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Post by plane2catch on Nov 21, 2015 14:36:52 GMT
Tulips, thanks for going the extra mile with the research. Nothing like knowing the real name of this beautiful bird.
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Post by chech on Nov 21, 2015 14:57:31 GMT
Ah, thanks. Platypus Bird was my name for it.
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Post by chech on Nov 21, 2015 14:58:58 GMT
Love the Owl in flight and Platypus bird pics. I really find this bird to be so unique. Just awesome!! I remember seeing a beautiful bird on Safari in Zimbabwe. (Hope I spelled that correctly) That particular bird was composed of 19 separate vibrant colors. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Same with your pic of this Platypus bird. Chech, enjoying your tale but would like a little more detail such as where the heck your flight is headed to in your last post? You must be getting tired of writing these Travel tales. They are so enjoyable for those of us at home to read. I am also anxiously awaiting Tulips Tale of the Galapagos' Islands. The flight? On the zoo day? That went to Darwin. I'll check to make sure that's clear.
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Post by purvis on Nov 21, 2015 18:40:39 GMT
Well got my morning fix of your Australian tour (day 7) Chech Thanks Purvs
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Post by solaria on Nov 21, 2015 19:32:00 GMT
Chech, I see you are enamoured over Koala, but my favourite is the Wombat! When we finally got over to Oz my goal was to see a wombat. I did AND got to hold a baby one. They seem to take things more in their stride and don't stress as Koala do. One of our daughters had a student exchange when she was 14 and there was bush behind the home she was staying and she saw several wild onesthat would come into the section to check things out. This was before digital cameras so I can't instantly put a pic on here. Would have to scan first.
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Post by solaria on Nov 21, 2015 19:40:38 GMT
Here's a pic a friend sent me when she was in Oz as she knows about me and Wombats. There is also afadhion label there called Wombat and I have several Wombat shirts and a jacket. Sorry Chech, I didn't see any Koala fashion stores.
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Post by solaria on Nov 21, 2015 19:48:36 GMT
Hi, Its me Sorry to take up more space on your tale, but I noticed my previous post was No: 99! So I had to do another so I'd lose my 'junior' status. Now that I will be a senior I will settle down and go and have my 'nana nap'.
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Post by chech on Nov 21, 2015 22:50:09 GMT
Well got my morning fix of your Australian tour (day 7) Chech Thanks Purvs Cool. I remember you saying that you'd read the tale in the morning, so I make sure I have it pretty well ready to go and just post it in the morning...before the rest of North America wakes up.
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Post by chech on Nov 21, 2015 22:56:21 GMT
Hi, Its me Sorry to take up more space on your tale, but I noticed my previous post was No: 99! So I had to do another so I'd lose my 'junior' status. Now that I will be a senior I will settle down and go and have my 'nana nap'. LOL...you're not taking up any space on the tale. It'll get posted to the first post in the thread when I'm done. The rest of the thread is chat space. I never saw a baby wombat...that would have been adorable. I saw them two or three times but they were fairly elusive. I don't think the koalas were stressed either when they were being handled. They seemed to easily shift from one person to another. I'm guessing as long as they didn't feel threatened, they were fine. They appeared well cared for.
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Nov 22, 2015 5:57:24 GMT
Chech, I'm enjoying your tale of Australia. You have seen more of it that I have and I live here. I only found this forum yesterday. I was overseas last year when Trafalgar closed their BB, so never saw the notice about this Forum opening. I haven't started on any of the other tour tales yet. I'll be in travel readers heaven for quite a while.
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Post by chech on Nov 22, 2015 13:05:26 GMT
Awesome! Yeah, someone asked about this forum on the Insight board but John wouldn't let anyone post it. I sneaked it into the post on Greece by posting the link to Tiffany's tale.
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Post by chech on Nov 22, 2015 13:09:27 GMT
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Post by californian on Nov 22, 2015 16:38:29 GMT
Can't believe you have post already day 8 and I haven't read any yet! Busy, busy, looking forward to read all the installments at once after the Thanksgiving weekend. Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all the US members.
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Post by Oz-T on Nov 22, 2015 20:37:10 GMT
Enjoying this travel tale, Chech Whilst I'm used to reading tales of places I've visited, this is quite unusual being my own country for a change. As usual, your vivid writing and photos make it an entertaining read. The white birds you saw on Day 8 are Corellas (white cockatoos), and yes, they are members of the parrot family. They're actually pretty good at mimicking human speech if they're caged and taught words like "Hello Cocky".
