By: Zdenko Kahlina & Westworld magazine

Grain Elevators – will they survive?
Between Edmonton and Viking there are a number of sites that have grain elevators still standing by the highway, representing real rural areas in Alberta. I took pictures of the new mega grain elevators that are replacing old-fashioned wooden elevators from the past.

Another One Bites The Dust… Out of service and located in the small town of Brookdale MB.

Typical wooden elevator in the prairies

Not that long ago grain elevators were being built in just about every town along the railroad on the Canadian prairies. The grain elevator spelled prosperity to the town and region where they were located. Quickly they became the commercial and social centers for the new “Last Best West”. Rows of brightly colored elevators became cultural landmarks, a symbol of greatness for the productive prairies.

Another wooden elevator by highway 14

These days the old-fashioned Prairie sentinels are gradually being replaced by mega elevators made of concrete and steel. These high-tech storage sites can hold up to 10 times more grain than a typical wooden elevator and are fitted with the latest grain sorting and cleaning machinery.

New mega elevators made of concrete

As a new century unfolds, these same elevators are being demolished as fast as they went up! With the loss of the physical structures comes the loss of history associated with them, the loss of a spot on the horizon that identifies a community, a region and a way of life. AGES sees the need for progress, but they also ask “’what about the legacy”? What are we leaving future generations? How will we know how for we have progressed if we don’t know where we’ve been? AGES says “Let us preserve some of our history, our heritage, and leave some of these beautiful prairie sentinels for the future.”

The Cheadle Grain Elevator
Around 1985, Cheadle lost the last of its grain elevators as well as train and tracks that ran past. More houses and residents slowly started to fill the dusty roads and voids within the community. Very little changed Cheadle until after the year 2000, when another expansion of residential homes followed on the West side of Cheadle while some later developments followed on the East side after 2005. With many residents of Calgary looking to the smaller communities as a way of escaping the problems of large city living; Cheadle’s population is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. Some residents have worked very hard to get Cheadle back on the map. As of April 2009, James Gosteli’s efforts, to add a sign to the Trans Cananda Highway 1, have proven successful with the addition of 2 signs for East and Westbound traffic. Satellite mapping companies, such as Teleatlas, have now included Cheadle and its Streets in their GPS map data so that it will not be forgotten in the future.

Hold that elevator
Source: Westworld, By: Judy Larmour

Like many Albertans, Stan Eichorn will never forget the tremendous screech of tearing wood as track hoes clawed at the heart of his community, or that moment of disbelief when Stettler’s Alberta Wheat Pool elevator eventually toppled. As the honeycomb of wood bins split open and dust rolled out in great choking plumes, he knew he was witnessing not only the loss of an icon but the end of an era.

So when Stettler’s 1925 Parrish and Heimbecker grain elevator and feed mill were slated for demolition in 2003, some eight years later, Eichorn took action – though “people questioned my sanity,” he says of his decision to buy the elevator and its coal shed, one of only two remaining in Alberta. “It was my 94-year-old uncle who told me what the shed actually was,” he admits, “and how grain elevator agents also sold coal that they weighed on the scale in the elevator.” A successful agrologist who returned to the family beef operation a decade ago, the energetic 60-year-old was struck by how quickly our collective memory can forget a way of life.

A spurt of elevator construction in the late 1920s signified the peak of Alberta’s agricultural boom, and by 1934, 1,755 elevators were dotted along the province’s rail lines, linking communities whose lives revolved around the grain industry. But by the late 1990s, branch rail-line closures, the end of the Crow Rate (fixed, pro-rated freight charges for transporting grain) and shifts in the industry’s economy of scale were signalling the demise of the wooden country elevator – that proud symbol of Alberta prairie and parkland. By 2005, less than 150 of the 27-metre-high behemoths loomed on their original sites, most of them inactive. Today, large, concrete, silo-type structures have, for the most part, replaced the traditional gable-roofed wooden grain elevators. The lonely relics of past glory that remain have either been modifed for continued use in the grain trade and are privately maintained by farmers or, in the case of only a precious few, are preserved as museums and interpretive centres. Still others stand weather-beaten and abandoned in various states of disrepair.

Lonely Skyscrapers

Mirroring Eichorn’s struggle against time, the town of Alliance is another important bulwark against a vanishing way of life in Alberta’s rural communities. Here, Agricore United still operates its traditional 75,000-bushel wooden elevator, built in 1957 by the Alberta Wheat Pool. “The Alliance elevator is certainly not obsolete,” says Gord Lewis, the town’s elevator agent for 35 years. “It pays its way, handling about a million bushels a year,” and enables locals such as Mary Wold to travel only 13 km to haul their grain, unlike farmers elsewhere. “We’re really happy about it,” says Wold as she dumps grain from her truck over the pit on the elevator’s work floor, just as she has done for decades. So is Alliance mayor Muriel Fankhanel, who notes that without the Agricore elevator, “taxes would go up.” Just as important, though, is that Alliance has preserved what has been lost elsewhere: the elevator as the soul of the community. This is what Stan Eichorn and others involved with Alberta’s burgeoning heritage grain elevator movement are fighting for. And thanks to their efforts, a growing number of restored symbols of rural pride are opening their doors to the public, each with its own story, history and memories.

The small community of Scandia took an early lead in resisting this loss of the past when, in the late 1980s, the local Eastern Irrigation District (EID) Society restored a 1927 Wheat Pool grain elevator on its original railway site as part of an outdoor agricultural museum. Today, EID board member Holly Johnson recounts how, in 1934, the Bow Slope Shipping Association built its stockyards near the town’s Alberta Wheat Pool elevator and how before the stockyard scale house was built, animals had to be weighed on the elevator’s scale. “Imagine flocks of sheep being driven up a ramp into the elevator while the men struggled to keep them corralled,” she chuckles. Its stories like these that bring history to life, she says, and why oral-history interviews with former elevator agents are so important.

Another One Bites The Dust

Another success story can be found in Mossleigh, where three elevators owned by Parrish and Heimbecker (P&H) were meticulously maintained by elevator agent Reno Bexte, a fervent believer in the preservation of elevator history. When P&H wanted to close two of the three in 2000, Bexte encouraged his cousins Ian and Eric Donovan to purchase both, and “we jumped at the opportunity,” says Ian. “Out on the prairie, most of the old elevators are missing. But now, as you come over that hill, you see a little gem.” The Mossleigh structure is indeed a treasure, a minimally modified elevator row from the early 1930s. Painted the mustard shade characteristic of P&H, it has a rare, octagonal annex built for wartime storage in 1941. But the Donovans’ commitment in Mossleigh also set an example for others in the community. When P&H finally closed its doors here in 2006, management of the company’s third elevator was taken over by Monty Beagle, owner of nearby B&B Agriculture Service. And today, “we have a pact among the three of us,” says Ian Donovan: “None of them will ever go down.”

Stan Eichorn is not the only Alberta farmer to buy an elevator, either. A short distance northwest of Drumheller, on an abandoned branch rail line through Kirkpatrick, the Andrew family uses its 1928 Alberta Wheat Pool elevator – a dramatic silhouette against the stark landscape of the badlands – for grain storage. Farther north, in the lush parkland at Bentley, cars line up on the grass behind the now privately owned 1977 Alberta Wheat Pool elevator during the local fair and rodeo each August. The elevator acts as the movie screen for the community’s old-fashioned drive-in.

Vermont elevator in the winter

Unfortunately, given that grain companies prefer to demolish rather than sell their elevators, not all communities or individuals are successful in their attempts to preserve them. Those who are must generally overcome significant obstacles. So back in 2003, when Stan Eichorn first approached Parrish and Heimbecker about purchasing the Stettler feed mill and elevator (the last P&H-owned feed mill still standing in the province), he was delighted to find the company receptive. Specialists in the animal feed business, P&H opened the building in 1920, and its 80-kilogram bags of chop had been a mainstay of mixed farming in the area. But the mill had been closed for some time and, its equipment gone, was slated for demolition along with the elevator. The elevator’s machinery was in running condition, though, and Eichorn soon had a deal. The elevator was his for a dollar, and P&H threw in the $12,500 it would have spent on demolition to support Eichorn’s dream of turning it into an interpretive centre. Two years later, Eichorn founded the P&H Elevator Preservation Society, now 80 members strong, to take over ownership and development of the heritage site.

However, heritage designation of historic structures usually requires ownership of the land as well as the building, with the land on which grain elevators sit generally owned by a railway. And, as Eichorn has discovered, acquiring land from the CPR or CN can be a long and tortuous process. Still, he remains undeterred. “Somehow it’s going to work,” he says of his upcoming plan to buy the land from CN. For inspiration he turns to fellow elevator preservationist Bob Caine, who, starting in 2000, led the Alberta Legacy Development Society’s campaign to save the former Alberta Wheat Pool elevator at Leduc.

“It was pretty tense,” says Caine of the Leduc society’s struggle. “There were times when we thought we were done for, that there was no way around the financial obstacles.” First, the preservation group raised a $20,000 bond in the fall of 2000 for Agricore United to cover the company’s lease with the CPR. Caine then approached the CPR, a convoluted process that took him from Montreal to Winnipeg to Calgary. Finally, more than 12 months and $110,000 later (and after an arduous appraisal process and logistical complications that included easements to give the CPR access to the rail line and struggles to obtain mortgage loans and member loans with indefinite payback schedules), the society was able to buy the land and seek heritage designation. “It was nothing short of a miracle,” says Caine, who still takes delight in the fact that former premier Ralph Klein attended the elevator’s heritage designation ceremony on May 15, 2003.

Obviously, restoring an elevator and opening it to the public as a heritage site or museum is a major undertaking, one that requires vision, planning, stamina, perseverance – and money, lots of it. Yet communities are increasingly rallying behind their heritage elevators, and the provincial government – by way of the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation – is doing its part through significant funding for grain elevator conservation. But even so, says Eichorn, it remains a costly business, one best undertaken in phases with endless bouts of fundraising. As Ernie Halun, president of the group now in the process of preserving the Krause Milling Co. grain elevator at Radway, says, “We just take it one step at a time. We’ve cleaned the elevator and restored the exterior paintwork, hired a heritage consultant to research its history and prepare an interpretation plan. Next we need to raise funds to install sprinklers for fire suppression and to put the plan in place. Only then can we open our doors.”

Lorraine Foesier of the Rowley Community Association is equally familiar with the ups and downs inherent in the process of preserving grain elevators. “We were really rolling in 1988,” she notes, when the three grain elevators in Rowley – a tiny hamlet that is a museum in itself – were used as a backdrop for the Canadian film Bye Bye Blues. Back then, Stettler’s Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions train brought thousands of visitors to the town. But recently, the train’s route was shortened (its last stop is now Big Valley, 28 km away), problems with vandalism have been discouraging and Rowley’s elevators, designated as heritage buildings by the province in 2003, require immediate re-roofing. The timing is unfortunate. As Foesier points out, Alberta’s boom economy means the costs of meeting Canada’s national standards and guidelines for conservation “are rocketing and it is harder to find contractors to do the work.” Nonetheless, even after 20 years of fundraising and hard work, Foesier’s passion for grain elevators is infectious and her dedication unshakable. “Somebody has to look after them,” she declares.

Surprisingly, perhaps, there are people ready to do just that across Alberta. The geometric patterning of the solid-wood cribbing in Mayerthorpe’s 1966 Federal Grain Company elevator was what caught Doug McDermid’s attention the first time he saw its interior. Today, McDermid is president of the town’s Country Elevator Society, formed in 1997, and is working to restore the elevator and develop its annex as an interpretive space – with solar LED lights in the cupola to welcome evening travellers. Ninety-year-old Hilbert Lechelt, the town’s grain buyer from 1949 to 1974, is one of many residents who are more than happy about the project.

In its heyday, “it was a nice elevator,” Lechelt recalls, with bins that had hoppered bottoms – meaning the grain didn’t need to be shovelled as it did in the older elevator where he began his career. As for stories, “I’ve got plenty of them,” he adds, like the day a storage annex was moved alongside the elevator in 1972. “Do you know what they used to move it along the rails?” he asks. “Soap. And the kind that worked best was Ivory.”

Back in Stettler, Eichorn puts a pot of coffee on in the office where the agent once bought grain and farmers purchased supplies, discussed crops and the weather or played a round of crib. He knows his group has a decade-long project ahead, but “we’re in it for the long haul,” he insists. Phase one has seen the building stabilized and the roof’s cedar shingles and coal shed’s siding replaced. (“We spent two years finding drop-siding to match the original,” notes Eichorn.) Next up: two thirds of the roof and the flooring in the three-storey feed mill need replacing.

Although it’s still in the early planning stages, the mill floor will eventually serve as a display centre for showcasing the rich history and importance of agriculture in the area. Eichorn already knows that the elevator’s site in Stettler has one major advantage: the 25,000 people who ride the vintage Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions train each year who will hopefully visit the elevator as part of their heritage experience. As he sees it, “the grain elevator is a beacon: it attracts people to learning about the past.”

Historian and heritage consultant Judy Larmour lives on a grain farm near Rimbey.

Silo Visionaries
The province-wide Alberta Grain Elevator Society (AGES) welcomes all new members; – the only qualification is an interest in grain elevators. The organization shares information, tackles technical conservation issues and promotes grain elevators as an educational venture and tourist attraction. “It’s grassroots network groups like AGES that are so important in advocating strategies and lobbying for financial support for the preservation of grain elevators as a national symbol,” notes Natalie Bull of the Heritage Canada Foundation, opening speaker at the AGES annual conference earlier this year. To sign up: http://www.grainelevators/alberta.ca

Elevator Action
For more information about historic and currently operating grain elevators, the following communities are home to entertaining and enlightening museums and interpretive centres.

• St. Albert
p: 780-419-7354
w: http://www.artsheritage.ca/heritagesites

• Castor
p: 403-882-3271
w: http://www.albertasource.ca/carmn/museums/musatod.html

• Big Valley
p: 403-876-2242
w: http://www.canadiannorthern.ca

• Meeting Creek
p: 780-672-3099
w: http://www.canadiannorthern.ca

• Scandia
p: 403-362-5010

• Paradise Valley
p: 780-745-2150
w: http://www.kalynacountry.com/cream/listings.htm

• Andrew
p: 780-365-3687
w: http://www.adhams.tripod.com/adhams.htm

• Nanton
p: 403-646-5736
w: http://www.nantonelevators.com

• Calgary Heritage Park
p: 403-268-8500
w: http://www.heritagepark.ca

• Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village (Highway 16 east of Edmonton)
p: 780-662-3640
w: http://www.tapor.ualberta.ca/heritagevillage/

• Alberta Central Railway Museum (near Wetaskiwin)
p: 780-352-2257
w: http://www.albertasource.ca/carmn/museums/musatod.html

• Heritage Acres Museum (north of Pincher Creek on Hwy 785)
p: 403-627-2082
w: http://www.highway3.ca/attractions/heritageacres.htm

For information about Alberta’s Grain Elevator Society (AGES), the province’s premier grain elevator preservation organization, visit www.grainelevatorsalberta.ca

Grain Elevators and Train

Grain Elevators at Mossleigh – Alberta – Canada

Grain Elevators at Mossleigh.
Please reduce gas when entering Mossleigh, the village is so small you might miss it. Coming from the US border and heading to Calgary i made a detour in the search for these old wooden grain elevators. I knew that Mossleigh had some, but no idea how they stood in the landscape. When entering Mossleigh they stood perfect against a deep blue sky. Actually there are standing three in a row, but this Twins combination fits better in the overal composition.

Rowley Grain Elevators
The grain elevators in Rowley closed for good in 1989, a result of modern-day shift from the pioneer wooden grain elevators along the central Alberta rail line to selected “super-elevators” in larger centres. But residents saw the tourism dollar potential, and successfully lobbied to buy two elevators from the Alberta Wheat Pool for $1 each.

