USA - Disneyland

Friday 1 October

Well, the day for Disneyland finally arrived!! We were THAT excited! It was an absolutely beautiful, sunny day and we had a full-on day of fun.

Whoo hoo! Meg on the tram from the car park to Disneyland.

America is gearing up for Halloween (31 October). Everywhere you go there are pumpkins, skeletons, witches, bats, more pumpkins, black cats, ghosts, ghouls and more pumpkins. Disneyland is getting into the swing of things with their welcoming ghosts along the tram tracks.

Disneyland has it's own marching band led by the wonderfully enduring Mickey Mouse.

The Disneyland Marching Band in Main Street.

Jack about to enter Tomorrowland.

In Tomorrowland they have a Jedi Training School and recruit a large number of would-be Jedi's from the audience.

The Padawan (Jedi Apprentices) learn the tricks of the trade from the Jedi Master and older Padawan.

Of course, Darth Vader always wants to gather young Padawans to the dark side.

Darth's own apprentice, Darth Maul, is never far from his side.

Meg and Jack practicing to be the next generation of rock musicians. We hope that Meg will move onto something a little more mellow than the drums .....

Tomorrowland showcased a number of innovations that will one day be part of our everyday life such as cars which are completely eco friendly and ASIMO. ASIMO is a robot that has been twenty years in development but is now virtually at the release stage. He can walk, talk, run and climb up and down stairs - a great feat for a robot. He or his future prototypes will be assistants in our homes as naturally as a microwave.

Twice a day there is a Street Party down Main Street. People start to line up at least half an hour beforehand and there is often no shade to shelter under. Meg is cooling off here as Jack was spraying her with his new fan/water bottle.

The joy and fun of the Street Party is infectious!

The energy of the dancers who go through every type of dance there is, is wonderful. They are great and add a real party atmosphere to the street.

Meg went out to dance although she was a little unsure despite the best efforts of her partner.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was a film producer, director, screenwriter, voice, actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, philanthropist and great visionary. Disneyland opened in 1955 and in his dedication speech Walt Disney said:

To all who come to this happy place; welcome.
Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past .... and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.

Jack and Meg outside Fantasyland.

Meg on Dumbo the Elephant in Toonworld.

Meg on Dumbo the Elephant.

Meg and Jack in a Teacup.

Meg met Micky Mouse in his home in Toonworld.

We took a river trip in Adventureland and came across a lot of African wildlife. In the early years they used real animals but being unpredictable and not showing themselves on cue (what were they thinking!!), it was decided to use animatronics instead (much more reliable).

Deepest, darkest Africa in Adventureland.

And there ends our day in Disneyland with a walk to the tram along the boulevard with fairy lights in the trees ..... all year round. A magical day .....

USA - Universal Studios

Thursday 30 September

It's coming!

USA - Santa Monica and Los Angeles

Wednesday 29 September - Saturday 2 October

It's been a long time coming but I am finally adding to our Blog as we are currently on our long-awaited trip to the US. Our trip has been changed so many times, been redone and reorganised that at times I wondered if we were actually ever going to get on the plane! At last we are here and having a wonderful time. We started off with a few days in Los Angeles and stayed at the Santa Monica Youth Hostel. Santa Monica seems to be a great community - very laid back with an easy living lifestyle. It has a beachfront with a great pier and is the end of the famous Route 66 across America highway.

At the end of Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles.

Jack finding his fortune with Zoltar (memories from the movie Big).

The Route 66 sign on the Santa Monica Pier.

Meg and Jack with a Santa Monica policeman in the Santa Monica markets. Santa Monica has two fresh produce markets a week - Wednesdays and Saturdays and we were lucky enough to catch the Saturday market.

Dragon Fruit were stunning with their pink and yellow skins and their bright pink flesh.

Honeystix were a big hit with the kids. Flavoured honey sold in straw-like lengths - 5 for a $1.

