Wordspeak (Posts about Travel)

Avalon Airshow 2015

Edwin Steele — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 07:27:47 GMT

Recently, my wife and I took our boys to the Avalon Airshow and we had a great time. We stayed in South Yarra, which had lovely views of Melbourne City.

The food was wonderful too - the best coffee was from Elephant Stamp Espresso (Yarra St, South Yarra), my favourite food was a Kong Pau from Dainty Sichuan (Toorak Rd, South Yarra) that transported me back to Shanghai. My wife loved the Carbonara from Versachi's.

As for the Airshow, we had fun but the boys ran out of steam before the day was out so we missed out on some close-ups of the combined assault simulation that showed all the Australian Defence Force (ADF) aircraft in action. I saw it at the 2011 Airshow and it's one of the highlights - if you find yourself at an Avalon Airshow and there are ADF planes listed back-to-back on the program, chances are it's one of these simulations and you should make your way forward so you can get a good view.

Here's a few shots to give you a feel for the day. The whole album is available (23 photos) as is the 2011 Airshow Album (33 photos).

An F-22 static display:

Formation flying by F-16s from the Singapore Air Force:

The KC-30 aerial refuelling plane (that flew later in the day):

A quick trip to Shanghai

Edwin Steele — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 21:40:44 GMT

My employer is hiring in Shanghai, so I did a quick trip to conduct a bunch of interviews. The food was sensational. The pollution... not so much. Here are a few of my favourite photos (click through for the full size on Flickr).

A view from the office on a relatively unpolluted day. The fine particulate matter reading, PM_2.5, was 90μg/m³ when this photo was taken.

The same view 2 days later, with PM_2.5 at 146μg/m³. It peaked at 271μg/m³ with a corresponding Air Quality Index of 321. This level is deemed Hazardous - "Everyone should avoid all physical activity outdoors; people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should remain indoors and keep activity levels low". Ugh...

A panorama from the Bund, looking back to downtown Pudong.

The Shanghai Maglev Train, just before we boarded. We caught a slow service, which ran at 300 km/h; the fast service runs at 431km/h. I loved the ride.

Our Chicago video and photos are up

Edwin Steele — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:38:47 GMT

It seems I process photos in fits and starts. I'd like to say that I got inspired to do this batch but the truth is that I was bored of all the other activities that were within reach, work was intense and I needed to do something, anything to get my head away from planning technical changes, people management issues and whether my team was getting through enough work, and the right work to keep our traders happy.

So I sat down to sort, sequence, prune and geotag the photos from our time in Chicago. As is often the case, the memories flood back, the details resurface from the depths of one's mind, the travel sites are loaded and the planning for (or is it dreaming of?) the next trip commences.

Here's the result. I hope you like it: image gallery

So Long Hong Kong

Edwin Steele — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:30:13 GMT

I love it when your employer sends you overseas to do something cool. A few months ago I was sent to do some maintenance work in two data centres in Hong Kong. While the 8pm-3am work periods surrounded by rows of howling IBM p-Series servers and shipping-crate-sized Sun tape libraries did affect my sleeping patterns, there were still enough daylight hours to get out and see Hong Kong's skyline, Hong Kong's fashion, Hong Kong's shopping malls, its shopping malls, its sights, its shopping malls, its skyline and... did I mention its shopping malls? (Yes, there far too many).

Hong Kong was fun. I love architecture, I adore big cities, the food was brill and I could still speak English. I think I'd go mental if I lived there but it was a great experience.

You might ask why it's taken me 4 months to publish these photos. The answer is that I got all inspired after seeing Steve Jobs unveil Apple's new iLife '08 software. Sorting and uploading a bunch of photos is quite rewarding and relaxing, especially when I'm pleased with the shots (and I am).

And why "So Long Hong Kong"? Yeah, I quit my job last week (and the weight lifts off his shoulders), so I don't expect a return trip any time soon. I wonder if my new employer will send me to the orient too!

Enjoy the shots: Hong Kong Apr07

Jenolan Caves - Limestone and Country Air

Edwin Steele — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 21:48:31 GMT

What better way to spend a public holiday than out in the country? Breathe in the crisp morning air, drive through quiet winding roads, see and hear actual wildlife and stuff yourself with good food while hanging out with friends. Bring it on.

Jenolan Caves is a collection of limestone caves about 2.5 hours west of Sydney. There are about 12 "show caves" and the guided tours take between 1 and 2 hours. You'll stay clean, see fantastic limestone formations, probably learn some basic geology and have a brilliant, relaxing day away from the city. I've been back several times, you'll probably do the same.

Here are a few recommendations if you're planning a trip:

Leave early and get out there between 9 and 10am. If you didn't pre-book your tickets, the tours should still have space at that time.
Pre-book your tickets. There's good info on their website and the people on the phone are so helpful. They'll recommend something good if you don't know what you want or don't know what's available.
Take your own food. There isn't a great deal of choice out there and it's expensive. We stuck to getting coffee and hot chocolate.
Rug up. You won't be cold when you're walking in the caves but it's cold outside, particularly when the sun disappears in the afternoon. Oberon is the nearest town and it occasionally snows there in winter if that gives you a clue.
Take good walking shoes. Most caves involve lots of steps and lots of walking. You'll want to be comfortable.
Go with friends. You'll love it together!
Don't rush it - we did 2 caves with a long lunch in-between. Remember, you're there to relax!

Here's the photo album.

And here's a taste from the "Temple of Baal" cave:

Kosciuszko - A walk in the park

Edwin Steele — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 11:30:35 GMT

Mt. Kosciuszko is Australia's highest mountain. If you are planning the trip, I suggest you leave behind your supplemental oxygen, your ice axe and your duck-down suit. Your best friend would be a good old can of Aerogard. The flies are really bad.

Between Christmas and New Year's, a friend and I drove from Sydney, past Canberra and up into the Snowy Mountains. After a good night's sleep we continued past the ski fields and drove as far as we could until the road stopped at Charlotte's Pass. 2 hours and a 9km walk later we stood heroically, windswept and a little sunburnt, a full 2229m (7313ft) above sea level surveying all the land and people of Australia beneath us... at least until the next person stood next to the summit marker! Taking a different route back lead us past beautiful alpine scenery, a glacial lake and some wildflowers that grow in one place worldwide -- along the track we walked. The 13km return leg was tiring but ever so beautiful. Take a day out if you're in the area in summer.

Now, would it surprise you that I took photos? Honestly, I'm really thrilled with the way these came out. I'm especially fond of the jpg panoramas. All the photos and jpg panoramas are in my Kosciuszko album.

Oh, OK. Here's a taste...