Clare in Africa

Here is an email from Clare Beacham in Africa
Hi all,How is the silly season going? Hope you are all ready for Christmas next week. Its hard to believe Christmas is only a days away, it hasn't felt like it over here, even though there are decorations in the streets and mall but its not the same as when you are buying Christmas presents and getting ready to finish work. I have just returned from 2 weeks volunteering at Na'an ku se Wildlife Sanctury about 45min west of Windhoek. I said in my last email I was going to Hanas, however that wasnt quite true. Naankuse was founded only a couple of years ago by a lady Marlice whose mother runs Hanas Wildlife Foundation, further north-west of Windhoek. Marlice grew up at Hanas, but apparently has differing views to her mother on how animals should be released and along with some other family issues it led to her starting her own sanctuary. Only being a couple of years old it is smaller than Hanas and there is a lot of work being done building facilities and enclosures. Naan ku se was until a few months ago trading under the Hanas name, but is now operating fully independently. They do still have ties with Hanas in that some animals come from there and some animals will also go from Naan ku se to Hanas. It was an amazing experience working there. They currently have 4 Caracals, 3 tame Cheetahs, 3 semi-tame Cheetahs, a number of wild Cheetahs, 5 lions, 2 wild dogs, 4 leopards (plus 3 wild leopards awaiting release), 15 teenage baboons, a mother and baby baboon and 2 baby baboons which the volunteers are hand raising, along with a number of farm animals including sheep, chickens, ducks etc. There were about 12 other volunteers and we lived in 3 bed rooms with shared kitchen area and bathrooms. The first week I was there I worked with the wildlife team. We were in groups of 4 and rotated jobs included food prep, which involved cutting up vegetables and fruit for the herbivors (baboons, pigs, rabbits, chickens ducks and other farm yard animals), then cutting up meat for the carnivors (lions, cheetahs, wild dogs and leopards). Cutting up the meat was probably the worst job. We had to cut up bits of horse or donkey which are stored in the freezer with an electric saw, this may be cutting a leg into slices or even cutting a donkey head in half for the lions! It was messy and quite hard work which I dont think anyone enjoyed doing. Probably the best job, apart from spending time with the Cheetahs, was feeding all the animals. The baboons were hard to feed as you had to take the bucket into their enclosure and some got quite nasty around feeding time and would bite. The bruises some people had from the baboons were incredible. Feeding the bigger animals like the lions was great, we had to throw the meat over the fence to them (which could be challenging when its a leg or half a donkey's head!). Other duties included cleaning enclosures by cleaning out the water holes and picking up old bones. We went into the wild dogs enclosure with sticks as they get a bit agressive towards you, but it was actually quite fun, especially when they stole one of the girls thongs as she was standing barefoot in the water hole cleaning it out! We also had had to help build a new baboon enclosure which meant digging trenches which was hot dirty work in 30 degree heat. The other job was enclosure and border patrol which was checking the fences for holes or digging under the fences. One of the easier more cruisy jobs. Walking the Baboons was an amazing experience. Anyone game enough to come on the walk could and we all started walking down the road and then the release the 15 baboons and they run after you and jump up on your shoulder for a ride or run along beside you. It was actually quite fun when I did it, but there have been problems in the past with some of them going a bit nuts and biting people. The second week I joined the research team which was great fun. We helped footprinting the Cheetahs for a new program they are trying to develop which would be like fingerprinting humans. They have done it for other animals like Lions and if it works for Cheetahs they should be able to tell by the tracks in the area if it is a Cheetah they know or a new one, which would make tracking them easier. We also got to go out on the the neighbouring farm and count game and count cheetah and leopard tracks. We were working with a Bushman tracker to do this who is amazing. Looking for tracks is done sitting on the bonnet of a ute while driving along the farm tracks, with the tracker next to you. We struggle to spot the cheetah tracks but Horhar spotted them with ease and when we stop to look at them knew if it was a male, female and if it was young old, large or small. The last night I stayed at the Lodge which was fantastic and some welcome luxury after the volunteer house. Volunteers got a discounted rate to stay at the lodge. Normal guests pay about 120 US while we only had to pay 35 US. A 35 dollars well spent. We had a great last night with the other volunteers having dinner and drinks at the lodge so it was a good way to say goodbye to everyone. I am starting to put some photos on facebook and will put some more up when I can. You can also check out the Na'an ku se website at www.ecoturism-namibia.co.na which shows some photos of the place and some of the animals they have had over the last couple of years. Hope you all have a great Christmas! I start my tour through Botswana on Sunday which Im looking forward to. Love Clare

