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On April 11, 2006, we drove down the M1 from Dundalk and entered the thriving world of Dublin. As so often
has happened on this trip (like every day) we got something of a late start and so entered the Dublin area about 4:00 pm.
Talk about full-on rush hour. The days of sleepy Dublin town are solidly in the past. We can say, without reservation, that
we saw more cranes erecting more buildings in the greater Dublin area then anywhere else we travelled on this trip. Everywhere
you look are signs of a growing economy, from new and huge shopping malls to the types of cars on the road. Dublin is happening.
After struggling through the traffic we took a long and winding road to our hotel, which was advertised as an 18th
century castle. As it turned out, it was a cross between the Dalkeith Palace we had just left in Edinburgh and the old King's
Castle Hotel in Lake Tahoe -- old world staid meets Neveda kitsch. However, it was exactly what the kids were looking
for. An actual castle that was built before the U.S. was a country (1741 was the date over the door), with a huge grassy
area in front to sword fight and play soccer, both of which were done in abundance.
"The castle" as we took to calling
it was located in the little town of Dalkey, just south of Dublin. Dalkey had everything you could want in a small
Irish town -- history galore and pubs. What more could you ask for? There are seven castles in Dalkey, all in various
states of disrepair. The Goat Castle housed the Dalkey historical center which not only gave good history of the town but
had an extensive exhibit dedicated to a local celebrity, James Joyce (more about him later). Just walking through town gave
one an idea of Ireland's history.
Another great feature about Dalkey and The Castle was that they are located on a
hill. Around the corner from the hotel was a park which led to the top of hill (of course containing another old castle) and
wonderful views of the outskirts of Dublin and surrounding area to the north and the Irish Sea to the east and south. You
can see why Bono and Enya have places in Killiney.
We travelled into Dublin city twice during our stay. Once we took
a bus tour of the town. It took us round to all the sights, including Trinity College, where we got off and saw The Book of
Kells as well as an exhibit on Samuel Beckett (more on him later). Also included on the tour was the Guinness Brewery, the
most visited tourist sight in Dublin. As with everyone else on the bus, we got off there, but refrained from spending the
13 Euros for the tour, which included a glass of Guinness at the end. Instead we spent the money at the gift shop, and still
had enough for a pint at the local pub in Dalkey after.
Our second visit to Dublin was on Easter Sunday for the parade
commerating the 90th anniversary of the Easter Uprising. It was the first time in 30 years there had been a military parade
in Dublin because of The Troubles up north. And military it was. We figured every soldier, sailor, and pilot who wasn't on
duty abroad was in the parade. Alas, no clowns or floats but with over 120,000 in attendance, we had another chance to
mingle and chat with the locals. Dublin was also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Beckett while
we were there. We didn't go to any of the performances but the sign advertising a performance of Waiting for Godot got a chuckle.
Before leaving Dalkey we brushed up on our James Joyce history. Bill extended his knowledge by
visiting the James Joyce Museum, which is located in a Martello Tower which was built in the early 19th century when
the British were afraid that Napoleon was going to invade Ireland. Joyce apparently lived in the Tower for two weeks.
This is also the location of the opening scene of Joyce's Ulysses. Don't know about living in a place with so few windows
though.
From here we head South working our way to Blarney in County Cork. However, before we "kiss the Blarney
Stone" we want to see what Snoopy was going on about when he sings, "It's a long way to Tipperary."
Our castle hotel and part of the field of play in front.
Goat Castle, downtown Dalkey, Ireland.
The view from the hill toward the north and Dublin at sunset.
The statute of Daniel O'Connell at the head of O'Connell Street with "The Needle" and the General Post Office behind
him.
The Oberly boys at the center of the universe.
Part of the Easter Parade, Dublin, 2006.
Still waiting.
The Martello Tower housing the James Joyce Museum.
Good Friday, April 14, 2006, Dalkey, Ireland. We are in a darling suburb outside of Dublin.
Depending on who you talk to in Ireland, today is either Good Friday or Disaster Friday. The Irish definition of Good
Friday is what you expect, laced with lots of religion. The Irish definition of Disaster Friday is laced with serious
depression - NO PUBS ARE OPEN TODAY, leading to further depression because NO GUINNESS IS BEING SERVED. The
ying and yang of this lovely land.
The first picture is a sculpture at the entrance to the ferry terminal in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
We spent 24 hours in Belfast but it felt like a lot more. The sky was gray which set a somber tone to what looked to
be a city in transition. Belfast was facinating and depressing. It has an aura which words cannot adequately
describe.
We left the hotel in hopes of visiting some of the local sights via our feet. Liam and Dillon
had some serious energy to burn. We had read about the Peace Wall which is literally a wall erected between the
two neighborhoods -Protestant vs. Catholic. The hotel clerk made two things very clear to us: (1) This is
not an area you get out and walk around; and (2) Driving our rental car was out of the question and she strongly recommended
us taking a taxi tour. That meant sitting in a car for about an hour. Not a good way to release energy.
We opted for directions to a local park and went and played tag for a couple of hours.
Now we were ready for our Black Taxi Tour. Incredible. Our taxi driver first took us to Shankill
Road which was the 100% Protestant neighborhood. There we saw mural after mural of paramilitary groups aimed at intimidating
and glorifying the Protestant cause. Our driver was an older gentleman who was born and raised in Shankill.
He knew intimate details about the murals and their messages which seem to bring them to life. In fact, it
felt like there was more life in the murals than on the streets. Very eerie feeling. I can't imagine
this does much for the local property values.
Our next stop was the Peace Wall. It definately didn't seem very peaceful. The Wall
was made of concrete and approximately 12-15 high with two layers of fencing added after the original construction in
an effort to keep the bombs out. The Wall went on as far as the eye could see. We entered into the 100% Catholic
neighboorhood referred to as Falls Road through gates that, even now, close promptly at 10:00 p.m. and
reopen at 5:30 a.m., seven days a week. The Catholic neighborhood was strikingly different in that there seemed
to be more life, more color, and way more people out and about. There were less murals here and their messages seemed
to instill hope rather than fear. Incredible history.
Needless to say when the Black Taxi Tour was over, the Oberly family was done. We were spent in a
way that couldn't even be compared to Vietnam, unless you ask Liam. Back to the hotel, a bite to eat, into our rental
car, and we were gone like a freight train. We crossed the border into Ireland without any fan fair or even a border
crossing. We stopped at the first 3-star hotel we could find. Cheated death one more time.
April 8, 2006 And the Oberly Family find themselves in Edinburgh, Scotland. We say Scotland
because the Scots only reluctantly admit they are part of the United Kingdom. But that is for another discussion, at
another time.
We landed, or rather detrained, from the Eurostar train under the Chunnel at Waterloo Station in London
on March 31. As sad as we were to leave the Continent, the boys were excited to be able to read the signs, and speak
the language, again.
Our stay in London was brief. We will return there again at the end of our trip. We began our
northward trek in our newly rented Ford Mondero wagon. This is our first station wagon of the trip and is care of a
clerk at the Heathrow Airport Hertz office who took a look at our reservation and our luggage, and upgraded us from the car
we had reserved to the wagon.
From London our trail took us north on the M1 to Northhampton, Nottingham, and Durham. Nottingham,
the home of Robin Hood and the start of the English Civil War, took the largest amount of our time. We toured Nottingham
Castle. But the bulk of our time was spent in battle with the wood swords purchased at the Castle. Boys will
be boys, and the prospect of fighting with swords in a field outside a 500 year old castle just couldn't be resisted.
Nottingham is also the home of the legend of Robin Hood which leads all boys to flights of fantasy.
Our destination on this part of the trip was Edinburgh, and a rendevous with Bill's cousin Jim Oberly, his
wife Louise and son Peter. Jim is a history professor at University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. He has taken a semester
away from his home campus and is teaching at a program called University of Wisconsin in Scotland.
Our time with Jim, Louise and Peter was wonderful. Peter, who is 14, was great with the boys
which allowed the parents to spend some great time together. It didn't hurt that they are living in a 50 room "castle"
originally built by Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch in the 1660's called Dalkeith Palace. The place was magical to visit,
topped only by the warm hospitality of the Oberly family in Scotland.
We spent time exploring Dalkeith Palace which is filled with all sorts of interesting stuff, climbed "Arthur's
Seat" which is a peak formed by the old volcano which originally dominated the Edinburgh skyline, toured Edinburgh Castle,
walked the Buccleuch propterty (still owned by the current Duke of Buccleuch) and toured Edinburgh. The best part of
all was spending time with Jim, Louise and Peter. Edinburgh was a memorable stop for the Oberly Family.
But like all good things, this one must end. Tomorrow we have reservations on a ferry from Stranrear,
Scotland to Belfast, Northern Ireland. And the next part of the adventure.
Repelling the siege.
Death to all who dare enter here.
Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Nottingham, England
Dalkeith Palace. Dalkeith, Scotland
Clan Oberly. As well as the usual suspects, in order of appearance right to left, Louise, Jim and Peter Oberly.
Arthur's Seat. Edinburgh, Scotland. Boy is it windy at the top.
The entry to Edinburgh Castle. The guards are left to right, Robert the Bruce, Dillon the Oberly, Liam the Oberly
and Wallace. Edinburgh, Scotland.
March 27, 2006 Paris, France.
Ahhh, Paris in the Springtime. Trees are beginning to bud which will lead to blossoms of many colors.
Sidewalk cafes are getting out the chairs and tables. Police are attaching riot shields to their vans and sighting
in the water canons to be used on peaceful demonstrators!!
These are some of the FREE tourist sights that are available in Paris.
Our first full day out began with a "walk in the rain" along the Seine River heading toward the Eiffel Tower.
When the Tower disappeared in the clouds, we changed our direction and ended up at an awesome science museum called CITE.
We struck gold there as they were hosing a huge Star Wars exhibition. It began in the fall of 2005 and was running
through August 2006. We spent 2 hours walking around this one exhibit and enjoying reading the English
version of what we were seeing. Liam and Dillon know quite a bit about Star Wars and it felt like we had our
own personal tour guides with us through out the exhibit.
By the time we left the CITE and exited the subway the huge demonstration at the Bastille, five blocks
from our hotel, was over and the action had moved elsewhere. We found throughout our stay in Paris that you could
be in the same city as demonstrations - involving hundreds of thousands of people - and basically be unaffected.
Even the subway trains we rode. They were a little slower and more crowded but they were running.
Our next day in Paris was another attempt at a city tour. Our chosen mode of transportation was a
boat on the Seine. It was like a bus with on again, off again privileges so we could check out all the sights.
