To Bungy or not to Bungy?

Travelling can often encourage people to get involved with extreme activities. For many people these can be impulse decisions while they travel and for others, the opportunities for extreme activities are already planned before they set off. 

I would have to say that I am part of that second group, when I booked my southern hemisphere trip I knew that I would do a skydive and a bungee jump at some point. However, I met plenty of people in the former group too, those who hadn't planned to do anything extreme but presented with the opportunity, they made a snap decision and went for it. 

Bungy (bungee) jumping has been in the news recently as Australian Erin Langworthy was plunged into the Zambezi River at Victoria Falls on New Year's Eve 2011 after her bungy rope snapped during a jump. It is a miracle that she survived particularly as her legs were tied together. 
Extreme sports like bungy jumps or skydives are dangerous but that is part of the thrill. At the same time though, the operators will be incredibly safety conscious because they do not want a tragic accident either! Clearly something went catastrophically wrong at the Victoria Falls operation and I understand a full investigation took place and steps were taken to reduce the same risk. From experience I think that skiing is more dangerous than bungy jumping. I believe that there are fewer accidents with bungy jumping and there are many safety checks undertaken.

During my life I have done a tandem skydive and two bungy jumps, at the time the first one was the biggest one in New Zealand and my second one was the biggest in the world. 

The 'Official' Shot 

My first bungy jump was the Pipeline in Queenstown, New Zealand. Being an 'all or nothing' type of character I wasn't interested in the smaller bungees on offer, the Kawarau Bridge at 43m (the first ever commercial bungee site) and Skippers Canyon at 71m. 

Instead I decided to go for the biggest which was The Pipeline at 102m (340ft). 
On a drab wet day, a few of us from the Kiwi Experience bus took the ride out to the bridge and jumped off it attached to an elastic cord.

It is difficult to describe the experience. There are actually many drops because the cord pulls you up and you fall again and again. I remember feeling disorientated and I wasn't sure if I was rising or falling which was odd.

At the end I was winched down into a boat, taken to the river bank and had to walk up the 102 metres I had just jumped from. That was the worst part. I only did the one jump that day but my mate Todd did two, his second one walking off the bridge backwards and dropping feet first. He said that was a real rush.

Apparently the Pipeline Bungy is no longer in operation after it was bought by AJ Hackett. There are three bungy jumps in Queenstown now run by AJ Hackett and you can do one in Auckland too. The highest jump now is the Nevis at 134m. Full details can be found at http://www.bungy.co.nz/. I hear bungy jumps are free if you do them naked.

My second (and final) bungy of my life was in South Africa at the Bloukrans Bridge which is on the Garden Route between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. 

Bloukrans Bridge, South Africa. Look carefully and you can see a jumper hanging. 

Kim and me. Bloukrans Bridge

I can't remember when I first heard about the world's biggest jump but it must have been before I visited Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe as I declined the opportunity to do that one at 111m because I knew I would do Bloukrans at 212m. I didn't see the point of doing one that was 9 metres higher that the Pipeline.In South Africa I was travelling with a fantastic Danish guy called Kim who I met on the Baz Bus. We were both heading to Cape Town and got on so well that we became a dynamic duo. Kim was also well up for the Bloukrans jump.

I was pretty excited as we woke up in a Port Elizabeth hostel knowing it was Bloukrans day. We got into the Baz Bus and after a relatively short ride we reached 'Face Adreneline', signed up and headed to the bridge. At first we watched some other jumpers and it was then that the sheer scale of the jump hit me. As in the top Bloukrans bridge photo above, it was difficult to actually see the jumper. Soon it was time to make our way to the bungy site which is situated underneath the road. I watched as Kim and another lad from the bus did the jump and finally it was my turn. Standing on the edge, the drop was enormous and far greater than the 212m (695ft) bungy cord would allow. As the countdown commenced I started shouting the numbers out with them and with a large cry I launched myself off the bridge. The first second was ok but then the gut-wrenching free fall took over. Five seconds later I was heading back upwards ready for another drop. Within minutes it was over.
Hanging upside down approx 150m from a bridge with the same distance between you and the ground is not a likely scenario you often find yourself in, which is what I was thinking as I hung there. It was weird. This time the recovery came from a man winched down to me who attached me to him, put me in an upright position and winched me back up. Video evidence shows that this was probably the most scary part of the jump for me as my face is one of pure worry. But finally I was back on the bridge, a big smile back on my face and I happily announced my retirement from bungy jumping. Video below - forward to approx 5 mins.
      

