Three hours in Canada

The mighty Niagara Falls straddles the border between Canada and the United States. The Falls consist of three separate water courses; the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal veil Falls. During late-Spring more than 2,800 m3 of water per second plunges into the Niagara Gorge; with almost 90% of this volume passing over the Horseshoe Falls alone. As a result, the Horseshoe Falls are by far the largest and highest of the three falls. Here the Niagara River plunges more than 53 metres; spread along a 760 metre crescent-shaped span; the centre of which marks the international border.

I first visited the falls in October 1983. I still vividly recall the awesome sight of the Horseshoe Falls seen from the Canadian shoreline. Incredibly, an observation deck sits barely a metre from falls dramatic edge. Here you can clearly see the aqua green water flowing by, almost within touching distance. I was thrilled to discover last weekend that the same spot was still accessible to visitors. I can report that the humbling sense of awe you experience hasn’t dimmed in 28 years.

Equally enthralling is the dramatic cruise to the spray-drenched base of the Horseshoe Falls on the deck of a Maid of Mist boat. A 20-minute boat ride up the Niagara Gorge takes you past the boulder-strewn foot of the American Falls and on into the spray clouds that envelope the might Horseshoe Falls. It’s almost impossible to describe the sensation of looking up through the mist as an encircling crest of white water, high above your head, plunges into the abyss. Equally memorable is the moment of confusion you experience as rain suddenly seems to fall from the clear blue sky above. This is the moment the boat crosses into the shadow of the mist cloud rising perpetually above the Falls. Awesome!

On Sunday we started our tour of Falls from the American side; starting with a Maid of the Mist tour which departs from the base of the American Falls. We then crossed the 290-metre wide Rainbow Bridge into Canada to view the same Falls from the gorge’s opposite side. The international boundary can be identified by Canadian and American flags flying from the centre of the bridge. While in Canada, we stopped for a buffet lunch in the Sheraton Hotel. The restaurant was located a stunning 13 floors above the surrounding area. As you’d image, the view is simply spectacular.

After lunch I walked more than a kilometre along the gorge’s crest to the edge of the Horseshoe Falls before it was time to cross back to the United States. Both crossings of the border were faster than normal. Our tour guide attributed the light traffic to people staying home to celebrate Mother’s Day. The speed of our crossing gave us time to take a detour down the gorge to observe the Whirlpool. Here the Niagara River flows into a natural caldera whose curve sends the river swirling in a large arc that eventually crosses its original path. The result is a series of spectacular whirlpools and vortexes. Above the swirling waters a lone red cable car crosses the chasm. Our guide explained that passengers avoid crossing the border by taking the ride in both directions and thus never disembark.

Our day tour finished with a visit to Goat Island which separates the American Falls from the Horseshoe Falls. This was a real highlight for me. I never saw the falls from this vantage point in 1983. Here you can stand on the edge of the American Falls and watch an impossibly large volume of water pour into the gorge below. It’s almost as stunning as the Canadian Horseshoe Falls observation deck. I stood there for almost ten minutes trying to comprehend why anyone would intentionally want to take the plunge. To date, at least 15 people have done so. The first was Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old Michigan school teacher. She went over the falls in barrel.

Niagara Falls

Wow! I've just had the most amazing day. Almost 28 years after my last visit I've returned to Niagara Falls. I booked a day trip from New York. The ticket included an airport pick-up from my mid-town hotel, flights to and from upstate New York, a six hour mini-bus tour around the American and Canadian falls and a buffet lunch at the Sheraton hotel located 13 floors above the Falls.

I couldn't have chosen a better day to go. Today is Mother's Day in the USA. As a result the crowds were relatively light, there were no queues at airport security, our flight landed ahead of schedule and the Canadian border crossing was swift in both directions. Even better, the weather was warm and sunny with picture-perfect blue skies all day.

In fact things were so slow today I even secured a helicopter flight over the falls for a 40% discount (It cost US$50 instead of the regular US$85 for a flight lasting roughly 15 minutes). Our guide also noted that our group of 15 was smaller than usual. Most weekends he takes up to 50 people on the tour.