The first was Notre Dame. We went in the cathedral, gawked at the freizes and carvings on the outside and
then went up the bell towers. Great view of the city and of gargoyles. From there, back on the boat past the Louvre,
the bridge to the Arc de Triumph and on down to the Eiffel Tower. We took the elevator up to the second
level. Our hopes were to get to the top of the Tower but it was closed due to too many people. You could eventually
get to the top but you had to wait in line on the second floor. The elevator was taking people up to the top as
other folks were done and wanting to come back down. The line on the 2nd floor was hours long. We didn't
wait. We'll try again some other trip. We had a snack and opted to take the stairs down the Eiffel
Tower to the solid ground below! Back on the boat and back to the hotel.
The next day Bill got out early and went to see the Musee Rodin, which he reported was awesome.
Great bronze sculptures in a peaceful garden. All his big hits. And right across the street was Les Invalides
which houses the crypt of Napoleon, his brother, the King of Rome (Nap's son) and Marshal Foch. Impressive final resting
places. Back by subway and back out to CITE to investigate the biometric exhibit. Boys loved it. Learned
about that and a great exhibit on genes. On our way back when we came up from the subway into Gare de Lyon we
noticed an inordinate number of people milling. Turns out the demonstrators had earlier decided to, en mass, walk on
to the train tracks. Stopped all trains for the rest of the night. Once again, we could have been in another city.
Our only concern was whether it would disrupt our travel the next day.
It didn't. We got on the Eurostar on time and took the train under the English Channel, through the
Chunnel. It was....well, dark. Nothing exciting but we can say we did it. We arrived in Great Britian
the afternoon of March 31. Both Liam and Dillon seemed quite excited to be reading English signs again. I
think it re-opened their world back to a level they were use to. Reading is a good thing.
We will add pictures of Paris as soon as we can and will write an entry about Turin in the Trip
Log. We were getting behind and before we got too far we decided to catch up.
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LOG ON SOON FOR OUR VERSION OF LIFE DURING THE PARIS RIOTS.
And so, leaving Pont du Gard, we take a left turn on the A7 and head through south east France. The
drive basically goes up the Rhone River valley on the motorway. A couple of things about the motorway. First,
no matter how fast you are going, it isn't fast enough for some people. Second, you have to pay to play. You keep
reaching into your pockets when you reach the toll booths to keep going. Third, if the road seems to disappear on the
map for a while, it means you are going into a tunnel through a mountain. It was a pretty easy drive into Geneva, though.
It was great to see Tad and Martine again. And, after much hemming and hawing, it was decided we would
eat in and Martine disappeared into the kitchen and threw together a meal which couldn't be beat. She is a magician
in the kitchen.
And that night we had our first experience with downtown Geneva. You see, Tad and Martine live in
the very center of Geneva. It has many benefits, not the least of them being how beautiful the city is in its center.
One of the drawbacks is the weekend attraction of young people to the center of the city. Veterans like Tad and Martine
have become accustomed to Geneva weekends. Rookies, like us, end up staying up all night due to the tremendous amount
of noise that the Geneva youth make due to the bars being open all night (or so it seems) so there is quite a bit of
drinking and taking to the streets to yell at each other. One thing we can say about the Swiss, they can be
loud.
The next morning dawned sunny, however, March in Geneva is not warm. Tad and Martine put off their
Sunday run so they could take us to a wonderful place. We all piled into the cars and headed for Divonne, a playground
for children of all ages.
Tad and Martine went for their run around the man made lake there. Bill acted as a governer on their
first lap of the 3 k. track. Tad took a second lap much faster. We still don't know how many laps Martine completed.
From there we went over to Forestland, a place Tad had insisted existed but that others were not so sure
about. But Forestland does exist, and what a fun place. It is certainly a place which wouldn't exist in the U.S.
With nary a release to be signed, the family was given harnesses, carabiners, and pulleys and let loose on a forest full of
platforms and steel cables. The idea was to make it safely through the trees once you began. Their were no
guides and no explanations. Just you, your gear and the steel cables 10 feet above the ground. And what fun.
It reminded us all of the canopy tours in Costa Rica, minus the guides and jungle. Lots of time zip lining
and walking on cables through the trees. The family agreed it was a great time. And to finish it all off, we stopped
at the small carnival by the lake for a little bumper car action and some balloon shooting. The day was capped off by
a fine dinner at a little place around the corner from Tad and Martine's flat.
That night was Sunday night and all was quiet, thank goodness. However Monday morning was
recycle day. All the bottles consumed by the youth of Geneva were taken to collection centers for recycling. Guess
who lives right above a collection center. Now that would explain the crashing glass sound which started at 6 a.m.
But another beautiful day dawned in Geneva. This was get away day and goodbye day to Tad and Martine.
It was incredible to see them again. They showed us tremendous hospitality and made our first stops in Europe memorable.
It won't be such a long time before we see them again, but we know that means we have to come back to Europe as is will be
a cold day in Nice before they come back to Alaska.
Before leaving Geneva we took the advise of Tad and Martine and toured their fair city. We began with
the old city, which is a warren of small streets filled with old buildings, shops and cafes. It was like being is a
fairy tale walking around those streets. Up the cathedral tower we went to get a great view of the city. From
there we crossed the Rhone to the other side of Lake Geneva and walked the streets on that side. We knew it was a little
less like a fairy tale when we saw the Starbucks. But still a fascinating place to explore, between the old buildings
and the statutes and the river front. Geneva is a beautiful city which should be on everyone's itinerary. We will
be back.
And so our short stay in Switzerland comes to an end. Great friends. Great times. On to
our stop. New town, new country - Turin, Italy.
Geneva and its famous landmark fountain in the lake.
Cafe life in the beautiful city of Geneva.
The Swiss think of everything. Now remember, no peeing in the park.
Geneva's wonderful combination of old and new architecture.
Potable water fountains found on the streets of Geneva.
Liam doing just one of the many fun things at Forestland as Dillon and Vicky wait.
Friends saying see you again soon we hope.
Having left Nice in the rear view mirror of our sporty Opel Astra, we head west to the city of Nimes. First of all, to all
those of you who say there is no such thing as a sporty Opel, well you might be right. But the car has no trouble making
and exceeding the 130 kph (about 80 mph) speed limit on the French roads. It is, however, a bit cramped with all of the things
the family now needs to travel with.
The 170 mile trip took us about 3 hours with all stops. Once in Nimes we followed the excellant directions given us to
the home of Bill's friend since third grade, Bob DeVoe, and Danielle. Danielle is a French school teacher who grew up and
has lived in Nimes. She is an adventurer, having met Bob in Alaska. A wonderful meal of French delicacies greeted us. More
then we deserved.
Nimes was a wonderful stop. We spent our first day there touring the city, and especially the Roman coliseum there.
It is the best preserved example of a Roman coliseum anywhere and, in fact, is still used for concerts and bull fights. The
audio tour of the coliseum sparked interest in both boys in Roman history. Could reports for school next year be about Roman
history? Vicky, Bill and Bob also learned a lot about gladiators, like we were sure glad we weren't them. It was too cool
sitting on the same seats used by the Romans 2,000 years ago.
The next day we took a trip to the beach house used by Danielle and Bob in a town called La Grande Motte (or as Bob calls
it LGM). On the way we stopped at Aigues Mortes, a walled city built by King Louis IX as a embarcation point for the 7th
Crusade. Once again, a sturring place to visit. The walls of the city are in amazing shape. You can almost hear the horses
and soldiers passing under the arches. As Liam said, I could live here. We bought swords there which provided hours of entertainment
on the beaches of LGM. We walked the beaches of LGM and then headed back to Nimes and a celebration of St. Patrick's Day.
Danielle, Bob and Bill went to a local Irish pub for a wee dram and a bit of Irish music. Ian McCamy and the Irish Reelers.
Pretty good music.
March 18 was our get away day from Nimes. But before they would let us leave Danielle and Bob had to show us one more
sight, the aqueduct at Pont du Gard. Again, another beautiful piece of architecture in amazing surroundings. Danielle and
Bob were tremendous hosts and it was great to see them again. We hope to see them in Alaska this summer.
As we left Pont du Gard we said goodbye to our friends there and headed north east to see our friends in Geneva, Martine
and Tad. If those names seem familiar, they were the folks who were so nice to us in Nice. And so we head for neutral (and
cold) Switzerland.
The outside of the coliseum in Nimes. 2,000 year old structure. They just don't make them like they used to.
The inside of the Roman coliseum in Nimes and part of the city behind. You use the same stairs as the Romans.
The walled city of Aigues Mortes built by Louis IX. Don't know who he was keeping out, but it sure would have been hard to
get inside if not invited.
Bill and Bob in Aigues Mortes. They look just like they did when they graduated from high school.
The battles at Aigues Mortes move to the beaches of La Grande Motte.
The well preserved aquaduct at Pont du Gard. It no longer carries water although you can walk across it.
The well preserved visitors to Pont du Gard.
It is March 14, and our last full day in Nice. As we said before, this has been a wonderful place to
spend some time. A bit early for all Nice has become known for, the temperature is in the 50s and 60s so its coat weather
even on the beach, but still it is sun in the fun.
Nice is action alley. There is always something going on. One morning we woke up and looked
out of the the living room window toward the Mediterranean Sea and saw tables with white table cloths starting in front of
the apartment and heading off east as far as the eye could see. We surmized it was a Guiness record attempt at the world's
longest baggette. Investigation proved us wrong. Instead it was a fruit tarte that had to be a half a mile long.
A piece cost one Euro and the proceeds went to cancer research at the Nice hospital. Had to buy two pieces. Always
suckers for a good cause, and, oh darn, we got a piece of fruit tarte out of the deal.
Nice is a wonderful mix of the old and the new. The old city, with buildings dating back hundreds
of years, has a market every day. Most days it is full of fresh fruit, vegtables, spices, flowers and all other
manner of wonderful things. On Saturday Tad, Martine and Bill spent two and a half hours combing the market to buy the
fixings for a Mexican meal. We even found chile peppers in the very last stall. Supplemented by a few items
from the super market, a Mexican meal came together and was enjoyed by all. Long time since we had Mexican
food and Tad and Martine assured us the Mexican restaurants in Nice leave something to be desired, like the Mexican food.
We tried to watch the movie Syriana, which we bought in Vietnam. As it turned out, and this is no joke, we think the
version was pirated by someone who took a camera into the theatre and filmed it from there, ala Kramer in Seinfeld.
No subtitles for the Arabic as those were out of the camera's view, so we missed a lot of the story. And the guy's head
which kept popping up in the lower corner of the picture sometimes got in the way.
Sunday was spent following the end of the Paris to Nice bike race, won by an American named Landis, maybe
the next Armstrong. We spent much of the day on the Promanade, watching people on bikes. As we said, Nice is action
alley. It was lots of fun for everyone. The boys got to ride bikes on a little track set up on the Promanade and
came back saying let's rent bikes. That will be in our future. It was a nice day in Nice.
