The modern landscape, society and economy of Pyrmont were shaped mainly by two industry groups: sandstone quarrying and the Colonial Sugar Refinery complex. It was a long tradition for sugar plantations to distil rum and other by-products of sugar. Eventually (from the 1930s) Caneite and other building materials were processed, using bagasse, the cane from which sucrose had been extracted. For a hundred years the CSR Company processed sugar here, distilled rum and industrial alcohol, and transformed sugar cane refuse into building material. CSR was founded in 1855 by a Danish gentleman named Sir Edward Knox and commenced operations in 1877. CSR was not only a sugar refinery, it was also a distillery which at one stage supplied half of Australia’s industrial alcohol needs. It also supplied a third of Australia’s rum. As Australia’s second-largest industrial complex (behind BHP) CSR even had the resources, the engineers and the skills to produce fuel, and weapons, during the Second World War. More about Jacksons Landing here and about its First People.

Part of the Evolve Building, part of Jacksons Landing, with ANZAC bridge:

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Distillery Hill building, part of Jacksons Landing:
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Antias' architecture by Architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer "reflects its industrial heritage through the use of industrial forms and materials such as rust weathered steel cladding. Such cladding is a direct response to the site: it echoes the site’s industrial aesthetic, associates the building to the Eastern Knoll sandstone cutting by use of tone and colour, and expresses the steel sheets at a scale compatible with the Anzac Bridge." (source).

DJI_0014 L_GI0955 IMG_1505 The building is named after a street name of a street that doesn't exist anymore. The building is overlooking the ANZAC Bridge--sunsets and thunderstorms can be observed.

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Aerial Shots of Antias and ANZAC Bridge

The ANZAC Bridge, crossing the Johnstons Bay, is an eight-lane cable-stayed bridge that carries the Western Distributor (A4) across Johnstons Bay between Pyrmont and Glebe Island.

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Here illuminated for ANZAC Day in 2021. 

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We often enjoy the Pyrmont Waterfront Park with its two iconic spheres--old digesters used to produce hardboard. In 1936, CSR expanded its operations to produce caneite and particle board which are both building materials. The wood chips were expanded using high-pressure steam, releasing the natural lignins in the wood that turned them into fibre that was pressed into boards for use as a building material. 

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Quarrying was carried out on a modest scale by the 1830s, when sailing ships could take on ballast at the tip of the peninsula, anchored in deep water and loading local stone. "Master masons such as the McCredie brothers branched into building: Charles Saunders levelled Glebe Island and Darling Island, then supplied stone for Sydney’s new University, its Railway Station and its new government offices. Eventually, Pyrmont sandstone was celebrated in Italianate wool stores and the Queen Victoria Building." (source) 

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Often, the sandstone is exposed and integrated into the modern architecture or Jacksons Landing.

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Sydney Harbour is a working deep-water harbour with commercial ships often mooring at Glebe Island and many marinas along the Blackwattle Bay.  HEI_7600-2 HEI_7284https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht/moatize/ HEI_7255

Fisher boats deliver fresh fish to the Sydney Fishmarket, the second biggest fish market in the world after Tokyo. 

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Expensive day-charter boats are moored in Jones Bay Wharf at its Marina. The Jones Bay Wharf is a unique example of early 20th-century waterfront technology and represents an integral part of Australia's maritime history. Its survival serves as a key reminder of Australia's development as a trading nation and its association with important events such as World War II and the immigration boom. the combination of reinforced concrete, steel and hardwood made it a highly innovative structure for its time. The quick and efficient loading of cargo at the wharf was made possible by its rail connection, overhead lighting and modern handling facilities including several internal lifts and a mobile gantry. In the 1940s, Jones Bay Wharf was adapted to serve as a modern passenger terminal to accommodate a post-World War II immigration boom. Modifications enabled the boarding and disembarking of passengers on the upper level, while their luggage was handled on the ground level. The wharf operated as a passenger terminal until the 1960s when a new passenger terminal was constructed at Circular Quay. 

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View of The Crown and the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the Darling Harbour waters used for recreational stand-up paddle boarding. 

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Everyone enjoys the spectacular view:

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During a walk along the foreshore through Pirrama Park and the Pyrmont Waterfront Park, one can see the remnants of the old timber and bollards as well as modern art installations, such as Tide to Tide which is a kinetic sculpture that translates the eternal return of the tides as well as the more unpredictable wave wash and wind chop of Sydney Harbour into movement.

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Fish cleaning station for amateur fishers:

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Timelapse video of Johnston Bay with ANZAC Bridge during a storm in October 2021:

More pictures here.

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Caves Beach is well known for its namesake - a network of sea caves at the southern end of the beach, which can be explored at low tide.

HEI_6001 HEI_5957 We enjoyed our days at the beach a lot with long beach walks, dinners at local restaurants and in our bungalow.

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I let the drone fly observing surfers from above and spend early morning hours taking pictures of the Galactic Centre.

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We also observed nature, seeing for the first time a Purple Swamphen.

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Here the combined video including surfers.

More images here.

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The vineyard's history is interesting as it is one of the oldest vineyards in Australia, acquired by the Wilkinson family in 1866. Audrey Wilkinson took over his father's vineyard at the age of only 15 years, with his father having died. He assumed the daunting role of running the family’s vineyard which he did until he died at the age of 85 in 1962. Audrey was blessed with a wonderful sense of taste and produced some of the finest wines in Australia. In 1897, Audrey helped develop leading-edge technology such as cement fermenters and steam-powered crushers and hopper. In 2004, the Agnew family enters the Australian wine industry with the acquisition of the historic Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard in the Hunter Valley. 

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We then checked into the Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens for two nights. On our first night, we booked dinner at éléments which is run by executive chef Michael Watson "who has created a menu with an elements base, influenced by the flavours of France and Italy. Michael brings extensive experience to the kitchen, a finely tuned palate and a passion for excellence. éléments signature dish - duck confit has been an inspiration throughout Michael’s career and takes a different form across the seasons. To enhance the dining experience, food and beverage manager Amanda wise has paired éléments menu with Hunter Valley wines which enables the wines to be fully appreciated. The interior design of éléments is boutique and overlooks stunning manicured gardens with a feature fountain, éléments offers a unique space to dine and engage." After reading this announcement, we had expected a great culinary experience , but the food was rather ordinary.

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The next morning, we visited the Hunter Valley Gardens which are advertised as the largest Display Gardens in the Southern Hemisphere--we left rather disappointed after 30 minutes as the only word that came to mind was kitsch. In addition to the rather underwhelming gardens, they were full of plastic Christmas decoration including life-size reindeer and large plastic sculptures in the shape of Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower.

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Then, we did a wine tasking at Andrew Thomas Winery which was really impressive in style, how the wines were presented including the display of soil samples and taste, how the wine tasted and which convinced us to purchase a few cases and also sign up for their wine club.

