We visited family in Noosa last month. Noosa is a resort area on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, about 150 km north of Brisbane. One afternoon we hired a small motorboat in Noosaville and went down the Noosa River towards Noosa Bar where the river joins the ocean.
I posted some photos of our July 2017 trip to the Great Barrier Reef here recently (A-trip-to-the-great-barrier-reef). Here is a 3 min video of my younger son and myself snorkelling on Opal Reef, 54 km off the Queensland coast at Port Douglas.
In July last year, I took my two boys to the north of Queensland to spend a week at Cairns and Port Douglas, diving on the Great Barrier Reef and also doing trips inland to rainforest and the Daintree River. … Continue reading
Somewhat belatedly, a few photos from a quick trip to Australia in the New Year break 2016-2017 to visit my family in Noosa on the Queensland coast. Flying from the midwinter Geneva around zero C to heatwave in the middle of summer – middle 30s C and then back to a cold spell at -4 C. Around 35°C temperature drop from my last Saturday on Sunshine Beach to the first day in Geneva.
Even though it was hot, there were some stormy days and some dark clouds on Noosa Main Beach. It was much more crowded when the sun was out.
While in Australia in July, we hired a 4WD for a trip to Fraser Island, largest sand island in the world. From Noosa, it was a 50 km drive on Cooloola Beach to Rainbow Bay, then across to Fraser Island by barge to drive up 75 Mile Beach on the eastern side.
Waiting at Rainbow Beach for the barge to cross to Fraser Island.
Early morning light on 75 Mile Beach
When I was in Harare in April 2000, I took a day to go to Victoria Falls (victoria-falls-and-the-zambesi-river). When I saw the bungee jump off the bridge across the Zambesi Gorge below the falls, I had to do it. This is arguably the best bungee jump in the world, with a 111 metre plummet (nearly 400 feet) towards the Zambezi. The short video below is taken from an old VHS tape of my two jumps. That’s me after the 15 second intro.
Victoria Falls
Some years ago, I was in Harare, Zimbabwe, for a WHO meeting and took the opportunity to make a flying visit to Victoria Falls, about a one hour flight away. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is classified as the largest, based on its width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and height of 108 metres (354 ft),[ resulting in the world’s largest sheet of falling water. Victoria Falls is roughly twice the height of North America’s Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its Horseshoe Falls.
This Easter, the boys and I went to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia to visit relatives. Apart from heavy rain storms the first couple of days it was hot and sunny just like mid-summer. We went to the beach every day and the boys had some surfing lessons (boards). I also did a jet ski trip with each of them out to the open ocean to jump waves at speed.
Mont Blanc seen from the west (Mégeve) in March 2014
“They passed aeons living alone in the mountains and forests;
only then did they unite with the Way and use mountains and rivers for words,
raise the wind and rain for a tongue, and explain the great void.”
Dogen Zenji (1200-1253), Shobogenzo
The Parc Eaux-Vives of Isle de la Serre is a whitewater playground for practicing kayak skills in rapids. It is on the Rhone River, between Geneva and Lyon. Its about an hour drive from Geneva, assuming they have not decided to renovate the tunnels for the motorway in the Juras (in which case it can be a very tedious 2.5 hour trip)! Continue reading
"For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern" -- William Blake
Reflecting on what it all means
Neurofeedback
In Search of Inner Freedom
Motivate | Inspire | Uplift
Traveling Poet Philosopher & Occasional Wiseacre
The Philosopher's Stone
the look, feel, and stuff of the Dharma
A blog and Dharma forum from Jiryu Mark and Hondo Dave Rutschman-Byler
Philosophy | Psychology | Ecology | Sociology | Economics | Finance | Strategy | Scenarios | Futures | Foresight | Operational Research | Complexity | Networks | Systems | Dynamics
Explorations by Colin Mathers
Global health trends, summary measures, projections
A Book of Unconnected Dots
it always knows
Fun With Genealogy
Everyday, Everywhere We Are Guided Towards Happiness
Photography, memoirs, random thoughts.
Memoirs, writing, publishing and more
The Art and Craft of Blogging
Mountains and rivers 