Hoover Dam

Whilst i had been to Las Vegas a couple of times before, and had been on the fairly standard trip to Grand Canyon, I had not ventured to Hoover Dam.

Therefore decided to drive out and was slightly surprised how close it was to Las Vegas, as despite the traffic being quite busy it only took me about 45 mins. Took the extended one hour tour, which includes the power plant and some less known areas (such as the 750 off stairway to heaven - look at rather than go up!). Weather, as it has been for my time in Vegas, was bright sunshine with temperature in high 50s.

Photos here

Las Vegas

The drive to Las Vegas was about 3 1/2 hours through mountain/desert on Interstate 15. Slight problem when i arrived when receptionist at my accomodation (Signature suites which are part of MGM complex) could not find my reservation and when she rang through was told it had been cancelled by Get A Room (the website i booked through). This was a bit of a surprise to me (and Get A Room when i spoke to them) but eventually they resolved between themselves.

So managed to see the big NBA match of the day on TV (Miami v LA) and also spend some time in MGM Casino (mixed results). I have booked to see both Jerry Seinfeld and Penn/Teller which will keep me out of the casinos for some of the evenings.

Took some photos of Vegas at night - here.

ps good to see normal service resumed in cricket.

Rancho Cucamonga

Flight left an hour late but managed to pick up most of this during flight, so landed around 15-20 mins late. Immigration was the normal fun US event and then took bus to pick up hire car (which was probably around 15-20 mins away, a bit of a surprise but given the size of LAX perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise).

Slight misunderstanding at the car hire place, you book in and you then choose a car from the class you have selected and it gets registered against you when you drive out. Rental of GPS soon showed itself to be a sensible approach, as whilst i had fairly good directions to the hotel i am not sure they would have helped a great deal in a dark evening in LA. Eventually arrived at around 7pm local time, 5am London time.

Tomorrow i do sightseeing here (which is prob 5 mins) and then drive to Las Vegas.

ps sightseeing photos here.

The final trip of my sabattical

Returning to general travel chaos, the likelihood of being able to get to the US for Xmas appeared quite thin. But the weather has generally been ok and Heathrow is now back to around 90% service.

So I have booked in on-line for flight to Los Angeles (which encouragingly was on time today) and checked in to a hotel near Heathrow to avoid the hassle of going around M25 for mid-morning flight. I would normally just make an early start, but the fear of a burst of snow either making roads near home tricky, or affecting M25 seem to make an overnight stay seem sensible.

Fingers crossed for the morning.........

ps of course just to add to the excitement, California has been hit by floods so it might be an interesting drive when i get there!

The return journey (the end)

So plane took off 24 hours late and flight was uneventful.

Landed about 20 mins late (7-15pm) but then took a while to taxi and baggage reclaim was not surprisingly chaotic (lots of bags without passengers, passengers without bags, full flights and no luggage being checked through so everyone collected). So got into car just before 9 and arrived home about an hour later.

Temperature in house is currently 7 degrees, so heating is now on overdrive and just checking where all my jumpers are...................

The return journey (part 4)

The earlier (11-05) London flight has now been postponed until 14-00, so i am currently booked on the earliest flight to London.....................
Gate has opened for my flight so they obviously think it might take off....................
Whether its boards, how far it gets, and what airport it lands at, are of course questions that no-one can answer...........

The return journey (part 3)

11-00 flight canceled
Now seem to be booked on 11-05 flight................
Of course whether/what time it takes off......................
10 mins later i am told that this flight is full, and i have been moved to the same flight time as yesterday (12.55)......................

The return journey (part 2)

8-00 arrived at Airport and checked in for 11-00 flight................
9-00 now showing as canceled......................

Finally the title of this blog has some meaning.............

Arrived Singapore airport.........
Checked in on time...........
"No problems, earlier flight got away ok".............
Departed on time....................
2 hours into flight, Captain announced that we had started journey back to Singapore because Heathrow (and most of Europe) closed ........................
Starts again tomorrow (Monday) with flight provisionally booked for 11am. In meantime to be fair i am locked up in a decent 5 star hotel with meals paid for, so things could be worse.

And of course England lost the cricket!!!

LangKawi

So after a day and a half in Melbourne, i started my journey back via Langkawi. Flight from Melbourne to Singapore was followed by an hour or so flight to Langkawi, arriving around 8pm. A 40 odd minute taxi journey took me to my resort (home until Saturday).

Langkawi seems to be one of those places that forces you to slow down. Warm weather, blue skies, a host of islands in the distance........... However knowing that this was the start of my re-acclimatisation to the work environment (back Jan) i decided that i needed to get back into the swing of things, so the days have been spent broadly following the same pattern:

Breakfast
Read paper including business pages
Check internet for articles about RBS and banking in general
Lunch
Gym
Writing draft strategy paper for presentation when back at work
Dinner
Check FT on-line, read book on management theory

And if you believe that you are more of a fool than i think you are................

