out of the water 3rd in my age group and 7th fastest swim leg overall out of 62 people - including the young ones under 30!)

(below: My favourite leg, of course, being the bike leg. I improved my bike leg by only 9 seconds from the year prior, but the reason is that I deliberately held back on the bike leg and rode it properly in a higher gear like proper triathletes do (using the leg muscles) instead of racing hard (using my cardio capacity) like I did last year. While it didnt benefit my bike leg time, the strategy came in handy for the run leg later on).

(below: coming into the transition area, ready to jump off the bike and into the run leg)

(below: coming into transition, feeling quite happy with myself so far)

(below: transitioning from the bike leg to the run leg is the hardest of all. If you havent kept your legs riding at an even cadence throughout the bike leg, there is a possibility that you can jump off the bike and try and run and find that your legs can turn to jelly. This is what happened the year prior, because I didnt know how to properly ride the bike leg. This time around, I knew I'd done the bike leg properly, so I didnt fear the changeover as much as I had feared it first time around).

(below: screeeeech. You can't ride into the transition area. You have to dismount at the line, and run with your bike back to your allocated spot).

(below: Run, Forrest!)

(below: In the transition area, taking the bike gear off and getting ready to do the run leg. I had come in 3rd on the bike leg, and still 7th overall).

(below: Heading out to run 1.2kms - a short run technically, but a heck of a long way when you're (1) unfit; (2) untrained; (3) tired from a swim and bike leg.)

(below: Here is a picture I love - me running out of the transition area with my mum cheering me on in the background. Great shot!)

(below: I hate running at the best of times, but this time around, I kept an even pace and felt okay).

(below: I finished my run leg 1 minute and 20 secs faster than last year, but I did get overtaken so I came in 13th overall on the run. But with my good times on the swim leg and the bike leg, I officially placed 9th overall, beating 50-something other people).

Very pleased with my result.

Thank you to my wonderful boyfriend, who was there on the day and who takes such great photos. <3

Thanks to Mum and Aunty J, for coming along and supporting me, as always.

Brisbane - Plain Metropolis

2010-10-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Australia has a number of major cities - Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Hobart.

This website has been to all of these cities (from memory).

This is the first time I've posted photos of Brisbane because I havent been to Brisbane for quite a long time (I think it was around 2008 when I was here last).

Brisbane is...well... its a plain metropolis. In no way do I wish to offend any of my wonderful readers who live here, but Brisbane doesn't give me the same feelings that Sydney or Melbourne give me. Brisbane seems to be too orderly and plain. There doesnt seem to be enough "chaos" to be classed as a major city. I know that sounds quite weird, that in some way, in order to be classed as a city, I think it needs to be chaotic, rowdy, messy and dangerous. But...well, chaos can give character. And I think Brisbane lacks the kind of character that a city needs in order to be considered "exciting" in my books.

I also think that because I was so tired after the charity ride organising, I spent most of my time sleeping or just chilling out in a cafe or at the Hospital with the kids, rather than walking around to capture any kind of "vibe" from the city.

It didnt help that on the day that I took photos, it was quite overcast.

I did like this part. It seemed a little like a plastic metropolis here.

And a church... each city needs a church....

This, however, caught my eye, and it was only that I was so exhausted that I didnt go and see it - the Retrospective Valentino Collection. I remember seeing the Christian Lacroix exhibition in Singapore, and so I would have really liked to have gone in and seen this. I will see whether its coming to Sydney (or if, sadly, its already been).

Coolangatta - East Coast of Queensland

2010-10-21T01:06:00.001-07:00

I was able to catch a few photos of Coolangatta on the way up to Brisbane. These beaches are world famous but I dont think they are as beautiful as my local beaches of Wollongong (many will disagree!).

Out of Action

2010-10-21T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

I've been out of action for quite sometime because I have been on tour with 1200kmsforkids, a charity bike ride which raises funds for the Sydney Childrens Foundation and Royal Childrens Foundation.

