The Tarkine is is essentially a circular drive covering inland forests and Bass Strait coast in the North West.
Both are equally stunning but different – inland is deep quiet forests and sink holes while coastal route is wild, wind and wave swept
Sink Hole, Inland Tarkine, North West TasmaniaTarkine, North West TasmaniaSink Hole, Inland Tarkine, North West TasmaniaTarkine, North West TasmaniaTarkine, North West TasmaniaTarkine, North West TasmaniaTarkine, North West TasmaniaTarkine, North West TasmaniaTarkine, North West Tasmania
If unusual architecture and photography appeal then this building likely has it all along with a touch of the macabre.
A concrete oddity with ramps and air bridges(27 bridges apparently – I didn’t count them) and bare concrete everywhere.
Seems to also be a very popular spot for young guys to take pictures of young women who in turn actually seem much more interested in their phones than posing but maybe that is as close to ‘posing’ or any sign of interest you will get these days.
If it all gets a bit much – especially if you think you can hear the ghostly lowing of doomed cattle – then head down stairs to the Starbucks(even here) and maybe check out the DJI store for a new drone.
Impressive rain over the week before this visit – the plants were sprouting, the insects devouring and the snakes presumably busy somewhere in the foliage. A few fish leaping in the water and at least 1 fisherman not greatly bothered by No Fishing signs.
The reservoir beats the Botanical Gardens hands down and does not seem that busy. A little more of a trek by bus but well worth it.
This was a ‘back to my roots’ trip during which I took a few photos – so not a definitive view of New Zealand’s South Island but hopefully enough to pique your curiosity.
Milford Sound below also happens to be a location used for the movie ‘Alien Covenant’ – you’ll see great views of Fiordland even in the Trailer. Trailer – Alien Covenant
Marlborough Sounds – walk from Punga Cove to Torea Bay – 23km.
Milford Sound as everyone knows it
Milford Sound Sunrise
Wanaka – Day Walk
Milford Sound – Sunrise, Waterfall is prominent in the landing site for movie ‘Alien Covenant’
Te Anau – Kepler Trail
Milford Sound – Koru
Milford Sound -Day Walk from Te Anau Downs, fresh wet bark
Milford Sound – Day Walk from Te Anau Downs
Milford Sound – day Walk
Milford Sounds – day Walk
Milford Sounds – day Walk
Milford Sounds – day Walk
Milford Sounds – day walk
Milford Sounds – Sunrise
Omakau, Central Otago
Not a straight line to be found, Omakau, Central Otago
Plunket Rooms, Omakau, Central Otago
Marlborough Sounds – walk from Punga Cove to Torea Bay – 23km.
We took a break from the crowds around the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco, ….. and wandered.
There were a few surprises – an embrace in the darkness, a trompe l’oeil doorway, very focussed football in a side street, silence, only a few people about …..
A somewhat arbitrary division of the photos:
The back Streets & Canals
Night Walk
Interiors and The Secret Tour
The back Streets & Canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Can only ask why? Venice already looks like a stage set.
Venice – back streets/canals
Venice – back streets/canals
Night Walk
Night walk Venice
Night walk Venice, Rialto Bridge
Night walk Venice
Night walk Venice
Night walk Venice, just outside our hotel room, a stage set waiting for the players?
We took a train from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen , raining, track flooded, had to transfer to buses – not looking good at all.
The clouds parted for a beautiful walk starting with a very funky looking cable car, which surprisingly lifted us up to the high pastures without incident.
The walk loooped back to where we started via a delightful mix of Forest, Pasture and Canyon.
This month long trip took us from the high altitudes of Bolivia – Uyuni and its salt lakes across the Atacama Desert and then down to Chile, Buenos Aires and finally the ultimate goal – Patagonia for trekking, challenging weather and hopefully some photography.
I was not happy in Bolivia – a combination of long travel time from Hong Kong(54 hours), struggling with altitude(up to 5,000 metres), low temperatures, very average food and so on.
I picked up in time to enjoy the mountains of Patagonia from El Chalten, El Calafate to Torres Del Paine – see South America Part 2
Firstly Bolivia
(see featured image above – the Atacama desert squeezed into a 4X4)
Atacama Desert Bolivia – underfoot – you have to be tough to hang on here
I wasn’t going to include the dry Salt Lakes near Uyuni here as even HSBC Hong Kong has a large one on the Pacific Place branch wall. But – ah well – here goes another salt lake photo.
The tour guide livened it up a bit by doing silhouettes, setting up photos of plastic dinosaurs chasing the tour group into a Pringles container etc etc.
Uyuni Salt FlatsUyuni Salt Flats – my silhouette – not Clint’sAtacama Desert – geothermal areaAtacama Desert
Buenos Aires
After a fascinating city walk, which on the day happened to focus on Political and Economic aspects of Argentine history, the mural below seemed to sum it all up for me.
Mural – Buenos Aires – a ‘potted’ Argentinian political history for me
And while the barricades around the Pink House (Casa Rosada) now have openings for visitors to stroll through the police vans and water cannon are parked obviously nearby – a reminder. The openings in the barriers were not that large and could clearly be closed off quickly at any time.
Something I had not previously realised about the Grandmothers of Plaza Mayo who regularly gather near Casa Rosada(water cannon against grannies?) is that the scarf they sometimes wear and their symbol is a baby’s nappy – the nappy worn by the missing child. A perfect symbol but the ‘disappeared’ sadly remain mostly missing.
Recoleta
Much is made of the Recoleta Cemetery and Evita’s tomb but what struck me instead was in the midst of impressive monuments to the formerly rich, powerful and famous were obvious signs of decay and neglect including exposed caskets, some monuments being used as rubbish receptacles and caved in roofs.
Maybe the later generations did not care for Grandad/Grandma, an old crumbling tomb, or maybe the family fortunes had taken a turn for the worse ….
Christmas Day in Ushuaia – most of the shops were closed for the day. We heard of a famous bakery in Tolhuin. We arrived to find they were doing a great trade – take a number and get in line …. it also seemed to be the social centre of town with photos of large fish from the lake proudly displayed. Our number is called – fresh bread, cakes and Churros to enjoy in the sun by the lake(with the inevitable Patagonian wind blasts of course).
Tolhuin – Patagonia – had to wait for a break in the wind for the tree and flowers to stop waving around
Tolhuin Volunteer Fire Brigade – would hope their equipment was in better condition than the building. The bumpy pot holed road between their base and downtown Tolhuin indicated a rapid response was unlikely.
Tolhuin – bomberos voluntarios
Back to Ushaia for Boxing Day and a chance to explore the Tierra del Fuego National Park close to the Chilean Border.
Ushaia with its snow, wind and grey white capped sea looked to me rather like the entrance to Hades and this was summer!
The park was a welcome change – sheltered and slightly warmer on the day. But a tough environment softened by flowers and grasses in the sun.
Parque Nacional Tierra Del FuegoParque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego – seen it allParque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego – they build them tough here but in the end all eventually succumb.Parque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego – hanging on