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In the evening, we had an excellent chef's tasting dinner at EXP Restaurant in Pokolbin: (1) Hiramasa Kingfish, fennel pollen vinegar, chilli ferment and Hunter Wagyu Tartare, beef fat emulsion, eschallot and Duck Ham, macadamia, focaccia, (2) Sourdough, cultured butter, native seasoning, (3) Zucchini, cherry truss tomato, lemon verbena, society garlic, (4) Petuna Ocean Trout, shiitake, mushroom xo, radish, native pepper, (5) Paroo Kangaroo, onions, black garlic, beetroot & davidson plum, (6) Canelé, milk & honey, (7) Wild Fennel Cheesecake, mulberry, caramelised white chocolate, waffle. 

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Here a video of the Hunter Valley experience:

HEI_5141 However, we found a delicious lunch at the nearby Magpie Cafe. 

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HEI_5143 We then walked through the village of Berrima admiring all the old cottages and small galleries. Berrima is located on the traditional land of the Gundungurra People.

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Finally, we made an evening walk at the Wingecarribee River where we saw many Australian Water Dragons, but not the promised Platypus that should be part of the Berrima River Walk.

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We have read about the German Internment Camp that located at the river: The internees’ constructions during their enforced stay during World War I was built along the Wingecarribee River. Berrima was the only camp that not to confine the more than 300 internees within the camp perimeter. The internees were merchant naval captains, senior officers, the senior executives from German shipping companies with offices in Australia, and a small number of prisoners-of-war from the German light cruiser SMS Emden. The had times when they could leave the camp and were free to shop in the village. The men from larger companies were on half-pay—forwarded from Germany throughout the war. The men were used to confined shipboard life and a disciplined routine. As they were not required to work they put their energy into recreational pursuits—the River was their playground.

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On Sunday morning, I tried to photograph at 4 am the Galactic Centre and the Orionids, a meteor shower that marks the second occasion the Earth encounters the stream of debris left behind by Halley’s comet each year. Neither worked out very well due to the strong moon and the light clouds.

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After breakfast in Moss Vale,... 

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...we embarked on a 4-hour bushwalk in the Gibbergunyah Reserve starting on the Goanna Circuit—without visible goannas. A later search on YouTube confirmed that we heard their hissing sounds.

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During the walk, we saw literally a hundred or more entrants to wombat burrow systems. As they are mostly nocturnal, we saw no wombat. They eat grass and herbs and their teeth grow continuously throughout their lives.

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I took a picture of a Red-and-black spider.

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In the evening, we had dinner at the Porterhouse Bistro in Moss Vale. On Monday, we did a 3-hour bush walk in Box Vale admiring the Hawkesbury sandstone formation as the paths are cut through the stone.

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The Box Vale Walking Track follows the formation of a historic railway line and through a tunnel 84m long. One of the displays showed a picture of a “Saddle Tank” locomotive emerging from the tunnel—it had been built in Leeds, UK, in 1862 and imported to Australia by John Whitton who is recognised as the father of the NSW Railways.

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The surrounding terrain is steep and rocky—often with little topsoil that can be used by the wombats to build their burrows. We read that the vegetation is classified as dry sclerophyll forest—most of it was burnt during the December 2019 bush fires that raged through the area. Most trees show new growth and the ground is mostly green now. Since the removal of the railroad line, late last century natural regeneration has occurred along the embankments.

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We saw a lot of birds—apparently, they flew away during the fires and are now back, unlike snakes and spiders.

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Afterwards, we drove to Berrima for a lovely lunch at the PepperGreen Estate for which we had reservations this time. On Tuesday after checking out at the Briars Country Lodge & Inn in Burradoo, we first visited had a delicious breakfast at the nearby Magpie Cafe in Berrima.

HEI_5515 Our first stop after breakfast was the Bendooley Estate vineyard and tasted (and bought) some vine. Then, we advanced to Centennial Vineyards doing the same but combined it with a light lunch.

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In the early afternoon, we made it to our second hotel, the Blue Wren, Pines Postoral Cottages. We stayed in a cottage with 4.5-metre high window overlooking the pastures. "A spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine level with king-size bed (with electric blanket). When the sun rises, waking up in Blue Wren is magic! An extra luxury is the private cedar-lined sauna. This is a dry Scandinavian sauna, ideal for relaxing in the late afternoon.”

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I flew my drone around the property as the cows did not seem to care. On Wednesday, we woke up dense fog and rain, so we spent a very quiet day with reading and some gallery browsing in Mittagong and Moss Vale. On Thursday, the rain made us postpone our visit to the  Fitzroy Falls to our next trip into the Southern Highlands.

Here some video impressions of the trip:

More picture here.
 

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But, we were not permitted to approach a wharf and had to use a mooring for the night. The dingy (tender) that came with the boat gave us access to the shore. The boat was equipped with two hot showers (one indoor and one outdoor), a microwave, a cooktop, a gas BBQ, two toilets, chart plotter, depth measurement, two bedrooms and an additional 4 bunk beds.

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HEI_1320 We drove two hours to Refuge Bay where we went to shore to stand under the waterfall that comes from high above the mountain. Then, we drove another hour to Smiths Creek where we moored at a spot where there were only two other boats.

Alexandra caught three fish for dinner—part of the dinner as they were really small.

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We used the dingy to drive into the shallow areas of the Creek. Except for the occasional airplane, we could only hear nature sounds during our dinner. During the night a bad thunderstorm rocked the boat quite a bit—shaking as in the wake of another boat or on the ocean. But all was holding up—just the outside parts of the boat, like all the chairs and benches, were drained in the morning.

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On the second day, we had lunch at Cottage Point Kiosk and Boat Hire.
HEI_7238 Here more images.

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We were picked up and brought to the Savasi Island Resort, where we stayed in the Seabreeze Villa with a pool about 20 metres away from the beach. Here the drive into the resort.

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We were greeted with a tropical fruit drink on our arrival and brought to our beach villa.

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We ended the day with dinner, enjoying the delicious food and the beautiful sunset view. 

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In the morning of our second day, after a nice breakfast overlooking the ocean, we were driven to a waterfall by one of the guides.

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We first had to buy a Kava plant, also known by its Fijian name yaqona, as an offering for the local villagers allowing us to visit their waterfall. The waterfall was only a 5 min walk, enough at the blazing heat, away from the parking spot. On our way, we passed what could count as a small vegetable farm with Kava plants, bananas, pineapples, wild chilly, wild ginger and even some sugar cane.

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Here the flower of wild ginger.

HEI_3488 We were swimming in the small lagoon underneath the fall and observed the many spiders and birds around the waterhole.

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Shortly before lunch, we drove back, stopping at a beautiful scenic overview.

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For lunch, we enjoyed rice paper rolls and a glass of wine. In the afternoon, I took pictures of insects around the villa.

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When stepping on the paths, we had to watch out for not crushing the thousands of hermit crabs (Coenobita rugosus) that crawled around the property and near the beach. I took pictures and a time-lapse video of them.

