If you are in need a break from too-much-computer-time, let me recommend zip lining in the jungle as an afternoon diversion.
We are in Koh Samui, in the Gulf of Thailand, at the moment. If you are a regular visitor to this space, you will know I have a love-hate relationship with this delightful little island. Once again we are visiting with a long list of jobs, appointments and “to-do’s”. But, we always make sure to take some time out to go somewhere new or try something different.
So, last Sunday, while an international group of elite athletes were running, swimming and cycling their way around the perimeter of the island as part of the International Samui Island Triathlon, we were swinging through the tree-tops in the heart of the island’s rain forest.
Clearly, I didn’t take the picture on the left, which you can tell because I am in it; while I carried my camera across most of the cable crossings, I didn’t attempt to use it while in flight. But, I’ve included this shot because it so succinctly tells you what I thought of the two hours we spent in the trees. It was fun!
The brochure calls it: “The experience of a lifetime!!” I wouldn’t go quite that far, but it was fun. You learn to take self-promotion with a grain of salt in Thailand – well, anywhere, really. When the brochure states that an adventure is: “Completely safe” and “Fully insured” (or – more commonly: “Includes accidental insurance” – which is not terribly comforting!), this assumes that you arrive there in one piece in the first place. The Canopy Adventures advertises a “4×4 safari to the location” and a “short nature trek” as part of the package. What this really means is that you will rattle over a steep dirt road of caverns and gullies that even the 4WD struggles with before climbing up a rickety staircase with questionable bannisters to arrive at the start of your adventure.
Up the jungle path ~ mind the steps!
The central office is where you sign your waver forms before collecting your gear.
Overhead, we can see the last group coming back.
One of the staff opts for the upside-down delivery.
A helper returns with the harnesses.
Perhaps this is the short "nature trek?"
Young "Bird" gives us the thumbs up when we finally arrive, panting and sweating, at the top.
Nat has worked for the company for eight years, and clearly loves his job.
Nat models the harness...
and shows us the correct hand positions.
Petzl Tandem Speed Pulley
Nat smiles as he runs the cable.
Nat shows off his balance.
It always surprises me how much of the over-developed island is still undeveloped forest.
A view of Secret Falls from one of the platforms.
"Watch for the missing step!"
Above our heads, wild bees sway on the trunk of a tropical tree.
Nat shows us how it is really done.
And Nat arrives - upside-down and still smiling!
Out of the harness - whew!
After swinging through the tree-tops, we visit Secret Falls.
Nat relaxes between canopy clients.
Large spiders and their small companions are all around.
Time to go! Follow the ropes...
... down the hill.
Down
It was a great afternoon, and I look forward to doing it again some time.
eine schöne sportive Serie Ursula. Ich habe dies auch gesehen in Costa Rica, habe es selbst aber nicht gemacht (leider geht das nicht mehr) Schöne Grüsse, DietmutReplyCancel
Hi Dietmut,
Thanks for your visit! We have seen these in other parts of Thailand too (never been to COsta Rica) but this was our first chance to try it. Very safe, but I felt the muscles in my arms a little the next day. 🙂ReplyCancel
File this one under: “Not-so-pretty” pictures, and “Jobs I’m glad I don’t have to do.”
Just outside Battambang, Cambodia, there is a huge, warehouse-like building where fish-paste is made. You can imagine it, can’t you? Hot, dark, damp, and – yes – smelly. Surprisingly, this place is a fairly routine stop on the day-trip circuits. It certainly gives the visitor an insight into local lifestyles and the work that goes into “simple” meals: fish sauce and fish paste are absolutely essential ingredients in many dishes in this part of the world and sit as condiment staples on most tables.
Phsar Prohok (The Fish Paste Market) is certainly NOT the sort of place I would have sought out for myself! I don’t usually even eat fish. But, this stop was pre-arranged. It was all part of a tuk-tuk tour of Battambang’s surrounds – cultural villages and ancient temples – with a number of keen photographers, under the guidance of Karl Grobl, Gavin Gough and Marco Ryan.
Not surprisingly, the first thing I noticed (after the smell) was fish drying in the sunshine.
