A Drowning Kangaroo (post and photos by mary)

The Big Lagoon, Francois Peron National Park – wild, beautiful and empty where clothes are an option!

Australia has been a non-stop series of adventures and unusual encounters with nature.  Having hit the west coast Matt and I looked forward to discovering a good variety of marine life.

We didn’t expect to encounter a drowning kangaroo.  There we were, once again all  alone in the vast coastal Francois Peron National Park,  part of the World Heritage peninsulas near Denman.   We had engaged Rocky’s 4WD, lowered the tyre (they spell tire’s this way here) pressure to 20 psi and plowed thru the sandy track up to the point to see dolphins, turtles, sharks and a big gang of cormorants.  We were instantly greeted by a black swarm of flies, who made us their landing pad and stuck with us for the next 24 hours.  Our only relief from the flies was to dunk our naked bodies under the sea water at our camp in the morning.

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Discovering Family (post and photos by mary)

The old Coakley Castle: my father filled us with tales of ancestral royalty and inheritance.  It was the Blarney that made him promise these grand things!

Well, summer is gone and our adventures have moved on to Australia.  But before I get into that story, I just want to tell you about my quest to discover my family roots. 

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Which Is It, Winchester Abbey or Cathedral? (post and photos by mary)

  This was the peaceful demonstration outside the Parliment buildings – no signs of the riots during our exploration, but the sounds and signs of unrest were all around us.

My travels in the UK have happily brought me to London, not to visit the Queen. 

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Mountaineering Marathon in Snowdonia, Wales (post and photos by mary)

  Glyder Fawr Mountain is the new 1000 Metre Peak added to the Race Course.

The adventures continue!  The Shropshire hills were a mere warm up for my role in the annual Welsh 1000 Metre Peaks Race. 

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Stonehenge – A Druid’s Summer Solstice Blessing (post and photos by mary)

The 20th of June was the 12th Annual Stonehenge Summer Solstice gathering on the Plains of Salisbury.  When planning my UK adventures from India, I had assigned myself a photographic project to attend and document the Druids’ ceremonies amongst the stone monuments.  Little did I know that I would be joined by some 18,000 other Solstice worshippers. 

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A Hobbit’s Stroll in the Shire – Shropshire England (post and photos by mary)

I had five days all to myself between visiting relatives in Birmingham and heading to the Snowdonia National Park in Wales for the Annual 1000 Metre Mountain Marathon.   No dear readers, I will not be racing in those hills, simply volunteering on the highest mountain with the hikers I met in Nepal.  Like so much of our travels in the East, there was no plan for this gap.

  Church Stretton – a town of many churches.

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Cathedrals, Mystic Mysteries and Roots – Discoveries in England (post and photos by mary)

Majestic Salisbury Cathedral, tallest land mark in England.

The travel adventure continues with my detour to England while Matt is home in Canada sorting out his landlord and house maintenance chores.  These past three weeks have flown by, spending time in Salisbury and Penzance visiting my mother and Matt’s mother. 

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Chickun Gunia – A Traveller’s Nightmare (post by mary)

O Woe!  In the months before Matt and I set off on this incredible journey, we obediently checked into the Travel Doctor’s office in Victoria for our third world medical consultation and numerous injections (Matt practically cried! Mostly due to the size of the bills that accompanied those injections!).  The nurses we met were gentle,  professional, knowledgeable and current in the afflictions that we could encounter on our travels.  We took home maps of the parts of the world we were headed to that graphically listed all the diseases known to scientific man and woman.  But at no time did we ever hear or read of chickun gunia.  A  mosquito borne viral infection well  known to the many local Rajastani people who brought its name to our attention in Jaisalmer.

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Around the Annapurnas, 2011 – Is It the End of An Era? (post and photos by mary)

Matt, dwarfed under the glacial wall of the Annapurna Range.

The dream of trekking in Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit has come true! Matt and I have been plotting and scheming this trek long before we left home last February.

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Home Base at Agonda Beach, Goa (Mary’s post and photos)

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   Sunset at Pallolem Beach, my landing place in Goa.  Beautiful beach but an all night disco party scene!Hello Darlings!

   Yes!  I am back to the blog.  I have been astray from the word and am happy to get the stories started!  OMG! (O My God!)  pinch me, I cannot believe my latest travel adventure!

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