       
So to bungy or not to bungy? 

My thoughts are that I would never encourage anyone to do anything dangerous. It has to be a decision purely for the individual. For me, I wanted to do it, I accepted the risks and I trusted the operator. You have to complete a waiver form for these types of activities and this act in itself brings home some of the risks. There are reported injuries from people bungy jumping but I have not met anyone who experienced these. Deaths are few and far between as far as I know too. I think that there are far more dangerous activities in life.

And finally am I glad I did my two bungy jumps? 

100% YES!!


UPDATE: 29th October 2012

In August 2012 I revisited the Bloukrans site, thirteen years after my bungy experience. I didn't do the jump and neither did my wife but I wanted to show her anyway. On the way back to our car one of the guys asked if I was going to do it.
"No mate, I did it thirteen years ago" I said
"Really? I started working here then" replied the man. 
And then I realised, this was the guy that strapped me up in 1999. 

  

Got any great bungy tales? Leave a comment!

The Masterplan (Update 1 - Olympic Special!)

It is nearly two months since I started this blog, the aim being that I wanted to tell the whole story of, and be totally honest about, Laura and my plans to sell up, leave our lives in UK and head overseas in 2013 for travel, adventure and work. I promised myself that I would do an update every two months so here is update 1. 


If you have read any of my posts since November you would know that Laura won The Guardian Travel Photographer 'Been There' contest for 2011, after winning the November competition.  This amazing feat has won her a safari photographic assignment with The Guardian in Kruger National Park, South Africa in September and I'll be going too. Winning the competition is more important than the holiday though and the accolade adds considerable weight to her photographic CV. We hope that Laura will be able to be a freelance photographer while we travel.


As for me, I mentioned the original post that I was looking to do the CELTA (teaching English as a foreign language) course during August 2012 and while this is still a possibility, I'm currently questioning whether I would need this qualification with my teaching and leadership experience in the UK and my teaching qualifications including a masters in Education. I'm warming more to the idea of finding international schools and working in them teaching mainstream subjects. It has also been encouraging to talk to an ex-student of the school I last taught at, Chris, who is currently in Beijing teaching English with limited qualifications by his own admission . He encourages me by calling me a 'qualified mother f*****'.           

There is another reason that I won't be doing the CELTA this August.This week I was officially offered a place in the cast for the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies for London 2012 as a drummer! Understandably, I am very excited at this prospect but it has a greater significance for me in that I wouldn't have been able to commit to doing it if I had still been in full time employment as a teacher. It makes me so pleased that I took the decision to 'reclaim my life' back from the madness that is teaching.


I have been excited about the Olympics coming to London since I first found out we had won the rights to host. I was in France on a school trip and just about to see the famous Bayeaux Tapestry. The French cashier didn't seem too impressed however, I think we beat Paris to host. Having watched every Olympics since 1984 it is quite something to think the main events will be just 35 miles from my house and the mountain biking even closer at just 4 miles. Before applying to take part in the ceremonies I successfully applied for and bought tickets for the athletics and was thrilled to get tickets for the evening of 9th August which will include the men's 200m & 800m finals.

In September 2011 I found out that the Olympic organisers were looking for volunteer performers and particularly drummers. I've played drums for over 20 years so thought this could be an amazing way to be in the stadium on the opening night and also to contribute in a small way. I got an audition date for Saturday November 5th at some studios in East London and headed along. There were 200 people per audition and we did a range of exercises including processional walking and dance routines. 

