Tasmania day 2/3. We’re just not sure what day it is.

.  

So today it’s off to the farm. But first a stop in Salamanca for a spot of tea and coffee. This is the artsy part of town.

 While pulling Melanie in and out of gift shops I noticed a luthier sign down one small alley.

I strolled down and walked in and then the man at the workbench took one look at me and said “I know you!”

Turns out our booths were next to each other at the IBS Conference in Ithaca last year.

More Tasmania day 1

 Tasmania is a world in itself. We spent the first couple of days in Hobart. Here is a shot from the top of Mt Wellington which overlooks the city.

In the far top of this shot you can make out Penninsula where we are heading tomorrow to Jim and Trish’s farm

O

 but today’s other treat was seeing the critters at a local refuge. 

Tuesday in Tasmania l

We spent four great days in Tasmania with good friends Trish and Jim. Trish is an amazing cook she made her own relish, jam, scones and hummus just as a start. Trish has three boys and you can guess what she and I talked about. The first day Trish took us around Hobart.

 Seeing MONA museum of new and old art was truly a highlight. It is absolutely a must see in David’s view. Again, too much to relate here, but check out the link above. 

,,

 

Reef take 2

So, after the disappointing trip to Green Island we were further saddened to find that our trusty waterproof camera had sprung a leak and was toast.  Over a tasty Turkish dinner we discussed plans for the next day. We considered a trip to the rain forest but, having come all this way I really wanted to see the reef so we stopped in at a local tour shop and booked a trip to the outer reef. If you come here yourselves don’t waste your time and money on a close island. It’s common knowledge among locals that the common spots are so over trafficked that even if the water were clear there is not much to see.

We went with TUSA T6 and were very happy we did. At least I did.

The day was beautiful and the people were all friendly. Met a few guys from Brazil, a nice couple from China, an Israeli as well a few Americans.  As usual we were the altacakers on the trip.  The  water was a little choppy and by the time we got to the first stop, Melanie wasn’t feeling all that well.

We’ll save the drama of her experience for a fun evenings entertainment when we return.


I rented a camera and got the file of photos but no way to upload them yet. Might find a way before we get back but I had a very good time. I must say that I still preferred snorkeling off Belize but the scope of this place is pretty amazing. Till I get photos posted, these will have to do.

Sunday to the reef

Sunday

Today actually (Feb 7th) we went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Last week there were major rains here so we thought we were lucky because the weather is beautiful. It turns out the ocean is still churned up so much that we couldn't see one piece of coral or one fish. It was pretty disappointing but it was still a wonderfully relaxing day. Better than the snow and ice. We also saw some pretty aggressive birds. As I was sitting and eating my shrimp lunch and talking a bird grabbed the shrimp right out of my hand. Another bird grabbed a french fry out of a young Chinese woman's hand and she really freaked out. 

M

Sarah would have loved it. There's a resort on this island ( were on green island) and a pool for hotel guests only. Of course I snuck in and had a wonderfully relaxing swim. So today wasn't a total loss. 

Saturday night In Oz

Saturday night

As we were walking along the Esplanade we passed a Woolworth. I couldn't resist going in. It turns out it ws a high-end grocery store with the most delicious and exotic fruit. Not your father’s Woolworth ..

Before that we went in search of opals. I’ve always wanted Opal earrings and David was sweet enough to buy me a pair for my birthday. The woman who sold it to me was very interesting. Her father started mining opals when she was young. She was one of 10 children but has a small family herself only five children. 

We had a wizard of Oz moment. As we were walking back to the hotel we heard these birds in the distance. It turns out they weren't birds but something called flying foxes. They weren't flying foxes but bats - very big bats. In fact they are called megabats and they are the biggest bats in the world. A form of fruit bat. There were hundreds of them swirling around screeching and screaming. It was quite a sight. They hang out at this specific tree and there was a note on the tree asking us not to touch the flying foxes. I didn't need a note to tell me not to touch big bats. Nonetheless it was pretty spectacular.  Why wizard of the Oz?  Because they reminded both of us of the flying monkeys scene- they were that big!

Saturday in Cairns

Big country this is!  Took the flight to Cairns and jumped an Uber to our hotel. Then took a nice walk along the esplanade which was filled with shops, playgrounds, workout stations and Crocodile warnings. Oh, did we mention it is hot?

But of course you haven’t really arrived till you stop for a snack...

Figured we should take advantage of the fresh fish.