Many people at the the "factory" work for themselves. They work long hours ~ but they are always prepared to have a rest, of a chat, or some time out.
Clay pots, wooden beams and wicker baskets are scattered throughout the workspace.
Plastic buckets of briny, fragrant fish pieces are scattered all around.
Almost abstract: Fish gills.
People are often cautious of the "foreigner" at first...
... but it's not usually long before my camera and I are rewarded with a smile.
Making the fish paste is a slow, labour intensive process. Many different varieties of fresh fish arrive and are cleaned, chopped and sun-dried or otherwise treated before being smoked or soaked. Large wooden, stone or steel vats are filled with bits of fish mixed with herbs spices, and heaven-only-knows what else, and sit quietly fermenting in the shaded alleys of the factory/market. These pungent smelling stews are occasionally stirred with large wooden paddles, then pounded with a wooden plunger before being forked into bags for weighing and marketing.
Still life found: Fish-paste containers and the wooden plunger used in the vats.
Where there is fish, there is bound to be a cat!
Although this woman was wearing a mask, there was not a hairnet or pair of gloves in sight.
After stirring and mashing, fermented fish paste ~
~ is forked into bags for weighing.
More fish of a smaller variety ~ I guess the rust adds to the flavour!
Sorting through dried fish pieces.
Dried fish pieces.
Keeping the books.
Tying up the bags ~ notice the old green scales behind.
Wicker baskets lying outside the fish-paste factory.
It was actually quite interesting, and is worth a wander through. Still, I was happy that we didn’t stay too long.
And, I’m very happy NOT to be the one working there!
Mmmm, rust as a flavouring! I travelled there several years ago, I’m tempted to go back. Lovely people in spite of the country’s wretched history. Interesting photo series Ursula, thanks for enduring the smells! 🙂ReplyCancel
WOW… I love eating fish, however only eat it fresh and rarely use fish sauces etc… so glad now I tell you.
Great photos as always and interesting to see how the other 2/3rds live, and their willingness to offer a smile when a camera is produced. Thanks as always.ReplyCancel
Moss and lichen make their homes on the piles of tumbled stones, trees grow up and through fallen buildings, holding walls together with their roots, light and shadow play across the whole scene.
Wat Ek Phnom, just outside Battambang, may not be the best known of the Angkor ruins, but it is a popular spot for Cambodians to pay their respects and to picnic. And after a day of smiling ’till my face hurt while taking people-pictures, I found the ruins a wonderful sanctuary of quiet and calm.
Richly decorated building bricks lie in a tumbled heap.
Khmer visitor to Wat Ek Phnom sit among the ruins.
One of the beauty of these more remote sites is that you are free to clamber over the rubble and through the remains, unhindered by scaffolding or warning signs.
Looking out the doorway...
From the old ruins ~ to the new Wat.
As with elsewhere in Cambodia, the modern practice of animist traditions is maintained in the form of colourful spirit houses.
The new Wat Ek Phnom is on the same site.
Mythical roosters decorate the banisters of the new wat.
It's as if the young monks just sit around, waiting for the light to fall and the tourists with cameras to come...
The giant Buddha at Wat Ek Phnom looked finished against the incoming weather.
Standing watch.
Life on the ground: a butterfly in the cosmos.
Buddha in the clouds : Wat Ek Phnom
There is an afternoon storm coming - time to leave Wat Ek Phnom.
Truly, the quiet before the storm! As the tropical clouds rolled in with amazing speed, we clambered into our tuk-tuks, hoping to make it back to the hotel safe and dry.
Up! Down! Flying Around. Looping The Loop And Defying The Ground.
What a treat!
We had headed out to Merimbula Airport, a small, single-runway regional airport in coastal south-eastern NSW, to see ‘Connie’, the Lockheed Super Constellation VH-EAG (Southern Preservation).
The development of these large, four-engined propeller-driven planes was financed and influenced by Howard Hughes, who wanted them for his airline TWA. Lockheed built 856 aircraft in the Constellation range between 1943 and 1958. As well as being sold to TWA and a number of other commercial airlines (including QANTAS), they were U.S. military air transport and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Air Force One.