At the end of the first audition I put my name down as a drummer and later that weekend got the good news that I was being recalled for a second role specific audition on 20th November. I was quite happy to find out that many of my fellow auditionees had never drummed before, I thought this would improve my chances. This time we moved through different studios to do different exercises, drumming by voice, drumming by clapping and finally drumming on a upturned plastic bucket. Throughout I kept my concentration levels high and certainly felt I had done enough by the end of it. I even 'broke line' to shake hands with director Danny Boyle when I saw him at the back of one of the studios. Evidently I had done enough and I can't wait.




With regards to other details of our masterplan like selling our house, we will probably put it on the market in the next couple of months then look to rent another property until we leave the UK. I have started to sell some 'stuff' on ebay with varying degrees of success so boot sales look like our best bet to get rid of many of our items. 


Also in the last two months we have been looking at where we would like to or could work. We have been in talks with the Canadian/Bhutan Education about possibly doing some work there and have already had a positive reply but Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is also on my radar as both Laura and I know people there, I currently work with someone who lived and worked there and there are some good international schools for me to possibly get a job in. 
Maybe more excitingly is that I have had nearly 3000 page views of this blog and am loving every minute of writing it, particularly writing about travel. In the last two months I have become a 'traveller' again which just shows that travelling is as much a mindset as a physical journey.   


So although not a great deal has moved on with planning, we are slightly further ahead but are both 100% committed to doing it, plus we have a great year in 2012 to look forward to with the Olympics, South Africa and a family holiday in Turkey.        

  
Finally, I feel I have to comment on education and the changes that are taking place under this new government. For those unaware, I resigned from a leadership position in a secondary school in England in 2010 on what I would term 'moral, ethical and personal health' grounds. 


I am actually in despair at what I am witnessing daily in the press as Michael Gove does his best to ruin the education of a generation of children. 


Why?


Gove is obsessed by academia and returning to the days where students learned facts and remembered them for examinations. He believes that this enables young people to succeed more in the world of work. My experience is that many employers say the school leavers look good on paper but when it comes to it they are unable to think laterally or be creative when it comes to solving problems. Time after time I heard this in my post of Director of Community Development. It is amazing that he has not found this out himself, if he had he wouldn't be removing statutory work experience at KS4.
My concern is that a return to a more academic approach is going to further polarise the haves and the have nots in our society. I remember that a couple of years ago the percentage of young people leaving schools without the 'magical' five or more A*-C was 55%. More than half! Other than proving itself to be a complete failure of how success should be measured (and who made up '5 or more' anyway?) it means that thousands of young people leave schools at 16 deemed a failure but more worryingly they feel stupid. I know this because I have taught hundreds of students as a full time teacher and more recently as a consultant and workshop leader. The apathy they demonstrate and we have to deal with as teachers in their most important years is mainly caused by their complete lack of self belief and the fact that for their whole education experience they have been subjected to rigorous academic testing which has frequently told them that they seem not to be academic. 
They aren't aware that there are many different types of intelligence, they have only experienced one and if they are not academic, they feel stupid. Changes to the curriculum and reducing subject choices by students is not going to make this better. We need to personalise the curriculum, allow the academic to flourish in academia, let the artistic be creative and so on. 


I am also greatly worried about Gove's apparent contempt for teachers. In the last month we have heard that they are considering extending school days and reducing holidays and on national TV I understand the argument was something like "well if you love our job, you won't mind doing more of it". It doesn't stop there. Apparently if a child from a difficult background comes into a class having not been to bed all night due to family issues and falls asleep... it's the teachers responsibility. In fact, if any student fails, its the teacher's fault. The shifting of parental and child responsibility for their own education onto the teacher is totally unacceptable. 