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 22, 2015 23:48:54 GMT
Australia is such a beautiful diverse country. I have only been there once, back in 2001. Chech, your pictures are making me want to return and see the Puffing Billy Train ride again. I remember seeing such beautiful birds on that excursion. I need to start a go fund me page or hit the lottery. If only I were born a Trump! (What a character he is)
I always felt so safe during my trip to Australia. I wonder if this country doesn't have an extremely low crime rate?
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Post by Oz-T on Nov 23, 2015 3:16:33 GMT
Australia is such a beautiful diverse country. I have only been there once, back in 2001. Chech, your pictures are making me want to return and see the Puffing Billy Train ride again. I remember seeing such beautiful birds on that excursion. I need to start a go fund me page or hit the lottery. If only I were born a Trump! (What a character he is)
I always felt so safe during my trip to Australia. I wonder if this country doesn't have an extremely low crime rate? Puffing Billy sure attracts the tourists here... and I'm only a short drive away.... And safe countries to visit? There's plenty, but it depends on the criteria. Preferably, a country would have a low crime rate, and few natural disasters. On that basis, the following ten countries tend to stand out: Iceland Denmark Austria New Zealand Switzerland Finland Canada Japan Australia Czech Republic (Yes, Iceland has a bit of volcanic activity, and NZ has earthquakes, but they're not known for being exceptionally dangerous places.)
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Nov 23, 2015 3:41:58 GMT
Awesome! Yeah, someone asked about this forum on the Insight board but John wouldn't let anyone post it. I sneaked it into the post on Greece by posting the link to Tiffany's tale. Yes, I saw that and that is how I found this website. Thank you for that. Re the other birds in your day 8 post, the white 1st one looks like a Great Egret, the 2nd could be an Osprey or Kite. The 3rd also looks like an Egret but I would have to go looking to see what type. The 4th one is of 2 Magpie Goose's and the last could be a Great Cormorant but I don't know for sure.
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 23, 2015 7:25:00 GMT
Oz-T, thought you might like to know that I actually enjoyed my time in Melbourne more than Sydney. I am quite thrifty and rarely add extra days to my TT or Insight trips. In fact I would have missed out on the extra day in Melbourne had the LAX-Melbourne segment of a frequent flyer free ticket in fact have been available. I had to pay for the extra night but so enjoyed the 12 Apostle Drive down the coast and the evening visiting the penguin parade.
I am sitting here in Michigan with close to a foot of snow and cold temperatures and longing to be down under.
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Post by Oz-T on Nov 23, 2015 9:23:05 GMT
Glad you enjoyed Melbourne. Sydney has a beautiful natural harbour that Melbourne cannot match, but Victoria has quite a few hidden treasures. The Great Ocean Road and Twelve Apostles is a very scenic trip, and the Penguin Parade is one of those unusual attractions that lure plenty of visitors. We can look forward to Chech's descriptions of both destinations. And as for snow, it's rarely seen in Melbourne as we don't usually get winters at freezing level or below. We need to drive up some mountains before we see snow, and then only in southern Australia.
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Post by chech on Nov 23, 2015 12:31:23 GMT
We've had two snowfalls but they've melted! Up to 5 degrees today. I love the cold! Day Nine is up! I just got my sister out of my basement and have to start the process of de-fur-ification as this is the first time in 20 years that I haven't had a pet in my house. Since Day Ten is so long, it may not get up until Wednesday. But after that...it's smooth sailing...quiet house...no dogs staring at me saying "Pet me. Walk me. Throw the ball. Treat. Feed me. I gotta pee....no, really...I gotta pee now." Yeah, I don't speak ruff.
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Post by purvis on Nov 23, 2015 17:16:11 GMT
Chech: Loved your tale of day nine. Your pictures are wonderful. Purvis
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 23, 2015 22:07:55 GMT
Chech, I am enjoying your Tale although I have to admit I miss your takes on your fellow companions. I guess since you were the only one on this Monogram trip you didn't have a group of individuals whom you toured with for a few days at a time. Now that you have explored this type of travel do you prefer this or do you miss the companionship of a set group. I know you're independent and are comfortable enjoying excursions on your own. I most likely prefer travelling in an organized group for the duration of a trip. Just asking for your feedback? Loved reading your Tales with your experiences with odd travel mates. I so often find my tour mates quite amusing.