Blue Skies in Beijing

Blue Skies In Beijing Done the big one- climbed a very small section of the Great Wall- had to almost crawl up, but a member of our group is 85 and he climbed up to the same point. It was very steep with uneven steps, but then we sat in an empty temple and watched people like ants crawling along a large section. We also had our best coffee for the holiday.It was a very big day as we had to leave at 7am to get to the Great Wall early, and then after lunch we drove by the Olympic venues. The Bird's Nest really is stunning and dwarfs the Water Cube close by. They are much better in reality than on TV. Then we went to the Summer Palace which is almost 300 acres and only 20 km from centre of Beijing but has no sign of urban encroachment. It has a huge lake, an island, a marble boat and the longest outdoor corridor in the world. All along the coridor there are thousands of paintingThe weather was sunny with bright blue skies, so much for Beijing smog. I wish we were doing what they are doing, which is building a new subway line every year until 2015. One fifth of private cars are banned on each day of theweek, according to number plate. Beijing is unlike any of the other cities, very open , a height level on buildings so no obvious skyscrapers, very wide roads (because they knocked down the old city wall!!)but with the moat still running beside the road.The day finished with a fantastic Acrobat Show, like the shows they used to bring to Australia with bike tricks and juggling and great effects.We came on the overnight train from Xian to Beijing. Xian is another intersting city with an intact city wall from when the SIlk road started here in the 1500's, it also has a large active Muslim section with a mosque where the men were streaming in to prayers,and the only English television was Al JazerraBeijing is different from all the other cities, more like Melbourne perhaps in the Melbourne /Sydney divide in Australia. Lots of young people and geared to young people but parks full of all ages exercising, playing Mahjong, badminton, table tennis, on exercise machines which are spread everywhere, ballroom dancing, walking very precious dogs,and of course grandparents with a grandchild, in fact some babies have 3 or 4 elderly people in tow, consequence of one child policy I suppose, but now the first generation of one child families are starting to marry and they are allowed to have 2 children if they are both only children. The impact of this policy is the most obvious feature of cultural/social policy I have ever seen. There are lots of stories from the young guides about the consequences, especially the demanding nature of girlfriends, who are, of course, in short supply and their capcity to demand fully furnished apartments as part of the wedding dealThe group breaks up now and goes their separate ways but we still have Guangzhou and Hong Kong
draft

The Great Rivers of China

Flew to Chongqing ,at the junction of the Yangtze & Jialing rivers. This is where the Three Gorges Project will impact Really big boats will be able to come up here and a lot of industrial goods can be transferred by river in future, also enough hydro for large area of China. Chongquing is very mountainous hence no bikes. It also has very few trafic lights relying on pedestrian overpasses and traffic over & under passes which saves a lot of pollution.

This was the capital during the Japanese War, which had a fair bit of emphasis. It is a very foggy city making it hard to attack. After a city tour, including a very well used central park with karaoke happening at midday Saturday, we had the visit to the General Stillwell Museum, which was his headquarters during the War but Chiang Kai- Schek had him sacked as he was too close to Mao.