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They did not like to be held in a hand and vigorously attack my fingers.

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Before dinner, I discovered a small jumping spider in our bathroom that I caught and then photographed on a napkin and then on a leaf.

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Dinner during sunset was excellent with a concluding barbecued pineapple as a dessert.

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After dinner, Sophia and I, equipped with a strong LED panel and a flashlight, continued on hunting animals in the dark. We saw large Golden Orb spiders, a Huntsman spider, mating stick insects, small lizards, a mouse, huge hermit crabs, fruit bats and many mosquitoes on our skin. 

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The next morning, Sophia and I explored the beach and coral area uncovered by the low tide. We saw many sea cucumbers, an amazing amount of crabs and of course countless small fish. We also disturbed three sea snakes or eels that quickly slithered away from us. We poked the little sea stars until their body including tentacles retreated into their coral niches.

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After a good lunch and a short nap, we went to Split Rock for a snorkelling trip. The 30-minute drive brought us to an area from where we started to snorkel from the beach. While we saw a lot of bleached corals near the shore, the actual split rock was colonised by hundreds of colourful fish and corals. We took some picture and video with the new GoPro Hero Black 8.

In the evening, we packed our belongings for the next morning’s boat-snorkel trip. While at dinner, we learned that a cyclone was threatening to hit Fiji on the 29th of December. 

On December 25th, we started early in the morning with a 6:45 am departure for the boat tour. We drove 40 min to the Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the famous ocean explorer Jacque Cousteau. We took a bumpy 50-minute boat ride to the Namena Marine Reserve of Fiji where we snorkelled in very choppy waters. It is "known to be one of the best diving spots in all of Fiji, this exclusive site is home to many endemic and rare species. Surrounding the tiny island of Namenalala, the approximately 70 square kilometre Namena Marine Reserve was established in 1997, stretching between the two main Fijian islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.” 

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We saw bigger fish than the day before and also a small white-tipped reef shark (1.2 metres long) and a turtle. As the waves were too large for good snorkelling, we went to a more secluded place far away from the big waves. Unfortunately, the corals were all bleached there and only few fish and colourful corals remained.

We returned to our lodge by lunch and used the time after lunch to re-book Return flights to 27th of December. In the afternoon, I took pictures of a jumping spider that was very jumpy.

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On our way to the dinner, we saw many fruitbats landing on trees in the resort. The size of these Fijian flying foxes (Mirimiri acrodonta) was not unlike the ones we see each evening in Sydney. 

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Before dinner, the local church group performed Christmas songs in the resort dining area.

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Afterwards, we had a lovely dinner at sunset. IMG_1208

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The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, we enjoyed another walk on the low tide beach. We saw many small colourful fish and dark sea cucumbers. We also discovered near the villa a huge Golden Orb Spider and her egg sacks.

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In the afternoon, we were driven to a “river” that connects a lagoon lake with the ocean. The approaching high tide supported our sea kayaking towards the lake. The stream, as well as the lake, were surrounded by Mangroves. We learned that the area around our resort and this lake (650 acres) was owned by Paul Savasi.

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A stop on a hilltop on our way back allowed us to see the largest bay in Fiji. 

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After a shower, we had our last dinner in a cave—a special table facing the ocean on one side a meter above high tide and embedded in rocks carved out during ages. The staff had decorated the cave with fresh flowers. 

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Early breakfast on the next morning ended our trip on Fiji—the first rain that we experienced on the island foreshadowed the incoming cyclone. 

Here more pictures.

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The view from The Grant Hotel:

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The next morning, Allen and Isabel picked us up for a High-Speed Rail (HSR) trip to Taichung following by sightseeing in Taichung City and accommodations at the Windsor Hotel.

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We saw motorcycles everywhere as they seem to be the preferred transport mode for Taiwanese people.
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We visited a temple and had a delicious lunch at a local restaurant.

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Then, we went to an art store where we enjoyed traditional Chinese tea.

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Among many other sightseeing highlights, we admired the National Taichung Theater’s modern architecture.

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Taichung street festival:

In the evening, we had a business dinner with dentists from the area who invited us to a fabulous restaurant, excellent food, great wine and inspiring conversations about the future of dental education and dental healthcare delivery. 
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The next morning, we had a VIP tour of the Chung Tai Chan Monastery. We went to a lot of staff-only areas where we saw amazing aspects of the Monastery’s history, life and culture but were not permitted to take pictures. The tour started with a presentation by one of the Monastery’s leaders who explained Buddhism and how it relates to Mindfulness. We could take some pictures in the entrance hall and outside the massive gates.

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Then, we had one of the best vegetarian lunches ever, accompanied by two of the female monks.

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Lunch:

After lunch, we visited the museum with Buddhist art.

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Then, we returned with the High-Speed Rail to Taipei arriving at not too late at the Taipei Grand Hotel.

The next morning, I attended the opening ceremony at the National Yang-Ming University for the new Centre for Digital Dentistry and Clinical Education.

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This event was followed by a Gala Dinner with traditional dancing by representatives of each of the attending countries in the evening.

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The dinner menu:

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My thank-you speech:

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On the following day, we drove to the Lanyang Museum to learn a lot about Taiwanese culture, flora and fauna.

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Later we had lunch at The Cherry Valley duck restaurant with coffee at Mr Brown Café’ Castle. In the afternoon, we visited one more temple before returning to the hotel.
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During the final day in Taipei, we explored the city. First stop was the famous 509.2 m high Taipei 101 Tower, also known as the Taipei World Financial Center. We took the fast elevator to get to the 89th floor going 60.6 km/h-a 37 seconds ride.

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We visited the 660-tonne steel pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper suspended from the 92nd to the 87th floor. The big sphere sways to offset movements in the building caused by strong gusts. We watched a small video that was taken in 2015 when strong winds from Typhoon Soudelor swayed the damper by 100 centimetres. 

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Then, we took the train to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. We fed the Koi that were swimming in the surrounding ponds.

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We had lunch with our host at the world's tastiest dumpling place, Din Tai Fung which can also be found in Chatswood, Sydney. Fortunately, he ordered for us as there is no way one can understand the system, or how to properly eat the dumplings, such as opening them before putting them into your mouth.

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Then, we visited the National Palace Museum where we admired Jade artefacts and traditional drawings among many other interesting cultural exhibits from 2000 BC to the 18th century.

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We saw a carving of bokchoy cabbage in jadeite as well as meat-shaped stone.  

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The development of Chinese characters:

In the evening we returned with a direct overnight flight back to Sydney.

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We stayed in the VE Hotel and Residences in Jalan Kerinchi. I attended the 30th Annual Scientific Meeting of SEAADE, with the main conference at the Nexus Convention Centre.

