Camels, Pizza and Fine Wine

What a fitting way to end such a magnificent trip. As the sun set over Cable Beach I and 40 or so of my new best friends, rode off into the Sunset. It was a wonderful way to see Cable Beach (some sites not so much, it is a nudist beach and I am not sure why, but really attractive people don't do nude, if you get my drift) I kept my eyes on the sunset!

After our ride we returned to the bar at the Cable Beach Resort for a nice chilled white wine and a Pumpkin and Feta Pizza and it was incredible. Then back to Orion, to pack, have final drinks in the Bar and to view the Photo Presentation prepared by our Expedition team, it was amazing to see the photos that they had taken of everyone and to relive the places we had visited.

It was sad to be leaving the ship and Broome, but I know that I will be back and I hope that if you ever get the chance to visit Australia you will take the time to visit this amazing region.

Broome

Broome is a picturesque town located at the southern gateway to the Kimberley. It is a small town where the bush meets the sea and dis full of history and characters that have been born out of the isolation. Its heritage is unlike that of any other town in Australia and the beauty of the surroundings matches this remarkable story.
The waters are a turquoise blue and the beaches are soft white sand. The surrounding area is known for its vast cattle stations, some of which dwarf some countries in Europe. Until the mid 1980’s Broome was only accessible by dirt road. The town is renowned as a world class migratory bird stopover and offers stunning night skies and beautiful sunsets.

The town actually grew out of the discovery of the world’s largest pearl shell, attracting hundreds of people like a gold rush. The pearl industry slump mid last century was not enough to drive people away and they remain captivated by the natural beauty and laid back lifestyle.

If you love pearls, Broome is home to one of Paspaley Pearls wonderful boutiques and many of the guests on board will be attending an afternoon cocktail reception with an opportunity to sort pearls, taste pearl meat and view some of the world’s most beautiful pearls. I on the other hand will be climbing up onto a very hairy camel for a sunset ride along Cable Beach……how appropriate that I will be riding off into the sunset!

Sadly our trip is coming to an end. Today we arrive in Broome for our final day and tonight will be our final chance to catch up with new found friends and swap email addresses for photos to be shared. I have been extremely lucky to meet and spend time with such an amazing group of people. From our Crew and Expedition Team who are so passionate and excited about what they do, to the guests from around Australia and the World. We have had folks on board from 20 to 87 and have one lady on her 13th Expedition…not too shabby.

Montgomery Reef & Raft Point

Montgomery Reef and Raft Point.
This is what I had been waiting for, the opportunity to see Montgomery reef and the Aboriginal Art of Raft Point.
Let’s chat about Montgomery Reef first.
The Kimberley region features some of the largest tidal changes in the world. Actually the Kimberley has the second largest tidal range of anywhere on the planet. Montgomery Reef is a spectacular example of the impact of these huge tides. This is very evident in spring when tides can change up to 12 meters.
Today, everyone was loaded into our Orion Zodiacs for a 20 minute trip from Orion to the edges of the Reef. This reef is a 400sq mile reef that surrounds a small group of rocky islands called, amazingly the Montgomery Islands. As the Tide drops the reef becomes exposed with hundreds of waterfalls flowing from the top of the reef into the surrounding ocean. Even if you arrive during low tide, which we did, the reef is spectacular. We pulled up alongside the reef and watched huge schools of fish, green sea turtles, sea snakes and crocodiles and because it was low tide the clarity of the water was simply amazing. We meandered up an inlet with green sea turtles popping up all around us.
Montgomery Reef is not the usual Coral reef that you would see on the Great Barrier Reef. This reef is exposed to the elements for several hours so this means that only the hardiest of reef corals survive. On the edge of the reef you tend to see some of the more recognizable corals in the crystal clear waters.
On the way back to Orion for our reposition to Raft Point we stopped at a small sandy island, which was rapidly disappearing under the incoming tide, to be served a nice cold Bloody Mary by our intrepid Hotel team and the now very recognizable Blue Umbrella. What made this fun was the lurking Croc just of the beach that was keeping an eye on the umbrella and the Orion team…….glad we stayed in the Zodiacs.