Less than a year before the new millennium, the last train passed through Rowley. And now the Alberta prairie town’s future may once more belong to the ghosts. In the mid-1970s, Rowley, which once boasted a population of about 500 in the 1920s, was a beat-up dying community, with rows of empty houses and businesses, and inhabited by only a few dozen prairie hardened souls. But one night, a few party-happy locals, whose liquor supply was fast dwindling, decided on a quick solution — a “B & E Party” at a boarded-up old saloon. The brazen men then got talking about sprucing up the pioneer community to make it a heritage stop for tourists. For the next quarter century, locals restored old homes and businesses and soon visitors were attracted from all parts of Alberta, Canada and the U.S. The highlight of the community’s new fame came in 1988 when a cinema production team used Rowley as the set for the hit Canadian movie, “Bye, Bye Blues”.

Here’s another photo from the ghost town of Rowley, Alberta, which we visited in July last year. We already showed you few photos from this place, which you can find in our set The beauty of Alberta Past. This time, the PP is heavy. I had to bring this photo to show something very personal to me. This is not a recording of reality as it was that day. This photo tries to portray my reality/perception/feelings while there in Rowley, engulfed by the ghosts of Alberta/Rowley past.

Attractiveness of the past

Lonely Skyscrapers
Long abandoned grain elevators at Josephine in rural Benson County, ND. View this large for a better understanding of how these old elevators were constructed, and to better see the decay taking place at the closest one.

Not Identical Twins. I’m still working on that crazy Sunday set. Lepine Grain Elevators. Just about all that’s left of the town of Lepine, Saskatchewan: two grain elevators.

Through the bushes

This is what I do for fun… Another look at those neat old grain elevators at St. Joe in western Ramsey County, and another “gratuitous pickup shot”. But this also shows what I do for fun. I explore gravel roads and photograph those things that catch my interest.

Source:

http://www.ama.ab.ca/westworld/?/articles/hold_that_elevator/

Source: Westworld, By: John Cambell

The big lone bull stepped out of the aspens near sundown.
“What do you think?” asked my friend Phil Despins, wondering aloud whether I shared his hunch that this animal might be dangerous. One thing was clear to us: we were not in a good position tactically for a sudden encounter with wild bison here on the southwest apron of isolated Prince Albert National Park, three hours north of Saskatoon.

Alberta buffalo

Not 15 metres away, and staring straight at us with obvious signs of agitation, he certainly looked every inch the malignant brute. Heavy, dark, unexpectedly massive and muscular, with a great shaggy cape and upward curving horns, the big bull was rocking back and forth, silhouetted in the declining light.

A safe retreat seemed out of the question – but there was an upside. Close-quarters experience with Saskatchewan’s major free-ranging bison herds was what we were after. And with this straggling member of the Sturgeon River herd, known to roam in and out of the park at will, up-close and personal was exactly what we were getting.

We’d spent the earlier part of the day following false leads through a maze of grid roads in and around the heavily forested 4,000-square-kilometre park, fielding ghostly reports concerning the whereabouts of the herd before we finally learned it tends to stay in the Amyot Lake area. Locals call this the “wild west” side of the park, which is, for the most part, inaccessible by public motorized vehicles. How to get there was the question. And with just a few hours of daylight left, we finally did the unthinkable: stopped at a gas station in the nearby village of Debden and asked for directions.

Overhearing our questions put to the clerk, a female customer offered a suggestion: “I’m not sure myself, but I’ll look up Ruben Vaadeland’s number for you. I bet he’ll know.” And he did.

Ruben is the 77-year-old patriarch of the Vaadeland family, a cowboying clan that has ranched along the Sturgeon River watershed on the southern border of the park since 1929, raising shorthorn cattle and children on the Lazy SV ranch. His countrified but otherwise precise directions to “stay on the speed curves” (the sweeping bends of gravelled Parkview Road trending northeast from Debden) put Phil and I within a kilometre or two of the park’s isolated west side warden’s office just before the day drew to a close.

Bison in the woods during the cold winters in Alberta- Elk Island national park

The Sturgeon River plains bison herd was reintroduced to the area in 1969 as a supplementary meat source for First Nations people. Initially, 50 head were brought here from Alberta’s Elk Island National Park and released into the Thunder Hills, north of Prince Albert National Park. The herd made its way south and, by 2006, had grown to an estimated population of 400.

But even though the group flourished, its relationship with local ranchers has not been an easy one. At times, the bison have been guilty of hooligan behaviour: smashing fences, competing with cattle for graze and even challenging male bovines for the cows at breeding time. “The cowboys have been hazing the herd out of the fields for the last couple days,” Ruben told us. “I’m sure you’ll find them around there.”

Alberta where the Buffalo Roam

So, with some persistence, we’d finally manoeuvred ourselves into this tension-filled predicament despite the obvious warning signs: steaming clods of dung amid hammered-down clumps of trees where the massive creatures had barrelled upslope from the Sturgeon River. Though the rest of the herd had already moved deeper into the thicker woods surrounding Amyot Lake, this lone male had lingered on the threshold between ranchland and parkland, seemingly awaiting our arrival.

But suddenly, with the same ethereal speed with which he’d materialized, the menace was gone. He simply bolted with a kangaroo leap up a short incline and feathered into the darkening woods that closed behind him like a curtain. The show was over. “Now that was real,” said Phil, his voice filled with both relief and admiration. It was the vanishing act that startled us the most. We simply had no idea a creature weighing close to a ton could move like that.

“We call them ‘bachelors’ and they can run at about the same speed as a horse,” Ruben Vaadeland’s son Gord informs us later of the aging bulls who choose solitary lives, and who can often be more aggressive and unpredictable than the other males. The younger Vaadeland recently splintered off part of the family’s Lazy SV to start the Sturgeon River guest ranch, which takes clients by horseback to within spitting distance of the herd. “Bison seem to have an extra level of tolerance for horses and we’re usually able to ride within 50 yards of them,” says Gord, who has hosted university researchers, grade-school education experiences and even Terry Grant, the steely-eyed star of OLN’s Mantracker series in which Vaadeland appears for an episode as “sidekick.”

Bison feeding

“A favourite time for me is in August when the rut starts,” he says. “The young bulls are getting tossed around and there’s dirt flying everywhere. Plus, it’s loud: you can hear them grunting from the other side of the river.”

Gord Vaadeland is also the executive director of the local Sturgeon River Plains Bison Stewards whose short-term goal is to create an environment where co-existence between ranchers and bison is possible. The herd’s presence here is a direct connection to a traditional cowboy way of life that Vaadeland reminds us “is in jeopardy too.”

Free-ranging herds of Alberta buffalo

If you don’t appreciate the romance of the Old West, you probably wouldn’t bother rambling around the province for a glimpse of the free-ranging herds that have been so recently reintroduced to sprawling Saskatchewan. For those who do, there are options. About seven hours south of the Sturgeon River herd, another 70 bison live in a fenced-in 180-square-kilometre area of Grasslands National Park. A herd of 50 takes up residence in the Old Man on His Back Prairie and Conservation Area, an hour west. A further 35 mosey in a secure paddock with a viewing tower at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park, 25 km northeast of Moose Jaw in the Qu’Appelle Valley. Still another unmonitored herd free-ranges in the Primrose Lake Air Weapons Range north of Meadow Lake.

The term “free-ranging” is a relative one. It would be a stretch to say that even the Sturgeon River herd can come and go as its ancestors did when an estimated 60 million roamed as far south as Texas. And as committed as westerners are to the iconography of the legendary buffalo, history was hard on its species. An industry voice for domestic growers, the Canadian Bison Association reckons that by 1899 less than 1,000 remained in the aftermath of one reckless century of western expansion. “The complete loss of a species was prevented by the efforts of ranchers and conservationists in both Canada and the United States,” declares the CBA’s website.

Though it may be hard for die-hard conservationists to credit commercial bison operations with the resurgence of the species, Gord Vaadeland takes a conciliatory view. “Domestic growers have restored the relationship between man and bison,” he says. Indeed, a Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture survey found that the number of bison in the province had risen from less than 35,000 in 2001 to more than 57,000 in 2006 thanks mostly to the efforts of producers. The few hundred “free-ranging” bison must be seen in the context of the domestic growers’ success story. Saskatchewan’s bison population represents a quarter of Canada’s national herd of 220,000. 

Most official sources, including the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which now manages the Old Man on His Back herd, trace this repopulation back to two Metis men named Charles Allard and Michel Pablo who, in 1884, dismayed by the diminishing numbers of bison on the prairies, bought a small group of calves and nurtured them along until their numbers reached 800 by 1906. In 1909, members of the Allard-Pablo herd were shipped to Alberta’s newly created Elk Island National Park. Most of today’s purebred plains bison originate from that lot, including those at Sturgeon River, Grasslands and Old Man on His Back.

“If you hurry, you’ll see them just down the road,” says site host Sue Dumontel of the resident bison herd as we arrive on another crisp, sunny day at the interpretive centre of the 5,200-hectare Old Man on His Back, south of Saskatchewan’s storied Frenchman River valley. With its sweeping, wide-open vistas, pronghorn antelope and views of Montana’s Bear’s Paw mountain range rising on a clear day, this is quite literally a place where you could watch your dog run away for three days. It’s also a region steeped in the lore of Canada’s Old West and in a semicircular arc from this point are some of its most dramatic touchstones: Fort Walsh at Battle Creek, the site of the Cypress Hills Massacre; the Red Coat Trail, the pipeline for the arrival of the North West Mounted Police; Eastend, home of the T-Rex “Scotty,” and his fossilized remains; Grasslands National Park, and nearby Wood Mountain, where Sitting Bull led the remnants of his Sioux nation after Little Bighorn. Even now, it’s not difficult to imagine that there was once a time when the rising, falling swells of this still sparsely populated mixed-grass prairie were black with bison.

Signage makes finding the Old Man on His Back centre, a few miles of gravel off Hwy. 18, straightforward enough, though only 336 people visited last year. The gravel roads can turn slick and impassable in the rain, but it’s mostly the isolated feel of this country that takes it off the tourism mainstream. Yet here, under the dome of an endless blue sky, and on this vast stretch of open grass, the buffalo seem timeless and perfect.

Bison in the Elk Island national park, Alberta

Sue is right, the herd is on the road, where it seems content to stay. With Phil and I on this prairie tableau is a member of the Archaeological Society of Alberta, Marlin Sercombe, who shares our reverence for the western story. We approach the herd with caution, although Sue has advised us that we’re past the spring calving season, the most dangerous time to be near the animals.

Because we need photos, Marlin and I advance on foot toward the watchful herd, while Phil mans his big four-by-four for a quick pickup, just in case. One of the ground rules is that you stay in a vehicle at all times, and we heartily endorse this. After Sturgeon River, there’s no doubt in our minds that a pursuing bison could quickly reel in a man afoot – especially here in the open. Our next moves come unrecommended.

Step by step we draw nearer to the herd, which is now perhaps 100 metres away. That’s close enough, says the body language of two adult females who, with tails swishing, turn their full attention on us. We back up slowly toward the truck and watch the herd depart the road, plotting a quick-stepping course onto the yawning prairie.

Undaunted, we follow behind, gingerly picking a tacking approach. The herd is now definitely on guard, and we know we’re pushing our luck. Still, astonishingly, the herd temporarily disappears from view in the folds of the land. Now it’s apparent why buffalo hunts were not always a success. The enormity of the land can swallow whole even North America’s largest land mammal.

When they re-emerge, we again press forward in an angling manoeuvre. Gradually we close the distance, realizing that what we’re doing is dumb, but relishing the primal joy of stalking an Ice Age survivor. Then, without notice, the herd makes an abrupt U-turn and within moments we find ourselves corralled. With deft skill, Phil eases his truck to our position and we clamber inside, seconds before the big, brown forms completely surround the vehicle.

The herd tolerates the truck as Phil gingerly picks a line through their mass and takes us out onto the main road. Once we’re clear, he pulls over to inspect his vehicle. “You know you’re having a good day when you get buffalo crap on your tires,” he says with a grin.

Alberta Bison Spotting – Wood Buffalo National Park

Established in 1922 and straddling the border between Alberta and the Northwest Territories, the 45,000-square-kilometre Wood Buffalo National Park is both remote and alluring. Park officials caution visitors that weather, wildlife and road conditions all require preparation, but the rewards for the hardy explorer are immense. A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, Wood Buffalo is home to bears, wolves, eagles and at least three “at risk” species: the peregrine falcon, the whooping crane and the wood bison.

Larger and darker in colour than their plains cousins, the wood-bison herd in this park numbered 5,600 as of 2005, which officially makes it the largest free-roaming herd left in the world.

Elk Island National Park

Just a one-hour drive east of downtown Edmonton lies the opportunity to see, not just one, but two unique groups of bison co-existing in Elk Island National Park. The park has maintained a wood bison herd since 1965 — when a group of 18 was brought south from Wood Buffalo National Park. The plains bison arrived much earlier, during the park’s formative years, between 1907 and 1909.

What’s the easiest way to tell these hulking relatives apart? Just look for the plains bison’s telltale drooping beard, its full cape and thick chaps. The wood bison, meanwhile, is bigger as a breed, but its beard is straggly and short, its cape tight to the shoulders and its chaps notably absent, the poor fella.

Source: www.ama.ca

By: Zdenko Kahlina

The Sydney Harbour Bridge
It is the most famous bridge in Australia. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is located opposite the Sydney Opera House and close to Circular Quay. You can certainly find the Sydney Harbour Bride on most postcards, souvenirs and any tourist guides. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House are iconic images of both Sydney and Australia.

The Coathanger – Beautiful Sydney Harbour Bridge

Much of Sydney is built around this epic harbour lined with beaches and hidden coves and dotted with islands. Stretching 20 kms from the sea to the mouth of the Parramatta River, ferries, sailboats, and multi-million dollar yachts cross the harbour throughout the day.

Sydney is Australia’s largest city and perhaps, its most romanticized city. With a population of 4.2 million and a size equal to that of greater London, Sydney truly is a place to visit in Australia. Our first full day in touring the Sydney, began with a walk around the Sydney’s Darling harbour, we boarded the ‘Magistic’ cruise for a 2 hour trip around the bay and we walked around the amazing Sydney Harbour Bridge. We didn’t cross the bridge until few days later.

Arial view of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the bay

The Sydney Harbour Bridge, also affectionately known as the ‘Coathanger’, was opened on March 19th 1932 by Premier Jack Lang, after six years of construction. Made of steel the bridge contains 6 million hand driven rivets. The surface area that requires painting is equal to about the surface area of 60 sports fields. The Bridge has huge hinges to absorb the expansion caused by the hot Sydney sun. You will see them on either side of the bridge at the footings of the Pylons. The views and photo opportunities are fantastic. There is a great display on how the thing was built. It has a similar place in Sydney history to the Statue of Liberty in New York as far as many migrants to Australia go.

Walk across the Bridge
The bridge walk is about 1.5 km. We started at Milsons Point Railway Station, a short distance from the north end of the bridge. We left our car on a small parking lot, almost under the bridge. From the Broughton Street turn right and walk towards the city and up the stairs on the eastern footway of the bridge.

Ahead are the northern pylons with the southern pair in the distance. These granite faced concrete boxes serve no structural purpose. The Commissioner for Railways, James Fraser, recommended they be omitted to save the money. However, they stayed, because Bradfield’s view that they were an essential architectural feature of the bridge prevailed.

The northern pylons

These granite faced concrete pylons serve no structural purpose

The walk ends at the stairs leading down to Cumberland Street in the city, a short distance from Circular Quay and Wynyard Station. There are stairs leading to the footway at each end of the bridge. Allow two hours for the walk, including a visit to the pylon lookout and museum at the southern end of the bridge. You can have a close hand look while you are in Sydney by visiting the South Eastern Pylon. It is a walking trip and recommended for the fit only. It is a longish walk to get to the base of the Pylon and then there are 200 steps to the top. There is no charge to walk across the bridge by the footway, but there is a charge ($15 for adult) for the optional visit to the lookout and museum.

Immediately after leaving the pylon to continue our walk towards the city, look down at the shoreline below to see a rectangular ferry dock. Vehicular ferries and a horse-ferry for horse drawn transport used this dock up to the time the bridge was opened.