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In addition to an intense conference schedule, Gisela and I had the opportunity to explore KL on the weekend days. Kuala Lumpur stands for "confluence of two muddy rivers” when literally translated and was originally a tin-mining settlement in 1800. The city was occupied by the Japanese army from 1941 to 1945, a period which almost halted the economy. After Japan surrendered, the British returned to Kuala Lumpur.

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On our first day, after a long flight and two hours time difference which made the day even longer, we visited the KL Tower which is a communications tower constructed between 1992 and 1996. It features an antenna that increases its height to 421 metres and is the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world. The roof of the pod is at 335 metres. We had lunch in the Tower Restaurant rotating almost 360 degrees during our time there which gave us a good overview of the city despite hazy conditions. Malaysia receives 2.5m of rain per year, but the recent lack of rain has made the air very dusty.

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We also walked to the Merdeka Square (Independence Square) with the famous Sultan Abdul Samad Building in the city’s colonial quarter as well as the Central Market. It was here where the first flag of Malaya (now Malaysia) was raised. 

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We strolled through the Kuala Lumpur Forest Eco-Park situated within the city. This rain forest has several nature trails & a forest canopy walkway which was quite dilapidated. It was originally gazetted as a forest reserve way back in 1906 with a land area of 17.5 hectares, but since then, a large part has already been taken up for building the KL Tower and other purposes. The Park is the only remaining tropical rainforest in the middle of Kuala Lumpur city centre. The monkeys were posing for the tourists. 

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On our day off, we visited the Batu Caves that were discovered by an American in 1868. His discovery was triggered by observing bats fly off the mountain at dusk. We climbed the  272 steps into the temple of Hindu Deity Lord Subramaniam who is honoured during Hindu festival Thaipusam. The Cave is guarded by a 142 feet biggest statue that costs $3 million. Our tour guide told us that 20 years ago, the guards captured a cobra snake in the cave, which was eating the many Capuchin Monkeys that are near the entrance. 

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We also had the chance to see how Batic Fabric is produced for scarves, shirts and other apparel. Batic is part of the Malaysian culture and already taught in secondary school. 

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Later we stopped by in an Orang Asli village, who are the original people of Malaysia. 

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We visited The National Elephant Conservation Center at Kuala Gandah. It was established in 1989 as a base for locating, subduing and translocating elephants where their habitat has been encroached upon. The Center educates and creates public awareness of endangered species. We saw baby, orphaned and rogue elephants in their enclosures and were allowed to feed them. Their trunk suction was very strong—like a shop vacuum. 

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We learned that the palm oil industry is big business in Malaysia. Each tree can produce up to 50 litres of oil. 

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We stopped at a place where tourists can feed Silvered Leaf Monkeys who normally are slender, intelligent, grey coloured, live in social groups, and found in coastal mangrove forests in Kuala Selangor. Here, they appeared rude and quite aggressive when foraging for food provided by tourists.

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Here some video from my Canon R:

In comparison, video from a cold shoe-mounted GoPro HERO6 Black while shooting pictures (you can hear the shutter sound):

In the evening, we had a seafood dinner in a restaurant by the river. We saw a bit more of the fish and the kitchen we bargained for.

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After dark, we took a boat tour to see the Lightning Bugs as they shone brightly to attract a suitable partner. They come out at dusk for feeding, resting and to mate. Their synchronous light flash is produced by a biochemical reaction in their light organs situated on their bottoms. The boat ride to watch fireflies was like driving through a Christmas tree. 

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It was Durian fruit season in Malaysia—the sidewalks were full of mobile vendors selling the fruit. We learned that “D24” or "Mosing King” is the best quality. A fruit of that high quality can cost up to USD 60 per fruit.

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In 1877, rubber seeds were introduced in Malaysia. The oldest rubber tree still alive is now 140 years old. The shoes for playing soccer are still made of natural kautschuk. 

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Here are more pictures.

Gisela and I arrived Monday night, and then we explored the area surrounding our hotel on Tuesday. We visited the Jogyesa Temple, one of the main temples of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism which was built in 1910.

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We admired the modern architecture and street art in Seoul. 

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Finding your way around in the city is complicated given the signage is mostly Korean.

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We visited a local market that presented many opportunities to buy brushes for writing, or painting, the Korean letters.

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Then, we visited the Unhyeongung Palace--house of Yi Ha-eung and his family. It is the only palace that includes mannequins depicting how the people lived in these palaces. The majority of the palace was built in 1864 during the time of King Gojong’s reign.
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During our visit to Seoul, spring arrived with many flowering trees throughout the city. 

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We ate a traditional lunch, experimenting with the various spicy dishes.

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In the late afternoon, we visited Lotte World Mall and Tower and its 9 floors of shops and restaurants. 

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We had a glass of champagne on the 123rd floor admiring the sunset over the outskirts of Seoul.

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We concluded the day with a dinner at Saint Maison, World Gourmet Seafood Dining, enjoying a 6-course dinner.

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On Wednesday, we visited The Secret Garden enjoying the beautiful scenery during the sunshine.

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In the afternoon, we strolled around in the traditional neighbourhood of Hanbok where many signs remind tourists that this is actually a residential area asking for quiet conduct—with not much success.  

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In the evening, we had a traditional dinner.

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The next day, after a Cherry Blossom Tea and green-tea cake at Starbucks…

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...we went to the Seoul tower, an observation tower located more centrally than the World Lotte Tower. 
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The tower is located on Beacon Hill in Mongmyeoksan, also known as Gyeongbongsu. The beacon system, created in the Joseon period, used fires to warn of an enemy invasion approaching the borders. 

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We were amazed by the tradition of placing a padlock somewhere on the structure to demonstrate lifelong attachment to a loved one. The area is so full of locks that Christmas Tree like structures had to be placed there to permit more visitors to place their locks.  

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In the evening, Gisela and I attended the opening event of the conference at the Westin Chosun Hotel featuring a keynote by Prof Young Guk Park, Acting President of Kyung Hee University.  

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The evening concluded with a Jazz performance by academics of Kyung Hee University. IMG_9021

On Friday, I attended the QS Subject Focus Summit at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Hall, delivered my speech and enjoyed the conference.  

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The day concluded with a Gala Dinner at a Korean Restaurant, Samchcheonggak.

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On Saturday, the conference started in the morning with more presentations. At noon, students from the local dental school took us on individual tours through their city.

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We first had a traditional lunch with our students...

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... followed by a tour of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. 

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The day concluded with a visit of the memorial stones, statues that honour civil officials.

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Afterwards, we explored a gourmet supermarket—shopping for an in-room dinner after a long day. 

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On Sunday, we explored the city further until our lunch departure. First, we visited the Namdaemun Market where one can buy anything. 

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Then, we walked to the futuristically-shaped Design Museum and the Design Exhibition Hall.

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After lunch, we walked back along the Cheonggyecheon Stream and saw a Blue Heron catching a fish and flying off.

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In the evening we departed for an overnight flight returning to Sydney.

Here are more pictures.
 