Raft Point
This is what many of us were waiting for. Once again we boarded the Zodiacs and headed over to Raft Point for a 30 minute walk to the Aboriginal rock galleries. If you watched the opening ceremonies of the Australia Olympics you would have seen the Wandjina from this gallery featured. As we climbed we passed by a number of flowing plants including Gravillea, Kimberley Roses and Boab trees to mention just a few. When you arrive at the Gallery your breath is taken away by the art not only the images but the amount of art.
Darrin and Harry spent about 40 minutes pointing out specific images and providing us with a very informative overview of the history and importance of this amazing location. Once again it is important to note that this art is refreshed by the traditional owners of the land as a form of respect to the Wandjina.
Interesting Point. The red ochre that is used for much of the art is ground from stones and mixed with spit or water to form a paste. This is then painted onto the walls and absorbed into the porous sandstone. The older the art the deeper the colors. When the wet season approaches the reaction of the humidity with the ochre causes the paintings to glow. Imagine seeing these amazing figures glowing just prior to the rains commencing, it must have had a huge impact on the indigenous people of the region.
Of course I was one of the last people down the hill to board the Zodiac; it was just so hard to leave.
There is a saying the Kimberley that if you hug a Boab tree at Raft Point you will return. I can guarantee you that there was a lot of hugging going on, and it was not just me.

Fishing Continued

I am sure that you have all been waiting with bated breath to find out if Lesa was able to hold up the great family tradition and catch a fish or two…….drum roll…….

YES a resounding yes! At first I was a little worried as Mel, followed by Matt, quickly pulled several large fish on board including a reasonable size shark , sea perch and brim but I finally pulled in two very large fish (see photographic evidence).

Mark, our fishing guide is wonderful, very informative and seems to know every fish and bird in the Kimberley so it is not only a fun outing but extremely educational.

FISHING at Bigge Island

The pressure was on, everyone befor us had come home victorious. Mark our fantastic guide on the Bee Kaye (Orion's fishing tender) had arrived home with everyone else bearing amazing fishing stores, with photographic support, and in some instances fish for the dinner table. Could we hold up under the pressure and return with some great tails and perhaps some great tails, fish attached?

Oh, breakfast time, you will all just have to wait until I come back from Montgomery Reef to find out what happend.......

Tracks and Scats

Interpretation - animal tracks and animal pooh....sorry to be so forward but our nature walk on Bigge Island was all about tracking via animal waste.......I will explain in a moment.

Bigge Island is a glorious little island nestled off the Kimberley Coast. Most importantly is is a significant location to the indigenous Aboriginal culture of the Kimberley region. The island features a number of natural rock art galleries and there is also a meeting site and burial caves. This site is extremely sacred and as such no photography is permitted, however, the images and location are so breathtaking and special that I don't think photos would do them justice, this is one of those occasions where the snapshot in your memory is the best thing you will ever have.

What sets the rock art on Bigge apart from other Kimberley rock art is the depictions of sailing ships and men with European features, who appear to be smoking pipes and sitting in small row boats. These are all over the caves and you are inches away from them, no barricades, no rules. You look up and 3 inches above your head is a huge depiction of a snake, next to your arm is a turtle, hand prints adorn the walls, it is mind blowing. You feel very humble and small knowing that this art has been here for so long.

It is important to note that Aboriginals see art as a living and evolving thing. It can be painted over, updated, refreshed, they are an expression of life and as such always changing.

There has been a great deal of debate about these images, who where these men, perhaps Dutch sailors who sailed along Australia's west coast long before Captain Cook landed on the east coast, or perhaps they depict the arrival of Chinese ships on the shores of Australia.

These images and the circle rocks used as a meeting ground for the local Aborigines is significant and we all understood the request that this site be respected and left our cameras on board Orion.

