I realised that I hadn't posted anything from Aidens birthday.

On the weekend we had a bowling birthday party with all the kids (and mum and dad) dressed up as super heroes.

















We also had a family dinner where we celebrated both his, Kayla's and Adams (his cousins) birthdays.

Although we have had a beautiful winter with lots of sunny days and mild daytime temperatures, we have also had some cold mornings.



One morning the car had frost on it and it was only 5 degrees outside (most winter mornings it is 8-10 degrees with 18-22 degree daytime temps).

Last weekend Aiden graduated in his swim class from being a Crab to being a turtle.



He's been in the swim class for a couple of years now and never graduated. He would swim fine with me, but would cry and be scared with the swim teacher.

After our trip to Thailand in June he gained a lot of confidence and was very happy to swim by himself, but the swim teacher was too careful so he was unable to show what a good swimmer he really is. So, last weekend I asked the swim teacher to let him swim with the result that she by the end of the lesson graduated him and moved him to the next class.

He was so proud (and so was his dad).

In the spirit of trying to keep the boys active Kim and I took them of a coastal walk from Coogee to Clovelly on a beautiful winters day.



The water in the little bays were calm and clear.






Half way we sat down and had a snack.



Kim braved it with the aerial yoga.



And the boys were being themselves...best mates.






















They loved being outside and they managed to walk the whole way (bribed by ice cream) even though Lucas on the last stretch was asking to be picked up.

This Sunday we took the boys to Thirlmere trainworks. This is a large train museum with lots of old steam trains.

Here we learned that steam trains in NSW were running up until 1973 which means that we were born in the era of steam trains...makes me feel really old.



We went for a ride on one of the old steam trains (I think I was more excited than the kids).
























As usual Aiden and Lucas were monkeying around being best mates. This is a bus on rails.






This is an instruction carriage used to teach how to operate the brakes on a steam train.

On the day we were flying out it was Kims birthday.

I had arranged a cake for her in the morning ordered through one of the local cafes a couple of days earlier.





The hotel provided a fairly average cream and jam pile that no one ate.

To celebrate Kims birthday she organised for the family to go and see a show called Siam Niramit.

This show was about a 45 minutes drive from the hotel but transport was as usual included (as it is in pretty much all activities you organise).





Unfortunately Kims dad couldn't join us as he had been severely dehydrated from not drinking enough water and wearing too many clothes in the heat.

We were greeted at the show by actors in their beautiful costumes.









We then proceeded into the venue where we had a large buffet style dinner. KC organised for the staff to come and sign birthday song for Kim.







After dinner there were some pre-show activities such as kick boxing, tug of war with elephants as well as an elephant parade. More actors were dressed in their costumes.

































After this was the show. The staging and props were absolutely amazing. Everything was big, and very well made. They even had a small river flowing through the stage in which actors rowed their canoos and swam in. They also had a massive monsoon rainfall in one of the acts.

The various acts despicted important historical chapters of the Thai history and mythology.

The had fabled creatures and real elephants, water buffaloes as part of the acting. Actors went flying across the stage with more that 100 actors as part of the show.

Below are some of the photos I could find to 'borrow' as I didn't take any photos during the show itself (not allowed).

 

One evening I went to see Thai boxing or Muay Thai as it is called locally.

I asked the rest of the family if anyone wanted to join me, but they all said no (it is the national sport of Thailand).



I had been once before long time ago in Bangkok and wanted to experience it again.

I decided to pay the bit extra and get a VIP seat right next to the ring and that was definitely worth the extra money.

There were 8 fights that evening. The first fight was between two kids around 11 years old. Especially the kid in black shorts was very strong and was dominating the fight throughout.













The second fight was between two older teenagers. Again the kid in black was dominating the match.






The third fight was between to women, a Canadian and a Thai. The canadian girl looked very relaxed and was definitely ready to fight. The Thai girl had no chance against her and the match ended in knockout.

Before each fight they go through this unique dance ritual.









I was privileged to sit next to one of the judges who has happy to talk, so between each round I could ask him questions about the scoring system which is rather confusing.