Also in the last two weeks we have had 'no notice' inspections introduced from next Autumn and 'satisfactory' being replaced with 'requires improvement'. The no notice inspections can only mean one thing for me, that every lesson will require a typed/written up full lesson plan (the type you only had to do once or twice a year back in the day) for every lesson in the year. While some reading this may even agree, in order to do that, all teachers would have to be on 50% maximum timetables. These unrealistic demands of teachers were one of the factors for me deciding to call it a day. From my perspective, a full written lesson plan was only ever useful for me in my training year and part of my first year of teaching. Once I knew what I was doing, all I needed were my resources and schemes of work to know what to teach. I couldn't have been too bad either, one of my students came in the top ten of the country for a Geography GCSE examination. But she did the work, not me and this is where the whole teacher responsibility issue raises its head again. According to Gove, if the teachers are fully responsible then it is me that should be congratulated. This is of course preposterous! Although I could possibly guess at some of the particular strategies I used with that class, I know that Jenny worked hard for herself and probably listened to me more than other students. I was an important factor but certainly not the most important. It had to be down to her as it is with every student in the country.


I am genuinely worried about the future of education in England and feel so relieved that I got out. 


Finally, I tweeted Sir Ken Robinson on Tuesday asking him what he thought about the British Government taking education back 50 years. His reply?

 "ill advised and tragic"

Personal Photography Favourites

I recently posted about my favourite travel photos I have taken which were mostly landscape shots. 
I have another set of favourite travelling pictures too... those that I'm in. Travel blogs are full of them (not photos of me of course) and why not? We travel and we take pictures and we love pictures of us in these places. 
I have said before in a blog that I am a 'landmark' traveller - I see things in books, magazines, on TV or on the internet and decide I need to visit. Here are my favourite 'personal' travelling pics.

1. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
This picture was taken in 2007, before Laura and I married. We travelled to Iceland with http://www.oakhall.co.uk/ Christian holidays for two weeks. Being situated near Reykjavik, The Blue Lagoon is one of the most popular and famous visitor attractions in Iceland.  

2. Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England

Despite Stonehenge being located in my own country, I still consider this a travelling picture and one I love. Taken in November 2010, this was the first time that I had visited the (at least) 4000 year old monument in my 37 years (although I had passed it a couple of times before). More significantly, it was taken a few months after I had left full time teaching (see reclaiming my life post) and had started working freelance. After 11 years of having to take school holidays - it felt strange yet liberating to be there on a 'school day' in November.

3. Forbidden City, Beijing, China

In 2004 I was asked to lead a school trip to Shanghai and the (brilliant) Headteacher said that during the trip I would be allowed to have a couple of days holiday, leave the students with my teacher colleagues and suggested I visit Beijing. I did and it was brilliant.   

3. The Great Wall, Simatai, China (and descent)
Visiting the Great Wall was one of my goals in life, just as visiting Antarctica is currently. I was advised by a couple of friends to go to Simatai which was less touristy. On the day I was with a great bunch of people who were doing the trip from a Beijing youth hostel (while I lived in luxury at the Holiday Inn). Disappointingly it was very foggy on the day so distant views of the wall were not great. 

The descent from the Wall was a real highlight. It wasn't compulsory but a daredevil like me couldn't resist. I'm wondering why the the operator of the zip line looks so pensive? Maybe he's not so confident the line will hold. 

4. Sydney Opera House, Australia
I have already referred to this photo in the 'My Love of Travelling Part 1" post (http://stephendcook.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-love-of-travelling-part-1.html) and needless to say this photo was one I dreamed about for a while. It was taken in January 1999. 
  

5. Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia
While this isn't a classic landscape or exciting photo, I love it because it shows the freedom of travelling in wild landscapes. It was taken in April 1999.

6. Whitsunday Islands Cruise, Australia
A highlight of travelling the East coast of Australia is a cruise of  the Whitsunday Islands. This photo was my attempt to replicate Duran Duran's Rio video (below) taken in 1999.

7. Pipeline Bungy Jump, Queenstown, New Zealand

Along with skydiving, completing a bungy jump was a 'must-do' on my travelling list. The first photo is the one taken by the bungy company and the second one is me in action. December 1998.     