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After dinner, we observed the Flying Foxes crossing the city sky on their journey to food sources.
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On Saturday, we arrived at Silky Oaks Lodge, at the edge of the Daintree Rainforest, on the north east coast of Queensland. We had a wonderful lunch in the “Perch” hanging over a steep cliff down to the Mossman River. 

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Just wandering around the lodge, we already got a glimpse of the variety of flora and fauna in this incredible rainforest, e.g. orchids, ferns, figs, insects, strangler plants and bush turkeys.

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In the evening, we could see the humidity accumulating over the surface of the River—which had increased in volume after a heavy afternoon rain.

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On our way to River House 10, our home for the next 3 days, we discovered a curled up snakeskin on the path. 

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We began our first day with a 6 km walk, which took us more than 3 hours to complete due to the high humidity, and the many things to discover. We saw huge spiders, avoided spiky palm trees and most importantly the “probably most dangerous plant along this walk, Calamus Australis” — a vine that can grow 500 m long, often use for Rattan.

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Often we had to wade through ankle deep water - and in one of the little Billabongs, we discovered a turtle.

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The rain forest is so dense that often only tiny rays of light can shine through the lush foliage.

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We saw many strangler figs, and were impressed with their capacity to kill the host tree through pressure, as well as the fact that their roots can fuse when they meet.

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Some of the trees had huge dimensions.

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From time to time, the trail leaned towards the banks of the Mossman River.

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I ended up with a leech on my neck that took it's time slowly filling its expanding body with my blood, until it dislodged later during the walk. But, we also observed more beautiful creatures, like these butterflies.

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Next to our Tree House, we discovered magnificent large blue Ulysses Butterflies.

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We were very impressed by the levels and layers of the forest. The various growths half way up the trees seemed to create a whole separate ecosystem, 10 to 20 metres above ground and 10 metres below the tree canopy.

HEI_1705 In the afternoon, I went snorkelling, only to see some grey fish in milky water.

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Near the river, we discovered green-bodied ants.

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We decided to take advantage of our porch that overlooked the Mossman River, and ordered room service for dinner. We enjoyed the view of a stick insect which had decided to visit us in our Tree House.

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In the evening, we went platypus hunting—only with the camera. After almost an hour of waiting, there was the first sign of a platypus.

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We stopped when my camera switched to ISO 25600.

The next day, we went to Cooper Creek Wilderness Daintree Rainforest for a tour with Neil Hewett who lives with his family on a privately-owned rainforest that was unprecedented in its inclusion within the World Heritage Area. But first, we had to cross the Daintree River via ferry to get to the Cooper Creek Wilderness. 

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After the crossing, we were greeted by Cassowary road warning signs.

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Then, after arriving on the Hewett property, we had our first (short) wild Cassowary encounter: The bird that was “only” 45 kg—fully grown female cassowaries can stand at 1.8m and weigh over 60kgs. Mature males are much smaller at 1.5m and about 35kg. The latest study (CSIRO 2014) lists the number of cassowaries in Australia’s Wet Tropics to be around 4,000. These magnificent and archaic-looking creatures are large flightless birds. The Southern Cassowary is an important disperser of seeds in the rainforest, with 37 different species requiring transmission through the big bird’s digestive tract to facilitate germination, and a further 200 or more seeds being more likely to thrive if transported away from the parent trees that may retard their growth.

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We saw hundreds, maybe thousands, of young Cane Toads on Neil Hewett’s lawn, whose 100 hectares of privately owned land are a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. 

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Neil Hewett explained to us that the average annual rainfall in the Daintree rainforest is approximately 2000mm (79in) per year. Some areas have even recorded up to 9000mm (345in) in a single year. The wet seasons is between December and March. Over 60% of the rain falls during this wet season. The Daintree Rainforest is estimated to be 180 million years old—the oldest tropical rainforest on earth and tens of millions of years older than the Amazon Rainforest. It houses some of the most biologically diverse flora and fauna in the world. The forest has 80% of the world’s fern species, 40% of Australia’s bird species and 35% of Australia’s mammals all reside and contribute to the Daintree’s ecosystem.

Neil pointed out a Bird-dropping crab spider that mimics the appearance of a bird dropping including run off to attract flies and keep away birds. The appearance closely resembles the white splatter of liquid in bird faeces. There is even a runnel in a dip in the leaf, simulating flowing movement. This is its protection: No bird wants to eat its own excrement. Not only does the spider look like a bird-dropping, but it also gives out a smell that attracts insects that like to eat bird-droppings. The attracted insects are then grabbed by the spider.
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During the walk, we saw many fig trees with plentiful fruits attached to the trunk. 

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Another famous inhabitant of the Daintree Rainforest is the Idiot Fruit. The huge trees from which this fruit comes, have large brown fruits that look quite similar to baseballs. The Idiot Fruit was discovered over a hundred years ago when it was responsible for the death of cattle who would chew the toxic seeds. This plant species is twice as old as a Tyrannosaurus Rex which makes it an impressive 120 million years old and still going.

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Neil also explained how plants that developed before flying insects evolved to pollinate. This fern-like plant is able to increase the temperature of its cones up to 17 degrees above the local air temperature. This usually happens in the afternoon — between midday and 2pm is peak glowing time for the cones. The heat is created by the breakdown of starch and lipids stored in the cone scales. This happens when the cones reach maturity and increases the chances of fertilisation, as insects are attracted by the plants’ odours, which become stronger when the cones are warm. (These odours may attract male insects by mimicking female hormones.) The heat may also help the male cones to shed pollen. More about this here.

He made us also aware of the Stinging Tree, probably the most dangerous tropical rainforest plant in the Daintree Rainforest. While it looks attractive it causes extreme pain with symptoms including an intense stinging sensation that can be reactivated through water contact as long as 3 months after the encounter. Aboriginal people call this plant ‘Gympie Gympie’, which means ‘devil-like’. It has large green leaves with serrated edges that are toxic and lined with fine silica-tipped hairs that inject venom, like mini-syringes. The Stinging Tree is found close to walking tracks or areas where a big tree has fallen due to a cyclone impact, instead of in the middle of the dense rain forest. Ecologically, it keeps herbivores away from the young rainforest that develops when a big tree falls.

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During most of our 6.5km walk, we only saw a few rays of sunlight passing through the canopy to the ground.

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Neil pointed out some 30-year-old tree mushrooms that have remained unchanged since he purchased the property. 

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Other tree mushrooms impressed because of their shape.

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And we saw insects that have perfected the art of camouflage, such as crickets that blend into tree trunks.

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The Fan Palms that make up the middle of the layer of the rainforest, between the ground and the canopy, are growing an average of 1 m in 100 years. This makes most plants 1,500 years old when they reach this half-way mark. 

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Often, there were reptiles that quickly ran away when we approached--only a few permitted me to take their picture.

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And of course, spiders everywhere.

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More pictures from Daintree Rainforest here.
 

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The next morning, I visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace. On my way, walking the 30 minutes to the palace, I was impressed by the displays of various live fish in front of eateries.