The next day a bus to Dazu where there are 800 year old buddhist carvings, really detailed, carved in sandstone at 2 different locations

On Sunday we arrived in Chengdu. This is the capital of Sichwuan, where the earthquake caused such devastation in April, not that there is any sign here. It is also the home of the very spicy cuisine so lots of chilli, but as we usually eat at the Restaurant Of Many White Faces, it has been toned down , but we do get some interesting dishes. Tonight one was just like an Indian curry served in a steamed bun and lots of noodles. Our English contingent don't like the food but the Aussies do. Fortunately we have 1 Korean from Canberra and 1 chinese guy from New Zealand who understand and read Chinese a bit so that gives us some good insights and our 29 year old guide is excellent-competent and thoughtful. Chengdu is a very prosperous and modern city. We had a day trip from here to see the enormous statue of Buddha at the junction of 2 rivers. it is huge

Then the pandas . The research staton is just on the edge of this city of 10 mil, and about 50 pandas, including these unbelievable babies all together in a baby's cot, except for one in a humidicrib. Mostly they were lying on their backs eating bamboo. They really are very cute & likable..
Meanwhile the world as we know it seems to be disintergrating out there. We have just watched the Obama McCain debate which has been going all morning here. We have the morning off to get ready for 12 hour train trip to Xian. We are just missing Jon Faine who leaves there today. Listen to hear what he says on the ABC this week, because he is seeing what we see.

Space Walking

The last few days have been consumed by the space walk. It was all broadcast live, which was fairly risky, but all went well. Our guides were desparate to be finished in time to watch on Saturday and again for the landing on Sunday. Edwin Maher reads the news on the official English channel, and they havent ducked the milk scandal either. That is reported on each day, including the Premier visiting the children in hospital. Meanwhile the American economy still seems to be in freefall. Our final night in Shanghai was the obligatory trip on the river to look at the lights, which is spectacular, but does have gross consumerism written all over it. But they do have longlife globes everywhere and all rubbish is separated and recycled and they have many more solar panels than we have.
On Sunday afternoon we flew to Guilin which is absolutely stunning - Halong Bay but on land.
On Monday morning we went on a river boat down to Yangshou- 4 hours of just spectacular scenery. It is a major tourism industry with at least 50 boats on the river each one carrying up to 100 people. We could see 10 boats ahead & behind us.
When we got to Yangshou we had a 15 minute walk through the town to our hotel. The town is nestled among the limestone peaks, some right next to the walls of the buildings.
In the evening we went to spectacular performance on water, a sort of modern Chines opera performed by a cast of 600 to an audience of 2000 in tiered seats looking out on the lake. The lighting and effects were stunnung. It was devised by the same guy Zhing Jaimou who was responsible for the Olympic opening & closing ceremonies. It has been running for 4 years & has 2 shows every night.

Tuesday 30 September


These are very sophisticated cities -well dressed people, all using mobile phones, wide roadways, clearly the spoilt only child being taken for treats, lots of retail therapy.
This week is National Week, a week's holiday for most people except in the tourist industry. We flew to Kunming yesterday and visited the Stone Forest today a very extensive area like the Pinnacles in western Australia and absolutely packed with holiday crowds. The food is different in each of the regional areas we have visited, this area has goats cheese and the soup is served at differnt times in the meal,although so far it is usually tomato & egg with variations. This province has a high proportion of minority groups and they were running the tourist activities at the Stone Forest. They wear very elaborate costumes and many Chinese were being dressed up in the costumes for photo taking.

