HARMLESS OR HARMFUL ADVENTURE?

Most travellers go to Rio to stand below this landmark STATUE and take photos.
Did this guy want to get better photos from this height?
Is this adventure or simply stupidity? I know there is often a fine line here between the two.
I realise that this is an obsession for BASE jumpers...those people who want to parachute off every structure natural and built....

I am not sure that it is a digitally altered picture because I don't remember reading anything about this. I reserve judgment on the person's motivation to do this, in the absence of further info.

On face value, I find it a little difficult to accept and was not sure whether to promote it even here.

Giving the benefit of the doubt, I would hope it has a genuine motivation and does not impinge on the rights and offend the sensitivities of Brazilians who respect this iconic structure.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'...Paladin paladin where do you roam

I came across these youtube clips on a recent browse and it reminded me of a day of song on the camino when they finished strongly in my repertoire. Why were the TV shows theme songs of the 60's and 70's so catchy? Oh yes, pretty trite but they were very singable.
It doesn't seem to be the case for present themes...Start singing the theme of the Sopranos if you can...great tune Maybe a go at FRIENDS. Maybe it was just a TV time of Warner brother Westerns, Muskateers, and a big range of American Sitcoms that made those shows theme music so memorable... and we were young and impressionable

The British produced great musical scores and theme music... Denis Waterman comes to mind . Minder and recently New Tricks etc .... All the police shows and comedies...can't remember that I've ever burst into song on any of them though

Rawhide and Paladin are timeless or maybe date me.






On one very long day on the camino when the day was very hot, the road long and dusty and remote, I sang just about every song I could remember to pass the time and take our minds of our tired progress.


This included that title songs of those old TV Westerns Rawhide and Paladin. Paladin may be known to many if not in the series but in movies particularly a coming of age movie STAND BY ME which had a compilation of memorable songs , notably its title song.

Rawhide was where Clint Eastwood learned the skills which he continued in the Spaghetti Westerns and has been used for universal acclaim in his directed movies.

There was a movie of PALADIN on the way but they don't make em like they usaed to and it has not got any further , maybe Clint will do something. The songs were almost the start to the TWANGY guitar sounds that came in the Spag Westerns. Duane Eddy has a few renditions of them in the you tubes above section.

I am particularly glad that no other pilgrims were in earshot to witness the many song renditions.

I guess it is a bit like this for many travellers. You know you get a song in your head and it keeps coming back subconsciously for a long time.
Do you have a favourite TV theme that you sing along to? I would think so....

BEYOND WARRINGA POOL -SPRINGBROOK NATIONAL PARK -Brisbane Bushwalkers activity

This walk is in the Gold Coast Hinterland on the last section of the Great Walk http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-gold-coast-hinterland/index.html

It travels through rain forest and along Little nerang Creek ( gorges, creek crossings, pools and waterfalls)...

BEAUTIFUL

SPRINGWOOD RAINFOREST

LITTLE NERANG CREEK

WARRINGA POOL

Location
About 100km south of Brisbane

What's special
Spectacular waterfalls, lush rainforest, ancient trees, impressive views, exceptional ecological importance and natural beauty make this World Heritage-listed park an outstanding place to visit.




Getting to Springbrook plateau — Springbrook National Park
From Brisbane
Drive south on the Pacific Motorway and exit at Mudgeeraba (exit 79), and follow the Gold Coast-Springbrook Road. Springbrook plateau is 29km from Mudgeeraba.

ITS JUST NOT CRICKET

I heard this guy on the local ABC radio today. He is now in Turkey, 3 months on the road. He is aiming to be in Brisbane at the Gabba Cricket ground for the first test of the Ashes between Australia and England in November.

Pretty impressive motivation even though he said he was really into an adventure for a start before the cricket bug. I live 10minutes from the Gabba and would probably not as motivated to walk down there even though I am a cricket fan. In this case I would not be considered for the Barmy Army or the equivalent green and gold Aussie fana-atics.

