Took a driving trip to the South West Corner of Australia over the Labour Day long weekend. First stop was the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre. No dolphins were in, but there are some nice displays and aquarium specimens. Next it was to Busselton with a walk along its long jetty.
On the next day, I went for a dive at the HMAS Swan wreck off Dunsborough. Purposely sunk to be an artificial reef, it is a fantastic dive and exploring the large ship is interesting. It is even safe enough to swim inside which is a new experience. Next was a dive at Four Mile Reef, where there were lots of fish and even cuttlefish.
Next was a drive to see lighthouses at Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin, the latter being the meeting point of the Indian and Southern Oceans. And along the way, there are lot’s of places to stop and look at the scenery. And the roads are in great condition too. A really nice driving holiday out of Perth. More photos here.
Started the new year with a 15 day tour of New Zealand with Lindsay, Rhun Ing and Jeremy. We rented a car and drove aroud the South and North Islands. At each place, the sights are very different but really increadible. In the south, there are ice capped mountains and turquiose glacial lakes, and the incredible Milford Sound. Further up on the west coast, the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers. Further north, there are the rolling pastures. Lots of other tourists at this time of the year. But it is nice to get the chance to come back to this land after 16 years. Some pictures are on Facebook.
Anyway Happy New Year! An interesting year ahead with two celestial events to chase: the Venus transit and total solar eclipse in Cairns.
My first lunar eclipse from the Southern Hemisphere. Photo above stitched from photos taken every 15 minutes. Hence why Moon appears upside down and goes from right to left.
The third trip to Bali this year. This time, it is a different season, where colder currents are present. And with that, the hope of seeing the elusive Mola mola (oceanic sunfish). At the first dive off Nusa Penida, we saw many mantas instead. Watching these magnificent creatures flying around is really increadible. We did glimpse the mola on the second dive, but it was far away and deep down.
We did four more dives on the east and north east of Bali. This means taking hours long trips in a van to reach the dive sites, but it is well worth it with nice corals and large range of fish. The Liberty wreck again being a favourite.
Took a trip out into the heart of Australia to visit the famous Uluru (Ayers Rock). Also in the park is another rock formation called Kata Tjuta. Both are wonderful sights, especially at sunrise and sunset where the rocks appear brilliant red and orange. Lots of toursits at this time of the year, but it is also the best time to come as otherwise in summer it is increadibly hot. Already at this time, the dessert air is dry, and lots of water is a must. I rented a car and that means I can stop at spots away from the crowds, and if you can find the serenity, it is quite a magical place. There are many walking trails and I am quite glad I had the time to do them all. I also took a bus trip to King’s Canyon (one of the places I must visit just because of the name!). A nice hike with really good sights there too.
The above picture I took this morning does not seem much, but the small white streak is the space shuttle Atlantis flying across the sky, one of the last opportunities ever to witness such a sight. As the final space shuttle mission progresses, the reality that we are seeing an end of an era is starting to sink in.
The space shuttle has been there when I grew up, in books, on TV and as toy spaceships. Tales of space exploration are what led me to the path of science and engineering. The Columbia tragedy in 2003 filled me with a tremendous sense of loss even though I had nothing to do with NASA or their contractors or the United States. I have then come to realize that people who fly in space have the ability to touch all others on this world, transcending borders of nationality, race and religion, and from their prospective show us the big picture that dwarfs all our petty squabbles and issues. The space shuttle has been invaluable in expanding that experience by allowing more people to achieve more in space. The ensuing laborious efforts to return the shuttles to flight and complete the ISS are some of the best of what humanity is capable of doing.
So here’s to the shuttle, an imperfect machine but our greatest spaceship to date. Its retirement presents a huge loss of capability to bring people and large cargo to orbit, but is necessary to pave the way for exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. Now it is up to NASA to find the will to put together a worthy successor.
Just back from a week-long trip to Exmouth. The first part of the trip was by joining a tour driving up the coast to Exmouth. Along the way we saw spectacular landscapes at the Pinnacles, the coastline of Pot Alley, the Kalbarri gorges and Shell Beach. Then saw dolphins at Monkey Mia and ancient stromatolites at Hamelin. Next it was snorkelling in clear waters at Coral Bay and Turquoise Bay, with more stunning vistas from Shothole Canyon and Vlamingh Head lighthouse. The tour helps put into perspective for me the vastness of this state and the range of scenery is truly incredible.
Next part was a stay in Exmouth, and from there joined a boat trip to go snorkel with a whale shark. It was not as big a fish as I had expected, but still a magnificent creature and a hard swim to keep up with it! Even got a glimpse of whales while on the boat. Then, it was a couple of dives below the Navy Pier. Loads of fish and even a few sharks amongst the pier columns. These are well worth the cost as both are really unique experiences. Some photos on Facebook.
Went to do a swim with dolphins today with Rockingham Wildlife Encounters! It started with a quick trip down to Rockingham, a small town south of Perth. There we boarded a boat to look for dolphins just off the coast. Once we found them, it was a jump into the water for a snorkel. The water was cold, and a little murky, but it was a really nice experience to see wild dolphins up close. The guides have nifty underwater scooters which look really fun, and I wished I could ride that too. Next, the skipper put the boat at full throttle, and we saw dolphins riding and jumping off the boat’s wake (video still above). A highly recommended tour. Water was a bit colder this time of the year, but as it is less crowded then summer time, this I feel is a good time to go.
Over the Easter long weekend, I went to the Eastern Indonesian island of Flores with my parents. Compared to Bali, this is a more remote place, more untouched by tourism. Flores is a good spot for diving and did a couple of dives. Lots of coral growth and fish, and for the first time saw a school of bumphead parrotfish. Definitely more pristine than Bali. Got to try my new underwater camera too (well ok, it’s just an old camera in waterproof casing).
After the dives, our boat took us to Rincah Island, part of the Komodo National Park, where visitors can see the Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard on Earth. On another day, we visited a local village in the hills of Flores. Interesting to see their culture, and nice views of the sunset from the hills. Overall, the highlights were diving and the Komodo Dragon. There is nothing much else, but this gives a more relaxing atmosphere and is good enough for me.
50 years ago, a human named Yuri Gagarin was strapped into a capsule called Vostok 1 and was accelerated to incredible velocities by a modified nuclear missile to exit the Earth’s atmosphere. In doing so he became the first human in space and brought great pride to his country. But more importantly, this marked the start the exploration of a frontier that is infinitely vaster and far more challenging than any humanity has ever encountered. For me it does not matter if he is a cosmonaut or an astronaut or whatever silly term created by the media for the Chinese astronauts. Such divisions by nationality and race are obsolete especially for these people who travel beyond our petty squabbles on this world.
In the following years, his fellow human beings have developed new technologies, stayed longer in space and reached further. However, as amazing as these accomplishments are, the furthest anyone has been is only a tiniest fraction of the size of the solar system let alone what else is out there. No human has yet to fully escape Earth’s gravity. So we must push on. As difficult and costly it may be, we must continue to expand our reach, as this is the ultimate measure of our progress. Just as our ancestors have traversed mountains and oceans to new continents, we must now continue this journey of exploration beyond Earth. Only by tackling this challenge head on can we as bring out the best in ourselves.
So here’s to commemorate 50 years of achievement and looking forward to the great adventures that await humanity in future!