Back Home After beautiful country interlude

Thursday 25 September Hangzhou
Next day was fairly busy and the weather was very hot and humid . We first visited the LIngyin Temple, built in 327AD. The gold-gilded, seated Buddha in the main hall is 24.8m high, apparently the largest wood-carving of a seated buddha in China - each ear is over 1m high. The hall was extremely full of people and monks chanting and banging the gong, with a very heady aroma of burning incense. ! The area around the temple is known as Felai Feng and has many stone statues carved into the mountainside. The paths and caves could be quite dark and slippery, but fascinating to see the carvings in and around the hill in all sorts of nooks and crannies.
Then we drove out to the hills to visit the Dragon Well Tea Plantation, one of the most well-known green tea brands in China - drunk by emperors through the ages. The plantation area looks quite prosperous - apparently tea farmers are some of the wealthiest people in China. We were given a tea drinking demonstration and then had to walk through the very expensive shop to get back to the coach.
After lunch we went to the Six Harmonies Pagoda, dedicated to the six codes of Buddhism. It was once used as a lighthouse and was thought to have mystical powers to stop the tidal bore which heads up the nearby Qiantong River. We found a lovely garden with a pond and stepping stones, so had a rest from the noise and people.
We took a cruise on the West Lake in the afternoon, after a walk through the gardens. The gardens were lovely, very well-kept and interesting plants. The cruise itself was a relief as the weather was really oppressive.
Friday 26 September
Drove 2 hours this morning before arriving in Wuzhen, a lovely old-world water canal town on the way back to Shanghai. We wandered through the old streets and buildings, the town being like a living museum where people still live and work and produce the old products such as rice wine and dyed calico. Another interesting exercise in extremes when you look into the houses which have centuries old facades, lino on the floor and plasma screen cable TV inside! Visited a rice wine distillery and a calico dying plant, Lunch was in a canal-side restaurant and featured much more local-style food, which was more authentic with pig’s trotter wrapped in banana leaf and local fish.
After lunch we traveled back to Shanghai to the same hotel – it all seemed very familiar. Dinner was at another hotel restaurant The Restaurant Of Many White Faces, which is always a worry. While the food is well cooked and fresh ingredients sometimes it is very like the standard Aussie Chinese-lemon chicken

Saturday 27th Sept –
Grand final day. (We heard the result late in the afternoon.) We started the day on the Bund, where we came last Sunday but the haze has blown away and there are blue skies at last. Then to the obligatory highrise view from the Oriental Pearl Tower, but the bonus was an excellent Shanghai History Museum, very new and well presented. In the afternoon the Old Town and the Yu Garden.
Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden, occupying about 5 acres. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.
In the 400 years of its existence, Yuyuan Garden had undergone many changes. During the late Ming Dynasty, it became very dilapidated with the decline of Pan's family. In 1760, some rich merchants bought Yuyuan Garden and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. During the Opium War, Yuyuan Garden was severely damaged, but the Yuyuan Garden you see today is the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956. The garden was opened to the public in 1961We then spent some time in the Old Town and had dumplings from the famous dumpling shop outside the Garden near the tea House

Clearer air thank goodness-

Our first day of touring started with a visit to the Shanghai Museum - 4 stories of Chinese antiquities and arts in quite a modern building next to the People's Park. Outside there were kite vendors flying their wares and lots of small children running around. We started at the top and worked down through ceramics, Minority costumes,& furniture but didnt get to see lots, just a taste.
I was prepared to give Shanghai the benefit of the doubt about the haze. But my eyes have been giving me hell and today we moved on to Suzhou and they feel better already, then others said their eyes had been hurting. It reminds me of LA in 1984 when locals no longer noticed the pollution & just accepted it as natural. The traffic wasn’t that bad but it isn’t well managed so there are many traffic jams. The bonus was we didn’t go up the Jin Mao Tower because it would have been a waste of time. We went for a ride on the Maglev train instead - 431 kph top speed & 8 minutes for 30 km, which our guide Troy is so proud of. His naïve optimism is fascinating. He is committed to all the newness, the excitement of the changes, but unfortunately most of our group is here to see “the old stuff”, so he is treading a fine line all the time.
In the group there is an ex-pat Chinese, an accountant from Auckland and a Korean woman who works in the Tax Office in Canberra so fortunately we can’t be dismissed as Westerners who don’t know anything, & to their surprise most of us are well used to chopsticks. We have 5 people from England, including a gardener at a National Trust property, but there is a constant assumption we know nothing about China. One good thing about the group is that there are no smokers. However smoking is still a major problem in China with people still smoking everywhere. Although there are a huge number of bikes, scooters & motor bikes almost none of the riders wear helmets. On many major roads in cities there are dedicated lanes for them separated from the cars.
Up early this morning to drive to Suzhou, north of Shanghai. Distance-wise, it's only about 90 kms but due to weight of traffic takes around 3 hours. Sitting in slow moving traffic is something to get used to in China. Also, even if the traffic isn't heavy, you often don't go over about 60-80kms/hr because of the state of the roads. The major roads are pretty good, but some of the smaller ones are shocking, even though the drivers pay tolls on nearly all of them. The building thinned out between Shanghai and Suzhou, but you never actually felt like you'd hit "the country", it's housing and industry all the way. First stop was the government owned No. 1 Silk Mill, which opened in 1926. We saw silkworms eating their way through mulberry leaves right through to sale of the end products but mainly a huge shop selling silk stuff. Eddie had a go at stretching silk to make the duvets, and found it surprisingly difficult. The silk fibre itself is very strong. The factory also sells pillows filled with silkworm droppings, which are apparently good for insomnia - not sure that claim really needs to be tested. After lunch at the silk mill (along with a small and select group made up of about 40 other tourist coaches) we went on a boat trip on the Grand Canal, the oldest & longest canal in the world, the first 85 km section built in 495 BC. It finally became 2700 km long – an amazing feat like the building of the Great Wall. It winds through several cities including Suzhou which has 24canals with houses built all along these
. We then visited the "Master of the Nets Garden", the smallest private garden in the city.
There's a market lane from the garden back to the main street, so interesting to have our first experience of the bargaining required in a market street.
Wednesday 25 September
Suzhou also has several other world heritage gardens. This morning we visited the Humble Administrators Garden, a world heritage site covering about 11 acres of land and dating from 1509, the Ming Dynasty. The garden should be quite peaceful and calming apart from the sheer volume of visitors wandering around.