Hope he has not heard of the English dramatic collapse in the third test in South Africa. Hey they drew the series and that's all they need to do to retain the ashes......ON YOUR BIKE CHAPS

FROM U TUBE INTRO

Below are some excerpts from an interview FSN London did recently with Oli Broom, who sets off from the UK in October, on his bike, with a cricket bat, for Australia.

His aim - to make it down under in time for the 2010 Ashes series, and to raise a hundred grand for the Lord's Taveners and the British Neurological Research Trust.

He tells us, among other things, about his route, his 'great friendship' with England captain Andy Strauss, and his personal reasons for wanting to support these two charities.

HOME AMONGST THE GUM TREES

Coolabine Ridge Cottages are situated on 500 acres in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland at Mapleton some two hours north of Brisbane .

This was a great place to just relax but also to do some varied day walks along the tracks through forests , hills and waterfalls..

The Sunshine Coast Great Walk passes right by the property and it is a 200metre walk to the track. From here it was a 2km walk to the third walkers camp , Thilba Thalba, which has been set up along the way. A further 2 km to the top of Mt Thilba Thalba which gave panoramic valley views.

We also completed smaller walks on the Mapleton Falls circuit and the longer circuit to the bottom and back of the Kondalilla Falls.

The Coolabine promo summed it up thus

THE GREAT WALKS OF QUEENSLAND
Discover the Sunshine Coast’s natural beauty on this 58km Great Walk through the Blackall Range. Experience some of the range’s most scenic areas: warm subtropical rainforest, tall open eucalypt forest and picturesque waterfalls.The Great Walk of the Sunshine Coast

NEVER TRULY LOST

KONDALILLA FALLS CIRCUIT- 5KM

NEW YEAR 2010 RESOLUTION

'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

MAYA ANGELOU 2009

A Camino Spot in time Cruz de Ferro

We leftthe mountain village of Foncebadon in the pre dawn half dark. The sun arose as we approached Cruz de Ferro, the symbo;ic highest point on the Camino..

Our first sight of the top was of the sun's first rays on the iron cross at the top of the wooden pole. It gave a halo-like effect to the cross and was surreal like in appearance.

As we approached the cross there were approx 10 pilgrims on the stone mound surrounding the cross in thee half light.

There was absolute silence, a serene meditative silence as pilgrims were placing their stones ,( an age old symbolic pilgrim tradition where the stones were brought from their home to be placed at this highest point of the camino as an offering of penance and forgiveness).

They were standing like statues in a reflective or meditative stance. Heads bowed, heads watching the morning light arising across the mountains

The sun continued to rise as we joined the group in silence around the cross.

This moment lasted for the space of some minutes or so it seemed and then it was gone. Pilgrims started to talk to each other etc and new pilgrims arrived . That special moment had gone.

I reflected that this place would have special memories for most pilgrims but our unplanned arrival( we did not have a dawn visit in mind) was a special memory and one which I have returned to often.

SPOTS OF TIME

The Prelude:
'Spots of time'

There are in our existence spots of time,
Which with distinct pre-eminence retain
A renovating Virtue,
whence,... our minds
Are nourished and invisibly repaired

(Book XI, ls 258-278)

These lines of Wordsworth come back to me quite strongly in my reflective mood. I have probably personalised the meaning to give special attention to those 'spots of time' in my life that I often return to. Hence, I must apologise for my loose non literary reading of Wordsworth which I have interpreted in my own way.

The "spots" are usually positive places/times in the main. The place/experience/moment are often ' renovating' or I would say ' re-energising'. Other names I know can be given eg a colour place, positive focus,your mental cave, your workshed, your favourite place or whatever to suggest a place or time which gave something special. It is about remembering a time which lifted your spirit.

It is not for me an escape to the past or a wishful desire to return to the past but a ' spot of time' which indeed does nourish and restore the spirit.

Wordsworth says in The Prelude that such 'spots' are scattered everywhere.