8.Ben Nevis, Scotland
After a ten hour drinkathon in a rainy Fort William the day before, walking up Ben Nevis was not on my agenda of mine and Ricki's short tour of Scotland. However Ricki was adamant and we reached the highest point in the UK in early September 2002. I was secretly delighted we did it although we both suffered sore legs and looked like a couple of geriatrics for the following few days.  

9.Milford Sound, New Zealand
Milford Sound is 'must-do' place to visit in New Zealand. I was so lucky to have no rain on my visit, quite a rare occurrence. Mitre Peak (highest peak in photo) is a mile high. A stunning place that I visited in December 1998.

10. The Leaning Tower, Pisa
The Leaning Tower is one of the most iconic structures in the world and I was really excited to go and see it on my honeymoon when Laura and I inter-railed around Europe (August 2008). I am aware that the photo is pure cheese...but sometimes pure cheese is ok in your travel pics!

  

Travel Photography By a Complete Amateur

Some of you may know that my wife is a travel photographer, although she prefers to use the term 'visual storyteller' (www.lauracookphotography.net). Laura recently won The Guardian Travel Photography 'Been There' Competition with a shot for the 'Solitude' theme, an image taken in a vocational college in northern Sierra Leone.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2011/dec/28/been-there-photographs-year-2011#/?picture=383572093&index=10

I on the other hand, am a complete amateur who uses compact cameras but enjoys beautiful scenes or landscapes. Although many out there may cast a critical eye over some of these, what I know is that I love them and when I look at them I am instantly transported back there. 

So here are my top ten favourite travel pictures I have taken in no particular order... let me know what you think. They will enlarge If you click on them.

This is Peyto Lake in the Canadian Rockies. I hadn't seen a picture of this place before I arrived and it took my breath away. Taken in August 2001 on a Pentax Efina APS 

This is Reine which is a town in The Lofeten Islands, Norway. I had seen a picture like this in the Lonely Planet guide so I wanted to replicate it. Taken on a Canon Ixus 40 in August 2005

This is Mt Cook being reflected in Lake Matheson, South Island , New Zealand. It is not the normal place for photos but I liked the framing of the trees and almost as soon as I'd taken it the wind got up and ripples appeared on the lake. Taken on a Pentax Efina APS in December1998.

These two pictures of Victoria Falls were taken during an Ultra Light flight. To this day I think it is the best experience I have ever had. Taken on the Pentax Efina APS in June 1999. 

This is a scene from the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Taken in June 2006 with a Canon Ixus 40.

This was the view from our bedroom window at Franco's place, Sussex, Sierra  Leone. Taken in March 2011 on a Fuji Finepix JZ500

The final three pictures were taken in August 2007 in the absolutely stunning country of Iceland. They were taken on my Canon Ixus 40 

Landmannalauger

Thingvellir National Park

Gulfoss Waterfall

     

Travelling & Working in Australia (My Love of Travelling Part 4)

Hello Australia!  (Dec 98 - April 99)

Flight Route from Fiji to Auckland, Christchurch t Sydney, Alice Springs to Sydney and Cairns to Perth

Flying in over Sydney. Beach to the left is Maroubra Bay, more central is Coogee. 

The Iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House

After adventures across U.S.A., Fiji and New Zealand in 1998, I ended the year in Sydney. This time I didn't need to find a hostel as I was kindly being put up by my cousin's brother and sister in law for a few weeks in their house in Five Dock. It was nice to be with a family for Christmas. 
Brian collected me up from the airport, both of us not knowing what the other looked like. Our guessing worked. It was so nice to have home comforts again. 
. 

