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Travelling Photographer

Photos and commentary from my travels around the globe

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November 2023

2023 Fall Adventure – 11/24-27/2023

3 Days at sea – Leaving Bali we headed south and west towards Freemantle sailing through the Timor Sea and into the Indian Ocean. On our second day at sea, we passed just east of the Northwest Cape, a peninsula situated in the northwest of Western Australia. The area was first visited by western explores of the Dutch East India Company in 1618.  The area was named in 1818 by Phillip Parker King, a royal navy officer responsible for early mapping of the Australian and Patagonian Coastlines. On our third day we headed on a more southernly course and then southeast as we continued to pass around the western coast of Australia (through the Tropic of Capricorn) and the state of Western Australia – the largest of Australia’s six states.

Freemantle: One of western Australia’s most historic cities. Many 19th century buildings remain including those from its gold rush period. Founded in 1829, at the mouth of the Swan river, Freemantle was intended to be a port for the new colony, but was only used as such when an artificial harbor was dredged at the end of the 19th century. It hosted the America’s Cup in 1987.

We started our day with an excursion to Perth about 45 minutes north of Freemantle driving through various neighborhoods along the Swan River stopping at Kings Park and Botanical Gardens. The park is dedicated to those who lost their lives fighting in World War one and beyond. The park provides an excellent view of downtown Perth. We continued our bus tour through the city and to Victoria Quay where we boarded a tour boat for a cruise back to Freemantle.

In Freemantle we left the tour and walked the city on our own. Highlights of this very walkable city included: numerous 19th century and Victorian buildings; City Hall; St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church built in 1882; Freemantle Market; Freemantle Prison; Tourist Wheel; Wester Australia’s Shipwreck Museum; The Round House – a 12 sided building which was the city’s first jail and the schooner Leeuwin 2.

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2023 Fall Adventure – 11/22-23/2023

November 22: At Sea (traveling southeast through the Java Sea towards Bali); Pool, Sun, Entertainment and oh yes excellent dining.

November 23 – Happy Thanksgiving:

 Arrived at Pot Benoa, Bali, Indonesia which has a very shallow and small harbor, we were required to anchor at sea and tender into port. Tender was a catamaran holding 250 passengers. Bali is a mixture of white sand and black sand beached, rice terraces and thousands of stone-carved temples. Bali is a popular retreat for surfers, stand-up paddle boarders and reef divers. Our day was a tour of the eastern part of the island – a two-hour coach ride to The Water Palace (Taman Ujung)  -built by the last Hindu king of Arlapura  beginning in 1919 and open to the public in the 1920’s -magnificent grounds with residences, gardens and temples.

Then onto Tenganan Historic Village – a living village where approximately 150 residents live in a manner of the past (lifestyle based on rules and customs of the ancestral heritage)  – rice farming ,  woven cloth making and wood carving. Walking through a 3-tiered village we were able to see their housing, temples and shops as well as many caged chickens which supply eggs to the local egg cooperative.

A late lunch at a very modern resort right on the ocean what a juxta position to Tenganan.

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2023 Fall Adventure – 11/20-21/2023

November 20 was a sea day (travelling southeast through the Java Sea towards Jakarta) which gave us the opportunity to check out the ship’s amenities including travel lectures, bridge, sun on our private top deck of the ship and evening show.

November 21 – Jakarta

We boarded a full day excursion which took us to see an overview of Jakarta (heavy traffic, slums and smog) not my favorite city in this world. Our first stop was the original port of the city – looking at the cargo operations and the ships I think they are original to the 1800’s.

Next stop the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Jakarta (The Church of Our Lady of Assumption). The current neo-gothic building was finished in 1901 after the original building collapsed in 1890.

Across the street is Badan Pengelola Masjid Istiqlal a mosque. The mosque was designed in 1954 by Frederich Silaban, a Christian architect from Northern Sumatra. It was officially opened in 1978. The structure is so large it can accommodate up to 120,000 people. The mosque covers 22 acres and has five levels.

Finally, a walk through Chinatown and its wet market.

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2023 Fall Adventure 11/17/2023

Singapore — Gardens by the Bay:

Set in the heart of Singapore’s downtown, Gardens by the Bay is home to a
diverse collection of over 1.5 million plants that hail from every continent
except Antarctica.

The Flower Dome: You are awed by the Flower Dome’s beauty
and its sheer size — this cavernous, cooled conservatory holds the Guinness
World Record for the largest glass greenhouse! The Flower Dome is covered with
3,332 glass panels. Its not only the flowers that make it so impressive – but
the sculptures are also fantastic.

 

The Cloud Forest: Home to one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls and a lush mountain clad with plants from around the world, Cloud Forest rewards the curious and adventurous. It’s a fascinating journey of discovery and get up close with some of the world’s most exotic plant species as you stroll along its unique aerial walkways.