With such a small group in tow our guide was able to schedule more activities today than usual. Our tour ultimately included a Maid of the Mist boat tour through Niagara Gorge to the base of the falls; a walk along the Canadian cliff tops to view the Canadian Horseshoe Falls (less than a meter from the edge); a drive along the gorge to the famous whirlpool gully and a leisurely walk on Goat Island where the American falls can be seen plunging over the cliff right at your feet. When I came here in 1983 as an exchange student we didn't have enough time to visit Goat Island so today's trip included at least one new memory.

Here's a few quick photos to wet your appetite until I'm able to download everything from my camera. Enjoy.

Royal wedding fever

Garry and I have been taking a trip down memory lane this evening as the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is broadcast live around the world. The pair exchanged their vows before 1900 guests in Westminster Abbey - and a global television audience of two billion people - while another million people waited patiently on the streets of central London. Four out of five free-to-air channels in Australia broadcast the ceremony live; with at least four cable channel also providing live coverage.

So much of what we're seeing brings back personal memories. Where do I start?  For example, we recall the spectacle of the Royal Guard marching down The Mall during the Trooping of the Colour; and waving at the Queen as she rode by in an open carriage.  I also recall the colourful Union Jack bunting hung down the Mall every Spring and the sound of Westminster Abbey's stunning acoustics as the choir practised for an evening service.

However, perhaps our strongest memories are those from one sunny Sunday afternoon last September.  Literally days before Garry's appendix suddenly burst we toured the spectacular State Rooms inside Buckingham Palace. It's hard to believe those same grand rooms are now hosting a lavish wedding reception. While television cameras aren't permitted inside, so vivid are the memories of our tour, I can honestly picture the scene that's probably unfolding as I type this post. London really was our home for the last five years.

UPDATE: May 2, 2011

This fascinating royal wedding factiod was published by the BBC today:

The National Grid said its figures showed a huge surge in demand for power after the service - equivalent to one million kettles being boiled - when the royal couple returned to Buckingham Palace. Over the course of the day power use rose and fell during key moments - with the biggest drop in demand when the couple made their balcony appearance and people stopped what they were doing and turned back to their televisions.

I bet a similar surge in domestic water usage also occured after the wedding as well. We're clearly creatures of habit. 

Where did our savings go?

It’s been another remarkable week for the Australian dollar. Yesterday it rose to a new record high against the US dollar, for the third time in as many days. One Australian dollar now buys you US$1.075. Analysts are tipping that the dollar will hit US$1.10 before the year is out. The last time it traded at this level was 1982 before the currency was floated. It’s hard to believe that despite relocating back to Sydney I still live in a country whose currency is worth noticeably more than the US dollar.

While living in London we got rather use to the concept of earning money worth more than the US dollar. However, the Sterling was always a rare breed. In all of our travels the only other currencies trading at similar levels were in the Middle East, reflecting no doubt the power of an oil economy. For example, the Omani Rial is currently buying US$2.60 and the Jordanian Dinar is buying $US1.40. In ten days I fly San Francisco for work so the strong Australian dollar has made some impromptu shopping incredibly tempting.

Of course a strong Australian dollar spells more bad news for the savings we’ve left in the UK. Yesterday one British pound was buying A$1.52 for several hours before closing one cent higher. Incredibly the rate's been worse in recent months. While we were stranded in Antarctica the pound hit a record low of A$1.51 on New Year’s Eve. Regular readers will recall my lament over the plunging value of the pound. When we first arrived in the UK the pound was buying almost a dollar more than today. As a result Garry and I have simply decided to view our UK savings as a long-term currency investment as we wait for the Bank of England to start raising its base rate.

UPDATE: April 29
The Australian dollar climbed to yet another yesterday. It's now buying US$1.095. Most analysts expect it to reach US$1.10 before the end of next week.  Some analysts are now predicting the dollar will peak at US$1.15 before the year over.  It's hard to believe our dollar is worth 10% more than the US dollar.

