Escape from Oz

[juks]

I was going to ask the same about Bali…

How is it? What’re the draws for someone who does not have friends there?

My wife had wanted to go there before the Great Covid Calamity. Thinking I don’t want to do that flight from the US more than once, I started adding potential destinations like NZ, Thailand, Oz & of course—time. Very soon it turned into very real money.

Any chance you guys are hiring?

Canadian colleague of mine was based in Taiwan for several years and explored plenty of Asia. He told me that he found heaven: French Polynesia.

Per him in lot of places if you want to go snorkeling and check out colorful fish, you need to go to certain spots. At French Polynesia you can dip in anywhere and be surrounded by beautiful marine life.

The best thing for US based folks is that having been French over seas territory, French people travel there for vacation. The flights make a stop in LA and the tickets from LA to there are cheap as they basically sell seats that would otherwise be empty. And it's only couple hours past Hawaii.

Definitely on my bucket list to go there one day.

 

[thunder58]

12-day business trip

Business trip ..( cough cough ) .. business trip ( cough cough ) So glad you and Mrs. A are able to enjoy yourselves . Well deserved my friend

 

[audept]

Business trip ..( cough cough ) .. business trip ( cough cough ) So glad you and Mrs. A are able to enjoy yourselves . Well deserved my friend

It's a business trip for her, it's more of a holiday for me

 

[Robbie]

Enjoy, it looks great

 

[Runamok]

I love everything about Bali. Here is a pic I took during one of their tropical downpours. It started and ended very suddenly, the sun reappeared and within a half hour the ground was bone dry.

View attachment 180636

A fabulous island and your accommodation looks wonderful. Enjoy your stay

Nice shot. Thanks.

A focal point in the near right corner, people engaged in something would have added interest, but its still a good shot. Darn people don’t want to get wet for art.

 

[Penguin]

Nice photos, Audept!
It must be nice for Mrs Audept to restart the business, and in such a nice place too.

 

[Runamok]

Except for the spiders, snakes, dingoes, magpies, emus, and drop bears.

What do the magpies do—mock tourists?

wabash slim said:

You get TV commercials out there in the Atlantic on your inner tube?

As noted in another thread: I am on holiday. How I got inside this Goodwill drop-off container is a story for another day.

The inner tube adrift: If I don’t return to it soon, my tube-sitter is going to charge extra.

All-in-all, I’d far rather be in Bali.

 

[Ricochet]

I'm sure Wyn won't mind posting this pic of us doing our best Waldorf and Statler impression. It was absolutely wonderful meeting up with him and his wife Jenny and enjoying some good food. Wyn actually is as laid back and accommodating in real life as he is on the forum. He's got some good stories as well.

I have no idea what we were looking at here but it musta been good.

 

[audept]

What do the magpies do—mock tourists?

wabash slim said:


As noted in another thread: I am on holiday. How I got inside this Goodwill drop-off container is a story for another day.

The inner tube adrift: If I don’t return to it soon, my tube-sitter is going to charge extra.

All-in-all, I’d far rather be in Bali.

The magpies actually dive-bomb people coming into their territory.

 

[wabash slim]

The magpies actually dive-bomb people coming into their territory.

Here we get hawks doing that when you get too close to their nesting and hunting areas.

 

[JeffreyLeePierre]

Come on down! Australia is open to fully vaccinated travelers, the Aussie dollar is only 70c US and the locals are friendly.
View attachment 180672

I recently learnt from Kenneth Cook that if a kangaroo happens to hug you with his arms, he actually prepares to hang to your neck and gut your belly with his feet claws. From that short story, the only response is to give his hug back and stick to him so that he can't manage to raise his feet. And I also learnt that an old kangaroo stinks.

 

[SAguitar]

I'm very glad that you're having a wonderful time! The pool looks very inviting.

 

[audept]

It was a real pleasure finally getting to meet Rich (forum member Ricochet) in person. We have been good friends on the forum for many years now but never managed to be in Bali at the same time before. He made a huge effort to make a 12 hour drive with his family just to catch up, thanks for that Rich! We all had a great meal together last night and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, This is what makes this forum so special, the great people you meet here and the friendships that transcend merely Gretsch guitar ownership.

 

[juks]

Here we get hawks doing that when you get too close to their nesting and hunting areas.

I was once in LA zoo. They had a hod dog stand and other food stands. Seaguls sitting on top of the building.

When people walked away with a hot dog in their hand, a seagul would swoop down and grab the hot dog out of the bun with remarkable accuracy. People's reaction was quite entertaining to watch.

They did get a new hot dog for free.

 

[wabash slim]

I was once in LA zoo. They had a hod dog stand and other food stands. Seaguls sitting on top of the building.

When people walked away with a hot dog in their hand, a seagul would swoop down and grab the hot dog out of the bun with remarkable accuracy. People's reaction was quite entertaining to watch.

They did get a new hot dog for free.

Seagulls are just flying rats. Aviator vermin.

My favorite seagull story----
There was a guy sitting on a bench in Britian waiting for a train. He had the typical newspaper cone of fish and chips. Being a coastal town, the seagulls were everywhere.
Once in a while, he'd fling a chip (French fry) and the gulls would swarm after it.
The train shows up, doors open, folks exit and enter the train, and just before the doors close, the guy flings the cone of chips into the door, and the flock of gulls follow it.
Doors close, train leaves.

 

[Bertotti]

have fun

 

[Stefan87]

That's awesome you guys got to travel again and do some business shopping.

My wife and i were saying last night that we would love to do some international travel some time in the future, once we get a bit more confidence woth everything that's been going on in the world.

 

[audept]

We have moved down to Seminyak for the last few days of our visit. Another town, another hotel, and especially for me another pool!

 

[audept]

Went to a temple just before we left Ubud. Sarongs were mandatory there. There was a pool totally teeming with Koi fish.

 

[audept]

And we are back home in Sydney again, but my heart is still in Bali. Completed the mandatory RAT test within 24 hours of return and both came up negative so back to work tomorrow in wet, cold and rainy Sydney. The tan will fade but the memories will linger.