The southern pylons

Walking across the Bridge in the rain: Vera and Zdenko

When you reach the city end of the footway, look right to see the tunnel entrances down which the trams ran to and from Wynyard. The tunnels are now a car park. It was raining when we were there, so my pictures didn’t turn that well as I was expecting. But it rained most of our stay in Sydney, so we had no choice, but to be tourists even on rainy days like this.

Pylon lookout and museum at the southern end of the bridge.

After crossing the bridge we walked down the stairs to a tourist area called The Rocks, wandered around Circular Quay (which is more square than circular) and then ventured up the steps of the Sydney Opera House. It’s an amazing sight to see first hand, after only seeing it on the telly, and builds excitement for some of the other monuments we’ll visit in the next few days. We then walked down through the Botanic Gardens and down to the Sydney Aquarium. Having never visited an Aquarium (where have I been my whole live) I was pretty gob smacked. Rip out the Adelaide Zoo and replace it with one of these, it’s an absolutely amazing experience. The underwater tunnels where Sharks, Fish, Rays and Eels share a tank and swim right overhead is really something to see.

Tourists on top of the bridge

Climbing the Bridge – Not worth the money charged
To be fair, we didn’t climb the bridge because my friend warned me that it was very expensive and not worth the money charged. I am not the ideal audience for the Bridge Climb anyways, as I am scared of heights, I hate touristy things, and I can think of a lot of things I would rather do with a few hundred dollars that don’t combine droves of tourists at heights. The only reason I would probable do it anyway, would be to take photos with my camera, from the top of the bridge. But picture taking is not allowed!!! It is especially painful to be parted from your camera, as there are fantastic views. I don’t understand their logic and reasoning behind this. They are saying that any objects like cameras, could be dropped, which could be fatal for someone below. They are prohibiting cameras, but they are selling their own photos. This would be OK if they were not so expensive. Eight pics run about 50 or 60 AUS dollars. That said, if you do the climb, I can just about guarantee you will be talking about it for a long time.

My friends and I walked the bridge instead – for free!! It was just as satisfying as climbing, but saved us significant amount of money, and we did it in less than 2 hours.

Group of tourists on top of the bridge – Impressive!

Here is how others described climbing the Sydney bridge event:
It was as expected. Lots of people in lines, putting on clothes that made the whole thing seem like a bigger deal than it was, then getting in other lines to slowly go across a bridge that was, even at that height, pretty boring. The views were nice, but certainly were not worth the price. We spent more time getting dressed, getting a safety briefing, waiting, getting undressed, and putting all of our equipment away, than we actually spent on the bridge.

We were not allowed to take anything with you at all. It’s quite energetic – over 1000 steps, so feel free to take it easy and don’t feel pressurized to keep up. I can be a bit afraid of heights, but as you are attached in a way that makes it impossible to disconnect yourself it didn’t worry me at all, even the steep ladders. However, it would theoretically be possible to fall down a ladder, though there are special guides to keep an eye on those bits in case anything did happen. There is a continuous stream of groups going through, so you can sometimes feel like going through a sausage machine!

View of the bridge and the city from northern side

Our docent was very accommodating and informative. It can be a bit exciting if you have issues with heights but most get over their fears pretty quickly. Safety is a priority – everything is well tied down so you can’t lose anything like hats, glasses, etc. And climbers are harnessed to secure cables on the railings at ALL times. I have two gripes, one minor, one a bit more significant. The first one (minor) is that it is a bit difficult finding start of the climb. It’s in a somewhat out of the way location.

The bigger one is photography. I understand their concern for safety but I think the bigger concern is revenue. They are moving a lot of groups through the tours close together so they need to keep people moving (which would leave little time for straggling photo hounds).

When you look at a photo of the bridge, look at where the flags are on top – that’s where we were! It felt like a real achievement until I realized that well over 2 million people have done it in around 10 years of the tour running. Oh well, at least the views were great. But a grand old bridge it is, and one you will remember it whenever you think of Sydney after your visit.

Moral of the story – if you have wanted to do this your entire life, then you will probably think it is awesome. If you don’t really want to go and think it sounds lame and overpriced, you will likely leave feeling violated.

Conclusion
My impression of Sydney is a big, busy place with layers of history and interesting stories underneath the more renowned cosmopolitan lifestyle. From an outsiders point of view it’s a beautiful city, its famous Harbour is alive with interesting activity and its city centre seems to hide many surprises such as old pubs, street markets and classic architecture. Sydney’s China town and Chinese Garden in the middle of the city are very impressive!

There seem to be more tourists in the city than actual Sydney-siders, but it’s nice to think they’re interested in Australia enough to visit. I can imagine living here would be quite exhausting, but to visit and relax around the place… and to be seen! Sydney is a pretty great place to spend your time.

Sydney Harbour Bridge – The Coathanger

Sydney Harbour Bridge History
The displaced peoples of Europe who came to Australia in the days of the grand ships can get very misty when you ask them what they felt when they saw this grand old arch on their arrival in Sydney from the aftermath of World War Two as they sailed up Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour). The old Bridge has been replaced as “the” landmark of Sydney by the bold architecture of the Opera House.

When it opened it cost a car six pence to cross. A horse and rider was 3 pence. These days a return trip (for some reason the only kind) costs about $3-4 dollars. Price changes throughout the day. Horses and riders are banned, that’s the changing times. You can walk across free and you are allowed to bicycle in a special lane. Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world’s largest (but not longest as that’s the New River Gorge in the USA) steel arch bridge, and, in its beautiful harbour location, has become a renowned international symbol of Australia.

Its total length including approach spans is 1,149 meters and its arch span is 503 meters. The top of the arch is 134 meters above sea level and the clearance for shipping under the deck is a spacious 49 meters. The total steelwork weighs 52,800 tones, including 39,000 tones in the arch. The 49 meter wide deck makes Sydney Harbour Bridge the widest Longspan Bridge in the world. It now carries eight vehicle lanes, two train lines, a footway and a cycleway.

After inviting worldwide tenders in 1922, the New South Wales Government received twenty proposals from six companies and on 24 March 1924; the contract (for Australian 4,217,721 pounds 11 shillings and 10 pence!) was let to the English firm Dorman Long and Co of Middlesbrough.

The general design was prepared by Dr J.J.C Bradfield and officers of the NSW Department of Public Works, while the detailed design and crucial erection process were undertaken by the contractors consulting engineer Mr (later Sir) Ralph Freeman of Sir Douglas Fox and Partners and his associate Mr. G.C Imbault. Some other designs that where not chosen can be found here. As Chief Engineer of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Metropolitan Railway Construction from 1912, Dr Bradfield is regarded as the “father” of the Bridge as it was his vision, enthusiasm, engineering expertise and detailed supervision of all aspects of its construction which brought Sydney’s long held dream into reality.

The contractors, under Director of Construction, Lawrence Ennis, set up two workshops at Milsons Point on the North Shore. Here, the steel (79% imported from England, 21% from Australian sources) was fabricated into girders etc. The foundations for the four main bearings, which carry the full weight of the main span were dug to a depth of 12.2 metres and filled with special reinforced high-grade concrete laid in hexagonal formations.

The four impressive, decorative 89 meter high pylons are made of concrete, faced with granite, quarried near Moruya, where about 250 Australian, Scottish and Italian stonemasons and their families lived in a temporary settlement. Three ships were specifically built to carry the 18,000 cubic meters of cut, dressed and numbered granite blocks, 300km north to Sydney.

After the approach spans were erected, work began on the main arch. Two half-arches were built out progressively from each shore, each held back by 128 cables anchored underground through U-shaped tunnels. Steel members were fabricated in the workshops, placed onto barges, towed into position on the harbour and lifted up by two 580 tone electrically operated creeper cranes, which erected the half-arches before them as they traveled forward.

There was great excitement on 20 August 1930 after the arch was successfully joined at 10pm the night before. The steel decking was then hung from the arch and was all in place within nine months, being built from the centre outwards to save time moving the cranes. As the project neared completion, the last of approximately six million Australian made rivets were driven through the deck on 21 January 1932. In February 1932 the Bridge was test loaded using up to 96 steam locomotives placed in various configurations.

The official opening day on Saturday 19 March 1932

Traffic on the bridge in 1956

The official opening day on Saturday 19 March 1932 was a momentous occasion, drawing remarkable crowds (estimated between 300,000 and one million people) to the city and around the harbour foreshores. The NSW Premier, the Hon. John T. Lang, officially declared the Bridge open. However, the Premier enlivened proceedings when Captain Francis De Groot of the para-military group, the New Guard, slashed the ribbon prematurely with his sword, prior to the official cutting. This incident caused both amusement and dismay on the day and has since become part of Australian folklore. The opening celebrations included a vast cavalcade of decorated floats, marching groups and bands proceeding through the city streets and across the deck in a pageant of surprising size and quality, considering the economic depression.

The celebrations continued with a gun-salute, a procession of passenger ships under the Bridge, a ‘venetian’ carnival, a fly-past, fireworks, sports carnivals and exhibitions. After the pageant the public was allowed to walk across the deck…an event not repeated until the 50th anniversary of the Bridge in 1982. Some enthusiastic ones celebrated by unofficially climbing up the arch.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an essential artery feeding traffic to and from Sydney.

I was glad to be there, see the bridge and experience city of Sydney!

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Gold Coast Hinterland – Mount Tamborine
The “Green behind the Gold” is the term given to the lush hinterland that sweeps up from the golden beaches of the Gold Coast to mountains, plateaus, gorges and valleys that remain at peace with nature. They contain a storehouse of environmental treasures now fully protected in vast swathes of pristine country under the banner of World Heritage Listing as the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves).

Mount Tamborine is in Queensland hinterlands

Just 30 minutes inland from the Gold Coast beaches is the Hinterland which has sub tropical rainforest hills and mountains. This lush mountain plateau offers breathtaking views of the Hinterland ranges and the Gold Coast. It is a world of subtropical rainforests, waterfalls and associated wilderness. It was raining in Broadbeach since our arrival (three days in a row!!) and by now it was time to head inland instead to the beaches.

The drive up to the hinterlands from Broadbeach takes you by the Surfers Paradise, and through the small towns of Benowa, Carrara and Nerang in the north/west direction. The road will lead you out past an area of acreage properties and then up the mountain to Tamborine Village where you’ll probably want to spend some time. Head over to North Tamborine and you’ll see signs pointing to various bushwalks and National Parks. There are plenty of short strolls around the mountain into gorgeous rainforests. If you’re hungry grab some morning tea at a coffee house and then head over to Eagle Heights and back down the Mountain to Nerang. You should arrive in Nerang at about midday. There’ll be a bit of traffic if you leave on a Saturday morning, but nothing that would compare to a major city.

Further on as we drove up to the top of Green Mountain we found Mountview Alpaca Farm which has a real estate office, coffee shop and gift store selling a range of clothing made from the soft wool of the Alpaca. The coffee shop at Mountview Alpaca Farm has a great view through the mountains down over the valley. On a sunny day that is! But when we were there, clouds were very low and it was raining heavily.

The coffee shop at the Tamborine mountain

There are a number of large National Parks that make up the hinterland. Tamborine National Park, Lamington National Park and Springbrook National Park are protected lands to ensure the fauna and flora are protected.

The hinterlands are made up of an extinct volcanic range which formed the peaks and valleys. There are plenty of things to do in the hinterlands including canopy walks through the tropical rainforest, bird feeding, visiting wineries and visiting the hundreds of arts and craft stores throughout the small villages and towns found in the Hinterland. Because of the falling rain we couldn’t do many of those things.

The area does produce crops on a small scale and there are plenty of roadside stalls to purchase the kiwifruit, passion fruit, avocados, rhubarb, apples and mangoes. If you like walking trails there are many and varied to choose from. If like me you prefer a less energetic way to get the most from your visit, there is a Trolley car style tourist operation offering a variety of tours in sit down comfort. The system features a hop on-hop off route that allows you to see as much or as little as you wish. It’s a great idea. When you do hop off you can be refreshed in any manner of ways in any number of places as coffee shops abound, and if you care to, take advantage of the wine tasting. Yup, they have grapes even up here.

When we were there, it was raining all day long

There is quite a diverse range of wildlife found throughout the Hinterland including kangaroos, wallabies, platypus, wombats and a range of tropical birds like the Australian King Parrot, Crimson Rosella and Albert’s lyrebird. There are also some interested insects including the glowworms.

There are a number of impressive waterfalls throughout the hinterlands including Purlingbrook Falls at Springbrook, Twinfalls Canyon, Cameron Falls and Cedar Creek Falls. The easiest of the waterfalls to visit is Curtis Falls located within Tamborine National Park Joalah Section. That’s exactly what we did, because on a rainy day like this, we didn’t want to end up walking for a long time.

The Curtis Falls

The Curtis Falls
The Curtis Falls is a 10 minute drive from the Mount Tamborine village, then a short walk through the wet eucalypt forest. The round trip walk takes only around 30 minutes.

The Curtis Falls in Joalah Section of Mount Tamborine is one of the many walking tracks in Tamborine National Park. Near the beginning of the trail is a parking area, which also had two restrooms. The walking trail is quite short, only 1.5 km which consists of descending steps in the middle of the rainforest trees. The end of the trail is the pool below the water falls, which can be viewed from a fenced platform. No direct access allowed to the water area.

The walking trail is quite short

 The wet eucalypt forest

This is one amazing tree

The uniqueness of the Rainforests and Eucalyptus forests that make up the Tamborine Plateau.

The Eucalyptus forests trees

At the end of the trail, there was an impressive view of the falls and surrounding columnar basalt rock face. Swimming is prohibited at the falls. A restricted access area below Curtis Falls protects an important glow-worm colony.

By the pool below the water falls

The track continues from the falls, along a piccabeen palm-fringed creek to a giant strangler fig. Beyond this strangler fig, the lower Joalah track is closed for the safety reasons (due to rockfalls).

With Gold Coast located within an hour’s drive from this site, visitors have easy access to many popular attractions in the area. Tamborine Mountain Botanical Gardens are not-to-be-missed while in the mountain.

Driving through the rainforest

Wineries in the Hinterland
There are a number of wineries throughout the Hinterland with their cellar doors open to try their range of wines. Also the wineries have retails stores at Mount Tamborine for wine tasting. Wineries include O’Reilly’s Wines located in the Canungra Valley.

Marks & Gardner Gallery
During the ride, we stopped at the ‘Secret Garden’, because of its intrigue name. The gallery and café are located on the left side of the road. The Secret Garden Veranda Cafe is located on the rear deck, overlooking expansive gardens and lawns. Light lunches, coffee and cakes are served from Wednesday to Sunday 9 am to 4 pm.

Marks & Gardner Gallery @ Secret Garden

Set in five acres of rolling lawns central to wineries and national parks, “Marks & Gardner Gallery @ Secret Garden” is a unique destination for serious art and booklovers. The innovative exhibition program changes every 5 weeks and presents exhibitions by contemporary painters, sculptors, printmakers, jewellers & designers , together with focus exhibitions including original illustrations from children’s books and a biannual ceramic exhibition.

Secret Garden Bookshop specializes in Australian children’s books from birth to teen. The Bookshop also stocks an eclectic range of books for adults from literature to specialty themes. Regular book launches and workshops are held with authors and illustrators throughout the year and provide a unique opportunity to meet some of our well known Australian authors/illustrators.

Website: www.marksandgardner.com

Our small group in the ‘Secret Garden’

About Mount Tamborine
Located to the west of Surfers Paradise and less than one hours drive from either there or from Brisbane Central, Mt Tamborine is a place of beauty, never-ending views and a haven of markets, cafe’s and stalls.

In recent years it has become popular with visitors and many new Spa’s and Retreats have opened. Songbird’s Rainforest Retreat combines all of the natural elements of the area with tranquil settings, organic cooking and luxurious accommodation. So popular in fact is their restaurant that weekends require bookings well in advance as many of the regions locals choose this as an ideal getaway.

