Thursday, July 17, 2008

July 10th Last snorkle trip




Another visit to Perinsian Island. See previous blog for location details. It was a bitter sweet trip. Sorry to say good bye to opportunites like this, and yet so glad to move on and return home.

Beautiful weather. Lot's of family connection. AND an attempt to decompress from the daily stress of Penang.



Really enjoyed the boat ride out to the island. Learning to 'let go' is almost as difficult as learning to 'accept'. Cirmumstances will come and go, but family is eternal. A good time (& place) for closure and reflection.

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death" - Thomas Paine

Saturday, July 5, 2008

A week with Dave in Penang.





Upon arriving back the next day we picked up "uncle Dave" from the airport to spend some good family time together. We visited the spice gardens, the toy musuem, penang hill, bukit maria eco park, and china town.

Day 21 heading back to Penang


After thousands of Kilometers and hundreds of great memories behind us. Time to return to Malaysia. In the short time we were there we managed to see only a small venue of NZ, but enough to fall in love with it..
* Winery tour / lunch
* beaches & bonfires
* national parks
* Art cneters
* great food everywhere we went
* rode a boat in a cave full of glowing worms
* took a cruize through a fiord to the ocean and saw dolfins
* saw many penguins sea lions, and other wild life
* hiked a glacier
* toured a castle and the gardens
* went swimming in artic acean
* went swimming in natural hot springs
* petted / feed sheep
* got lost in a maze a puzzle world
* raced eachother in a street luge
* LOTS of shopping and dinning
* Climbed a bell tower of old christ church
* etc...

day 20 Christchurch



Back in Christchurch. Spent the morning cooking breakfast. Heading into town to the "science alive" activity center. Feed the birds on the river. then went to dinner in the heart of the old art center. Very Gothic & misty. Then listened to live christmas music in the couryart. Headed home and packed up.
http://www.sciencealive.co.nz/
http://www.artscentre.org.nz/Heritage--History/Architecture.asp













Day 19 Visit a Vineyard


Woke up. Feed some sheep. Drove back toward the west coast. Stopped in at a winery for lunch. The evening spent at the beach before heading back south into christchurch. Fish n Chip dinner :)









day 18 Hamner Springs

Drove back across the divide via VicNational. Forest. Looked for freedom camp site. Pulled in late to hamner srings. Ater at a pub and swimming in the Hot springs. http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/forest-parks/victoria.html






Day 17 Greymouth


Greymouth. Stayed at a top ten RV park on the beach. Best RV park yet. Great down day. Girls made brooms from local plants, Eric went boogy boarding, we had a luch picnic. Cooked burritos for dinner. then a bonefire on the beach.
http://www.discover-new-zealand.co.uk/wc/index.htm
http://www.alpinerose.co.nz/html/greymouth.htm