Christmas 1998 - Sydney

Christmas and Boxing Day was spent at another one of Ayleen's sisters who was also living in Sydney. Then with England in town it was off to the Ashes test match at Sydney Cricket Ground. Not long after getting into the ground I bumped into someone I knew from advertising in London who was actually with one of my old clients. I sat with them and enjoyed the beers in the heat. I didn't enjoy the domination of the Australians however although the 'Barmy Army' kept us entertained. At about 5pm and with the Waugh brothers still batting, we decided to get out early, freshen up and meet  up later for drinks. 
   

Sydney Cricket Ground - Ashes Test 1998

When I arrived back at Ayleen and Brian's I was devastated to discover that I had missed Darren Gough bowling three Aussies out in three balls - a hat-trick. I really shouldn't have left early!
After a spectacular New Year which was spent at 'The Rocks' in view of Sydney Opera House and The Harbour Bridge, it was time for me to get organised regarding work. I had arranged a working (holiday visa) back in the UK but I needed to find work and set up a bank account.

Working Holiday Visa

Information regarding holiday visas can be found here:
http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/
UK residents: For a first visa you need to be between 18 and 30, be in good health (you may need to have a medical) and prove you have over $5000 AUS (approx £3300) in your bank account. The visa costs $270 AUS (approx £180) and you might need to prove you have a ticket out of Australia. You can only work for one employer for 6 months.
I was only interested in working in Sydney and not to do the fruit picking up the east coast that so many backpackers do. Having spoken to people who did it, I was glad I didn't. Most wished they hadn't either, the work was hard and pay was low. 
I found a backpackers information centre in Sydney and headed down there. This place had job boards and accommodation as well as information on social security/medical arrangements. I got my medical card soon after and without having any success meeting anyone in advertising, I found information about a sales job.The job was selling a cable tv and telephone service for Optus in the suburbs of Sydney door to door. In UK it was the equivalent of Virgin Media. I wasn't working directly for Optus though, rather they had sub-contracted the work out to another company. After a few days training I was placed in a team and out on the streets.
At the same time as fixing up the job, my time at Ayleen and Brian's was coming to an end and I needed to find some accommodation for me and my mate from university Richard who was coming to Australia at the start of his backpacking adventure. The four weeks at Ayleen and Brian's probably seemed like four months to them, particularly as Ayleen was pregnant with her first child. To this day I am eternally grateful to them for putting me up (or putting up with me), and I hope one day I can repay them by maybe doing the same for their children. In mid January, Brian took me out to search for accommodation and after looking at a couple of hovels, I struck gold in a lovely two bedroom ground floor flat in a very affluent area of Sydney, Double Bay (also known as 'Double Pay'). Fiona and Tracey were already there sharing one room and they were looking for another 'couple' to take the other. Job done. I even had a donated bed from Ayleen and Brian. I quickly moved in and soon after Richard arrived from UK. 

Richard arrives January 1999 to a house with no furniture.

January to March were fun filled where we worked hard during the week and enjoyed the weekends. Richard got a job in research, which he had been doing in the UK so he worked normal office hours. On the other hand I generally worked 10am to 8pm so I was always tucked up in bed as he left in the morning after a night on a blow up bed. Every morning he looked at me and uttered "you bastard". Richard generally got 2 hours less sleep than me every night as we would be talking about our days and hit the sack at the same time. 
Work was bearable for me, I didn't particularly enjoy door to door sales but I was earning ok and was working with some brilliant people and having a real laugh. We were on 100% commission so it was up to us when and how hard we worked. Towards the end of my time a group of us would go from the office to one of the many, brilliant sports clubs (Bankstown was a favourite) which had cheap food and drink. I recall one day having a few beers and not starting until 4pm but then got my best ever sales figures. Perhaps a couple of lunchtime beers was the trick. One of my favourite stories was being chased down the garden path by a woman shouting "Kojak" at me after I had questioned her politeness. To be fair, she did have screaming kids in the house and probably didn't need a door to door salesman and not least a 'Pom' giving her grief.

Me and Kojak. Separated at birth?