The population of Mt Tamborine has boomed in recent years as along with the rest of the Gold Coast, property has been sort out by southern state residents looking to make the sea change.

Avocados – Food of the Gods!

Tamborine Mountain Avocadoes – Food of the Gods!
Tamborine Mountain is known Australia wide for its plentiful, magnificent avocadoes that can be bought at the road side honesty stalls. When driving through the mountain, you’ll suddenly see the stand with avocadoes on the side of the road. There is nobody watching them. It’s all about trust. You pick your avocadoes and live $2 for each one you take with you.

Avocados for sale at the road side honesty stalls

 Self-serve with Avocados

They are available all year round, depending on the variety. At the moment the rough pebbly purple, black skinned Hass are in season: they have creamiest flesh of all the varieties. Split and consumed with nothing more than a good squeeze of lemon or lime juice or a flick of best olive oil and balsamic vinegar, flecks of sea salt and ground black pepper, it offers a sensuous solitary eating experience.

The flesh is smooth and creamy and the flavour nutty and rich. With a glass of chilled Witches Falls Verdelho it is a perfect little meal. Certainly greater more glamorous embellishments can be used, for the avocado is happy partner to all kinds of different flavour profiles – prawns, tomatoes, chillies, garlic, smoked chicken, crisp fried prosciutto or bacon to name but a few.

Return to the Gold Coast
Once we’ve been done for the day, we followed the signs to the Pacific Highway and Brisbane. We followed the road 90 through towns Mount Nathan, Clagiraba and Canungra. Once on the Pacific Highway (M1) make a right turn and head towards Surfers paradise again.

Tambourine Mountain was an interesting change from the Gold Coast in many ways.

By: Zdenko Kahlina

SHOCK, HORROR!!! It rained on the Gold Coast!
Imagine this, we just traveled across half of the world, from Canada to Australia, expecting to enjoy Australian summer and hot days. I have packed sun protection in my suitcase, only to arrive at Gold Coast in January for five days and it rained ALL the time.

Broadbeach is favourite destination
Broadbeach a long time favourite Gold Coast Queensland, destination for families and couples with its white sandy beaches, amazing ocean, parklands, playgrounds and picnic facilities. Just a few kilometres south of Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach is a great place for foodies, as it’s known as the Gold Coast’s central dining hub. There are loads of restaurants and bars offering a different taste of the world to try on every corner.

Arial view of Gold Coast

The apartments at The Wave, the place where we were staying, are just a short stroll to the magnificent, safe Kurrawa beach, patrolled by lifeguards, offering great surf and safe swimming. This beach is ideal for families and surfers alike when the weather is sunny and warm. But we had nothing of this. As I mentioned before, it rained all the time, and it was quite windy, so approaching the beach and the strong blowing wind coming from the ocean was not very pleasant. My wife only stepped in the water to her lower ankle. Even walking on the wet sand was like walking through the mud.

So, what else could we do when it’s raining all day long. Shopping! Because the weather didn’t cooperate with our plans for swimming, we added some shopping to the mix of rain and wet sand. Lining the streets of Broadbeach are boutiques and retail outlets and just across the road from central Broadbeach is the popular Pacific Fair Shopping Centre offering more than 130 stores so you can shop till you drop.

Surfers Paradise is really paradise!

Prize winning restaurants and cafes are in Broadbeach

Broadbeach: shopping at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre

If you are staying in Broadbeach and don’t wish to venture there are loads of options right at your fingertips. You can enjoy the shopping at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre around half of the complex is indoors and there is a cinema, you might also wish to poke around the boutiques in the Oasis Shopping Centre. Shops and restaurants are just minutes from the door and the major transport routes are all nearby. Once you’re done here you could slip across to Conrad Jupiter’s Casino for an affordable meal, a show or to try your luck!

If thrills and spills are more your style, from Broadbeach it is also easy to access the Gold Coast’s major theme parks: Movie World, Dreamworld, SeaWorld and Wet’n’Wild. Broadbeach offers a wonderful holiday experience that can be as casual and relaxed or as refined and energetic as you like.

When the average person thinks of Queensland’s Gold Coast, they usually think of Surfers Paradise. When surfers think of Surfers Paradise, they think of the waves just across the New South Wales border near Coolangatta. When the locals on the Gold Coast want to enjoy the best the region’s beaches have to offer, they think of Burleigh Heads.

Broadbeach Beaches
The enticingly pristine beaches in the Broadbeach are what make it one of most popular tourist destinations in Australia. The long stretch of fine sand and sparkling blue waters as well as the contagiously laidback ambience is among the reasons why people continue to flock this marvelous beachside suburb.

Kurrawa beach, is patrolled by lifeguards

No swimming: All we could do on Kurrawa beach, was to get our feet wet!

In Broadbeach: Beautiful trail parallel with the Kurrawa beach.

Guests at our affordable Broadbeach accommodation can spend their days frolicking at the beach. The temperate waters and tides make it appropriate for swimming, parasailing and surfing. In case someone might want to get a crash course on how to hang ten, there are several surfing schools are nearby. Broadbeach also boasts of having two patrolled beaches that will ensure holiday makers’ safety while at the beach. Aside from surfing and swimming, you may also stroll along the nearby beachfront cafes and shops that offer a variety of delightful delicacies and charming trinkets.

Broadbeach Shopping
Holiday makers at our family accommodation Gold Coast can opt to spend a bit of leisurely shopping spree at the nearby Pacific Fair Shopping Centre and also at the Oasis. As one of the biggest retail centers in the region, the Pacific Fair houses a complete line on some of the most exquisite local and international consumer brands ranging from fabulous clothes and accessories to gift items and home wares. Moreover, shoppers can avail of excellent services at the specialty shops or even perhaps indulge in a relaxing treatment at the beauty and wellness salons. There are also plenty of restaurants and cafes conveniently located inside the mall.

Vera in Broadbeach shopping center

Broadbeach Dining
Have your fill of the most scrumptious gastronomy in the region. Undoubtedly, the most prize winning restaurants and cafes in the Gold Coast are found in Broadbeach. There’s definitely always something that will surely tickle your taste buds. Trendy and innovative, most restaurants in Broadbeach offer delectably diverse international cuisines that can cater to your taste and means as well as your varying appetite.

Broadbeach Nightlife
When it comes to nightlife and entertainment, Broadbeach is relatively more toned down than Surfers Paradise but it never falls short of providing a tremendous party scene at the trendiest nightclubs and bars located nearby our Broadbeach holiday accommodation. If you to enjoy an exciting game nights you can always drop by the extravagant Jupiter’s Casino. Not merely an excellent venue for business conference, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre also holds venues for huge sporting and concert events that everyone enjoy.

Broadbeach is distinctly different, discover the ingredients to a picture-perfect holiday – The simple pleasures of a day at the beach, dinner at an ultra-sophisticated restaurant or lunch at a relaxing café. Barbeques and picnics in the park on a picture perfect Broadbeach day, a night of world-class entertainment, dancing and perfect options for your romantic getaway or family holiday.

You can shop until you drop in Broadbeach at one of the hundreds of stores at Pacific Fair, the Oasis Shopping Centre, Niecon Plaza and a variety of boutiques.

The Australian Outback Spectacular show – Spirit of the Horse – With a tribute to Phar Lap (horse).
When our friends booked this show I had no idea of what I was to see. We went in with an open mind and as soon as the show began, we knew it was about Australia and the outback. Australian Outback Spectacular is a permanent attraction situated around 20 minutes inland from Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast between Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet’n’Wild Water World on the Pacific Motorway, Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland.

The show was all about horses and Australia heritage

Bluey rabbiting…

By the camp fire in the Australian outback.

The show was fantastic! It was like watching two different shows: Spirit of the Horse and Phar Lap. In the first part of the show they portray the outback and Australian way off life. Second part of the show was dedicated to remarkable tale of Phar Lap, one of Australian horse racing history’s most dramatic story that combines all the elements necessary to make it an all time favorite. A Thoroughbred horse with inauspicious beginnings that almost never got the chance to race, people who believed in him and risked much to earn him a chance, people ready to kill him in order to further their criminal agenda, triumph over the odds, and a tragic ending. The name Phar Lap comes from a dialect of Thai, and means “Lightning”, or “Sky Flash” which turned out to be a most prescient moniker.

The Show starts and it does not stop, it has you enthralled from start to finish. Both shows were magnificent!! Venue is fantastic, pre entertainment of singing, poetry, a stroll around a few horses and the opportunity to have a photo with a beautiful Australian cattle dog or two. Of course there’s also the gift shop, very reasonably priced and the Bar. Seating and viewing is so well designed, comfortable and there is no blocked views.

Spirit of the Horse – With a tribute to Phar Lap

Meal is 10/10 considering it’s ‘Bulk’ cooking for around 2000 people. 3 courses !! Good Aussie tender steak and veggies as a main. At the same time they came Back filling my beer glass with great Australian beer. They don’t skimp on serving the alcohol either. Considering Meal, Drinks and show(s) are all included in ticket price… It is very reasonable. You need to Book Tickets. A must see if you visit the gold coast!

Spectacular show!

2018 Commonwealth Games
Queensland’s favorite tourist destination, the Gold Coast, has won the right to host 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Commowealth Games are proposed to be held between 4 and 15 April, 2018. The Games will see infrastructure development, stimulation and diversification of the local economy. The Gold Coast is very strong on a sport level. Bernard Tomic, highest ranked Australian male professional tennis player lives there. Interestingly he has Croatian heritage like me. Professional cyclist Robbie McEwan grew up in the suburbs on the south side of Brisbane. This is just to name the two of most successful sportsman from the Gold Coast.

The Wave Apartments
I want to describe place where we were staying in Broadbeach. The tower is called ‘The Wave’. This is a high-rise building with the modern apartment’s, with an amazing rooftop pool and deck. The Wave Apartments were built around 2006. They are situated right in the heart of Broadbeach – just pop downstairs and there are restaurants and cafes galore. Just a one minute walk away is the Oasis Shopping Centre with a supermarket and several levels of shops. Walk across the plaza and you can take the monorail directly to the Casino for $2. Kurrawa Park (the huge foreshore park) is about 300 meters away via the Broadbeach Mall, and then stroll across the lawns to the actual beach.

The Wave Apartments

Our apartment was a two bedroom suite with the ocean view from the 23 floor. This was obviously amazing, 2 bedrooms with the views of the ocean and many other buildings surrounding us. This two bedroom apartment was very spacious, clean and tidy. Every room had a separate in-suite bathroom with shower and big closet, almost like two separate suites. Both bedrooms and bathrooms had plenty of space too. Nice big showers in both bathrooms. The bed was a bit hard and the pillows were awful round spongy things (my only little niggle about an otherwise excellent apartment). Apartment was clean and comfortable, good kitchen area with oven, double fridge/freezer, microwave, stovetop and dishwasher. Separate laundry area with dryer and drying rack. The view was amazing!!

Open space: living room with the kitchen

50” TV and ocean view thru the window.

Apartment had everything we needed, very clean and modern. Yes, it was a little noisy with the neighboring shopping centre’s fans and the entertainment venues in the mall, but once you close the doors, it was fine. If you’re worried about noise, make sure you go as high up as possible.

Balcony was very spacious with amazing ocean view.

View of the pool from above

There are 2 heated pools, one on the 4th floor and another small pool at the top of the building. One of the best features of The Wave Apartments is the 34th floor rooftop deck. There’s a guest lounge, BBQ facilities, sauna and a small pool. The views from this deck are amazing both day and night (bring your camera!), so don’t worry if your room doesn’t have the best view, just pop up to the deck! We were also using very modern and well equipped fitness center, which was located on the 4th floor, at the same level as the outdoor pool. Underground parking was very easy to use and accessible, numbered allocated car parks in a secured area.

Pool was on a fourth level

The only slightly annoying thing about my stay was the high level of security. Your key came with a “fob” which you were forced to swipe every time you pressed a floor button inside the lift, to exit the lower levels of the car park area, and even to enter and leave the 34th level rooftop deck. Seems a bit of security overkill, as to get to the rooftop desk you must have swiped the fob in the lift. You also need your actual key if you’re putting the rubbish down the chute near the outside fire escape, otherwise you’ll be locked out of the building, so always carry your keys with you!

The were restaurants everywhere around Broadbeach

The Wave Resort is in a great location and worth paying the extra for ocean view, but either way a great view of the hinterland as well. The Wave Staff were very polite, always had a smile and a good morning. Location is perfect close to the beach. Many shops and restaurants right outside. It was a very enjoyable stay at The Wave thanks to its central location, modern apartments and fantastic staff. Highly recommended!

Zdenko, Vera, Durdja and Ivan on top floor of  ‘The Wave’

Huge thanks to our friends who made all the arrangements and paid for it all!!

By: Dumneazu

Korcula is as far south as we got in the Adriatic.Located within a day’s sail of Dubrovnik, it was the town that offered the best ferry connection back to Split. We moored in the town marina in the middle of a flotilla of Italian millionaires and their private yachts.

Korcula is yet another of the small Venetian walled cities that make up the Dalmatian coast, yet it plays its one tourist trump card full blast. Korcula claims to be the birth place of Marco Polo, the 15th century Venetian merchant traveller who visited China. Korcula’s claims are not holding water with histoprians very well, and are baqsed on the fact that some families on the island are named “Di Polo” even today. But a tourist trap needs bait, and Korcula dearly wants to be that trap.

Mind you, history has no actual record that Marco Polo was born here. He was a Venetian, and Venetians moved around a lot as traders within their own realm, which included Korcula. But Korcula needed a tourist draw, and so various houses were claimed as “Marco Polo’s Birth House” until finally a particular tower, located conveniently near the church, was designated the official Marco Polo House. Except that it dates from about two centuries after Polo was born.

Tourist trap or not, Korcula remains a pretty honest destinataion for hungry sailors and thousands of British and Australian tourists. Captain Squid and Mate Froggette, looking suitably tanned, await their langoustines.

Above is the pršut station at the Konoba Marco Polo. Dalmatia’s take on prosciutto, pršut is a ham served in transluscently thin slices and it beats all other pig meat to hell. Some of the best is made on the high, dry mountainsides that rim the Adriatic going up towrds Bosnia. One friend of Captain Squid in Split is a sailor who is essentially a vegetarian – except that the only meat he will eat is pršut. It’s that good. Croatian vegetarians make an exception for pršut.

Mussel soup.

Grilled Squid.

Black rissoto called crni rizot. This is prepared from cuttlefish, which is a bonier relative of the squid, and which also has a lot of deep black ink, which flavors the dish and dyes it a jet black. It looks disgusting, I know, but it may be one of the best seafood dishes on earth.

A five hour ferry ride (air conditioning!) brought us back to Split to catch our midnight sleeper train back to Budapest. After wandering around the Palace of Diocletian (the 4th century Roman Emporer best remembered for feeding early Roman Christians to the lions) we took dinner at our favorite Croatian Konoba – the almost invisible Fife’s. Located way down the northern end of the Split Riva, almost on the waterfront itself, Fife is informal, cheap, defiantly local, and possibly the best food in Split.

I won’t be posting much in the next week – I’ll be teaching and performing Klezmer music in Poland. When I get back there should be lots of pictures of klobasa and burek… but it sure ain’t the Adriatic.

Posted by dumneazu

http://www.horinca.blogspot.com/

More wonderful blogs about Croatia’s food and Adriatic coast, from the same author can be found here:

http://horinca.blogspot.com/search/label/croatia

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Blue Mountains Australia – New South Wales Travel
We went to the Blue Mountains on our first trip to Sydney, Australia. It was impossible to miss the Blue Mountains main destination: town of Katoomba. Though the weather didn’t fully cooperate, we had a great time, because our friends who live in Sydney were good guides. They’ve been there before…

Where are the Blue Mountains? About 1 hour by road in the car, or 2 hours by rail west of Sydney. If you have only one day, and are not renting a car, take a day tour from Sydney. Tours leave early (6 a.m. is not unusual) and get back late, around 6 p.m. You can also take the train or tour bus for the day.

