Life Savers Demo

Life savers, as in lifeguards, not the colorful sweet round candies.

Aussies enjoy a an active outdoor lifestyle and Bondi Beach is probably the most well known of Sydney’s 37 beaches. Still a mecca for sunbathers and surfers, this long wide stretch of sand attracts many visitors and is also a great place to do some people watching. You can soak up some sun, swim, jog. Or just take in the cool beachsdie vibe as you indulge in an ice cream.

A company called Let’s Go Surfing offers  small group and indiviudal surf lessons here. The staff is friendly and professional as they demonstrate lifesaving techniques and teach basic surfing skills to beginners. Instruction begins on the sand and then takes to the shallower water. They also assist experienced surfers with “catching the big ones”. All necessary equipment is provided.

 Afterwards, a delicious fresh seafood lunch at Nick’s awaits at the edge of the beach.

If you prefer smaller, more secluded beaches, there are others to choose from, accessible by bus or ferry.

The city of Sydney wraps itself around the harbor. One of the best ways to travel around it is to take a relaxing lunch harbor cruise. This photo is part of a series of progressive shots I took from the water side as we cruised past the world famous Opera House. This unique architectural structure is an amazing photo op from any angle and quite impressive to see in person.

I recommend the 1 hour guided tour for a fascinating look inside at the several performance halls beneath those lofty sail-shaped domes. In addition to opera, there are also live ballet, jazz, theater and classical music performances.

There is also a more intimate and more extensive 2 hour backstage tour for visitors interested in actually walking on stage and through the orchestra pit, scenery docks, dressing rooms and fly towers.

An elegant and sophisticated afternoon High Tea is served once a week. Guests are welcomed with a glass of Australia sparkling wine and then offered a selection of teas, pastries and cakes before a private musical performance.

To make an evening of it, you feast on a fine dining experience in the Bennelong Restaurant contained in the front two shells of the Opera House with spectacular views of Sydney’s skyline followed by an evening show just steps away in the Concert Hall or Opera Theater.

So, it’s actually a day and a night at the Opera House.

It is possible to climb to the very summit of the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge as part of a small group adventure. If you look closely, you can see people in clusters climbing up along the top throughout the day. Your guide will take you across catwalks, up several ladders and finally along a walkway to the very top. From there, you have a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the entire harbor at dawn, dusk or any time in between. Night tours are also conducted for a different perspective. On a clear day, with a 360-degree view, it’s like being at the top of the world.

Participants are briefed and dressed in uniform gray jumpsuits before being attached to a safety line that runs the course. This is a functioning bridge with vehicular traffic as well as trains that rumble across below. Therefore, distractions from the climbers are minimized as much as possible. Anything that could dangle or drop such as jewelry or accessories has to be removed and stored in a locker at the base until you return. Personal cameras are not allowed but company photos will be available for purchase.

A few words of advice: I recommend any time other than midday due to the potential heat. You can work up quite a sweat in those jumpsuits! The gradient is not as steep as it appears. However, this activity may NOT be enjoyed by anyone who is seriously afraid of heights or uncomfortable walking and climbing for an extended period of time. There’s only one way up and one way down.

Welcome to the vibrant  and cosmopolitan city of Sydney. The Sydney International is a large modern airport with fast and convenient connections downtown. The Sydney Harbor waterfront is the place to stay to be in the center of all the action. The central business district sits directly behind this area.

There are several fine city hotels to choose from around Circular Quay, a main public transportation hub for ferries, buses and trains. My favorite hotel is the Sydney Inter-Continental with the historic former treasury building as its foundation. This is a stylish boutique-style hotel with contemporary and classic design elements. I’ve enjoyed having morning breakfast or evening cocktails with friends in the rooftop club lounge and deck with a panoramic view of  the Harbor Bridge, Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens all at the same time.

The bustling and energetic harbor waterfront houses all types of businesses from coffee bars to fine seafood restaurants; souvenir shops to elegant boutiques;  plus museums and galleries to keep you entertained.

Tonight, let’s walk around the harbor to The Rocks area. I know a friendly  aussie pub where we can chat with locals and visitors over some “fish and chips and a pint”. Tomorrow, we’ll return for a guided walking tour of this historic neighborhood with its colonial era buildings and learn about the arrival of the first Europeans and their impact on the local aboriginal population.

G’Day, mate. Greetings from the Land Down Under.

The vast and varied island continent of Australia is approximately the size of the United States. It is wider across than the distance from New York to Los Angeles with a population of 20 million people, largely concentrated in coastal areas.

Los Angeles is the main U.S. gateway to the South Pacific with direct flights to Tahiti, Fiji, the Cook Islands, New Zealand and Australia. When I speak about travel time, I am measuring from this departure point.