So my days have actually been spent:

Breakfast
Pool - swim, listen to ipod, read (just finishing Ian Rankin novel)
Lunch
More pool, massage
Dinner
Relax (you need to be able to unwind after a hard day you know)

Some photos here.

Great Ocean Road (part 2)

Leaving Apollo Bay, i took the Great Ocean Road again on my way to Melbourne. This part of the road is slightly different, you are driving closer to the sea and the road runs past a number of smaller bays/creeks with a number of beaches that attract surfers. There are a few small towns (such a Lorne) which i imagine attract the Melbourne crowd at the weekend.

Photos here.

I now have a day and a half in Melbourne, before leaving Australia and returning home via Singapore/Malaysia. I can only hope that Heathrow will have warmed up by the time i return in a weeks time.

Great Otway National Park

Ever since arriving in Australia, i have listened to news reports about the terrible weather being experienced. There has been significant flooding, people being forced out of homes and some fatalities. It was therefore certain that at some stage i would run into some poor weather and the last 48 hours have seen heavy intermittent rain.

Staying in Apollo Bay for two nights, i spent some time travelling around the Great Otway National Park. As well as having a number of interesting stops, the drive is scenic and the winding roads force you to slow down and enjoy the views. Main highlights being the Otway Fly which enables you to get great views from tree level and Triplet Falls.

Photos here.

Great Ocean Road

Stunning.

The pictures tell the story.........

Port Fairy

Left Robe fairly early and started the drive to Port Fairy (around 300km). Once again it was a combination of rural farmland, forestry and coastal routes. Mainly along the A1, with occasional detours to see a variety of sights. These included Tantanoola caves and the Blue Lake at Mount Gambier. The lake changes colour in November to a pure blue which it keeps throughout the summer, apparently this is due to Limestone crystals that come to the water surface during the winter months and therefore create a darker colour. The lake is in a volcanic crater. The short 45 min tour was an interesting way to understand the history of the site (which includes a former land world speed holder driving into Lake - managing to jump out along the way, and an intrepid horseman (and poet*) jumping the permiter fence and was lucky that a ledge broke his fall).


Arrived Port Fairy late afternoon. Similar to Robe its a fairly small town but seems to have a bit more too it and appears slightly more prosperous. The best way to spend an hour or so (as recommended by hotel receptionist) is a walk around Griffiths Island which is a few minutes from the town centre. As well as a range of bird life, there are a number of wallabies on the island.


Photos of journey and Port Fairy - here.


*Adam Lindsay Gordon, who not surprisingly lived a short and eventful life, committing suicide at the age of 37. He is the only Australian poet buried in Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Robe

Picked up car in Adelaide and commenced drive to Melbourne including Great Ocean Road. First stop Robe which is about a 4 hour drive across scenic South Australia farm land, along and then across (by Ferry at Wellington) the Murray river and then alongside lakes until getting to the coast. Photos of the journey here.

Robe itself is a small but historical seaside location which is apparently a summer retreat for Adelaide town folk. A one road town its not the liveliest of places but has a relaxed feel. Photos here.

Adelaide

With the early finish in test match, i thought i might get an afternoon to look around Adelaide but the poor weather (which has been prevalent in east of Australia for some time) came in and storms appear to have settled in for the rest of the day.

So i have been in Adelaide for 5 days and only really got an overview of the city. That view has been favourable (other than a rather ungenerous Casino!) with the centre quite compact but with a fair amount of open space. People quite friendly (despite result!)

Couple of photos here.

Adelaide Test - Day Five

Well, a third of day five actually!

As soon as Hussey got out (poor shot) then it all seemed very inevitable but the speed of Australia's collapse was a surprise. To be honest they played like an England team of old, little confidence and too many players apparently in poor form. Given rain set in from around 1pm, it would only have required Australia to survive until lunchtime and they would have got away with a draw.

So England deservedly go one up in the series. A real change from day two in Brisbane where Hussey/Haddin seemed to put that match in Australia's hands. Since then......

Cook has looked like he could bat forever............
He has found a good partner in Trott................
Pietersen has come to the fore...............
Swann has bowled like the number two bowler in the world (his current rating) and Australia have been unable to dominate him the way they looked to early in Brisbane..........
Anderson (apart from start of second innings) has looked more likely to take wickets than the Australian quicks............
Finn, despite looking ordinary at times, has taken a number of wickets.

According to Australian radio commentators, North, Bollinger, Doherty are all in danger of being dropped and Katich is out for the rest of the season.

Momentum all with England

Adelaide Test - Day Four

Day four finished and still all to play for.

After some early hitting by England and then a declaration, Australia survived with all of the main batsmen (excluding Ponting who left the field to the slightly unfair chant of "Your getting sacked in the morning*") played sensibly, had a bit of luck and got some support from the weather (although not as much as feared at one stage).

A final over wicket from KP, leaves a new ball and new batsmen in the morning. And more rain expected............


* a slight variation on the My Fair Lady song!