I have a few such "spots"

Wordsworth reflects in a similar way at the end of
‘Waiting for Horses’:


All these were spectacles and sounds to which
I often would repair, and thence would drink
As at a fountain. And I do not doubt
That in this later time, when storm and rain
Beat on my roof at midnight, or by day
When I am in the woods, unknown to me
The workings of my spirit thence are brought

SOUTH WEST COAST TRACK

DAVES CREEK CIRCUIT

This is a beautiful rainforest/eucalypt 13km walk at Binna Burra in the Lamington national park 130 km south of Brisbane.
This a favourite day walk for us as it traverses a variety of landscapes and has panoramic views down through the cliffs to the Numinbah Valley and glimpses of the magnificent Mt Warning.

We usually make a late Sunday start on this walk and walk into sunset hours. Today we used our holidays to arrive there mid morning and complete the three hour walk in good time. The lunch stop at the Numinbah lookout is very peaceful.

The summer subtropical ranges were hot and humid. The covering shade of the forest was welcome. It was good to have the walk to ourselves although we had memories of an alleged tiger snake , doubtful, reported in the media some months earlier when we were here.

SOME TRAVEL IDEAS

I bought this book with a gift voucher. It opens up many travel alternates for this couch potatoed Christmas traveller..

A WRITE UP BLURB
http://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk
Presenting 1,000 fresh and fascinating alternatives to hundreds of well-known tourist destinations and sights; including alternatives to the Carnival in Rio and the beaches of Thailand, the most-visited national parks, over-rated restaurants and holiday clichés. Written by a team of travel experts, and with a foreword by Bill Bryson, this book brings vibrant cities, enchanting sights, breathtaking natural wonders and unforgettable experiences to life with informative narrative and stunning photography.

Choose your destination by theme - Ancient and Historical Sights, Festivals and Parties, Great Journeys, Architectural Marvels, Natural Wonders, Beaches, Sports and Activities, Art and Culture, and Cities - or simply flick through this sumptuous guide and be inspired. Rely on practical advice on where to stay, where to eat and when to go, as well as useful 'Need to Know' facts, ensure that you get the most out of your time away. Less crowded, generally less expensive and often more spectacular and rewarding, these lesser-known wonders of the world remind travelers

GOOD NEWS STORY

Students from the Villers-Bretonneux have helped the children from a Victorian school gutted in Black Saturday

COIN by coin,
the students in the small French village of Villers-Bretonneux have raised more than $20,000 to help rebuild a Victorian school razed in the Black Saturday bushfires.

The French students of Ecole Victoria, and three other local schools, knew little about the children they would be helping at Strathewen Primary School. They only knew their great-grandparents had promised 91 years ago never to forget the 1200 Australian soldiers who died liberating their village from the Germans on April 24, 1918.

They also promised to remember every child in Victoria who donated a penny to help the village rebuild their school after Villers-Bretonneux was flattened in World War II.

This year, the Villers-Bretonneux students held a special fete to raise money for the children of Strathewen. Collection tins were emblazoned with the words, "N'Oublions Jamais l'Australie" -- Let us never forget Australia.


When The Australian travelled to Villers-Bretonneux for Anzac Day, the students of one grade 9-10 class had collected $240. With contributions from the community and one euro donated by the council for every resident in the village, the tally has come as a welcome surprise to Strathewen and its students.

Yesterday, when Strathewen Primary was given 13,000 euros ($21,100) from Ecole Victoria and the other schools of Villers-Bretonneux, a promise almost a century old was honoured.

WALK ON SOUTH WEST COAST PATH ENGLAND

We are looking at this long distance walk walk for 2010....
The best walk in England???

WALK ON. WALK ON. WITH HOPE IN YOUR HEART

WALK ON

NEIL YOUNG LYRICS





"Walk On"

I hear some people
been talkin' me down,
Bring up my name,
pass it 'round.
They don't mention
happy times
They do their thing,
I'll do mine.

Ooh baby,
that's hard to change
I can't tell them
how to feel.
Some get stoned,
some get strange,
But sooner or later
it all gets real.

Walk on, walk on,
Walk on, walk on.

I remember
the good old days,
Stayed up all night
gettin' crazed.
Then the money
was not so good,
But we still did
the best we could.

Ooh baby,
that's hard to change
I can't tell them
how to feel.
Some get stoned,
some get strange,
But sooner or later
it all gets real.

