Today I passed my PADI Open Water certification which means I can dive anywhere in the world, up to 18m deep, without an instructor. I am sorely tempted to buy all the kit I need to make this a permanent hobby as it is much cheaper in Cairns than just about anywhere else, plus I [...]

continue reading.....

I’ll get back to the usual postings later, but I’d like to start with a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Chris and Lydia, who added another baby girl to their growing brood today. 7lb 1oz, and the day before her older sister’s birthday. Events like this are the kind that make me wish I was back home. [...]

continue reading.....

Alright, so I’ve only been in a swiming pool so far, and in inclement weather (read: rain), but it’s good so far. The company I’m with is Down Under Cruise & Dive and so far I’d happily recommend them. The teaching facilities are clean and tidy, the instructor has a sense of humour while still [...]

continue reading.....

Yesterday I managed to get a few things organised. Along with a German couple, we went through all the diving brochures and settled on a 4-day PADI course costing $320+extras (medical, reef taxes, fuel levies etc) coming in at around $440. This was by far the cheapest, and there’s an option of a 5th day [...]

continue reading.....

In case you’ve not noticed, I’ve added a Google Calendar link to the right hand column of this blog, above my manually-maintained schedule [it's now on the left and the manually-maintained one's no longer there]. This gives details of all the places I’m planning to be and will be updated as and when I confirm [...]

continue reading.....

Well, I can safely say that Jetstar’s staff aren’t anywhere near as good as Virgin Blue’s but that’s mainly because Virgin’s are so good. The flight was comfy enough, but noisy. I reckon the 320 I was in was the most rattly ‘plane I’ve ever been in. Every time a servo kicked in, the entire [...]

continue reading.....

Well, I’ve been stationary for too long again. After another few days at Belinda and Albert’s, I booked a flight to Cairns for this evening at a stupidly low price. It means arriving at midnight, but that’s hardly a problem. Again I have to offer a huge amount of thanks to B&A for their hospitality, [...]

continue reading.....

 Well, it was about time I acted like a child again. This is one of the best bits about being grown up – along with eating chocolate for breakfast and walking into a restaurant to order a desert without a main course. You get to choose when you go to the theme park without anyone [...]

continue reading.....

Some of you may have heard about the recent hurricane which tore apart Manilla before making its way over the sea and hammering into Vietnam. It’s a piece of fortune that, the last I read, only 6 Vietnamese people had been confirmed dead – the Philippines wasn’t so lucky. However, many more have become homeless. [...]

continue reading.....

One word of warning: much as I think the train system in Melbourne is good, the timetable I had lied and said that the train I caught from Ben’s would stop at Spencer Street (or whatever it’s called). Nope, it stopped at Flinders Street which meant a 15 minute walk with backpacks to the other [...]

continue reading.....