Supertree Observatory: Located at the tallest Supertree’s canopy, the Supertree Observatory offers unparalleled views of Gardens by the Bay’s lush surrounds and the Marina Bay area. The tallest Supertree is about the height of a 16-storey building. The Supertrees are sustainable vertical gardens housing over 162,900 plants of over 200 species. 7 of the Supertrees are designed to harvest solar energy. Views from the observatory:

 

The Super Trees:

 

 

Other Garden Views:

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2023 Fall Adventure 11/16/2023

Singapore — Chinatown

Morning stroll through the streets and pathways of Chinatown and stopping to see Sri Mariamman Temple covered with vividly painted Hindu dieties. BTW we lost the 15th crossing the international date line.

While walking we noticed that we weren’t the only ones looking around.

Continuing our tour, we headed to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (supposably contains one of Buddhas sacred teeth – shown only twice a year — not today – BTW it is stored in a chest made of 930 pounds of gold).

Street Scenes …

For a change of pace, we took the subway to the civic district – the colonial hub of the city. We tried visiting St. Andrews Church, but it was closed and cordoned off for reconstruction. Our stroll continued past The Old Parliament building, National Gallery, Victoria Theater and Concert Hall, Asian Civilizations Museum, The Raffles Landing site (where Stamford Raffles founded the city) and past some of the rivers famous bridges.

Heading away from the river we passed the central fire house, the Ministry of Communications and Information with its multi-colored window, several churches and then to the highlight of the day lunch at the lengendary Raffles Hotel and drinks (Singapore Sling) at the famous Long Bar.

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2023 Fall Adventure 11/13/2023 & 11/14/2023

Correction: Since it is about 2 am here in Japan I’ve been up for about 17 hours I am brain dead – so here are the Pearl Harbor pictures I left off the previous days post.

Exploring Oahu’s Southeast Coast: We drove along the coast road and enjoyed the ocean and beach views on our way to Halona Blowhole and a hike to see the Makapuu Lighthouse – a 2 mile hike to the eastern most tip of Oahu – great views of the coast, lighthouse and rabbit island.

Diamond Head Crater Hike: A must do on Oahu – A mile up then 99 steps – through a tunnel and to a pillbox overlooking the Ocean, Diamond Head Light, Waikiki and the interior of the crater.

The 14th is a travel day – started with breakfast overlooking the beach – then a 9 hour flight to Japan followed by 7 hours to Singapore.

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2023 Fall Adventure 11/12/2023

Exploring Honolulu. We spent the morning touring the historic district around the Iolani Palace -Kamehameha Statue, Superior Court, Kawaiahao Church, a stroll to the waterfront to see the Aloha Tower.

Continuing around the Palace: Washington Palace, Father Damien, Liliuokalani, Hawaiian Mission Houses and the Aloha Tower

Mid morning we headed to the Kuan Yin Temple and the Foster Botanical Gardens

Then on to the Bishop Museum – the states cultural and history museum.

Our final stop of the day was the Pearl Harbor Memorial – a moving film covering the lead up to the attack and coverage from both the Japanese and American sides. The day concluded with a boat ride to the Arizona Memorial.

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2023 Fall Adventure – 11/11/23

Flight to Honolulu – after too many hours on an airplane we arrived at the Sheraton Waikiki our home for the next 3 days. After check in we wandered the Saturday craft market along Kalākaua Ave. and finished just in time to see the beautiful Hawaiian sunset.

This is just the start of an adventure that will last almost six weeks.

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Early Fall 2023 Travels

Travels in early September took us north for stops in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maine for visits with family, friends, college buddies and a Celebration of Life. A short week in Massachusetts brough me to Hyannis, Marthas Vineyard, and Fenway Park.

Beach time in Hyannis

Marths Vineyard

Fenway Park

Sunrise at Portland Head Light

Back in Florida – time for some exercise – first a day hikes at Carl Duval Moore State Forest and Park is located in Putnam County. Carl Duval Moore State Forest is one of the smallest State Forests (336 acres) but still maintains a variety of ecosystems, including sandhill, mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, and flatwoods lake. The Forest has two portions – in the north, The Up and Down Lake Trail has interpretive tree identification signs along the route. The trail also provides two areas from which to view the forest’s most notable natural feature, Up and Down Lake, a typical flatwoods lake. The south portion of the Forest is home to the Hardesty Lake Trail a straightforward out and back.

Finally, a visit to Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area. Split Oak has more than nine miles of marked trails which wind through a variety of natural communities and features short spur trails to scenic overlooks. I followed the 5.4-mile Split Oak Loop the forests premier trail.

Next up a trip to Hawaii, Singapore, and a 28-day cruise through Indonesia and around Australia and New Zealand – it all starts on the 11th of November.

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