The view from my "office"

[OZDUCK]

We are just back from 4 nights in Kalbarri - around 600 km north of here. I had trouble getting photos to download up there so I will put in a few posts.

Kalbarri from the local lookout. It has a permanent population of about 1,500 but there is a lot of holiday accommodation.



Looking inland from the lookout gives a good idea of its isolation. The town is pretty much surrounded by the Kalbarri National Park



The mouth of the Murchison River. There are reasonable sized cray and fishing boats moored there. To exit you have do a sharp right turn followed by a sharp left turn after about 500 metres.



There is a memorial to the Dutch East India Company ship Zuytdorp on the bluff overlooking the river mouth. My wife has a number of ancestors who travelled to Sri Lanka and Malacca in the 16th & 17th Centuries to work for the Dutch East India Company.







The river mouth at sunset

 

[drron]

Today the office will be in Taormina at the top of the hill.

A more famous mountain nearby. My Etna.

 

[OZDUCK]

One of the main reasons for visiting Kalbarri is the Murchison River Gorge.

Luckily it was only about 24 C on the day we visited.






The photos are from various lookouts along the gorge. Due to age and infirmity we did not try to take the tracks down to the river.





A, slightly interested, onlooker

 

[OZDUCK]

Since 2020 there has been a new way to viewing the gorge in the form of the Skywalks. The flooring is a mixture of large or very small size grates. I managed to overcome my fear of heights by walking on the small grated flooring but I didn't hang around too long.

 

[SYD]

Since 2020 there has been a new way to viewing the gorge in the form of the Skywalks. The flooring is a mixture of large or very small size grates. I managed to overcome my fear of heights by walking on the small grated flooring but I didn't hang around too long.

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Hmm, looks a bit rusty also….!

PS yes, I know it’s supposed to. Still…

 

[Flashback]

Sailaway. A cracker.
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Ah, only a short stop there for Petra? That's a shame, would have been worth stopping via Wadi Rum too.

I was almost floored when a same day return ticket to BTH was going to cost £471 return for 2 in Y via self ticketing kiosk at PAD

Then I realised it was an open return and a more restricted ticket was unavailable. I thought maybe it was like the airlines - discounted fares tend to be advance purchase

After a bit of thinking I checked to see if they had an app and yes they did. Using the app I was able to buy a more restricted ticket but suited our schedule perfectly for same day £137 return for 2pax in Y departing 30 min later

The view of the Y carriage

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Yes, rail fares are extremely complex here. Saved a friend of mine 70% on a purchase they did yesterday.......

Very foggy. I reckon about 90 F so much cooler than yesterday! But we went snorkelling. It was fabulous. MrP just dropped me this picture of the fog rolling in that he took this morning. It burnt off around 11am.
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What is this F rubbish you speak of?

Office breakfast
LHR T5 Galleries South as per @JessicaTam and @docjames

At 0730am The signs said crowding was 1/5 "people" for South but on entering I found lots of people hard at at work at this office

North has even more people 4/5 on the lounge crowding sign just after security.

The entry to this office was facilitated by a short haul int J fare which was cheaper than the Y fare on the same flight

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I was just about to say wow, it looks like there is now no difference in food between the F and J lounge.....

I should mention that I walked into the Galleries First without realising.
Scanned the boarding pass and was let in. I only realised on exit that it was Galleries F.

There is another one on the next floor up which is the main Galleries for the non Emeralds. I went to have a look and it's about the same

...... then saw this. That being said, the J lounge has closed the gap a bit based on what I saw over at the lounge at T5B (only has a J lounge).

Good morning Port Said. Gateway to Cairo and the Pyramids. Etc.
View attachment 329345
5.30am and some excursion buses already gone

Sheesh, far too early to be getting up regularly for excursions while on holiday!

One of the main reasons for visiting Kalbarri is the Murchison River Gorge.

Luckily it was only about 24 C on the day we visited.

View attachment 329376


View attachment 329379

The photos are from various lookouts along the gorge. Due to age and infirmity we did not try to take the tracks down to the river.

View attachment 329377

View attachment 329378

A, slightly interested, onlooker

View attachment 329380

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Much nicer. When Mrs FB and I did that hike it was 40 degrees Celsius down in the gorge itself. A bit cooler outside of it. We too had that goat hanging around......

 

[kermatu]

Sunrise over Iran.

 

[RooFlyer]

Sheesh, far too early to be getting up regularly for excursions while on holiday!

I agree, but Egypt just demands it. First to get in early and beat the (other) tour group hoards and then to beat the heat.

I think we had a 6 am departure from Luxor for VotK, couple of stops along way. We entered the Valley past entry gate at 7:30am and the hoards - and I mean hoards - started arriving 8am.

It was 4:15am from Luxor for 'day trip' to Abu Simbel.

Ya snooze, ya lose

(I say all the above with a suspicion that you've done it anyway!)

 

[Quickstatus]

They won't let me in to this Office.
Will try to have a quiet word with Mary re upgrading tier status

 

[drron]

The view is really smoking this afternoon. Mt. Etna. First from the ship and then from Taormina.



Plus more from Taormina.

 

[Pushka]

 

[Quickstatus]

@Pushka Are they smelly?

 

[Flashback]

@Pushka Are they smelly?

Not IME (Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Australia).

 

[Pushka]

@Pushka Are they smelly?

Nope. But this one was gnarly.
Hubby took a video of me almost face planting it.
This is a still of the video. You can see my hat.

 

[ayebee]

Arrived Malta... very windy and murky sky.
From our hotel in Sanglea towards Valletta.

 

[Quickstatus]

I've found a new Objet d'art to add to the office collection. You like?


objet d'art

 

[Flyfrequently]

BTH PAD???

So it wasn't only me!

 

[drron]

View attachment 329426
Arrived Malta... very windy and murky sky.
From our hotel in Sanglea towards Valletta.

Missed you by a day. We were there yesterday but we bought our hotel room with us.

 

[RooFlyer]

The view is really smoking this afternoon. Mt. Etna.

Love to be at that office! Etna and its tectonics

@Pushka - you got there! Hope it wasn't too hot.

 

[Daver6]

@Pushka Are they smelly?

I believe the pyramids have been aired out well in the last century and a half after being closed for a while. Nothing a bit of Glen 20 couldn't fix