The next day Tad played hookey from his job in Geneva and the six of us went to Monte Carlo and spent the
day at the Oceanographic Museum. To let you know how it was, Jacque Cousteau was the director at one time. It
was truly a wonderful experience, from the aquarium to the whale skeletons to the ocean inspired art to the replicas of Columbus'
ships (my they were small). Everyone agreed it was one of the best aquariums we have been to, and believe us, we have
been to a lot of aquariums (see prior entries on this site). We also saw the daily changing of the guards at Prince
Albert's Palace and got to compare it with the changing of the guards we saw in Suava, Fiji. They were quite differant.
All in all it was a great day in Monte Carlo.
It is with great reluctance that we leave Nice tomorrow. That is tempered somewhat by the fact that
we will see Tad and Martine again in Geneva in a few days and that we leave to head west a few hundred kilometers to visit
Bill's high school friend Bob DeVoe and his lovely friend Danielle. But that's another story for another time.
A fishing boat lingers at sunset in hopes of catching the last fish of the day. Off the coast of Nice, France.
One of the sights Nice is famous for, its beautiful shuttered windows. They are all over the city.
Certainly the longest fruit tarte we have ever seen. On the Promanade, Nice France.
Making the turn for home in the Paris to Nice bike race (not really, this is a race that was going on in Nice while waiting
for the other bikers to reach town.)
Monte Carlo from above. That big boat in the middle is the one the boys want to buy. Hope their businesses
go well.
We don't ususally take pictures of fish but the aquarium in Monte Carlo was just so great we had to.
The changing of the guards in Monte Carlo. It draws quite a crowd every day.
March 11, 2006. Saturday morning finds the Oberlys still in Nice, France and loving every minute of
it. As I sit in the internet cafe across from the Promanade it is warm, sunny, and people everywhere. There is
always something happening on the Promanade. Tomorrow we will be able to see the end of a bike race which began a few
days ago in Paris. It is due to end in Nice. Tad and Martine's second home is on the top floor with a wonderful
view of the Promonade and the Medeterenean Sea. We will be able to see the bike race from their terrace or we can walk
down and cross the street to the Promonade and feel the wind from the spokes!!
This last week has flown by. We've enjoyed being so close to the beach and have managed to get out every
day and walk by the waves. Bill taught us how to play Hearts and he's been beating all of us for a while now.
School resumed for the boys and, of course, so have the field trips.
Yesterday's field trip took us to Monte Carlo, Monaco. I love this Country. It took us 15 minutes
by train to reach Monaco and we had a great time walking along the water and eyeing all of the HUGE private yachts.
Liam and Dillon kept asking if this one was a cruise ship or that one, and when they finally realized there were NO cruise
ships docked in Monaco, they began to pick out the boat they wanted. We settled on the 3-story Lady Moura. We
were able to walk up to the castle where Prince Albert resides. It was cool to see all of the guards dressed to the
nines outside of the castle. We were headed to an aquarium when the boys spotted another play area. They managed
to talk their dad into going into the Napoleon museum while they went to explore. Someone had to stay with the boys,
so I was able to hang out in the sun and watch children play. Oh darn! :) I love listening to the French speak.
We do a lot of communicating by smiling. We ended up staying too long in Monaco as we caught the train back to Nice
during rush hour. Not the same 15-minute train experience we had earlier in the day. We stood the whole time -
because we had to - and this ride took 25 minutes. Oh well. I think we will be going back to Monaco in the
next day or two.
Tad and Martine returned to Nice last night to hang out with us some more. They live in Geneva, Switzerland,
and it is wonderful to have them here. Bill is going to cook a Mexican dinner tonight for everyone and then the adults are
going to crowd around the laptop and watch a movie. Liam and Dillon are quite excited as this means they will be
able to play Star Wars or some other computer game on the other machine. My closing line today is this: Nice is nice!!
Merci.
We are back travelling lightly - NOT!! We're not sure where the expansion occurred but think it was sometime
after Australia. We're waiting at the Gare De Lyon to catch our train to Nice.
March 4, 2006 - Paris, France
The view from our temporary home. I guess temporary is the key word here!
March 5, 2006 - Nice, France
A casual hike after a wonderful lunch to see a thousand-year old Olive tree. Our hosts, Martine and Tad, and their
friends and friends' dog.
March 6, 2006 - Nice, France
Liam and Dillon perched in the thousand-year old Olive tree.
March 6, 2006 - Nice, France
We walked to the end of the Promonade and up many flights of steps in anticipation of finding an old castle. As
it turns out, there is no castle but drop-dead georgeous views.
March 7, 2006 - Nice, France
To Liam and Dillons' delight - a play area. We've been back two other times since this picture was taken.
Imagine a game of tag "on the ropes" with your parents. Mom lost.
March 7, 2006 - Nice, France
We celebrated our 10-year anniversary in February, we've been travelling together for six months, 24/7, WITH two children,
and we're still smiling.
March 7, 2006 - Nice, France
March 9, 2006
Bonjour to everyone from the French Riveria!! We arrived in Nice a week ago and it was worth the time
and effort it took to get here from Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam. The transition schedule went something like this: March
1 we leave from Saigon, Vietnam and arrive Hong Kong 2 plus hours later. It's about 3:00 p.m. when we arrive Hong Kong
and we settle in at the YMCA in Kowloon about 5:30. The restaurant in the YMCA not only had a wonderful dinner
buffet but a front-row seat to the City's nightly sound and light show. Absolutely beautiful! For more information
on this event, check in the Guiness Book of World Records for light shows.
The next day, March 2, we wake up and beg for a late check out. The YMCA graciously grants us until
1:00 p.m. to get out. That only leaves 10 hours and 45 minutes until we have to catch the plane from Hong Kong to Paris.
What to do? We found a space museum and took our time going through the exhibits. We walked the streets of Kowloon
in search of warmer clothes for France. We walked some more streets in Kowloon after finding the warmer clothes.
We walked to a supermarket and looked for some snacks to eat on the airplane. We walked some more . . .!! Finally
it was time to eat dinner. We found a TGI Friday's and had a leisurely dinner. We're down to 3 hours and 30 minutes
until the plane departs. We decide it's time to give our feet a break and catch the train to the airport. Mind
you we are feeling very smug as we were able to check all of our luggage to Paris upon arriving in Hong Kong the day before.
No need to show up 2 hours early but what the heck, we'll show up 3 hours early. Not the same Oberly family that left
SeaTac oh so long ago.
There is 15 minutes left in March 2, 2006, and we take off from Hong Kong headed for Paris, France.
We have 13 hours on a Boeing 747 to get to know one another better. We got lucky and were assigned 4 seats in the
middle isle and Bill and I strategically placed ourselves on each end in anticipation of Liam and Dillon going to sleep.
Ha! Two movies and 1 cartoon later that goal was met. They managed to stay up until 5:00 a.m.!! Unfortunately
that meant their parents also stayed up until 5:00 a.m. and then the boys stretched out, as best they could, and passed out. Needlessto
say, Bill and I got very little sleep, if any, and when the boys woke up, we were all still stuffed in our assigned seats. Luckily
the ground crew remembered to put gas in the plane and she landed on time in Paris at 6:00 a.m., March 3.
Two hours later we were checking into our hotel by the train station and heading for the buffet breakfast.
It was beautiful. Coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, scrambled eggs, yougart, bacon, sausage, cereals, fresh fruit,
and croissants of all make and kind!! I nearly cried but I was too tired and too excited for more food to give in to
that emotion. We don't unpack as we still have a 6-hour train ride to Nice the following morning. I crashed for
4 hours in the early afternoon while Bill took the boys swimming and checking out the hotel. By 7:00 p.m. Liam and Dillon
were barely hanging on and almost fell asleep in their pasta. We were all in bed asleep, except Billo, by 8:30.
March 4 finds us up early so we can do one more breakfast buffet before leaving on the 9:25 a.m. train
to Nice. Luckily we were literally right next door to the train station so it was a short distance to haul all
of our luggage and carry on bags. We made the train with 10 minutes to spare and relaxed for the next 6 hours. Paris
was cold as we were able to see our breaths outside and we actually saw snow within 30 minutes of leaving the train station.
The snow was short lived and then nothing but green, european countryside. Wonderful old farm houses and small
clusters of houses surrounded by acres of farm land. We arrived Nice without any incident and once we hauled our bags
downstairs (no elevator) we were able to greet hour hosts properly. Tad and Martine met us at the train station
and escorted us to their wonderful apartment on the Promnade. Whew!! Not only is the view of the
French Riveria georgeous, it's short-sleeve weather when you're in the sun!! That's all for now. I tried
to keep it short, honest. Merci and Avoir.
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO VICKI HAND!! :)
February 22 finds us in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. We ran into an elderly gentleman riding
a bicycle who told us, "No Ho Chi Minh, Saigon." So we guess there is still some resistance to the new name
even after thirty years.
The flight from Hue to HCMC was uneventful except for the smoke pouring out of the overhead racks while
we waited for the doors to close. As it turned out it wasn't smoke rather condensation from the airconditioning, but
it was hard to convince Vicky we weren't in trouble before we even got off the ground.
HCMC is definitely differant then the other two cities we have visited in Vietnam. You notice
this immediately because of the number of cars on the road, and the lack of bicycles. Liam counts the bicycles
we see on the forty-five minute ride from the airport to the hotel and gets to about forty. That was the number
we saw in half a block in Hue or Hanoi. The differance is also seen from the drive in. While Hue and Hanoi
airports were a forty-five minute ride through countryside with pastoral scenes of rice paddies and the cows
grazing in the grass, HCMC is a forty-five minute ride through city traffic. Same country, differant century.
Our first big venture out was to the Ben Thanh Market. Truly, if you can't find it here, you don't
need it. It's a city block square, filled with stall after stall, each about six feet wide. It's hard to estimate
how many hundreds of stalls there were. And each one wanted your Dong (the Vietnamese currency). "What are you
looking for?" "Come in and look here." It was a constant barrage. After a few hours of walking through
the market we walked out with nothing. Of course, that wasn't the last time we shopped there. We discovered one
of the reasons for so many shops when we travelled to the shoe street. Shop after shop selling only shoes, mostly
the same ones. However, when we tried to shop we found one shop only carried sizes 30 and 31. Next store, only
size 32. Where was the 34 store?
Our hotel, the Palace Hotel, had a fine, roof-top swimming pool that the boys swam in almost every afternoon.
It was an oasis from the HEAT of HCMC. The temperature hovered around 90 degrees every day. Add to that the humidity,
and the pool always was a joy.