The 4th match was between a French and a Thai. The foreigners are really dominating this sport now and the Thai's were generally struggling.

















As with all the fights wit foreigners this fight also ended in a knockout.



The 5th fight was back to two Thais fighting.





















One of the last fights was between a brazilian and a Thai. When walking into the ring you could tell that the brazil was very strong.




He started by kicking the Thai in the chest and then punched him in the face.

The fight lasted less than a minute before a knockout.








The last fight was more in the heavyweight class, again between a brazilian and a Thai.

This fight was full of power and again it ended up in knockout.





































After the fights I happened see the winners lining up out the back. I managed to get a photo with a couple of them.




...yeah, I look really convincing there.








This evening was definitely one of my highlights from the trip and if we were going back then I would probably go again. The atmosphere is amazing and if the fighters are good then the experience is phenomenal.

One morning Kim booked a trip out to some of the smaller islands of Phuket.

The trip was in a large speed boat and initially the family didn't want to go because they were worried about getting seasick, but eventually they changed their minds.



The boys loved the experience and were very proud wearing their life jackets.








On the island we could feed the fish from the beach.
















And there was time to play in the water for the boys (and a bit of snorkeling for me).



















It is also good to see that they are still using their long tail boats for traditional fishing.

After visiting the big Buddha we stopped to feed a baby elephant.

The kids were a little overwhelmed by its trunk, but fun nevertheless.

Ecochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )

Arrival	Silam / Jungle Ops	Home 23. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Phuket - Snake show 23. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet They also had a snake show at the elephant place.Some of the snakes were very poisonous such as this Share They also had a snake show at the elephant place. Some of the snakes were very poisonous such as this monocled cobra. And the huge king cobra (which kept coming over the safety barrier). Chong and I volunteered to hold the python. I wonder how often the snake guy has been bitten by his snakes. 22. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Phuket - Small monkeys 22. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet At the place we went riding elephants they had a group of little monkeys that we could hold and feed Share At the place we went riding elephants they had a group of little monkeys that we could hold and feed. They were chained to their little houses which was a bit cruel, but the kids loved seeing the monkeys up close. The kids thought it was very funny when one of them grabbed my nose. 21. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Phuket - Elephant ride 21. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet One morning we went on an elephant ride with the family.Kim had been on elephant rides before and is Share One morning we went on an elephant ride with the family. Kim had been on elephant rides before and is terrified, but she was still brave enough to do it again (She was screaming that she wanted to get off most of the way). It was an amazing experience for the Kids. They got to see the big animals up close. 20. June 2015 08:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Phuket - Kata Beach 20. June 2015 08:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet One one of the first days we went to the beach at Kata. The hotel had a shuttle bus to the beach whi Share One one of the first days we went to the beach at Kata. The hotel had a shuttle bus to the beach which was an easy 10 minutes walk away. The beach was actually surprisingly nice with warm water. About two months ago a sailing boat stranded on the beach during a storm. No one has claimed the boat and a few attempts of lifting it off the beach has failed. We told the kids that it was a pirate ship, so they wanted to have a closer look. Kims dad didn't want to go in the water, but decided to keep to his thing with wearing warm clothes in hot humid weather. 19. June 2015 08:26 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Phuket – Travelling 19. June 2015 08:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet This year we traveled to Phuket in Thailand along with Kim&#39;s sisters family and her dad. We had t Share This year we traveled to Phuket in Thailand along with Kim's sisters family and her dad. We had to fly via Bangkok, so we were a bit worried how the kids would handle the long flight (especially Lucas), but everyone handled it reasonably well. The boys were very excited to be going on a big aeroplane.   Once we arrived to Bangkok it was pretty obvious to see that they were very excited. The only thing that never made it all the way to the hotel was our stroller. We lost it somewhere between Phuket airport and the hotel...but wasn't a big loss and hopefully someone puts it to goo local use. 20. May 2015 12:05 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Passport photo session 20. May 2015 12:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet It is time to renew Aiden passport and like last time there were a lot of outtakes that we could not Share Ecochallenge ( Sabah 2000 ) Arrival Silam / Jungle Ops Repeater Stations The Competitors Helicopter Jungle Around Us The Village Preparations at the Magellan Hotel ( Kota Kinabalu ) . . . All the Ecochallenge teams gathered together at the Magellan Hotel in anticipation of the race, which was due to start on 20th August. During our stay at Kota Kinabalu, we were staying at the most extravagant hotel - as pictured on the right. It is huge! It has 3 swimming pools, and takes us an hour to walk around the perimeter. The radio communications team had to arrive a few days before the start of the race because we had to hand out over 2,000 pieces of radio equipment. We had problems getting the necessary approvals for helicopters so I ended up having to hand out most of the equipment whilst Glen and Paul sorted out the issue of the helicopters. We had to get all the equipment and our team to Silam before the the race started. Glen and Paul checking all the equipment and re-programming some of the radios. Behind me are all the radio equipment, ready to be handed out. I am standing here waiting for the competitors to arrive as I have to sign out the equipment as I give them out. We had to improvise a lot of the furniture, using old crates to set up tables. After the race, Glen and I decided to make most of the luxury and just veg... aaahhh... bliss! Created: 7 Dec 2001 15. August 2000 10:39 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Ecochallenge ( Sabah 2000 ) 15. August 2000 10:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet ecochallenge sabah 2000 Share Ecochallenge ( Sabah 2000 ) Arrival Silam / Jungle Ops Repeater Stations The Competitors Helicopter Jungle Around Us The Village Ecochallenge in 2000 was held on the east coast of Borneo, in the jungles of Sabah. It was an extreme race where the competitors taking part have to endure 10 days of running through the jungles; kayaking and swimming many kilometres offshore; and mountain-biking for 150km on dirt roads. All in all, the fastest competitors travelled 600km in a space of just over 5 days! I had the privilege of being there, being the developer of software that was used by the radio communications team. I also helped out with the setting up of all equipment and made many trips to the repeater stations. Being in the jungles of Sabah, let alone part of the Ecochallenge preparations, has proved to be a challenge and an experience worth remembering, and hope to be part of any future Ecochallenge events. As shown in the map, the red trails are where most of the competitors either ran or walked. The purple trail was the kayaking/canoeing leg. The orange trail was the mountain-bike leg and the blue trail was where the competitors had to swim with all their equipment. Back to Top Return to Contents page Created: 7 Dec 2001 4. March 2000 11:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Chilli Festival ( 4th March 2000 ) . . . 