If you are self-driving, (remember they drive on the left!), try to time your arrival in Katoomba as early in the day as you can. Traffic around Sydney and suburbs can be heavy at peak hours. At the Blue Mountains, there is parking near the major attractions (note they close around 5 p.m.), though parking fills up fast on busy summer weekends.

If you have time to stay several days, then do, especially if you enjoy hiking and exploring the rainforest and watching for ‘exotic’ birds. There are lots of places to stay, from bed and breakfast to hostels and hotels. Stay for one or even two weeks, and you’ll have lots of trails to walk and sights to see.

How Much Do Tours to the Blue Mountains Cost ? Organized day tour excursions prices vary according to what’s included, of course. Expect to pay upwards of $100/day to start for a day trip; and upwards of $300 for a multi day trip. If you have three days, then look for City Rail (train) Blue Mountains Explorer packages.

How Much to Scenic World Rides Cost? There are several packages available at Scenic World, and some tour companies will offer packages of their own, based on the most popular rides. My one-way ticket on the Trainway cost $11 AUD (about the same in USD or CAD, at the time of my visit). See Scenic World site for pricing information.

Best Time to Travel: The Australian summer months (December, January, February) are when most visitors and locals head for the Blue Mountains, especially on weekends. Leura is a charming little town with lots of cute shops, trendy restaurants, a golf course. Katoomba shows its coal town roots. Both areas have wonderful older homes and gardens.

So, together we explored beautiful Katoomba. Off we went to Scenic World, to walk down the Furber Steps near Katoomba Falls, then followed Prince Henry Cliff Walk to the Three Sisters at Echo Point.

Katoomba the main centre in the Blue Mountains (Australia) with a population of approx 12,000. An alternative style town where people escape the big smoke for clean air and nature at your doorstep. Home to lots of artists, actors, grungy hippies, dropouts and millions of tourists. But more than anything, Katoomba is surrounded by a beautiful national parks and clean air.

The town is over 1000m above sea level or 3336 feet high and usually gets snow during the winter. Strangely the winter is the busiest tourist season with everyone coming up for Yule fests and sitting around fireplaces.

It was a beautiful day when we were there so I thought I would capture a few images of everything within a 30 minute walk of the town centre.

Enjoy the picture gallery:

Katoomba Density

Katoomba Landmark old Smokey in middle of town at the Carrington Hotel

Katoomba Railway with CountryLink train

Streetscape

Katoomba Street

Typical Mountain home converted to a restaurant

Palais Royale hotel – lots of old hotels all around Katoomba many with valley views

Lots of street art throughout Katoomba

The Clarendon one of the best live venues in the mountains

HIVE Studios computer animation company has worked on some major movies recently

Darleys at Lillianfels an award winning 5 star restaurant and hotel

Approaching Echo Point and 3 Sisters

Notice the blue haze (evaporated eucalypt oil) in the distance hence the name Blue Mountains

Local Sculptures 

Katoomba Falls

The original katoomba Cable car

One of the cable car pulley wheel things

The other cable car and the second part of Katoomba Falls to the left

Narrowneck Plateau

We could easily have spent a whole week there, happily exploring trails and shops. If you are visiting Sydney, and have time to go the Blue Mountains, do it! It’s a wonderful part of this amazing country.

KATOOMBA interesting points:

■The Three Sisters rock formation at Echo Point.

■The Carrington Hotel, built in 1882, an elegant reminder of a bygone era.

■The Paragon Café, a 1930s establishment with a charming Art Deco ambience.

■The Scenic World Skyway – a 720 meter journey offering 360 degree views of the magnificent Jamison Valley.

Plus the Scenic Railway is great. Don’t miss it.

http://www.scenicworld.com.au/

By: Zdenko Kahlina

A pleasant city escape into the Blue Mountains
When in Sydney, the Blue Mountains are worth the trip. They are absolutely stunning! It was one of the highlights of our trip. We only had one day to make this trip, but it was enough, for a quick visit.

The Three Sisters, Katoomba (NSW, Australia)

The Blue Mountains is a pleasant city escape and it’s perfect one-day trip. The two towns which you will probably visit are Katoomba and Leura, although we only visited Katoomba. In Katoomba there is a famous cafe called the Paragon – which is art decor in style and sells lovely hand made chocolate. It is a nice place to go for some nostalgia and nostalgic cafe style food.

By Car from Sydney (Direct):
We traveled by car and the most direct route to Katoomba is via the M4 motorway, which becomes the Great Western Highway just beyond Penrith. From central Sydney simply follow Parramatta Road until the turnoff to the M4 motorway. All up it’s an easy 90 minute drive (110km) under normal traffic conditions.

Looking west at Orchard Hills, near Penrith. The Blue Mountains can be made out in the distance.

If you have a little more time to explore the scenic drive along Bells Line of Road (which starts beyond Richmond & Windsor) is fantastic. With a much more relaxed “Sunday Drive” feel to it Bells Line of Road tempts you with many interesting places to visit along the way.

Looking west in the ascent up the Blue Mountains. The M4 ends about half a kilometre from here and reverts to the Great Western Highway (National Route 32), which through the mountains is a mixture of limited access plus at grade intersections, but is mostly a dual carriageway (the sections that are not are currently under construction to Katoomba).

The fruit stalls of Bilpin, the Historic Village at Kurrajong and the Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens are just some of the options available. As you travel further west you will be treated to magnificent views over the rugged expanse of the Grose Valley and National Parks to the North & South.

We made a short stop at the Glenbrook Information Centre, which was located on our left as we arrived into Glenbrook and was well sign-posted. This was a great opportunity to pick up local maps and get other information about Blue Mountains. They also have a good coffee…

The mountains themselves and the 3 Sisters formation are a wonderful UNesco World Heritage listed and you can go for a short bush walk through the valley. There is lots of walking and climbing; make sure to wear comfortable shoes. There is also a Scenic Railway and a Cable car ride.

Paragon Cafe at Katoomba – for a nostalgic ice-cream soda. They also sell chocolates.

If you have a few hours to spare, walk down the many steps at the Three Sisters, across the bottom of the valley under the Three Sisters, then come up the cliff line on the Scenic Railway and walk back to your car across the top of the cliff line (passing numerous lookouts). This is probably the best short walk in the Mountains. There is a tourist information centre at Echo Point (the Three Sisters) if you need directions.

The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters is the Blue Mountains’ most spectacular landmark. Located at Echo Point Katoomba, around 2.5 kilometres from the Great Western Highway, this iconic visitor attraction is experienced by millions of people each year.

The Three Sisters is essentially an unusual rock formation representing three sisters who according to Aboriginal legend were turned to stone. The character of the Three Sisters changes throughout the day and throughout the seasons as the sunlight brings out the magnificent colours. The Three Sisters is also floodlit until around 11pm each evening looking simply spectacular set against the black background of the night sky.

Each of the Three Sisters stand at 922, 918 & 906 metres tall, respectively. That’s over 3000 feet above sea level!

The Three Sisters – view from the Echo Point lookout

Vera and Zdenko at the Echo Point lookout

The Legend
The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, ‘Meehni’, ‘Wimlah’ and Gunnedoo’ lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.

As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witch doctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witch doctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.

Description of place
The property includes very extensive areas of a wide range of eucalypt communities and large tracts of wilderness. The high wilderness quality of much of the Greater Blue Mountains constitutes a vital and highly significant contribution to its World Heritage value and has ensured the integrity of its ecosystems and the retention and protection of its heritage values.

Echo Point lookout

The Greater Blue Mountains is an area of breathtaking views, rugged tablelands, sheer cliffs, deep, inaccessible valleys and swamps teeming with life. The unique plants and animals that live in this outstanding natural place relate an extraordinary story of Australia’s antiquity, its diversity of life and its superlative beauty. This is the story of the evolution of Australia’s unique eucalypt vegetation and its associated communities, plants and animals.

Blue Mountains

The property is comprised of eight protected areas in two blocks separated by a transportation and urban development corridor. These protected areas are the Blue Mountains, Wollemi, Yengo, Nattai, Kanangra-Boyd, Gardens of Stone and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks, and the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve.

The area is a deeply incised sandstone plateau rising from less than 100 meters above sea level to about 1300 meters at the highest point. There are basalt outcrops on the higher ridges. This plateau is thought to have enabled the survival of a rich diversity of plant and animal life by providing a refuge from climatic changes during recent geological history. It is particularly noted for its wide and balanced representation of eucalypt communities ranging from wet and dry sclerophyll to mallee heath lands, as well as localized swamps, wetlands, and grassland. One hundred and one species of eucalypts (over 14 per cent of the global total) occur in the Greater Blue Mountains. Twelve of these are believed to occur only in the Sydney sandstone region.

View of the scenic Skyway

Scenic Cableway
While in Katoomba, we took the Cableway to visit the Jamison Valley and stroll through ancient rainforest at the bottom. The Cableway is Australia’s steepest passenger carrying cable car. On the way up and down we enjoyed breathtaking views of Mount Solitary and the Ruined Castle in the Jamison Valley as well as the world-famous Three Sisters, Orphan Rock and spectacular Katoomba Falls.

Scenic World Station

The Scenic Cableway takes you on a 545 metre ride into – or out of – the World Heritage-listed rainforest of the Jamison Valley. Once at the bottom, you can take the Scenic Walkway to the base of the Scenic Railway. In all, there are just under three kilometres of elevated boardwalk.

Scenic Cableway

Scenic Railway
With an incline of 52 degrees, this ‘Mountain Devil’ travels down the world’s steepest railway. This exciting and historic ride is suitable for people of all ages. Taking up to 84 passengers every 10 minutes into the valley, the railway was built originally to haul coal and shale out of the valley from the mines at the base of the escarpment. The mines closed and the facility becomes a tourist attraction in 1945.

Scenic Walkway
We bought a return ticket and travel down on the Scenic Railway and walked 300 meters through beautiful temperate rainforest along southern hemisphere’s longest elevated timber boardwalk. Interpretive signs describe the many tree species you can see as you wander along. We enjoyed the sounds of native birds including the Superb Lyrebird.

Katoomba old Coal Mine

The way coal was transported in the 18th century

Turpentine tree (Syncarpia glomulifera)

This tree is typical of large Turpentines in this area. A fire has burnt the hollow area inside the tree. This area was approached by a large bushfire in 1948. The sparks from the fire set alight to many of the Turpentines on this side of the rainforest.

Vera’s observing the Eucalypt tree

This magnificent Eucalypt (picture above) is famous for it’s white trunk. This tree was 54 m (180 feet) tall in December 2001. It grows about 5 m per year. The tiny circles on the trunk are caused by the larvae of a moth which lays it’s eggs under the bark.

A path through a Jurassic rainforest

Vera with our friends and guides on a path through a Jurassic rainforest

A path through a Jurassic rainforest is about 2.8 km of boardwalk, through the ancient rainforest. While walking we took time to look around and find some fascinating facts about the local flora and history of the valley. Along the way we also found the Marrangaroo Spring, where you can have a refreshing drink of pure Blue Mountains water.

Scenic Walkway from above

Why are the Blue Mountains blue?
While holidaying in Sydney in 1900, Lady Audrey Tennyson, wife of the South Australian Governor, travelled over the Blue Mountains to visit Jenolan Caves. In a long letter written to her mother on her return to Adelaide, she recounted her experiences. Describing the return journey to Katoomba, where she and her husband spent the night at the “very comfortable tho’ so cold” Carrington Hotel, she remarked on a phenomenon that has impressed and puzzled many visitors to the Mountains:

Blue Mountains and the blue haze

“The afternoon & evening were most beautiful & most wonderful lights & shadows. What struck us more than anything was the wonderfully brilliant blue of the distant hills. I have never seen anything to compare to it at all, the most gorgeous real sapphire blue, really transparent blue – it is impossible to give any idea of it. We wondered whether it was the effect of the gums, and our driver told us it used to be thought so but is an exploded idea, and he agreed with me it must be something in the atmosphere. I shall never forget it.”

The blue haze that characterizes the Mountains had been noted very early. During the first year of the colony’s existence Governor Phillip had given the western mountains the names Carmarthen and Lansdowne. In popular conversation, however, these titles were soon abandoned, official declaration being insufficient to prevent the Mountains from being, as Judge-Advocate Collins observed, “commonly known in the colony by the name of the Blue Mountains.”

Blue Mountains

What causes this blueness, the depth and intensity of which is often quite remarkable? In 1955 the Town Clerk of the City of Blue Mountains asked this question and being unable to give an assured answer, sought an explanation from Department of Physics at the University of Sydney. The Head of the Department at the time, Professor Harry Messel, replied in the following terms:

“It is quite certain that the haze which appears to surround any distant object is due to an optical phenomenon called ‘Rayleigh scattering’. This effect which was first investigated theoretically by Lord Rayleigh causes the rays of light which impinge on small particles to scattered in various directions… Since the atmosphere is always laden with small dust particles, water droplets and the like and since even the air molecules themselves contributed to some extent to the scattering… if an observer looks at a distant object with the intervening atmosphere illuminated by sunlight eyes will receive the, blue scattered rays of sunlight to reflect he object itself. Therefore any distant object will always appear to display some shade of blue.”

From ‘Pictorial Memories Blue Mountains’, Crows Nest: Atrand, 1994 by John Low.

Zdenko taking pictures of Blue Mountains

Phantom Falls

Ever seen a Phantom Falls before? It’s the phenomenon of mist spilling into a valley in the exact way a waterfall does… just much slower, more unexpected and spectacular. Autumn is Phantom Falls season in the Blue Mountains, you’re most likely to see one in the morning.

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Not so sunny Sydney
When we decided to visit our friends who live in Sydney, Australia, we were getting ourselves ready for the hot and sunny summer in Australia. Little did we know… This blog is a brief summary of our trip to Sydney.

We left unusually warm winter weather in Edmonton, aboard Air Canada plane and after a long flight (14.5 hours in the air from Vancouver) we arrived in Sydney on one Sunday morning in January 2012. Our friends were there to greet and take us to their home in Hurstville. 

Arriving in Sydney

Hurstville is part of Greater Sydney Metropolitian areas, about 15km or 20min train ride south of Sydney CBD. With a population of about 77,000 Hurstville’s residents come from very diverse backgrounds now and it makes the local Westfield shopping Centre very interesting and good value for money. However I have noticed that majority of the people here were Asian. Hurstville has a range of restaurants and quite busy streets. The proximity to city is somewhat convenient, plus better than average public transport to and from city. During our stay we went to the city several times with the train and train took less time than it would with the car.  

Vera with the view on downtown Sydney

Train that would take as from Hurstville to the City in 20 minutes

Not so sunny Sydney
Sydney was recently voted to have the world’s best climate and friendliest people. Friendliest people yes, but the best weather? First several days in the city, we had warm and sunny days. Than one day everything changed and monsoons arrived, with heavy showers and flash floods across Sydney. This definitely spoiled our holidays, but didn’t stop us of doing our touristy things every day. Every morning we were hoping the weather has changed and we will have wonderful day, but when we looked through the window it was not what we wanted to see. It was still foggy, raining and gloomy.

Every day in the morning while we were having breakfast at our friend’s apartment, we would be planning our daily activities. Mostly the schedule looked like this: early morning breakfast at home, and then going out for Sydney’s attractions. We purchased combined tickets to visit ‘Skywalk’ tower, Sydney Aquarium and ‘Wild life’ – the animal adventure, journey into Australia’s most famous locations. We walked around the famous bridge and Darling Harbour; we visited beautiful ‘Chinese Garden’ and Sydney’s Opera house. Boarding the ‘Magistic’ sightseeing Sydney Harbour cruise was also memorable experience. These were all good experiences, and even constant rain couldn’t change that. 

View of Sydney’s Tower Eye from the street level

My friend drove us around the city with his car to see the Sydney’s South beaches beginning with the most popular beach: Bondi beach and than continuing our ride south to visit Coogee beach, Maroubra beach, Malabar beach and all the way to Botany National Park and Botany Bay. We browsed Sydney houses for sale and visited some of our Croatian friends who also live in Sydney. On one of the other rainy days we went to cruise  North Sydney and drove through the beautiful Mosman area all the way to Manly town at the far north outskirts of Sydney.