The next day we took a somber trip to the War Remnants Museum. Unlike the museums we saw in Hanoi,
this museum was dedicated, in large part, to the tragedy of the Vietnam war. This included a wing dedicated to
the western photo journalists who were killed while covering the war (which the kids went through) and pictures of the
impact of the war on the civilian population of Vietnam (which we kept the boys out of). It was a very sobering
experience for us all and can not be adequately described here. Everyone should go to this museum before they
express any opinion about waging a war on foreign soil.
HCMC was also the staging ground for our trip to the beach in Vietnam. The closest beach
to HCMC is Vung Tao. It has been a destination since the French were there. It was certainly an experience.
It will never be compared to the white sand beaches of Hawaii. The trip there was great, though. Down
the Saigon River which is the life line to the city and the people in the area. Huge ships share the river with
small canoe like boats being powered by poles. Groups of five or six boats tied together fish the river.
The amount of action on the water is mind boggling. Weaving its way through all this, is the hydrofoil which takes you
to Vung Tao. A gentleman on the boat said the hydrofoil was probably made in Hanoi during the war, but it got us
there and back.
March 1 and it is time to leave HCMC and see Vietnam in our rear view mirror. It is with mixed feelings
that we leave. The heat and the attention the boys received made it uncomfortable at times. However, it
is a fascinating land with a long and interesting history. And, like many other less developed parts of the world,
it is the future. Today's paper said Intel is going to build a maufacturing and testing facility here. What's
next? For us, Hong Kong and Paris.
NOTE TO READERS: The photos shown below represent our time
spent in Hue.
Life in Hue isn't all hard work, at least not for this broom salesman.
Life on the Perfume River. Like motorhomes, these boats are homes, transportation and ways to earn a living.
Hue, Vietnam.
This may seem like an easy way to get around but you are the front of the vehicle in traffic. Was surprisingly
relaxing all things considered. Hue, Vietnam.
Now that is a big rear end. The elephant's I mean. Like the Raj of old. The Citadel, Hue, Vietnam.
The only way to travel. Not only do they look like royalty, the ride like it too. The Citadel, Hue, Vietnam.
This is the fort in front of the Citadel in Hue. An impressive looking structure.
Easy Rider 2006-The people of Hue should be afraid, very afraid.
Not So Easy Rider 2006- I mean very afraid.
Saturday evening, February 25, 2006, finds the Oberly clan in an internet cafe in Ho Chi Minh City.
We all have our own machine and are busy working on important projects. We had quite a field trip today visiting the
War Museum here but I'm going to leave the bulk of that description for Bill. I only want to say that what we saw
today regarding the Vietnam war drove all of us to the brink of tears and over at times. As Liam said, "The other side
of the story."
I also wanted to finish the log of our Hue days. When I last left this site, I had attempted
to describe what it's like to ride a moped in Viet Nam. Our first day was the longest rental - 4 hours. During
that time we ended up going to see the Citidal, the Ancient capitol of Viet Nam during the Nguyen Dynasty. Quite
a remarkable place. It's totally surrounded by a moat and at one time must have been very, very beautiful. Unfortunately,
Hue and the Citidal saw some tremendous destruction during the Viet Nam war. Bummer. Some of the buildings
remained and there was construction happening within the walls to try and rebuild what was destroyed. We didn't
walk around too much as we wanted to get back to our "rides" but we did test out another form of transportation while we were
there. Elephant riding!!! We teamed up in twos, and took an elephant ride around the Citidal. Bill
and Dillon were on a HUGE elephant that plodded along in front of Liam and I. We had "drivers" so that was nice.
You just sat back and got into the groove of the elephant's hind quarters!! Quite a view from up top though!!
We took a 20-25 minute ride around the ancient capitol and then headed back to the engines!! After that stop, we
cruised around for the remaining 2 hours getting dirt and dust in our eyes and throats.
We ended up back at the Asia Hotel and delivered the mopeds back safe and sound to their owners. It
was about 5:30 p.m. and we wanted to get to the market before it closed. So we tried yet another form of transportation:
bicycle rickshaw!! Back into the chaos of the streets but at a much slower pace. The wild thing about the rickshaws
is that the bike rider is behind you. I felt a bit exposed so I put Dillon on my lap and made him the front man.
It didn't take long to get to the market which was too bad as I found myself taking a short nap on the way. Luckily we
didn't have to stay at the market too long because it was too crowded and crazy for Liam and I. Too many people
wanted to touch the boys and once Dillon said that someone tried to drag him away. Seeing as how I was right
behind him I'm surprised that I didn't see this incident, but it must have felt that way to him. I've never seen
a market like this one. Too many vendors and not enough space. You were either being bumped by someone on
either side of you, pushed from behind, or dodging to miss the person coming at you. Who could shop? I was
happy to hit the sidewalk for some breathing room which amounted to short breaths because as I've mentioned there is not much
room on the sidewalks in Viet Nam. We ended the day with our last form of transportation: walking! Very pleasant.
What a day and we still had one more full day left.
Wednesday started out really early, about 4:30 a.m., with the sounds of construction. I thought it
was happening in the room next door but it was somewhere outside, close to our hotel. The morning ended up being gobbled
up with packing, a bit of schooling, and trying to wake up. We ended up going out for lunch and trying to do some shopping
on our side street. However, around 2:00 p.m. we found ourselves back where we were the day before renting mopeds!!!!
We only rented for a couple of hours but didn't make any stops other than to let the boys try riding in an open area.
They had a blast and both are committed to trying to get a moped when we return to the States!! Anyway, we rode all
around Hue and saw some side streets that blew us away. We're pretty sure we blew away the residents, too. We
got the feeling not many motor bikes went down their street, let alone bikes with gringos on them!! We got a lot of
friendly waves along with the stares!! By the time 2 hours was over, my right hand hurt but you couldn't get the smile
off of my face. Liam was my rider the second day, too, and he was awesome. A natural!! We ended up going
out to dinner at the local pizza place, played some pool, and then went back to the hotel to pack. It was an early morning
departure on Thursday to catch a plane to Ho Chi Minh City!! We said goodby to Hue but definately took some lasting
memories with us when we left!
February 23, 2006. Good Morning Vietnam!! Remember that movie starring Robin Williams?
We're reminded of the film flick every time we walk by a t-shirt vendor as they sell shirts with that exact line on them.
We've decided not to bring one home for a souvenir!! We arrived in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh yesterday. We walked
to an internet cafe this morning and I had half a page written and the internet kicked me off. Darn the bad luck. Since
we are buying time I'm not sure how much I will get on today but rest assured we'll add more as soon as we can. I wanted
to try and describe our time in Hue (pronounced h'way).
On Monday, we flew from Ha Noi into Da Nang and then took a 2-hour van ride (complete with driver) up to
Hue. The weather was warmer than in Ha Noi and there ended up being 3 million LESS people. That was a good thing
for the kids and I. Hue is a city that seems to be spread out but that is probable due to the Perfume River
running through what seems to be the middle. There were a couple of bridges that connected one side to the other.
We stayed in the Asia Hotel and were in walking distance of many, many vendors, restaurants, and the river front. The
first night we ended up walking almost all the way across one of the bridges and then covered some miles the next day,
Tuesday. Since we only had 2 full days in Hue we decided not to go to the DMZ or any museums as they were a
ways away. Also, the traffic situation was still the same as in Ha Noi - CRAZY!! The thought of getting into a
taxi, which probably had no working seat belts, gave us a chance to think twice. No taxis for us!! However
in the afternoon after crossing numerous streets, we decided if you can't beat the moped madness, you might as well join it!!
We rented 2 mopeds for 4 hours and hit the streets!!! Liam was my passenger and Dillon hopped on behind his daddy.
What a ride!! Hue showed us the way -- moped riding. We rode like we owned a couple of machines back in Alaska
and found ourselves weaving in and out of traffic like the locals!! Incredible that no one seems to ever get in
an accident. You can literally be almost touching the foot peg of the moped next to you and your doing somewhere
between 30-40 km an hour. The turn indicator becomes your best friend second only to your horn!! That's right,
we were horn-blowin, wind in our faces, moped riders!!
February 22 and we are in Hue, Viet Nam. I'm going to leave the Ha Noi days on for a couple more days but wanted to say that
I think we successfully put on Viet Nam photos. We are unable to see the photos in Viet Nam because of a firewall but according
to Grandma Virginia, the photo pages all contain pictures. We leave tomorrow for Ho Chi Min City or Saigon and there we will
update the travel log to reflect 2 1/2 days in Hue. Bye for now.
Hello everyone from Han Noi, Han Oi,or Hanoi, Viet Nam. Today is Friday, February 17, 2006, and we have truly landed
in an unbelievable place. Talk about your ying and yang - Australia and Viet Nam. Incredible. So much to tell and I don't
know where to begin. We landed in Hong Kong on Valentine's Day because we had to. Viet Nam wouldn't let us fly directly into
their country from anywhere but Hong Kong. HK was a blip on the radar screen and then we headed to Ha Noi on Thursday, February
16. When we deplaned there were 3 fully dressed military men staring at you when you walked by. At least we all thought they
were staring at us!! It turns our, most everyone was staring at us because we stood out like a sore thumb. We tried to convince
Dillon that we were in a very different place where it was better to be seen and not heard. He didn't believe us at first,
but after seeing so many military personnel and none were smiling at him, we think it started to sink in a bit. The immigration
line wasn't long and when it was our turn, Bill went up to the counter and turned to make sure the rest of us followed. Liam
went second only to have a military man step in and, giving instructions in a language we didn't understand, communicate to
us that only 1 person at a time was allowed at the counter. Bill noted later that we were the only ones that weren't allowed
to go up "together." Gee, go figure. Anyway, it was a long wait for Bill as he was ushered through first and then
it was Liam's turn. Poor kid. The military personnel that was passing people through the immigration line made him wait a
SOLID 10 MINUTES. I was behind Liam and witness the event. Half way through, a military man came out of nowhere (I'm telling
you they were everywhere) and had Dillon go into another line. I noticed Dillon didn't try and argue or even talk!:) Dillon's
entrance "exam" took a few minutes and he was ushered through and had to wait with Bill. Back to Liam, he's still
in the same place and hasn't moved a muscle. I couldn't believe it. Liam stood straight as a board and when I asked him about
it he said to me, "They didn't talk, I didn't talk." He's such a patient kid. I was quite proud of myself, too,
as I did't say anything and waited for them to finish. I was made to stand there for 5 minutes but I took Liam's lead and
kept my mouth shut!:) That was our initial introduction into this amazing country.