Weekends were for parties and adventure. Coogee Bay Hotel was the number one backpacker destination and I spent many a night there, frequently bumping into people I'd met in New Zealand. One weekend in particular was set aside as a New Zealand reunion and my Canadian mates James and Mark stayed at our flat along with English girl Katie who I'd travelled South Island with. See below:  

It was great to have Katie in Sydney too as she had a swimming pool in her block of flats. We also travelled to The Blue Mountains with Katie in a hire car one weekend. Other highlights included visiting the 'Home & Away' beach, going on a wine valley tour in the Hunter Valley with 'Grape Expectations'        (http://grapetours.com.au/) which we did for Richard's birthday. 

Sportswise, we did the great stadium walk inside the new Olympic Stadium (referred to in last blog) and met Australian sporting icon David Campese in his shop in the Rocks (see below). We also attended the England v Australia one day game. 


One Sunday Richard and I went to watch an Australian soccer game in Woolongong which was an interesting experience. From being a great family atmosphere with not a hint of trouble, it descended into chaos as the heavy handed police seemed determined to arrest some English fans. We were behind the goal with the ex pats singing away. Then the police arrived and said they would arrest anyone singing with swearing. Soon after a guy coming back from the bar knocked a policeman's hat off for a joke. It wasn't seen as a joke and a comedy chase ensued with the skinny Brit running from the portly copper. The best bit was when he had jumped the fence and he started to goad the policeman face to face. Within minutes we saw at least four police vans tear down the road to the stadium. It was a complete joke. Worse still was how it was reported in the national press and television news. The headlines were all about 'English Hooligans'. The footage they showed on the tv did look a little dubious with a mass movement of fans but was actually everyone running up the bank so we could see the chase. 

Longhurst, Barrett, Belly, Alan and me

In March 1999, a couple of my old work mates, Alan and Mike reached Sydney during their 'world travel' and a party of others decided to have a holiday in Australia. It was brilliant to see them and we had some entertaining nights out. 
At around the same time I had finished my job and was about to do a two week tour of South Eastern Australia taking in Melbourne, Adelaide and the Red Centre (Ayres Rock etc) before heading back to Sydney and travelling up the east coast of Australia. I took an overnight 'Firefly' bus to Melbourne and a day or so later, Alan and Mike joined me.

Me and Alan at MCG

I really liked Melbourne, I liked that it was smaller than Sydney and we went to an Australian Rules Footie game at the famous MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). And of course, no trip to Melbourne would be complete without a visit to Ramsey Street, home of tv programme Neighbours. Here I am with Sydney work colleague Ian. 

After a few days in Melbourne, Alan and I decided to do a backpacker tour bus between Melbourne and Adelaide called 'Wayward Bus' which my Canadian friend James had recommended.
(Wayward Bus merged with another company in 2006. The new tour company is http://www.adventuretours.com.au/). 

The Wayward Bus was brilliant, it took in the Great Ocean Road and other interesting sites including a petrified forest and an old volcano. 

12 Apostles - Great Ocean Road

Finally we arrived in Adelaide but rather than stay in the city we decided to get the tram to Glenelg on the coast. It was a good move, I won a karaoke competition in the lively hostel which allowed Alan and myself to do a one day wine tour half price!  

Hostel http://www.glenelgbeachhostel.com.au/

In mid April it was time for me to move on again, this time via Greyhound Bus from Adelaide to Alice Springs via the 'Red Centre', Uluru (Ayres Rock), The Olgas and Kings Canyon. Along with Sydney Opera House, Uluru is one of the most recognisable landmarks in Australia and for this reason I was so excited about seeing it. I chose not to walk up the rock, the official reason was that the Aborigine people did not like tourists walking on their sacred rock, the real reason being I wanted a lay in. 

On the Kings Canyon Tour

The end of my mini-tour finished in Alice Springs where I stayed for a couple of nights before flying back to Sydney to hook up with Richard and start our month travel up the east coast of Australia. It would be on par with New Zealand as one of the best months of my life.  

Next Up:

http://travelhappinesslife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/travelling-australias-east-coast-nsw.html