I am now up in Brisbane spending a few extra days here. I had initially planned to hang out and relax and take photos but I have instead spent time at the RCH with a little boy called Jake, who has captured my heart. He is a very sick little boy and does not have that much support by way of family, so I am spending a bit of time with him, building a friendship with him so that when I head back to Sydney, we can remain "pen pals".

Jake is teaching me a lot about myself, about why I am in this cold, harsh world and the direction I may wish for my life to take.

Photos of the countryside on my way up to Brisbane shall follows. Other photographs of the charity ride can be found on their website and on their facebook page. I'm leaving this blog to write about my own personal experiences and not about the charity. They've had enough press from me for the last 3 or so months!!!

K

Wide Open Spaces

2010-10-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

I think that my experience in Asia taught me to appreciate the wide open spaces of Australia a whole lot more. We basically paid $9 per person to have an entire field to ourselves amognst glorious wildlife and nature. We were able to wake up, walk out of our tent and have kangaroos right near our tent, with tiny little joeys in their pouches. L took Zee and S for a walk and got to see strange mountain goats, eagles, snakes (eek) and boxing kangaroos too.

With my newfound appreciation for life, peace and nature, I really enjoyed taking the camera out with L (who is also a keen photographer) to take photos of the spectacular surroundings.

This is L either (1) playing Army Commando, (b) trying to camouflage himself in case the kangaroos spotted him, or (c) channelling his inner Liam Gallagher from Oasis, during their "Be Here Now"- military era.

(its most likely (c)...)

Dora the Explorer - Australian Style

2010-10-09T02:06:00.000-07:00

Off I went, bright and early at 5am, in my little car to meet up with L who was already at the campsite with Zee and S.

I crossed this lovely bridge on the way so I hopped out and took a few snaps (couldnt resist!)

The Tent Mansion had already been set up. A humble abode but its apparently a 10 person tent, which we all agreed was a little optimistic, espectially if one would be Loz, who is 6"3 (or more).

Loz cooking a lamb roast, singlehandedly in a pot on a fire with coal. Very impressive stuff! (he was very proud of himself)

Jamie Oliver...except from South London...(and not with such an annoying accent)....

A dinner fit for a queen... or Dora the Explorer (as I became affectionately known).

More pics to come!

Its Camping Time!

2010-10-05T19:55:00.001-07:00

I'm just packing my bags to go CAMPING!

Yes, I said "camping".

Quite the contrast to luxury hotel we stayed at last weekend, but hey, its still sounds like fun to me (the truth is, I haven't camped in years).

Do the Dior Sunglasses need to be packed? Or is that a bit....un-camping-like?

Stay tuned for photos.

MS Sydney to Gong

2010-10-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone, after all the organising I've done, media releases, tin rattling for 1200kms for Kids, I am now trying to get just AU$250 raised so that I can do the 90km MS Sydney to Gong ride on the 7th November 2010. I've joined quite late so I need to somehow get AU$250 in the space of 30 days.

For all of my international readers, the exchange rate from US to AU is pretty much at parity, so all you need to do is give over approx USD25 to help out. Otherwise, any donation of $5, $10, $20 will do. Credit cards are accepted.

Please click on the link below to help me out.

KateOnTheBike Doing MS Ride

Thank you so much for helping!

Repost - May 2010

2010-10-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

I remember, back in April when I'd met Loz and we'd known each other for a month, he gave me this card that he thought wasn't all that special at the time... what he didnt realise is that I kept it and put it in my journal because it meant the world to me.... its interesting to go back and read it again... and see that after going through the personal journey that I've gone through, it would lead me to a brighter day.....

Its so great that these brighter days are now here, and I'm sharing them with him.

________________________________

"I'm truly sorry to know how tough this time must be for you. It wouldn't be easy for anyone to experience what you're going through, but it must be especially hard for someone with a heart as big and as beautiful as yours.

Maybe the silver lining in this cloud is that the heart makes you feel things so deeply...is the same strong and wonderful caring heart that will lead you in your journey to a brighter day. And if there's one thing I am sure of... its that you will see your way through and the love of others will always walk beside you.