Adelaide Test - Day Three

After a while its gets a bit boring!! Having to endlessly stand up and applaud another Englishman can become a bit tiring.

150 partnership.......
Cook's innings (has he really been dismissed after all that time?!?).......
Pietersen's hundred............
100 partnership...........
200 ahead...........
Pietersen's 150...............
Another majestic four from Bell................
Pietersen's 200
300 ahead..............


Not necessarily in that order and some other's missing.

And then the rain came. Can that save Australia?

Adelaide Test - Day Two

Day one was a good day for England, day two would confirm how good a day.

With Strauss going after three balls, the normal English conservatism (ok well pessimism) kicked in again amongst English supporters, would we repeat Australia's performance? Then Cook and Trott just continued where they left off at Brisbane and just batted, batted some more and continued batting. Trott gave a couple of chances but overall it was very easy with both batsmen dealing with a fairly ordinary attack. The biggest surprise was Trott getting himself out and apart from a not unusual chaotic start from Pietersen it was all England.

Already ahead, its now a question of how many England score and ..................the weather. Showers are forecast from Sunday/Monday, with potential for heavier rain on Tuesday.

Adelaide Test - Day one

Good seat, right by the boundary in East Stand. Thankfully in shade until early afternoon and then the sun screen comes into full use as temperature gets to about 32 degrees.

Weird start to the day. Australia started in self destruct mode which Anderson took full advantage off (well not quite i guess as he dropped a hard return catch from Hussey which would have made it 12-4) but 2-3 (or 3 for 2 as the Australians say) was their worse start ever in test cricket.

On what everyone was saying was a perfect wicket (we will see tomorrow) Australia then got some momentum at various stages but continued to lose wickets - England bowled well but to be honest the batting was quite ordinary from Australia.

Advantage very much with England day one.

Indian Pacific

Back from Broome for a night in Perth and then the train journey to Adelaide. Over 2500km, this departs Perth Wednesday lunchtime and arrives (having made a couple of stops), first thing Friday in Adelaide. For those intrepid enough, you can continue on to Sydney arriving Saturday AM (making the whole journey 4,352km and 65 hours!).

The route has looked to move upmarket following competition from low price airlines that now provide an easy and cheap alternative for getting to/from Western Australia. As such it plays on the train experience rather than pure travel, with different classes (Red, Gold, Platinum) catering for different pockets. Food is surprisingly good and whilst its not the Orient Express (not that I have actually travelled on that) its a relaxed and comfortable journey.

Stops include:
Kalgoorlie which was the centre on the gold rush in the 1890's and is now the largest single open cut mining operation, including the Superpit Gold Mine which is more than 400m deep and over 3.3km long. Took a quick coach tour of this small but prosperous community, which still retains its mining charm (bar room brawls, brothels etc...).

Cook, once a thriving railway settlement, it now only has a handful of residents and is one of the most isolated outposts. Situated in the middle of the vast Nullarbor Plain, which is much of the backdrop for the journey during Thursday (including over 470kms of straight track).

Overall a very leisurely and enjoyable way to spend a couple of days. Photos here.

Broome

A couple of hours flight north from Perth, takes you to Broome. You notice the change in temperature and humidity getting up to mid/high 30s. To the west of Darwin, it has a similar feel although appears a lot smaller. It almost has a “wild west” feel to it and apparently the evening pub entertainment has got a lot more civilised over years, now advancing to a Wet T Shirt competition and vicars/tarts disco.

End November is around the beginning of the wet season and the town has a bit of a deserted feel to it. I knew before I came that I might be lucky to get on some of the day trips as the roads could be effected by bad weather and many of the tour companies close down around now. I managed to get on one trip to Cape Leveque – which was a full day (around three hours drive both ways - 50:50 on sealed rounds/tracks) and time to discover a few aboriginal setllements, Pearl Farm and Hatchery. The tour operator had given up banking around 6 years ago and gone for a complete change of pace/lifestyle – albeit was returning to his country roots.
(note to self : investigate North Kent tourist opportunities when I get back). Photos here.

Broome sees a mixed community of Aboriginal people and white european population. Most of the land around Broome is subject to various Native Rights claims which sees land being transferred back to Aboriginal ownership (although structure seems quite complicated). Relationship between the two ethnic groups seems fairly relaxed (albeit the fairly racist taxi driver that took me back to the airport had different views) which given the history of abuse of aboriginal people is quite an accomplishment. There are however still a number of issues. Around 80-90% of aboriginal working age population lives off welfare payments from the state and there appears limited employment opportunities (tourism but mainly in Summer, some mining activity but this involves significant travel) or much incentive to work. There also seems to be a signficant amount of general support services that look to combat some of the integration issues (alchohol having been a major problem for aboriginal communities). Overall the area appears to be making quite a bit of progress but until some more balance can be achieved in working population then the imbalance will continue.

Other photos of Broome here.

Ps managed to catch some of the first test which saw England recover from a first innings deficit and end the test with the greater momentum. On to Adelaide and its clear that the series is going to be a challenging and interesting one.