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Post by tiffany on Nov 23, 2015 23:02:12 GMT
Awesome! Yeah, someone asked about this forum on the Insight board but John wouldn't let anyone post it. I sneaked it into the post on Greece by posting the link to Tiffany's tale. I and originally gone to the Insight Board to find this forum when it was first created, and was told by Insight that we can only post Insight related material on their website. I was lucky that Owen saw my post and contacted me. I’ve only read up to day two of your tour tale. I’ve been very busy lately. I’m hoping to read a couple of more days tomorrow morning.
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Nov 23, 2015 23:09:59 GMT
The colours in that last photo of Uluru are magnificent. I have only ever been to the Northern Territory once and that was on The Ghan a few years ago, from Adelaide to Darwin and back again. It wasn't until I did that train trip that I realise why they call the territory "the red centre". I plan on getting back there again some time. Looking forward to your next day of travel.
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Post by MelbourneTraveller on Nov 23, 2015 23:32:36 GMT
Chech, I'm enjoying your tale of Australia. You have seen more of it that I have and I live here. I only found this forum yesterday. I was overseas last year when Trafalgar closed their BB, so never saw the notice about this Forum opening. I haven't started on any of the other tour tales yet. I'll be in travel readers heaven for quite a while. Hi Pauline, It's great to see you back on-line as another seasoned traveller from the defunct Trafalgar forum Rosemary
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Post by chech on Nov 23, 2015 23:34:42 GMT
If you thought that was a good pic, wait until you see some of the sunrise ones...LOL Yeah, Wednesday for Day Ten by the looks of it. De-furring the house is a big job. And yes, I actually liked this kind of travel. I did get to know the people on the buses...the only difference is that I usually only saw them the one day. I did find that I was less tired on this tour than on the regular tours even though I was probably as busy if not busier. A big part of it is the lack of dinners so I wasn't spending up to three hours or more at night having dinner when I'd rather be getting ready for an early night. I know if I do another regular tour, I will skip dinners if I'm tired. It really made a difference.
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Post by Tulips on Nov 23, 2015 23:50:20 GMT
Having now done a small group tour, I've found I enjoy these more. I'm past the 44 people on the bus and the 10 hour travel days with short stops in between.
i much prefer the small country tours where at most you are spending two to three hours getting from place to place. You have so much more time to see things this way. Also, you can ask more questions because the TD isn't catering to 44 people.
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 24, 2015 0:27:25 GMT
The colours in that last photo of Uluru are magnificent. I have only ever been to the Northern Territory once and that was on The Ghan a few years ago, from Adelaide to Darwin and back again. It wasn't until I did that train trip that I realise why they call the territory "the red centre". I plan on getting back there again some time. Looking forward to your next day of travel. When I visited Uluru our TD suggested we take pictures every 15 minutes as the sun was setting. He said we would have a beautiful keepsake once we printed and mounted the pics. The change of color and sky was beautiful during that evening visit. I bought a frame but never got around to mounting the pics. Some day I will have a awesome display.
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 24, 2015 0:33:15 GMT
If you thought that was a good pic, wait until you see some of the sunrise ones...LOL Yeah, Wednesday for Day Ten by the looks of it. De-furring the house is a big job. And yes, I actually liked this kind of travel. I did get to know the people on the buses...the only difference is that I usually only saw them the one day. I did find that I was less tired on this tour than on the regular tours even though I was probably as busy if not busier. A big part of it is the lack of dinners so I wasn't spending up to three hours or more at night having dinner when I'd rather be getting ready for an early night. I know if I do another regular tour, I will skip dinners if I'm tired. It really made a difference. Yes, sometimes it is hard logically to skip a dinner that is included and you feel that you in some sort of way have already paid for the meal. But, sometimes it is wise to rest up early so that you are not overly tired and are able to enjoy the activities of the next day. I skipped the included barbeque dinner in Colorado when I went on TTs Scenic Parks tour. Years ago as a child I remember being on a train perhaps it was the Durango train where the coach stopped and actors pretended to rob the train. I remember as a child I thought the skit was a blast
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 24, 2015 0:38:30 GMT
Having now done a small group tour, I've found I enjoy these more. I'm past the 44 people on the bus and the 10 hour travel days with short stops in between. i much prefer the small country tours where at most you are spending two to three hours getting from place to place. You have so much more time to see things this way. Also, you can ask more questions because the TD isn't catering to 44 people. I always thought it wise to get the more rigorous trips checked off my to do list at a relatively young age when I had more patience for the larger groups and longer days of travel. Actually, I can handle a 10 hour bus ride over a 16 hour economy flight any day. The flight schedule from DFW to both Bombay and to Cape town, South Africa were killers.
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