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The palace was built in 1395, also commonly referred to as the Northern Palace because its location is the furthest north when compared to the neighbouring palaces of Changdeokgung (Eastern Palace) and Gyeonghuigung (Western Palace) Palace. "Remarkably, the most representative edifices of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Gyeonghoeru Pavilion and Hyangwonjeong Pond have remained relatively intact. Woldae and the sculptures of Geunjeongjeon (The Royal Audience Chamber) represent past sculptures of contemporary art.”

The Sumunjang (or the gate guard) was first introduced in 1461 under King Sejo. The gate guards were not only managed systematically also managed the gate passers. Since 2002, the Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation exhibits the comparable environment of Joseon dynasty with the weapons, the armours, and the traditional clothes.

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Many of the tourists dressed up in traditional HanBok costumes that could be rented next to the palace. 
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Afterwards, I visited the Lotte World Tower and had a snack in the lounge on the 123rd floor enjoying the amazing view.

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Next day, an academic from the Seoul Dental School picked me up for a visit to the War Memorial.

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I have learned a lot about historical armies, wars and armour beginning at 900 AD and expanding into different dynasties including the occupation by the Japanese.

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The most important part, however, was for me the Korean War (1950-1953) about which I knew only the basic facts. I have learned the role of the 24th Division under General MacArthur's command. My hosts' grandparents had been captured by the communists during the war, their fate still unknown as most of the 100,000 citizens that got kidnapped.  Among the kidnapped were many government officials, National Assembly members, soldiers, policemen, journalists, religious leaders, artists and scholars who were exploited for North Korean's propaganda efforts. 

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Then, I had lunch with Ice Cold Noodle Soup and Kimchi as well as a slice of Asian Pear for desert. One of my lunch hosts made a point that he never understood what pear-shaped meant in English anatomy books or the like until he had a pear outside Korea where all pears are round. Cultural differences! 

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They gave me these polished metal chopsticks (not very helpful) and also cut the noodles in pieces using huge scissors even less helpful). I washed my pants as they got a few spots.

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The next day, the official conference-related tours started. So, I met the co-presenters for the first time during the tour of the Secret Gardens at Changdeokgung Palace which was the second royal villa built following the construction of Gyeongbukgung Palace in 1405. Changdeokgung Palace’s rear garden was constructed during the reign of King Taejong and served as a resting place for the royal family members. Changdeokgung Palace was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site by the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Committee in December of 1997. I was amazed to learn that they even had underfloor heating in some of the buildings constructed in the 15th century. There is also a night tour offered but is limited to 100 people. HEI_8042 HEI_8045 HEI_8048 HEI_8044
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I learned that none of the academics from the Seoul Dental School that is about 500 metres away have ever visited the Secret Gardens—they all work too hard, up to 52 hours per week as I was told. Here a picture of the Secret Gardens from a window of the Dental School.

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Then, we had a Korean-style lunch during which I learned that Japanese eat only with chop sticks, but Koreans also use a spoon. After lunch, we embarked on a Seoul National University Campus Tour, including the academic study environment where their dental students work. We also visited the brand new education areas, such as the Digital Dental Center and the Dental Library. In addition, we visited the dental hospital (SNUDH) where about 1,000 patients are seen every day. Their technical lab employs 11 dental technician. 

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On the day of the conference, Saturday, I presented on "The Use of Data for Better Dental Education and Research” following by a video-recorded interview. The 2nd SNUSD International Conference for Future Dentistry featured topics ranging from "Surface modification of titanium for the enhancement of osseo- and soft tissue integration” by Kiyoshi Koyano Dean, Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University to "Involvement of non-neuronal cell activation in ectopic orofacial pain mechanisms” by Koichi Iwata Professor, Nihon University.

More pictures here.

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The hotel hosted luminaries like President Bill Clinton, President Eisenhower, President Lyndon Johnson, Nelson Rockefeller and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. 

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A PhD student and her postdoc friend showed me Taipei including the famous Taipei 101 Tower.

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We had many conversations about school and life in Taiwan. I learned that many Taiwanese go out for dinner several times a week as it is cheaper to eat out than eating at home. We also ate steamed dumpling and noodles at Din Taifeng (or sometimes spelling Din Tai Fun: "In an article published on January 17, 1993, the New York Times rated Din Tai Fung as one of the top ten gourmet restaurants in the world (Din Tai Fung was the only Chinese or Taiwanese restaurant to receive this accolade).”

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In the evening, we had dinner in The Grand Hotel with Professor Allen Ming-Fun Hsu, Dean of the School of Dentistry at the National Yang-Ming University in Taipei and his wife Isabelle overseeing the city of Taipei. 

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I had a wonderful breakfast at The Grand Hotel which allowed me to sample many exotic dishes that we offered as part of the buffet-style breakfast menu.

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The next morning, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the National Yang-Ming University's Headquarter. After the official part was over, we had a limo that embarked on a sightseeing tour. Passing a military base, I learned that the Taiwanese make a difference between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China when describing their relationship to China. We visited the sea in the North of Taiwan: The Nanya Peculiar Stone—a weathered sandstone.

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Then, we visited a Gold Mine near Jiufen.

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We strolled around at the market and visited the ShengPing theatre that was founded in 1934—a Baroque-imitated style that was popular during the Japanese occupation. The original projection machine to show the movies was still in the theatre for visitors to see. Pictures showed kids walking around with a poster and a speaking funnel to announce the night’s movie to the people in the mountain village.

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We also visited a local temple:

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After a tea break in the traditional style in one of the famous Jiufen tea restaurants, we made it back to Taipei.

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In the evening, we had dinner at the Yun Jin Chinese Restaurant a Grand Hyatt Taipei--one of the best restaurants in Taipei. Allen organised a private dining room and invited one more of his professors to the get final together of my visit. The highlight of the dinner was the Cantonese roasted goose (not duck as usual) and the excellent Spanish wine that Professor Allen had organised after I had mentioned a few days earlier that I like Spanish wine. Next morning, the PhD student and her postdoc friend came to the office to ensure I made it safely into the limo that headed for the airport.

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More pictures here.

Taiwan High Speed Rail

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In Kaohsiung, I stayed in the Han-Lai Hotel.

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The hotel was 10 minutes away from the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center (KEC). 

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Taiwan has unbelievable production facilities over tens of kilometers, one adjacent to the next. Industrial parks in Pittsburgh where a few square miles, here I was driving in a bus 45 min on a highway alongside them (or was this just one?).

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They were only interrupted by aquaculture ponds.

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Our destination was the Southern Taiwan Science Park where we visited the medical device industrial cluster founded in 1977.
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It includes a large building full of dental manufacturers, including several implant companies, like Anker, and hand piece makers, like codent. Several companies started out as OEM manufacturers for established German and American companies, for example, codent made handpieces for KAVO and Siemens but distributes now under their own name. 