UPDATE: May 2
Incredibly, the Australian dollar passed the US$1.10 mark this morning.  In less than a month the dollar has appreciated almost ten percent against its American rival.

La Nina is just the beginning

Autumn is finally upon us. As we head into a five-day Easter weekend (we have an extra day this year comes courtesy of ANZAC day which falls immediately after the regular public holiday) the forecast is for cooler weather and a chance of daily showers most days. Meteorologists say the regular bouts of rain we’ve had in recent months are a direct consequence of the latest La Nina phenomenon spreading across the Pacific. The same weather pattern has been fingered for the severe floods and cyclones Australia's endured this Summer.

I’ve also seen reports that claim Australia’s climate alternates between wet and dry phases every 20 to 30 years. Apparently we’re entering a new extended wet phase. I dread the thought that since migrating to Australia more than two decades ago I’ve enjoyed an unusually dry period that’s come to a screeching halt. Worse still, I could be all but dead by the time the weather starts to warm again.

Meanwhile in London the weather over Easter is forecast to be mainly sunny, with daytime temperatures equal to those in Sydney. In fact, its only the overnight temperatures that seem to be noticably lower. Maybe the weather wasn't so bad in London after all? I've already bought myself an IKEA throw rug to keep warm this winter.  Garry and I went to IKEA last weekend to return some surplus bookshelves we'd bought. As so often happens at IKEA, a trip to secure a $30 refund resulted in us walking out $200 poorer.  

London life has its moments

We’ve just experienced the wettest April day in Sydney for more than a decade. It’s a timely reminder that life in Australia wasn’t as perfect as I’d often imagined while living in London. Since our return home people have been asking me if I miss the UK. While it’s true that I don’t miss the grey skies and drab sunlight of London, I do miss a few things.  Here's a list of things London really does better:

• The extent and variety of reliable online shopping. Australian retailers are well behind the rest of the world.
• The underground. Sydney trains are slow to load, always late and still use inflexible paper tickets. I miss my Oyster card.  I read today that Sydney's own Oyster card based system won't be in place until 2014.
• Low-fat pesto. I never thought I’d miss Sainsbury’s home brand pesto. Sydney supermarkets only offer full fat varieties. However, on the flip side I'm please to have low-fat feta cheese back on the shelf.
• Cheap European cars. While we were away Australia’s luxury car tax rose to 35% making an average European vehicle up to 50% more expensive.
• More entertainment options.  Nothing bets the variety on offer in the West End any night of the week.  Sydney definitely has fewer cultural options on the go.

It's done!

Several weeks ago we order a new console table for the entry lobby in our apartment. After some delay it finally arrived today.  The new table has now taken pride of place in its new home.  It looks grand.  Much to my surprise it's made the entire entrance feel more spacious than it actually is. I can confidentally say this is the final touch planned for our apartment refresh; almost three months to the day since our return to Sydney.  There's nothing left now but to enjoy our new surroundings.

Family for dinner

My parents have dropped into town for a long weekend.  After a week of rain they've timed their arrival to coincide with four days of sunshine and Summer temperatures.  Garry and I have filled their time with a variety of tourist highlights including lunch at the Fish Markets, an evening at the Sydney Theatre Dance Company, lunch in Manly by the water and a leisurely walk across the harbour bridge. 

Their visit was also a great excuse to ensure our apartment refresh was finished in time for their arrival.  As a result we successfully entertained both sets of parents on Friday evening with a gala BBQ dinner.  We even used our trip to the Fish Market as an excursion to collect fresh seafood for dinner.  I even found time before heading to the airport to dash to the florist and buy flowers for our entrance lobby.  Our extended family dinner was a roaring success and everyone praised our refresh efforts, including Garry's garden lighting.