We are staying at the Army Hotel - no kidding - and you just know the walls are packed full of history. I can honestly
say that there seems to be mixed emotions among the people we have dealt with regarding our presence here. It's not like we're
able to carry on a conversation or anything like that, but female intuition comes in handy and it's definately saying, keep
a low profile. I'm going to sign off with this initial introduction and add more later. Good night Viet Nam!!
Sunday, February 19, 2006. We have spent two full days in Viet Nam and it seems like a week. We leave tomorrow morning
for Danang via Viet Nam Air and then have hired a car (and hopefully driver) to take us the 2 hours to Hue. We've seen quite
a bit of Ha Noi. Yesterday we went shopping in the morning and then in the afternoon went on a half-day tour of the City.
We started out going to an ancient University that had a huge statute of Confucious among other things. Unfortunately, our
guide spoke broken English so I missed a lot of the history. I think Bill was following more closely. Our next stop took us
to Ho Chi Min's burial site. Quite a place this is. You can view their beloved President in the morning but not the afternoon.
Bill asked if he was enclosed in glass and our guide said "no." He didn't offer anything additional so we let our
imaginations run wild. We walked around Ho Chi Min's residence which was situated in the same area as his burial site. The
house is still the same mustard yellow as it was when "Uncle Ho" ruled. The Vietnamese people actually called him
Uncle Ho. We went to a military museum next and there were many photos of Ho Chi Min wherein he was referred to as Uncle
Ho. You had to look hard at the small, white placards to find the English version of what you were looking at. Some areas
didn't even bother with English. However, a picture can still speak a thousands words, even in a Communist Country - maybe
even two thousand!! We ended our tour with a stop at a pagoda and then back to the Army Hotel for dinner and bed.
I have to go back and comment on our shopping experience. It's so hard to describe the streets of Ha Noi but even more
amazing is trying to CROSS the streets of Ha Noi. Imagine I-5 or the Seward Highway during rush hour. Personally, I think
it would be easier to cross those highways than the Ha Noi streets. There is something coming at your every second. Never
a break. Most of the time it's 10,000 mopeds zipping in and out in both directions, followed by perhaps a dozen cars. You
have your local bicycle rider mixing it up with the 4-stroke engines and then you have your walkers carrying their goods across
their shoulders!!! Oh yes, every now and then there will be a bus. Most intersections have no stop signs or a stop light.
It's a free for all. No joke. The couple of intersections that did have a stop light had tons of people running the red. There
are horns honking constantly. The only rule of the road we could figure out is little yields to big. The cars honk to the
mopeds and bicycles to let them know they are coming, the mopeds honk just to see if the horn still works, every now and then
you'll hear the light bell of a bicycle rider, and the buses rumble through because they can. Get the picture? Okay, now
try and picture a family of 4 (from Alaska) trying to get across to the other side!!! We were told to just step off the sidewalk
and walk normal. Everyone and everything will go around you. It's true!! It felt like suicide the first time, second time,
third time, . . .! Dillon usually likes to take the lead but after he almost became a hood ornament, he decided to stay in
a horizontal line with the rest of us!
I'll describe the water puppet play and visiting the Army Museum after we get to Hue or Saigon. I wanted to send out a
few birthday greetings to some wonderful people. February 17 - Marcia Murray Storer; February 19 - Tracey Hand; and February
25 - Keri Oberly. A belated birthday wish to Ms. Danica Curtright and Elvis Presley on January 8; Wendy Moe-Willis on January
15; Jeff Olson on January 19; and Doreen Tudor on January 21!! Happy Anniversary to Virginia and Jim Bennett on February 10
and Vicki and Walt Hand on February 19. I apologize in advance if I'm having a senior moment with any other birthdays and/or
anniversaries!! Cheers mates!!
A bust of Ho Chi Minh, Uncle Ho. It could be almost anywhere in the country but this one is in the War Museum in
Hanoi.
And so we begin to wind down our trip to Australia. But before we go we had to make good on a promise we
made to the boys when we told them we were going to Australia. We had to go to Steve Irwin's place. Crikey!
So, we
headed back to Sydney to catch a plane to Brisbane. When we first planned the trip we were going to drive but the 1300 kilometer
trip meant we would spend more time in the car then on the ground. We knew we had left Sydney as soon as we got off the plane
in Brisbane. The jetway was the hotest one I have ever been in. Brisbane was clearly going to be hot.
We setteled
in our apartment under Story Bridge. It was literally under the bridge. We could see which rivets were working loose. It was
also right across the street from what must have been the hottest bar in Brisbane. On the weekend the noise was a roar. No
fights though. And they had good food and a pool table the boys honed their skills on.
Australia Zoo, that's Irwin's
place, is in a town called Beerwah, 70 kilometers northeast of Brisbane. The place is clearly riding the Irwin name but is
still a pretty cool place. A private zoo so things aren't cheap. But the crocodile feeding show was a big hit. As was the
open kangaroo area where you could feed the roos from your hands. Also some great snakes (Vicky skipped these exhibits and
didn't find out until we were on the way out that wild snakes pass through the zoo every week or so) and other Australian
wildlife. For Bill the hit was Harriet the tortoise, said to be the oldest living animal at 175 years. Adding to the story
was the fact that she was picked from the wild of the Galapogos Islands by none other then Charles Darwin. A good day at the
zoo.
From there we were back in Brisbane when the boys began to work on the parents. Vicky and Bill promised each
other that we would not go to the theme parks that are one of the big attractions on the Gold Coast. So, two days later were
found ourselves at Wet and Wild Waterpark and two days after that at Sea World. How's that for parental control. In between
we took the water ferry across the Brisbane River to downtown and explored. Quite a modern city with lots of new building,
but also has an old feeling to parts of it. Classic nineteenth century buildings in the shadow of the high rises.
After
a week in the greater Brisbane area we headed back to Sydney, this time staying down by Circular Quay. You never know what
you are going to run into down on the Quay, from a street entertainer juggling fire while lying on a bed of nails ten feet
in the air to a band of aboriginals playing the dij. You just never know.
So, we must say good bye to Oz. But like
every other place we have been so far it is not really good bye, just see you later.
Liam at the Australia Zoo.
February 6, 2006; Beerwah, Australia
Dillon at the Australia Zoo.
February 6, 2006; Beerwah, Australia
Harriet the Turtle at the Australia Zoo.
February 6, 2006; Beerwah, Australia
Story Bridge.
February 2006; Brisbane, Australia
Downtown Brisbane.
February 2006; Brisbane, Australia
Liam and Dillon at the water park.
February 8, 2006; Gold Coast, Australia
Liam, Aboriginal Man, and Dillon.
February 2006 at Circular Quay, Sidney, Australia
That's Katoomba in our rear view mirror as we head south. Our destination is Canberra, ACT, the captial
of Australia. It is pretty much a super highway to Canberra, which is a good thing because we have to be there by January
26, Australia Day.
Our drive to Canberra is uneventful. It sits basically out in the middle of nowhere halfway in
between Sydney and Melbourne, bacause both cities wanted to be the capital and this was the compromise. We cited our first
beware of kangaroo road signs on the way. Canberra is a modern city with modern archtecture befitting a modern capital. It
also has many sites to see, including another hands on science center which they boys found magic.
We were lucky enough
to be in Canberra on Australia Day. We saw the end of the raising of the Australian flag which included a flyover by the Australian
Airforce precision flying team. While waiting for the fireworks we walked to the Australian War Museum, which was a sobering
experience for us all. We found the Vietnam Memorial poignant as it spoke of Australia having no alternative because of its
treaties and friends as the reason it sent troops into that conflict. The multi media presentation of a bombing raid over
Berlin made both boys jump when the noise of Lancaster bomber engines firing up was heard. There was also the whimsical as
they had the Red Baron's flying boots on display. War is hell.
We caught the fireworks show over the lake which is
the center of Canberra. Nothing like pyrotechnics to finish off the day.
From Canberra we headed east to the coast.
On the way we had to drive through the mountains. As we drove it got progressively darker. Although it was 3:00 in the afternoon
it got dark. Then the rains hit, accompanied by a wind sufficient to drive the rain parrallel to the ground. Vicky was driving
and she did a tremendous job. It was one of the worst storms we have ever driven in, and our friends who have been with us
in some of the others know this is saying quite a bit.
We ended up on the east coast at a wonderful little town by
the name of Bateman's Bay. Clearly a fishing town it had some great fish markets on the main street which served up some of
the best fish and chips. It also gave the boys a chance to try their hand at fishing in Australia and Liam caught his first
fish, a little perch like item which he was only to happy to throw back. Good on you, Liam.
Bateman's Bay is also
a short drive from a unique place in Australia in the Durris area. We drove to a spot called Pebbly Beach where we shared
the beach with the kangaroos. They come down to the grassy area by the beach to feed in numbers reaching twenty or thirty.
Some even let you get close enough to touch them. It was quite spectacular. And on our way out we had a close encounter with
a possum. Talking about Animal Planet.
And talking about Animal Planet the next day we drove to a private zoo called
the Mogo Zoo, coincidentially in the town of Mogo, which had some wonderful exhibits and presentations. The animals had lots
of room to live in. The monkeys had no fences. They were confined by water. According to Liam monkeys don't swim and so remain
in an area if surrounded by water. The main attraction were three white lions, a rare type of lion caused by recessive genes
in the parents. Beautiful.
When we last left you we had finished our tour of duty aboard the Endeavor. One amazing fact about the information
we received on our time on that vessel was how many people who left England on a tour of duty did not make it back. On Cook's
trip to Australia, of the eight officers, only two made it back alive. We were happy to get off the Endeavor with our whole
crew of four.
From the Maritime Museum our next day adventures took us to the Sydney Zoo. Just getting to the Zoo
is a fun time. It began for us with a train trip to Circular Quay, the main ferry port in Sydney, and a beautiful spot with
the Opera House on one side and Harbor Bridge on the other. Hoping on a ferry we head across Sydney Harbor to Taronga Zoo.
From there you hop on a tram which wisks you up to the top entrance of the Zoo. You half expect to see someone with skiis
getting on behind you. As you can see from the picture the view of Sydney Harbor from the Zoo is beautiful. The Zoo, like
the city, is built on hills and you walk down from exhibit to exhibit. Some wonderful animals there.
From Sydney we
headed out of the hussel and bussel of the big city to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Unlike New Zealand, the drive out
of Sydney is a cruise through the suburbs. It is quite a drive before you lose the crush of civilization and find a more peaceful
existence. Still a nice drive even if it is still on the wrong side of the road.
The Blue Mountains are a magic area
which also happens to be on the tourist track. Like many places in the States, beautiful views bring buses full of people
to enjoy them. The name Blue Mountains comes from the hue which appears when a haze falls over the range. The picture may
not give you the idea. It really does give off a blue tint.