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We also visited Eped that does tracking systems for education and implant placements as well as for brain surgery.

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They also use a Google-glass-style device to overlay the field of vision of the surgeon when doing minimal invasive brain surgery.

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Interestingly, all these companies look for partners in industry and academia for running clinical trials and obviously to get into the market. I also learned that there are 7 dental schools in Taiwan and that dental care is part of the public health insurance scheme with wait times of less than a week to get an appointment in one of the public dental care facilities.

Next day, we embarked on a cultural tour that started with a visit to Chi Mei Hospital, part of Chi Mei Medical Centre which has 4000 staff for 2400 beds. They performed 191 kidney transplants in last decade with 90% survival rate and have also advanced da Vinci robots for surgery. The Chi Mei Hospital was founded by Chi Mei who then converted it to a public hospital. He also founded the Chimei Museum that we visited next. The museum is built in European style and features a Fine Art section as well as section for Musical Instruments, a Sculptor Hall, Arms and Armour, Natural History and Fossil and a Rodin Gallery. We were equipped with English-audio tours and spent 2 hours roaming the museum followed by a nice lunch in the museum’s restaurant. 

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In the afternoon, we visited the Koxinga Shrine that had been established in 1662, dedicated to Zheng Chenggong (aka “Koxinga”). At one point, the Japanese rulers named the shrine “Kaisan Jinja”. Part of the shrine is the Koxinga Museum. The gate and the monumental archway are built in the traditional Sanchuan style, the independent entrance. We learned that “real" dragons have five claws instead of three or four as often depicted. 

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Then, we headed off to Fort Provintia (Chicken Tower), a national historic site built by the Dutch VOC and located at the Taijiang Lagoon. We could still see the entrance of the Fort that was erected in 1653. It has witnessed the rise and fall of Koxinga, the Qing dynasty and the Japanese regime. In 1886, the Taiwan County Magistrate built the Wenchang Pavillion to encourage education, dedicated to Lord Kuixing. He was believed to be in charge of academic achievements and job promotions. People in imperial China prayed to Lord Kuixing for passing the state exams in much the same way that students do nowadays. We were able to observe some of them doing exactly that. Lord Kuixing was also the one who laid siege to Fort Provintia in May 1661 and after the Dutch surrendered he established it as the Chengtian Prefecture. In 1980, the Lions International, Chicken Branch erected a memorial statue depicting King accepting the surrender of the Dutch VOC with the Dutch kneeling. It was later renamed in “Statue of Compromise Between Koxinga and the Dutch” with the Dutch standing on their feet—this apparently sealed the deal for a submarine contract between Taiwan and the Dutch. 

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More pictures are here.

After flying two hours from Sydney to Melbourne, we spent the first day in the Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium. Highlight was a Glass Bottom Boat Tour above the 2.2 million litre Oceanarium to get closer look at a giant Queensland grouper (800kg) and a huge Grey Nurse Shark. The guide, called “Skipper” on this 20 metres “sea” journey, revealed many details of how the aquarium works behind the scenes.

We explored the tunnels that allow you to venture under the water tanks.

The penguins were fascinating to watch.

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We were impressed how much you can see through the thick plexiglass walls.

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On Thursday, we used the free tram to explore the second largest city in Australia with its Queen Victoria Market and Victorian architecture, often referred to as "cultural capital” of Australia. Melbourne is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip which means that it has a huge inland body of water next to the city, but as many people from Sydney point out, no ocean beaches. According to Wikipedia "Melbourne rates highly in education, entertainment, health care, research and development, tourism and sport, making it the world's most liveable city—for the sixth year in a row in 2016, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. It is a leading financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region, and ranks among the top 30 cities in the world in the Global Financial Centres Index.

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On Friday, we ventured out of Melbourne visiting the town of Gembrook via a historical train ride, a narrow gauge heritage railway operated by steam engines, from Belgrave to Gembrook, called the Puffing Billy. We were allowed to ride by sitting on the ledge of the open-sided carriages.

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Here a time lapse video of our ride: 

On Saturday, we visited Captain Cook's Cottage located in the Fitzroy Gardens. The cottage was constructed in 1755 in the English village of Great Ayton in England by the parents of Captain James Cook. Then, in the 1930ies it was moved to Melbourne and is now a historical site and museum—deconstructed brick by brick and packed into 253 cases and 40 barrels for shipping. In addition to the actual building, one can walk a vegetable yard that mimics what English countrymen were growing in their yard in England at the time.

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On Sunday, we visited the Old Melbourne Gaol and the old City Police Watch House next to it. the gaol was first constructed in 1839 operating as a prison between 1842 and 1929. It held and executed some of Australia's most notorious criminals, including bushranger Ned Kelly. Wikipedia states that "Prisoners convicted of serious crime, such as murder, arson, burglary, rape and shooting, would begin their time on the ground floor with a time of solitary confinement. They were also forbidden from communicating with other prisoners, which was strictly enforced by the usage of a silence mask, or calico hood, when outside their cells. They would only be given a single hour of solitary exercise a day, with the remaining 23 hours spent in their cells. Inside the cells, prisoners would be able to lie on a thin mattress over the slate floors. They could only bathe and change clothes once a week, and attend the chapel on Sundays (with a Bible provided to promote good behaviour). Prisoners might only have been allowed to finally socialise with other prisoners towards the end of their sentences."

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On Sunday night, we returned to Sydney in windy weather on a very bumpy flight. 

More pictures here.

The track passes under Eastern Arterial Road via the stormwater tunnel, which "may not be passable after rain” -- it was pretty dark while we walked there, but almost no water.

Stormwater tunnel under Eastern Arterial Road The track then is descending beside Gordon Creek to Middle Harbour and continuing along Middle Harbour to Roseville Bridge. Along the way, we saw post-war cobbled tracks and stonework and Coachwood forests. The Roseville Park was often likened to the Blue Mountains.

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Some of the gumtree roots wrap around rock formations in an amazing way.

I used my GoPro capturing us walking on the tracks and let my drone fly obtaining impressive aerial views.

More pictures here.

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We also visited the nearby Terrigal with its prominent landmark, The Skillion, a steep cliff facing the ocean rising to a convenient lookout area that is easily accessed by a flat grassy area leading up from the reserve.

The Skillion

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On several occasions, I flew my drone for an aerial view of the region.  

One highlight of the stay was the arrival of the Lyrids—a comet shower that peaked on April 22 and could be observed from Australia. "The Lyrids hold the record for the shower with the longest recorded history, having been observed since at least 687BC. That longevity is linked to the orbit of the Lyrid’s parent comet, discovered in 1861 by A. E. Thatcher. Comet Thatcher moves on a highly inclined, eccentric orbit, swinging through the inner Solar system every 415 years or so. Its most recent approach to Earth was in 1861.
Compared with many other comets, Thatcher’s orbit is relatively stable, as the only planet with which it can experience close encounters is Earth. This means the meteors it sheds continue to follow roughly the same orbit. Over the millennia, that shed debris has spread all around the comet’s vast orbit, meaning that for thousands of years, every time Earth intersects Comet Thatcher’s orbit, the Lyrids have been seen, as regular as clockwork. One study of the orbits of Lyrid meteors even suggests the shower may have been active for at least a million years."
As the comets can be best seen an hour before sunrise, I got up early as usual and spent time on the common-space roof of the apartment building in which we stayed trying to capture the comets—I was only once lucky.