Lunch at Manly on Sunday was spectacular.  We dined at Hugo's on the ferry wharf.  The restaurant gave us the best table in the house right on the waterfront with uninterrupted harbour views.  We also squeezed in a quick wander to the beach before heading home on the ferry.  The timing of our departure proved fortuitous as rain began falling as we docked at Circular Quay.  This was the only respite in the otherwise perfect weather during my parents entire visit.

Today we caught the train to Milson's Point and walked across the Harbour Bridge soaking up blue skies and sunshine.  A light lunch at The Rocks and a stroll around the bay to the Opera House completed our excursion.  As always the views in every direction was simply stunning, reminding me yet again how pleased I am to be back in Australia.

Back in the air

After almost three months on the ground my travel schedule has begun filling once again. I'll be off for three weeks in May on business visiting San Francisco, New York and Hong Kong. In June Garry and I are off to Melbourne for a long weekend break.  We cashed in some frequent flyers points, securing return tickets for less than $22 each.  In July I'll be off to London for at least a week for work.  Then finally, Garry and I head off in September for a two-week road trip through New Mexico and Arizona experiencing the original Wild West.  We're taking advantage of the new Qantas route direct to Dallas for this vacation which will be something of an adventure in itself.

A few more holiday photos

I recently updated some of the holiday posts I made in January. These now include photos and a few additional links.  I've yet to do the same with posts covering our Antarctic cruise but will let you know when this happens.  Enjoy the photos!

Windows to die for

Our new blinds have been installed. They look spectacular. Here's just a couple of quick photos; taken with an overcast sky behind them. They make the apartment look like a million dollars.  Their installation marks the conclusion of a comprehensive refresh we've undertaken since returning to Sydney. It's taken two months but I finally feel like we're home.

The outdoor room

Ta da! Here it is. The new outdoor room. Our new dining suite, mega-man BBQ and lounge suite have safely arrived. We think they look grand. In fact the entire set-up looks better I expected and everything seems to fit comfortably on our main balcony. Hopefully you're able to get a sense of the layout and the open space around it. We're looking forward to entertaining our international visitors next weekend. Pray that the weather will also play its part.


Come back soon for photos of the new window blinds currently scheduled to be installed on Sunday.

The first look

The new outdoor lounge suite has arrived. Here's a quick photo to wet your appetite. Our next challenge is to work out how we fit it all on our balcony! More pictures and details shortly.

It's here!

Our final apartment refresh purchases are about to arrive. Over the last couple of days we’ve been contacted by the company manufacturing our new window blinds and the retailer supplying our new outdoor lounge suite. Both suppliers are delivering their wares a week ahead of schedule. The suite arrives tomorrow while our blinds will be installed on Sunday. We’re thrilled that everything will be in place before my parents visit in ten days time. They’re in town for a long weekend to see the fruits of our labour (and see for themselves how boldly we’ve burned a hole in our wallets). Stay tuned for more images. For now I’ll leave you with a wonderful rainbow over the SCG and a look at our refurbished home office balcony.
 

The prodigal Saab comes home

We've completed the final step in relocating back to Australia. This week we collected the Saab from Quarantine & Customs and registered it once again for Australian ownership. It been quite an experience getting the car home. The endless paperwork and delays have almost driven poor Garry to distraction.

At one point we even had the receiving agent in Sydney call us and ask us what we'd done with the car keys. Garry rather curtly pointed out that their UK partner had collected the car from our London home and thus we weren't in possession of the keys. Other stressful highlights include paperwork disappearing between our UK relocation agent and its Australian partner, being pursued by bailiffs after the UK agent incurred a London congestion charge penalty and finally being ordered to pay for steam-cleaning by Quarantine before our car could be released.

The congestion charge penalty was particularly galling. The removal company arranged for a car transporting company to collect the Saab directly from Swiss Cottage. The driver then drove through the London Congestion Zone without our permission, incurred a transit fee and failed to pay it. It took several months for the resulting penalty notice to finally reach us by which time the penalty had trebled and then been refered to the County Court for collection. Fortunately the Uk agent accepted liability, but did do only after we chased them and spoke with the local authorities.