For the Oberlys the Blue Mountains gave us a chance to
show off our stair work. From the main look out in Katoomba, a wonderful little town full of antique bookstores and coffee
shops, at a place called Echo Point, you can descend into the valley below via the Giant Stairway. And giant it is. We counted
1002 steps down. Some of them quite steep. The boys were fabulous on their walk down. So jazzed were they that they wanted
to go back up. And so we did. 2004 stairs in all. A good work out. And from there we headed over to the Katoomba Scenic Railway,
touted as the world's steepest linear railway. And they ain't kidding. When you first get in the car and sit back you are
looking at the sky because the seat is tilted back at about 45 degrees. You find out why when the trip starts. As you go over
the edge you straighten out and are sitting up. A roller coaster ride disguised as a railway. The boys loved it. They would
have ridden it all day.
The next day we were back in the mountains at Wentworth Falls. Another journey down some stairs
to a welcome pool at the top of a huge waterfall. We haven't told you the temperature was about 32 to 35 degrees celcius.
So a dip in a cool pool was just what the hikers ordered.
Katoomba and the Blue Mountains gave us a chance to get
away from the draws of the big cities and enjoy some hiking/climbing and some outdoors time together. From here its on to
Canberra, the political heart of Australia. Oi.
Oi Mates from the land of OZ. It's Friday, January 20, 2006, and we have been in Sydney, Australia
for a week. We are due to leave via car tomorrow and head south on this great continent. Australia is a HUGE country.
We thought Alaska was big but having a go at touring around this continent truly puts into perspective how large Australia
really is. One month is not enought time to even begin to see all that there is to see. Three months would
be more like it but that's not going to happen on this trip!! Our first picture is of the Sydney Opera House. It's
a famous architectural design and anyone can see why. It seems as if Sydney is famous for this building.
We did not attend any performance in the Opera House but Bill and the boys did play tag on the steps and the landings!
:) I couldn't run in my sandles but was able to pull off a couple of races going up the stairs!
We arrived on January 13 and the next day being Saturday there was no school AND it was a sunny day.
It turns out it will be the only sunny day in a week but that's okay. We are a stones throw from Darling Harbor and
it is "action alley." Soooo much to see and do. There' a wonderful park, water activities, bungy trampoline, rock
climbing, food courts, water paddle boats and that's just one side of the harbor!! Liam and Dillon went on the bungy
trampoline and they had a blast. I was so impressed as they both did forward and backward flips while way up in the
air!! I think they could have stayed on and kept flipping but it was such an intense heat that they had to get off and
go into one of the water play areas and drench themselves - clothes and all!!! They felt much better after bringing
their body temperature down!! It turns out Australia is a lot higher on the heat index than New Zealand! We definately
have ditched the fleece jackets - even with the rain!! After walking around half of Darling Harbor Bill heard an announcement
that there was going to be a free water skiing show. We stuck around for it and got prime seats. It was a great
show with lots of talent as you can see from the skiing pyramid photo. Lots of jumps on wake boards and skies. Dillon
wants to buy me a jet ski so I can go fast and take him and Liam over jumps! He's such a considerate young man! :)
Monday evening gave way to an awesome nighttime show featuring 5 drummers and tons of fireworks. I've
never seen anything like this. It began at 8:45 p.m. so it was dark and the park was full to capacity. The
drummers played music (no singing) that got your heart going and then just when the piece was at a crescendo fireworks would
start!! It was fabulous. Not just one firework either, each time the fireworks went off seemed like the grand
finale. I could have kept watching this performance for at least another hour, even with the rain coming down!!
I think the drum event will definately be a memory maker. We had to take a photo of the 3 monkeys however, in no
way is this an indication that one cannot have fun in Sydney. Did I mention action alley? The other half of Darling
Harbor houses the Aquarium and the Maritime Museum along with numerous water-front restaurants and shops. We visited
the Aquarium and that did not disappoint. One would think that all aquariums would be alike but it turns out not to
be true on our trip. We have seen duplicate animals but also each aquarium has new spieces of plant life, fish, coral
and sea life that goes with the area. Not to mention that every aquarium seems to be set up just a little different
in how they show off their prizes. We split up the Aquarium visit with a stop at the Maritime Museum. We toured
three very different water craft - Captain Cook's ship Endeavor, a submarine - Onslow, and a huge destroyer named The
Vampire!! Wonderful vessels. The history on Captain Cook's ship was awesome. One small piece I
walked away with connects the 18th Century Endeavor with the 21st Century Space Shuttle Endeavor in the
form of a wooden nail. The only remaining wooden nail from Captain Cook's Endeavor was carried into space by the Shuttle
Endeavor! More later. No worries!
(Cue the music)
"And so the time has come to leave,
but you know you love this land,
and
have to believe,
you will again touch her sand."
And yes, it is time to leave New Zealand.
Friday, January 13, a maybe inauspicious day to fly? It's what happens when you plan your trip far from the places you visit,
and from a calendar.
Since our last posting we have done a lot of travelling and seen a lot of New Zealand. When last
heard from we were having too much fun in Hanmer Springs. We didn't mention one of Dillon's favorite parts of the place. When
asked last night what his favorite part of New Zealand was, his first answer was, "The hot springs." Hanmer Springs is most
famous for its spa baths, which vary in temperature from the swimming pool of 28 degrees to the spa baths of 41. For those
of you who are celcius challenged, that's between 82 and 106. And they can hold up to about 60 people, and sometimes
at least 60 bodies tried to crowd in. Makes for interesting conversations.
From there we headed west across the
Spenser Mountains, a beautiful winding drive to the sea at Greymouth. A night in Greymouth and on to Punakaiki, the home of
the pancake rocks. The rocks are not really made out of pancakes, that just wouldn't make sense. They do resemble
layers of pancakes (see top picture), and with the blow holes provide a great natural phenom. They also help you
find inner peace (see picture). The boys plan on coming back in five years to see how the sea has eroded the rocks.
Our next stop was Nelson, another seaside community with oh so much to offer under the surface of being
just another seaside community. It provided sand beaches, a place to swim in the Tasman Sea, amusement parks, and, yes, the
Centre of New Zealand. A hike of about a half an hour behind town takes you to the official center of the country of New Zealand
where we took a family photo. Not sure any of us have ever been to the exact center of any country before. Nelson was also
the home of a pub we just had to visit. (See picture).
We took the ferry out of Queen Charlotte Sound through Cook
Strait (a trip that still resembles Southeast Alaska) back into our Christmas haunt of Wellington. We revisited the Te Papa
Museum to see the world's fastest Indian motorcycle, a motorcycle riden to world record speeds by Kiwi Burt Munro in the 60's
when he was in his 60's and is memorialized in the movie entitled, funny enough, "The World's Fastest Indian" starring Anthony
Hopkins. We saw the movie in Nelson and it's unanimous in the Oberly family, you should all see it.
From there we
high tailed it north, stopping in Taupo, the Lake Tahoe of New Zealand (see black and white photo and tell us you don't agree),
and Cambridge, the horse capital of New Zealand, being the home of Olympic horse champions and back into Auckland, where the
Kiwi adventure all began.
In Auckland we were able to catch up with our friends Hans and Rettia Barnard (whom we met
in Fiji) and their son Xander. Once again they were extremely gracious in showing us many of the fine parts
of their adopted city, having left their home in South Africa four years ago. Before leaving we just had to also go to the
Skytower to get the bird's eye view of Auckland and the surrounding area. Even the birds were looking up at us from there.
It was a fitting and wonderful end to a brilliant time in New Zealand. We took a family vote and, again, it was unanimous,
we will be back.
And so, on to Oz.
Hello everyone! Today is Friday, January 6, 2006!! We are getting ready to leave a darling town called Hamner Springs located
inland from the East Coast of the South Island. We are up in the mountains and can tell the difference in the temperature!
Someone said it snowed here 3 days ago but I have blocked out that information. However, I did have to buy Liam and Dillon
polar fleece jackets so we could do outdoor adventures!!
Yesterday was a huge field trip day for us. As my Dillon said, "I think today is the best day of my life!"
We spent about 3 hours in Thrillseekers Canyon about 2 miles out of Hamner Springs. To begin our adventures, Bill bungy
jumped off the 100-year old, one-way bridge which was situated about 35 meters above the river! Hopefully we will have photos
on in the next day or two! It was very exciting and he was an awesome jumper! No hesitation on his part at all. The countdown
began at 3 and we think Bill jumped on 2! He flew out, arms outstretched and was so graceful falling!!! Luckily for us the
ankel straps held and he must have "bungied" up and down 3-4 times. They have a jet boat ready for the pick-up
and that was a no brainer! The last time I saw a smile that big on Bill's face was when Liam and Dillon were born! Asked
if he would go again, "YES, DEFINATELY YES!"
After bungy jumping came a ride on the jet boat up the river and through the canyon. What a gas. We were travelling
between 60-80 kilometers per hour weaving in and out of the river's path. We were in the same jet boat that picked up Bill.
It held 18 people plus the driver and had 2 twin-engines -- 560 V8's!!!!! That boat moved! The driver had fun doing 360's
on the river. We must have done 6-7 of them and the boys screamed with laughter each time. So did everyone else! Bill was
in the front seat and got totally soaked from the water coming up and over the bow! Our driver was really good and there
were no worries!
Once we finished with the boat ride we headed over to the 4-wheel track! It was there that Liam and Dillon were beside
themselves with excitement. Liam strapped on a helmet and got into an off-road go cart while Dillon strapped on a helmet
and leaped on a 4-wheeler. They got to go for 25 minutes on a figure 8 track all by themselves! Huge smiles all around,
even after Dillon crashed! My little one took it easy the first time around and then put the peddle to the metal on the second
lap. He was coming around the corner, full bore, and hit a bump. Dillon's 4 wheeler went over one set of tires, jumped onto
the next track, and crashed into the outside set of tires. He flew off somewhere between the first and second set of tires!
No tears whatsoever and it took only a second for him to jump back on "his machine." However, we noticed he slowed
down the next time he came to the same corner!!! Liam just laughed when I told him his brother crashed and just kept on driving!
They are both good drivers and can't wait to log more time driving anything with a motor by themselves!!
For our next-to-the-last adventure we went through a huge maze. It was very, very well done and more fun than we anticipated.
