Olive Pink Botanic Gardens

Posted on by
White Flowers on Meyers Hill at Olive Pink Botanic Garden in Alice Springs

White Flowers on Meyers Hill at Olive Pink Botanic Garden in Alice Springs

After my amazing two months traveling and working in Queensland, I flew to Alice Springs – nearly in the dead center of Australia. The dry weather and dusty environment almost instantly started to bother my skin and respiratory system, but I bucked up and did a bit of sightseeing around town. One of the best things I saw was the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens – a surprisingly colorful spot despite the arid desert setting.

There are loads of bright birds, including galahs, babblers, grey shrike-thrush, willy wagtails, and ringnecks. Of course, there are tons of flowers and trees as well! It’s well worth an hour or two to walk around, but make sure you wear good shoes! The pathways are not flip-flop friendly, as I learned the hard way.

Continue reading →

Prydden Brook Falls in the Paugassett Forest

Posted on by
Standing in front of Prydden Brook Falls

Standing in front of Prydden Brook Falls

I didn’t get to attend as many Meetup hikes with WCOA as I would have liked, but I did manage to join a Thursday evening hike in Newtown to the Prydden Brook Falls. It was the day after an epic rainstorm, so the falls were churning and the river was high. There were some beautiful flowers along the trail and the view of Lake Zoar was stunning. The Meetup group was pretty small – only 4 hikers and 2 dogs – but it was lovely company and the pace was exactly right.

All-in-all it was a wonderful, crisp day.

Continue reading →

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and the Gardens of Buphing Palace

Posted on by
A baby monk statue at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

A baby monk statue at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

A “must do” half day trip from Chiang Mai’s old city is to go up Mount (Doi) Suthep and see the temple and palace, and perhaps some of the national park, that lies up the mountain. I kept putting off this trip waiting for the “perfect moment” and then ended up going on nearly my last day in town! I did end up having a lovely day, especially touring the very impressive gardens at the palace.

Continue reading →

Tad Thong Waterfalls and Ban Houay Thong

Posted on by
A woman and her grandson at Ban Houay Thong Village

A woman and her grandson at Ban Houay Thong Village

One of the best days I spent in Luang Prabang was visiting the Tad Thong Waterfalls and National Park. The trip is less popular than Kuang Si, but just as enjoyable and far more tranquil.  It’s only 6km outside of the town center and is easily reached by bicycle.

The main draw here is a circular jungle trek which passes several small waterfalls and interesting trees and flowers. However, the best part of the area is the village of Ban Houay Thong, which is uphill from the jungle trek on a narrow, dirt path. There you will find friendly locals and lots of puppies. I wish I had brought some books from Big Brother Mouse to give the children, but unfortunately I was unprepared.

Continue reading →

The Big Buddha and the Wisdom Path

Posted on by
The Yank without a Chain posing in front of the Big Buddha in Hong Kong

The Yank without a Chain posing in front of the Big Buddha in Hong Kong

The Big Buddha is located on Lantau Island and is easily accessible by lots of buses and other forms of public transport. I was pretty excited to visit, as it’s the most famous symbol of Hong Kong. Also, it was my first week in SE Asia so the idea of a massive Buddha as opposed to a Jesus statue was a bit of a novelty. I loved the six smaller statues surrounding the Buddha – the six Devas who make offerings representing charity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. The Po Lin Monastery is also an interesting place to visit, although it was under a lot of construction while I was there, and you can have a nice vegetarian lunch.

The highlight of this trip though was visiting the Wisdom Path, which is a series of massive wooden columns inscribed with the Heart Sutra. The Heart Sutra is, in my limited understanding, a meditation on nothingness and is one of the most important texts in Buddhist philosophy. Set in front of Lantau Peak, the installation brings a deep sense of calm.

Continue reading →