4. March 2000 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet chilli festival 4th march 2000 Share On this particular Saturday, I drove to Terrigal to see the Mexican Chilli Festival... it was excellent. I shot two rolls of film up there. Some of these pictures have turned out beautifully! A couple of my Mexican friends were doing the entertainment there. Victor is very good at playing the mexican harp. His wife, Shiraz, is an excellent dancer. I took a series of shots in colour and a series in black & white. I shall first show you the ones in colour and then in b&w, as the b&w ones are very artistic! Victor plays the harp like a dream! I was once at Lance's place - Lance was helping Victor record his music onto CD. The harp does not look like your ordinary orchestral harp. It was ornate and somehow different. It is was a very beautiful instrument. As you can see, these women are gorgeous! Something about silk stockings, I think... Shiraz is the photo in the middle. She did quite a few numbers, and this was one of them. All 3 girls danced in a colourful combination! Here you see Shiraz dancing in a duet. I have seen her do this dance at a similiar concert May last year, here in Lindfield. Victor and a couple of guitarists provided accompaniment to the dancing. Shiraz moved so fast that at times, all you could see was this colourful wave of skirts. Her partner's costume reminded me of the costumes the Spanish toledos wore (except without the cape). As you can see, Shiraz danced a number of dances that day. It takes a lot of energy to do those dances! 4. March 2000 11:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Chilli Festival 4. March 2000 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet chilli festival Share My gallery of black & white photos of the Chilli Festival! 14. November 1999 11:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Donkey Day Out . . . 14. November 1999 11:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet donkey day out Share Whilst we were in Morocco, our whole family went riding on donkeys. That included my grandparents! They needed a bit of support to keep their balance, but otherwise they were doing all right. You can see my grandmother, my brother Claus and my mother in succession behind by grandfather. Here is my father! Do you not think that he looks so much like his brother in one of the photos on the 80th birthday page? Here is my brother on the donkey. It is quite amazing how much these small animals can carry. My mum on her donkey. Not quite as elegant (maybe relaxing a bit would have helped) as the rest of the family, but at least she didn’t fall off! This is one of the few pictures I have of her where she is not smoking! (oh, and the other one at my grandmother's 80th, of course! It was a very nice picture of her smiling! Finally, someone got a photo of me on my donkey! 14. November 1999 10:59 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Morocco ( 1999 ) . . . 14. November 1999 10:59 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet morocco 1999 Share Our main reason for the trip to Morocco, was to come together as a family and attend my grandmother's 80th birthday. We also managed to explore Morocco, and even had a fun day riding donkeys - yes, the whole family - my grandparents, parents and brother! We met different people and there were some really beautiful women in this country. There were some interesting buildings and we even found some strange goats! The Women of Morocco . . . People in the city tend to be more extremist/fundamentalist when it comes to religion, then those who come from the country areas. One reason could be that the people living in the cities are mainly Arabic, and those living in the countryside are Berbers. Berber women are less dressed up than in the cities. Some of them are extremely beautiful. Also, I noticed that those in the city tend to be more self-conscious of photos being taken than those in the country.People are naturally a bit shy, but by showing friendliness, it a makes it a lot easier to take good photos. Hmmm... Do you know that I was actually offered to buy this girl on the right for two camels? I do not know why they wanted to get rid of her. Maybe she was making too much trouble in the village? Anyway…I refused the offer. The girls decorate themselves with what is called henna. It is a dye that stains there hands for a long time. They paint different patterns onto their hands and it actually looks very pretty. Much nicer than tattoos - which are permanent! Return to Top Goats . . . We came across a couple of trees full of goats. They were climbing around the tree to reach all the green leaves. Our first though was that someone put them there, but they were too much out of reach for that idea. << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts 1 2 ... 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 Older posts Home 8. March 2017 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa and Zimbabwe - Travelling with the boys 8. March 2017 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Traveling with the two boys can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but this time it actually went ve Share Traveling with the two boys can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but this time it actually went very will. They behaved well on the flights watching movies, playing, drawing and looking out the windows. They were even lucky enough to be invited into the cockpit while at the terminal and were allowed to press the big red button on the flight stick (transfers the flight control). During the trip the boys were sleeping in the same bed (and sometimes in the same room as us), and they were usually so tired after a days of activities that they would sleep rather than muck around. The accommodation was a combination hotels, lodges, cottages and apartment. (useful to have two toilets sometimes). They also loved seeing large beetles and grasshoppers - but refused to touch them. Some of their highlights were the unusual playgrounds they got to play in and the large lollipops at the airport. And some of my highlights were the local toys such as the cars/tractors made from wires and the homemade slingshots. 