Many people have the misconception that Australia is at the bottom of the world and a full day’s journey away. Flight time from Los Angeles to Sydney is 14 hours, comparable to the flight times for Europe from our West Coast.

Undara lava tube

Once you arrive, prepare yourself for a kaleidoscope of colors in Australia’s diverse terrain: luscious green rainforests; craggy red deserts, white sandy beaches and rich blue oceans.

Here, I am deep in a lava tube in the Undara region of Northern Queensland. Notice the color striations on the cave walls/ceiling.

Photo note: An additional light source was required to take this shot in the dark cavernous tunnel.

I am literally down under the ground, get it?. It’s just my quirky off-center sense of humor. You’ll get used to it.

Question: What lies at the end of the world?

pier at Le Maitai Hotel, Fakarava

Answer: Fakarava, the second largest atoll in French Polynesia with its large lagoon and pass. Not only is it a world class diving destination, it has also been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The ONLY hotel is the Le Maitai Dream Fakarava. It serves as a home base for sailing and diving excursions. You can also go down the road to “town”.

Each remote atoll has a quiet little village with only the essentials: the all important dock for the periodic supply boat; a small grocery store, more the size of a mini mart than a supermarket: a church since the missionaries had been here saving pagan souls plus a couple of snack shops and pensionsor guest houses. Fakarava is no different. I was amused by the fact that they have no bank. The money arrives each month on the supply boat.

After a few days, it is time to return to “civilization”. I will take you out to one of my favorite hideaways, Tikehau, a picture postcard atoll with pink and beaches, on a future virtual tour of private islands.

For more information, contact:
Jacintha Perera, Tahiti Tiare Specialist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

I noticed several bicycles parked at the Manihi Pearl Resort. The manager informed they that they were available for guest use free of charge.

I pondered that for a moment before I realized that we were on an island. You could take one out on a ride and pedal and explore until you were tired and ready to come back. There was nowhere to go but full circle.

You couldn’t take it off the island. It was too big and conspicuous to carry onto the small inter-island flight so theft was not a concern. And if you abandoned it, no worries, I imagined eventually someone would return it.

It’s almost time to come full circle back to Papeete where we started.
Just one more stop at the end of the world.

For more information, contact:
Jacintha Perera, Tahiti Tiare Specialist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Photo Courtesy of Tahiti Tourism

Commonly referred to as “Black Pearls”, the Tahitian cultured pearls actually come in a  rainbow of exotic jewel-toned colors. The warm lagoon waters are an ideal “broth” for incubating the oyster shells and encouraging pearl growth. The final product is influenced by water temperature, nutrients and possible pollutants. Only about 7 out of every 100 shells will produce commercial grade pearls. The value is based on several factors: size, shape, color, luster, and lack of defects.

You will see many local residents, both men and women, wearing Tahitian pearls on a daily basis. There is a plethora of pearl shops in downtown Papeete as well as boutiques at major resorts and on cruise ships.

My favorite local designer is the lovely and talented Tahia Collins, a resident of the island of Moorea, now an internationally acclaimed jewelry designer. Her elegant exclusive creations can be viewed in boutiques throughout the islands.

I am blessed to have several Tahitian pearls and look forward to adding to my collection over time. They are the perfect mermaid’s jewels after all.

For more information, contact:
Jacintha Perera, Tahiti Tiare Specialist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Meanwhile, above water, an employee gives a fascinating talk, alternating in both English and French for foreign visitors, about the lengthy & labor-intensive process involved in pearl cultivation. It’s hard WORK and unlike the finished product, there’s nothing glamorous about it.

A professional grafter imbeds a “seed”, a small bead, in each black pearl oyster as an irritant to initiate the growth process. The live oysters are tended with care over a 3 year period – periodically inspected, cleaned, lowered/raised as necessary – as layers of organic matter are built up coating that nucleus. Then the final harvesting reveals the tiny percentage of valuable pearls actually produced and suitable for sale.

For more information, contact:
Jacintha Perera, Tahiti Tiare Specialist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597

Photo Courtesy of Tahiti Tourism

Commercial fishing, mother-of-pearl production and copra (coconut) plantations were once the mainstays of activity in the Tuamotus. Now that has been replaced by the much more lucrative enterprise of pearl farming.  Today, there are over 300 pearl farms throughout the archipelago. Many are family-owned and operated on isolated motus.

It is possible to visit one of the 30+ black pearl farms around Manihi. Below the surface of the clear blue lagoon,  clusters of individual oysters dangle down along long lines, filtering water and nutrients that may eventually nurture a beautiful pearl.

photo courtesy of Tahiti Tourisme

For more information, contact:
Jacintha Perera, Tahiti Tiare Specialist
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
(916) 897-9597