When we arrived at the airfield, the restored Connie – the last Constellation still air-worthy – was sitting on on the tarmac preparing for visitors. The Roulettes, the Royal Australia Air Force aerobatics team, on the other hand, were in the air.
As the Ron Goodwin song (with inspiration from Lorraine Williams) puts it: “Those magnificent men in their flying machines… enchant all the ladies and steal all the scenes!” As it happens, the Roulettes’ flyers were all men, and they and their Pilatus PC-9/A two-seat single-engine turboprops certainly commanded the attention of the crowd.
The Connie was pretty much ignored until the Roulettes were parked and de-planed.
Up!
Down!
Flying Around.
They Enchant All The Ladies...
And Steal All The Scenes! (Roulettes Squadron Leader Stephen Baker)
The Roulettes at rest...
... clearing the way for the scheduled Rex SAAB 340 to taxi out.
The RAAF rescue helicopter is on hand, just in case.
Queue for the Connie
A member of the HARS acts as gatekeeper.
The Connie is lovingly flown and shown by members of HARS, the Historical Aircraft Society, who found the derelict ex-US Airforce plane in 1990. They spent a lot of money and volunteer-people-hours restoring it before flying it to Australia, in bunny-hops, in 1996.
"CONNIE" in her QANTAS colours.
Another HARS volunteer greets people on the stairway.
One of the four oil-hungry 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines.
The navigator on the Lockheed Super Constellation has a whole room of knobs and dials...
... as do the pilot and co-pilots.
The interior of the Lockheed Super Constellation was configured with more spaciousness than today's passenger planes.
The Connie's emergency exit was fitted with a length of rope instead of a slide raft.
Connie, shake your tail feathers! The Constellations were distinguishable by their triple-tail design.
From inside the Connie, an Australian-made Jabiru J120 looks even smaller!
Not all aircraft get restored.
... and still they queue ...
Dear old Connie!
Representative of a rich and varied history, and still fuelling the dreams of those magnificent men and women who maintain and fly her.
Thanks, Dietmut. All the best for Easter to you too.ReplyCancel
Bron -April 5, 2012 - 10:16 am
Great photos Ursula! We are from Melbourne but are holidaying in Merimbula for the school holidays. We were fortunate enough to go along and see Connie on Sunday. Such a great experience!ReplyCancel
It doesn’t matter what continent you are on: there is something about mountain air that sharpens the senses. Colours are brighter, the air is cleaner, sounds are clearer… I know my spirits rise.
Add to that: sunshine, a crisp Australian sparkling white wine, and some spirited jazz musicians, and you have an unbeatable experience. Last weekend we were in Thredbo, high in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, for the annual Jazz Festival: Thredbo’s 25th and our first.
Although I was introduced to Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk at an early age, “pure” jazz is not my favourite musical form. But, I’m always happy for an excuse (as though one is needed!) to head into Kosciuszko National Park, and we enjoyed the Blues Festival there greatly in January, so we decided to try it out. I’m not about to wade into the debate over what constitures the boundaries of “jazz”: suffice it to say, we were pleased (and a little relieved) to find great music in a variety of styles within the broader definitions.
Whatever you want to call it, it was pure fun and great entertainment.
The challenge for me, in tight corners and badly-lit venues, was to stop foot-tapping long enough to take a few pictures I’d could edit to the point where I’d be happy enough to share them – when I’d rather be dancing!
Bright daylight outside, as we sit in a dimly lit bar, listening to the smooth voice of James Valentine.
Our first stop was the Lounge Bar for the James Valentine Quartet. Now, as a “mum”, I know James’ voice from watching afternoon television with my children, some twenty-five years ago. Other people know him as the lead voice and tenor saxophone for the The James Valentine Quartet, a role he performs with effortless style.
Gary Daley on accordion, with James Valentine
Smoky bar atmosphere ... without the smoke!
We would have stayed for more, but we had dinner reservations with Sarah McKenzie, her keyboard and her band.