There was a small card to fill out with words from Egyptian character signs that you find on the wall of the maze. The boys
decided to team up and go kids against parents. We took them on and we were off. In and out of walls and corridors looking
for clues. We lost track of the boys and after finishing our card I left the maze and was told that our youngest got a bit
scared and they were waiting for us to find them in the maze!!! Bill hadn't come out yet so I went back to the exit and gave
him the news. He was off in a jiffy searching for the lost boys! I went in the front way again and it only took a bit to
find them. We all ended up going through and finishing the maze together (twice for the brave parents)! Afterwards, we finished
the field trip day by playing a round of 18-hole putt, putt golf! Lots of fun! I was very tired and hungry by the time we
drove the 3 minutes back to town. We ate pizza and the Saints cafe and wouldn't you know it, they had a pool table!!! We
weren't done with the activities yet! Liam and Dillon are getting pretty good with their pool sticks and clearing the table
of pool balls. There's still hope they may be able to finance their college education!!! Cheers to everyone!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! Today is Sunday, January 1, 2006 and we are currently residing in The Towers Hotel
in Christchurch, New Zealand. We left Kaikora yesterday after spending 3 nights. It's a wonderful spot, very rural
and small but right on the beach with mountains located right behind. The town itself is set up on one street
running approximately 1 mile surrounded by beach houses and motels. We got busy in Kaikora and did a couple of
tourist activities like swimming with the seals and going horseback riding. Bill saw the most seals and was actually
able to swim with them and have them interact with him. Liam and Dillon and I didn't do so well, but we were out
in the water in our wet suits making the best of it! Horseback riding was a gas and the boys did well for having full
reins for the first time. No leading this time and no ponies! Big horses (Dreamer and Nellie) for them
as well.
We left the North Island on December 27 from Wellington and sailed for 3 hours across Cook Strait.
What a wonderful boat ride that was. The time flew by and the sea was relatively calm. Christmas was spent in
the capital city of Wellington and we had a wonderful time. There is almost no commercialism regarding Christmas in
Wellington and definately no snow so it was different for all of us. We ended up walking the downtown sidewalks on Christmas
Day playing frisbee. We were able to do this because there was virtually no one else on the streets. We went to
see the movie Narnia later Christmas Day and that seemed like a wonderful way to end the holiday. We played with Christmas
gifts on the 26th and then began packing up for our departure on December 27.
We travelled to the South Island via the Interisland Ferry which left from Wellington. The boat was
running late and we didn't arrive Picton on the South Island until about 10:00 p.m. There were over 600 people on the
ship and I swear 400 of us were down getting our luggage from a small conveyor belt all at the same time. I've never
seen such a mess. People were stacked 3-4 back trying to see their luggage which was impossible. Luckily the ceiling
was made of glass/mirrors so Bill and I spent 35 minutes looking up to locate our luggage and then muscled our way to the
front when we saw ours! Then we went out into the night to get a taxi - ha!! It seems as if the taxi service was
due to shut down at 10:00 p.m. Luckily for us one driver took pity on the people in line as there must have been 10-15
people waiting for a ride. To make a long story short, we were the 4th family in line and after an hour we finally
got our ride!!!! The silver lining to this was spotting the Southern Cross in the night sky. It was a clear evening
and Liam was the first to say, "Hey, isn't that the Southern Cross?" As it turned out he was correct. The Southern
Cross is made up of 4 stars (plus one little star that is not counted as part of the "cross") and it is only visible from
the Southern Hemisphere! Crosby, Stills, and Nash sang a song about the Southern Cross. Anyway, it made the
wait totally worth it. We spent a quick night in Picton, picked up another rental car, and started our way south to
Kaikora.
Happy Birthday to Daniel Mayer (December 20); Grandpa Jim (December 31); John Curtright (December
31); and Kevin Stewart (January 3). We continue to experience intermitent internet hook-up. When we are able to
"get on" it is very costly. Clearly we are spoiled being in the U.S. and having internet access at our finger tips!
For our first day of 2006 we walked around Christchurch for about 3 1/2 hours and planned out what we might
do in the next couple of days. Bill really wants to see a cricket match and the circus is in town but both events happen
on January 3! We may go punting down the Avon River. We are located right across from Hadley Park which is
huge and we can walk to downtown and various other tourist spots! I think I will bid everyone Cheers at this point and
sign off. Hopefully we will be able to update our pictures soon and add to the "page - 4 photos." No worries to
everyone and again, HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Trying to imitate a statue in Wellington. Clearly we have time on our hands the day after Christmas!!
December 26, 2005 - Wellington, New Zealand
City of Auckland from across the bay.
December 18, 2005 - Auckland, New Zealand
A Maori war canoe which could hold well over 150 people.
December 20, 2005 - Paihia, New Zealand (Bay of Islands)
Cheers everyone! It's early am on Tuesday, December 21 and we are leaving the Bay of Islands.
We drove to the north part of the Northern Island in New Zealand on Sunday and have been exploring Paihia for the last 2 days!
It took us 4 hours to drive here from Auckland. We left Sunday and travelled mostly on a 2-lane road, all the while
staying LEFT!!! We saw quite a bit of green, green pastures everywhere! Not a lot of construction (yet) and
the bay seemed like it was always around the next corner. Yesterday we hoped a ferry over to Russel
and walked around that historic town. One of the claims to fame for this tiny town is they have the oldest, active,
church in all of New Zealand. It has a small cemetary in the front with wonderful, huge headstones! We also found
the local school and spent quite a bit of time playing on the equipment! Dillon was the best at staying on the
tree stumps while we played tag but Liam was most clever at tagging us. We also spent time in the morning
(in Paihia) checking out the site where the treaty was signed between the British and the Maori people. I'm sure
Bill will add to this part when he catches a moment. We watched a cultural show as soon as we arrived and Liam and Dillon
ended up being on stage with other visitors participating in a dance. It was fun to watch! What a beautiful
area this Bay of Islands.
Liam and Dillon have been counting down the days until Christmas. We are on the 5-day countdown
with them getting more and more excited! I can't wait to open our home-made Christmas gifts!
We will be spending Christmas in Wellington which is located in the southern part of the Northern Island!!
We are due there tomorrow night and right now that seems like a long way away! We will stay tonight somewhere along
the way and then hopefully arrive Wellington Thursday afternoon! No worries mates and may everyone have a safe and memorable
holiday season. Cheers!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
TO ALL
FROM
THE OBERLYS
It is December 14, 2005. This must be New Zealand. We left Fiji yesterday, and have returned
to the world of cyberspace.
Our last six days on Fiji were spent on an island off the coast of Nadi, the city we flew into. The
place was called Plantation Island, and we stayed at Plantation Island Resort. Vicky compared it to a cruise ship (although
neither she nor I have ever been on a cruise ship). You are on a place you can't leave with people you don't know.
You see them every day at meals, on the beach, at the pool, everywhere. It was all a bit wierd.
But the weather was supreme. In the mid thirties every day (for those of you in America that c).
You had to make sure you kept track of your time in the sun or you would end up doing an early imitation of Santa's red suit.
The resort reminds me of Hawaii fifty years ago. It's a bit rough around the edges. But it provides
entertainment to fill the hours. Of course, if one wanted to lie on the beach or around the pool in lounge chairs, that
could be done. If your desire was to be less idle, the resort had ocean kyaks, catamarans, snorkels and fins, boats
trips, all of which we took adantage of. They also had fishing trips and tank diving trips, which we didn't do.
It was an interesting interlude in our trip. After having travelled so much on the east coast of the
States our time in Costa Rica slowed us down. But we were in a house and had control of our lives. The time on
Plantation Island was also a slow down time, but someone else controlled our time; when we ate, when activities took place.
But can't complain since it was sunny and warm every day.
The people of Fiji are incredibly friendly. Not only those who are paid to be friendly like at the
resort but the people we contacte when we drove around Viti Levu from Nadi to the capital of Suva. People would stop
their ruby game and say Bula! as we drove by. Outside of the cities the people live fairly modest lives. Very
few cars (most people walk), small, one room houses with minimal conveniences. But they seem to get by. It was
good for the boys to see how other people live, and how they were able to get by with less.
We have returned to a place where we can get on line. Fiji was tough. Expensive, slow and unreliable.
We will try and put pictures of Fiji on soon so we can then put pictures of New Zealand.
Bula! Today is Sunday, December 4, 2005 and we are in Suva, Fiji. If you are reading this site
today, it is Saturday, December 3. We crossed the International Date Line the evening of Tuesday, November 29, 2005
and arrived in Nadi, Fiji on Thursday, December 1. As Liam said, "We will never experience November 30, 2005."
So dear friends, please know that all of our entries are one day ahead of when you read them until we cross back into your
time and date zone! It took a while for us to reach Nadi. We left Costa Rica on Monday morning and with flights
being delayed, etc., we arrived at our hotel in L.A. Tuesday morning about 1:30 a.m. I tried not to think about the
fact that we would be boarding an airplane approximately 21 hours later to fly 10 plus hours to reach our destination.
I was seriously hoping for a good nights rest before flying to Fiji. This did not happen! I will attempt something
different and not whine to everyone about coping and trying to catch up on sleep this past week. I will tell you that
we met some wonderful people hanging around the hotel pool. The sun is extremely hot in Fiji (ozone hole) and the humidity
is high. The pool seemed like a great place to hang out and cool off! It seems as if quite a few people from Australia
and New Zealand vacation in Fiji. We couldn't get enough of their accents. Hearing the children speaking was especially
darling and Liam and Dillon had a wonderful time making new friends. We also met a young man, Asa, who is a singing
artist in Australia and he flipped us one of his C.D.'s and it's really good. We are going to track him down in Brisbane
when he's singing and have a go at giving him a bad time! Really a sweet young man, especially to the boys. The
Fijian people are awesome to children. They are polite enough to adults/parents, but it's clear they love children.
That's been quite fun for us as we've been able to let the boys have a bit more freedom at the hotels than we would if we
were in the U.S. We are on a short road trip travelling from Nadi to Suva and are totally facinated with the local culture!
Bill insisted we leave check out the surrounding area before we go to an outer island. I'm glad he did as it's truly
been amazing to see how the Fijians live, work and play. We passed a thatched-hut village today that was soooo cool
but not opened to the public. We didn't even try to approach the village as we had no gifts for the Chief and wanted
to respect the privacy of the people. We arrived in Suva late this afternoon and after checking into our hotel, we walked
across the street and checked out a local soccer game. The referee was barefooted and many of the players only had socks
on. How they are able to run in this humid weather is beyond me. We couldn't stay too long because we were baking!
The boys are at the pool right now with Bill and I'm about to sign off and go tell Bill we were charged 50 cents a minute
for using the internet! AHHHHHHH! It's worth it though, but hopefully it will be less expensive in New Zealand.
We will be leaving the Costa Rica photos on for a bit until we can download the
Fiji photos. Thank you Keri Oberly for selling us your camera for a song (our camera was lifted in Costa Rica).
We have gotten some wonderful photos and couldn't have purchased another camera in L.A. given the events of the day!