SKYWALK
Skywalk at the Sydney Tower Eye have you feeling on top of the world. We were walking on air 250m above, with the CBD directly beneath our feet. This is the tallest building in Sydney. The breathtaking 360-degree, sky-high view takes in every detail for more than 80km in any direction, from the Blue Mountains in the West and Botany Bay in the South, to Sydney Harbour in the North and the Pacific Ocean in the East and everything in between. 

Sydney Tower Eye 

View of St. Mary’s Cathedral from the Sky Tower

Zdenko, Durda, Vera and Ivan in front of St. Mary’s Cathedral

Arial view of Sydney

We could look down through the glass floor viewing platform for a bird’s-eye perspective of the bustling city below. We didn’t go for a walk outside to the ‘real’ top of the tower, as they would charge extra for this activity. But what we’ve seen was good enough. I took a lot of good pictures from this spot. 

Sydney’s most popular attraction: Old Harbour bridge

Sydney’s Mono Rail

Vera in one of the ‘passages’ in the city

Anzac war Memorial in Hyde Park

WILD LIFE Sydney
This is an event in Sydney’s Darling Harbour where you walk through iconic Australian habitats and encounter some of the most loved and feared animals. Wild Life Sydney features interactive and entertaining daily shows, captivating daily feeding sessions and enhanced walk-through habitats including Koala encounters, The Outback and butterfly tropics.

Darling Harbour ‘Magistic’ cruise
We enjoyed our cruise of Sydney Harbour with Magistic Cruises. We boarded the Magistic Catamaran at the King Street Wharf, Darling Harbour. They served a lunch, buffet style immediately after boarding the ship. The buffet was really excellent, and plentiful.

I found it very good value for money, but I was panicking a bit when we were still at the table eating and the ship was leaving the dock worried that I would miss opportunity to take pictures. The boat was very well maintained, roomy and afforded good viewing opportunities. The staff was very friendly and performed their duties with a high level of competence. There was a running commentary explaining the historical highlights of this very beautiful harbour.

One area of concern was that this trip was more about the food than about cruising the bay. It smelled like a ‘tourist trap’… Overall a very pleasant way to spend one sunny Sydney day (one of the very few we’ve had). 

Sydney Opera house at night

OPERA HOUSE
This is one of those iconic landmarks that will be instantly recognisable all over the world, the Opera House has a charm that is hard to describe. The Essential Tour (which we didn’t take) is highly informative, dispensing information on the history of the site as well as the building itself, from start to completion. For those who visit Sydney in June, you might be able to catch the Vivid season which transform the shells of the Opera House into a colourful explosion of images. 

Canadians in front of Sydney’s Opera House

Zdenko by the Opera House

A must do is walk around the outside, up the great stairs, into the great rooms… take a tour or self-guide, attend a performance. It’s one of the worlds most renowned structures and you need to get up close and personal to really appreciate it in all its glory. This building looks like a group of sailing yachts or from behind (near Botanical Gardens) looks like the back of whales diving into Sydney Harbour.

Sydney Aquarium
At Sydney’s Aquarium you get face-to-face with sharks in an underwater oceanarium, become delighted by little penguins, you marvel at giant rays, find Nemo in the Great Barrier Reef and look out for the secretive platypus! Sydney Aquarium boasts the world’s largest collection of all Australian aquatic life with over 12,000 animals! 

Very interesting fish

Close-up with the sharks

No worries, mate… there is a glass between us!

CHINESE GARDEN
This place is just lovely and well worth the visit. The trees and plants are exquisitely laid out and it is easy to forget where you are. Once inside you are in Chinese heaven, just two blocks from the megacity of crowds. The gardens are beautiful along with the ponds with Koi Fish, and the Pagodas. I really felt like I was in China, and not in Sydney at the southern end of Darling Harbor. The surroundings are just stunning. There is a tea house where you can have Traditional Chinese Tea. 

Chinese garden in the middle of the city

Vera in ‘heven’

Chinese family taking pictures

As we were walking around we noticed people dressed up in gorgeous Chinese Costumes. It was especially cute to see a Chinese family with little children in the Gardens, laughing and playing in the little houses and spots where perhaps a dragon or princess might lurk. I’ve got some gorgeous pictures of one little girl dressed up with the perfect background! Such a tranquil place. Definitely worth a visit for a nominal fee.

Oatley Park bike rides
Being cyclists, we didn’t want to waste opportunities to ride our bikes almost every day. We would go out with the bikes, even when rain stopped only for several minutes.

So, almost every day we would go to Oatley Park in southern Sydney, where we rode on Christensen Circuit through this beautiful park. This is the course that my friend Ivan is using very often as he’s riding there with the local mates all the time. The course was only about 10 minutes bike ride from where he lives (Hurstville), so there was very little time spent in traffic. Once in the park, we did two easy laps and than four fast ones. Ivan was measuring time for each lap, and according to his timing we had pretty good times. 

Mates riding in the Oatley Park 

Testing my new ‘Babici’ bike through Oatley Park

 The Oatley Park is popular with visitors all year round enjoying a variety of recreational and sporting activites. As one of Sydney’s finest areas of natural bushland, Oatley Park is noted for its trees, shrubs and native flowers, as well as the river beaches and prolific bird life. The scenic road was constructed around the river foreshores and is used by bikers to train in the middle of the city, without worrying about traffic.

Aussie’s rule in Royal National Park
On our last day in Sydney, my friend took me for another bike ride. This time we went out of the city into the Royal National Park with three local mates Sasa, Kev and Greg.

RoyalNational Park, some 29 kilometres south of Sydney city centre, is the only “royal” Australian national park, having acquired that distinction after Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Australia in 1954. Located at the southern edge of the greater Sydney metropolis, with picnic and camping areas, walking tracks, beaches where it faces the Pacific, and water sports and activities, the park is arguably the most visited national park in the state, if not in Australia. 

Zdenko, Sasa, Ivan and Kev before the ride

We met with the Aussie boyz in the Oatley area and than rode our bikes thru the Neverfail Bay and across the pedestrian bridge into Sutherland’s Loftus Avenue, where we turned to Farnell Avenue and into the Royal National Park. The ride – rolling to very hilly, traffic was heavy and the road narrow, until we reached the Royal National Park.

In the park we crossed the Kangaroo Creek which flooded the road, and car traffic was next to nothing. Beautiful scenic road, constantly going up and down. Sasa took this opportunity to force the pace, trying to outpace Ivan and other guys. Well, we hang on for dear life, but we stayed with him. Later on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, we settled into a good rhythm and rode in a group together again.

Ivan and Zdenko enjoying the sunny day… finally!

Once we reached last hill on McKell Avenue into the Waterfall, this was the end for me and some others. Sasa and Ivan took off and we’d see them again after the top on the Princess Hwy, which we used to get back to the city. Entering the city, Kev got his chance to win one more sprint over Sasa and other mates. It was a perfect ride with lots of fun and once back in the city we were ready to stop somewhere for a beer. This was a nice park, but the climbs were very long (for me).

Croatian mates posing in the Oatley Park

Last evening in Sydney at Mythos Taverna& Bar
Mythos Taverna Bar, Located in the heart of Leichhardt’s bustling Norton Street has been chosen by our friends for the ‘going away’ party. This bar is a leading party venue in Sydney providing vibrant entertainment, great food, music and dancing.

When we arrived in Norton Street, there were already lineups of girls waiting to be seated inside. Apparently there were three different ‘bachelorette’ parties (female bonding before wedding) in the bar that night. We were the only guys in the bar… and what a party it was!!! 

Dancing was part of the fun… Vera with brides to be!

Here, we’re all dancing and having a great time!

Upon our arrival at 7.30pm, their friendly staff started bringing food and usual Greek entree included – Greek salad, dips, haloumi cheese and pita bread. This was followed by delicious platters of seafood and all sorts of meat.

They turned our small celebration into an unforgettable event! This dynamic MC had all the right moves to get us in the party mood for an enjoyable and fun evening. They had a D.J. playing great music from the 80’s, 90’s, latest hits, R ‘n’ B, House and Greek music. Good thing we were warned to have our dancing shoes on, as we were called out to participate in some light hearted dance competitions on stage. My wife Vera was the centre of attention in front of all those young girls around her. She did great!!

While we were left for a moment to catch our breath, they brought energetic and colorful belly dancers to entertain the whole ambiance with some Brazilian and Belly dancing shows. Be prepared if you catch their eye though, you could be belly dancing and sambaing with them too! We did!!!

Ivan and Zdenko

Afterwards, getting back to the Greek vibe was easy as we were invited to do the lively Greek dance, the Zorba. That is not where the dancing stops, as you can express yourself dancing the night away to the latest sounds of Sydney’s best DJ until late.

This was a tremendous finish to our memorable stay in Sydney. Next morning we picked up our luggage and Ivan and Durda took us to the airport for the long flight home!

Overall it was a great trip during which we packed a lot of traveling in our time there, but never really felt tired or having enough. After 20 days in Australia we were seating in Air Canada Boing 777 on our way home. Sydney and beautiful Australia seemed like a distant dream. Shame that weather didn’t do any better as we would expect from legendary sunny Sydney, but it doesn’t matter any more.

As they say in ‘down under’ country: ‘No worries, mate! Until next time!’

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Our Mexico adventure continues on the road from Escondido to Acapulco
Two days stay in Puerto Escondido has come to an end and we are again moving closer to the end of this Mexico adventure. Today we are moving from Escondido to Acapulco, which is about 413 km on highway 200.

Acapulco – picture perfect, but reality is different

Our route from Escondido to Acapulco – coastal Highway 200

I heard this trip should take about 6-7 hours. People who say 6 have probably driven this road a lots. Tourists definitely need more time. We left Escondido at 8:40 in the morning and arrived in Acapulco’s Zocalo by 16:30 (almost 8 hours). Be prepared for about 150-200 topes (speed bumps) and some heavy traffic once you get close to Acapulco.

Short stop in Manialtepec Lagoon

Shortly after we left Puerto Escondido (10 km) on the main highway, we were driving by a lagoon on the left side of the road. The Manialtepec Lagoon (Laguna de Manialtepec) has kayak rentals and boat tours for observing spoonbills, storks, pelicans and cranes, and a variety of migratory birds as they feed in the mangroves. A little further, about 56 km west of Puerto Escondido on the same highway is the town of Zapotalito, the Chacahua Lagoon and National Park (Laguna de Chacahua). We stopped at the lagoon for a few moments and could tell this is another place worth a visit. The lagoon is open to the ocean part of which has been designated a preserve since 1937.

Very colorful small hotels by the road

Group of cyclists on the highway 200

Route 200 leaves the coast after Manialtepec Lagoon and heads inland towards the town of Pinotepa National. At San Jose del Progresso, a road leads into Chacahua, another beach, with palapa restaurants and lodging. After San Jose del Progresso the highway heads deeper inland and into the mountains to Pinotepa National.

This is not a scenic road as views of the ocean are rare. The villages yield some interesting churches but otherwise the road to Acapulco is long and bland. Did I mention to watch for Topas? The road reaches Acapulco near the airport and continues along the beaches to the city of Acapulco.

Acapulco map

The worst stretch was just as we were approaching Acapulco (from east) as they are still digging up the road for some way. I was advised to make a right turn onto the toll road signed “Mexico”. But I missed it, thanks to a poor signage! So, instead we went straight over the Las Brisas hill on Escenica road into downtown Acapulco.

Traffic shock in the city
On arrival to Acapulco we were immediately engulfed in its heat and humidity, but that was the least of our problems. TRAFFIC! Driving in Acapulco is quite a bizarre experience that is better to avoid if you can and this is coming from the guy who drove all over the world in many different countries and cities. This was something, I’ve not seen before. It was so clogged that nobody was moving, and even though I was driving like racing on my bike, which means I had to fight for every inch of the road, it was really crazy! Lawless! But we made it to downtown without any incident (BIG success!), and once I passed Zocalo, we stopped to take a breeder and think where we’re going to look for a hotel. I was really in need for a beer by that time…

Picture can’t show how these drivers were moving thru traffic

We continued our ride on the Costera Miguel Aleman Avenue until we spotted several hotels near by. We were somewhere in between La Pinzona and Las Playas area in the western part of the city. I spotted one hotel on the top of the hill and we stopped there. This hotel (Caleta) had available rooms and within 5 minutes we checked in.

Hotel Caleta – on top of the hill

Hotel Caleta
Hotel Caleta is on the Western Edge of Acapulco, on top of a small hill, away from the main strip of discos and bars (though cab fare to the main strip is only 20-30 pesos), on a family-friendly point, called Playa Caleta. Beautiful beach on an inlet between main Acapulco Bay and Isla. Hotel itself was breathtaking from the outside. But closer look from the inside, tells you a different story. Hotel is completely falling apart, and it reminded me on Cuba buildings, that don’t have any maintenance done since the late 50s. This hotel in its heyday was a great hotel for its location and its huge terraces. Now, the place is just deteriorating and not much maintenance is going on. The gardening is well kept but the hotel itself needs a lot of major work.

Hotel Caleta – Picture perfect from the outside

It gives you a feel of “old Mexico” and does not resemble traditional Los Cabos resorts, for example. Our room was very comfortable, though sparsely decorated. One bed was broken, but we could use second bed, so this didn’t matter to us. Balcony was a huge shaded terrace that was larger than the entire room, and was overlooking the bay and two hotel pools on the west side. The shower was O.K. and there was cable TV with a good selection of channels in English (we didn’t watch TV). They still use traditional room keys and not electronic cards, like most western hotels do.

Beautiful view from our terrace in the hotel

Caleta beach – view from the hotel pool

Vera and Zdenko by the pool

Two swimming pools, one fresh water and one salt water, with very nice decks for laying out, and bars next to each of the pools. Hotel Caleta provided the perfect relaxing place to be in Acapulco! Best of all you have a small path beating down to Caleta beach, which is the best beach in Acapulco for children, especially youngsters; gentle waves, no currents and the rest of the beach will be full of other kiddies for them to play with. 

Front desk staff was very pleasant, but none of them spoke any English. All in all, this hotel was the best part of our stay in Acapulco!! It provided a beautiful and relaxing place from which to explore the city. Staying in the hotel provided me with beautiful beaches nearby and breathtaking pools stacked at the edge of the Pacific. Going out was easy, as cabs and buses are plentiful and cheap. We used buses that come very often and cost is only 5 pesos per person.

Hotel is very close to the public Caleta beach

Final hotel tip: weddings, events etc take place on the bay side of the hotel, which can be noisy and last well into the night. If you want peace and quiet, get a room towards the Caleta bay end of the hotel. You’ll also be away from the noisy pool area. The higher the room, the further from the mosquitoes you are.

The best way to see Acapulco – local buses

In the evening we took a bus and returned to main Costera Miguel Aleman and Zocalo. There are many buses for local trips along the coast and they are very affordable. Destinations are printed on the front window of each bus. There is no need to be at one of the buses regular stops in order to get on. Just wave your arm or look at the driver. He will stop and encourage you to get in. The buses cruise around blaring out traditional Mexican music, or more often some rap music, racing each other to each bus stop as they compete for passengers. All of this makes for an unforgettable ride.

Driver and his helper chat during the ride

We didn’t eat at the hotel restaurant. Instead we walked down the hill and there were several restaurants by the Caleta beach. We walked into La Cabaña restaurant which had a huge patio overlooking the beach (and live music, which unfortunately stopped when we arrived). Restaurant was offering a very tasty food, reasonably priced throughout the day. We would also come here next day for a breakfast that should not be skipped, because of the fresh pastry served here.

La Cabaña restaurant

La Cabaña restaurant is the best in the area

Best seafood specialties… jummy.

