5 October 2009
Leaving home
I left for Perth on my own today as Kim was staying behind for another day to ensure his mother was well enough before joining me. It was a pleasant daylight flight leaving at 1425 and arriving at 1710.
29 September 2009
Arrive home
Despite some murmurs of aircraft weight issues, I managed to get on my standby flight home to Auckland. With the International Deadline, I arrived two days later.
27 September 2009
Taking a walk on the wild side (Warning: Graphic narrative)
It is the last Sunday in September and that means it is Folsom Street Fair … the biggest gay event in San Francisco, especially for those into leather, fur (not of animal origin but on chubby human) and bondage/discipline. It seems to have evolved and there were many women and heterosexual couples dressed up (or […]
26 September 2009
Castro but not Cuba
Above: I couldn’t believe my eyes. We shifted into a hotel within San Fran itself today … all part of the plan to be more accessible to everything after a night of luxury. We grabbed lunch with a friend of Kim’s who was living near the Castro area (nothing to do with Cuban leader). Tomorrow […]
25 September 2009
Bad news from home
As it wasn’t going to be a long drive today, we spent the morning shopping in Monterey. Many of the stores are the same nationwide and they offer the same good value and quality not found anywhere else in the world. This is a very blessed country in many ways. We checked into the very […]
24 September 2009
Hearst Castle
We explored the San Luis Obispo area briefly this morning before heading up the Pacific Coast Highway to do a sight we had previously missed out due to lack of time. This was the Hearst Castle which is located about halfway between LA and San Fran. We had previously done most of the attractions in Monterey and […]
23 September 2009
Driving up the PCH
After a slow start, we caught up with a crew friend who was overnighting in LA. In the early afternoon we headed up the Pacific Coast Highway bound for San Luis Obispo for our nightstop. Much of the route wasn’t new so we didn’t do all the scenic stops … only a comfort stop at Santa Barbara […]
22 September 2009
Around the world in 80 trades
I flew out of Charles de Gaulle for Heathrow today, to meet up with Kim before boarding our flight together to Los Angeles. While I’m not usually a movie person on flights, I watched 5 TV programmes this time. Four of these were episodes of “Around the world in 80 trades”. This follows the journey […]
21 September 2009
More of the real Paris
Above: View from Belle Ville Park shows the Paris skyline including the Eiffel Tower. I thought revisit Sacre Coeur today but Marie took me for another “real Paris” outing. We took the bus to Belle Ville park in the northeast and walked back down. The walk back down was a mix of African, Asian and […]
19 September 2009
The other Paris
This morning Marie took me to the northern part of Paris around Gare du Nord (the northern railway station). The area is a hotchpotch of people from Africa, Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent living in more rundown conditions than the Paris we know and love. The markets were incredible and far cheaper than in […]