The start of the adventure

Ten hours on a plane is as boring as it gets, but 3 movies later and some television serials and we were in Shanghai at 6.45 their time, 40 minutes late. But all went smoothly with a guide from the tour company to meet us and a couple from Ballarat-Peter & Kathy , who are also doing a Wendy Wu tour. We went for a little walk around the hotel area, the Ramada CCECC, just a neighbourhood shopping area, had a bath and slept well.
Sunday 21 September
Breakfast was a good mix of Asian food, with a mix of customers too, but mainly Asian.
We got a taxi to the Old Town to look for the Antique market, Fuyou Market Fangbang Zhonglu, which we found without too much trouble. Lots of jade and wooden furniture and some Mao memoriabilia. We walked down Fangbang, lined with specialist tourist shops The weather is quite hot & with a fairly thick “fog’ . We then set out to look for the Bund and after a false start and a taxi ride found it. The river has a very high embankment to prevent flooding so you don’t immediately see the river. Up the stairs and there is a long walkway which gives you a good view of the fine buildings of the Bund.We had a long leisurely lunch at M On The Bund set up by an Australian, but food not very exciting but good ambience and great view of the Bund.

Off To China

Just double checking to see who has opened the blog

Just Testing

Just to check if this system will work in China

China
Eddie & I are going to China on Sat 20 September until Wednesday 22 October.
If you look on the map you can see where we are going. We fly into Shanghai and finish in Beijing, then have 5 days to get back to Hong Kong from Beijing.
Shanghai
A tour of the beautiful Yu Gardens, Shanghai Museum and the Old Town. Explore the Xintiandi area with 1920’s style ‘shikumen’ buildings unique to Shanghai.
Suzhou
A coach trip to Suzhou, known as the ‘Venice of the East’, to visit two of the finest oriental gardens - the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Master of the Nets Garden, stay overnight. Later a cruise on the Grand Canal, followed by a visit to a Silk Mill still in operation .
Hangzhou
Travel by coach to Hangzhou and transfer to hotel for 2 nights. Visit the local markets and enjoy an oriental tea tasting. The next day visit the Temple of Inspired Seclusion and the Six Harmonies Pagoda. In the afternoon cruise on West Lake.
Hangzhou/Wuzhen/Shanghai
Travel by coach to Wuzhen, where an intricate system of canals and ancient pavilions and overhead bridges combine Plenty of time to explore this charming town at a leisurely walking pace. Return to Shanghai.


