A selection of some of my favourite pictures from the ancient and beautiful temple city of Bagan, Myanmar.
If you liked these pictures, please don't forget to check out the rest of my posts about Myanmar.
Starting around Sept 2013 I finished a 6 month rotation to Darwin, where I found a new found love of jogging and exercise. I was lucky enough to meet great friends and go to places I never would have the option of going to if it was not for work .
Read more about my time in Darwin here
Almost as soon as I arrived back in Canberra we were off again. Thanks to my amazing partner lead me on a tour of his incredible country – Myanmar. We spent an unforgettable 3 weeks traveling the lengths and breadth of this nation. Even after all the sights and experiences his FAMILY was the true highlight for me. His mother’s warmth and care, his father’s intelligence and willingness to share and ask questions about my life too.
All was going well, a little too well.
If this was the last 6 months, I wonder what the next will bring.
Hopefully you will also see some changes on the site coming soon. I hope you will enjoy. As always, please like, comment or subscribe.
I knew things were going too well!!! Last Monday night I finally dragged my butt off the couch and decided to head to the gym. Frankie was out at dinner with his friends so I had the whole night to my self.
I ate, got changed and headed off to the gym. I have a membership to one of those chain gyms, one membership multiple locations.
Well I drove to my usual place and could see from outside that it was pretty busy. I didn't want to fighting some ape for equipment so drove off to another one close by.
I was in a turning lane and received the ‘green arrow’ ( the arrow is important, as against the solid green). As I was completing the turn a cyclist overshot the footpath and was about to cross into my path. I easily stopped in time, so did he - we exchanged knowing looks. Just as I was about to start moving off again and completed the turn a driver coming from the other direction ‘T-Boned’ me. Shocked but uninjured I pulled my car off the roadway and proceeded the time honoured tradition of exchanging details, I even managed to get the cyclist details as a witness.
What I didn't do was ask on the spot for the driver’s admission of fault - we can't both have received the green light.
Apologies for the out of focus, but photography was not on my mind when I took the picture.
The car has been assessed as requiring $6000 worth of repairs - lucky fully insured. The only sore point is that the other driver is attempting to claim she had a green light thus I was at fault - If this WAS the case I would be $625 out of pocket for my excess charge. I am still fighting with the company at the moment.
I am uninjured but the car will be gone for a month. The only real damage is that this weekend (exxxtrrraaa loonnnngg - take 3 days leave and get 9 off including weekends, ANZAC Day, Easter Long weekend) we were planning to drive and camp along the great ocean road in Victoria.
I know this is going to sound crazy to many people, but I am looking forward to moving into our new house because the mortgage will set me ‘free’. For a bit of background here, after I came back from Darwin in late 2013, Frankie and I discussed that we should start looking for a home - No rush - just start looking. Frankie found a new development online that allowed a 5% down and pay on completion. Sure it was small - roughly 50sq mts total for a two bedroom townhouse with small court yard and balcony. But for me it was the financial costs that really did it for me. We decided just going for a look -just a look. Within 5 mins talking to the sales agent and seeing the documents we had signed a document promising to pay the 5% by the end of the week… we just brought a house within 15 mins.. Scary.
Coming back to the question of finance. We had the 5% to put down immediately and were required to pay the remaining 95% on completion (Nov 2014, roughly 11-12 Months away at the time). Speaking to the bank and running the figures works out cheaper than the rent for our 2 br apartment with orange lament bench tops, laundry in our bathroom type. The new house is less than 6 mins from our old house. Unlike many first home buyers we are looking increasingly likely to being able to beat the 20% total deposit requirement on the ‘Lenders Mortgagee Insurance (LMI). Which is essentially a higher risk fee payable to the bank due to not having a huge deposit. The difference is about $200 fortnight. This is huge. The key here is that our home is cheap comparatively. You get what you pay for, I know this. despite being a 2 bedroom townhouse, it would be squishy with 2 couples - Frankie and I plus spare room sounds much better.
Coming back to being ‘free’ with a mortgage - the freedom to me is the stability budget wise. I know what my repayments are going to be for the next 3-5 years, even leaving some wiggle room for a few rate raises too.
As you know I have been completing my Open Water Diver Certificate through INDEPTH Scuba here in Canberra.