Sadly the car arrived in Australia with a few more dents than when we'd last seen it. In particular the roof has a large dimple where something was obviously dropped. The relocation company had to build an wooden frame over the car to fit all of our house contents into a shipping container which clearly increased the risk of damage. Perhaps the most galling aspect of this particular incident is the simple fact that the removalists in London were rather inefficient with their packing, ultimately forcing us to pay for an "overcase" frame.

For example, when we originally relocated to London the Australian removalist carefully packed cushions and other loose items under the legs of dining chairs to save space. It also wrapped our glassware in protective cardboard tubes, allowing more to be packed into every shipping box. By comparison, the UK agents packed our glassware loosely and on occasions packed nothing more than a toilet bruch and dush pan in a large box. I'm convinced these lax packing practices added at least another ten boxes to our load.

We've chalked up the entire relocation experience as yet another examples of the shoddy service we constantly encountered in Europe. I'm glad to be back in Australia where the service is already more attentive and efficient.

Just like the catalogue

Our new outdoor dining suite has arrived. Ironically it was delivered on a day of heavy rainfall, giving its durability an immediate test. As I noted in my last post, our table was floor stock used for photos in Harbour Outdoor's new season catalogue. The catalogue went on online today. You can see our furniture in catalogue photograph above. The store even gave us the bowls that appear in this image. Below is the same table at home on our own balcony.


Below are the chairs that came with our suite. The first photo comes from the catalogue, the second was taken on our balcony. Perhaps we'll publish our own catalogue? We love our new dining suite!

Some finishing touches

Our apartment refresh reached another milestone this week. After week of searching and driving all over Sydney we’ve found the perfect outdoor furniture for our main balcony. Even better, we took advantage of the end-of-Summer sales, and saved thousands. Our shopping spree has netted us an outdoor dining suite, an outdoor lounge suite and enormous BBQ. With luck it’ll be delivered by early-April.


Our dining suite was floor stock used to shoot photographs for next season’s catalogue. It’s delivered next week. We’ve been promised a catalogue when it comes back from the printer. However, you can see last season’s range in white, above. Our table is the same style but has a light tan frame with charcoal coloured slats. The chairs also have a tan frame with white fabric. We’ve bought the six-seat version. To give us additional seating capacity we’ve also ordered a smaller two-seat version. It will live on our bedroom balcony and move any time we need additional table space on the main balcony.


The lounge suite we’ve bought looks identical to the one you see above. The cushions are covered in the same chocolate brown tone but we’ve bought a sofa, two armchairs and a coffee table that doubles as a sun lounger. It was marked down 25% but we managed to get delivery and scatter cushions thrown in for free. We’ve been promised delivery by April 7. The frame is constructed from artificial wicker and aluminum so it should survive life on our balcony without problems.


The new BBQ is Garry’s pride and joy. It was floor stock and the last in the store. We got it for a bargain and talked the store into throwing in a filled gas cylinder. Garry then decided we could save the delivery charge if we partially dissembled it and carefully fitted the pieces into our tiny rental car. After several attempts we finally managed to squeeze it into the car with millimeters to spare. I still marvel at this feat as it has to be the largest BBQ I’ve never set eyes on. Needless to say Garry’s fired it up at least twice since we got it home.


Finally, inside the apartment I’ve been spending my evenings working on the new staircase joinery in our entrance lobby. Unfortunately the custom woodwork I ordered was poorly installed. I arrived home one evening to a scene that almost made my blood boil; two immaculately crafted joinery pieces had been literally butchered by crude saw cuts and other unsightly flaws. Repairing the damage involved a ten-day remedial project. I meticulously prepared paper templates, cut and glued new sections and finally painted the entire ensemble. The result is now much like the image I’d been carrying in my head.

I almost forgot to add that we've successfully secured the services of a cleaner. Incredibly the cleaning lady we had five years ago was still available. She'd even kept the same mobile phone number. Juilet was thrilled to hear from us and immediately made herself available to clean and iron once a week. She's easily the most efficient, thorough cleaner I've witnessed. Life in Australia is definitely falling back into the same familiar rhythm.

