Li River cooking

Of course a picture’s worth a thousand words, but it strikes me just how often a photo will tell me one story and then a year or two later, it tells me something rather different. I’ve worked on this one a few times, published it here  two years ago. Same photo, but one is in broad daylight. This version appears to be at dusk, with the sun setting off to the left. The cook seems so much lonelier, the task less joyful. Just one of those moment shots that I love. And… I guess all the stories it tells me are true. Wonder what I will see and hear next year…

 

Li River Homestead

I’ve been using Lightroom to process my Raw files these days. Put off taking that on for a good long while – and like all things one should be doing, but isn’t, for watever reason – when you finally do it, you can’t quite remember why you resisted. I am very happy with how my images have been turning out lately. But… what about those old  images – the ones I saved the raw files from in the hope that ‘one day’ I would be able to make them look the way they should – if only I had known what I was doing behind the camera. This was washed out and dirty looking – the sort of holiday photos that make your eyes glaze over should someone pull them out and force you to look at them. I rather like it now.

And I would sure love to revisit China… This was taken on a day cruise on the Li River, ending up in Yangshuo. It was near the end of the month-long trip and we were very tired… it was nice to sit and watch the world go by… and what a world…

 

 

Milford Sound Waterfall

With travel, one is always taking a punt on the weather. And travelling around New Zealand, even moreso. This is my third trip to Milford Sound and it has been raining/overcast every single time. So it goes… Milford Sound is so breathtaking, it is hard to complain or feel short-changed in the least. But it always seems to be cold and damp.

So – a couple of non-notable peaks, shrouded in cloud and fog and a waterfall, probably a couple hundred metres high, draining the rains from the mountain tops. If you look above and slightly to the right, you will see there are dozens of little rivulets streaming down, feeding it. The stuff of… Middle Earth, I guess…

Diamond Princess Atrium

I’ve done a fair bit of cruising over the years, and I think the Diamond Princess is my favourite ship. It’s not too big – around 2500 passengers and probably around 1000 crew. That sounds like a lot but there are some twice the size. I’ve never been on one that big, so I can’t say what it’s like, but 2500 is rather like a village at sea… Small enough that you will run into the same people in the places you like to go, so you meet people and form friendships, get to know the staff in your favourite restaurant, and if you go into the same shop a few times, they remember you too. And if you prefer to keep to yourself, it’s amazing how much privacy you can find to read, think or meditate. And yes, you do have the option of eating yourself into a stupor if you wish, but having done it so many times now, I tend to eat normal sized meals, so I don’t feel sluggish – and my clothes fit as well getting off as they did when I got on. (That said, this ship has some of the best old-fashioned pizza you will find anywhere – I don’t know how they do it!)

So this is the atrium, three stories high. I love how the stairs and walkways sort of twist around, rather like an Escher drawing. This was taken late in the evening, so it’s quiet, but during the day it bustles like a town square, with musicians playing, people sitting in comfy couches with coffee or a glass of wine and a sweet. I’ve been on a few ships where this area is gaudy to the point of being almost blinding, but even with all the Christmas decorations, the Diamond is still a bit elegant and if not understated, very easy on the eye.

This was probably my best cruise so far, sailing from Sydney via Hobart & Melbourne, the south island of NZ and the up the east coast ports, ending up in Auckland, where we caught a taxi home. I’ll probably do it again in a couple of years. Can’t wait!

The truth about fog

Carl Sandburg was wrong. Wrong. wrong, wrong… and here is the proof. Fog does not move in on little cat feet. Fog rolls in in massive waves, encircling and smothering everything in its path.

I watched this gigantic mist roll in and engulf the city of Wellington. The Inter-Islander was just ahead of us as we departed the NZ capital. It disappeared into the void. We followed shortly after, sailing in a velvet white mist that surely called for Rudolf’s services. It did not lift until this morning at about 10AM – for a perfect Christmas Day cruising through the exquisite Marlborough Sounds.

Merry Christmas!

Cute, Cuddly Koala

Yeah, yeah… I know that any shot of a cute, cuddly adorable koala is a cheap shot. But they really ARE cute, cuddly and adorable. And this is MY cute, cuddly and adorable koala, which makes him special.

Note: the laptop I am using on this trip has decided that T’s are an optional letter in the English letter and if you want one, you must pound the letter on the keyboard – so please bear with me in the even I ge carried away and forge to pound as I ype…

Sun worshipper

Currently at sea – a blustery day, though I’ve got the ranch slider to the balcony open just cos I can… Hi Melbourne yesterday  though it was mostly with my Visa (card)… but came upon his cow up a tree. No explanation was given, and I guess, if you need to ask, you don’ deserve to know…

The Crown Road

 

There’s a long way to get from Queenstown to Wanaka. And there’s also a shortcut… The Crown Road, winding over the Crown ranges – hairpin turns, rock-slides and a bit of screaming on my part. We always go this way and it always terrifies me… It looks so pretty, so scenic from here…

Monkey Monkey

Missing Malaysia these days… I wonder if it’s cos I’m still cold from winter and I’m longing for those languid 35 degree days in the jungle…

Through the grove

This is either the way to or away from the Hangarua Spring, which I posted a couple of days ago. These are the California Redwoods planted here about 100 years ago – and everything grows really fast in New Zealand, especially it seems, things from California.

The path was soft under our feet as we walked – like a carpet, only more magical…