As you begin that journey, know that you go with every wish that could possibly be wished...traveling by your side. Know that, in the grand scheme of things, we live in a world where rainy days eventually give way to sunnier skies, and where simply believing in tomorrow takes you halfway up the mountain to getting beyond any sorrow you may have. I wish you the companionship of comfort on every path that you take, and I wish you the gentleness of peace.

I wish you the serenity and strength and every single thing....that will put your heart at ease."

__________________________

I have serenity and strength that I never thought I was capable of having...its great to feel this way - for the first time in a long long time.

A Night at the Sofitel Wentworth

2010-10-03T03:01:00.000-07:00

Loz and I had a night at the Sofitel Wentworth after the 1200kms for Kids Gala Night dinner on the weekend.

I've stayed in so many hotels over the last few years, but stopped when I finished up in the job seven months ago.

It was nice to be back in one and this one was so luxurious!!

The Simple Life

2010-09-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

Over the last 9 months, I have been going through lots of various changes. Of course, my lifestyle has changed, and financially I am not in the position I was in Singapore. But this weekend just gone by showed how I have come such a long way from what I used to be like - that girl who had an infatuation with self-anihilation, with this harder, faster, bigger, stronger attitude. Whatever identity I could find, I would be.

This weekend, I went up into the Blue Mountains and Loz and I took Zee bushwalking in the morning. Just a simple bushwalk. When usually I'd be racing through it as a form of exercise, I took the time to stop off and look at all of the different types of native plants, look out for wildlife and just generally enjoy the fresh air - and I did it without trying. I think that is when you know you are capable of leading a simple life - when you can enjoy the simple things without, at that present time, saying to yourself "look at me, i'm doing things which are having a calming effect on me." You just do it. And afterwards, you think "wow, that was so enjoyable".

I also, for the first time in years (and I really mean it), spent the day watching DVDs on the couch with Loz and Zee and loving every moment of it - not worrying about needing to do something other than just being there on the couch. It was so enjoyable.

I realise I've been missing the simple things like this for years. I am so glad that I now have the ability to enjoy the simple things now. Sure, its been at an expense, but if I turn back the clock 9 - 12 months ago, these things were an impossibility.

Lots and lots of what we call here in Australia "Scribbly Gum Trees", because of the scribbles on it. The mountains are full of scribbly gums.

Just lots of native type plants.

These ones looked like mini-orchards, we decided.

Bottlebrush - one of our native plants in Australia.

A Busy Busy Time!

2010-09-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Organising a big charity event (which wasnt meant to be big, but accidently became big) is hard work, right up until the very last piece of the Marquee is taken down.

As you all know, I had this idea that I would contribute 120kms for kids, for the charity that is www.1200kmsforkids.com. While I am driving one of the support vehicles, I can't ride the actual 1200kms itself. So I wanted to do a 120kms ride. Then it turned into a ride that the guys wanted to join in on. Then insurance policy said that events other than the main event itself can only be on stationary bikes. So then it because a stationary bike event. And then we managed to lock in one of the best locations in Sydney as a venue....and the rest is charity history. Radio stations came on board, newspapers came on board, marquees, food, balloons, matching jerseys, raffles, drinks and of course stationary bikes donated for the cause, all concurrently being done both in Sydney and in Brisbane.

The result was a fundraising event which raised nearly $9000.00 in just coin donations alone from the public, which is a phenomenal amount. While I don't take the responsibility entirely on my shoulders, because it wasn't possible without the help of so many people, it shows that just one idea can turn into a big one if you really believe in it.

The boys riding hard, while I took a break.

The only photo of me of the day (I was so busy!)

It felt wonderful to be a part of something special!!!!

Doing Good Things for Good People

2010-09-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Photo is the copyright of the Macarthur Advertiser, at:
http://www.macarthuradvertiser.com.au/news/local/news/general/martin-place-still-ride-event-aids-sick-kids/1942341.aspx