3. March 2017 22:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - West Coast National Park 3. March 2017 22:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet The West Coast National Park north of Cape Town is something special. During the spring all the Sout Share The West Coast National Park north of Cape Town is something special. During the spring all the South Africans go there to see the spring flowers, but it is equally beautiful other times of the year with its remote beaches and azure blue water inside the lagoon. It was a beautiful spot to have Kim do a bit of modelling. The boys absolutely loved playing in the water. Even though it is a long drive (on easy roads) there were some interesting creatures along the way. Such as Eland And lots of Ostrich. And lots of scenit spots in the small villages along the Atlantic coast. 2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Hout Bay 2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Hout Bay is just south of Cape Town - Besides from being a nice little fishing village it is also fa Share Hout Bay is just south of Cape Town - Besides from being a nice little fishing village it is also famous for its boat tours out to Seal Island. This is an island with a large colony of predominantly male seals. From the harbour it is a short 45 minute round trip out to see the seals. Back at the harbour there was one of the locals who had managed to train one of the wild seals to come and get food from him. It would jump out of the water and grab the food from his hand or from his mouth. It was also tame enough for the boys to touch. 2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Cape Town 2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Cape town is a nice place and fairly small by Sydney standards. Although very modern it still has an Share Cape town is a nice place and fairly small by Sydney standards. Although very modern it still has an African feel to it. It is possible to walk through the city and get a pretty good overview of most things in a single day. In the centre of the city is the Company Gardens which is where the Dutch East India Company used to grow supplies for their ships. This is now a big park full surrounded by old buildings, souvenir stalls and full of squirrels. On the squares there are people entertaining with dance, music and entertainers everywhere. At the waterfront it is full a bustling environment of museums and restaurants. 2. March 2017 08:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Wine lands 2. March 2017 08:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet We spent a day driving out through the wine lands around Cape Town, namely Stellenbosch and Franschh Share We spent a day driving out through the wine lands around Cape Town, namely Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. As everywhere else it is a beautiful area surrounded by mountain ranges. Kim had been recommended a nice restaurant in Franschhoek, but when we got there it was fully booked (or invitation only - not sure), so we ended up at an equally nice french restaurant down the road. The vineyards there are massive compared to Australia - they are proper estates on massive lands. One of the estates had this nice McLaran parked outside. We didn't do much tasting though - the way they do it (you order a sit down wine tasting or a wine package for a fee) didn't really fit with me driving and traveling with kids. The Boys were as usual more interested in playing. 1. March 2017 20:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Cheetah Outreach 1. March 2017 20:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet One morning we went to the Cheetah Outreach centre outside Cape Town.Here they train dogs to keep wi Share One morning we went to the Cheetah Outreach centre outside Cape Town. Here they train dogs to keep wild cats away from cattle and sheep so that these don't get eaten. The idea is that if the farmers keep dogs to keep their animals safe then they don't have to set traps to kill the wild cats. Interesting idea, but I would think that it would take a lot of dogs, and the farmers would probably still shoot or trap the wild cats anyhow. The centre also keeps some cheetahs that visitors are allowed to pat (for a fee). 1. March 2017 20:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Cape Peninsula 1. March 2017 20:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet The Cape Peninsula is a beautiful area with nice views and little isolated beaches where ever you lo Share The Cape Peninsula is a beautiful area with nice views and little isolated beaches where ever you look. We spent a whole day exploring along the coast...breathtaking. 22. February 2017 19:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Penguins at Boulders Beach 22. February 2017 19:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Going to Boulders Beach was a fun experience for the boys. There were lots of nesting penguins and t Share Going to Boulders Beach with all the penguins was a fun experience for the boys. There were lots of nesting penguins and they are more agile than you think, jumping between the rocks on the beach (notice how the penguin below is airborne). They sit on their nests until the eggs hatch. and they stay with the young ones after they hatch too. And once in a while a seagull gets lucky and steals one of the eggs. There are hundreds of them on the beach. And they are right next to the path. The whole area was covered in smoke from a massive bush fire up in the hills, so our eyes were watering and hurting by the end of it. Despite the smoke I still managed to get a good photo of this beautiful flightless bird. 21. February 2017 20:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Cafe Africa Cape town 21. February 2017 20:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet In the evening we went to Cafe Africa. This is a nice little cafe serving authentic African cuisine Share In the evening we went to Cafe Africa. This is a nice little cafe serving authentic African cuisine in the middle of Capetown. The menu was a 16 course degustation type menu with all you can eat of food from all over Africa. They came around to do a bit of face painting and later there was drumming and dancing from the staff. 21. February 2017 19:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Bo Kaap 21. February 2017 19:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet On the way down from Table Mountain we visited Bo Kaap.This is a predominantly muslim neighbourhood Share On the way down from Table Mountain we visited Bo Kaap. This is a predominantly muslim neighbourhood with some very colourful houses. Great as a backdrop for photographing the most beautiful girl I know. And also the most handsome boys. << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts 1 2 ... 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 ... 93 94 Older posts