markgriffiths

To get the best of HK in the short time we had I had hired a guide for us Ski who took us around Hong Kong Island on a 4 hour walking trip. 

An early morning flight (5.55) south to Brisbane and back north again to Hong Kong. The approach to HK was something special after a lot of water to suddenly come to a Manhattan pressed in amongst to hills. We were met by the hustle. bustle,smells and heat (35C ) of downtown HK. We managed a visit to the night market where Agneta & Jessica got shopping 

 

Today was an eventful day back in Townsville. I took the opportunity for an early morning bike ride in preparation for my mountain bike race back in Sweden. Unfortunately I took a new route and ended up falling off which resulted in a bent little finger. Despite attempts to straighten it up it wouldn't stay straight. So I ended up with the cultural experience of visiting casualty at the hospital. I was well taken care for a Pommie. They found a fracture and eventual muscle seperation. So I left with a temporary splint och maybe operation awaiting in Sweden.

 

A quick afternoon visit to downtown Townsville with the rest of the family and Agneta & Jessica took a last chance to catch some rays.

 

The second day on the island started by feeding the birds who seemed to have been waiting there all evening for their next meal. The lorikeets get soaked bread sprinkled with honey and the kookaburras and curlews eat meat.

 

Then it was wild koala spotting. But they managed to keep hidden in the gum trees. We found another secluded bay to catch some rays and even do some snorkelling. I bumped into a turtle and played hide and seek for a while until he won.

Despite Captain Cook's suspicions Magnetic Island just off the coast from Townsville isn't magnetic but it is full of small secluded beaches. 

We took the ferry over and Mia fixed a cottage on the shore so that we could stay overnight. 

 

 

 

It's not often you get invited to a 7th birthday party so it was fun to see how 20 friends and Reuben interacted at a local park.

 

We later relaxed postparty at "the rock pool" on the beach.

We celebrated Reuben with dinner at Townsville Casino Hotel.

King of the Casino Niklas was one of the few to come from the casino with a profit. 

 

We checked out Mia's shop Retro 157 and all the curious things in it. The journey continued to downtown Townsville and the Strand. Reuben, Mia's seven year old son, played a football match and got a larger than usual crowd to cheer him on. He took this to heart and not only scored two goals but also got the best player award.

Curious to taste the local sports culture Niklas and I got tickets to the most popular team in town the rugby league team North Queensland Cowboys. We saw an exciting match where the locals appropriately came out of their run of bad form and crushed the visiting team from Sydney.

 

 

 

A trip back down to Townsville with an interesting sign at a petrol station. 

We visited a liquor store and found something we recognised. 

 

 

Time to visit the reef the reason we travelled to Cairns. Though this time of the year it is the first place we could sit outside at night in shorts and t-shirt. 

We took a big catarmaran to the outer reef. I had booked a couple of dives and Niklas was doing some introductory dives whilst the girls were going to snorkel and take a glass bottomed boat. I got to see lots of fish and even a few sharks but I think Agneta got the biggest shock being "attacked" by a huge fish called Wally! 

We had a great day leaving early and getting back around 5.  

We thought we had found the perfect desert for Niklas but he found it too sweet (as if there is no sugar in Red Bull) 

Today was going to be a laid back with sunbathing and a wander around Cairns.

 

Though with the warning at the bathing lagoon we did the shopping during middle of the day. 

 

 

Sometimes Australia doesn't seem that different but when I suddenly cycled through a flock of wallabies on my morning cycle ride along the river you have to think again. We borrowed Mia's car for a 360 km trip up the coast to Cairns.

 

 

The scenery was dramatic and the later part dominated by sugar cane and banana plantations. Sugar cane means Rum so I had to try a Bundaberg rom and coke that evening. Different but not again. The trip took 5 hours and we were greeted in Cairns by traffic jams. We had hired an apartment overlooking the bay. there is no beach or bathing here. Only mud flats and crocodile warning. Agneta felt safe enough to play a lttle Candy Crush on the esplanade. To cure my curiosity we ordered the mixed grill Hop Skip Swim & Jump from the menu at the evenings restaurant. So Kangaroo, Emu, Barramundi and Crocodile all on the same plate. Can recommend the fish and kangaroo.

Mia took us via a narrow and winding road up in the mountains to their neighbours cottage which they look after. At 950m above Townsville and deep the tropical rainforest, Paluma has a completely different climate and the village logo is "Walk in the clouds".

 

The day began with a breakfast with handpicked small bananas from Mia's garden.

 

 

To solve the problem of not seeing any Australien animals we went to the local animal sanctuary and got to met them all at once. Not quite the same as feeding the horses but close.

The last stage of the Swedish invitational triathalon took place at 7.30 in the harbour. This was a 2 km swim in the "not often" shark infested waters but today there was only a stingray, a jellyfish, a dolphin and an australian mermaid for company.

 

A 10 o'clock departure to Sydney was the start of three flights that ended up at 6 in the evening in Townsville.

 

Australian in flight food is even below BA in standard being saved by airports foodmall. At the airport we were greeted by Mia and her family and could quickly change into shorts for the first time for an evening meal now being in tropical Queensland.

An early morning start. Jon's girlfriend has to keep to her training schedule so it was a before work run today so we joined her at 5.30 for a run around the harbour.

       

 

Back home for a protein shake as now I am taking anything that will keep me going. After a few hours the rest of the family got up and we are on our way for breakfast. Jessica's friend, one of the dogs Harry got a grooming.

We took a long morning walk along the beach and headlands from Jon's house to Coff's Harbour jetty.
 

 

Jon and I then ventured out for a cycle ride. This was on road bikes as Jon is in training for a trip to the Alps in September. I managed not to crash and was able to keep up apart from the downhill bits. Partly afraid for my own safety but also Jon's bike which was worth about 10 000 pounds!

Then it was directly to swimming pool for a session. This is a boot camp trying to keep up with the iron man training sessions. We later met up with some friends for a meal at a restaurant called Fiasco, which didn't live up to its name.

Transfer north from Sydney by propeller plane to Coff's Harbour.

We got picked up and taken to Jon's very impressive building Coff's Cardiology. Back to his house on the cliffs overlooking the coast. Yesterday the whales were migrating north in the bay so Jessica has taken up a lookout post on the balcony. 

The newly built house which is directly out of House and Home complete with B&O av systems.

A quick run with the dogs and dinner at home with Jons girlfriend who is soon off to Hawaii to compete in Ironman. She hopped over the desert which was local mango sorbet ice cream.

Jessica worked out a tight schedule for our last day in Sydney. Having seen the Opera house from nearly every angle I took an early morning run and finished it off by running around it and actually saw the Swedish Hoganas tiles that coat the roof.

Just around the corner from us is the world's largest aquarium which was well worth a visit but did nothing to cure Jessica's shark phobi.
The recommended lunch of Yum Cha was an experience where we managed to avoid the dim sum dish of chicken feet.

Let's go flying. A uneventful trip to London and then on to Sydney. The 23 hour flight had a stopover in Singapore and went better than expected when we we all managed to get some sleep on the first leg of the journey. We couldn't feel too sorry for ourselves as my neighbour was continuing on to New Zealand so she had 8 more hours. Agneta liked the big shopping complex at Singapore airport whilst Jessica stocked up with sushi.