God bless Australia

My financial advisor took a break from managing my extensive portfolio that allows me to live a life of unbridled luxury, and resumed reading a book by her favourite author.

 Grandad!!!

If you refuse to follow my advice then go to the naughty corner.

Lake Argyle dam wall in the Ord River scheme in the Kununurra region in the Kimberleys.

Lake Argyle is the size of 23 Sydney Harbours.
(which means very little to me.)

This pumping station sends the water from the lake into the Ord River which provides the power supply for the town of Kununurra and the Argyle Diamond Mine which is owned and operated by Rio Tinto.

Seaplane arriving on the lake, while a catamaran slices through the water in the background.

 One of the many majestic cliff faces that encompass the Lake Argyle area.

Lake Argyle caravan park boasts one of the most impressive swimming pools we have seen. This infinity pool is part of a 1 million dollar investment into the park that sits high and proud overlooking the impressive waterways of Lake Argyle.

One of the hundreds of crocodiles that inhabit the waterways of the lake. I assured Michele it was perfectly safe to swim in the lake. How could a crocodile possibly climb up into the waterways of a lake?

Sucking up to Michele after her swim and her frantic scrambling up into the boat. God bless her.

We ventured along a 100km "shortcut" to Wyndham from Kununurra. Please take my advice and take no notice of the stupid woman in the tourist information centre who told me of this bloody shortcut.  Michele soon mastered the art of opening one of the many stock gates along the way.

 No! Not there yet!

 The main tourist attraction in Wyndham. Probably won't rush back to Wyndham.

 This is one of several "Prison" trees in the King River region of Wyndham. The Police troopers would secure their prisoners within the tree overnight before heading off in the morning.

Michele wanted some "time out" after reading the first three chapters of 50 Shades of Grey.
I was in the car panting and chaffing at the bit.

 We came across a cattle muster on our way to Halls Creek. This property was called Spring Vale. The cattle had not had contact with human beings for up to three years and we were warned to stay behind our vehicles for fear of spooking them.
In total over 2000 cattle were herded into this stock yard with the help of helicopters, stockmen and 4WD.
This was truly a fantastic experience.

 These chopper pilots were absolute aerial cowboys. They would almost stand the chopper on its nose before reversing it into the face of the stock movement and fanning up a wall of dust that directed the herd into the required direction.

This was the head stockman managing this entire movement. A pretty cool Aboriginal if I say so myself.
We bonded.
I told him how hard it is to reverse a caravan into a tight spot in a five star caravan park on the beach.
He told me to piss off.
I called him 'bro'.
He told me to piss off.

I thought better of asking him about the 'dream time.'

The dust of the approaching cattle muster. It was an absolute joy to watch something that is so unique.

The Kimberleys

 Another day another undersized barramundi caught whilst we were fishing on the Mary River near Darwin. We were blown away by the fearful presence of these massive saltwater crocodiles. This little baby was about 5 metres long. They leave their mouths open to help regulate the temperature of their brain which stays a constant 32 degrees. Their brain is the size of a walnut.

Walking through the incredible landscape of the Gunlom Gorge National Park.

 I have always been a bit sceptical of Aboriginal artworks but once you are there in the national parks and listening to a lecture from Aboriginal elders, then the scepticism evaporates. It was a truly inspiring moment.

 

The road into the Gunlom Gorge was forty kilometres of corrugated nightmare, even my eyelashes fell out.

 Beautiful beyond belief but worth the pain.

These waterways and ponds were high up into the upper reaches of the gorge, accessible by a rugged kilometre climb along rocky paths and steep inclines.

 It was here in the film Crocodile Dundee, where Hoges' looked out across the valley and then up to the sun and pretended to tell the time to Linda Kozlowski. (Of course in the film he secretly looked at his watch)

This is how you end the day. A camp fire, a juicy steak and a bottle of red.

Ahhhhhhhhhh!

Siem Reap Cambodia

 The famous Pub Street in Siem Reap. We spent our evenings cruising the restaurants and bars. The food was superb, the beer ice cold and the atmosphere electric - what more can a tourist ask for.

This delightful monk beckoned me from outside the cafe with an infectious smile and a gracious nod of his head. I approached. He offered his hand which I shook. He offered his hand again. I shook it again. In fact we shook hands eight times until the penny dropped. I dutifully removed some money and placed it into his proffered hand. He blessed me. I felt blessed. He made a move to the door but not before I grabbed hold of his ethereal monk style clothing & held firm until I got my photo taken.
We parted on wonderful terms and I returned to my coffee. I felt at peace once more.

 These are the markets in Siem Reap Cambodia. True to form, these types of markets were an intensely cloistered atmosphere. Moving about inside was challenging.
The butcher had a special on for today.
Three kilometres of sausages or a wheel barrow of moist red meat.
We ate fish that night.

 The markets are great and as fresh as  you would find anywhere in the world, except Woolworths and Coles on the Gold Coast.

One of the workshops established to help the physically disabled Cambodians gain meaningful employment. Life as a disabled person is difficult enough but in Cambodia it becomes intolerable.

 We caught a train two hours to nowhere. When we got there we had lunch and caught the train back from nowhere. It was a strange day.

 This wonderful Cambodian gentleman befriended us on the platform for the train to nowhere. He is 65 years old and now sells backpacks to the stores. He enlightened us with some memories of the horrific Pol Pot era. He was a genuinely lovely man.

I was sitting minding my own business in the park of the Chattachack? markets in Bangkok. The markets are immense and cover several square acres under roof. It is very intense inside.
I was approached by this gorgeous young lady and her friends who proceeded to interview and video record me. I couldn't fully understand why but I went with the flow. Maybe I lied a little.
I am now Ernest Hemingway an international author residing in residence at the Kings Palace in Hanoi and visiting Bangkok to do research for my new book - "Why Australian Men Are Loved Worldwide."
She was in awe, God bless her.

Angkor Wat Temple - Cambodia

Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. The temple was built in the early 12th century in present-day Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. 

The temple is about 5km from the fantastic town of Siem Reap.

This is the southern gate entrance, one of several. The perimeter walls total 3.6km.

Angkor Wat is currently visited by over 3 million tourists a year and there is now a belief that the temples will be closed to the public as the damage from clambering Nikes' and trekking boots is causing significant alarm.

The carvings were impossibly accurate in both detail and proportion. These photos perhaps dont do it justice but once you are close to these magnificent structures it is breathtaking.

Inside the labyrinth of alleyways and tunnels.

The temples were originally dedicated to the Hindu religion but now Buddhism is the predominate religion.

One of the entry points into a part of the temple was almost vertical.

At its peak period in history, Angkor Wat was home to over 1 million people.

Angkor Wat temple is classified in the same historical  importance as Macchu Pichu, the Pyramids and other places of significant importance.

Lonely man seeking eternal peace and happiness.

One of the most photographed vines in the world. These vines are slowly encompassing some of the temple buildings and have created an eery presence.

In accordance and respect for long held spiritual practice of Ankor Wat, western women are required to undress and run naked about the sacred temple of the Annaleise Dragon.

Michele came first in a tightly held pack of three Americans, a kiwi,  a mysterious Muslim and two nuns from the middle east.

Everywhere we went there was another steep set of steps into a temple entrance. If you remove the modern day steps, the original stone steps are even more difficult to navigate as the risers of the steps are quite high.

Guarding the temple entrance.