The past weekend saw the second and final weekend component. Heading down the coast on friday night with all our gear packed, my dive buddy and I arrived at the dive lodge to start fresh and early on saturday.
Saturday saw 3 dives, mostly concentrating on practicing and demonstrating skills we learned in the pool the weekend before. My biggest apprehension was the component relating to removing my mask in the water, and replacing it. This simulates your mask being kicked off and you need to recover it. I just could not calm down enough to process not breathing through my nose! Well in the open water (a 6m deep shore dive location at Bawley Point NSW) I nailed it. Taking it slow and not rushing.
The following day was the 4th and final dive was a boat dive at a location off Batemans Bay called ‘The Tunnel’ The current from the north was described by our boat captain along with our dive instructor and dive master was ‘ the strongest they have seen’. Descending the 10m down the boats anchor line to the lip of ‘The Tunnel’ the divers looked more like a flags in a storm. But once crossing into the ‘The Tunnel’ it was calm. Reaching our max depth of 18m – the max depth of our PADI qualification – we saw a lot of sea urchins and the Blue Rass that love to eat their creamy insides.
Sadly I was unable to capture any video or images of the dives as they were learning dives and I wanted to concentrate on the actual skills needed.
Below is the group and our instructors.
So its started!!
I have been wanting to learn to dive since the PADI “discover diving” in Redang Island Malaysia. I found my local store here in Canberra offer a 2 weekend package that combines theory, “confined water dive practice” - code for swimming pool, and then finishing with a weekend demonstrating and exploring those skills in the open ocean to give me the base qualification of “PADI Open Water Diver”. For those that done know PADI is the Professional Association Of Divers International. Back in the early days of diving they set the standards and benchmarks for the training of new divers. They currently train 90% if the worlds divers. I have to say I didn't really have any understanding of the technicalities of this when I signed up. One of the benefits of the standards is that if I ever want to go diving with a buddy ( you should never dive alone) if they have the PADI base qualification, I know they have been trained in the same safety procedures, same checks, same under water hand signals the whole works.
The process starts when you approach your dive centre to learn to dive. Mine is located in Belconnen, Canberra - some 1 and a half hours from the ocean. The intro night is where you meet, are talked thought the forthcoming course, measure up for wetsuits and other gear as well as the all important Dive Medical. No use getting down to 18m and realising your lungs are shot.
Starting bright and early the next saturday - the theory starts. Hardly arduous concepts but none the less it must be learnt.
The next day it time to put that knowledge to the test on the pool with all the equipment on. I have to say the most daunting thing isn't removing my respirator underwater effectively leaving me without air for a few seconds.. its the removing my mask completely - knowing to clear it I need to not breath through my nose until I need to breath out to clear the mask - oh sure that sound simple - but my body keeps wanting to breath in throughout my nose. I managed to demonstrate the required skills to pass that section.
So that leads us to the open ocean. Today is Wednesday, tomorrow evening I need to swing past the shop and pick up my dive gear as well as my buddy’s as we are driving down to the coast Friday night, to start mega early on Saturday in the real wet stuff!
Until then - keep thinking about me and not breathing through your nose!
We had been planning a trip to see Mount Kosciusko during the off ski season. March 15th was that day! The day was a ‘little’ windy – once we cleared the top chair lift from Thredbo to the “Eagles Nest” we were greet with a temp of -1 including wind chill and 50-70km/h winds.
I will let the video speak for its self, but the day was great. I kept telling Frankie “ This is the highest mountain in Australia, it is not meant to be easy” As you will see in the video we did not make the true summit due to the weather – good call – within 30 mins of reaching the base and getting in the car, it absolutely bucketed down – that plus wind and -1 temps? Hmm no thanks.
To keep the cold out – what is better than a cup of tea in nature – nothing I say – nothing at all and the JetBoil really came through.
We had been planning another quick weekend away. This time it was more a car camping trip to test out our larger, cheaper car or festival tent the Shoalhaven V4 by Spinifex from Anaconda for only $99.
For the price this tent took a battering this weekend. At least 6 hours of solid rain. At one stage I woke up in the middle of the night to find the ground so soaked that the water was simply pooling.
Not a single drop inside the tent. The only downside is the super cheap pegs.
The ventilation and double door (one within the veranda and one from the opposite side) along with the full body mesh, other than the tub floor, make is perfect for our yearly trip to Tropical Fruits in the hot steamy NSW North Coast hinterland of Lismore. With the waterproof fly fitted it withstood the nights rain.