The dinosaurs down the mall were great. Jack and Meg threw coins into the pond through the water spout.

Buskers were abundant down the mall at Santa Monica - at any time during the day and night. Many played instruments, sang or entertained with acrobatics, dancing, etc. Meg was particularly taken with Josh Ricketts playing the sax and later did a solo dance to one of his songs. She was a great hit with the crowd.

Allan on the Kokoda Trail

On Sunday 17 August Jack Laing (local Bungendore friend and vet) and I left for Port Morseby to begin our trip to Papua New Guinea to walk the Kokoda Trail. We went with Kokoda Spirit, which included guide Sean and twenty-five porters. Many of our group of fourteen walkers had a porter assigned to them to help carry their gear and assit on the trail. Jack and I carried all our own gear which was around 14kg without water. At times we carried up to four litres of water. I can't remember carrying this much water on Austrailian walks but we needed every bit of it here.The beginning of the Kododa Trail at Owers' Corner. We arrived here by bus after negotiating muddy roads from Port Morseby. Several times we had to get out of the bus as it raced to get up the boggy hills. We did not start walking until 3:00pm which put our schedule way behind.

A downpour started as soon as we started walking - so heavy it was horizontal. The rain was torrential. I have never seen rain like it before. It just came down in huge drops - just like a swimming pool through a colander. Within twenty minutes the track was an ankle deep creek. There was water everywhere. The flooded Goldie Creek prevented us from crossing as it rose over two metres and what is usually a thigh deep crossing became a major obstacle. We were literally able to stand on the side of the river and watch large boulders become submerged as the river rose.
River crossings were always fun. This is crossing the Goldie River on the second day a few hundred metres downstream from the normal crossing. The level had dropped overnight but was still too high. The boys literally built a log bridge over the river. In this photo is Ian, the oldest member of the group at 71 years. He had a great attitude and finished the entire trip in good form.There were many wet river crossings and here is Jack negotiating one. Wet feet became the order of the trip. I think I was the only whitey who wore the same socks, jocks, shirt and shorts for nine days straight.
Jack and I on the trail - I am the tall handsome one on the left.

This is Nauro village. All the villages were very clean and tidy. Because we were behind on our schedule, this turned into a nine hour day of walking with plenty of climbing. The next day was a ten hour day and it certainly was good to get the packs off and the tents up.World WWII rifle mounted on a post. The end of the third day. Most of the relics looked like this. For us amateurs it was very difficult to determine whether it was an Australian 303 or a Japanese rifle. The helmets were easier to distinguish.

In each village there was food to buy - bowls of bananas, mandarins etc. This was a great way to supplement our stores of fresh food. Sometimes there were little cakes to buy as well. Flour, water and some sultanas mixed together then fried in a pan. For a hungry walker the fruit and other foods were very welcome additions to our meals. Breakfasts were usually Wheatbix and some of the little flour cakes. Powdered milk, Milo, coffee (awful) or tea complemented the cereal. Lunches were a selection of cheese, corned beef (canned) Vitawheat biscuits, salami, fruit, Vegemite and jam. Dinners varied from rice, sweet potato to pasta with a variety of sauces. The boys did all the cooking over open fires and took great pride in cooking good food.

The kids of the village loved balloons and it seemed that every child had one or more. Trekkers often carry these as gifts for the children, however, they do have a very short life.

Never leave home without an umbrella - especially in PNG. Only Sean and I had umbrellas and were often envied. Walking in the rain is still hot and humid so an umbrella is a much better option than a rain jacket. Even in the heaviest rain it keeps you quite dry whilst walking in a rain jacket is vile. The umbrella sits over the top of the pack and the chest strap keeps the handle in place leaving both hands free. The track was wide enough that the umbrella never caught on the foliage. It also gives great shade in the sun.

 

Brigade Hill was one of the sites of heavy battle between Australian and Japanese forces. The Japenese managed to cut off the Australians for some time at this point.
 The memorial on Brigade Hill. This had been a long hot day and the camp was still one and a half hours walk from here.