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While waiting for the comet shower, I took some pictures of the stunning landscape in the early morning hours.

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I also had a chance to fly my drone (DJI MavicPro) for the first time at night with two Lume Cubes attached. Here a short video from this flight taken from the drone and from a GoPro Hero 6.

More photos here.

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We stayed mostly close to Putty Beach and the surrounding area that encompasses 27 ha including beach, rehabilitated sand-mined area, natural areas, Killcare Surf Club and public facilities.

We mostly enjoyed the beach in the early mornings before it got too hot. 

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Each morning, we admired the newly built nets of the Garden Orb Web spiders. 

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We also hiked in the Bouddi National Park, a park that was established in part by the relentless fight for the environment by bushwalker, Marie Byles (1900-1979). The close-by bay area features a huge marina and many stores and cafes next to the shoreline which we exploited for late breakfasts during our stay.

Sophia and I snorkelled from the beach finding a luscious underwater flora:

During one of our beach walks, we found several washed-up Bluebottles.

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It was still moving a little bit:

Alexandra invited her boyfriend, Alex, over and both enjoyed swimming in the ocean.

Both, Sophia and Alexandra, modelled for me while I was flying my drone over the sandy beaches.

We had breakfast in town where the Rainbow lorikeets unashamed visited the restaurant tables.

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Finally, I pieced together the best drone shots and came up with this movie:

In June 2018, we visited Killcare again for a few days to enjoy watching whales that can be seen passing the shores at this time of the year on their migratory route from Antartica to breed in warmer tropical waters. Between the month of October and November, they can be seen making their way back to the rich waters of Antartica to feed after giving birth. We learned that the common species are Humpback Whales and Southern Right Whales. We spent several hours at Captain Cook's lookout to observe breaching Humpback Whales.

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I assembled a video from the best snippets taken while flying my DJI MavicPro drone from Captain Cook's lookout:

Our four-months-old Parson Russel Terrier, Lilly, enjoyed Putty Beach that permits dogs off leash.  

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Here another video from November 2018:

We visited again in January of 2019 with Lilly:

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We spent another week in Killcare in June 2020:

And then in December 2021, we visited Woy Woy to enjoy the Brisbane Water, a wave-dominated barrier estuary located inland from Killcare with short trips to the beach:

More pictures here.

Lake George

Upon arrival, we visited Canberra Glassworks observing glass artists working in a hot room with blast furnaces blowing and melting glass. The venue also showcases art by several local glass artists serving as an inspiration for Gisela's art.

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In the evening, we had dinner at The Boat House with a fascinating view of Lake Burley Griffin and the beautiful lakefront. We had a 4-course menu of Modern Australian Cuisine including cherry-wood smoked duck which we liked.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the Urban Pantry. We started the day visiting Parliament House admiring Canberra's most recognisable landmark up close: the stainless steel flag mast with the Australian flag flying above Capital Hill. We have learned that “the flag mast is the main focal point of the Parliamentary Triangle and you can walk directly under it when you explore Parliament House's grass roof. You can also see it from vantage points all around Canberra. The design of the flag mast pays homage to Walter Burley Griffin's plan for a pyramidal Capitol building—a ceremonial public space that would celebrate the achievements of the Australian people—which he envisioned as the centrepiece to his design for Canberra.” The flag is 12.8 metres long and 6.4 metres high and flies 24 hours a day—under the Australian national flag protocols, it can be flown at night because it is floodlit.

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We enjoyed easy access to the building's 'law-making axis', on which the House of Representatives and Senate chambers are located. Parliament House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 and consists of 4,700 different rooms of which many display stunning architecture and design.

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At the National Gallery of Australia, we enjoyed Indigenous, Australian, Pacific, Asian and European art.

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We extended our visit to the outside where one can find the Sculpture garden between the National Gallery of Australia and the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

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We then visited the National Carillon—a very tall bell tower.

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Before dinner at Sage Dining Rooms, we stopped at the Australian War Memorial— Australian’s most visited landmark. The Australian War Memorial brings together a world-class museum and a shrine of remembrance to offer a diverse experience of war. 

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The next day, we started with breakfast at Little Brother Cafe at the Red Hill lookout with friends. Afterwards, we visited the National Library of Australia which dates back to the early years after the Australian Federation in 1901, admiring work by Peter Dombrovskis. Clearly, Tasmania moved up on our bucket list of destinations. His technical expertise was amazing! He clearly not only waited for the right time for the light to have good tone but also waited for the wind to produce the desired ripples on water for the best reflection. We really liked the colourful bark of the Snow Gum.

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At the Old Bus Depot Markets, Gisela was again looking for inspiration for her Glassart.

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Finally, we went to the National Museum of Australia and experienced the epic narrative of the Songlines, Tracking the Seven Sisters. Remarkable! We really liked the dome with the two short all-around movies projected to the ceiling. 

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On our way back, we stopped by at a winery for a quick lunch and some tasting. 

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More pictures here.

We enjoyed the many Eastern Water Dragons that run away when approached as well as the colourful flowers. 

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More pictures here.

Gisela and I explored the city at 30 C combined with 90% humidity—the normal conditions in Singapore located only 137 km away from the equator. 

We visited the Gardens by the Bay, with the Cloud Forest Flower Dome probably the most impressive plant display that we ever encountered anywhere. We were impressed by the lushness of the vegetation:

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The Super Tree Grove is illuminated at night:

Super Trees

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While walking between the domes, we spotted a Water Monitor Lizard in close proximity to our path:

Water Monitor Lizard

The entrance of the Marina Bay, where the Gardens by the Bay are located, is guarded by the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel. "The complex is topped by a 340-metre-long (1,120 ft) SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 150 m (490 ft) infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 67 m (220 ft)." HEI_0519

Inside the Marina Bay Sands:

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More pictures from the Gardens by the Bay here.

We used a hop-on-hop-off bus tour to learn more about Singapore and also to get around. We learned that the port manages 90,000 containers per day making it the largest trans-shipment container port in the world. Singapore has also a thriving medical tourism with half a million foreign patients per year. We also visited Chinatown which is a cultural centre of the city given the large proportion of citizens with Chinese background.

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More Singapore pictures here.

Based on recommendation by our Faculty’s General Manager who is from Singapore, we had breakfast  at Tiong Bahru and actually found something to eat from the thousands of different offerings. Our breakfast was delicious, but it was so much that we could not finish the SGD 3.50 meals.