Another highlight of the weekend was seeing a poor lost lonesome penguin nesting in a tiny sea cave.
The weekend was a great chance to test out a new little toy I picked up a few months ago from Goal Zero. Their USB powered LED “Luna”. A really versatile little light that was perfect for lighting the whole tent.
Today I went along to the Fracture Review Clinic at The Canberra Hospital (TCH) following my bike crash a few weeks ago . The Orthopaedic Registrar that reviewed my injury and my X-rays. He determined that my cast and sling can now come off!!. I have to admit I have been a little naughty. As my cast was a ‘half cast’ that only covered the top of my wrist and forearm and was then bandaged onto my arm using crape bandage, I have been removing the cast to sleep and shower. As I was in the Mardi Gras Parade on the weekend, I also didn't wear my cast during the parade. The biggest down side has been the muscle atrophy that my right forearm and bicep have suffered. Don't get me wrong, I have never exactly been ‘built’ but there is now a very noticeable difference between right and left biceps.
Well….Last Monday night, after finishing work, I was riding home enjoying the amazing twilight that Canberra has been experiencing lately.
After crossing the Kings Ave Bridge and turning back down towards the lake .. I realised I was coming down the off ramp a little too fast, applying the brakes, the rear wheel started ‘popping’ out, the it suddenly buckled and locked in the rear brake callipers - I was able to ‘lay the bike down’ as they say. However I did land rather heavily on my right wrist. I did miss the concrete and managed to land on the dirt beside the path.
Long story short, a pop up the the hospital (after dropping the bike at the shop for repair of course) - Turns out I have fractured my Scaphoid (one of the small bones on my wrist) and fractured my Rotator Head (ball of forearm bone where it joins the elbow). After spending most of the evening the the most amazing nurse at ED named Christine, I was sent home with a half plaster cast and bandaged up. I have followed up with the the Ordo Registrar on the phone who can't see me until the 4th of March for review .. Don't they know this weekend is MARDI GRAS!!!
As you know I am trying to crowd fund my PADI Open Water certification through InDepth Scuba here in Canberra. It consists a dive medical, introduction and info session followed by theory and session in the pool to become familiar with the kit and training. The course culminates in 3 shore dives and a boat dive down on the South Coast of NSW.
Don’t forget that you can help here: http://www.pozible.com/project/177993
So after signing the contracts only in November, construction has powered ahead. Last weekend we stopped by the site to see how it is all going. Only a couple of months ago we had grass, then weeks ago a slab, now walls and a glass sliding door!! Another revelation is that our house plan is mirrored from what we were expecting. Frankie said that will 'change' all his decorating plans.. I don't know how since it's just a mirror image of the plan we had already had.
As you know we are buying a house. That has pretty much locked up any spare cash we have until after November. After the introduction dive we ( read I, Frankie chickened out just as his head got under the water) did in Redang Island last year I have been looking at doing my PADI open water certification. That is the first step of the whole qualification process.
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I know it sounds a little odd but I am hoping that you might like to chip in some cash to help get me on the course along be part of the journey. The course is hosted half her in Canberra and the remainder down the south coast of NSW. The course is being run by Indepth Scuba here in Canberra and is split over two weekend, the first being theory and pool practice followed by a second weekend down the coast having 2 shore dives and one boat dive.
Including equipment, accommodation and training the entire course is $1300aud. I simply can't spring for that all in one lump and I am trying to get it done before winter starts and the water moves to being almost liquid ice (for me any way).
If you can help, that would be great, individuals / businesses who provide decent chunks of cash will get specific mentions in the video I will make.
If you are unable to help financially please share the link to all your friends on Facebook and twitter. Get WADE HIS DIVE CERT
I wanted to publicly acknowledge the amazing customer service I recently received from The Kit Bag, an online kit store from Western Australia. While I was in Darwin last year for work, I needed a new every day pack, I settle on the 36l Bravo Recon from The Kit Bag.
What I didn't realise until only this week was that the bag was missing some items when it arrived last year. Namely the Y compression strap, the hip belt and the water bladder. I contacted them by phone this week, emailed some pictures and by COB that day a BRAND NEW ONE was already on its way. It has arrived and the old one returned (at their cost!!!)