As a burial site the Aborigines would travel the 8km from the mainland to Bigge with the body of the deceased and lay it in the rock circle until all the flesh had been removed by the elements. The bones where then rubbed with ochre, wrapped and placed in small holes in the rocks. No one actually lived on the island it was that sacred to them.

Along with our walk to the rock art we also took a very interesting walk with Harry, one of our Expedition team leads. Important to note that any walk with Harry will end up with a story about animal waste or POOH.....We were a able to see fresh croc tracks up the beach, NO SWIMMING, green sea turtle tracks and nests and the hundreds of tiny flipper prints from the small hatch lings. This island is also home to Quolls, small cat like animals that feed on the small ghost crabs and Australia's smallest wallaby the Monjon (I need to make sure I am spelling that correctly) You were able to track all of these marsupials by following the trail of small droppings. We also did our own version of Survivor Bigge Island and were able to ascertain that with a little effort we could all survive if the ship pulled up anchor and sailed away without us.

Paper Bark Trees - sign of fresh water
Mud Crabs
Fishing (we were advised what trees to use for spears and what local plants make great rope. Also shells that are fantastic as spear points.
Wild plants that offer fruit with 50 times the Vitamin C of an Orange
Fresh rock oysters

So you see we could have done rather well.....however, I was dragged back by other guests who had the hearts set on a cold beer and dinner on board Orion.

This was not the end to the day, but you will have to read my next entry for that.

Oh, did I mention that Bigge is a wet landing via Zodiac and that there is always the Blue Orion Umbrella set up with Clinton handing out cold drinks.........the man never sleeps!

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP!

I am going to apologise in advance. If you are stuck in your office, sitting at a desk or simply not with me you just can't be having as much fun!!!!

Yesterday we visited the stunningly beautiful King George River in Western Australia. There are not enough words, no poet, no writer, no artist could do justice to the rugged, stark beauty of this area. Yeah, you say, sure there must be.....I don't think so. Imagine a deep red, along side cobalt blue, next to cream, orange, and dotted with a tenacious green, I say tenacious because you can not believe that anything can hold onto the cliffs and grow. It really is as if an artist has dropped his/her primary colors and just walked away.

Anyway, I digress..... we arrived early in the morning and after a great breakfast our group headed off for our 5 hour Zodiac and Waterfall Walk. The trip up the river was amazing, we had a bit of a breeze down the gorge so not a bad idea to have a spray jacket and a must is a hat that stays on your head. We traveled past towering sandstone cliffs that are so old that they hold NO FOSSIL life, think about that, so old that they sediment was laid down prior to even single cell life on earth....past mangrove swamps, and may I say when the two very large crocs slid beneath the Zodiac we all held our breath (longer than the Zodiac may I just say). The falls are spectacular, they are the highest single drop falls in the Kimberley, over 80m or 260ft, at this time of year the volume of water is not as strong as let's say April/May, but simply wonderful. After pulling up on some rocks to the right of the falls we started our climb, and I mean climb, remember this is an Expedition. We slid, crawled, pulled each other up and dragged ourselves to the top of the escarpment and at this point the only word is WOW! The view is amazing and the walk to the water pools was just as fantastic. Imagine eating a very nice lunch, sitting in croc free ponds at the top of a 260ft waterfall with the sun shining, a blue sky and only 25 of your newest friends for company........as the add says priceless!

A number of folks took the heli flight to the falls and said this was amazing as well and of course our fishing tender had some great stories, believe it or not everyone has caught a fish, all huge, actually they are huge.

Oh, did I mention that when we climbed back down to the Zodiacs and rounded the corner to the falls again our tender was sitting waiting for us with chilled champagne and croissants.......not shabby at all. We then headed for the falls again, this time to get very, very very close. As you all know probably know by now, I don't let an opportunity go by, so when they asked for a volunteer or two to sit at the front of the Zodiac I didn't even ask why.....well the reason is they pull forward and dunk you under the full flow of the waterfall, needless to say I was a little wet and screamed like a girl.......so much fun. I am sure that there are pictures that will circulate the web but I will deny all participation.........