ACAPULCO City 
Acapulco is the oldest and most beautiful seaport on the Pacific slope of Mexico and also the most popular seaside resort for tourists. It is pleasant winter or summer, for it is far enough south always to be warm in the winter and the breezes from the Pacific almost invariably keep it cool in the summer. It has a vibrant nightlife, postcard-perfect beaches, an amazing array of local food, and visitor-friendly locals.

Beautiful panorama of Acapulco

The city is divided into three main areas surrounding the Bay of Acapulco. On the west side is the old city, with its Zocalo and market. Acapulco Dorado (Golden Acapulco) occupies the central and east sides of the bay. This is the main tourist area where hotels and nightclubs abound. More upscale resorts are located in the newer Acapulco Diamante (Diamond Acapulco) area to the south of Acapulco’s main bay. The Costera Miguel Aleman is the main drag and runs all the way around the bay.

Colorful restaurant in Acapulco

The BAY is 4 miles long and 2 miles wide, and as there are mountains all around it, the vegetation is both tropical and mountain and is as varied as the scenery. Acapulco is Mexico’s premier beach resort areas. There are beach areas where you feel you are far away from the city in an un spoilt natural haven. Acapulco is also a very popular honeymoon destination.

Safety in Acapulco
As long as you steer clear of the Things to Avoid and are generally aware of your surroundings, Acapulco is not very dangerous for tourists. However, petty theft is very common, so keep an eye on your possessions at all times, especially on the beach. If you need help, look for police along the main strip wearing dark shorts, white shirts, and dark hats (and not carrying guns). Perhaps the best advice is to avoid other Mexican police at all costs!

Spell trouble – Police

You have no doubt heard horror stories about the Mexican police and Mexican jails. They hold true in Acapulco. If you feel that you need to go to the police for some reason, it’s probably a better idea to go to your Embassy instead. The ones in blue uniforms are more likely to hassle you just for being a gringo, if you stray from the main strip at night. Try to avoid them especially when driving, as they will go after you, stop you and hassle you until you bribe them to let you go. It did happen to us on the day when we were leaving the city towards Mexico City. We were stopped for no apparent reason, had to pay 500 pesos and they even gave us instructions how to get thru to the famous Acapulco tunnel and leave the city as fast as possible. Way to kill what’s left of the tourism!!

What to Do in Acapulco
Primarily, Acapulco is a place to loaf. It offers the usual pleasures of a smart seaside resort. Only one day that we have planned to spent in Acapulco, we decided to spent it somewhere on the beach. So, again we jumped on one the buses with our backpacks loaded with all the necessities for the day, and left hotel early in the morning. Our destination – playa Hornos.

Playa Hornos is one of the oldest beaches in the city. Sometimes it is also known as Playa Papagayo, because it is located in front of the recreational park with the same name. It is one of the best known and most visited beaches because there are sun shades and lounge chairs available for people who want to spend their time leisurely. Its waves are calm and shallow. Every year Playa Hornos hosts the celebrated traditional Sand Figure Contest. This beach is easy to get to by the Avenue Costera.

Acapulco Hornos beach

Hundreds of vendors on the beach is an annoying problem

Lots of local tourists on the beaches

Day on the beach

We spent the whole day on the beach and sat under the umbrella and two chairs, that were promised to be free if we purchase drinks. We did, but at the end of the day they came and wanted to charge 100 pesos for it. We argued but in the end paid 50 pesos. That episode left us with bad taste about it and we would not return to the same place again. In addition, there were way too many vendors walking by, offering many different things and we had to say “no, gracias” too many times during the day.

Big church on Zocalo

Zócalo – Zócalo, Acapulco’s town square, lies on the western side of La Costera. It’s cool, shady and peaceful during the daytime. There are two fountains and many mature, multi-trunked trees that are a sight in themselves. The Zócalo tends to expose more local culture than other, more tourist-centric, areas. Zócalo contains Acapulco’s cathedral, as well as many restaurants ranging in size from sidewalk bistros and tiny street-corner kitchens. Many of the smaller restaurants will provide full dinners for as little as 35 pesos. The Zócalo at night is worth experiencing. Between 8:00 and 11:00 pm the place is flooded with locals & chilangoes. Clowns entertain the crowd for tips. One was dressed as some sort of aztec warrior/statue thing.

Beautiful local performer getting ready for her performance

Evening show on the Zocalo

Famous Acapulcoo cliff divers
No visit to Acapulco is complete without watching the cliff divers perform their impressive jumps into the shallow stream of water of dangerous tides that forms in the bottom part of La Quebrada. They have been doing it since 1934. One look at the city map, and I figured that if we take a bus from our hotel to Zocalo, we can than walk to the area where the local guys are jumping into the water from high cliffs.

La Quebrada area 

La Quebrada – divers jump from these cliffs

So, we did just that. I can tell you it was an interesting walk thru the non-touristy part of the city. We climbed the hilly streets and once at the top we could see the place where the famous La Quebrada cliff divers jump from. But of course, we didn’t get there at the show time, so we took several photos and returned back to the Zocalo.

What to Buy in Acapulco
There are good small stores and many vendors’ stands in and around the plaza and along the beach. The GOLD CHAINS and EARRINGS made by the local goldsmiths are extremely attractive. ORNAMENTS MADE OF SEASHELLS are a feature of the Acapulco market.

The POTTERY is attractive, as it is everywhere in Mexico and, of course there are the inevitable BASKETS, BLANKETS, and what not.

Conclusion
Acapulco is in the state of Guerrero – along with Sinaloa and some of Michoacan, a state where opium poppy and marijuana is grown, and a state where the “Hatfield-McCoy” feuding has gone on for many years. The criminal activity has on occasion invaded Acapulco, and has caused many a traveler troubles outside of Acapulco. In particular, driving at night and wandering / camping in remote areas is to be strongly discouraged. Daytime driving on the expensive toll highway is generally quite safe, and these are patrolled by the “Green Angels” roadside assistance service.

Vera and I didn’t enjoy this city. It looks nice on the post cards, but the traffic, deteriorated tourism, annoying vendors on the beaches and corrupted police, made our stay not pleasant. I will not return here…

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Vanquishing the winter blues
From Huatulco to Pochutla takes about one hour and to Puerto Escondido another hour. We made a turn to visit Mazunte, beach town, just off of the main highway.

After about three hours, we were back on the main highway. Highway 200 follows the Pacific coast, however, we weren’t able to see the ocean for a long time. The entire leg of the trip was basically straight and flat with lots of… you know already: topas!

Puerto Escondido

As we got closer to Puerto Escondido, we passed miles and miles of road construction. There will soon be a new toll road from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido, which purportedly will cut the driving time in half; as an extension of the new road system, there will be a new four-lane coastal highway from Puerto Escondido to Huatulco. For the last half hour or so we also passed by lots of mango, papaya and coconut under cultivation.

Fruit vendors by the highway

Highway 200 crosses the Río Colotepec just east of Puerto Escondido

Mouth of Río Colotepec 

Puerto Escondido was much larger than Huatulco. Over the last 25 years, the town has grown from a small fishing village of 3,000 people to a bustling town of over 50,000. Puerto Escondido is also famous for its huge waves that draw hoards of surfing fanatics. Puerto Escondido is a great place for surfers and non-surfers. Most of the Carrizalillo area is actually visited by non-surfers. There are no ancient or historic sites in Puerto Escondido. There are a number of nature/eco type things outside of town though.

We did not have any reservations here, but I made email contact with one B&B place, so I was looking for this place, for which I knew was somewhere close to the light house area.  The light house was built in 1936 at the western entrance of the Puerto Escondido harbor. It warns boats and sailing vessels of the dangerous rocks and cliffs, emitting two bright flashes of light every 10 seconds. Visitors are not allowed.

Arial view of Puerto Escondido

We found the stark white lighthouse, appropriately named “El Faro” (which means “lighthouse”), quite easily. But finding the B&B place proved to be difficult. Soon we stopped looking for the B&B place and while still in the same area, we discovered a nice small hotel on the hill, right by the elementary school. The hotel’s name was “Barlovento”. Hotel was deserted almost empty… no tourists. I think at the time we were here, there was only one room rented out. But the hotel had all amenities we were looking for: affordable price, good location, free internet, nice spacious and clean rooms. They were also serving breakfast at extra cost on a beautiful terrace above the pool. We had a great ocean view from the balcony of our room.

El Faro area where our hotel was

View from our hotel room

In the evening we walked down the hill to the main street in old town, and it was only a 10 minute walk. The main street had plenty of restaurants and shops, but again, no tourists. Every restaurant had their staff outside on the sidewalk, trying to drag those very few tourists that were walking the street, into their place.

The town of Puerto Escondido was established in 1928 as a port for shipping coffee, although the area has been inhabited by indigenous populations for centuries. In the 1960′s it was connected to other coastal towns by Highway 200. Tourists began to discover the town and surfers found its beaches. Its importance as a port diminished as coffee shipments began going by truck instead of boat. The port does continue to support commercial fishing activity.

A Tale of Two Cities  
An interesting aspect of the area known as Puerto Escondido is that it actually is divided between two counties or municipios so that it is politically two separate cities. This division puts the Zicatela side of town into el Municipio de Santa Maria Colotepec, Pochutla, and the eastern portion of the city into el Municipio de San Pedro Mixtepec, Juquila. To make matters worse, there is disagreement as to the boundaries and legalities of this division that leaves many businesses caught in the middle with the burden of paying taxes to both. For years, there has been talk of making Puerto Escondido a city. The proposed limits of the new city would extend from Punta Zicatela on the east to just beyond the Puerto Escondido airport on the west. The president elect of San Pedro Mixtepec, Abraham Ramírez Silva, ran on a platform pledged to achieve the goal of making Puerto Escondido independent of both counties which currently control the area.

Today, Puerto Escondido is a home for fishermen, surfers, vacationers, and an eclectic expatriate community. On 10/29/09 Agencia Puerto Escondido was upgraded to Ciudad Puerto Escondido, reflecting its rapid growth and importance to the state of Oaxaca. The large waves of Zicatela beach put it into the top ten surfing destinations. It does not cater to the high end tourist as much as Huatulco to the east. Its sprawling beaches host numerous small to mid-size hotels and restaurants.

Playa Principal

The beaches
There are three main beaches, Playa Principal, Playa Marinero, and Zicatela, close to the main part of town, as well as several other smaller beaches. Avenida Perez Gasga is a pedestrian only street known as the Adoquín that parallels Playa Principal, where you will find the Information Goddess. The Andador Escénico Sea Walk begins at Playa Principal and winds along rocky ocean side cliffs. Up the hill from the Adoquín is the coastal highway 200 and on the other side of that is the downtown business district where you can find banks, the mercado, etc.

Playa Zicatela only for surfers

Playa Zicatela is a long straight beach on the east side of the bay and can be seen from Playa Principal. Zicatela is where the strong waves are that make Puerto Escondido a world class surfing destination, but this beach was not for us.

Arial view on Playa Zicatela 

Hotels facing Playa Zicatela

Puerto Escondido also has a number of small beaches that are family-friendly, with small waves and clear water. When driving around the town, we kind of just run into small exit road that had a sign pointing to Playa Angelito. Later, we discovered that we could even walk to this beach from our hotel. It was this close.

Playa Manzanillo is located west of the lighthouse and just east of Puerto Angelito, separated by a rocky outcrop. This rocky outcrop is seen on the left in the photo above and has a pathway that leads the short distance to Puerto Angelito, just out of view in this photo. Playa Manzanillo is a good place for snorkeling and swimming. Watch out for the boats that come and go to both beaches.

Playa Manzanillo

Playa Angelito

Playa Angelito

Restaurants on Playa Angelito

The beach was very relaxing. Every once in a while, a vendor would come by selling items—not in a harassing manner at all, but just offering his or her items/services in a soft, non-intrusive voice. We usually would say no thank you (we had the phrase, “No, gracias!” down—spoken very politely, of course).

Playa Carrizalillo

Puerto Escondido is a great place for non-surfers. We drove around the town and stopped at the Carrizalillo area. Carrizalillo is a residential area with luxury nice private homes for people that want very relaxing vacations or living. Most of the Carrizalillo area is actually visited by non-surfers. There are no ancient or historic sites in Puerto Escondido. There are a number of nature/eco type things outside of town though.

Playa Carrizalillo

A private stairway leads you towards Playa Carrizalillo

 Playa Carrizalillo

The beautiful Playa Carrizalillo, is surrounded by high cliffs. We walked more than 160 steps leading down, all the way to the beach. There is direct access to the beach via a private stairway from the front terrace. Carrizalillo is an excellent beach for swimming, snorkeling, fishing, as well as surfing and boogie-boarding.

The water was warm, with small but powerful waves and a sucking current that was a bit more intense than we had anticipated. The high cliffs that surround it ensure that it’s never too crowded. The aquamarine water here is clean, clear, and shallow—perfect for swimming and snorkeling, especially around the rocks that frame the beautiful cove. Sometimes there are waves large enough to be appropriate for beginning surfers. A handful of palm-thatched restaurants rent snorkeling equipment and serve food and drinks. It’s a two-minute drive or 35-minute walk from the center of town; a small sign indicates where to turn onto the unpaved road.

Coconut harvest on the beach

O.K. Gringo, how many Coconut drinks do you want…

Vera and her Coconut drink – fresh from the tree

The Rinconada is a beautiful section of town, close to Carrizalillo. Rinconada begins a short distance north of Playa Carrizalillo and is dominated by a straight divided boulevard named Blvd. Benito Juárez that runs along its southern edge. This boulevard is more popularly known as The Rinconada and the many businesses that face Blvd. Benito Juárez are said to be “on the Rinconada”.

Follow this link to www.mexico-condo.com for some nice aerial photos that show the layout of the area.

And this is all I can say about Puerto Escondido. We stayed here only two days. When we compared Huatulco and Puerto Escondido, we liked Huatulco better. It was more touristy and very clean with better roads. One of the things we didn’t like in Escondido was the main highway, which is in very bad shape throughout the town. Old town Escondido, just north of the highway, was also not very impressive.

Paradise on earth – Puerto Escondido beaches

By: Chris Kitching

Croatia’s capital is a cultural hotspot
Bleary-eyed from an early morning six-hour train ride and staring blankly at a tram system map like it’s an ink blot, I start to wonder if this episode is off to a disastrous start of Griswold proportions.

Trams in Zagreb are blue – favorite local color

  Sveti Duh, Savski gaj, Harambasiceva. Hieroglyphics would be easier to decipher than these tram stop names at this moment. Overwhelmed and impatient in the rain because of a lack of sleep, culture shock, foreign language, and absence of fellow tourists — which novice traveler hasn’t been there?

 The question is, how do you escape before your boil over? In this case, it was one of Zagreb’s finest ambassadors who scooped my girlfriend and I from this predicament — a young English-speaking woman who recognized two fish out of water and went out of her way to approach and assist. 

St. Mark’s Church in the Upper Town

Interpreter
Unsure which tram to recommend, the woman led us to an information booth, acted as an interpreter, and led us back to the tram stop and told us which one to catch. Crisis averted. The people of Croatia’s capital would put out a few more fires for us in the next 72 hours as we found our way around its tangled streets in what turned out to be a pleasant and surprising visit.

Zagreb is vibrant, comfy and cosmopolitan — a cultural hotspot with an abundance of museums, cafes, historic sites, parks and good shopping, and a mix of architectural influences. Old meets new in its medieval-like “old town” or Upper Town (Gornji Grad). More on that later. 

Zagreb – panoramic view of the city and its mountain Sljeme

Typical street in Zagreb

With one million citizens, Zagreb is Croatia’s largest city. Many speak at least a little bit of English. The tram system, it turns out, is easy to navigate once you pick up a map and find your bearings.

Before we embarked on a two-week trip to Europe, which included stops in Munich and Vienna, most friends and relatives asked, “Why Zagreb?” Some didn’t know where to find it on a map, lending credence to its reputation as an overlooked city.

“Because it’s out of the way and not as expensive as other cities,” I replied.