Jack negotiating one of the many descents. The track is relentless in its ascents and descents and walking poles are used by just about everyone. They give you extra push going uphill and steady you on the descents.
 Many villages had museums dedicated to WWII armaments but in very poor condition. All the ammunition was still live which made it an interesting practice to pick up old, corroded grenades with the pin still attached.This is the village of Efoggi and these children are in the school choir who sang for us. They have lovely melodic voices and sing mainly hymms.

One of many, many children we saw in the villages. Not much happens in the villages so white trekkers are always good to watch.Another river crossing.

 

I met one of the last three Fuzzy Wuzzy Angles who assisted our soldiers on the Kokoda Trail during the campaign between the Australians and Japanese. He posed for photographs with the walkers for 10 kena (about $5) which went to the village. There are only three original Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels still alive. None have received any pension from either the PNG or Australian governments for their involvement in WWII.

With continuous rain, the trail became a bog. In some places the track was quite dry, in others it was a swamp. Boots and gaiters were put to good use although many of the porters preferred to go barefoot or in joggers.
Mud, mud and more mud.

Log bridges were just thrown up in no time by the boys. They were very adept in using local materials to create a stable, useable structure.

This village is on the banks of Eora Creek and had the best campsite. Often we camped on mud but here we had grass. During the campaign the Japanese had a mountain gun on a ridge overlooking this site and they bombed the crap out of the Australians with it. It took the Australians three days to climb the steep ridges and outflank the Japanese position.

WWII shells and casings from the Mountain Gun overlooking Eora Creek. They are all still live and just rusting away. These are 90mm shells. They had two parts, the explosive tip and the charge that propelled them from the gun. These cases had five explosive tips and the long thin tubes you can see are the fuses. Carrying the ammunition for these guns must have been appallingly difficult over the terrain. The Japanese outgunned the Australians during the campaign. From the start the Japanese had two types of mountain guns that could be dismantled for carrying as well as heavy machine guns. The heaviest weapon the Australians carried was the Bren gun. Although the Australians did have access to 25lb Howitzers, they were too cumbersome to move on the track and could not be dismantled. They did drag one up as far as Imita Ridge with great difficulty but the Japanese were in retreat by this time. In expertise of jungle warfare, the Japanese had it all over the Australians.

In one of the Japanese dug-outs.Sweet potato was a staple on the trip. The food was good - little meat but everything fresh and well cooked. When available our guide would buy food from the villages we pased through to support the local economy.

Papuan mother and daughter. The local people were very generous. You never felt pressured to purchase their products. They were also genuinely happy to have their photos taken.

This is the memorial at Isurava to the Australian soldiers who fought and died on the Kokoda Trail. The four granite blocks are engraved with Courage, Endurance, Mateship and Sacrifice. They are made from Australian granite and weigh three and a half tons each. The battle at Isurava occured during the fighting withdrawal made by the Austrailans from Kokoda back to Imita Ridge. At this point the Japanese came within a hairs breadth of over running the Australian position. If that had occurred, they may well have made it all the way to Moresby. Several heroic individual actions by Australian soldiers made the difference here. This is the location for the Anzac service on the Kokoda Trail each year.

The whole group at the finish - Kokoda Village - Sean our guide, 25 porters and 14 walkers. A great group. Without exception the trekkers and porters were a great group of people. We were: Jack and I from Bungendore, Ken and Steve from Adelaide, Nikky, Darren, Matt, Graeme, John and Bruce from Melbourne, Sandra from Townsville, Kelly and Karen from Sydney and Ian from the NSW Central Coast. Our guide Sean is from Darwin. The boys came from various villages, many of which were on the track itself. A better group of walkers you could not find - never a complaint, only laughter, smiles, encouragement and friendship. Jack and I could not believe that we were so lucky to walk the Kokoda Trail with such a wonderful group of people.