Hello Saab

We heard today that our Saab has finally been released by Australian Quarantine. However, we were forced to pay for a comprehensive steam clean before they'd sign-off the paperwork. Garry's now making plans to collect it from the warehouse next Tuesday. With luck it'll be back in our garage by next weekend.

I've also found just the car I'd love to get as a second city run around. It's the Peugeot RCZ coupe. You can see a photo of it above. I've been told its the poor man's Audi TT; a car I'd been fantasizing about until now. I think I've found a huge incentive to save hard for the next year or so!

Another big one hits the Pacific Rim

Northern Japan has been devastated by a massive earthquake today, the nation's largest for more than 150 years. The powerful tremor registered an astonishing 8.9 magnitude, shaking much of Honshu for almost two minutes. Its epicentre occurred 382km northeast of Tokyo, approximately 100 kilometres offshore from the coastal city of Sendai. 

According to US Geological Survey data, the strength of this quake makes it the seventh largest in recorded history. I'm relieved to report that staff from my company's Tokyo office and its local clients are all safe. However, everyone is now stranded as the city's entire subway and train system has shut down.

The unfolding disaster also has a personal connection. On my last trip to Japan I caught a shinkansen train to Sendai for a weekend excursion. My day trip included time on the water in picturesque Matsushima Bay, roughly 30 kilometres north of the city (that's the photo opening this post). 

During this trip I snapped a photo of the ubiquitous tsunami evacuation signs you see everywhere in the town. At the time I dismissed these signs as a classic example of a highly organised, but excessively bureaucratic culture. How wrong I was!

This entire coastline has now been devastated by an extraordinary and destructive tsunami. We've been watching dramatic television footage of a giant ten-metre wave sweeping across farmland and the Sendai airport. As I type news reports are reporting that a ship with more than 100 passengers was swept away by the tsunami. We're bracing for a terrible death toll as the news fog clears in the days ahead.

Earlier this evening my mother called from New Zealand some what concerned. The nation's automatic tsunami warning system had been triggered by the quake so coastal towns began receiving alerts. This meant that emergency broadcast messages interrupted television broadcasts and internet services where my parents live. 

They live less than 500 metres from the beach on New Zealand's Pacific coast (that's the photo below). As my mother noted, it’s a little unnerving when your television tells you without warning to flee for higher ground. The alerts were soon lifted.


UPDATE: March 16
I found the following story about the tsunami's impact in Matsushima. It seems that the bay's chain of limestone islands saved the tourist town from the worst. The town central is flooded, the boat wharf I once disembarked from has partially collapsed and many waterfront homes are damaged. However the story is very different a few kilometres up the coast where thousands are missing and entire towns have been literally wiped off the map.

The big reveal

It’s done! Our relocation back to Sydney is complete. We’re about to unpack the last box. After more than a month of painting, repairing and unpacking our apartment finally feels like home again. We’ve reached a point where Garry’s been filling his day finishing minor handyman jobs rather than painting ceilings and finding new homes for the contents in dozens of boxes.


Here in all its glory are a few photos of our almost normal home. You’ll see the new carpet adoring our internal staircase, the new feature wall and the painstakingly assembled TV bed. You’ll also see the joinery that went in yesterday at the base of the stairs (yet to receive a coat of paint) and the bookcase wall I’ve assembled in the spare bedroom. Our new blinds have yet to arrive and we’re still searching for the perfect outdoor dining suite. I hope you’ll agree it’s all starting to come together. Home sweet home.

250 boxes are on their way

We heard yesterday that Customs and Quarintine have inspected and released our household effects without incident. Tomorrow the removal company will finally deliver our worldly goods to the apartment. No doubt the next couple of days will fly by in blur of cardboard and bubble wrap. We had more than 250 separate boxes and furniture items removed from the house in London. Three months later I can barely remember half of what was packed. Stay tuned for an update on this final phase of our relocation.