Fires? I see no fires

I went up to the Blue Mountains today to photograph the big fires. There have been dramatic ones in the news lately. But the smoke was preventing any views of anything much. It was rather spooky being up there surrounded by all that bush, but being unable to see whether fires were approaching or not.




At Echo Point the tourists were posing in front of the pictures of the views rather than the views themselves.



There's a fire down there, the 'Ruined Castle' fire. But I couldn't see it for the smoke.

Most of the smoke is from the Wollemi National Park etc 'mega-fire' to the north. I'd hoped to maybe get a bit of a view of that one from Evans Lookout, but the road was closed,and the walking tracks too.

More Scarborough

Scarborough was the base for my Yorkshire sojourn. I liked the place a lot. It's bigger than I expected. Lots of touristy attractions, places to feed, house, and water you. There are are extensive parks and gardens, and there's even a castle on the hill.

Green Island, blue sky, greeny-blue sea

When I visited Cairns many years ago I think I had only an hour or so to spend on a Green Island visit, so I did a quick run around its circumference and headed back. I think there was a glass-bottomed building or something too. It was a long time ago!







 Anyway, on this trip we made a proper day trip of it. There's quite a lot to see and do these days. And despite the enormous crowds of tourists, it all seems to be well-managed and the place is not too damaged by them.

























You can snorkel the coral reef, or view it from a glass-bottomed boat, or stroll the beaches, or just lounge around.

There are very comfortable boats to ferry you to and from the place too these days. It's 45minutes from Cairns.

Too many tour guides, not enough tourists

In Bukittinggi last month there was a marked shortage of western tourists. The tour guides were most concerned. The European summer holiday season should have been under way, but so far only a handful seemed to have made it to West Sumatra's traditional tourist capital.

There seemed to be unemployed wannabe guides all over the place. I employed a couple of competent, established guides though. Here's Erik, polishing his car.

One theory was that the earthquakes and tsunamis of recent years had frightened people off. Another was that the ending of the Medan to Penang ferry service (due to competition from cheap airlines) had severed the well trodden backpacker route up through Sumatra. But travel has its fashions anyway. Destinations go in and out of vogue. And a lot of travellers go straight to Lake Maninjau or the Harau Valley these days. For old times sake I was staying put for a whole relaxed week in Bukittinggi.

I used Erik's services for two full day tours. Here he is, showing me how a designer rural fish cracker factory works.

And here's Rara, of LITE 'N EASY Tours. She did a magnificent job of looking after me for another couple of days.

 She came equipped with corporate umbrella, corporate fold-up chair, and corporate LITE 'N EASY Tour sign.

Oldest bridge, newest tourists

Australia's oldest bridge is in Richmond, Tasmania. It opened in 1825. It's very scenic, and well worth a pilgrimage.

I enjoy watching the Chinese tourists at these places. These days they're by far the biggest group, and they all seem to have lots of fun!

Messing about on the river

On the Parramatta River, to be precise. I took the classy option yesterday for the journey into the city: the Parramatta River Rivercat.

Most of the other passengers were tourists, and didn't they just love it! None of the discomforts of train, bus or car travel, none of the uninspiring scenery of the Parramatta Road or the main western line corridor. Just  clear blue skies, clear blue water, fine views of boats, bridges, Olympic stadiums, parks and bike tracks. And some rather well positioned and expensive real estate here and there too.

The Rivercats all seem to be named after famous female athletes. I found myself aboard the Betty Cuthbert. Betty was a world champion sprinter in the 1950s and 60s. She grew up in the nearby suburb of Ermington, and is still alive and living in Western Australia.

The cabin is warm, roomy and comfortable, but the location of choice is the front deck, where the views make up for any cold winds or stray sea spray. As you approach the Harbour Bridge, everyone vies for a good position, and the selfies and group pictures all get taken. Then it's the equally scenic Circular Quay and Opera House.

One of the highlights of the trip is the first leg, from Parramatta to Rydalmere, where you negotiate a narrow passage through the mangroves. A lowlight is that at low tide the vessel - a flat bottomed catamaran - nevertheless can't actually make it through this part. The service terminates then at Rydalmere, and passengers pile onto a bus for the rest of the journey.

I understand the Parramatta-Rydalmere leg will be withdrawn altogether soon, so use it while you can.