Anyway, it is 6:30am and we are approaching Bigge Island (Big) which is a significant Aboriginal art location. Will write again soon.

Lesa.

EXPEDITION TEAM

As we head towards Bigge Island I thought it would be a good time to introduce our Expedition Team:

Dr. Jaye Martin is a medical doctor from the United Kingdom and she is now based in Broome works with many of the Aboriginal communities of the Kimberley for the Western australian Government Health Services. She has worked on many Expedition ships around the world and has several Antarctica seasons under her belt. Great lady!

Darrin Bennett has been with Orion for 3 years and has experienced most of Orion's destinations including Papua New Guinea and the Solomon ISlands, West Timor, Indonesia, Tassie and the Kimberley. Darrin also completed his first Antarctica Expedition last year. Darrin has worked in the Top End for over 15years with Lands, Parks and Wildlife Management in the Northern Territory. His extensive knowledge of aboriginal art, the people of this region and the flora and fauna make him a great person to chat with at any time, he also has the great Aussie humor which makes traveling via Zodiac with him a hoot! Did I mention that he was also the Ecotourism Officer and Aa Guide at El Questro Wilderness Park prior to joining Orion.....

Mark Watson has been with Orion since 2007. Mark has lived and worked throughout Australia, from Tasmania as an Adventure Trip Tour Guide for Tasmanian Expeditions, to the Kimberley region. His passion for the wilderness is infectious. Mark has worked at the amazing Faraway Bay Bush Camp and also held the position of seasonal Senior Ranger/Tour and Fishing Guide at El Questro.

Mark Christensen is a Marine Biologist by Trade and for the past 14 years has been working with the Tourism Industry to provide educational programs to visitors in the Torres Strait, Great Barrier Reef and the Kimberley regions. Mark worked on the stunningly beautiful Lizard Island and was responsible for bringing the diversity and fragile nature of the reef to the guest's attention. Actually during his time on Lizaard he started producing a series of nature-based newsletters as well as complining educational programs on the island's flora. He has extensive experience in the Kimberley regiona and his passion and knowledge make the him the bloke to seek out with any quesitons.

Last but deffinately not least, John Palmer. John is our Expedition Team Assistant, he loves Ocean yacht racing and has over 25 years experience at sea in yachts and power boats. His love of the Kimberley is obvious and when not on board Orion he is a land based tour guide running four wheel drive style safaris into the rugged isolation of the Kimberley.

Great people and so easy to approach with questions.

King George River - Western Australia

We departed Wyndham yesterday afternoon just after sunset on the high tide and set out towards the King George River. I must admit that my head didn't even hit the pillow last night and that I awoke at 7:00am very, very well rested (for anyone wondering what our beds are like, wonderful would be my word, big comfy pillows and crisp linens and a view out my window of stars that go on forever! Anyway enough about my sleeping habits......

I was up early as we arrived into the King George River area and dropped anchor. The Expedition Team and crew immediately set to work off loading Orion's Zodiacs and tender for today's Expeditions.

These Include:

3 Hour Zodiac Expedition of King George River and Falls
5 Hour Zodiac Expedition and walk to top of King George River Falls (That is what I am doing)
King George Scenic Helicopter Flight (I actually sat next to one of the helicopter pilots that work with us on my flight from Darwin to Kununurra, wonderful guy)
Fishing

Overview:

King George Falls
Latitude: 13d 44'S
Longitude 126d57'E
Average Daily Temp 31C or 88F and it is a beautiful day today!!!!!!!!

The King George River offers some of the worlds most spectacular scenery. The falls are the highest single drop falls in the whole of the Kimberley (260F) The colors and textures of the rocks change with the light as you travel up the gorge, from 7:30am to now, 9:30am, you can already see the colors changing. I will be on Croc watch today so that I can send out some shots of my favorite animals and will make sure to update you with pics from the top of the waterfall after my climb. I am going to follow my own advice and keep my hands and feet in the Zodiac at all times......