Sarah McKenzie; what can I say, except that her bio doesn't exaggerate! We went home with an excellent CD.
Sarah McKenzie at the Cascades Restaurant
Drummer with the Sarah McKenzie Quartet.
Pick a beer - any beer. Cascade's Restaurant, Thredbo Alpine Hotel.
After a morning run around the over-full Lake Jindabyne (we’ve had a LOT of rain here), we headed back up the hill the next afternoon to stake out a good position in the Schuss Bar.
The Schuss Bar is ready and waiting...
... for the Hot Potato Band ...
... with its big, brassy sound.
Big vocals.
Rocking the saxophone.
Blue jeans and sax.
Bernie Lagana, playing the audience.
With a smile on our faces, we danced off to another venue, dinner, and a completely different (but equally enjoyable) take on “jazz” from the flamboyant Jeff Duff, with Glenn Rhodes on keyboard and ex-Icehouse drummer Paul Wheeler.
Jeff Duff chatting to a fan. One of the advantages of impossibly small venues is that one is privy to all the "back-stage" joys and dramas that go on behind any performance.
Paul Rhodes and his keyboard.
We started our next day poolside, with pizza, that sunshine and white wine I mentioned earlier, and two lively groups of horns. The first, Shirazz from Melbourne, are self-described as a “trad jazz and dixieland band specialising in classic hot jazz of the 20s and 30s”. We bought a CD and have bopped around the living room all week.
Matt Dixon, leader of the six-piece Shirazz, on trombone.
Shirazz with "Midnight in Moscow". (Mike di Cecco on drums and Alistair Robertson on double bass.)
Michael Hanley on banjo...
... Davis Woods on trumpet.
Swing dancers take advantage of the sun and sounds. Poolside, Thredbo Alpine Hotel.
Simon Ghali and Mitchell Brandman herald the arrival of the Hot Potato Band.
Andrew Grant, with his trumpet, on the roof of the Thredbo Alpine Hotel.
Bernie Lagana playing the crowd - again!
We headed back indoors for three more, very different definitions of “jazz”: The Date Brothers with their gypsy jazz guitars and Dan Barnett with his crooning swing, both in the Schuss Bar, before closing out our weekend with the hot jazz-boogie of The Shuffle Club in the Lounge Bar.
The Date Brothers and their "Gypsy Jazz Guitar" sounds.
Since 2002, Ian Date has been based in Ireland, where he has clearly been gifted with the blarney.
Dan Barnett with his band.
As the lights come on outside, The Shuffle Club heat up the room.
We missed you guys at the relay and enjoyed the same beautiful weather. I love jazz in all its forms so am seriously jealous, although we rocked the night away with Jimmy Barnes brother Alan who outsings his brother big time…
will have to remember the weekend in case we’re free next year, sounds like a whole lottafun…thanks for sharingReplyCancel
Thanks Signe, Schönen Dank Dietmut, Спасибо .. to all my Russian spammers.
The spare room is still free for next year: first come first serve!
😀ReplyCancel
[…] make great excuses to get into Kosciuszko National Park. I’ve said it before: (Summer Blues; All that Jazz; Blues in Colour) I love music in the […]ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
It was a great afternoon, and I look forward to doing it again some time.
It was actually quite interesting, and is worth a wander through. Still, I was happy that we didn’t stay too long.
Truly, the quiet before the storm! As the tropical clouds rolled in with amazing speed, we clambered into our tuk-tuks, hoping to make it back to the hotel safe and dry.
If that is all jazz, I like it!
eine schöne sportive Serie Ursula. Ich habe dies auch gesehen in Costa Rica, habe es selbst aber nicht gemacht (leider geht das nicht mehr) Schöne Grüsse, Dietmut
Hi Dietmut,
Thanks for your visit! We have seen these in other parts of Thailand too (never been to COsta Rica) but this was our first chance to try it. Very safe, but I felt the muscles in my arms a little the next day. 🙂
Nice… would scare the hell out of me, but you looked like you were having fun 😉
I would certainly believe Ursula.Nice day and greetings, Dietmut
Looks like fun! Yee Ha! 🙂