Shanghai
Visit to the famous Bund with shopping opportunities along Shanghai’s famed Nanjing Road. As a farewell celebration to the city an evening cruise on the Huangpu River with stunning water views.
Shanghai/Guilin
This morning cross the Nanpu Bridge to explore the Pudong area before flying to Guilin, for an overnight stay.
Li River Cruise/Yangshuo
Cruise on the spectacular Li River. Breathtaking views as we travel to Yangshuo for an overnight stay. On the next day we return to Guilin visiting Mt Diecai en-route.
Guilin/Kunming
Visit the Reed Flute Caves before boarding afternoon flight to Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan Province, for a 2 night stay. Sample the ‘Across the Bridge Noodles’ in the evening, the most famous meal in the province.

Kunming
A full day tour to the Stone Forest, where vast limestone columns rise in surreal shapes and images.
Kunming/Chongqing
Visit the Western Hills, often called the ‘Sleeping Beauty Hills’ as they resemble a woman’s prone body wrapping around the Dianchi Lake. Afterwards fly to Chongqing for an overnight stay.
Chongqing/Dazu
A tour of the city taking in Erlin Park, the People’s Hall and the General Stilwell Museum. By coach to Dazu, home to some of the most fascinating rock carvings in the world, the Beishan Frescoes.
Dazu/Chengdu
Visit the Baodin stone carvings, before travelling to Chengdu for a 3 night stay. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, renowned for its lush and dramatic landscapes as well as its popular and tasty cuisine. This evening enjoy a sumptuous Sichuan Banquet.
Chengdu - Leshan
An excursion to Leshan, to see the remarkable Giant Buddha. This enormous statue is carved into the side of Lingyun Mountain and is over 71 metres tall and wide enough for more than 100 people to sit between its feet. The massive carving began in 713 AD during the Tang Dynasty and was completed in 803 AD. The Buddha overlooks the confluence of the Min, Qingyi and Dadu rivers and is reputed to be the largest carved stone Buddha in the world. A local saying says, ‘The Mountain is a Buddha, the Buddha is a Mountain’.
Chengdu
Visit to the Panda Reserve to see these delightful animals being reared in wooded surroundings reminiscent of their native habitat; the lush mountain forests of Sichuan, as well as a local bamboo park. The next morning a city tour of Chengdu before boarding an overnight sleeper train to the ancient capital of Xian.
Xian
Arrive into the historic city of Xian for a 2 night stay. This afternoon visit the Little Wild Goose Pagoda and then a traditional Shui Jiao banquet in the evening.
Xian
We visit one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century - the life-size Terracotta Warriors, followed by a visit to the ancient City Wall, one of the few completely intact walls remaining in all of China. Complete this day with a live performance of Tang Dynasty dancing in the evening.
Xian
This morning visit the Shaanxi Museum, where thousands of priceless relics are housed. Walk through the lively Muslim Quarter, visit the Great Mosque and explore the interesting Islamic food markets, before boarding overnight sleeper train to Beijing.
Beijing
Arrive in Beijing early this morning. The first day of sightseeing includes a visit to the treasure filled Forbidden City and a stroll along famous Tiananmen Square past Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum. In the evening enjoy a sample of the delicacy ‘Peking Duck’. Tomorrow take an exciting walk on the Great Wall and tour the unique Temple of Heaven.
Beijing
Today we will visit the exquisite Summer Palace and enjoy a fascinating Chinese Acrobatic Show as our evening entertainment. The next morning we will visit the Lama Temple and enjoy some free time to shop at the Silk Markets.

Painting the town Red & Blue

They won!
Go to hepburnburras.com

Time to get out the red & blue flags. Hepburn Football Club had a big day on Saturday.


Hepburn Footy Club Firsts are in the Grand Final, the Hepburn Reserves are in the Grand Final. The Under 18's and the Under 15's have to win their matches next Saturday, so there could be 4 teams playing on Grand Final Day.
The Dunnstown Ground is great for viewing because it is sited at the base of a hill so rows of cars lined up on the hill, but the weather was miserable. The Firsts had an easy win, thanks to Andy McKay kicking two "miracle" goals. Lee Cox was back , but not kicking straight.
So it is the time of year to put out the red & the blue and send the teams on their way with all of our support.