FOOD

Did I mention the food on board, breakfast was wonderful, lots of fresh fruit on offer and a great selection for any tastes and COFFEE, good coffee and lots of it (I can give it up at any time......really).

Hold on....they just announced the first Heli Expedition and I want to grab some photos. Hate to love you and leave you but I am off to see the wonders of the Kimberley, wish you were all with me!

Lesa.

RETURNING HOME!

I must admit that yesterday is now a little of a blur! After my train journey, I arrived at Sydney airport to delays due to fog in Melbourne. I finally arrived in Darwin at about 1:00am to find a very tolerant Suzanne waiting for me, she had been at the airport from 10:3pm. I can't thank her and her family enough for the wonderful nights sleep and 1:30am tour of my favorite Australian City! YES, my favorite city, Darwin is misunderstood by many, it is a unique stunning little city that is not only charming, but progressive and growing very quickly. The new Convention center is wonderful and the number of new Hotels popping up is going to provide a much wider choice for visitors.

Things to do in Darwin:
- Dinner at the Wharf
- Sunset Markets at Mindel Beach
- Visit the Darwin Museum
- Paspaley Pearls
- Darwin Race Season
- Local Art/Culture
- Eco Lodges

I departed Darwin at 10:40 this morning via Qantas Regional Jet to Kununurra. Very comfortable 75 seat jet - 45 minute flight.
Kununurra sits near the largest manmade lake in Australia, Lake Argyle and the smaller Lake Kununurra. The region is famous for the Argyle Diamond mine, the world's primary source of rare pink diamonds, a girl's best friend so I am told!

I was met at the airport by the wonderful Ann of 2KTours who drove me around Kununurra and provided me the opportunity to view the Ord river area from above the township. We then drove to Wyndham, about 100km's through amazing scrub lands dotted with Boab Trees (many of the locals carve the nuts from these trees, they look fantastic and sell for around $25 - $30). We stopped to view the Dreamtime Statues at Warriu Park and the 20m long Crocodile Statue, plus the Wyndham Bakers (best pies in town) and the Wyndham Pub for a Barramundi Burger (huge and fantastic) This was of course washed down with a nice cold Australian beer.........

Many of the folks on board took the opportunity to take the Bungle Bungle scenic flights and have been raving about the experience.

I am now on-board Orion. We have just received our briefing for tomorrows events - King George River. I am booked for the 5 hour Zodiac and Waterfall climb so stand by for some wonderful pics. We also received a very educational presentation the Indigenous seasons of the top end of which there are 6, I am going to have the Expedition Team leader put together some notes for my next Webex.....

My Stateroom is a Cat A, very spacious, wonderful marble bathroom, flat screen TV with CNN BBC Sports etc and for all you gals a hair dryer that is full size.

We ate dinner of the back deck tonight under the stars and can I just say that the sunset tonight was amazing. So much color, the cobalt blue of the water, the orange, yellow, red color of the sun and the amazing greens and browns of the mountains. No words can explain how beautiful it is, how small you feel and how you just don't want to leave. This is an ancient country and I can't think of a better way to experience its beauty than from the water.

I will have a full report tomorrow about our climb and swim at the top of the falls so stay tuned..........I am off to bed.

Day 1 - Orion Bound

Today I started out on my adventure. Let’s call it Planes, Trains and Automobiles PLUS Small Plane, 4 Wheel Drive and Zodiac!

It has been years since I traveled by local train in Australia and it was rather an experience. As a child we would catch the local country trains, fondly named Red Rattlers (Australian’s have a nickname for everything) to camp or the Big city. I can remember catching the late night train to Sydney as a teenager to Music Camp and watching them load boxes of day old chicks into the baggage coach. It was always freezing, funny I don’t ever remember catching the train when it was warm, go figure.