The latter part of that explanation isn’t as true as it used to be. Prices for most things are catching up to Western Europe as Croatia — birthplace of the necktie and ballpoint pen — prepares to join the European Union and shed its Kuna for the Euro. Food, alcohol (how does a pint of beer for $2 or less sound?) and souvenirs, however, remain a bargain. 

Cibona tower – local basketball team headquarters

Geography is to blame for Zagreb being lesser-known. Flocks of tourists bypass it for Croatia’s sunny beaches on the Adriatic coast or central European cities such as Budapest.

First impressions of Zagreb, which attracts about half a million visitors annually, can be underwhelming but don’t let that deter you or veil its true beauty and charm. Rolling in on a train, the immediate scenery is dull — cluttered yards or vacant lots, tiny homes and bleak colors.

“Zagreb?” asks a Croatian woman on the train. She recommended we visit a coastal city instead. Go figure.

Once we finally boarded that tram, we escaped Lower Town (Donji Grad) and entered a drab-looking neighborhood filled with rows of communist-era apartments or shops. Graffiti covers every grey concrete wall. 

The King Tomislav square

In many cities, this is a sign of a crime-ridden no-go zone. In Zagreb, it’s the norm and it doesn’t reflect the social status of the law-abiding apartment dwellers. These simplistic apartments in soul-leeching grey were built when Croatia, now a republic, was part of the former Yugoslavia. Croatia’s secession led to a deadly war in the 1990s. Zagreb was mostly untouched but emotional wounds remain.

Ban Jelacic monument

The best place to start the day is Ban Jelacic Square (Trg Bana Jelacica), the heart of the city. It’s within walking distance to all major attractions. During a break on our second day, it was this square where we grabbed a gigantic slice of pizza and soda for $3, sat down in 20 C weather that is unusually warm for late October, and engaged in people-watching. 

Zagreb in winter

The square is crawling with people, all of them locals. Tourists are scarce at this time of year. People spill out of the overcrowded trams. Young women strut with confidence, young men take notice, a senior feeds a crush of pigeons, and men in suits scurry to work. This is the spot to arm yourself with a map and comfortable pair of walking shoes and head out at your own pace or join a walking tour so you don’t miss anything.

To the north is Upper Town, a pedestrian-friendly area with cobblestone streets and red-tile roofs. It overflows with history. 

Upper Town attraction – Stone Gate

Stops must include Zagreb Cathedral and colorful St. Mark’s Church and square (home to the parliament building). For a panoramic view, visit the observation deck of the 13th-century Lotrscak watchtower. Visit at noon when its cannon is fired daily.

Dolac Market, steps away from Ban Jelacic Square, is a lively place that is olfactory heaven. Consider it an outdoor farmer’s market on steroids. Fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheese and fish are brought in daily. 

Dolac market 

Flowers are sold on the street

Of interest to tourists is the souvenirs — crystal, hand-made crafts, soccer scarves, and other knick-knacks. Vendors are willing to barter, so let ’em have it.

Nearby, we found a decent restaurant, Pivnica Medvedgrad, specializing in its own brew, sausage and pasta. A filling plate of pasta and a pint of beer sets you back $6.

More modern Lower Town is south of the square and home to Zagreb’s collection of museums (archeological, arts and crafts, naive art), galleries and theatres (of those, the Croatian National Theatre is the crown jewel). 

Ban Jelacic Square at night – Zagreb downtown

For shopping, go to the boutiques and name-brand stores of Ilica, a street dividing the upper and lower towns. Or, take a 20-minute tram ride to the south, crossing Sava River, to Avenue Mall in “new” Zagreb. For women, there’s trendy stores like Top Shop and Zara. For men, you can have a beer in the food court. Did I mention beer is inexpensive here?

Zagreb’s grey buildings are countered with its colorful parks. Its gem, 316-hectare Maksimir Park, lies to the east.

New modern buildings

Away from bustle
Maksimir is an ideal place to burn a few hours. Away from the hustle and bustle of central Zagreb, it’s easy to feel alone here. Stroll the paths, paddle a canoe on a man-made lake, sip a drink at the outdoor cafe, or take in a free outdoor concert, depending on the season.

Or, drop by the animal kingdom at Zagreb Zoo, located within the park. The grand attraction is two African lions but there are more than 200 species. The zoo was a bit of a concern, however, because some animals are in aging, cramped enclosures. 

Arena – new sports center

The $6 admission is cheaper if you buy a Zagreb Card, providing unlimited travel on public transportation for 24 hours ($13.50) or 72 hours ($20), and discounts at museums, shops and restaurants. We bought our cards at our hostel but not once did a tram operator ask to see our cards or a ticket.

It’s tough to measure a city’s inhabitants in three days but I gathered the people of Zagreb are friendly, laid-back and very proud. Obesity doesn’t seem to be a problem here. So, it may not have white-sand beaches or glistening blue waters, but our answer to our prodding relatives and friends and the lady on the train remains the same: “Why not Zagreb?”

Lake Jarun

More pictures from Zagreb are available here:

http://zkahlina.ca/eng/photo-albums/?album=5&gallery=1

By Zdenko Kahlina

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to “catch up” with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year’s Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called “surrounding the stove” or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations than any other time of the year. Vast amounts of traditional food is prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to us who have died.

On New Year’s Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish called jai. Although the various ingredients in jai are root vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various superstitious aspects to them:

Other foods include a whole fish, to represent togetherness and abundance, and a chicken for prosperity. The chicken must be presented with a head, tail and feet to symbolize completeness. Noodles should be uncut, as they represent long life.

In south China, the favorite and most typical dishes were nian gao, sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding and zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped up in reed leaves), another popular delicacy.

In the north, steamed-wheat bread (man tou) and small meat dumplings were the preferred food. The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolize abundance and wealth for the household.

Chinese New Year Decorations

Prior to New Year’s Day, Chinese families decorate their living rooms with vases of pretty blossoms, platters of oranges and tangerines and a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet fruit. On walls and doors are poetic couplets, happy wishes written on red paper. These messages sound better than the typical fortune cookie messages. For instance, “May you enjoy continuous good health” and “May the Star of Happiness, the Star of Wealth and the Star of Longevity shine on you” are especially positive couplets.

Plants and Flowers 

Every traditional Chinese household should also have live blooming plants to symbolize rebirth and new growth. Flowers are believed to be symbolic of wealth and high positions in one’s career. Lucky is the home with a plant that blooms on New Year’s Day, for that foretells a year of prosperity. In more elaborate settings, plum blossoms just starting to bloom are arranged with bamboo and pine sprigs, the grouping symbolizing friends &endash; the plum blossom also signifies reliability and perseverance; the bamboo is known for its compatibility, its utility and its flexible stems for furniture and other articles;the evergreen pine evokes longevity and steadiness. Other highly prized flowers are the pussy willow,azalea, peony and water lily or narcissus.

The Chinese firmly believe that without flowers, there would be no formation of any fruits. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to have flowers and floral decorations.

They are the emblems of reawakening of nature, they are also intimately connected with superstition and with the wish for happiness during the ensuing year.

Oranges and Tangerines 

Etiquette dictates that you must bring a bag of oranges and tangerines and enclose a lai see when visiting family or friends anytime during the two-week long Chinese New Year celebration. Tangerines with leaves intact assure that one’s relationship with the other remains secure. For newlyweds, this represents the branching of the couple into a family with many children. Oranges and tangerines are symbols for abundant happiness.

Candy Tray 

The candy tray arranged in either a circle or octagon is called “The Tray of Togetherness” and has a dazzling array of candy to start the New Year sweetly. After taking several pieces of candy from the tray, adults places a red envelope (lai see) on the center compartment of the tray. Each item represents some kind of good fortune.

Taboos and Superstitions of Chinese New Year

House Cleaning  

The entire house should be cleaned before New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year’s Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away. After New Year’s Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door.  

Bringing In the New Year and Expelling the Old 

Shooting off firecrackers on New Year’s Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out.

New Year Activities Set Precendent

All debts had to paid by this time. Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all the year. Back when tinder and flint were used, no one would lend them on this day or give a light to others.

Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words. Negative terms and the word “four” (Ssu), which sounds like the word for death, are not to be uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning.

If you cry on New Year’s day, you will cry all through the year. Therefore, children are tolerated and are not spanked, even though they are mischievous.  

Personal Appearance and Cleanliness 

On New Year’s Day, we are not suppose to wash our hair because it would mean we would have washed away good luck for the New Year. Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future. It is believed that appearance and attitude during New Year’s sets the tone for the rest of the year. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given lai see, little red envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good fortune.

 More New Year Superstitions 

For those most superstitious, before leaving the house to call on others, the Almanac should be consulted to find the best time to leave the home and the direction which is most auspicious to head out.

The first person one meets and the first words heard are significant as to what the fortunes would be for the entire year. It is a lucky sign to see or hear songbirds or red-colored birds or swallows.

It is considered unlucky to greet anyone in their bedroom so that is why everyone, even the sick, should get dressed and sit in the living room.

Do not use knives or scissors on New Year’s Day as this may cut off fortune.

While many Chinese people today may not believe in these do’s and don’ts, these traditions and customs are still practiced. These traditions and customs are kept because most families realize that it is these very traditions, whether believed or not, that provide continuity with the past and provide the family with an identity. 

By: Zdenko Kahlina 

By: Zdenko Kahlina

The relaxed beach town of Mazunte
So, we left beautiful Huatulco early in the morning. Today we drove west to Puerto Escondido. After Pochutla driving west on a coastal highway 200, there was a turnoff for small beach town Mazunte at San Antonio intersection. Vera wanted to see the turtles, so I made the left turn.

Centro Mexicana de la Tortuga in Mazunte

Village Mazunte 

Only about seven or eight kilometers from the highway, further south was Mazunte, a quintessential beach resort, which is a bit basic and ramshackle, with buildings springing up rather haphazardly. There is only one paved street, the one that went straight through, on to the other beaches of San Agustinillo, Zipolite and Puerto Angel.

Arial map with nearby villages and beaches

Arial view of Mazunte and Playa San Agustinillo

In this small Mexican beach town, there aren’t any cruise ships calling, no college-age hooligans binge drinking and no towering hotels in all-inclusive resorts. No, none of that.

Instead, in this sunbathed town on the Pacific Coast of the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, locals come to dip in the ocean. Fishermen unload cases of sharks in the morning. Kids play beach soccer, with sticks in the sand for goals. Locals lounge on hammocks, their houses a few hundred yards from the beach.

Only one road goes thru the village

Small B&B in the village

It is a beautiful place, surrounded by jungle hills, and of course the beach cove. This town has the lively vibe, yet relaxed without being decrepit. And it is a hippy paradise. But with the coming carretara, there is a building boom happening and now most of the streets in Mazunte are being paved in one way or another. The hostels that allow you to hang a hammock slowly giving way to more cabañas, and dare I say, buildings with honest to God walls. Change is underway, and there is even a new church.

Playa San Agustinillo

Walking on Playa San Agustinillo

The beach is on federal land and drug laws are strictly enforced; nude bathing is prohibited. The safest swimming is at either end of the bay. The hippies are still coming here – from Mexico City, Europe, the US. There are meditation centers, yoga workshops, and an incredible dedication to building green.

Topas are here to slow down motorists

While Mazunte is still home to fishermen, the town has been dramatically changed by a ban on hunting sea turtles and crocodiles enacted about 20 years ago. Now the former turtle hunters have turned to eco-tourism. The Mexican government runs the National Mexican Turtle Center, which features sea turtles in aquariums. Mazunte, once supplied the turtle meat market until turtle hunting was banned in 1990.

Turtle centre – entrance

In this Centro Mexicana de la Tortuga turtle center, a collection of tanks lets you get THIS CLOSE to a vast array of turtle types. Just look at my pictures…

The conservation center was divided into distinct small areas, with different types of turtles in each part. First, we saw some rescued land turtles. We headed over to the large tank in which a number of sea turtles were swimming.

The turtles were beautiful, and we stood in awe for a long time. Here is one that had light coloring. In another area, there were many of these turtles (I think they are pond sliders): There was an area with many baby sea turtles, and of course we “oooooh-ed” and “aaahhhh-ed” our way through.

Small turtle pond

Turtle pool

They have guided tours in Spanish and English (Wed-Sat 10 AM -16:30, Sun 10 AM – 14:30, US$15), crowded with tour buses from Huatulco during the high season.  This is a government institute that studies sea turtles and works to conserve these frequently endangered species, as well as to educate visitors and the local population. There are interesting viewing tanks to observe many species of turtles underwater.

Guided tours for tourists and kids

A trail leads from the west end of the beach to Punta Cometa, a spit of land with lovely views of the thundering breakers below, a popular spot to view the sunset and well worth the 30-minute walk. With its proximity to Zipolite, Mazunte is also attracting the alternative crowd and signs for yoga, massage, vegetarian and vegan food positively abound. It’s a good place to try local therapies; by the cemetery there’s a spiritual healer offering to treat everything from stress to insomnia; he also does ritual cleansings.

Walking on Playa San Agustinillo

We spent only couple of hours here, but it was enough to get the feel of this place. I would love to return one day and stay several days, maybe even the whole two weeks of vacation. But right now, we turned around and returned to the main highway to continue our journey towards Puerto Escondido.

By: Dumneazu

Signs of Spring: Chinese Food!
Obviously, March is not a month that inspires an awful lot of comment. Now, February… that’s what I call a month! Stepping out of our building we saw the first of spring’s kolbasz buds on a tree in the back yard. Really…

I am not sure whether my neighbor was saving this for an outdoor snack or whether there is some folky reason to stick sausage on a tree branch, but it stayed there for several weeks.

My birthday was adequately celebrated by a trip to the new Chinese restaurant in my neigborhood, Master Wang’s. Chef Wang was the original chef at the Lanzhou Restaurant on Luther Utca, and this is his fourth Budapest locale.

Why get excited about a Chinese restaurant? Well, Budapest has a lot of them, but by and large they are mediocre, overpriced, or unspeakably bad. That last category is aimed at the numerous “Chinese Buffet” joints polluting our gastronomic scene, offering up cheap plates of faux-sinitic stew on rice. Due to a quirk in Hungarian immigration law, any ethnic restaurant has the right to sponsor a residence permit for its cooking staff. So the Chinese folks cooking your fried rice and aromatic duck at the corner take out in Budapest, are far more likely to have graduated from business or even medical school than culinary school. And they are far more likely to come from Northern China than from better known culinary regions like Szechuan or Canton.

There are some Chinese banquet restaurants dotting the back neighborhoods of the city, places where the local Chinese go to celebrate a business deal or a family holiday with an off the menu hot-pot party or dim sum blast, but these are constantly changing and none has ever stayed in one locality for very long. Chef Wang Qiang comes from Lanzhou, a region west of Beijing with a significant Hui muslim population. The Lanzhou always had a special Chinese language only menu offering various mutton dishes for errant Hui in Budapest, but at the new Master Wang on they go all out with a great spicy cumin lamb dish.

Since I had recently stretched my boundaries of icky food by eating sea cucumber and sea squirts at the a Korean Restaurant in the States, I also went for the Hundred Day Eggs. I had heard they were good, I had watched Chinese diners at the Lanzhou order them, but… black eggs? Eggs pickled in clay and salt for a few months until they turn black and gelatinous? And surprise! They were delicious. Run, don’t walk, to your local Chinese banquet hall and order these today. Wang’s were served with chopped tofu and peppers. Not smelly, not slimy, not really anything I had ever related to eggs before. I want more.

Fumie was laughing at me for never having tried them before, but then, I had never seen Fumie order them either. And yes, I have already looked at the wikipedia entry on Century Eggs with a perverse mind to making them myself at home, and just as quickly discarded the idea. Chef Wangs is only a few blocks away (off the 7 bus along Thőkőly út at Gizella út 46) so why bother? And they serve one of my favorite Chinese beer snack plates: spicy mixed offal salad.

Who says a salad need to be wholesome to be good? Sliced tripe, tongue, heart, and kidney in a fiery red pepper oil sauce topped with chopped garlic and Chile pepper. It is almost enough to make me like beer.