Walk on, walk on,
Walk on, walk on.




[ NEIL YOUNG LYRICS at www.AZLyrics.com ]

WALK ON

Walk On


Artist
U2

Composer
U2

Lyrics
And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring...
And love is not the easy thing....
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Walk on, walk on
What you got they can't steal it
No they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on...
Stay safe tonight

You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom

Walk on, walk on
What you've got they can't deny it
Can't sell it, can't buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on

Home, hard to know what it is if you've never had one
Home, I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home
That's where the hurt is

I know it aches
How your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on

Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you steal
All this you can leave behind
All that you reason
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress up
All that you scheme.

RAINBOW TRAIL

Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail.

by Virginia Woolf

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart; and you'll never walk alone; you'll never walk alone.
Oscar Hammerstein II

AMAZING SCENES

THE WAYS OF WALKING

The Ways of Walking
Strolling, Sauntering, Meandering, Hiking, Wandering, Walks, Journeys, Trekking, Tramping
Quotations 1
Quotations, Poems, Lore, Quips, Wisdom, Sayings

Research by Michael P. Garofalo
May 12, 2008
Walking Quotations 2 Walking Quotations 3 Walking Quotations 4 Ways of Walking

"There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast."
- Paul Scott Mowrer
"There’s some end at last for the man who follows a path: mere rambling is interminable."
- Seneca
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
- John Muir

"Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you."
- John Ruskin

"The soverign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best."
- Thomas Jefferson

"It is not talking but walking that will bring us to heaven."
- Matthew Henry

"That's the best thing about walking, the journey itself. It doesn't matter much whether you get where you're going or not. You'll get there anyway. Every good hike brings you eventually back home."
- Edward Abbey
"If you want to know if your brain is flabby, feel your legs."
- Bruce Barton

"He who would travel happily must travel light."
- Antonine Marie Roger de Saint-Exupery, Wind, Sand, and Stars

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see."
- John Burroughs

"To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to have houses, music, paintings - it's all a miracle. I have adopted the technique of living life miracle to miracle."
- Arthur Rubinstein

"If you look for the truth outside yourself,
It gets farther and farther away.
Today walking alone, I meet it everywhere I step.
It is the same as me, yet I am not it.
Only if you understand it in this way
Will you merge with the way things are."
- Tung-Shan
"We must walk before we run."
- George Borrow, Lavengro

"To follow a trail is to establish a link with the history of man. It is at once the most primitive and the most civilized of activities. A trail may well have been followed first by animals seeking food and water; Indians following the game wore it a little wider. Explorers followed the same paths, to be followed in turn by soldiers and settlers and men who poured concrete over footpaths. The concrete now goes just about every place we need to go. But we now have the leisure to travel just for the sake of traveling, and there is no better way to do it than by trail."
- Lennon Hooper, National Park Trails

"Like after a nice walk when you have seen many lovely sights you decide to go home, after a while I decided it was time to go home, let us put the cubes back in order. And it was at that moment that I came face to face with the Big Challenge: What is the way home?"
- Erno Rubik

"Our way is not soft grass, it's a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upward, forward, toward the sun."
- Ruth Westheimer

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like falling leaves."
- John Muir

BORING, OH SO BORING

I usually respond to the usual "BORING" response that is often offered as a universal reply of the teenager with something like...well it is actually not the event that is boring, it is usually the person who is boring.

It's the old how you react to something and not the activating event.

OK so now I'm a boring person....... Holidays have started and I have lost the routine of work and need to start a holiday routine. I'm bored and boring
Have some good books to read and the self indulgence of a holiday...can't really complain.

Make some changes that's the best therapy...do something different...Well I can get prints of the CAMINO WALK before all those beautiful towns all are forgotten...mmm pretty boring..

Bike riding around the urban bikeways...too hot now might have a heart attack...and we walk every morning at 5am

Think I might change the name of this dreary blog...it's too pretentious...I wanted a title with "travel and "life" in it but it is a bit boring really

I'm really going to do something different I promise