The station has not changed much, still a delightful wooden building in the federation style, overlooking 2 tracks and an old switch house, now in ruin, with an amusingly Asian style roof. The station sits across the road from my Dad’s old Hardware store in a small town called Muswellbrook. To the left is the Town Park, where we always went to Christmas Eve Carols by Candlelight and the main street is about 2 blocks away, actually most things are rather close.

Anyway I digress, I decided to catch the train from Muswellbrook down to Sydney, instead of renting a car so that I can relive my childhood and take the time to enjoy the scenery. And so I found myself sitting on the platform at 10:00am in the rain, FREEZING yet again. The trains have changed, instead, of my beloved Red Rattler a sleek new silver Country Train arrived, and my parents, did I mention they wanted to travel with me as far as Newcastle to make sure I did not get lost, (I have lived on 3 Continents in several major cities and backpacked the world and they still think I can get lost on a train) and I boarded to start out trip. OK, first complaint, these trains actually tell you what station you are arriving at, I so loved the old “What Station Am I At” game that we used to play as we craned our necks to read the sign, next the food carriage has gone, no more overpriced chips and soda, you need to bring your supplies with you. Let’s just say that by 1 hour into the trip the thought of my daily Skinny Vanilla Soy Latte was driving me mad, I miss my commute already, how can this be.

Did I mention the amazing things you see when traveling by train in New South Wales. Majestic gums, green paddocks with cattle, horses and a scattering of kangaroos. White cockatoos, galahs and grass parrots flying past your window and that amazing Australian accent that I now notice, strange never did realize we sounded so funny until I went to live in the USA. Some of the wonderful old houses tucked into valleys, double story with ornate iron work and bull nose iron roofs, charming!

When we reached Hamilton on the outskirts of Newcastle I hugged Mum and Dad and set off on the next part of my adventure, the train to Wyong, where due to track work, we jumped out, boarded a bus to Gosford, then back on the train to Sydney Central Station and then another train to the Domestic Terminal at Sydney Airport. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

You sometimes forget what it is like to travel by train or I did. Let me introduce you to some of my travelling companions. There were the wonderful older couple , I would guess 80’s, travelling with a spinster sister to Sydney, with their packed lunch, fruit and chocolate and wearing tweed, there was the 40 something guy in rapper garb (Sean John or is it John Sean),the hip young girl who for an hour played every ring tone on her new phone as she could not decide which one she liked best and the extremely handsome priest in full robes that made you think about the Thorn Birds and then quickly that you were going to burn in hell for thinking that!
I was very proud that I was able to work out the trains and make it to the Airport, with hours to spare. If you have folks that want to travel by train in Australia it is a breeze when compared to New York!

After 5 ½ hours I have arrived at the airport and am now enjoying a nice white Australian wine and a little light dinner while I wait for my flight. Sydney Domestic terminal is very slick and I must say not a bad place to hang out.
Stay tuned for my big adventure tomorrow when I depart Darwin for Wyndham via small plane, then catch up with my ride to the coast and then out to Orion!

Cheers!

24 Hours - Darwin Bound

Hello All,

Allie, Connor and I have finally arrived in Australia. Our Qantas flight departed LAX at 11:53 on Thursday night, arriving in Sydney on Saturday morning at 9:30, after a slight delay and unscheduled stop in Brisbane due to fog in Sydney. We had a very enjoyable flight, considering we were in Economy and I had two very tired children sleeping on my lap all the way.

We have spent the last 2 days in the Hunter Valley visiting family and catching up with friends. I have also had the opportunity to catch up on my share of Australian junk food including Twisties, Violet Crumble and Freddo Frogs, to name a few.

Tomorrow is Tuesday and I will be on my way to Darwin to join Orion off Wyndham on Wednesday morning. During my quick stay in Darwin I will be stopping by SkyCity to review their guest rooms and looking at a couple of day trips for clients that are visiting Darwin soon, will keep you updated.

Lesa.