I also want to wish my mother good luck with her new pacemaker! You are such a brave trooper Mom and I can't wait to
hear how the darn thing is working. Goodbye for now.
It's Saturday, November 26, and we are, unbelievably, getting ready to leave Manuel Antonio. Wow, who knew
three weeks could go so fast. It has been a wonderful stay. Between the construction workers next door who keep track of our
comings and goings, and the guy at the entrance of the beach who greets us every time we arrive, we feel like we've settled
here.
Among the activities we jumped into while here was the canopy zip line tour by a company called Canopy Safari
Tours. It is a popular thing for gringos to do here. Basically, the Ticos (Costa Rican term for Costa Ricans) went into the
jungle, built some platforms in some trees, hooked them together by long steel cables, put in a few repels lines and opened
for business. But honestly, it was a kick.
You begin your tour with an hour bus ride from Quepos to the site of the
canopy tour. After minimal instruction (read they tell you to keep your hands and hair out of the pulleys) they suit you up
in climbing harnesses and helmets,and hook on carabiners, slings and a pulley. Did the boys' eyes light up or what? Up to
the jungle canopy and on to the cables. The guides hook you on by the pulley and then give you a gentle push, and zoom, down
the zip line you go. Without hands, upside down. You could ride any way you want. The repels let you control how fast you
wanted to decend. And you could get smoking. Not much wildlife (saw a few poison dart frogs) but that wasn't the purpose of
the adventure. It was to get the adrenaline pumping. Vicky was a trooper. This is not her favorite form of entertainment.
She even opened her eyes on a couple of the last zips. The boys found it the top entertainment in Costa Rica so far. Mucho
fun.
Our next adventure was sea kyaking. Our first effort was the family taking out two doubles. These are your classic
open deck ocean kyaks. The sea was rolling so the boats were bouncing a little. Both boats made it back on shore without tipping
over.
The next day the three boys found themselves back out on the sea in kyaks for some snorkeling. Liam was a natural
in the boat, keeping a good pace and loving it. Dillon was hooting and hollering most of the way. Once to the little rock
formations, it was over the side. The guides tied all the boats together and tied the last one to a bouy. The ocean was a
little turbulent, which made the water slightly cloudy. So the incredibly bright fish were only very bright. Still, it was
captivating. Dillon, for one, was so taken by looking that he kept letting himself get pushed by the waves. First toward the
rocks, then away from the group, out to sea, then towards the rocks, and so on. The paddele back was as delightful as the
paddle out, but Bill lost his sunglasses and shirt when he let the kyak turn over on the way in. He and Liam got back in the
boat and paddled back out to do it right. Which they did the second time.
Well, we better get back to figuring out
how we are going to get all this stuff into our bags. Hmmm, I guess we'll have to leave the bogey boards here. Maybe we could
take them if we throw our shoes and long pants out.
Yesterday was Saturday, November 19, 2005. We went on a tour with Canopy Safari. We hiked up to the top of the rainforest
canopy and rode 9 ziplines and 3 repel lines through the forest, back to the beginning of our safari. On the ziplines I felt
like I was flying. It was very, very fun. The repels were fun but scary at the same time. We repelled straight down approximately
100 feet or more. To add to this, Dillon and I had to link our hands behind our neck while the parents got to hang on and
control their own speed. We had a lot of gear on -- helmets, pulleys, carabiners and one big harness. On the last zipline
it was so long I could hang upside down, with no hands, and then ride it regular for 15-20 seconds. I felt like I owned the
world! If you ever find yourself in Manual Antonio or Quepos, Costa Rica, be sure to check out Canopy Safari. - Liam O.
Now a word from Dillon. On the last repel line I got stuck at the top! We were on a platform attached to a big tree
and had to go through a small hole. Right after I passed through the hole, the repel line got stuck. Our guides were shaking
the line from the top and bottom but it wouldn't shake loose. My mom said I did an excellent job not panicing. Al, the main
guide, had me look up and instructed me to push the line through the figure 8 manually. I did that for many, many feet and
all of a suddden it got unstuck and I went zipping to the bottom. It was very scary. I would go on the canopy tour again.
- Dillon O.
Here are the Oberlys from left to right: Dillon, Vicky, Bill, Keri, Jill and Liam during their hike through Manuel Antonio
Park.
The Lizard
The view from our back deck.
Hola como estan amigos! Today is Monday, November 14, 2005. I'm here at El Chante an internet cafe
in Manual Antonio with Keri and Jill Oberly and their friend Adam. We met these young travellers at Cafe Milagra yesterday
and are thoroughly enjoying their company. Liam and Dillon are thrilled to have someone other than their parents to
interact with. We all went down to the beach yesterday and played in the water for 2 hours. It was a beautiful
sunset our first one here as the clouds seem to roll in at night. We went out last night for a birthday dinner for Bill
and ate some good food. Adam speaks fluent spanish so we are feeling braver about getting out and about. We also
had him translate some of the products that we bought at the grocery store the first night and it appears we were off the
mark a couple of times. We had purchased pancack mix and assumed it was like Krustez, you know, just add water.
As it turns out is was like Bisquick and we needed an milk, oil and an egg. We had the milk and oil but no huevos.
We asked Adam to ask the waiter at dinner if it was possible to buy an egg from the restaurant. He chatted it up in
Spanish and low and behold the waiter brought back dos (2) eggs!!! I was pretty excited. Billo made wonderful
pancakes for us this morning!!!
I want to report seeing my first HUGE lizard. I lived through the experience but barely. There's
a 10 foot wall in the front of the house we are renting with an electric gate. I was looking out the window and on top
of this wall was an enormous lizard. I think I screamed or something but managed to get the attention of all the oboys.
They all came running to look and actually stopped short because the animal was sooooo big. Bill estimated him to be
about 2 feet long (including the tail) and I thought he was about 6 inches wide but I guess that's debatable. Anyway,
it was clear this lizard wasn't going anywhere fast and went back and forth across the wall for about 30 minutes. Bill
and the boys, of course, went outside to take pictures (I closed and locked the door on them just in case it came down the
wall) and hopefully I will be able to load a photo or two on here so you all can see. Then last night I saw another
huge lizard in the house in the laundry room and was about to call it quits when I was informed that it was "just a little
gecko." Little my foot. This one had to be about 6 inches long. As it turns out there's an open spot in
the laundry room wall and these animals can come and go as they please! As you can imagine, I have boycotted doing any
laundry but I agreed to fold the clothes once they are removed from THAT room!!!!
It's beautiful and warm today and we are headed down to the beach about 3:00. I was able to call my
parents last night and the connection was so clear, it was hard to believe I wasn't on a cell phone calling from Anderson
Island. My friend, Kevin, called us yesterday morning from Alaska and reported that it was in the teens. Thank
you Kevin for calling us. It was wonderful to hear your voice and make me appreciate where I am especially after the
giant lizard incident. Pura Vida amigos (life is good friends)!!!!
Greetings Friends:
Thursday, November 10, 2005. We have landed in our first foreign settlement, Mañuel
Antonio, Costa Rica. We sort of blew right through San Jose and made our way here after a recovery day at the hotel.
Once again, the Oberly boys were the only people in the swimming pool.
After our typical research (we asked one or two people) we decided it would
be better to travel from San Jose to Manuel Antonio overland rather then by air. Tales of hitting your head on
the top of the small plane turned Vicky off to air travel. However, it was a close contest. The overland
journey was described as four hours on winding roads with wild drivers. After having completed the journey we´re
not sure that properly described the adventure. The first hour of the trip compared favorably with a Formula-1
race in a eighteen seater van. The roads were narrow and there were no shortage of full size buses bearing down on us
at equally wild speeds. The boys and I passed the time trying to be the first to see wildlife, and Vicky spent
the time trying to hold on. But we made it safely to our rented house and have moved in.
We will add more after we have settled in. Suffice it to say the boys are stoked
about body surfing. We went to the beach today and they went right into the water. More reports soon.
November 8, 2005, Hola from San Jose, Costa Rica!!!! We said goodbye to family and friends while in
Washinton State and tried to tie up loose ends before we left the Country. THANK YOU WENDY MOE-WILLIS!!! Without
the help, wisdom, and encouragement from this lovely young woman, we would not have been able to depart our lives, let
alone the Country. Many people know this to be true as they have been in contact with Wendy regarding Oberly
business! Did I happen to mention that Mrs. Willis is going to have her first child within the next 4 weeks!!
She is truly an unselfish individual and extremely competent. Thanks again Wendy. We can't wait for the news about
Baby Willis!
I also want to say THANK YOU to my family. Mom and Jim were a life-saver opening their home
for us to come in and invade their computer and spread out like we were home. Mom and Jim came up to Anderson
Island and hung out with us one morning and that was really fun. Liam and Dillon enjoyed showing off their
fort that they are building on our property. It's pretty cool, I must admit. A huge THANK YOU to my
Dad and Kathy for taking such good care of our van while we were on the East Coast and delivering her back to us when
we arrived back to WA. We've also tapped into their generousity again because they now have the van for 7
months. We invaded their home one afternoon to check out their new fireplace and it's absolutely
georgous. My step-brother, Doug, built it and it truly is a work of art. Last Friday, we left Anderson Island
and spent the night on Vashon Island and were able to enjoy a wonderful fire and scrumptious dinner. The boys were thrilled
Saturday morning because we left them with their grandparents and they managed to convince Grandpa Larry to let them drive
the riding mower. Too cool for them. While they were having fun driving machinery, Bill and I headed down to Olympia
to finish up a couple of things and head over to Mom and Jim's house. They have started a marvelous Thanksgiving tradition
which they had early because of our departure date and it was such a wonderful time. We had both sides of the families
gathered and it was so heartwarming for me. THANK YOU Mom and Jim for your kindness.
Liam and Dillon want to say THANK YOU to their Aunt Leasa, Uncle Brian, Danno, and Calista for including
them in their Halloween tradition. The boys had an absolute gas running from house to house on Mercer Island with a
group of people they didn't know, except for their cousins. Everyone was very kind to the boys and I truly appreciate
this because Halloween is a happening thing for the Oboys!
All of the above events seem like they happened yesterday and yet I find myself in a spanish-speaking country
this morning. Time truly does fly when you are having fun. The flight to San Jose, Costa Rica was just the way
we like it, uneventful!! That is if you don't count the fact that one of the air conditioning systems in the plane malfunctioned
which meant we had to fly lower which took longer and we were seriously overheated upon arrival. Other than that, uneventful
flight!! Bill is going into San Jose today to try and secure us a bus and driver to take us to Manuel Antonio tomorrow
where we set up camp for 19 days (in the same place!!). Manuel Antonio is located on the west coast of Costa Rica and
is suppose to be warm and beautiful. We'll see and let you know. Until them, adios.
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