These guys know how to look after people!!
Following my post yesterday the online customer service team from Kathmandu contacted me to offer some assistance. After a few phone calls they asked for some photos of the issue. Provided. Then another call. Essentially ‘while the designers can't find a fault, you are obviously not happy, so we are going to refund you’. Which was what I wanted the store to say.
So it appears we are now at a conclusion.
As I said in my previous posts and videos I had massive issues with the Kathmandu Lansan Light 2p tent
Not least the massive leak we experienced with just a medium dew (see below) that is common in Australia with hot days and cool nights.
Basically I wanted a refund. I took the tent back to the store I purchased it from - Canberra Centre - With a digital scan of my receipt plus they could see on my loyalty card ‘SUMIT CARD’ that I purchased it only days before. Instead of processing the refund on the spot for not being ‘fit for purpose” i.e. tent = shelter = dry. In my case tent = wet = not dry, they said they wanted to ‘test the issues’ HMMM ok cool sure keep the tent. We are now nearly 2 weeks later, they didn't call me, I called them to check on progress. I have been informed they have sent it for ‘testing’ and it passed the waterproof testing and they could find no fault.
The fly not meeting the inner ( the issue I talk about in the videos) apparently is ‘normal’ and all other tents in stock are exactly they same. The store does not have email or an external connection that I can send the picture and videos too but they have asked I bring the photos in. Following this call, I received another from the same store saying can I do with with some urgency as they want to send the images off to the ‘Product design team located in NZ’. Strange but will just be giving them this link, and the link to the after report linked above.
Pretty poor to not refund on the spot, but will keep fighting.
I know this may not be new or even news to other people, but I am lazy. Bone idle. However nothing makes me move my slightly jiggly butt more than good old fashioned $$$$. Whether saving it or spending it. Long ago when I previously had a Personal Trainer, my sole motivation for going to the gym and seeing him was the knowledge that if I was there or not he would be charging me $60 a session. So off I went. Sadly as I could only afford to see my PT two times a week (dude, thats $240 a fortnight) I simply didn't go to the gym on the days I didn't have to see him.
Fast forward to 2013/2014. I have started to lose KGs through a combo of light exercise and my tech companions ( the Fitbit Flex tracker, Fitbit Aria Scale and my trusty iPhone 5). I am hovering at around 76-77Kgs. Unlike in Darwin, where I was running and walking every day, hitting my Fitbit Target of 10,000 steps a day - I am lucky to hit 5000 here without additional exercise.
This week I am trying a new app that combines my NEED to move my butt with the nagging and motivation of lose $$$ if I do not. It is PACT
Essentially I promise to go to the gym or use their activity tracker for more than 30mins on a set number of times in a week after ‘betting’ my self I can do it. In my case I said I would go to the gym OR get 10,000 steps on my Fitbit 2 times between Monday - Sunday or it will cost me $5, however if I do what I say I will EARN $1. These are all small sums as I am testing it out. I would be looking to move this to the $50 mark and 3 times a week if I see it working.
Do you use a Fitbit? How about the PactApp? Experiences?
We were out and about on the weekend and dropped past to see how progress of our townhouse was going. Slab has been poured. I think I have marked it out roughly so you can see the ground floor layout..
Next I need to work with our solicitor to ensure that the First Home Buyers Grant application is all processed. I forgot legal professionals still do things the extremely old fashioned way - using ORGINAL documents, no scans...most irritating.
Located approx 50km south of Tuggernong ACT in the Namadgi National Park in the Naas Valley.Getting thereFrom Point Hutt Crossing and through the township of Tharwa, keep heading south. Road is tarred until approx 15km north of the turn off to Mt Clear Campground. Trailhead is located adjacent to the Mt Clear Campground.
The water – the huts have a great supply of clean fresh water. While it is always good to plan to carry extra, knowing there was some available would have mean the 4lt (3 in the Camelbak bladder and 1 in reserve Naglene bottle) could have been adjusted.When we got back to the house I weighted my pack after eating all the food and drinking most of the water – 12kgs. Too heavy so will start shaving weight.
Before my overseas readers start commenting that a tarp would be mush lighter to carry – while you are correct, it offers to protection from the army of animals, reptiles or insects that Australia is home to that if they don’t kill you, they will not make your day happy
http://youtu.be/Q_s8lBgu89o
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