24 Hours

I can't explain how excited I am to be heading home to Australia and to Orion!
I have been pouring over my paperwork, reading about the Expedition Team, looking at my shore side options and deciding which Spa Treatment to go with.....ah life is hard on board!

I think I have packed and repacked several times. I have my handy list from Sydney on what to bring and have made my trip to REI and stocked up on cool, sun protective clothing, a broad rimmed hat and plastic bags for my Camera (did I mention we go under the waterfall). Of course I also have a couple of nice little outfits for dinner in the Constellation dining room and my dressy casual for the Deck BBQ......now if I can just decide which shoes to take?

I will join Orion on June 4th after a quick visit to the Hunter Valley and then Darwin in the Northern Territory. I look forward to answering any questions you may have so please post those for me.

Kimberley here I come!

COUNTING DOWN

Hello All,

Only two weeks until I depart for Australia! This past weekend I had the opportunity to stay at the beautiful Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa. What a wonderful night, the spa is simply stunning and the Spa Director, Michelle Hill is fantastic. It is an elegant spa, with soothing gardens and a wonderful selection of spa treatment including couples massages. Each treatment room features a private garden and outdoor shower, very relaxing.

The rooms, we stayed in a one bedroom suite, are simple, elegant and have that wonderful Spanish charm. The gardens and private deck are perfect to get away and relax. Fresh squeezed orange juice each morning makes for a good start to the day.

Just wanted to share.

San Diego Agent Visits

Hello All,

What a wonderful day it is in sunny San Diego!

Quick update - I had a great day on Wednesday visiting some of our Virtuoso Agents in San Diego and chatting about Orion and our NEW 2009/10 Expeditions. Many folks are not familiar with some of the amazing destinations we visit and how unique Orion is.

To give you some ideas:

- Art of Arnhem Land - Focus on indigenous art and artists
- Kimberley - Guide to the Southern Skies (Astronomy at its best)
- Kimberley - Opera under the Stars
- Sub Antarctic Wildlife Adventure (Amazing birdwatching)

Don't forget Vietnam, Cambodia, Komodo Island, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia and Antarctica (FROM AUSTRALIA).

Thanks to all the wonderful Consultants that took the time to meet with Linda (Paws Up) and I on Wednesday.

May I also just say that the Rancho Valencia Spa (had the opportunity to tour the Spa on Wednesday evening) is simply stunning!

Anyway, I digress. Have a great day.

Fast Approaching!

I can't believe that I am only a few weeks away from heading home to Australia. It is always much to long between visits and my favorite junk food!

This time I will be taking along my 6 and 4 year old children. They are well traveled but I usually have my husband along, alas he is on his way to Iraq for several months, so the journey to Sydney will be solo in Qantas Economy! Not to say that Qantas Economy is not wonderful, but I do like the leg room that the pointy end of the plane offers.

For anyone dealing with Australians living in the US, make sure that if they have children that are dual citizens they have both their Australian and American passports, this is now necessary to travel to Australia. The systems are linked and will recognize that you are a citizen and as such do not require a visa, but if you don't have a passport, well you get the picture. Needless to say we now have both passports thanks to a very kind and wonderful Australian Consulate in LA.

I have my rental car in Australia all taken care of, don't you love on-line booking, it is so easy! I will let you know what it is like to rent a car with 2 car seats etc at Sydney Airport.

Once in Australia I will be visiting the Hunter Valley, family home, then departing to join Orion along the Kimberley Coast via Darwin.

Having lived in Darwin for 2 years, I am looking forward to revisiting this dynamic and fun little city. Great Hotel rooms include the SkyCity (Superior Rooms best) and Saville Suites. Don't miss the Sunday and Thursday evening beach markets at Mindel Beach, FANTASTIC!

Oh, well getting ahead of myself now.

Will keep you all updated on my travels to Darwin - Broome and then to Perth for the ATE Conference.

On the 29 the May I will be heading down under to join Orion as she travels between Darwin, Northern Territory and Broome, Western Australia. Join me as I visit some of Australia's most rugged coastline!